Wedding Anniversary

Today is our Fifth successful wedding anniversary. I have got a lovable and perfect husband in my life. But i had to make this resolution for the first time, and that too on such an important day, to keep my mouth shut!! Hee hee, this is my discovery after five best years. Can u believe it? Well, it is true .. and u know why only this will work out in future, i think so.. Dont U? Cos the way our great I-know-everything- hubby talks is in such an impressive way, that everybody around even our own parents start to fall in their side . There is one such case going on for a long long time in my own household. When i complain about one of my neighbours everybody will pounce on me back saying that , no..no.. there is something wrong with u, u r short tempered, why dont u see the positive side , why do u have so much hatred towards that female.. blah blah blah.. but my hubby will be talking about the same person, sometimes giving the same complaints and it never shows up.. they simply take it as yeah yeah thats right, and everything is directly accepted.. as if all those words r from the great Gandhi himself! This will get us on our nerves!

I chose a book recently by Susan Konig from the Library."Why Animals sleep so close to the Road" .. (and other lies i tell my children ) is the title . It is a very different and curious title right? so i read it.. wow... i found that she is a wonderful writer who knows to express practical life in a hilarious way.. she gives the reader a feeling that she is one among us.. i was even laughing out loud by one of her jokes. It is really good .. and iam on the verge of finishing the book. I also wonder sometimes that, hey why dont i try to write a book like that?! Its an interesting profession, and one of the best ways to express one's feelings.

Tamil Website

Hi i just wanted to include this very good website which my hubby came upon recently! Its very good .Has a very good quality online movie links and the picture and sound effects r very clear.It has every classification needed for tamil viewers. Watch www.megatamil.net . There r Live tvs,movies,FMs etc. Its cool and great yaar! We watched a recent new movie "kannum kannum" starring prasanna.It is a good family movie to watch and an apt climax! Enjoy~

I also visited the website from my new commentor, www.movies-tv-songs.com , it is also very good.This will be interesting for those who r in need of tamil lyrics for their favourite tamil songs.
There r lots and lots of collections but we can only download the songs to hear.I found the different types of quotes that r added in the webpage very interesting . Oh my i never knew that there r so many types of quotes in life! Do visit this site also guys!

An easy side dish for Chapathis/Rotis/Indian Breads

Here's a very easy side dish for chapathis during dinner.This is called Bombay chutney or Besan ka chutney or Kadalaimaavu Chutney.

Ingredients:
Kadalaimaavu/Besan:: 1/4cups
Turmeric-a pinch

Water

salt

For sautee:
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Urad dhal-1tsp
Green chillies-1 or 2 depending on spice
Curry leaves-little
Coriander leaves-little

Preparation:

1.Mix the besan in a vessel with water , salt and turmeric . Mix it evenly without any lumps.

2.Saute all the above ingredients in a pan with little oil except coriander .

3.After mustard seeds splutter pour the liquid mixture into the pan.Add water immdly and keep stirring otherwise the mixture thickens too quickly.Keep adding water to the required consistency or amount.

4.Garnish with coriander leaves finally and serve hot with chapathis.
Yo, its a very tasty dish, very easy and quick too.If u dont want to spend too much time in the kitchen during dinner for chapathis then this is really a good idea to finish off with the job!

Enjoy and Dont forget to comment!!

Free websites-Hindi/Tamil

Here r some of the online free websites where one can see Hindi/Tamil and other language films for free.

Bharatmovies.com: Here they have several pages for the hindi and tamil films arranged in alphabetical order! So u watch them online or even download.New films r added every now and then.Now they have improvised their webpage also.They also have important videos or highlights even cricket! I have used this for Hindi and it is the best.Now they also have for other languages like malayalam,telugu,kannada,and even bengali movies.

Bhejafry.net::This is another best website for hindi films.I have used this also to see many good hindi films.

Rajshri.com: Here there r collections of old movies both in hindi and tamil for free but the new ones r premium downloads and they would cost some USD for a very less rate.They have many videos to watch for free but to download no,its not free.

Matrimonialbank.com: This is another site dedicated to bollywood cinema.

123onlinemovies.com:: They also have links for watching hindi/telugu films online.

Sulekha.com:: This is a collection of all the possible things one would feel to browse.This has movie reviews in it.All the languages and how to book tickets online.I dont know whether they offer free movie online,maybe u gotta login.

Tamilblood/Puretamil: This is a fully dedicated site for tamilians. We have all the famous and catchy programmes of sun and vijay tv in this,also all the new films will be updated immdly.I used this site for a long long time.Now i think they r facing some problems in the site so it is not up to date.

Tubetamil: One of my friend recommended this to me and am myself is new to this site.It seems to be good in terms of buffering and all the parts of the programme keeps running in a steady stream,but shockingly the programme stops in the middle and struggles to run later.I dont know why?! Maybe some regular user of this website shd share her/his experience with me for this.But it is a good site too.

Tamilwire.com: This is also a good site but u got to log in for downloading and stuff.

Tamilclipz.com,Tamilgalatta.com: Both r cool stuff to watch many tamil tv programmes and currenct events.

Kollywoodtoday.com:: This is a cool website to know what is going on now in kollywood or the southindian film industry.We can know many news gossips important events tributes from this website. tubedb zone pops up in a new window for other interesting videos.

Oruwebsite.com:: This is an interesting website where we can see kids videos also,rhymes in tamil etc. This is a good website to download favourite mp3 songs to our system.

Isaitamil.net:: Is another tamilwebsite for southindian cinema.

All these above tamil websites also give live tamil channels like Suntv and vijaytv.

Iranichai.com:: This is a surprise.There r loads and loads of english films to watch online for free.But it has not worked properly for me.I watched only one film Alvin and the chipmunks thru this link the others ,sorry no info.They also have marathi,hindi,telugu movies online.

PBSkids.org:: This is the best website for kids who want to play online games, or read stories ,solve puzzles etc. Kids start playing!!

So here the websites which can be accessed easily! Enjoy.

Jai Sai Ram

Saibaba-the name may confuse u cos there r two saibaba's wellknown.But the one iam talking about is Shirdi Saibaba.Initially even i never believed in his leelas or i never even thought i would believe him or become a follower one day.But u know i did.And now here iam still praying and believing him with all my heart.A real life incident helped me a lot, changed my life and gave a big and very good turning point. My marriage plans were getting delayed by two years. And one of my mom's friends directed me towards shirdi saibaba and took me to his temple once.She told me if i went to his temple continuously for eleven weeks,pray in his feet wholeheartedly then saibaba would answer my prayers.I did. I went to his temple,sometimes even cried to help me out to get settled in life..and as soon as i finished the eleventh time we got the green signal and the hopes of finally getting married to someone that i didnt know! Thanks to saibaba again that i got the man i wished for! Later i went to pray to him for a normal and healthy pregnancy,yo i got two lovely kids perfectly normal.

Baba's power had a significant effect in all these things that have happened in my life .I always think about him the same way i think about my favourite gods.I believed in him, i sang the saibhajans alongwith the other sai devotees in the temple and sometimes even cried during the Aratis (Pooja) .

After coming here to US i joined in the yahoogroup which is solely devoted for writing materials about Shirdi Saibaba and sharing them with others.Recitations of Saibhajans r done and many devotees share their prayers and experiences in the group. The link to this group is mysaibaba20@yahoogroups.com ,there one can download and save Sai's photos,listen to cds etc.

Believe in Shirdi Saibaba and he will show u the way!

yennoda blogs: A Healthy Tasty Lunch

yennoda blogs: A Healthy Tasty Lunch

A Healthy Tasty Lunch

I was born in a wonderful town called Tiruneveli. Tirunelveli is famous for its "halwa" and taste of water.There r many varieties of food prepared there and here is one of my favourites and an easy one too!!

Black Gram Dhal Rice / Ullunthamparuppu saatham::

Ingredients for the Rice:

Rice - 1 cup

Black Gram Dhal- 1/2 cup

Garlic-10 cloves (cut into halves)

Coconut shredded - 1/4 cup

Salt

Preparation:

1.Wash rice,gram dhal

2.Add garlic cloves,coconut and salt to the rice and gram dhal.

3.Cook everything together in the pressure cooker for three sounds.(water 1:3 cups for those who want well boiled stuff or 1:2 for those who want it separate and clear)

We have to eat this rice with Ellu thuvaiyal.While the rice is getting ready prepare this tasty accompaniment::

Sesame Seed Paste/ Ellu Thuvaiyal::

Ingredients::

Sesame Seeds/Ellu (white) : 100gms/ (according to the need)

Red chillies:4-5 / (according to the taste)

Urad dhal: 1tsp

Tamarind: a little

Coconut: equal to Sesame seeds.

Salt

Preparation::

1.Dry roast Sesame Seeds lightly in a pan till they become hot and slightly brown and not too much.

2.Roast Red chillies,urad dhal and coconut in little oil.

3.Grind the tamarind,salt,red chillies,urad dhal and coconut first finely with water and then add sesame seeds to it finally.
4.Grind it for a few seconds only till everything gets mixed properly as a paste adding water if needed.(Do not grind the sesame seeds for a long time or too much cos the taste will become very sour).

When the rice is ready take it out of the cooker and mix it gently, the aroma of the rice mixed with black gram dhal and garlic will carry u away!!Serve hot with thuvaiyal and oil.

Note: We Should mix this Ellu thuvaiyal in the rice ,add some oil to it (coconut oil-if u like the taste or regular,cooking oil) and eat!We can also eat the rice by adding oil alone.. that is a different taste.After eating the hot and spicy thuvaiyal u can also add curd in this rice and eat it just like that! wow.. it is really good and yummy!

Black gram dhal rice is very good for our health,especially for women.This is a very good rice variety to do during weekend lunches/ as Brunches.Enjoy and dont forget to comment!

yennoda blogs: H4 Dependents

yennoda blogs: H4 Dependents

H4 Dependents

All these days i kept arguing with my hubby that iam wasting my time and iam going to do something to earn or to read or do something to keep my spirits high. I came to US since my hubby got H1.And only after coming here that i realised and understood the status of my visa!!

I had my younger brother to help me in this a lot , he made me understand my current position that Iam a H4 dependent and i also got the point confirmed that i cannot under any circumstances work legally. When i googled things regarding this i found they were many out there in similar situations, there r many in the same shoes.

Anyway i dont want to take it too much to the heart, cos iam a mother of two lovely kids!

Back in India, it was extremely difficult for me to manage with two kids and i had my parents staying with me and helping me all the time.My hubby is a great understanding and helping person too!

But after coming here i find it easy to take care of my two kids myself and i also find a lot of extra free time!Now i understand why most women here r working, be it an american or an Indian.
So i thought why sit idle and iam that kind of person to sit idle too! I keep doing something or the other atleast i engage in cleaning.

Later,I found cooking a very interesting art and oh my, with so many links and sites one just cant sit at home without trying those!So iam doing that right now..

And i also involve myself in my kids activities, we go to the library together i take lots of books for her, one big one for me and lots of cds for both of us! wow, i hardly have time to sit idle!
After coming here i have started to read many books and have cultivated a list of favourite authors, like Dean koontz, Sydney Sheldon, etc. Currently iam reading the collection of goosebump stories by R.L.Stine.These r for young readers but i found such stuffs interesting!

My passion is to dance so i also dance with my kids to all the favourite songs i like, at home itself!(This is one good method of reducing weight,u know!!)

I think H4 visa holders with kids will have lots of opportunities and ideas to spend their time with!

I hit one interesting blog where she has suggested many ideas for such people. I found her article very interesting and useful too. Her blog is Dreams come true.She has given many ideas of how one can spend their time useful sitting here in the US.

I would like to take her helpful hints regarding joining classes, or giving voluntary help.

Business people

As i said earlier the friends i met oh my god! They r doing business here and they got our phone nos. only in the interest of pulling us into their businessess.Oh my Oh my.. We were not interested at all. We r very well packed with all kinds of chores at home and office (husband) that we cannot spend time on some sort of silly business, and that too in such a country where everything runs on preset rules.Everyone follows the same rules and believes in the same product for years, how do u think that one can go into their lives all of a sudden and introduce some new product of sale ?? that is extremely difficult and highly uninteresting from my point of view.

So we have lost in touch with our "new" friends. They dont call us anymore and we r afraid to call them also.Anyway now iam getting some friends thru good channels.
Lets hope this keeps going.

Another Party!

My husband told me that he was invited for another birthday party one week before. Right from that day i have been telling him iam not coming! Iam not going to attend another party and get myself locked down. Iam not going to voluntarily push my mind into keeping on worrying about silly things later! So he stopped asking me about that. Then finally when the day of the party came he told me that our kids would be affected becos of my unnecessary speculations.

I thought ok this time i will go and i will not take anything seriously whatever the hell happens and i will keep myself cool , heads up! I thought i would go for the sake of my two kids!

Ok at last i , we made it there! And u know what ,i liked it this time.. The new couple,parents of the b'day boy were good to me , the lady was all smiling and inviting. she even encouraged my daughter to join the other kids in playing and helped my fast asleep son.I found many people there , many friends!

Later we went to the library !
Library is my silent friend now! I find it interesting and exciting whenever we go there!

Later we also went to a nearby mall. Oh my .. there is a surprise. I found three more groups of friends the first one being very genuine to ask my no. and give hers.
It was filled with fun and new surprises yesterday for me and us!

I hope i would keep in touch with atleast some of the people i met!

Birthday party

Today i had the opportunity to go to a birthday party! I was excited myself since i thought i could make some more friends and my kids will get a chance to play with other kids etc etc.. But initially i had to be introduced right?! But i wasnt! see my fate keeps following me wherever i go i think! I dont know why? Finally it was my wonderful husband who took the opportunity to do that and i got into "their circle" .

Its very difficult to get into a circle of friends who r already intimate to each other. U r the only black sheep over there. There r so many silly things to be forgotten and forgiven. There r many things which i take it to heart and that is what is my mistake.

I got to take it easy! ok,, if she did not introduce me to her friends then that is how she is.. that is how she could behave herself! forget it!..

I think my kids had a good time apart from the daily boring routines! Being indoors all the time or going to school..

I want my kids to be smart and wise. They shd be fit to push thru any circle .. I shd develop the confidence they need to survive in this weird world. I do not want them to be like me .. hesitating all thru one's life.

"Survival of the fittest" is the primary law that applies to every individual wherever they go! And i want them to be the fittest and the best!! May God help me in my duty!

friends

They say that one has to be very patient and be a very good listener to gain friends.But when u r a very good listener and want to understand and share others feelings some people (friends) take advantage of them. They think that oh she doesnt know anything.. they treat us as if we r totally ignorant about the things they talk,when we r a very good listener. so finally i end up getting and hearing to great big advices.. !! oh my .. advices from here , from there, from whomsoever u meet .. this is getting me on my nerves each time. The speaker thinks they r either they r toooooo smart for everything and anything and that they can keep on talking. So i think one must retaliate. One shd not simply keep nodding their heads to whatever they hear.One shd talk back, that reflex action shd be fast and smart.


I met a friend here,recently. She kept talking too much. Ok i thought it would be the best time pass for now and i had to keep on going with her.What to do they r the first people whom we know here.!!!So she kept talking as if she is the best in her in law family etc etc.But u know she talks all the positive and bright sides of her most of the time. See a good politician!! She would be a great speaker one day!

But later i found that everything she does is in words and we cannot believe or rely on her completely. The way she boasts herself oh my god! I hate boasting..

I do not know where and how i can find good friends but i do have two of them now as i told earlier. So iam satisfied with that.. i hope that will continue longer and forever.

My biggest weakness is i start to expect things from others. I shdnt do it here! I know and i understand but iam not able to put in practice. People vary a lot. There r different types of people around me. And they all act according to the situation.

Human behaviour is very complex to understand in many situations. I think i shd have better mastered in psychology!!

going to school

first we were in a different state in the US . and for the first time i sent my daughter to school over there.. i felt extremely proud and satisfied for her! she has been going to school in india also but that is a different situation there. she was able to manage herself here and when we had to leave that school she came out with good remarks from her teacher and everybody else.. now we have moved to a different state and here also after a few weeks we were able to put her in a new school. now she is going to that ! coming from a totally foreign country and living a life here is absolutely great! and i feel great myself now!!

Need to work

I always feel as if iam wasting my time here in US.We have got plenty of time at home.Ofcourse iam a fulltime homemaker taking care of two kids but still i feel that i still have time to do something productive,useful for my family. I want to work, earn money and help my husband.
But my problem is iam a H4 dependent.My husband has come here on H1.So i think i would have to change my visa to work.But is this needed to sit and work at home also?
I dont know what time it would take for all this?!But i want to do something fruitful asap!!

Iam a Masters degree holder in Family Resource Mngt.I dont know how to and what to look in for .. what type of jobs i can see for.. etc.

I have a friend who also feels as if she is wasting time at home.. she has only one schools going daughter!We both finished Nutrition ,Food Service Mngt., and Dietetics together this is my Bachelor's Degree! Life is extremely boring and depressive sometimes for the both of us!

Got any ideas to share and help??!!

Need to share experiences

My two kids, first a daughter and second a son r just one year apart.My son is going to be two this febraury! He always interferes in his sister's play.He wants whatever his sister has! Be it a girly play item or something else. He doesnt understand the difference in colours and keeps fighting for and crying for everything pink which her sister has.This sometimes frustrates us and my daughter also a lot.Initially i kept telling him ,advicing him and later even scolding him!! He would start to cry and shout ..or behave cranky! to get whatever his sister has.Sometimes we do tell her also to give her play item to her brother, to share it with her brother.. she does it .. mostly it happens as if its always her (my daughter) who keeps giving up to her brother.

I dont know how to handle this situation.We cannot buy everything in two's also!!! It becomes so irritating that i just carry my boy away from my daughter and leave her alone.My daughter is a preschooler now.So many things we bought r for her studies and to increase her knowledge via reading .. My boy wants everything she has,whatever she has .. oh my ! it is really difficult to handle..He also get very angry and aggressive at such situations.

But both of them luv each other,one time they would be fighting and the other minute both will be kissing and hugging!! hmmmm! GOK (God only Knows)

If there is an experienced mom out there (blogger)who can help me with this , i would appreciate it !

thank u.

my daughter

today my daughter was speaking to me while play.she said mom u have to listen to whatever i say and do that.. oh my god see.. nowadays young children r so smart.. she is just three years old..the other day when we were playing give me a 5 with her younger brother she told give me a 4 brother give me a 4.. oh just see how witty she is !! we all enjoyed what she said.one day i told her that i would give her icecream if she finishes her lunch and empties her plate.. so immediately after finishing her plate she asked me to give the icecream without forgetting it..i told her ok dear i will give u and i was busy cleaning my dishes.. so she saw me do that and told u could first give us the icecream and then continue with ur work no... like that .. i said ok ok sorry here u go.. and gave her the icecream.. young kids r very shrewd!!

hi again!!

I wanted to inform a website to all blog users.. who r interested in trying out new delicious recipes.. http://ifood.tv/tagi.. is a wonderful site... that nobody shd miss.it has so many different types of cooking cuisines.. that one can make use of! mostly all the recipes r with videos and and pictures.tasty and different.try out the indian style of cooking.. the aroma will carry u away!!..

hi again!

Both my parents were working.. i have often imagined how my mom works hard to take care of us, the household chores and her job too!! She is definitely one in a million.She has done wonders in our life.She is very very pious too.Both my parents have been with me for both my pregnancies and even after that!!Without my father and mother i couldnt have crossed such situations so easily.Even my husband has a big and important role in this.I would advice all husbands to be accompany their wife during childbirth.Cos then only a man can understand the hardships a woman is undergoing.All these r great milestones in a woman's personal life.And iam proud enough now.cos i have got two great looking lovable kids to share my life with.Since my mom was a working woman she adviced me to be a fulltime homemaker and concentrate on my kids.So i did the same. But every now and then i have a bad feeling about being at home.
Yes i do keep myself busy apart from taking care of my two kids.Iam not idle at any time.. cos an idle mind is a Devil's Paradise.. and i know what all stupid things i can get in my mind when iam idle.. ooooh sometimes that is scary !!
My daughter speaks nicely and my son has just now started to repeat small words..
Life is very much new and is always a learning process when it comes to childbirth and taking care of a child.. that too, two young kids in my case who r only one yr apart from each other.
It will be very satisfying and happy when they cross the first yr.
I have never imagined or dreamed of coming to a foreign country.
But i came becos of my lovable and very good hubby.
He gave me a chance to come to a foreign country,not just for sightseeing but for making a living there too!!.. Here iam learning many new things and one most important thing i learnt after coming here is to be independent always.Here i found people minding their own businesses, not interfering in others life or privacy.. i liked that as soon as i came here. I lacked this particularly in my previous country.Nothing is private there.. whatever u r about to do.. or whatever u have done there r people around u who know those and want to spread those (gossips)to others.I have been frequently questioned and adviced all thru my two pregnancies ..god the one thing i hated.. is the different types of advice from my different types of people.. oops u will get confused.
I had to wait for my life partner for exactly two years. All these two years i have been receiving both positive and negative statements. But i have been dreaming and believing in my own dreams positively that i will get a very good understanding jovial kind of a person in my life . And yo!! I did get him.
Due to the patient search of my father (hey not google search man) i got my kind of man. I got everything i wanted for, in him , thru him, and he was even much more better than i and my family members expected. U shd see the envious and jealousy eyes of all my friends and relations.Two of my friends even burst out by telling me that the bridegroom is very handsome .I kept thinking oh my god "am I" really suitable for this fellow?? ok fine anyway we r continuing our three and a half years of happy married life, ofcourse now with two kids too!!

hi

Today i heard a news regarding Bill Gates.When he was asked that if no indians were allowed to work in his Microsoft Co,what he will do ? He had immdly replied that he would shift his company to India itself. Wow, tears were getting filled in my eyes out of sheer enjoyment and proudness.
I was the only girl in family growing happily between two brothers! see i did not have any competition!!! The things i used to concentrate was in studies and extracurricular activities .. i learnt to dance "Bharatanatiyam" when i was young..but could not continue due to silly reasons.Still i luv to dance , jump around.. i used to lock my door turn on the music system .. and dance to all my favourite songs. That made me more energetic and active. Then i learnt the instrument "Veenai" unfortunately i could not continue that too.. i got married and settled had to travel places,got two kids.. now very busy with them.
I used to luv Michael Jackson's songs selectively.. like "Heal the World",make it a better place. OH my i even used to write those lyrics and byheart them.Sing them ...alone when nobody is listening. My only problem is that i have been hesitating a lot .. to do anything.. to ask for anything..
All thru my life i was in a shell .. that unknown invisible shell surrounded around me and commanded my limitations. I want to teach my young girl not to be like this.. cos this will cause inferiorty complex and this stupid complex will stop u from doing anything productive.I wanted to be initiative,wanted to be the best among the group.. i have put my steps in almost everything that i have been exposed to.. but i could not achieve anything big. All thru my life i have a deep feeling inside about the things iam lacking.. and there r many unanswered questions too arising within me..
I keep fighting with all my friends get angry on even the small things they do .. i was very possessive. i lost many such friends but still have two best friends now.
I have always wondered why women r not able to maintain friendships and other relationships after their marriage.I felt Marriage as a division in life which makes one to forget all their past friends. I lost in touch with many after marriage.One becomes so engulfed in one's own married life that they often forget about many important things in life.

pongal greetings to all

The Pongal festival is celebrated for four days. On, the first day, Bhogi, the old clothes and materials are thrown away and fired, marking the beginning of a new life. The second day, the Pongal day, is celebrated by boiling fresh milk early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel - a tradition that is the literal translation for Pongal (in Tamil). People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other's homes, and exchange greetings. The third day, Mattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cows and buffaloes, as they are used to plough the lands. Jallikattu, a violent taming the bull contest, marks this day. On the last day, Kanum Pongal, people go out to picnic. During the Pongal season, people eat sugar canes and decorate the houses with Kolam.Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti and thus celebrated in some form in various parts of India.

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