Jonathan Livingston Seagull

This seagull was in the process of crossing the road (on foot!) and nearly got run over by our car.  We had to stop completely and wait till it got back onto the side-walk ... thank goodness it didn't go the other way because it was a busy main road.

Was the bird hurt?  Unable to fly?  Or was he exploring the surroundings? Why alone and not with his flock? Was he ‘the one’ trying to be more adventurous, getting away from the mundane, aiming for something higher in life, determined to be beyond ordinary seagull? And as a result, outcast from his flock?

Later the same day we watched a flock of seagulls at the water-front at the Festival City. The two events reminded me of the story of 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' by Richard Bach, about a seagull who learned that the joy of life is not just scrounging and squabbling for food but passion for flying and reaching higher, ultimately returning to his flock to forgive and share his knowledge with them. I must have read the story a number of times, it took me a while to realise its full implications.

 Some excerpts from the book :

…Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest flight – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.

…Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.

…’How you manage to love a mob of birds that has just tried to kill you?’ ‘Oh, you don’t love that! You don’t love hatred and evil, of course. You have to practice and see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s what I mean by love.’

This story is so true for people.  It's for the people who live by their own rules to make life better, and believe in doing something well, even if it’s for themselves. It is for people who believe there is more to this life than meets the eye.

Sand Castle

We’ve been in the UAE for the last four years but have hardly explored the country, except for a few odd trips here and there, and some on our trips to Dubai in previous years when we were just visiting, more as tourists. Being a small country (with good roads) one can actually cover the length and breadth of it in a few hours.

Two weekends ago we accompanied my brother and sister-in-law to the Emirate of Fujairah. It was their wedding anniversary, and what better way to spend it than go for a long drive .... we being the kebab me haddis!

We didn't plan anything beforehand, except that we’d try out the shorter route, a new road to this Emirate.  Driving out, in about half-an-hour we left the sandy landscape and approached the foot-hills towards the mountains. The Hajar mountains (rock mountains) as these are called demarcate Fujairah from the other emirates. The drive through the mountains was lovely, the different hues of the rugged landscape in the background and the light and shadow making it quite picturesque.

As we approached Fujairah we saw a sign saying ‘Al Hayl Castle’. Since we’d saved some time on the new route we decided check out the castle before lunch.  We followed the road, which seemed to be taking us nowhere into the hills till we arrived at a wadi (river-bed). This is a water-catchment area similar to an oasis, but unfortunately it was totally dry.  We heard that during the occasional rains these fill up real fast and flood, and bathers can get caught unawares and drown. We continued further and a date plantation appeared which was a relief to the rocky landscape.

We finally arrived at the castle (though it looked more like a fort). Considered as the headquarters for ruling family, the historic castle was established more than 250 years ago, and has been used for surveillance, patrolling and to defend the area. Surely must have felt like a King to reside in such serenity surrounded by nature.

The architectural simplicity was evident.  A watch-tower and small room-like structures enclosed by plastered walls was all that there was to this castle. Built of mud-brick, it has undergone considerable restoration work. We climbed up to the tower to get a better view of the surroundings.

After this we turned back and drove towards Kalba, another township near the sea. The drive along the water (the Gulf of Oman) was lovely … Just enjoyed staring into the blue sea.  Then on towards Fujairah to stop at the Hilton for lunch. Very relaxing, on the deck next to the beach.

Being the last day of 2011, it was a day well-spent. We returned home happily exhausted, looking forward to a good beginning to the next day, the New Year.

The surrounding mountains

The Castle

Climbing up to the Watch Tower 

The Watch Tower

Drive along the Sea

Reliving Memories

Browsing through old photographs is real fun, more so when you look at them after many years.

Especially baby pictures of your own kids.

Were they really that chubby? Did I really give birth to them?  In some of their baby pictures, the older one has the same dreamy gaze ... but when she smiled it made my day. A very content yet sensitive and at-peace-with-herself baby … and a peaches-and-cream complexion.  Things she did the younger one never did, the second one was chubbier, happier, wanting her way around and making her presence felt.  Assertive.  When she was hungry there was definitely no doubt about it!

How can I still get the feeling that they are doing the same things as when they were babies when I don't remember many of the things they did!  Looking at photos does remind me of certain instances, which at that time I didn't register as I was fully enjoying their growing up. They were almost like twins, so less time to focus on each one.

Some of these traits I see even now, over 25 years later, continuing as they grow ... I think that's why mothers feel their children will always be babies still, even after they've grown into adults.

Life was made of loving them caring for them spending sleepless nights worrying about them. This has not changed much even now.

Of course the bestest present they have given me in return is the eternal feeling of being a mother.

Time has flown.

Towards the end of every year one feels it has gone by so fast. If there were no year-ends would we feel the same way? Grown-up kids do sometimes remind us of the real passage of time.

Their birthdays fall in this last month of the year and this is even clearer indication of one more year added. Time is flying.

You will both remain my babies forever. Love you always. 

 Birthday greetings to both of you !

And a very Happy New Year to all !!!

Poinsettias

It's Christmas time again. No snow. It's the month both my daughters were born.  Happiness and Celebrations in the air. The Poinsettias on my Camphor chest radiating their red, so symbolic of this festive time.

The red star, a visual prayer for peace and tolerance.

And the cooking spree continues......

The satisfaction of home-cooked food cannot be replaced by anything else in this world. It may not be any gourmet French or Italian or even Mughlai, a simple dal chawal with papad and a home-made pickle for accompaniment is enough, totally satiating. The presentation also does not have to be fancy, as long as it is neatly placed in front of you.

Everyday cooking can be a bit boring, though one tries to incorporate variety be it with vegetables, different meats, or cereal …. conscious always of the fact that at the end of it one needs to produce a balanced meal at the table.

The most difficult part is what to cook?! Without much help from the consuming counterparts one has to think of the menu singlehandedly, keeping everyone’s individual likes and dislikes in mind. I am not very fond of cooking per se and have always been lucky to have khandani cooks working for me, completely spoilt in that respect. To the extent that the menu and each person’s specific preferences were all taken into account!

Well now for over four years I’ve been cooking on my own, without much help. With the girls working besides husband dear they do look forward to a hot meal made with all the love and care. Many-a-day it is a one-dish meal, on others it is left-overs, maybe supplemented by a take-away, or on other days we simply order out. Occasionally I attempt some elaborate cooking like Biryanis, Pulaos, Khormas, once in a while Idli-Dosa-Sambar, but most days it is simple. And of course in the cooler months, some BBQ.

All this reminds me of one or two cooking classes I joined many decades ago where they tried to teach us recipes which one could never reproduce on a day-to-day basis. It was repeated once and never again. Recipe books I do follow but generally try to improvise and do my own thing. The food programs on TV and the YouTube are useful for some quick tips. But I think when it comes to cakes and desserts one needs to find and follow a good recipe step by step, no cutting corners.

Talking of fancy cooking, AS and I decided to try out some blueberry cheese-cake. A rare moment when the daughter wants to try a recipe …. we went ahead and the results are in the pictures below.

 

Pour a mixture of  240gms cream cheese,1 cup sour cream, 3/4 cup sugar,1teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons of allpurpose flour, and 4 eggs into a readymade crumb base. Bake in oven for 45 minutes at 160 degrees.

For blueberry glaze, cook 1/2 cup sugar,1tablespoon cornstarch,1/cup water and 1cup fresh blueberries  over medium heat till mixture is clear. Cool completely.

Pour cooled blueberry glaze over cooled cheese cake.Cover blueberry cheesecake and chill in the refrigerator.Ready to serve.

Barbeque Delight

The weather’s turning pleasant. Everybody’s out in their gardens more, and so are the barbeque sets. 

BBQs are a very social way of cooking. Clearly not a one-man show, these require everybody’s involvement, from lighting the coals, to fanning them with a newspaper or magazine (or just blowing, or rather, wheezing, through your mouth!), to turning the food over on the grill.

I’ve become used to cooking in an open kitchen where there’s some activity around, like chatting or even listening to music. This makes the task more fun, and seem less laborious. I quite like the idea of BBQs, though of course on most days I have to cook alone ... I do so silently and accomplish whatever needs doing in a more organised way, planning my little preparations spread over the day so all the work doesn’t have to be done at once. Of course I have a habit of cleaning and washing as I go along because I dread cleaning up the mess at the end all at one go.

Last weekend we decided to do a barbeque. We’re not equipped with a barbeque set (i.e. grill stand) though we’ve been thinking of getting ourselves one. But two things have so far put us off, one the hassle of getting everything ready ... more so the lazy-bug inside (we rather order out and be done with it, less hassle), and secondly, buying a decent barbeque set. Not only the cost but deciding what kind (since this can be gas-based or electric, the pros and cons of each, etc.), there are so many choices these days. So to get around these two elements we’ve just found another way to do this.

We buy a disposable BBQ. It consists of a tray made of thick aluminium foil, contains a small bag of charcoal and a grill all fitted into one neat pack. Does not cost very much at all, and is the right size for a family of four. AS and I marinated some chicken on skewers that afternoon, we then looked forward to the evening.

The charcoals were lit, and once the flames subsided the fanning started in real earnest. Watching us IS got a brilliant idea to generate breeze with a portable vacuum cleaner ... Of course we realised that the machine only sucked air and didn’t blow any .... With all the engineering ... a hair-dryer would probably have been perfect!

After all the commotion the coals were just right and we laid out our skewers, fanning continuously. The chicken didn’t take long and was soon done near-perfect.

We got out our plates and served ourselves. The thrill of eating out in the open and literally straight off the fire was enthralling. Food cooked on coals has a taste of its own. The disposable BBQ worked ... and how! Of course, having more people would mean greater involvement, though also more interaction ... More fun. I think we should go in for a larger set ....... or maybe not, just manage with more of these little 'jugaads'!

Mother in-law

When I got married to IS he had already lost both his parents. His father passed on while he was still in school and his mother while he was in college. He was the only child. By 20 he was a one-man family. On the other hand I came from a reasonably large family, not joint as such but a family which was constantly in touch with other relatives and met frequently for festivities and summer holidays.

Our married life began pretty much on our own … I mean without in-laws. Some say I was lucky as I did not have any saas-bahu jhanjats. I could not understand this at all as I had not experienced any such thing or for that matter never will. I did enjoy the independence but I know I missed having a relationship with IS’s mother.

It so happened that IS’s mothers ring (my wedding band now), her bangles fit me exactly. Her blouses fit me perfectly and of course I inherited her wonderful collection of hand-woven sarees, some hand-picked (or even specially ordered I heard) by her dear husband. I wore each and every one of her sarees. She had classic taste and her simplicity was her style statement, I could tell from these beautiful things and the pictures I saw of her. I could have instantly connected with her, without having met her I think we would have got along very well. She was an artist and did Chinese style paintings which I will share with you some day.

When I saw pictures of IS's parents I wished I had the opportunity to meet them. The stories I heard from close friends of his parents made me feel I had missed out on knowing two wonderful dynamic personalities. They say she was a very strong person in a difficult time, taught herself a lot, and by her example many younger family-members learnt to work on their own self-improvement.

Today is my mother in-law’s Barsi (death anniversary) and I would love to share some of her pictures. I don’t think she could have created any ”saas bahu” problems for me. I somehow feel she’s watching over me and IS, and that we are blessed.