Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Ok, its very rare that I make healthy foods, but here i am :) Found this recipe on delish.com and it came out quite nice and easy to make. Plus, it has chocolate and it is healthy for you, so it's a winner all around :)

Mix 120g of butter with 3/4 cups of sugar (the recipe says to add another 1/2 cup of sugar, but this is really not necessary). Add 2 egg whites, 1 entire egg and 2 tsp of vanilla. For this, use a electric mixer.

Then sieve in 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of oats, your chocolate chips, and raisins (optional). Mix well with your wooden spoon.

Then add teaspoonfuls on a greased tray, put in your oven at 190C for 10-12 min.

Election Day

So today is the day many Lankans having been waiting for, for quite some time. An election without war, to be determined by the people for the people. At least, theoretically. After 30 years of civil unrest, we are finally determining who will run this country. Although there are quite a few candidates on the ballot paper, there are only two people under extreme scrutiny. The current president and the General.

I am not going to get into a complete political debate about who is good, and who I would vote for, and who has some questionable ethics etc. This blog is not meant to be a political one.. However, my humble wish is that who ever comes into power should govern this country with a gentle fist and guide it to success. Maybe I am naive, but being around this political atmosphere for some time now, makes me quite cynical.

I am grateful for the ending of the war. I can remember days of curfews, frantic phone calls to relatives to see if they were ok, conversations about people who have died, schools being closed, endless checkpoints and checking of vehicles. I am thankful that it is over. Now it is time to rebuild this nation.

Historically, we have been a great nation. We were one of the first countries to engage in international diplomacy, we had an amazing history, our people were capable of amazing technological innovation. But unfortunately, this was in the past. Now, we seem to be famous for insane politicans, the highest suicide rates in the world and alcoholism. Not exactly high hopes.

There is so much hope this time around, you can practically feel it on your skin in the polling booths. It is on the lips and in the minds of the people walking by. All this country needs is a stable platform to stand on, and we can leap forward.

Maybe this election will serve as a wake up call to who ever ends up winning.. as the saying goes, "You can fool some people sometimes but you can't fool all the people all the time". People ARE a force to be a reckoned with, even in Sri Lanka. Technology also plays a big part in this. From the many blogs online, to the advertisements on YouTube and Facebook, even the endless text messages from annoymous numbers, the people are watching and reading and educating themselves on the candidates. More so than before. Which is always a good thing. People want to know about the issues. You may think I am talking as a Colombian, but speaking to different people working in my office, so many people are actually questioning what is actually going and investigating and forming opinions. It is so refreshing to see this.

So at the end of the day, for me, it doesn't matter who wins, as long as Sri Lanka ends up triumphant at the end of the day.

Watermelon Salad

Again, its been a while since I have cooked but I realized last night how much I miss the chaos and entertainment I get from cooking :-) I had a small dinner for some family members last night, and glad to say it went off without much of a problem.

watermelon salad with feta cheese. This recipe I stole from Nigella Lawson. I do love her... This again, is so simple and so refreshing.

First, chop some onions and soak in lime/lemon juice. This gets rid of the strong flavors and smells. Then cube your watermelon. I used an entire fruit as I had 10 people over last night but you can use as much as you would like. Add some similar sized cubes of feta cheese. Add some chopped parsley and mint leaves. Nigella always recommends you cut the herbs with a scissor directly over the bowl instead of a knife because all the delicious flavors end up on your chopping board instead of your dish. Very true! Then add the onions with the lime/lemon juice and splash some olive oil and you are done!! You can add some black olives as a nice colorful option but it is not necessary.. Its really yummy and you should serve cold so it is more refreshing...

Hello... Is it me you're looking for...

So goes the song... And I ask you, do I strike you as a person with nothing to do? Other than taking care of Sonny boy, Hubby and trying to organize things in my house, plus working at the store and my other work... Honestly, I tell you.. I think I am getting ahead of myself..

Recently, I have been getting calls from not one, but TWO people.. not unusual, I hear you say.. but these are people I absolutely, completely, truly do not know... and why? I have no idea.. apparently, one of them got my number off another friend - again, someone I don't know.. and the newest one who decides to call me now, on the day I am feeling my poopiest, got his number from the former friend.. what the hell? I am in my late 20s, happily married(for the most part, isn't everyone), and a working mother.. I am not some jobless girl, looking for a soulmate via phonecall. Its not exactly appealing.. To add to it, he thinks I am Indian.. I guess its the name, but come on people.. if you don't know me, please don't expect me to be your best friend overnight..

The first guy constantly messages me - at 5am, no less and tells me not only to have a good day (woohoo!) but also hopes our friendship will continue to grow... errr what part of married do you not get.. FYI - I did tell him I was married and he should get some friends who he can deal with, and not bother me.. maybe he thinks I am playing hard to get??

Seriously, are youth today so bored with their own selves, they need to bother others? I mean, there's endless entertainment from Internet, to Playstation, to actual interaction with other people...what do these guys need to fulfill?

For those who know me, know I am a decent girl.. I am a loyal friend, and can be quite friendly.. but I don't take too kindly to people who think this is fun.. I have other things to do than sit on the phone with random people I don't know...

Sometimes I feel sorry for these two people... even the first guy admitted he has no friends.. well with manners like this, I don't doubt it for a second.. If they call again, I swear I will threaten them with the Police.. wait, I think that only works on Sonny boy.. hmmm

But seriously folks, is this a dilemma for most 'young' people? Maybe I've grown up, or moved on past this stage of my life, but is anonymous calls really the way to go?

Necesary Evil

Its like an unwritten Murphy's Law - if you are working hard on a presentation, the computer will inevitably shut down without explanation. This will happen especially when you forget to save your work. Why does this always happen?

One of my resolutions that I forgot to add was to work harder at my mum's company. So today, I sat down to do this presenation which is long-overdue. I actually had all my data ready, and all the information and pictures nicely laid out on the Powerpoint and right at that moment, instead of seeing my nice shiny document, I see a blank black screen. Not exactly the screen I was looking forward to seeing... WHY WHY WHY!!!

Now, at a totally different computer which seems to work (for the moment), I DON'T HAVE POWER POINT!! UGH UGH... maybe I am not computer literate..