Weekend break at Melukote

The weekend has come and gone, and oh it was a lot of fun. A good match between travel, relaxing and shopping.

This weekend we went to visit Melukote, a sleepy small town 200 odd kilometers from Bangalore in the Mandya district of Karnataka.

This town is famous for its rock structures and two temples. One being the Yoganarasimha temple on top of a hill and the other the Tirunarayana temple in the town. There is also a Kalyani ( a square temple pond) which is very large with rock pillars and carvings on all four sides. There is also a grand rock structure which looks like it would be made for havans and large scale pujas.

The temple on the hill top has a grand gopuram and again is completely worked in rock. Each step leading up to the temple are quite high and many in number. The prasadam served at the temple is Puliogere which is also considered to be the delicacy of the town.

Following the temple visit, we proceeded to the Raya Gopura which is also a rock structure but partially finished. It is said to have been constructed in one night. On seeing the structure, I would say it can be assembled alright in one night. Each piece could have been carved and finished before being brought here for the final assembly.

Here are some pictures

The kalyani

Large rock structure like a mandapam

Yoganarasimha temple on the hill top

The steps leading up to the temple

The temple gopuram
Pillar Carvings


Raya Gopura
A interesting coloured lizard we found at the Raya Gopura

Onion & potato sandwich spread

With my new found fitness and healthy eating bits, I have started having quite a few sandwiches. I use a store bought sandwich spread. I realized that they usually have quite a bit of mayo, cheese or eggs to make them all creamy and nice on the whole grain wheat bread, resulting in a not very but nevertheless fatty sandwich. So I decided to make my very own sandwich spread :)

Onion potato sandwich spread

Ingredients
1 medium sized onion grated
1 medium sized potato grated
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Hot tomato Sauce

Method
Mix both the grated ingredients in a microwave safe bowl, and mix some olive oil, salt and pepper and place in the microwave uncovered for 3 minutes. Remove the bowl and add some tomato sauce and mix thoroughly to make a thick spread.

Spread on healthy breads and munch away!

Coyote Ugly

Yesterday I happened to catch Coyote Ugly on the TV. It is one of my all time favourite movies, and it has an appeal which has not died down for me in a good 7 years.

The story is about a small town Jersey girl who come to the Big Bad Apple with hopes of becoming a songwriter, something which her mom wanted to do, but never went about pursuing. The story moves on to show her struggle for getting her songs to be heard, and then gradually towards the more basic deal of earning to pay her monthly rent. In the process she starts to tend to the bar at Coyote Ugly, a bar.

Coyote Ugly is a bar run by women, and a hot bar! Women dancing on the bar, bar tending with extreme agility and above all the blaring music and the relaxed fun atmosphere. Each woman at this bar has a story and they all work at Coyote Ugly to move towards their dream.

I can not explain more about this movie, but the music and underlying feeling of all the characters make the movie thoroughly enjoyable. Its about leaving home, hoping to achieve what you set out to and pushing your way through all that comes your way.

In case you have not seen it, do not miss it.

The Silent Analysis

Silence can be treated in many different ways, but I tend to see silence with apprehension. If you ask me why, I feel when I am faced with silence, I see it as something where the outcome I am not too sure about. When someone sits around without uttering a word, it is very perplexing. I wonder what is happening inside the person's head. Why don't they wish to say anything?

The other reason might be that I tend to be silent or without even a whimper only when I am irritated or sad. I like to chit chat, hum something.. laugh out at something on the television, but never will I sit in pin drop silence.

Another something is when someone is very silent and not up and about, the mood invariably rubs onto me too. And I end up being irritated. So for me its more like irritation leads to silence or vice versa, and I hate being irritated. I always try to get over any fight with anyone at the earliest, and forget about it promptly, so someone leading me to be irritated is the worst deal.

So what do you do when you are faced with someone who is silent, and in fact selectively silent only with you? Obviously, I would draw the conclusion that some issue exists. Now getting down to the issue might need some coaxing and pushing given that the person concerned might surely be also quite irritated themselves with the silence. You can ask them outright, but then the chances are quite high that you might get a ' Oh! Nothing!' answer , in fact I am usually prepared for this answer and keep shut after that. If they have a problem, now its their turn to come out with it. How many times do you expect someone to ask anyways.??

Well usually, after the fury dies down inside my head, at times I melt and then go up to them again and ask in a sweeter/funnier/lighter/ more loving note. Here usually people are unable to resist and they break down!

What all one needs to do to get a conversation going!!

Peering eyes

Those sleepy peering eyes!

Dinner Time

Recently I have started cooking my own meals for dinner. No cook to come in to do the dinner preps, nor eating out almost every other day. I also thought that this would be a very simple way to ensure less fatty ingredients and to ensure a healthy intake of food in line with my health regime off late. I need to try a variety of items to ensure that there is a variety at the dinner table and also so that nothing overshoots my calorie limit.

This means I usually Google for a decent healthy recipe around 3- 4 PM and then follow to make a mental checklist as to what I would be required to pick up on my way back home.

Monday: Baby corn and Capsicum tossed
Tuesday: Batter fried Lady's finger ( that is not exactly calorie counting friendly!)
Wednesday: Spaghetti
Thursday: Paneer Burji
Friday: Soup and crackers
Monday: Pasta Salad
Tuesday: Pasta salad with more veggies and crackers also

Oh! Did I not mention that weekends are kitchen break days ( only for dinner) :D

Salad nights

The past two days, I have made simple pasta salads in two different variations for dinner. They are healthy and light, along with a good mix of nutrients. I specially loved the fact that you can add almost anything that you would eat in an usual dinner into the salad, and we would be reducing the calories in the salad form of meal to a great extend and retaining the nutritional value. 

Day One: Cooked fusili, ridge cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, cottage cheese, salad dressing, salt and pepper.

Day Two: Cooked fusili, chinese cabbage, cauliflower, baby corn, carrots, bell peppers, baby potatoes, tomatoes, salad dressing, salt, oregano and pepper.

I had to use the same dressing ( Italian Vinegar) in each of the cases, but I have decided I need to get a food processor so that I can make some dressings on my own too.

Here I found a great link to key ingredients for a pasta salad. 

A Pic 

Colourful Lunch

A healthy post with carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms and tofu topped over steaming rice!

Work for money, or else?

Most people work to make money.

Few work to keep themselves occupied.

And some others work because they gather immense joy from it.

I have been thinking how important is it to be doing something which you feel for as compared to making money.

I guess when you are just working to keep oneself occupied, this might not be truly applicable; as here you had a choice where you would want to work, and you picked the place where you work in that case.

But, with those who work in high/decent paying jobs and learn to like the job rather than doing something which they like, I wonder how right/fine you feel in that case? Or is it better that you work where the money comes(as above) and then do alongside what you like(your passion)? Is that possible, considering the time constraints of work in itself and to top it with other things which one might wish to pursue in their free time. Many people opt to do things alongside their full time jobs, on lines of their choice, but there too I am certain many are faced with time constraints and hence one will eventually give less to the job which is not the full time position one holds.


Now there are some questions which buzz in my head when I think ' What am I supposed to be doing in life?'

Do I not like my job?
No. That is certainly not true, I have a nice boss, nice colleagues, and I like working on stuff which I am doing.

But, do I really feel strongly about what I am doing, do I see a plan in front of me on what I want to do?
No. In fact I am not even sure what I would like to do if I am to move on the lines which I am on as of now.

If I do stay on in the same line then there is that line which would be maybe another degree and then move into something which would appeal at that time. Those studies will take a pinch at the bank money, and then I would surely need a job which will ensure I treat that pinch.

And, if I do not stay on with it, and I decide that I should be doing something different, then too I would require some studies to start with, and then following that it would be a job which I might like. If I do, then that is a good thing, but then I still have to deal with the banking issue here too. So that means I need to ensure that I do have a suitably paying job!


When will this discussion end inside my head?

When will I finally decide what is the best option in front of me?

Maybe I need to be pushed into one thing and then I shall be fine with taking up the path which comes in front of me. A part of me wants to take the decision, as I feel that at the end you need to feel something towards the job that you do, else you really can not work well and complete to perfection what is expected of you. Or maybe not. I am thoroughly confused!

Whenever I look around, people who do their jobs well are either those who have been at it for such a long period, or else they have the drive in them as they adore completely what they do. I wonder what will work for me.


Working for money or accepting money for your work?
What do you aspire to do? Or, what is it that you are doing?

A Symbol survey

I came across this survey which was being done by the Economic Times to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance. The ministry wants a suggestion for an universal Rupee symbol, as $ represents USD.

What should INR be represented by? In fact I thought for a while, and I feel why not just a plain 'Rs.' as it has been for ages. Or has it nor been the norm?