Sick Day

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One of my friend's bands (I sound so cool) Shiragirl along with their video for their new single "Sick Day".. Its a fun punk rock song which is quite catchy..

And yes, this is EXACTLY how i feel today..

Baking Therapy

Here comes my baking day, and today I have attempted to make rock buns. They are similar to scones but they are misshapen i.e. like rocks thus the name. Not exactly diet friendly, but yum all the more. Its again, very very simple to make.

Simply measure out 200g of self raising flour (or normal wheat flour with some baking powder) and rub in 75g of butter. Rubbing in literally means rubbing in - you get your hands in there and rub the butter with the flour until it becomes the consistency of breadcrumbs. The butter has to be very hard first, then chop it up into little bits and then rub in.

Add 75g of sugar (tip - 1 full tbsp = 25g) and add 75g of dried fruit - you can add more or less depending on how much you want. Then add 1 egg and mix. Its easier mixing the ingredients by hand. The mixture should be hard enough to manipulate by hand. If not, add 1-2 tbsp of water. Then roughly shape and place onto a greased tray. Pop it into the oven (220C) and keep for 15 min. Its THAT simple :)


Yes, its supposed to be misshapen ok.. Give me a break, I am sick!

Why this frenzied baking craze... Shouldn't I be resting.. well, the bad news is, my tooth still hurts and the dentist has probably NO idea whats wrong with my teeth. She told me to get an x-ray done and come see her again tomorrow.. I think she's seen me enough to last her lifetime.. Anyway, got the x-ray. I figured, the best way to avoid taking more painkillers (everyone keeps telling me I am going to end up the next Micheal Jackson without the white skin and the eccentric behavior) is to distract myself.. hence the baking...

Bring on the pain killers!

Out of all the pain you can go through, whether it is razor burn, or a wound, or a headache or phlegm headache, I think a tooth ache has to top the list. And that's exactly what i went through (and currently going through) right now. I tried to get through to my usual dentist but knowing my luck, she's out of town till the second week of October.. If I have to wait till then, I would be more likely to take out of the tooth myself with a pair of pliers - it hurts THAT much!

Anyways, I heard about this Dr. Dwight and decided to try her out. She was quite nice, friendly.. her nurse was quite good too.. but my only issue was she doesnt use gloves.. but her equipment look sterile (i hope!) and she used a new injection on me (i saw the wrapping!!).

Apparently, I have the dreaded ROOT CANAL (see picture below).



Just looking at the picture gives me the creeps. Apparently, some little pesky germ has got through a filling at the back of my mouth (top jaw) and infected something or the other. So she has to refill basically. She thankfully gave me not just one injection (the needle was HUGE!) but two so I was numb. Which brings me to - which is more painful - numbness and feeling the vibrations of the drills and other equipment or actual pain? I don't know, but I asked for plenty of drugs later!

The best thing is, she has only done 1/3 of the operation yesterday. I have to go back again in a week and let her finish the rest. She probably knew what a wimp I am. Honestly, childbirth is less painful than this...

Thankfully, I have got some drugs to get me by till next week, so if anyone speaks to me during this period, I am not always this loopy :-)

If you like it, then you should put a ring on it!

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I don't really like this song that much, but if it has a dancing baby, I am a total sucker for it :) Check out 0:39

"I can smell the sunshine in your hair"

Yes, my love (more like obsession) for True Blood has finally spilled over to the blog. Thanks to Judy and everyone else who's been bugging me to see this series, we finally caved in and started watching and oh man... I am hooked!

From Wikipedia naturally,
"Following the creation of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is a telepath and waitress at Merlotte's in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, owned by Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), a shapeshifter—though this secret is kept hidden. One night, Sookie meets Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old vampire who has returned to Bon Temps following the death of his last remaining relative. As she cannot hear his thoughts, she finds it easy to be in his company and, over the first season, the two become romantically involved."

Its very easy to just say a love story, but its much more complicated than that. It deals with prejudice - vampires being the outsiders of society, to dealing with people who maybe slightly different to you and me. But I must say, it does help when you have a good looking cast.

The actors on this show are very good - from Anna Paquin (Sookie), Stephen Moyer (Bill), Sam Trammell (Sam), Rutina Wesley (Tara), Nelsen Ellis (Lafayette), Ryan Kwanten (Jason) among many many others. Their characters are multifaceted because of them. It makes you think, if you cast different actors in those roles, how different it would be. For example, it would be very easy to see Bill as a whiny, very old fashioned guy but Moyer makes him sympathetic and romantic. Even the character of Lafayette could easily be a stereotypical gay man but Ellis creates a vunerability and a personality to the character.

I know there are many people who love this show, probably more than me, so do comment away, I enjoy hearing from you :)

Exercising?

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Thanks to Crazy Asian Gal (see above link), i got this recipe. I had excess bananas at home, and thanks to my diet, i cant eat bananas so why not make these? They looked so good and tempting so might as well use the energy to make something for friends/family.

1/2 an Anchor Butter - or 112.5g butter
180g sugar - brown or white - i used brown
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
2 large bananas - I dont like too much banana so i used less but you can use as much or as little as you want
200g flour
as much or as little chocolate chips as you want. You can also chop up cooking chocolate like i did :)

First cream the butter and sugar together. Then add the egg. Add the vanilla and baking powder. Then add the bananas and mix with a wooden spoon. To add the flour - fold into the batter. Then mix the chocolate chips.

Oven temperate - 175C for 30 min then - Voila you have cupcakes!

To Loose Weight or Die Trying...!

So, finally i postponed my trip to the dietrician and decided to get healthy.. We want to expand our little family, and I need to get more healthy. I also have PCOD, which makes my loosing weight all the more harder. Its a bloody cycle - to get better, you have to loose weight but loosing weight is made harder with this condition!

Anyways, went to the dietrician and she gave me a doable diet. I get to eat 5 times a day! haha.. but small meals, of course.. plus exercise.. good news for my knees, i dont have to run! yay.. I have to see her again in one month, lets see if i get somewhere..

Today, being such a dull gloomy day out here, I dont feel motivated at all to write.. maybe tomorrow will be better :-/

Motivation?

365 Days of Exercise from Adam Conover on Vimeo.

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If this isn't motivation to lay down the pizza, I don't know what is :-)

More Patrick Swayze

Click the title :-( RIP

"Don't put Baby in the corner"

I think I first fell in love with Patrick Swazye in "Ghost". Who wouldn't, not only was he handsome and totally in love with Demi Moore, but he would even step beyond the grave to help his damsel in distress. Plus, he had an awesome sense of humor, and great rapport with Whoopi Goldberg, another firm favorite of mine.

Then, "Dirty Dancing" cemented the deal. The sexy moves that seemed almost illegal to watch for my innocent eyes, the music from that movie still makes me smile. Talking about music, he did sing "She's like the wind" off the soundtrack.

Good looks, great singing voice, funny, what more does a young girl need?

One of my favorite skits of him was from SNL. I first saw this when I went to uni, and just laughed so hard...

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On a morbid side note, this has truly been the "summer of death". So many people have died, from Micheal Jackson, DJ AM, Ted Kennedy, the list goes on. Is it because we have reached a certain age where death in our heroes is inevitable? Or is it just plain bad luck. MJ was only 50, Swayze was 57.. what is going on?

Holiday in the Sun

Finally, after so SO long, we took a well-deserved holiday down south. Honestly, a beach fixes everything, what more do you need! Highlights of the trip included :-
* Two lovely walks on the beach, and sitting by the ocean watching the waves come in with my favorite two boys
* Collecting shells on the beach with M
* Swimming away, with the two boys - we bought a new lifeboat for M so he can swim independantly - you cannot keep the boy away from the water!
* Visit to Richmond Castle, an old mansion which belonged to a Mudaliya - basically a village headman. Its a sad story though, he built this huge mansion for his wife all before he was 21. He stole the idea from a castle in India, which belonged to his childhood friend - this Maharaja.. Anyways, he built it, and his wife and him couldnt have kids, so eventually they got into issues and fell apart. He handed his house over to the government of SL to make into a children's home and he left to Kandy. Wife was sent to her house. She is the aunt of JR Jayawardana's mother (former President of SL)
* Relaxing in God only knows how long
* Great BBQ at the hotel
* Meeting Sauyma after her wedding - yay!
* Complete and total relazation complete

It was a good break, honestly we should do it more often!

Land of Smiles?

You always hear that Sri Lanka is the land of smiles, or the land of friendly people. These people who say that OBVIOUSLY haven't gone to a government department to get anything done.

Yesterday, i FINALLY recieved a notice that I had got my good friend's package from the US. I had been waiting for this thing for the past month and she had sent all kinds of goodies for my son and me :) haha.. anyways, happily, I thought since I was in a rush, I would go to the post office and clear it.

Just to inform anyone who's reading from abroad, when packages come from abroad, it has to be cleared through customs and then the post office informs you that you have received something. Inconvenient but these people need work, i suppose.

Anyways, off i went. I was in a relatively good mood, considering my morning was not that great and we had a wedding to go to in the evening so everything was ok. There was a bit of traffic but nothing that wouldnt kill you. Usually, I get these things cleared by someone from office because i know that govt. offices have a bad rap, but hey, being the impatient person i am, i thought "if he can do it, why cant i?"

So I come to the formitable office, its HUGE. Tax rupees at work? As usual, people are hardly working, than working hard. A sleepy security guard tells me, to clear packages, I have to go upstairs. So up the heavy, really long staircase I go. I wonder, if people get BIG packages, how do they come down the stairs? Anyways, I finally get a very crabby looking guy, who looks very creepy. I make small talk to put the guy at ease and he just gives me a weird look and continues to get me to sign about 3 forms - same form but 3 copies. Then he asks for my ID (can you hear the dum daaaaaammmm)

Now, my ID has my home address along with my maiden name. Unfortunately, this package came to my married name and my new place. This guy kept INSISTING i was not Amrita ******* whereas as you know, i very well am. I told him, do you want me to tell you who the package is from? He was like, if this is your married name, bring your marriage certificate?? WTF? i can believe in security but come on? I said, is there any other way i can prove this package belongs to me. I even asked should i call my friend abroad, he can confirm the number with the number entered in her papers. And he kept saying no no no. So, I got pissed off and told the guy in very colorful language (at least as colorful as my poor sinhala could be) and came home a very sad and angry customer.

Then I got inspired. I called the superintendent and proceeded to be a pain in his ass, and you know i can be that way when i am totally pissed off. I told him, i should have paid his guy some money and I am sure he would have given my package, and this is what happens if you try and do things the honest way. He kept insisting on security, i was like, look check the package if you want, its all kids stuff... anyways, after an hour of bugging this guy, he was like ok, come meet me and we can clear your stuff.

FINALLY! So hopefully today is the day i get my stuff.. Wish me luck!

SL may have won the war, but it hasn't stopped the buck

Frazzled

Appropriately, my 13th posting is about me getting annoyed. Is it random or just fate? Who knows... It all starts (as usual) with my mother getting annoyed with me for not not following up on some work. Granted, things have been a little hectic, but seriously, cut me some slack here.. then, I get the lecture that I am completely privilidged hence thats why I am a lazy slob. Come on!

I work very hard at the store, even though I have a lady 'helping' (more like 'hindering') the business, its moreorless me. I have had so many customer complaints about her, that she's very bitchy, not helpful, doesn't show any enthusiasm, etc. its driving me nuts. Even customers have told me that they won't come if I am not there...

Its hard for me to look into my mum's office work when I'm here, because its stuff you have to do on-site. Plus, every aspect of the shop I have to look into, whether its stuff on the racks, whether the items are put in place, what items to sell to who, prices, name it, its me!! Ugh..

Then, home front.. being a mum, and probably I give myself too much grief over this, but I like to be a full-time mum too. I enjoy spending time with my son, playing with him, seeing whats at home, etc. So its not easy really..

How come, when I try all day I cannot get through to certain people, but my mum just picks up the phone and dials once and somehow gets through? Talk about the Cosmos not being on your side. Ugh..

To add to hecticness, we are going for a wedding this evening and hoping to get away on a holiday from Friday-Sunday. Talk about bad timing. I have to get packed, get my son's stuff together because knowing the nanny, she will definitely leave something behind, get my saree ironed, get my jewelry together (which is at my mum's place) all within 2 hours. AND the driver issue. Hubby will need the car to go to work, which means, I will need a car from my place to the dresser and back home. Plus hopefully, my mother will get home soon so I can get my stuff together... Ugh..

Just a question, do we create our own chaos? I mean, I dont think I lead a very complicated life. I have a husband, who can drive me nuts (whose doesn't honestly), a cute son who can make a fuss if he knows I am frustrated, a nanny who is good but sometimes i think she needs a brain (then i know she wouldnt work for me - haha), and my mum who drives me nuts. But sometimes, things just go haywire for whatever reason...

Honestly, its just one of those days that I could just scream..

Exercize

Exercise has truly become one of my most hatest but needed things in my life at the moment. After having Mahasen 2 years ago, it has been a constant struggle to get slimmer. I am doing it for three reasons really,

1. To get back into shape. I wasn't exactly a supermodel pre-baby, but I wasn't huge either. It would be nice to fit into some of my old skirts and blouses and damnit, i looked good!

2. To get fit. Again, I wasnt exactly Uslin Bolt, but I would manage to run around. With a 2 year old running around, its a fitness regime in itself, but one needs to be able to keep up without sounding asthmatic half the time.

3. To be able to fit into clothes that don't resemble fabric bags. Honestly, where are the stores that cater to the voluptuous build? Its either stretching across your belly or high-necked, neither looks I would like to see on myself. I look at designs from abroad, and people actually look good bigger, and here, its just sad.

How I Am Doing This
* Trying to eat healthy. When I am at home, I do try and eat healthier than most. I eat my muesli and oats every morning (no thosais or heavy curries for this mummy), and I usually have a watery soup at night. No sugar during the day, except for the occasionally biscuit - which I should really start cutting out.

But come on, I am human. We do tend to be social animals, so when we do go out, I do tend to eat my prawns.. come on, I was born on an island, seafood is in our genes!!

* I am exercising - I go for aerobics twice a week, and I try and go to the gym every day. I do the interval training or whatever it is.
0-5min - walking
5-6.5 - run
6.5-11.5 - walk
11.5-13 - run
13-18 - walk
18-19.5 - run
19.5-24.5 - walk
24.5-26 - run
26-30 - walk

However today, its been a while since I started and my knees started hurting.. ugh!

Its days like today when I wonder why I am killing myself so much. I know I just typed out justifications but still... According to recent studies, most people like me are a size 16. Is it really the health reasons, because again, according to new reports, its not as unhealthy as people believed to be a big bigger.

Is it to please society, like the promotion of whitening products for skin and teeth (you look at the marriage proposal classifieds and it reads like a 'fair and lovely' commercial). I know, my mum's constant refrain is, "Dont eat this, you're putting on weight".

Plus, it shouldn't be this difficult. I am only 27, they say this age its easier to loose weight. But why is it being this hard. I am eating quite right, I am exercising and my belly still looks pregnant!! In fact, people ask me if I am expecting another one.. ugh!! why why...

Please leave tips below

Happy!

I am going to steal this from fellow blogger "London, Lanka and Drums". It did make me smile, I wish spontaneous things like this would happen often. But I think in Sri Lanka, it would more likely be "Surangani" or some random guys dancing to Baila instead.. most likely some MC dudes (you know who you are!!)">

The attraction of opposites

So this is what happens when an orange is found cheating with a banana... Good to know :o)

Don't Stop the Music..?

This has got to be one of the wierdest things I have seen or heard in a while. Charo, who is this crazy entertainer singing Rihanna's "Don't stop the Music". She is 58 and still dances away,

Love is...

Hate to sound repetitive, but i do really love this. It inspired me to write my own list..

Love is listening to him singing a song, only to be interupted with a twinkle in his eye and an 'i love you' on his lips

Love is finally the dress you always wanted and finding it in your size

Love is the goofy look that your husband gives you when you haven't seen him in a while

Love is seeing the bathroom scales finally weighing you a kilo less than last week, although you ate too much chocolate that day

Love is hearing your son giggle in the next room, watching Mickey Mouse for the fifith time

Love is when your husband brings you a tasty cup of coffee when you are snuggled in the couch, watching a favorite movie

Love is the giggles you get from your son when you make funny voices

Love is the warm arm around you when the airconditioning is on too high

Love is the little hugs your small son gives you along with the goofy grin and 'eskimo' kiss (rubbing of noses)

Love is the sniffs your son gives you and makes you feel all tickly inside

Love is the thank you and the long hug after cooking all day

Love is the phone being put to charge when you were asleep, especially when you forgot where you kept it when you were awake

Love is being able to tolerate the occasional burb, fart or any bodily function and still love the person inside

Love is seeing a small piece of chocolate left behind after your partner has had a binge

Love is being taken on a spontaneous holiday after working hard all week

Chocolate Peanut Fudge..

Enough said, right... all my favorite foods in one sentence. I dont have a good picture of this (i stole the above one from a website), as I have not made it recently but it is yummy especially when you have unexpected guests coming for dessert. Again, really simple..

1/2 can of condensed milk, or 200ml if you like to measure. Add to it, 100g of cooking chocolate, 100g peanut butter. And you just heat it up on a saucepan. After it all melts into a yummy gooey mess, add a little water. It thickens as it stands, but by adding water, its easier to pour into a jug. Then, when you serve ice-cream, top liberally and add (if you like) some salted peanuts. The contrasts between salty, sweet and nutty is divine.

And to quote Nigella Lawson, who is truly a goddess in the kitchen (not only is she hot, but she loves eating!), "you can never have enough chocolate" :-)

Chocolate cake!

Yes, i finally made a chocolate cake that didnt collapse on me. It actually tasted less sweet (in a good way) than most recipes i have used but it came out yum. Hubby did the icing on top while I did the sandwiching.

The recipe is quite simple.

First heat up 125g of dark cooking chocolate with 3 tbsp of milk. You put it in a glass bowl over a saucepan of hot boiling water. By doing this, you dont end up burning the chocolate..

Then, you mix 150g of butter with 150g of sugar. You can reduce the amount of sugar if you like, but it doesnt taste that sweet anyways. Then add 3 eggs, one at a time and get a nice creamy consistency. Add your chocolate mixture to this and continue mixing.

The next time you add is the flour - 200g of white flour, 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of bicarbonate of soda. DO NOT USE THE MIXER FOR THIS. Instead, you must fold the flour into the cake mixture. If you use the mixture, air bubbles will get trapped into the cake and you will end up with a rock solid cake which will be next to impossible to eat (Thank you Ms. J for the advice).

Anyways, divide this mixture into 2 well greased cake tins (i went hunting around for grease-proof paper or 'oil paper' but apparently on a Sunday, it is impossible to find). Put into the oven - 180C for 25 min and Voila there is your cake.

Icing is also simple. 100g of icing sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla essence, 100g butter and 2 tbsp of cocoa powder. Thats it, and mix away.

Philadelphia

Not the city, but the movie. Just watched it on HBO and i have forgotten what a powerful film it was. Released in 1993, just when the awareness of AIDS and gay culture became more mainstream, it follows the story of Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer who gets wrongfully fired for being gay and having AIDS and his struggle to take his employers to court. Its a moving story, not just because its a gay story, but because it can apply to anyone who has gone through struggles and wants to find some justice in the world. Tom Hanks is amazing in it, loosing almost 30 pounds for the role and rightfully winning the Oscar that year for this movie.

Some of my favorite scenes/lines from the movie include
* The scene where Beckett is explaining Maria Callas's opera. The expression on Hanks's face is amazing, transforming from happy to saddness, and he is completely lost in the music. Great performance not only for this but also the beautiful translation of the lyrics

Andrew Beckett: "This is my favorite aria. This is Maria Callas. This is "Andrea Chenier", Umberto Giordano. This is Madeleine. She's saying how during the French Revolution, a mob set fire to her house, and her mother died... saving her. "Look, the place that cradled me is burning." Can you hear the heartache in her voice? Can you feel it, Joe? In come the strings, and it changes everything. The music fills with a hope, and that'll change again. Listen... listen..."I bring sorrow to those who love me." Oh, that single cello! "It was during this sorrow that love came to me." A voice filled with harmony. It says, "Live still, I am life. Heaven is in your eyes. Is everything around you just the blood and mud? I am divine. I am oblivion. I am the god... that comes down from the heavens, and makes of the Earth a heaven. I am love!... I am love."

* The scene where *spoiler* Beckett is dying and Miguel (the handsome Antonio Banderas) is gently kissing his fingers. So beautiful and poetic, it tells you so much of the love these two have for each other.

* The last scenes, where you see a young Andrew with his sister running around. Who would predict 20-30 years later this young boy, full of life, would be cut down at the prime of his life?

So beautiful, if you get a chance, do watch it...

One of my favorite times of the day is early morning, where i feel the warm sunrise peeping in, listening to my son sing his usual morning tunes. He loves music, and sings his entire repertoire of nursery rhymes from "Old McDonald" to "Baa Baa Black Sheep", "Twinkle Twinkle" and has recently learnt "Wee Willie Winkie"... i guess listening to his nursery CD non-stopped has helped (it hasn't helped our sanity though - there's only so many times you can hear "Pop goes the Weasel")

Its a lovely time to contemplate and wonder what the new day holds.. The day seems full of possibilities, the time also lags slowly and you think you have more time to do things like go to the gym, take a shower, even catch another 40 winks, but unfortunately then that's when reality strikes and the rat race begins once again..

Stella skies?

Why, stella skies?? Well, very simple - stella means 'starry' and skies, well.. it means 'skies' :) I love romantic midnight blue skies, full of stars and with the moon shining brightly.. Another good reason to love poya days (other than the holiday!)

Starting Anew

I totally gave up on my previous blog thanks to the birth of my son, but now since he's bigger, I have more time on my hands to write..

I am hoping to impart some of my cooking 'talents' along with tidbits on my childrearing and whatever else is on my mind.. I try to be creative as I can, but depending on my mood or whatever else (hey, I am a woman, we are entitled to mood swings), i will try my bestest to please.. So do join me for the ride...