In the continuing obsession with food, I loved this recipe for caramelized banana from Ambrosia.
It really is so simple and great tasting--one thing to remember, though:
Eat hot, and if you're the kind, eat it with cold vanilla ice cream... yummmm.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Jack of all Fruits
In our garden
I've never had raw jackfruit (called pala moosu) before. But apparently, jackfruits mostly come in pairs, and one of them is cut young to allow the other one to grow and ripen well. The young jackfruit is cut to remove the fruit, which is cooked and made into a vegetable just like plaintain is.
Also learnt: Raw papaya can also be made into koottu.
I've never had raw jackfruit (called pala moosu) before. But apparently, jackfruits mostly come in pairs, and one of them is cut young to allow the other one to grow and ripen well. The young jackfruit is cut to remove the fruit, which is cooked and made into a vegetable just like plaintain is.
Also learnt: Raw papaya can also be made into koottu.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Memed!
I was tagged by Twisted Faktory to complete a meme.
The rules of this tag are:
1. Respond and rework.
2. Answer questions on your own blog.
3. Replace one question. Add one question.
4. Tag eight bloggers
The following are my responses to the questions:
What are your current obsessions?
Bringing down FIL's sugar--I will try anything and everything to do it--and he HATES it!
Which item from your closet are you wearing most often?
The one that needs least ironing—capris from Pondy Bazaar (Rs.200 for three), and a free corporate T.
What's for dinner?
Haha! Had a business dinner—so it was buffet at The Residency!
Say something to the person who tagged you:
I will kill you.
Favourite vacation spots:
Pondicherry
I think I’ll like New Zealand… can it still be my favourite??
3 things to do before I die:
Visit New Zealand!
Live
Write a book
Reading right now?
The Holy Mountain by William Dalrymple—just unable to get through it :(
What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed? Rate it out of 5 stars.
Saroja—****
Guilty pleasure?
Blaming any veshamam I can on Bruce--our puppy!
First spring thing?
Huh? Spring what?
Best thing you ate or drank lately?
Kirani/mint juice—made it meself.
Care to share some wisdom?
Wisdom comes from within.
Boon you would ask for if God came before you?
Hmm.. ask him to give me the wisdom to not want anything… is that possible?
Are you voting this time?
Yup.
What’s the stupidest thing you did in the last six months?
Quit my job!
Don't know eight bloggers to tag! Sorry!
The rules of this tag are:
1. Respond and rework.
2. Answer questions on your own blog.
3. Replace one question. Add one question.
4. Tag eight bloggers
The following are my responses to the questions:
What are your current obsessions?
Bringing down FIL's sugar--I will try anything and everything to do it--and he HATES it!
Which item from your closet are you wearing most often?
The one that needs least ironing—capris from Pondy Bazaar (Rs.200 for three), and a free corporate T.
What's for dinner?
Haha! Had a business dinner—so it was buffet at The Residency!
Say something to the person who tagged you:
I will kill you.
Favourite vacation spots:
Pondicherry
I think I’ll like New Zealand… can it still be my favourite??
3 things to do before I die:
Visit New Zealand!
Live
Write a book
Reading right now?
The Holy Mountain by William Dalrymple—just unable to get through it :(
What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed? Rate it out of 5 stars.
Saroja—****
Guilty pleasure?
Blaming any veshamam I can on Bruce--our puppy!
First spring thing?
Huh? Spring what?
Best thing you ate or drank lately?
Kirani/mint juice—made it meself.
Care to share some wisdom?
Wisdom comes from within.
Boon you would ask for if God came before you?
Hmm.. ask him to give me the wisdom to not want anything… is that possible?
Are you voting this time?
Yup.
What’s the stupidest thing you did in the last six months?
Quit my job!
Don't know eight bloggers to tag! Sorry!
Torture!
Not in the way you think!
If having chocolate all over your face but being unable to taste even a teeny bit (cannot, through the gauze, I tried) is not torture...
Anyway, that was the strawberry facial followed by a chocolate mask at Green Trends, Ashok Nagar (Rs. 700). I had tried the papaya facial earlier (Rs.400), which I liked better. The place was recommended by a kind friend, who also took the pics. The staff is friendly and courteous, though they try and push some packages, which is how I got sucked into this facial in the first place! (Note: Be firm about what you want.)
Green Trends is all over Chennai, but the Ashok Nagar one's at New #25/Old #18, 11th Avenue, near the Water Tank and the Govt. Library. Phone: 24718022. This link will help you find the Green Trends closest to you.
The chain is owned by CavinKare, the same company that made Chik Shampoo--remember those annoying ads?
Happy mummifying, then!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Kathakalakshepam and the Art of Instructional Design
I've always liked kathakalakshepams--or sangeetha upanyasams--over concerts. I've been fascinated by how the vidwan gets the audience attention, and keeps them in rapt attention with a story the audience already knows, and what's more, there's no interactivity!
Went to Visaka Hari's upanyasam at the Ayodhya Mandapam y'day. It's part of the RmNavami celebrations, and any musician who's anyone has a concert there. It's free, so don't miss it if you happen to be in the area. The schedule follows.
Anyway, Visaka Hari's upanyasam was about Vibheeshanan's Surrender to Rama, and would you know it, standing-on-the-road room only!
It was fascinating, and our instructional designers could have learnt a thing or two from her about holding audience interest!
She had three things going for her big time, I thought.
1. Voice: OMG--what a voice--it makes you sit up and take notice. When she sang, it wasn't the sweetest voice, but she put her volume and pitch to good use. I guess for IDs, it's: Use strong voices, and also make sure the message is strong.
2. Connecting with the audience: She knew they knew the story, and spoke to the audience as if she were only reiterating the fact, not telling them anything new. She explained concepts with little everyday examples.
IDs, maybe we can ensure that we talk at the level of the intended learner--not much higher, nor lower.
3. Song selection: What the judges on these reality shows keep harping on--she knew when to sing what song. When interest was waning (around dinner time), she sang a popular song. When time was running short, she teased the audience with just two lines of a song.
Perhaps IDs can remember pacing the storyboard-- keeping it click, click, click, at equal time intervals could get boring. Vary the speed a bit; keep a complex topic next to a simple one; throw in some interactivity, and some static screens. Basically, as any bartender or DJ will tell you: Mix it up!
What I missed, though:
1. Being a topic that's literally burning right now, more allusions to the present day war in Sri Lanka would have lent a clever touch. It seemed like the upanyasam was happening in a vacuum-- anchoring it in reality would have been nice.
IDs: Remember to ALWAYS tell the learner HOW the lesson will help THEM.
2. She tried to infuse some humour, but it didn't feel seamless.
IDs: I guess jokes that play on words are out!
That's enough lessons about lessons!
I missed the entire Ramayana upanyasam by the Ramayana specialist--S. Gopalakrishna Sastrigal--perhaps next year!
Anyway, an evening well-spent, and if you have the time and the inclination, here's the rest of the schedule:
Buses that reach Ayodhya Mandapam: 11H, 11G, 12G, 49A
16.4.2009:
5 p.m.: Srividya Ramnath (vocal), Aanaiyaampatti G. Venkatasubramanian (violin), Bangalore R. Ramnath (mridangam), Nergunam S. Shankar (ganjira)
7 p.m.: Sikkil Gurucharan (vocal), Vittal Ramamurthy (violin), Umalyalpuram K. Sivaraman (mridangam), E.M. Subramaniam (ghatam)
17.4.2009
5 p.m.: Dr. Radha Bhaskar (vocal), Melakkaveri Thyagarajan (violin), Mudra Bhaskar (mridangam), H. Sivaramakrishnan (ghatam)
7 p.m.: PApanasam Ashok Ramani (vocal), V.V. Ravi (violin), Thanjavur Ramadas (mridangam), Anirudh Athreya (ganjira)
18.4.2009:
5 p.m.: Subha Ganesan (vocal), Trivandrum S.R. Rajasri (violin), B. Sivaraman (mridangam)
7 p.m.: Priya Sisters (vocal), M.A. Krishnasami (violin), Neyveli Skanda Subramanian (mridangam), B.S. Purushottaman (ganjira)
19.4.2009:
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.: Rithvikraja and party - vocal
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Rajini Hariharan and party- vocal
11:30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.: G. Abhilash and party--vocal
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: V. Srividhya and party--vocal
2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Bangalore Rajarajeswari sisters, J. Charumathi, J. Sivasankari and party-- vocal
5 p.m.: R. Surayaprakash (vocal), M.R. Gopinath (violin), Kallidaikurichi Sivakumaar (mridangam)
7 p.m.: Malladi Brothers (vocal), S. Varadarajan (violin), K.V. Prasad (mridangam), Vaikom Gopalakrishnan (ghatam)
20.4.2009
5 p.m.: Violin Ensemble by Carva Rajasekar and Disciples, L. Radhakrishnan (violin), N. Sundar (tabla)
7 p.m. Abhishek Raghuram (vocal), M.R. Gopinath (violin), T.K. Murthy and B. Sivaraman (mridangam), V. Suresh (ghatam)
21.4.2009:
4:45 p.m. (note the changed time) P.B. Ranghachari (vocal), R. Rahul (violin), P.B.V.Krishnamachari (mridangam)
7:30 p.m.:
Sri Hanumath prabhavam. Harikatha by Kalyanapuram Veeraraghavan and party
26.4.2009:
11:30 a.m.: Annadanam
Went to Visaka Hari's upanyasam at the Ayodhya Mandapam y'day. It's part of the RmNavami celebrations, and any musician who's anyone has a concert there. It's free, so don't miss it if you happen to be in the area. The schedule follows.
Anyway, Visaka Hari's upanyasam was about Vibheeshanan's Surrender to Rama, and would you know it, standing-on-the-road room only!
It was fascinating, and our instructional designers could have learnt a thing or two from her about holding audience interest!
She had three things going for her big time, I thought.
1. Voice: OMG--what a voice--it makes you sit up and take notice. When she sang, it wasn't the sweetest voice, but she put her volume and pitch to good use. I guess for IDs, it's: Use strong voices, and also make sure the message is strong.
2. Connecting with the audience: She knew they knew the story, and spoke to the audience as if she were only reiterating the fact, not telling them anything new. She explained concepts with little everyday examples.
IDs, maybe we can ensure that we talk at the level of the intended learner--not much higher, nor lower.
3. Song selection: What the judges on these reality shows keep harping on--she knew when to sing what song. When interest was waning (around dinner time), she sang a popular song. When time was running short, she teased the audience with just two lines of a song.
Perhaps IDs can remember pacing the storyboard-- keeping it click, click, click, at equal time intervals could get boring. Vary the speed a bit; keep a complex topic next to a simple one; throw in some interactivity, and some static screens. Basically, as any bartender or DJ will tell you: Mix it up!
What I missed, though:
1. Being a topic that's literally burning right now, more allusions to the present day war in Sri Lanka would have lent a clever touch. It seemed like the upanyasam was happening in a vacuum-- anchoring it in reality would have been nice.
IDs: Remember to ALWAYS tell the learner HOW the lesson will help THEM.
2. She tried to infuse some humour, but it didn't feel seamless.
IDs: I guess jokes that play on words are out!
That's enough lessons about lessons!
I missed the entire Ramayana upanyasam by the Ramayana specialist--S. Gopalakrishna Sastrigal--perhaps next year!
Anyway, an evening well-spent, and if you have the time and the inclination, here's the rest of the schedule:
Buses that reach Ayodhya Mandapam: 11H, 11G, 12G, 49A
16.4.2009:
5 p.m.: Srividya Ramnath (vocal), Aanaiyaampatti G. Venkatasubramanian (violin), Bangalore R. Ramnath (mridangam), Nergunam S. Shankar (ganjira)
7 p.m.: Sikkil Gurucharan (vocal), Vittal Ramamurthy (violin), Umalyalpuram K. Sivaraman (mridangam), E.M. Subramaniam (ghatam)
17.4.2009
5 p.m.: Dr. Radha Bhaskar (vocal), Melakkaveri Thyagarajan (violin), Mudra Bhaskar (mridangam), H. Sivaramakrishnan (ghatam)
7 p.m.: PApanasam Ashok Ramani (vocal), V.V. Ravi (violin), Thanjavur Ramadas (mridangam), Anirudh Athreya (ganjira)
18.4.2009:
5 p.m.: Subha Ganesan (vocal), Trivandrum S.R. Rajasri (violin), B. Sivaraman (mridangam)
7 p.m.: Priya Sisters (vocal), M.A. Krishnasami (violin), Neyveli Skanda Subramanian (mridangam), B.S. Purushottaman (ganjira)
19.4.2009:
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.: Rithvikraja and party - vocal
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Rajini Hariharan and party- vocal
11:30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.: G. Abhilash and party--vocal
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: V. Srividhya and party--vocal
2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Bangalore Rajarajeswari sisters, J. Charumathi, J. Sivasankari and party-- vocal
5 p.m.: R. Surayaprakash (vocal), M.R. Gopinath (violin), Kallidaikurichi Sivakumaar (mridangam)
7 p.m.: Malladi Brothers (vocal), S. Varadarajan (violin), K.V. Prasad (mridangam), Vaikom Gopalakrishnan (ghatam)
20.4.2009
5 p.m.: Violin Ensemble by Carva Rajasekar and Disciples, L. Radhakrishnan (violin), N. Sundar (tabla)
7 p.m. Abhishek Raghuram (vocal), M.R. Gopinath (violin), T.K. Murthy and B. Sivaraman (mridangam), V. Suresh (ghatam)
21.4.2009:
4:45 p.m. (note the changed time) P.B. Ranghachari (vocal), R. Rahul (violin), P.B.V.Krishnamachari (mridangam)
7:30 p.m.:
Sri Hanumath prabhavam. Harikatha by Kalyanapuram Veeraraghavan and party
26.4.2009:
11:30 a.m.: Annadanam
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