Kunafa!

Coming to the middle east, I was introduced to this cheesy & sweet dessert called Kunafa for the first time about 8 years back in Kuwait and I simply felt in love with it! I have always loved cheese....all kinds... so it was obvious that I would favor this cheese based dessert!

Kunafa is a traditional arabic dessert and is quite popular particularly around Ramadan. Don't know why but during Ramadan many shops would make this dish in huge pans and just the look of it would be so tempting!

By far the most delicious Kunafa I have ever tasted were the ones in Kuwait. The cheese were real soft with a crispy layer of vermicelli on top and were bright orange in color topped off with sugar syrup. It was sweet but not so sweet and I could easily polish off quite a bit of it.

Two weeks back, knowing my love for this sweet dessert my friend prepared Kunafa just for me. The cheese was too little and it was more of the vermicelli. The vermicelli was too hard and it was tough to chew. It was a disaster but I was sincerely touched by the thought that went behind it. I will never ever forget this Kunafa!

Then today, I passed by Carrefour and I spied Kunafa in the delicatessen section! It wasn't that good to look at and now having tasted it, it wasn't that good at all!

One of these days, I shall learn how to make Kunafa. One of these days....

Feliz Navidad

The office is near empty.....the holiday spirit is catching on and I am in no mood to be working! Many have flown away to be with their near & dear ones. I too would be flying to visit friends & family soon! The Stores look so pretty! I love the Christmas decorations and the offers are so tempting! Love this season.....the hope burning bright....the New Year would be a much better year!

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Prospero Ano y Felicidad.

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Prospero Ano y Felicidad.

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas

From the bottom of my heart.

[repeats]

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week....and I get to attend one of the shows! How exciting it was! Got an invitation from "Luella".....
You are cordially invited to view Luella Spring/Summer '09....

Just being there with all those beautiful people...the clothes, the shoes.....it was amazing! The venue too was very charming.....down the Hyde Park.....serpentine pathway....I went trotting on my high heeled boots. The walk nearly killed me.....but I would have gladly died in the name of Fashion!

My camera battery died out on me....didn't capture many pictures....had to resort using my phone camera!

Ramadan once again!

First day of Ramadan. No eating or drinking in the office.....at least in open.....a small price to pay for short working hours - 8.00am till 2.00pm!

I went for shopping late in the evening. I had seen it earlier......just needed to pick it up. What better way to start the holy month of Ramadan by splurging on some gorgeous looking Shoes & Bags! Nobody indulges me......I need to indulge myself!

I love the heels that I got for the simple reason of the color and the stylishly creative heel! The best of course are my boots! It fits beautifully and the heels again are simply gorgeous! Check the Blings on it!

I love what I have shopped! Ramadan Kareem!

Happy Holi!

Today is the start of the Holi festival....the festival of colors. I love it for the sheer fun of playing with colors!

When I was little, I loved it even more as I could make some extra pocket money! In the state where my Parents hail from, the festival of Holi lasts for 5-6 days!. The festival starts with the burning of Holika....

Legend has it that King Hiranyakashyap wanted everyone to worship him but Prahlad his son was a devotee of Lord Narayanan. So the King told his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad on her lap as she had a boon whereby fire could not harm her. However the boon worked if she was alone and she was not aware of this and so burnt to death when she entered with Prahlad while Prahlad was saved by the grace of God for his devotion. Thus the festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil.

Each locality makes elaborate straw huts and these are festooned with colorful paper flags. In the evening there would be a "puja" conducted by the Brahmin after which the Straw Hut would be torched and burned down....symbolic of Holika being burnt.....only after which the festival of Holi would be declared as started. Little children would go house to house asking for alms....and yes, money is given to those who come knocking! I too went from house to house in the neighborhood with my cousins, I remember. Dad had asked for a Home Posting and here he was as the Commanding Officer in his home state for a couple of years. In the next few days there would be groups of teenage girls or ladies coming and asking for donations as they would be hosting some street theater or dance or for any such things!

Later, I remember in the various Air Force Camps, we (all kids in the neighborhood) would gather twigs & newspapers and make a bonfire. The excitement of making a big fire was huge and we just loved it! The next day we would start by playing with dry colors but slowly would progress to the water colors....the pichkaris or water pistols would be used to drench each other and when all was finished simply pour water! Later we were joined by our Parents. We would go from house to house and then head for the final destination which was the Officer's Mess. There would be singing, dancing, tambola and finally lunch. Oh, what fun it used to be!

Today, as I recall.....those were the days....I really had a good memorable childhood!

Banning Red

Some of the things that you get to hear...to read....leaves me speechless. Banning red roses doesn't make sense at all! I wonder what the rest of the world thinks on this bit of news?!

The headline reads.......

Saudi Arabia bans all things red ahead of Valentine's Day
February 12, 2008 -- Updated 1013 GMT (1813 HKT)
(CNN) - Saudi Arabia has asked florists and gift shops to remove all red items until after Valentine's Day, calling the celebration of such a holiday a sin, local media reported Monday.

"As Muslims we shouldn't celebrate a non-Muslim celebration, especially this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women, " Sheikh Khaled Al-Dossari, a scholar in Islamic studies, told the Saudi Gazette, an English-language newspaper.
more.....

Saudi bans red roses for Valentines
by Talal Malik on Tuesday, 12 February 2008
(ArabianBusiness.com) - Saudi Arabia's religious police have banned red roses ahead of Valentine's Day on February 14, pushing up the black market prices for the red flowers.

Mutawwa, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, on Sunday ordered florists and gift shop owners in the capital Riyadh to remove any items coloured scarlet, widely associated with romantic love, local newspaper the Saudi Gazette reported.
more.....

Chinese New Year

The Chinese Calender has been in continuous use for centuries. It measures time, from minutes & hours to months, years & centuries entirely based on the astronomical observations of the Sun, Moon & the Stars. A New Year begins on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice. Due to its scientific & mathematical nature, we can easily calculate backward or forward for thousands of years.

The logo on the right is the Chinese word for "Spring". The Chinese calls the New Year's celebration as the "Spring Festival". This is a reproduction by the Master Calligrapher Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322).

Today, 7th of February is the first day of the Chinese New Year. It is the 4706 Chinese Year. This is the Year of the Rat which is also known by its former name of Wu Zi. Every year has a different zodiac sign and 2008 happens to fall under the Chinese Zodiac Rat. Rats mark the commencement of the 12 Chinese Zodiac. There is an interesting story behind it.

Tradition says that Lord Buddha had called for all the animals to come before him before he departed from the earth. When the cat got to know about the news he told the rat about it and the two animals decided to go together the next day. However the rat did not wake up the cat the next day and the cat missed being on time for the gathering and so this is the reason why there is no year of the cat and why cats hate rats!

The rat made it first to the gathering and received the first year though he used a lot of trickery to reach first. The Year of the Rat is followed by the Year of the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon. Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. In this way, each year is linked to an animal and the people born in that year are believed to share the traits of that animal.

The Year of the Rat is associated with enterprising and aggressive qualities. Hope this year of the Rats, 2008 becomes the harbinger of health, wealth and good fortune for all of us.

In Chinese New Year celebrations, people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire which according to legend can drive away bad luck. Long ago people in China lit bamboo stalks believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Chinese New Year celebrations ends with the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the month. People hang glowing lanterns in temples and carry lanterns to an evening parade. The highlight of the festival is the Dragon Dance.

Christmas is here!

*Jingle Bells*!

I'm slowly getting pulled into the Holiday Spirit......not that I'm complaining! Wherever I surf...Blogs or Websites....the Home Pages are now decorated with various Christmas decorations. Some of them look real beautiful. Decorated Christmas trees.....twinkling lights....small & big boxes wrapped beautifully.....Santas & elves....and lots of Ha-Ha! Ho-Ho!....as I surf the net. Some sites even have popular Christmas Songs belting out!

The Card Making Mafia that I know of, have been busy churning cards by the dozen. Some are so *Sparkly*......some "let it snow" kinds....some so red-red in true Christmas colors.... Santa & his reindeers...holly & mistletoes all are there! I am just wondering where these cards would all go.......who all would be finally receiving them?!

In this techno savvy world......I know there would be a couple of Christmas forwarded messages in my mailbox.....or one of those electronic greeting cards....but, how nice it would be if one of these hand made cards came my way! I'm one of those who love hand made things.....and to know that the sender/giver has made a special effort to make it.....would give me double joy! Wishful thinking! I know....I will blame it on the season!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Diwali

It's my weekend..........and today happens to be Diwali, the festival of lights....not that it feels in any way different from my usual day or weekend. I called my Parents. Mom was telling that my sis-in-law was preparing for the puja as well as to light up the diyas/candles in the evening. Yesterday was Laxmi Puja....Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth......don't we all need her to come & bless our homes?!

Now here in a foreign land....all alone.....as I stand on my balcony, in the growing darkness.....far away...in a couple of flats I can see the twinkling lights on the balcony which has been decorated....Hindu families....as they make a vain attempt to celebrate the festival. I can also hear a couple of crackers bursting intermittently and the sound of the rockets whizzing out in the distance.

I remember when I was back in my country......the sound of crackers, rockets & different fireworks would be all around as soon as evening approached. It would be so loud that one had to shout to be heard in the din.....and the street dogs would be howling their lungs out while our dogs would be cowering under the beds or under anything & in between, we would be consoling them saying that it was all ok. Each and every house in the neighborhood would be lighted up either with diyas or candles or with the modern decorative small light bulbs. Personally, I prefer the diyas....it's so very traditional and looks so pretty!

Days before Diwali....everywhere you go, you could feel the festivity in the air all around. Shops tempting you with all kinds of goodies....people buying new clothes, gifts.... Offices too would be enveloped with the Diwali spirit...bonuses are given out this time of the year, so there's more excitement... over and above the Diwali sweets & gift which one gets from the company. There's the traditional puja in the offices...after which the gifts are given....not much work gets done on this day............as people are busy with the puja, greeting each other, exchanging gifts...

My friend just sent me a message, "Wish you a very happy diwali." I wish I was with my friend....watching the lit sky from the balcony together......

"Karwa Chauth"

Today is "Karwa Chauth"...a day when Hindu married ladies from the North part of the country, fast from dawn till she sees the moon at night. I wouldn't have known..........unless I hadn't spoken to this colleague of mine whose hands were decorated with "mehndi"..........henna for all ye non urdu/hindi speakers!

My country is so vast.....and even though the majority are Hindus...the customs & the rituals & even the Gods & Goddesses that are worshiped are so different from one region to the other....from one state to the other. Hindus believe in one God....they believe One in many and many in One......if you know what I mean!

First the meaning of "Karwa Chauth"........chauth means the fourth day after the new moon and nine days later we will have "Diwali". Now this would be another post! So let me come back to where I digressed! Karwa is a clay pot with a spout which symbolizes peace & prosperity.

The ritual begins before sunrise and ends only after seeing the moon. No food or water is taken during this time. The ladies pray for their husbands longevity, well being and prosperity. At night after the sighting of the moon, that too through a sieve.... amidst prayers & offering of water and then seeing their husbands face, the fast is broken. Thanks to the many Bollywood movies that I have seen, I do know the elaborate arrangements which they make to make sure that it's their husband's face they see and not anyone else right after they have seen the moon......even if they have to close their eyes and walk back to the house where he would be .....waiting to be worshiped!

Post Technology............if the husband is far away...fast would be broken after seeing his photograph....or after a phone call and hearing his voice! Some unmarried girls even have started keeping this fast for their boyfriends or fiancés!

For all their effort.......prayers and all....the wives are showered with lavish gifts!

Raksha Bandhan

Two days back was “Raksha Bandhan”, a Hindu festival celebrated mainly by the people in the North. This is a festival strengthening the ties between brothers & sisters. (In other parts there’s a similar festival...different date.) The sister ties a "Rakhi" or a sacred thread on her brother’s wrist amidst prayers & good wishes as a symbol for her love for him and the brother takes the responsibilty of protecting her. The thread symbolises a bond of love & trust between brothers & sisters. This need not be between blood relatives only. One could have “Rakhi" brother who may or may not be related at all but the bond is taken very seriously if one promises to be a brother. I find this festival/custom very beautiful and personally feel this could be celebrated by people from all religions.

I miss all the Indian festivals...wish I was home..this day too would have been a holiday and all markets would have had such a festive air as brothers would have been busy buying gifts for their sisters & sisters would have been searching for the perfect "Rakhi" which through the years has become more elaborate & some quite expensive being made in silver & pearls !