Falooda, Summer special!

Summers in Hyderabad are terrible. It's March and 35 deg Celsius already...

So am looking for options to cool myself down!! And the perfect delicacy is FALOODA!

I really don't know where this drink originated from, but it's quite famous in Hyderabad. It is sold is street famous cafes and juice shops. It is traditionally made of milk, but who needs it.. We have coconut milk :)

And another main ingredient is Basil seeds (or Sabja as called in Hindi), which is available in most supermarkets around. This is how it looks before soaking in water. 

When you pour water double/triple the quantity of seeds, and leave it for 20 mins, this is how they swell up and look all glamorous and pretty :) 

OK, Now the recipe!!

Wait!! See how Falooda looks first! 

Ingredients: for 2 glasses

• 200 ml coconut milk (thick) 
• 5-7  tsps Sugar (char free) 
• 2 tsps Rose syrup
• 2 tsps Basil seeds soaked for 20 mins
• Cut dry fruits for garnish (pistachios, almonds and cashews)
• Some cut cherry pieces for garnish

Method:

• Blend thick coconut milk with enough water to make it into drinking consistency (because the thick milk is like cream, difficult to drink)
• Add sugar and rose syrup and blend again. Add sugar little by little tasting how sweet you need. Careful here because rose syrup also has sugar in it. Keep this divine frothy pink milk aside for a while
• Get 2 Beautiful glasses. 
• Put 2 tsp of basil seeds in each glass.
• Pour this frothy pink milk into each glass till top, garnish with cut dry fruits and cherries. They will sit pretty on froth.

You will realize that basil seeds will float uo when you pour milk. They look like pearls and taste heavenly!!

Cho-Coco-Late

I've been successfully staying away from most of the processed food except the chocolate bar. Though I eat the Nestle's dark chocolate, I was looking at ways to make my own. Also to avoild chemicals and preservatives. You-tube didn't help me much as most of the recipes needed cocoa butter(edible, not cosmetic :p ) ,which I can't find in the local stores.

I did this experiment with a very small batch and my husband loved it. Moreover, the ingredients make the recipe work so well. Here is the picture.

Only one drawback is that it will not be as hard as the chocolate bar you buy outside. It is more gooey, a little harder than a fudge ball and remains so, even when the temperature is not cold. But it's sinfully dark and delicious.

Ingredients :

2 tbs coconut oil

4 tbs cocoa powder

4 tbs date syrup ( I used lion brand)

   

Makes 9 cho-coco-lates. Want more/less? Just double/half the measures.

Process:

In a bowl, add your coconut oil and heat it till it's liquid (In India the oil is already in liquid state because of the temperature, so it takes around 5 seconds on stove to get the watery consistency). Take the bowl off the stove and add the cocoa powder and date syrup while you stir it continuously. You will realize that as you stir, it turns from a liquid to a paste and to a chocolate fudge consistency.

You can either pour this in a piping bag and fill in cupcake liners or refrigerate it till it becomes hard and make cute little balls of it. 

As soon as I made it, I dropped a dollop each in 1"cupcake liners with the same spoon (without using the piping bag) and added colored sprinkles. Finally, licked off the spoon and the bowl to avoid mess :)

Result: Amazingly gooey chocolate which vanishes immediately. A few friends thought it had coconut flavor, but never imagined there's coconut oil in it :) I have all the copyrights for this recipe.If you try it, do let me know how it turned out. Would love to know...

The one month vegan experience and more..!!

Hello....
It's been ages I wrote. Marriage has kept me busy, in a good way. If not, marriage can be something which can suck you in to a dark deep hole before you know. Life has been good. People around kept telling me that I lost a few pounds (what a relief!!), though the truth is that I put on a few after wedding. But if you are happy, people perceive you positively. You must be thinking why I am jabbering personal life?
Well, just so know am leading to something important. Finally!!

The food choices you make can define you. Do you think so? I have been a vegetarian all my life and people ridiculed me. I had a tough time going out to a lot of places where menu has 10 non veg items and 4 veg items. But I like doing what I do and I don't care. But unknowingly I came across this horrific video  on diary practices and Bham!!! It struck me that I was a part of this harsh world. I love animals and so am a veggie but still am hurting them.
So I did some research on how to not hurt them, and came across the VEGAN world. I knew that vegans don't eat meat which is fine but they don't even eat dairy. I mean how is that possible!!
Can you imagine a life without milk, butter, cheese, curd(am a South Indian :P) and buttermilk and chocolates and cookies and biscuits. GOSH!!!! I thought it's scary. But knowledge is divine. After knowing how animals are hurt, I lost any appetite for dairy products. If you have doubts about what Vegan is and how it is done, check this Hyderabad vegan page. All your myths about how calcium comes only from milk, bones need milk, growing kids need milk will all be solved by Dr.Nandita Shah who is a vegan from a very long time and runs her own organization.

I don't like making my blogs long, I know you will lose interest but there is too much to write here. Too much pain, too much cruelty unknowingly. So I became a vegan last month, got in touch with those who are from a  long time, those who reside here in Hyderabad and are vegans and got enough support. One of them is Sejal. I thank her for helping me. And I never craved any dairy.

There are hundreds of eating out options for you in India (even chocolates, biscuits and ice creams). Although I just stopped eating any processed food (anything packed-It's a whole different story why and I'll write in my next blog). At home I make curd from peanut milk, eat almonds, dates and sesame seeds for calcium and stopped eating processed sugar(Jaggery is tastier than that). And I lost a few kilos, just in one month, all healthy.

A lot of myths are busted here, as the discussion can run too long. Also many people think that they are balancing the earth by eating animals and saving trees instead. If you see Dr.Nandita Shah's vidoes, one of which I have posted above and this second part of it, you will get most of the answers.

I will end the blog here for you to write and leave any comment.
I have tried to put in a few things here, although I think it's just 1/1000th of the whole veganism spectrum.

A Psychologist, a Counselor and a Psychiatrist!

I recently visited a school for the post of a counselor and the receptionist saw me with a faint smile and asked-

Read me

Me: How?

Rec: you are a psychologist

me: Well, am not a mind reader

Rec: But still, tell something

Me: How would I know about you more than you do?

Rec: But still

Me: (Silent- with some frustration as to not know what to say)

        Later explained to her what a counselor means, how we don't read minds, how all this is an Indianized movie version of a psychologist!! 

The reason why I didn't write for a long time, really long time is because I got married, got busy and got lazy. Now, Am writing which means I really need to write some things out.

I have been on a lookout for a job and I have been getting a lot of 'face-palm' situations because of the kind of things I get to listen. I am neither a world renowned counselor nor a busy trainer in soft skills. But I still like what I do, have restricted view of a lot of jobs and love what I read. 

Therefore, here I am, all to write about a few things not true about Psychology and those that are true.

Distinction:

Who is a Psychologist?

A psychologist is a therapist in various settings like schools, organizations(ex: stress issues in a corporate office) and clinics(dealing with depression) who understands various psychological issues and helps manage them. They may or may not use tests and their subject knowledge and scope are very different.

A psychologist may also be teaching psychology is a school or college but that does not involve therapy.

Who is a Psychological counselor or a Counselor?

A counselor is also a therapist who understands psychological issues but helps the client by conversing either on a one-to-one session(45min/ 1Hr session) or in a group setting ( ex:women shelter group). They may or may not use tests. Also, there are various divisions in counseling, marital counseling, family counseling, rehabilitation counseling to name a few.

A counselor can always refer you to a psychologist when the need arises or for extra support.

Who is a psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist is a physician (M.B.B.S;M.D) who prescribes medicines for psychological problems. He is an expert is drugs and neuron links. So the next time you consult a psychiatrist for someone, do ask them if you need a therapist/counselor because treatment works best with therapy. Also, a psychiatrist may not necessarily prescribe drugs if he thinks it's not needed. In such a case he may refer you to a counselor. 

If you are in a doubt whether you need drugs for a particular problem or not, just meet a psychologist or a counselor. They will assess your problem and refer you to a psychiatrist if needed.

 Truths

1. It is true that a psychologist is a person with a valid degree
2. A psychologist understands you.
3. A psychologist may conduct tests and it is also true that you can ask them what test they are using if you are unsure.
4. Taking drugs is your choice and no once can force you. A psychologist/ psychiatrist will help you make that decision.

Myths:

1. You are mental/mad if you visit a psychologist. In fact those who say that don't know the meaning of mental or a psychologist. (I have also been to a counselor, am not crazy.. You know)
2. A psychologist can read your mind. No, they cant. They understand you from what you say and talk and help you. They are not super natural beings who can see your brains. (If they can do so, they would be the richest people on earth :p) 
3. They will share your information outside. No. they cant. They are bound by ethical code to be confidential.
4. They can read your palm. (no they cannot)

Sorry for not attaching links to support my views. In any case of doubt, you can always google and check. 

Feel free to write here in my comment box to agree or disagree with me.

 

Couples around

Couples around

With hope and faith they surround

Some with patience

Some with vengeance

Expressions many

The name they keep searching for

Happily ever after is the note prescribed

For which a cure is undefined

Bonds aren’t like the sweet syrup you take

Taking in too much could leave you hyper glycemic

Making you restless and craving for more

Throwing you down and making you greedy

Sprinkle in some salt and do it spicy

Savour the curry and eat all your dessert

Fight now and then and add in some flirt 

A lesson to let the person BE!

"I believe some one

To the extent that I am compulsive

Which makes the wound only get deeper,

So the compulsion may turn into fear.

Sometimes you make me feel better

Like the spell of an evil vampire

Is there a way I can undo the scar?

Maybe by an amnesic charm

Erasing all the past

And the mountain of underlying aghast"

These were the words written by Aicha in her diary on that eve of valentine ’s day, 2010, when she was left heart broken by Rohit. She had loved Rohit ever since she was in her high school, secretly dropping in notes, leaving him chocolates, staring at him like a thief so she won’t get caught. Rohit always knew something was on, but he never dared to bring this up. Those were the days of high school, full of fun, full of excitement. Aicha was so scared to take it to him that she never did, until she graduated. Wow, that was after 8 long years. That night at their college party, she gathered all her courage and expressed her love to Rohit.

What happened in days to come was nothing but a dream come true for Aicha. Rohit expressed his love back for her on the very same day and they dated for the next 2 years. Initially Aicha felt as though she was living in a fantasy and couldn't believe that Rohit was in fact her boy friend. Her affection was intolerably high for Rohit and he did feel the same for her. Life was just so beautiful, until Rohit was offered a job in a top notch company with a huge pay, which meant lesser time for meetings and coffees and lesser time for chat. Aicha was having a tough time coping with the fact that Rohit was not spending enough time with her and her feeling of affection and admiration were being replaced by insecurity and fear. She could not do what every person needs to do in a relationship- mature and adjust. Days went by, leaving her sore and hurt, despite the fact that Rohit loved her truly and was doing everything to keep the relationship alive. He had also arranged for sessions with a counselor but Aicha was so hurt by this gesture that she told Rohit she was not mentally ill to visit a shrink and suggested he needed one.

That valentine’s day Rohit had taken the hard decision of keeping away from Aicha until she understands the true meaning of a relation, which left her almost lifeless. Relationship is like a beautiful garland of flowers, the delicate the better, the harder you tug, the scattered it becomes. 

Only months later of being away and being alone, Aicha started to realize the things that led to the break up. They seemed like most silly ones. Wanting to be more in charge of her life, she chose to apply for jobs and also chose to pursue her unfulfilled passion of dancing. She attended therapy sessions not because she was ill, but to a leader of her own life. 

Rohit and Aicha have drifted apart in their own ways but Aicha learnt a lesson about relationships, a lesson never to forget, a lesson to let the person be, and a lesson to be the person she is. She was ready for a new beginning, only to rise in relationship and not to fall again. These were the words she wrote in her diary on the eve of Valentine’s Day, 2011

"I fell on the floor

With my feelings tore

Pain taught me to move

With a reason never to forget

I see myself with love

And a past never to regret"

Romance, not really!

Been to a number of weddings lately

Childhood friends, buddies and cousins

Each with a story so unique

Surprises, vows and knots

It feels right if it has to

Else consequences we may have to face to

Either way it has to be crawled to

Romance is of course over rated

We girls are forever in it gated

It forms the canvas, it forms the plot

It forms the design in our beautiful heads

Is it arts which taught us so

Is it the movies which portray so

Or is it the societal web which always demands more

The answer is never arriving

Like the chicken and the egg riddle so confusing

It is a fantasy far real

blindly accepted as ideal

Craving for every bit of it

No one knows the why and how

Anthropologists are forever in plough

Who wants to argue the right or wrong

I wonder if men also hum the same song