Next Step

I have became of marriageable age. Unfortunately my relative started talking how eligible men for me. She even sent a profile with a photo of the boy. Typical Indian guy who is an engineer and NRI.

I am really confused now. Luckily my parents don't believe in forcing their children into arranged marriages or arranged marriages. They choose each other, so they are very modern in that aspect. My brother is also being given profiles of women for the same purpose. 

I should really find a job before I'm married off. I am researching various degrees and institutions  and I am getting excellent advice from my aunt. So I am ending up in the right direction.

Life Going Left Instead of Right

Last month, I finished my application for Teach for India. I was working on it till the last time. I don't know why I procrastinate but I was done before the deadline.

Finally my acceptance email came. I was getting worried. I don't what my life plan would have been if I hadn't gotten through. The next step is the assessment day. So I have another obstacle in my path. I worked everything out and practiced my presentation.

Let's hope I pass this hurdle also. 

Hot and Cold

That's what I feel during the night. I have a cold and my nose is blocked and Winter is Coming. But while sleeping I feel hot. The cough syrup makes me sleepy and I feel exhausted all the time. The nose block is hurting my nose and my head. Also my voice is slowing going away. I think in a few days, my voice will be gone.

At least my brother's visit was fun. We had a cousin's wedding and got to a village in Bihar for the bride's welcoming. That was fun and entertaining. I took a million photos on my ipad.

I am in the market for a new phone since my blackberry has decided to slowly die on me.

Started reading this book and it's makes history come alive even though it's about the biography of cancer. Siddhartha Mukherjee, Delhi boy, did a wonderful job. As somebody who has lost her grandfather and uncle to cancer, I like to know more about this disease. 

Pasta with Peppers

I had leftover pasta from my chicken with pasta dish. So one day, I was going to be alone for dinner. Instead of ordering dominos, I made pasta for myself.

pasta
peppers (capsicum) finely chopped
chilli finely chopped
garlic finely chopped  
oil 
pasta sauce 
cream 
black pepper
oregano flakes
basil flakes
crushed pepper
tabasco sauce

Boil water and add pasta when it's boiling. After the pasta was half cooked, I had oil in pan. Once it was hot, I added garlic and waited it to cook. Then I added peppers and chillies. Then came the pasta sauce and cream. Mix all that together. By this time, the pasta would be done. So drain the pasta and add cold water and olive oil to make sure the pasta didn't stick. Once cooled and set, add the pasta to the sauce mixture. I made all the pasta was coated with the sauce. Sprinkled oregano flakes and crushed peppers on the pasta. Mix everything and I was done. In my bowl, I added tabasco sauce and basil flakes.

I really liked this dish and will write more the recipe for the future. My parents really helped in choosing the ingredients. I found another book from storage called Easy Italian which has some really good dishes and the photos looks amazing. So that's my new recipe book which I will be trying out. Good luck to me.

Huevos Rancheros

So I decided to cook more dishes and went through the cookbook to find one.

Huevos Rancheros
1 tbsp olive oil 
2 onions finely chopped
2 red peppers cored, deseeded and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
800 g chopped tomatoes
1 tsp chopped oregano
0.5 tsp ground cumin
1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp cider vinegar
200 g black beans
4 eggs
2 tbsps chopped coriander
sea salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, cumin, chilli and vinegar and bring to boil. Reduce and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir the beans and when they are warmed make holes in the mixture and crack a egg into them. Cover to cook the eggs. Sprinkle coriander lastly.
The book (Eat Yourself Thin) showed the dish was suppose to look like:

But my didn't, of course. I only used 2 eggs. Black beans aren't the most tasty, but they weren't that bad. So another dish tried and tested. For next time, I was given the suggestion of cutting the recipe into half.

Chicken Puttanesca with Angel Hair Pasta

My dad wanted me to learn cooking since I am unemployed and since it is a life skill. So I googled recipes and then bought the ingredients with my dad. He said he didn't mind driving me to the market since it was no trouble. So I decided to cooked Chicken Puttanesca with Angel Hair Pasta.

8 ounces angel hair pasta
2 teaspoon olive oil
4 (6 ounces) boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pasta sauce
1/4 cup kalamata olives
1 teaspoon capers 
1/4 teaspoon red pepper crushed
1/4 (1 ounce) Parmesan cheese
Basil or basil springs

Cook the paste according to the package. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. Add chicken to pan, sprinkle evenly with salt. Cook chicken for 5 minutes or until lightly browned and stirring occasionally. Stir in pasta sauce, olives, capers and pepper. Bring to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is done with stirring frequently. Garnish with basil or basil springs and Parmesan cheese.

As an Indian, chicken without masala tasted weird. So my mom suggested we pressure cook the chicken for 1 whistle. Then cut the chicken into pieces and cook the other components. And leave the peppers or cut into smaller pieces.

Since I had cooked so much pasta, there was left over cooked pasta. The next day I cooked tomatoes in butter. Added tiny pieces of pepper (capsicum), salt, water, and of course masalas and let it cook. This version was much better prepared. I am proud that I was able to cook something other than maggi and egggs.

By the way, I found the recipe on the Cooking Light webstie (http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/easy-chicken-recipes/chicken-puttanesca-with-angel-hair-pasta-recipe) and it was suppose to look like this:

But of course it didn't. But they never do, do they. C'est la vie. Let's hope the next recipe turns out better.

New Direction

So I have been volunteering at a school. I help kids who are from economically weak sections with their homework. It is fun trying to teach them and help them with their homework.

The younger ones don't listen and talk a lot. The older ones have a lot questions.

I wish I could do this as a job. I don't have a teacher's degree so I can't be a teacher at a school. But helping them is so fun. Frustrating job sometimes but very enjoyable. So I need to find a job which complements this one.

I hear back from one job posting which I had applied to. I emailed them my résumé which they asked for in the email. I emailed another publisher about any job openings. So lets see what happens next. 

New Phase

So I have entered a new phase of my life. I resigned from my job at the publishers. My parents have supported me in this decision.

Yet I'm still confused to what I should be doing with my life. My cousin has also resigned. So at least I have company. But she had one thing which I don't have. Friends.

I find myself in a position with cousins and family friends, but no actual friends. How does an adult make friends? Where does one meet people? My school friends all have their social group and lives. I moved away for college, so I don't have friends here. 

Working Hard or Hardly Working!

Do you ever they an assignment which is Herculean? Well I got one. I have compare the text of two books. One is printed and one is a PDF. Both of them have the same stuff but in different order and language.

I kept trying but wasn't getting much success. Of course, my mind would wander and I would do other things. Today I tried another way and got some results except I'll be taking extra time. Hope my boss doesn't mind it. Because I know if I turn it in at this stage, I'll get a scolding for it. So better I take more time and do a better job of it.

                         

Next week is a workshop related to my field. Hope this helps me in the future. Maybe this will reinforce that I'm in the wrong field. Lets see what happens.

Coworkers: Hate or Love Them? Ok Maybe Not Love

I hate my coworkers. One is spineless. Three of them just look out for themselves only. One of the three refuses to do extra work. He'll make others do the work so that if something wrong, he's not at fault. He'll point the finger at that person and save his skin. He is one lazy ass person. most of the day, he iscplaying games on his phone and napping at the office. The next one is always looking for making a quick buck and claims bogus expenses to receieve money from the big boss. He is the big boss's pet. And the third one is the other two's friend and helps them in their schemes. Two helpers who talk way too much and loud. Two boss who don't explain everything at first and then scold for you for all the mistakes.

It's so political there. That's why I stay quiet and just focus on my work. Except I read the most boring books in the world. All academic and intellectual books. Which quite frankly I can't stand. No wonder my mind wanders off and I miss things when I'm reading them.

Maybe I have Attention Deficit Disorder. Note to self: Get my self tested.

Of Death and Benedict*

* Title from blog entry of Hunglish Girl.

I recently came across a blog entry about having a crush on Benedict Cumberbatch on Facebook. This woman wrote about having a crush while being older. I liked her perspective and read more of her entries.

Then I came across "Of Death and Benedict. Which made sense to me since I, too, have lost people in my life. Most recently my maternal grandfather. Then I heard my maternal grandmother's sister was admitted to the ICU. This morning, she died. I usually take control of my feelings, until I see the body. That's when it hits me. I'm never going to see that person ever again. I was very young when my paternal grandfather died. I do remember my uncle, paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather.

As soon as I saw the body of my grandfather or my grand aunt, tears just filled my eyes immediately. Why them? Why now? Doesn't the universe know that they are needed.

Etiquette and Common Sense

So I went and watched 2 States with my aunt. It was an awesome movie. I've read the book also.

Now in a movie theatre, your seats stick to other seats and you share the armrest with usually two people.

You can't hog the armrest. Other people also use it. Please put your phones on silent/vibrate or switch them off. I came to see Ananaya and Krish, not listen to your phone conversation or ringtone.

Standing in a line isn't very hard to. But alas, Indians can't seem to do this little task. Have patience. You will get your turn.

HIMYM

I was very impressed with the ending of the show How I Met Your Mother. Everybody is so mad at the creators for the finale.

*Spoilers*

The mother's death: poeple die in our lives. It's a part of life and nature. If we examine our own lives, we will find relatives who have died. Eventually everybody dies, so the mother dying is just another aspect of life.

Robin and Barney's divorce: Did that one really surprise anybody? Considering 2 out of 3 marriages end in divorce in the US alone. I mean Ross from Friends was divorced three times for god sakes.

The mother's limted time: Ted's whole point was to show his kids how much and how far he had to go in order to meet the mother. And now since she has been gone for six years, it's time to move on. He has always been in love with Robin. He wanted his children's' permission to date Robin since they both are the most important people in his life.

So that's why I liked the finale of How I Met Your Mother.

People Watching

So I've starting walking around my new housing complex. I see some interesting characters walking, playing, sitting and talking around the park.

Kids running around, and playing with their friends. I met the Pink Lady on my walk. Her dupatta and salawar were pink while her kurta was white. But her expression was anger or indifference, I couldn't tell. Maybe her face is just like that. I saw her today in a sari with sneakers. I would pass her several times since we were going the same path but in opposite directions. Oh well such is life.

I walk for thirty minutes and I have stopped eating street food, which is my favorite part. I'm saving my money and health. Except I love eating food but I need to exercise a lot then I can eat anything up to a point. Also I need to get rid of the pimples on my face. I mean, I have tried a lot of creams and scrubs. Plus I go to sleep late. So I am starting to make some changes. I have stopped street food, walking in the park and using some natural cream. Maybe stress is also playing a role.

So let's see what happens.

Book Fair

The book fair is finally over. Thank god because I need a break. I had to work both weekends at the book fair. I haven't had an off day since the Monday before the book fair. I am tired and in dire need of an off day which hopefully I will get soon. I did get to buy many books which I already have started reading. I would read them while I was on duty at the stall since there wasn't anything to be done until a customer came.

I was really bored but I shop for books with discounts, so I had a good time. Except it was cold and there was a eagle and a pigeon flying in the hall.

While sitting and reading, of course, my sub conscience is thinking of ideas and my favorite characters from a tv show. I can't think of full stories but small snippets or ideas keep popping up in my head. I'm no writer so I can't develop them. I try but I get blank.

Maybe someday I will develop them. Till then, happy reading to me.

Moved My Damn Cheese

So we moved into another government house. That meant no internet for a very long time unfortunately.  So I did most of everything on my phone except for blogging.

It was annoying but packing and moving was priority. Then was unpacking. I did some work in office.

I am now a permanent member of my company but I still haven't found my passion. I guess I should get some experience and venture out later when I'm better prepared.

Seriously why can't everybody have a five day working?

The weather is going from warm to cold everyday. And now rain has arrived. Rain is horrible in winter because of the cold. The roads are all muddy and sticky. My jeans gets muddy along with my shoes.

At least the book fair is starting and hopefully I will get some discounts.

New Year, New Life

So, it's a new year and I have decided to do things which need to be done.

 Like I got an appointment  with a career counselor for advice.  I did that and I discussed my qualities, likes and dislikes with my father. I hope they can help me for sake of my future. Also I need to get out of the house more and meet people. Right now, I have no time and energy but hopefully soon I will.

I need to be comfortable in my own skin. Also organizational skills are important for life.

So new tings for the new year. Let's hope it works and sticks.

 

Hapy New Year or Not

It's the new year almost...



I, of course, have no plans to go out. I am watching Sherlock on TV. I do love mysteries and how quickly Sherlock deduces everything from just looking at a person.

I wish I was as smart as him.

The roads will be so crowded with drunk people. I have trouble dealing with drunk people and unfortunately this is what we get tonight.

Hopefully the next year will be a better one. 

Election Day!

So it's election day.

I can finally vote and have my say in who runs the government. I can't figure out who to vote for. I do have the none of above option. Don't know if that will make a difference. At least I can complain with reason about the government when they screw up. 

Life is going along nicely. Still don't what my calling is but working in publishing. I saw this on Facebook today.

I feel so stuck. My brother finally studied the one thing he loves and is good at. Now he is settled in a love. It's admin sales job but is related to food. I wish he could have found a job relating to cooking but it is what it is.

C'est la vie.

Real One

Today is my real birthday.  So here is my present from Google.  I just love it.

Also Happy Halloween from my side.

Rest in Peace Lily and James Potter. It's been 32 years but I still miss them.

Today was good and normal. No problems happened for me at work. Well, I did treat my colleagues to samosa.

Also nani had two of my favorite dishes at dinner, so I was extremely happy.  Except my dad is out of town. But it was either miss my birthday or miss my brother who is coming to visit us. It's ok since when I was in college, both my parents missed my birthday.

I'm so excited that my brother is coming. It's been at least a year since I last saw him.

So I'm having my quarter-life crisis very calmly. I like my job, but I'm not great at it. So either I take a class to improve my skills or change jobs. Oh well, let's take one day at a time with our best foot forward. At least my family supports me.