This is my entry for the low-fat baking event in Madhuram's www.egglesscooking.com. Please skip if you are not interested to learn how to make vegetable upside down casserole. :)


( VEGETABLE UPSIDE DOWN CASSEROLE )

(From www.bobseal.com)

Please do not look down upon other people's choices ....just to make your own look good.
We are, each one of us, at this point in our lives due to factors we cannot fathom or comprehend.
And so...it makes absolutely no sense to be condescending.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/nyregion/15babies.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&emc=eta1

I am surprised, very surprised that there is a bias at all! And the surprise is not pleasant.
The US consulate in Madras repeatedly communciated (back in the late 90s, when I was scouting around to apply to univesities in the US) that it was interviewing each candidate to ensure that only the best/really good ones would reach the US, a sort of "quality control" according to the then Consul General. Everyone who applied was a student or someone who had a professional degree and wanted to work in the US.

Hmmm...the people (at least from India) who came here earlier, in the late 60s and 70s were all either doctors or professors, mostly. But what about their spouses? And what about those people who set up hotels or motels? How educated were they?

Not that education helps a person very much, though!

Personally, as someone who has been through more than one miscarriage, the thought that someone would go in for an abortion specifically because they wanted a son, is just so...hurtful. When people get and stay pregnant very easily, they feel they can make that choice, I suppose. *shrug*. Their argument would be that this is their life and they are making the choice that matters to them.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..

Ultimately, it boils down to what we want - to what makes us happy. We put in our time, effort and money in what we thinks makes us happy. Whether notions of such happiness come from within or from conditioning, is a different question, though I suspect that most, if not all of our desires are a direct reflection of our conditioning.

Conditiong from the world around us and from our parents. And that scares me, when I think of what a role I play in my children's lives. How I handle situations, what my goals are, how I work, what I think, what I feel.....everything is being watched and imbibed. Scary thought!

--------------------------------
Here is one reader comment that I found interesting:

Sometime ago, I wrote about how "we love turning up our nose at anyone else who, in our perception, falls below us!".

Observe yourself and come up with one aspect - one quality of yours which you feel distinguishes you (and makes you look down at others) from everyone else around you. It should not be a physical attribute/something you were born with - it should be something that you learnt/became an expert at or something that you feel you have a natural talent for.

I'll go first: For a long time, I used to feel superior (yeah, this now seems crazy!) simply because I felt that I could write (in English) without any glaring grammatical errors!

I have many more, of course...!

We all want to be different; we all want to be unique....and we love turning up our nose at anyone else who, in our perception, falls below us!

And just how many of us are strongly convinced that we know better, that we are better?!

Smug, smug we go on in life, convinced that we are somehow, somehow superior.

And then comes someone who is condescending towards us. What happened? Isn't it our right to be so?!

Sleeper Sofa, Loveseat, Audiman.. Matching set ..

---

Reply to: sale-955941891@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2008-12-12, 9:01PM CST

For those of you who keep saying "I do not like organized religion" (it seems fashionable to say so, doesn't it?!):

"Every religion, when it started, started out as a spiritual possibility. Slowly, as the number of people increased and generations of people passed on, it became more and more organized and more and more distorted. What used to be a spiritula process just became a set of codes and modes to follow. A set of beliefs to believe in and slowly lost all its original significance. This is bound to happen to anything in the world.
To a large extent, today most of the world religions are run on either guilt, fear or greed.
Look at all the prayers on the planet:
"Dear God...give me this...give me that..." --which is greed;
"Dear God....save me, protect me..."--which is fear;
"Dear God....forgive me..." --which is guilt.

We constantly nurture these things. Are they wonderful emotions? Most unpleasant, isn't it? Guilt, fear and greed, all of them are most unpleasant within you. Anything that comes out of it cannot be good".

--Jaggi Vasudev

Ever wondered why one person inherits so much wealth that he/she probably cannot even fathom just how much money they have, while another person has problems finding the next meal...............?

Hindu thought has an explanation - karma. Karma is, at its simplest, all about cause and effect. The theory is that with our limited perspective, we can only see our actions in this life, whereas our past and future extend (indefinitely?) and so does our karma.
IMHO, this is a good theory - explains things satisfactorily (the Vedas get into the details).

BUT.......do we know that?

Drop aside everything that you have been told. Everything that you have learnt. Everything that the religious background you are from tells you. Basically everything that you have acquired over the years.

What do you really, really, REALLY know?

As a friend of mine often asks, "do you know that in your bones?" or, as I'd like to ask, "What do we know, for sure?".

What is the Mind?
What are memories? Events of the past stored in our Minds? And what is the Past?? What is Time?

No, don't try to answer what you read in a Physics book or what you read in a Philosophy book. What do YOU know?

To me, it seems, increasingly, that we are all put here (by Whom? for What?) and we just go about our lives like automatons. Automatons. That has been my buzz word for quite some time now.

Where do our desires spring from?

Why do some of us pursue those desires with a perserverance that astounds others so much?!

While some of us sit back and say: "Eh, whatever" to most of our desires and whine about what happens (or does not happen) in our lives.

Why do some of us complicate our lives unnecessarily while others manage to keep it simple?

Why are some of us endowed with some qualities/talents that make others green, while some of us lack even basic limbs/organs that allow us to go through life in a normal, somewhat easy manner?

With the feeling of being an automaton, it follows that....the automaton has no real choice! Everything has already been determined. Even the questioning. :)
This is what my mind tells me. But of late, I suspect that my mind itself is not to be trusted to answer these questions. So where do I look for answers, then??????

And here is an article that triggered some of today's thoughts:

( Richest Royals )

*Slept from 11.30 pm until 4.15 am. I thought I'd eat and get back to sleep, but nope, I could not sleep again. This is tiring. :(

*Since I am awake and can do work, you'd think I could do lots of work around the house; or just read. No, I end up not being too productive, given that I do not feel rested at all. Sigh.

* A friend is planning a baby shower for us next weekend. The Evite responses are slowly coming in. Somehow, a few people I was certain would not make it, have, indeed said they won't attend - it does not surprise me at all. One couple, in particular, I was sure would not attend. These were the people who cold shouldered us when we visited their home last year. Their explanation is probably that while we visited the home of another couple close to their house a couple of times after my long trip to India, we did not visit them and so they got miffed. Alright, but when someone has actually taken the effort to (finally) do visit you, what is the reason to be cold? I felt very insulted and irritated. And slowly, we have drifted apart. Not that we have much in common anyway. Except that we have children the same age and it would have made sense to keep in touch, but even early on, I got tired of the comparisons, the "competitive" feeling that the woman was so proud of, etc that I gave up.

*It is nice to have different types of footwear but....I think I have way too many right now, most of which I cannot wear anyway, thanks to the slight swelling of my feet and also because some of the sandals have heels. I have put them away, but....need to make a note not to buy new stuff. (well, in any case, I do not want to buy ANY new stuff for some time, until I have done some de-cluttering around the house). I can quite understand how Imelda Marcos ended up with a ton of footwear! :)

*I look forward to the weekend as it means time with Akhil. However, I must remember to take breaks now and then and ask my mom to take care. Last weekend, by Sunday evening, I felt tired. Not Akhil's fault for being buoyant; mine for getting exhausted soon. And this when we did not even go out on both days!
This weekend we are going to have a visitor on Saturday afternoon - a friend who used to live here but moved to San Diego. Will be interesting to meet her - she is an Indophile and by now has probably accumulated a TON of knowledge about Indian thought, Hindu philosophy, religion and customs. Funny thing is that most of her learning comes from a Nepali Sanskrit teacher!

*Lightning McQueen (in the movie "Cars") says to himself, "Speed; Speed" as he prepares for a race. I am not preparing for any, but right now this is my mantra: "Sleep, sleep".

Where custom endures despite change:

For the `Reformists' the sabha is a place of civilised recreation but for the `Traditionalists', who arrive with packets of tasty snacks or a book to read, it is almost an extension of home. A peep into some of the city sabhas...

CHENNAI'S SABHA-GOERS are divided into two groups — the DRs (Determined Reformers) and the DTs (Dedicated Traditionalists). The former want to revolutionise everything from doormats to drop curtains. The latter opt for Doing Things As They Have Always Been Done. Why else would the Music Academy cling to a mothballed British regimen for electing its awardee each year? (I propose so-n-so says Vedavalli, I second it echoes Govinda Rao, in solid Carnatic English). All right, it has the merit of brevity.

The Reformists carry noiseless, environment friendly jute bags, leave kids with baby sitters, tiptoe in on time, urge the shutting of the hall doors once the performance begins. The Traditionalist babysits the neighbourhood brood in the hall (note: only in the free cutcheri slots) all carrying crackling plastic bags of crunchy snacks. The claustrophobic DT can listen only if he can perambulate at will, revive with coffee in the tani ``break", does not object to music as a background for his verbal cutcheri with ragas of wider range and modulation than the musician.

For the Reformist the sabha is a place for civilised recreation, whereas the Traditionalist regards it as the extension of his home. Why else would the man in front read a whole business weekly through the concert? You are tantalised — not by his blocking your view completely — but by not knowing whether his incessant nods of approval are for Saveri or Stockmarket News. Such intrepid readers are found in every sabha, lost in anything from Kumudam to Cutcheri Buzz. One NRI even carried a fat ``Is Paris Burning?'' However, I infinitely prefer the readers to those who believe that the cutcheri is a singalong session.

The Traditionalists must have been happy that the inaugural functions of the major sabhas maintained intact the customary tedium of past years. At the Krishna Gana Sabha, nobody could have missed the biodata of the Nritya Chudamani awardee Urmila Satyanarayanan, as it was repeated twice in succession. But at least they had a veteran in the field (Sarada Hoffman) to preside.``Ayyo paavam! He has come totally unprepared!'' was the kindest comment on Chief Justice Subhashan Reddy's ramblings at the Music Academy. Obviously, he knew nothing about Academy history, as he blithely went on to commend its ``smooth election process minus all adverse currents". Kalanidhi-of-the-year Umayalpuram Sivaraman disappointed the Diehards though, with a focussed speech in ``native lingo". No fumbling either, it was as substantial as his tani avartanam.

The silk-n-gold array of women office bearers lent zest to what had been an all male bastion not so long ago. Yet President T.T.Vasu, almost unrecognisable in natty designer kurta, provided the surprise at the Music Academy. Has he actually abandoned his customary working shift whites?

"The Indian dance scene is stale; no spark left.'' Such grumblers there must have found solace at Navtej Johar's session on his experiments in contemporary dance, Natyakala Conference, Krishna Gana Sabha. No, the speaker did not spout flames. On the contrary, in a video clip from his choreography, the young sardar literally washed his long hair, yes, on the stage, in a Terpsichorean representation of personal memory, he said. The lava came from the dancers and dance gurus who staged a walkout when the man expressed his ``passion for the art'' in these terms, "Whatever I do — even if I lie down and scream — is nothing but Bharatanatyam.'' However, presumably for that very reason, trendy enthusiasts mobbed him after the show.

Talking of passion, I have always wondered at people from different countries and cultures drawn to the Indian art scene, often making them delve deeper than we do. Certainly, all those years ago, looking at Ludwig Pesch sitting under a tree in Kalakshetra, trying to grasp what flautist H.Ramachandra Sastri taught in his old world style, I could have never imagined he would launch an archival institution like Sampradaya in Madras. Or that this German scholar would produce one of the most useful books on Carnatic music ("The Illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music", Oxford University Press).

A reprint of a 1946 account of Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar's life (Narada Gana Sabha Trust, 2001) provokes reflections. Written in the usual eulogistic style of Indian profiles, it does give you a few personal details about the artiste's lavish lifestyle and love of perfumes. The Bhagavatar's chiplas were of sandalwood, his pottu of fragrant aragaja, the whole performance hall reeled under the impact of the heady scents he wore. (We recall then how another writer noted playfully that the Tamraparani reeked of punugu and javvadu when the Bhagavatar bathed in it).

But the biography also shows that, for the musicians of yesteryear, nothing came easy. The boy got to make his public debut in Madras through the recommendation of a music-loving cook he had befriended. Kicked out of the guru's house for this presumption, Muthiah struggled for years to find the guidance he thought he still needed.

Perhaps such painstaking toil was necessary for ripe knowledge, for durable mellowness. ``Harikesanallur belongs to the age of production,'' a present-day vidwan explained in business jargon. "We are the beneficiaries of the marketing generation. Don't you see it in the music season?"

Chennai hosted another inveterate toiler from Nagerkoil last week. He looked ready for a picnic in bright checks and peaked cap, not like one who could satisfy the desperate need in the upper class, anglicised urban citizens for reconnecting to regional roots via the arts. But at a bilingual celebration of Sundara Ramaswamy's work at the British Council, the Tamil writer became their man for all seasons when he read his verses and spoke about overcoming setbacks in creative endeavours. His alapana was short, marked by genuine feeling, a rare wit, and that intolerance which is an essential part of uncompromising standards. It was amusing to note sangatis on old rivalries and polemics, still surviving among Tamil writers, much as they do among the vidwan fraternity. Robert Frost was probably right when he said that poetry is what is lost in translation. But the prose episodes in English from ``Waves''(Manas, Eastwest Books), enacted by the Madras Players, came through with layers more intact. Overheard in the sabha foyer:

Mami: Remember I used to wear a bullakku as sparkling as K.J.Sarasa's when we were just married? Did you see Nithyasree's big kasumalai? I want to make one just like that for my granddaughter. Sudha Ragunathan's jimikki outshines all the eardrops I have seen.

Mama: Do you think Sudha Ragunathan can bring off her blitzkrieg brikas without that jimikki? By the way, do you think you can recognise ragas without your vaira thodu?

GOWRI RAMNARAYAN

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-typo-guys-0521may21,0,701362.story

(I noticed this article on www.prempanicker.com).

I usually do not care much about these type of quizzes, but this one seemed interesting:
-----------------------------------
Dr. Phil's Test: Here you go. Try this!

Below is Dr. Phil's test. (Dr. Phil scored 55; he did this test on Oprah - she got a 38.) Some folks pay a lot of money to find this stuff out!

Don't be overly sensitive! The following is pretty accurate and it only takes 2 minutes. Take this test for yourself.

Answers are for who you are now --- not who you were in the past Have pen or pencil and paper ready

This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees. It's only 10 Simple questions, so grab a pencil and paper, keeping track of your letter answers to each question.


1. When do you feel your best?

a) in the morning
b) during the afternoon and early evening
c) late at night


2. You usually walk...

a) fairly fast, with long steps
b) fairly fast, with little steps
c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face
d) less fast, head down
e) very slowly


3. When talking to people you...

a) stand with your arms folded
b) have your hands clasped
c) have one or both your hands on your hips
d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking
e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair


4. When relaxing, you sit with...

a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side
b) your legs crossed
c) you r legs stretched out or straight
d) one leg curled under you


5. When something really amuses you, you react with...

a) big appreciated laugh
b) a laugh, but not a loud one
c) a quiet chuckle
d) a sheepish smile

6 When you go to a party or social gathering you...

a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you
b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know
c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed


7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted...

a) welcome the break
b) feel extremely irritated
c) vary between these two extremes


8. Which of the following colors do you like most?

a) Red or orange
b) black
c) yellow or light blue
d) green
e) dark blue or purple
f) white
g) brown or gray


9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep you are...

a) stretched out on your back
b) stretched out face do wn on your stomach
c) on your side, slightly curled
d) with your head on one arm
e) with your head under the covers


10. You often dream that you are...

a) falling
b) fighting or struggling
c) searching for something or somebody
d) flying or floating
e) you usually have dreamless sleep
f) your dreams are always pleasant

------------------------------------------------------------------




POINTS:


1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1
10. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS: Others see you as someone they should "handle with care." You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS : Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them u p and help them out.
31 TO 40 POINTS : Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. &n bsp;It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS: People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions & who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything! They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you' re boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren't.

An ad on the local craigslist caught my eye today:

( Looking to AVOID the daycare center? )

Why does she say that she drives a new BMW and a Hummer?!!
And I am quite scared of the tight schedule she has for a baby and how she says she can help other babies too "advanced", like her son!

Not a troll, as she has her website and her phone number on the ad!

Ha, today's ad (www.myilaaka.com), under the "Childcare" section:

"will do babysit at my home .if u're interested please email me .i lived in maryland heights[Cedar trace apts] "

--liveD?? :D

Today's ad in the local, desi portal, under the "Travel Companion" section:

("Travel companion" section is for people looking out for others who are driving to and from St.Louis; or for people travelling out of St.Louis to India and back - mostly consists of people who are looking for help for their parents who are travelling to the US for the first time, parents who do not speak fluent English, usually).

<td>Car pole </td><td>I am looking for a car pole from mary land heights to Des pares Road near to manchister road. i can share the gas for the same. </td>

My mom has a very old copy of Annie Besant's translation of the Gita. I was fascinated even by the introduction of Besant's - here it is (mainly for my own record):


"Among the priceless teachings that may be found in the great Hindu poem of the Mahabharata, there is none so rare and precious as this, "The Lord's Song". Since it fell from the divine lips of Shri Krishna, on the field of battle and stilled the surging emotions of his disciple and friend, how many troubled hearts has it quieted and strengthened, how many weary souls has it led to Him! It is meant to lift the aspirant from the lower levels of renunciation, where objects are renounced, to the loftier heights where desires are dead, and where the Yogi dwells in calm and ceaseless contemplation, while his body and mind are actively employed in discharging the duties that fall to his lot in life.

That the spiritual man need not be a recluse, that union with the divine Life may be achieved and maintained in the midst of worldly affairs, that the obstacles to that union like not outside but within us - such is the central lesson of the Bhagavad Gita."