Lighting Their Fires

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On a rare occasion when I get a couple of hours to myself, I like to grab a cup of chai latte or cappuccino and sift through books at Barnes and Nobles. During one of those visits, two books caught my attention; “Lighting Their Fires” by Rafe Esquith and “The Art of Choosing” by Sheena Iyengar. I made a mental note to myself to order these online and totally forgot about it until I came across Esquith’s book at the library.

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Yin Yoga

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Tao meets Yoga in Yin Yoga. This form of yoga focuses on the joints rather than the muscles and is practiced by holding the stretches and poses longer. I am not sure what the long term benefits are; but I can vouch for one short term benefit. "Sleep". I came back an hour ago from the class and can hardly keep my eyes open.

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Beating a Dead Horse

A few weekends ago I started my day with a bike ride. When I reached the trail, I saw a couple of men power wash the trail to clean the debris caused by incessant rain from the night before. The Common Wealth Games commotion in New Delhi, India led me to think of reasons why the guys were there first thing that morning to clean up, when they could have conveniently slacked off.

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Here Comes ...

Trips to pumpkin patches, corn fields turned into life-size mazes, cinnamon candles, haystacks, pumpkins, colorful mums and piled up leaves remind us Fall is here and the festivities right around the corner.
We kicked off the season with a pumpkin pie baked from this season's first harvest. After the kids went to bed, I set out on making the pie.
Ingredients

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They Draw and Cook !!!

Click on the image to view it.
They Draw and Cook is a fun site where Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell feature illustrated recipes. They were gracious enough to feature my work along with the likes of professional artists, illustrators and designers.
A big thank you to Nate and Salli and do check out their site to catch up on creativity from around the world.

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Jai Ho! The Journey Home, Dallas 2010

 
I just got back home from A.R.Rehman's "Jai Ho" concert and there were numerous Tamil songs. I enjoyed each one of those. What else would you expect from an Oscar winner who took a minute to speak in Tamil during his winning speech. 
The energy level of the musicians and the performers were high. The lighting, sound and the constantly changing back drop were an integral part of the concert. They brought 'waterless' rain on screen when the singers sang "Na re Na re". In another minute, with tweaks in backdrop, lighting, costumes and mood they transport you to Punjab, with the song, "Rang de Basanti".

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of Cooking Shows and Clubs

Aarti in her set; Pictures from Food Network.com
Most times when I watch cooking shows, more likely than not, I am there to hang out and hear the host ramble a few personal stories rather than to replicate the recipes on my own. I watched Aarti Sequeria’s “Aarti Party” on Food Network. Her set is whimsical, colorful and her show a delight to watch. Personally I like women who dare to dream high and are not afraid to go after it. She is definitely one among them.

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Pink and Black

My daughter calls it, the bedazzle top and sandals. She kind of challenged me into this pink color and its a shade darker than what is out there in this picture. Of course she would have chosen something else to go with it, instead of a "tummy tucker" black walking shorts; and yes, the tummy tucker does work.
Working out has taken a back seat and I badly need to increase my current level of activity. I am adding a workout log to my blog. Hopefully public humiliation will motivate me.

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The Boys

How sweet of my boys to come home to wish me with roses, cake and champagne!!! They work for me and all they need is an excuse to celebrate and party. I have no peers in the location I work in, so I hang out with them all the time.
We had a mini-celebration with the boys sans kids (as they were fast asleep), with this delectable cake from Hot Breads

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Chilling Off

Pools are pretty common in Texas homes. We totally undermined the 'fun' quotient of having a pool in the house. But hey, why ask for a recipe when you have friends who are great cooks and the same goes for the pools.
The end of summer barbecue-pool party was so much fun. Ri played pool-volley ball really well and Ro throughly enjoyed himself jumping and splashing in the pool.

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Happy Monday

Its an absolute luxury to catch up on sleep on a Monday morning and then laze around the house while the kids are still in bed. I enjoyed my late morning cup of Joe solo on the patio. What a beautiful September morning!!!
We are heading to our friend's place for a pool/barbecue party. Its going to be an afternoon of pool volley ball and good bbq.

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Girls Just Wanna have Fun !!!

With temperatures hitting 80s, it was a beautiful Saturday morning as we headed straight to Starbucks for some coffee and milk for the kids. We chatted a bit and planned for Ri's birthday party that evening.
I added Gharadilli chocolate chips into the cake batter and a few made its way into our mouths as well. We baked cup cakes and a square cake that was later cut in the shape of a cone. With some ready made icing, alphabet candies, glittery gel, a picture frame and an hour later, voila!!! The cake was ready.

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Corners Galore

The breakfast area is our home's head quarters and our table is as old as my daughter. It has seen all their home work, play dough, art work, tantrums and what not; while I cook in the kitchen.
The walls sport a Spanish styled, two-toned textured finish and the rack showcases plates, M and I painted many moons ago. I can't believe we are still trying to find the time to paint a third one for the rack. A couple of Kenyan masks and Rajasthani puppets almost complete the corner. Its been the same table, just different cozy corners as we moved from one house to another.

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