Home Decor – Revisited

Off late life is completely about her highness – my daughter. To be honest I never imagined that things would change so drastically with the advent of this little creature. Yes, surprises can come in very small packages and change the geography or history of your life completely.

What inspired this post was the recent visit to the wonderful IKEA store. I love the simplicity of their designs and more importantly the thought that goes into making those simple pieces of furniture Useful. Yes, there are many designs that we see in stores that are aesthetically very pleasing but are completely useless when it comes to utility/comfort. I like love IKEA primarily for their utility and aesthetics.

You must be wondering as to how did my angel (or is it the devil these days – terrible twos are on, you see) inspired me to reflect on home decor subject. The answer is simple, whatever I do these days, I somehow cannot get my house to have any semblance of order or propriety, thanks to her. When I mentioned this to many of my regular listeners they dismissed it saying this is ‘but obvious’ in a house with a child. As a person who loves to decorate her house and indulge in it, you can imagine my supposed misery/pain. But then I love my daughter more than all these earthly things too.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that I have two options.

1. Submit myself ( rather my house) to her highness and continue to clean as I go (CAIG)
2. Try to figure out the most creative and magical way of keeping my house presentable while allowing my daughter to amuse herself

There is though a high probability of people recommending me to follow option 1, however, if there is any creative soul out there who can contrive of a way for me to follow option 2, I would not just be delighted, but ready to do anything for them  (don’t take that too seriously, I have a toddler ).

So, here goes my plea to all, at finding the improbable option 2.

PS: I love to hear what all those creative minds at IKEA would say if ever they read my plea.

 

Justice & Homeland

I just started reading the book called Hyderabad – A Biography by Narendra Luther and I must say that so far it is a very well told story about the origin of this city. From the time I have known Hyderabad, I have never really found a reason to love it, but it was a place that was infinitely better than many other places and suited a number of my needs. Over the years, I have made this city my home.

What does one associate with the place that they term as a home? For one, there should be a sense of belongingness and most importantly a higher sense of ownership and responsibility to the place; irrespective of the fact that you are in a position of power or an ordinary denizen. Mohammad Quli, the founder of Bhagnagar or Hyderabad was a man who loved his home. The need to construct a city came from the congestion caused within the ramparts of Golconda or Gollakonda. He commissioned the best of architects and wanted heaven to be reconstructed here on Earth, or more precisely on his land. One of the primary wishes of the Sultan was to have greenery wherever he saw. No wonder then that the best minds were put to efficient use and the best planned city of India was constructed at a remarkable pace. The chief person in command had ensured saplings to be planted even before the construction had begun. The sultan who was a poet and a man of extreme taste was a perpetual romantic at heart. He named the city Bhagnagar after his most favoured queen – Bhagmati. (I wonder now what happened to all that and in its place is an old city which is highly congested, dirty, treeless and forgotten in many ways.)

The Palace of Justice was also commissioned as a part of this project and after  its completion, the sultan used it to dispense justice to its citizens – most results were almost immediate. The builders of that era must have been great visionaries, for we still use the same building as our Andhra Pradesh High Court. The recent episode of the AP High Court catching fire was not something particularly out of the blue. If we, the current users of that lovely building, do not bother to upgrade and take care of the ancient premises and use it for our own selfish purpose, then a short circuit and incidents like fire are but natural. What I hear from sources who work at the high court is that the judges are too busy in trying to compete with themselves and ensure that their respective chambers look better than the rest. Whether such a selfish act damages the ancient building is obviously none of their concern. Moreover, the various associations that are formed in the court, all of them have their own agenda and none seem to be remotely concerned about the state of the premises and any safety norms. It is the typical “chalta hai” attitude about everything around us, except ourselves that so irks me.

If one asks about what can be done for the upkeep of the ancient high court premises, then the responsibility is comfortably thrown on the Government. Why do we fail to follow that Government in this democratic nation is nothing but the people ourselves? Moreover this statement being made by the institution that was created to ensure that the Government performs its duties correctly – the Judiciary, is nothing but a matter of great shame. The constant dilapidation of the high court building and the famous delays made by our lazy Judges or rather the snail’s pace with which the Judiciary system in India works is a clear testament to the utter selfishness, sloth and corruption that has sadly been entrenched in the system. I really find it appalling that a case should take 20 odd years to reach a verdict. Justice delayed is Justice denied and I am not sure if ever our Indian Judiciary will come out of this vicious circle. Fortunately, the financial crisis of the 90s forced India into liberalization, but what can possible force the Judiciary into such liberalization is a million dollar question that I would like someone to answer.

But, in the hope that there are many people like me, who love their homeland and would want to see a change in the future, I hope and would fervently want to believe that some drastic steps are taken to ensure that the justice system in India is much more efficient and get back the guts to decide and give out a verdict, immediately. Otherwise we will still be facing many other Shopian cases.

Bamboo Update

The bamboo plant that we acquired has proved to be quite a task to handle. There are a lot of things about this lovely plant. The nature of bamboo is to grow in undergrowths with hardly any light penetrating from the tall trees all around. We felt that keeping the bamboo under shade would be fine, but then it still seemed to be too much light for it. Finally found a very dark corner and this seems to be suiting it fine.

Another important aspect with bamboo is that one should water it – daily, but with soft water. No hard water or bore water for this dainty lady. This was one main reason for loosing many of the shoots.

It is a high maintanence, but we have managed to keep it going for now. Still sometimes some shoots just start to dry and then rot. One has no alternative but to remove those shoots and it really hurts. If any of you have any better handling tricks with bamboo, please let me know.

Bamboos are quirky plants and needs loads of love, talking and attention. We still love them

Installing The Split A/C – A Pain!

Sweltering summers do see the a/c section of the electronic stores brimming with people, but trust me, in order to instal a split air conditioner is a pain in itself. The primary reason being the inability of the builder of our apartment in providing the provision for the Split Air Con installation. 

I was apprised of the lack of logistics in our apartment, for a split a/c installation, just today. Now a split consists of:

• an indoor unit
• an outdoor unit
• a stabilizer
• and a not very well know support for the indoor unit (which our guys forgot to pack it for us)

The indoor unit’s supporting metal plate is fixed first and then goes the marking for the mess or the drilling area. If my apartment builder – who claims to be a building “Intelligent” homes – Aliens Elite - had ideally provided for a split then we wouldn’t have required to go in for this drilling. But, as things stand, apparently drilling is a norm. So our bedroom was in a state of utter mess. This drilling is primarily done in order to connect the indoor with the outdoor unit with a set of cables and gas lines for the a/c. 

Next the outdoor unit is heaved on to the wall using two metal supports and more drilling is on for that and also to hang the stabilizer. 

Finally the indoor unit is hung and after four hours of mess – the split a/c is finally installed. 

What makes me mad is the fact that the builder in most apartment claims to give “provision for split a/c” and when one really wants to utilise this provision it never seems to be done the right way or is placed in the most unimaginable location – right over the bed. The builder supposedly provided us with a plug point (which we never used, as the location was most in convenient) and an outlet pipe which once again is useless. 

A word of caution, when you are constructing your own house or are purchasing one from a reputed builder, ensure that the point for split a/c installation is given correctly. In out case, we assume that the builder expected us to install our outdoor unit over the window sill in the bedroom. This arrangement is feasible only in independent houses with single or double storey setups. For an apartment that has more than three floors, this arrangement is downright pig-headedness and the provision for split is as good as not given. It makes no economic sense for us to have heaved the outdoor unit on the window sill of our third floor apartment as installation and maintanence costs into the future would be exhorbitant. The other aspect I can’t seem to understand is why can’t we find better way sto avoid this drilling? It is such a messy job. I am sure, if thought properly one can come up with alternatives to avoid mess in the future. 

So, with some ingenuity from our electrician, loads of drilling and further permutation and combinations have now made us the brave the rest of the summer heat with our new Samsung Split Air conditioner.

Name plate

Setting up a new home involves a lot of things. Small to big, minor details and yes it involves a lot of time and sometimes a lot of money – and it never stops. But then, I love doing it up. I love adding something new and making something specifically for my little nest. 

I think everything that one selects for one’s home, reflects their character and taste. So is the case with a name plate. I want to go in for something that is different. I have certain ideas, but was wondering if you can pitch in and let me know as to where I can find some interesting designs/pieces. 

Comments and suggestions are most welcome.

5 Useful Tips For Beginners While Cooking

As an extension to the Kitchen Curries, I thought that adding these 5 bulleted points might help people – all and sundry in need of it. I assume this category could include:

1. Newly weds (both men and women)
2. Our dear on site folks – primarily first timers
3. And any other set to whom these tips are applicable

Please note that I have compiled this short list from my own experiences/disasters/whatever you might call them. 

1. Never cook curries on high flame,  always maintain a sim/medium flame. Trust me, if you leave your dish on high then you are bound to eat coal. I have had to call up my friend in times of distress to get me a decent morsel of food, as I had turned my curry (one and only) in a pure form of char coal. 
2. Use microwave in your cooking. Always stuck with those veggies that could have turned out better if cooked for a little longer? In that case, cut the veggies, spread them in a microvawable dish and cover it up, before putting the veggies into the microwave. Based on the intensity of your microwave, cook accordingly. I have seen that in a matter of less than 10 minutes, any kind of vegetable is cooked. Do not add any water. This microwave cooking ensures the usage of less oil and faster cooking.
3. Let your dishes simmer. Simmering on low flame brings out the aroma and taste. Try those yummy alu-gobi or chole or awesome pulusu and sambhars, they only taste good, when allowed to simmer for sometime.
4. Take some interest in cutting the veggies evenly. You need not have Six Sigma idea of precision/error, but then some kind of commonality would also go a long way in making a dish a success
5. When frying that yummy alu (or anything else), ensure not to let the alu stick to the pan. Use a thick bottomed pan and scrapper cum mixer to keep the alu from sticking to the bottom. Trust me, it is a useful trick and I learnt it from the God of fries – my hubs

Follow these simple tips and keep the interest alive – you’ll see that cooking is not such a bad thing, well provided you decide on what to cook.

Kitchen Curries

I started out cooking with tons of apprehension and in a way some compulsion. I had put it away for a pretty long time because I believe that necessity is the mother of invention. It has been more than a year now and I have learnt to cook quite a number of things. Over time, they seem to come out pretty good too. 

Similar to any art, I have come to realise that cooking is also an art in itself. It requires precision, patience and lots of love for what you are cooking. It would be lie if I said that the size of the cut vegetables doesn’t alter the taste of the dish. Each recipe will have its own needs and reuirements and following the right measures with a dash of common sense can ensure a reasonably good dish. 

You might think, as to why love is essential for cooking. To excel in anything, one needs some amount of interest and some kind of passion to do one’s best. This interest and pride in one’s own skills and the dish being made adds that extra flavour and taste.  I have seen it that my cooking reflects my mood. If I am disinterested towards my cooking, the dish invariably fails. Added to all this, an encouraging audience is a big bonus and wants one to cook better. 

For people who do not cook or haven’t yet ventured into this field might wonder that dishing out good food could prove to be impossible and takes enormous amount of time. Well, actually not. In spite of showing the right kind of interest, one can cook quickly and in the given time. It is just a matter of time to get used to cooking and there on… the world is at your feet to experiment

:)

Finally, after a number of trips and a lot of searching and an even more trips to the bank, we are today the proud owners of a home! It may be a small thing for many, but it is our first home and I am very proud of it. 

A comfortable three bedroom apartment, with the builder putting in some kind of thought into some of the facilities (for a change), I liked it the moment I saw it.  I loved the size of balconies that are attached to two of our bedrooms and also the provision for walk-in closets. My hubs does pull my leg for falling for this feature, but I think it is a useful one. I wish my kitchen was a tad bit larger and there still are a number of features that I want to change. Having been a party to two of the houses constructed by my parents, I realise that there always is and will be a scope for improvement. But, I can cope with all of it for now, because it is finally our home. As a capricorn, this sense of security is something I find it very hard to put into words, it can only be felt. 

I think that a house attains the status of a home with its people and we can’t wait to make it a home.

The wired life!

Everything these days is automated, electronic and somehow or the other twinged to reduce human effort/intervention. I have absolutely no complains about the new inventions. After all they make my life easy. But, do you notice something, every such electrical gadget has to come with a wire, usually black. TV needs power supply, a wire here, the cable for the thousands of channels that we never see, again has another big wire. The laptop has the option for wireless internet, but the router needs the power connection and hence the wire, and yes the laptop, that needs a wire too. Thankfully the TV remote does not. Yes, yes, we have made great progress from the days when electrical lines used to run over the walls, I still remember my old home in my childhood, where it was done in that fashion. There are a number of other things that have come up in the recent past that can operate using the wireless technology and I am not unaware of them.

But, for a person who is trying to keep her home neat and clean, these wires have now become a necessary evil. In a way they bring out the creativity out of an individual is what I feel. These wires give us an opportunity to utilise our brain to come up with contraptions that will help us conceal them or make them look less obvious. In our small apartment, my husband and I have tried hard to conceal a huge chunk of those necessary evils – wires. It all started many days back when I tried to clean my home. Somehow, I always felt that the hall looked really untidy and whatever I do, it never ever seemed to be looking prim. At the heart of the problem lay the chunk of black and white wires, running all along. It then kind of struck like a jolt of lightening. Ma’s words came running back to me. She used to remind us time and again to wrap up those wires when we were done. I can now strongly emphathize with her feelings.

Anyways, back to our small home, we did manage to conceal the bunch of wires. Used some coloured paper to put as screens and in the process induced colour into our rather white and boring looking apartment. (The rent restrictions make it too much of a botheration to paint the walls.) Let me confess, we still have some set of wires that are still to be seen out. I suppose we can’t hide everything. But, its now much better and tidy. Ah! so wires also lead to good teamwork and helps in relationship bonding. After all my husband and I were working collectively toward a certain cause that plagued the two of us .  It takes me back to another aspect, my degree in Electrical engineering, how co-incidental. Now that I think of it, sometimes I used to be irked by the bunch of wires found in the labs too. I suppose my aversion to bunches of electrical wires is dated. Well, there is another thing that I strongly have come to conclude, never take the electrical connections lightly. When you decide to do your home, make sure you plan the connections and points ahead. If you don’t, trust me they would create a havoc later in your well-planned home.

However weird this may be, our lives are wired and connected in a number of ways with all these modern contraptions…so live an Electric life!

Four Continents – One year!

Well that has how it has been so far. ASIA -> AUSTRALASIA -> EUROPE -> NORTH AMERICA are all the continents I managed to cover in this year. Fine, it hasn’t been like covering the length and breadth of it, but then I did touch all of them in the same way Phileas Fogg went Around the world in 80 days.

Having stayed in India (Asia) all my life, I suddenly got the opportunity to go to Perth (Australia). I always wanted to go to Oz land so the offer was tempting. The time of travel was something that put me in a fix that I never quite expected. Two weeks of staying away from all did depress me but then now when I look back I liked what happened (past always is 20-20 perfect!). Then, I got married and we were off to Switzerland and Greece. All my life I had a set fascination for Greece. Just don’t ask why, but I just wanted to go there, someday. Switzerland was an added bonus. Must say, Europe is picture perfect!

Now, in the United States and I suddenly realized that the fourth continent beckons me. After having seen all these places before coming to US, I didn’t find it all too overwhelming. Back home there is this strong Gult feeling about how every other person should be either in Software or be a medico and eventually all of them end up in the United States of Ameerica! Exasperating is the single word that I can think of this. But then it has its little positives too, even my maid and dhobi wali knows that I was going to Ameerica. Well the last three times I went out of India it was always America for them. One thing that stood out about this place is that everything in this country is BIG and Size does matter here.

There were some things that I noticed in stark contrast to home. People here seem to follow the weather report quite religiously and it somehow comes true for better part. Somehow, I don’t remember ever checking out the weather with such zealous fervour ever when I was home. Could it be because of the sheer fact that the comfort of home didn’t really bother how the weather would be? Rain or shine we still go about the way we want to, or may be weather conditions or rather the cold is way too harsh to handle without prior preparations. I guess that would be a more pragmatic approach.

Whether it is a small place with hardly any history or history that dates back to before Christ era and now in practical ruins the countries I visited pride in what they have. They preserve it and showcase it so much and blow every little thing out of proportions that in one way it vexes you and on the other you come to appreciate their patriotism. It seriously makes me ponder that what I can do to make a country with 5000 year old history to take pride in itself and preserve its culture. I hope to do it in every little way I can and will continue to. It would be nice if many of our people learn to appreciate their own country and be proud of it. It is a pity that whenever I meet many of those people who live far away from India support their decision with saying that they cannot stay in a country of their birth and better part of their formative years because it has now become so over crowded and dirty and that things are difficult to be done here and just simply impossible living there with all the dust. Positives and negatives make the balance and if I as a responsible citizen do not have the courage to face it and put in my bit to improve and preserve it, then the dream to see India as a super power at sometime would simply remain a dream.

Am glad I was able to see so many places, thanks to a job that originated in my land. Hope to be back home soon.