Welcoming 2010

The past 4 months have been an interesting time for me. I took a decision which I felt had been long overdue, and which most people viewed as risky or downright stupid. I quit a very well paying job in Mumbai to come to Chennai so that we could have the married life that we had missed out for over a year post wedding. We found a house, settled down and had (are still having) such a good time, that the lack of the job didn’t really bother me. Except that is when random people asked me if I had found a job yet, or how I managed to pass the time at home.
I realized that life can actually be stress free and happy, even though I missed the routine of work and going to an office, the camaraderie, I didn’t really feel something significant missing from my life, except moneywise. This was such a big revelation because I had just spent the last one year in Mumbai, working, and doing just that. It had become the central focus in my life around which everything else was arranged. To top this off, it was a job that I hated. Why did I make something I hated the central focus of my life? As do most people I know. Dissatisfied with everything in life. Constantly looking out for something else to do, that may perhaps make our meaningless lives more meaningful.
My mother calls us the ‘spoilt generation’. We have had things too easy so far, not had to struggle for basic necessities like our parents generation, that just any ‘job’ will do. No, it has to interest us, promise us growth in the organization, give us a good boss, and most important of all pay well. Very few, if any jobs that fulfill this criterion and even if they do, we just keep looking for the next big fix.
I think I needed this time, this little break to recoup my life, rearrange my priorities. And now, this seems to be a job I would enjoy, I hope to learn and grow in. I know it will be difficult balancing work and home now. I know that what we have together here is too precious to waste, I am not going to let work dominate my life. I know it wont be as dreamy as life has been these past few months. But the opportunity to stretch is beguiling, I would like to see how I cope. Its going to be an interesting year ahead.

Life and Work

The past 4 months have been an interesting time for me. I took a decision which I felt had been long overdue, and which most people viewed as risky or downright stupid. I quit a very well paying job in Mumbai to come to Chennai so that we could have the married life that we had missed out for over a year post wedding. We found a house, settled down and had (are still having) such a good time, that the lack of the job didn’t really bother me. Except that is when random people asked me if I had found a job yet, or how I managed to pass the time at home.
I realized that life can actually be stress free and happy, even though I missed the routine of work and going to an office, the camaraderie, I didn’t really feel something significant missing from my life, except moneywise. This was such a big revelation because I had just spent the last one year in Mumbai, working, and doing just that. It had become the central focus in my life around which everything else was arranged. To top this off, it was a job that I hated. Why did I make something I hated the central focus of my life? As do most people I know. Dissatisfied with everything in life. Constantly looking out for something else to do, hta tmay perhaps make our meaningless lives more meaningful.
My mother calls us the ‘spoilt generation’. We have had things too easy so far, not had to struggle for basic necessities like our parents generation, that just any ‘job’ will do. No, it has to interest us, promise us growth in the organization, give us a good boss, and most important of all pay well. Very few, if any jobs that fulfill this criterion and even if they do, we just keep looking for the next big fix.
I think I needed this time, this little break to recoup my life, rearrange my priorities. And now, im ready to go. Im sure it wont be work first anymore. I know it wont be as dreamy as life has been these past few months. I hope I get to enjoy that as well.

How I hate housework!!!

Every morning I get up, rub my eyes and think of my day ahead. Sometimes it makes me groan when I have some task I have been putting off for days, a few days it’s exciting when I have something interesting to do or sometimes I’m just nervous when it’s an interview day. Most days though, it seems to be a never ending stream of housework. This, despite having a maid who sweeps, wipes and cleans the dishes and a washing machine to wash the clothes. I know I am luckier than a lot of women who don’t have these luxuries, but that doesn’t make the rest of the work any more interesting– like folding, ironing and putting away clothes, like picking up random clothes and paper off the floor, like dusting all those “cute” little knick-knacks that suddenly don’t seem so cute any more, wiping shelves, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning…
The one thing that I surprisingly seem to enjoy is the cooking. Having been cooking for only a few months, anything I try is new and I try adding something extra or different to every dish I make :). A husband who is willing to experiment too and eat everything I make is definitely a big plus. So I decided to complie a list of simple and easy recipes that had worked wonders for me.
My recipe for this week is an absolutely wonderful chocolate cake that can be made in exactly 5 minutes, adapted from here



5 minute Chocolate Lava Cake

Ingredients
Cake :
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup maida
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir In :
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons milk

In a microwave-safe cup, stir together all the dry ingredients for the cake first - 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup maida, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Once these are thoroughly mixed, slowly add 6 tablespoons milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Stir till smooth
For the liquid chocolate sauce, mix 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa, I teaspoon instant coffee powder and 2 tablespoons milk. Pour into the cup with the other ingredients. Gently swirl it in; don’t mix thoroughly.
Cook in the microwave for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, depending how powerful your microwave is. According to the original recipe, “ When done, it’ll look set on top, and kind of mushy around the edges”. However mine turned out firm around the edge and mushy in the centre after I cooked it for about 2 and ½ minutes. Turn the cake onto a plate and the cake is ready!!! Don’t let it cook for more than 3 minutes because the liquid or the uncooked batter inside spills out and coats the cake in a lovely chocolate sauce

Horrors of a new household

The door swung open and I stepped in a little gingerly, trying to pick my way through the 3 inch layer of dust that seemed to coat every surface. One and a half years after we were married, we were finally going to be living together- here in this messy house that had been locked up for 3 months. I had been well prepared already but it was still difficult not to scream in frustration as I looked at the dirt around me. We plunged right in, armed with brooms and mops and managed to scrub off a little of the dirt.

Prashanth left for office soon with a worried look on his face, imagining me dropping dead from exhaustion, no doubt. I surveyed the disaster area and decided to clean up one room at a time, starting with the bedroom. A morning spent dusting cleaning, mopping and sweeping left me clutching my back. So I entered the kitchen to take a break , but the sight was almost too much to bear. All our pots and pans had become black from salt water and corrosive sea air. It would take me a week to just scrub my way through. It took me three days to finally get the house into some semblance of order.
We were still eating out everyday and my next task was to get the kitchen in order. Amma arrived then, like a godsend and we happily spent the next two days shopping. The prospect of setting up house seemed to send everyone into paroxysms of ecstasy, especially the thought of buying plastic bottles in all shapes and sizes. She painstakingly washed, filled and arranged all of the boxes. The kitchen set up, we started cooking and surprising myself, I enjoyed it. Experimenting was exciting, and as long as I was trying out a new dish everyday, I was happy. Prashanth being appreciative of everything I tried, spurred me on.

I discovered just how demanding a house can be. There’s something to be done everyday – the gas, the telephone, electricity, some pipe leaking, something we forgot to buy – it seems never ending. But its worth it when I just take a look around and think that its my home - a dirty house that somehow transformed itself into a home. Plus a beach that’s a 5 minute walk away more than makes up for any other disadvantages I think :)