Merry Christmas...

May your heart be lifted in praise this Christmas 

for the wonderful gift of Jesus 

and the joy He brings to our lives. 

Have a wonderful Christmas 

and a Blessed 2011

Jisha Madhu

40th National Day Celebrations in Oman

Sultan Qaboos bin Said on 40th National Day of Oman

November 18^th 2010 was Oman’s 40^th National Day. Monday, 29^th November , 2010 was celebrated as the Festival Day of the same. Under the glorious reign of  His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, this country in the Gulf region has acquired a prestigious position among the GCC as well as other world nations in various aspects.


18^th November, 2010

His Majesty  Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Supreme commander of the Armed Forces, presided over the military parade on Thursday (18^th Noember) evening at the military parade ground at Al Hism al Shumookh to mark the Sultanate’s 40^th National Day. Units of the Sultan’s Armed Forces(SAF), Royal Guard of Oman (RGF), and Royal Oman Police (ROP) took part in the same.

Muscat is  fully lighted up with lights in red, green and white (the national colours). This can be  seen everywhere, on highways, commercial and residential buildings. It is a great pleasure to take a trip from Muscat to Seeb area. The colourful lights all the way... awsome... can't describe the joyful feelings in words........  Holiday mood everywhere... We, being the 'expatriates'  are also indulging in the celebrations as the natives do. The same patriotic feeling we feel when saluting the tricolour Indian national flag, we experience here when we see Oman's national flag also.That's the spirit. In Indian schools, there were school assemblies on this occasion. Kids attended the assembly wearing  national flag's coloured  outfits and in Omani dresses waving Oman national flags .. Celebrations everywhere.... 

LIghts everywhere..

Wadi Dayqah Dam, Quriyat, Sultanate of Oman

During Eid Holidays, we went to Wadi Dayqah dam in Quriyat. It is 60km southeast of Muscat. It was a wonderful trip.

Wadi Dayqah Dam, Quriyat

Length : 390 metre

Height : 73.6 metres

Storage Capacity :  100 million cubic metre

Water from the dam will be useful for villages down the wadi stream for agricultural purposes and for drinking and domestic purposes in Qurayat and Muscat Governorate.

It is the biggest dam in the Gulf region so far whose construction was completed last year. The official inauguration of the dam is not done till date. Beautification works are in progress like gardens, coffee shop and  viewers gallery. It is heard that the inauguration of the project is planned this year as part of  40th anniversary celebrations of Oman.

When the tropical Cyclone Phet hit Oman in  June 2010 , this dam was filled in 12 hours and  created an awesome waterfall display. When the Cyclone Gonu hit Oman three years ago, the dam was rapidly filled and overflowed six metres above the crest with a thunderous roar which lasted for several hours. On the third day of the Gonu, the height of the water level reduced and the hundreds of people visited the dam to witness the magnificent  falls.

World’s leading dam building specialists – VINCI  of France and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) undertook the Wadi Dayqah dam project on behalf of the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources. There is also a Saddle Dam built which is 48 metre in height and a crest length of around  360metres.

The main objective of the project is to catch the floodwaters that would otherwise be lost to the sea, and to use this resource for groundwater recharge, local irrigation, and even potable water supply at a future stage. Further, by retaining the wadi flows, whose lethal power is well-known, the project will also contribute to flood prevention downstream of the wadi.

Mazara

Shallow waters of Wadi Dayqah in Mazara

A Nice Little Poem

I got a mail from one of my friends. It was a nice little poem. It says a lot of things. Please stop for a moment and go through it. If u have five more minutes to spend, try to to 'feel' the poem.

Wish I can go back to the time when "Innocence" was "Natural"

When "Dad" was the only "Hero''

When "Love" was "Mom's hug"

When "Dad's shoulder" was the "The highest place on earth"

When the only thing that could "Hurt" were "Bleeding knees"

When the only things "Broken" were "Toys"

When "Getting high" meant "On a swing",

When "Drinking" meant "Horlicks in watermilk"

and when "Goodbyes" only meant "Till tomorrow"!

Life has changed a lot, isn’t it?. It was perhaps much simpler when

Apple and Blackberry were ….. just fruits

Have a Nice Day....

Animal World

Yesterday we went to Marah Land in Qurum to see the 'Russian & Egyptian Circus'. It was their resting day and there was no show at all. Kids were not in a good mood knowing the fact. So we just went to the shop 'Animal World' in Al-Araimi Complex, Qurum area. The shop is in the basement floor of the complex. We went to the shop for the first time. Surely not for any purchase. There are many aquariums, fishes, animals,  birds and their accessories for sale. I took some snaps using my phone. Picture quality is not so good. 

Afrcan Grey Parrots

Macaw

These two names I noted well. There is a reason for that. The Macaw- it's cost is 900 Riyals (more than 1 Lakh INR ) and the Afrrican parrot's rage is 350 Riyals( around 40,000 INR). The Macaws are beautiful, brilliantly coloured members of the parrot family.  

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/macaws/MacawProfile.htm

The African Grey Parrots are also big in size, strong and grey coloured.

http://www.africancongogrey.com/

so... cute....

Anyway, kids enjoyed well watching all these... and they returned home happily. 

Payyannur Pavithra Mothiram

Payyannur Pavithra Mothiram

Payyannur Pavithra Mothiram is considered to be a sacred ornament. It is worn on the ring finger of the right hand reminding the 'Darbha' grass ring worn on the right hand's ring finger during holy rituals of Hindu tradition.  It is strongly believed that this ring will bring luck and grace to those who wear it with great devotion.  To get the original grace of the ring, one has to be self desciplined. The one who wears this ring must be pure vegetarian and should avoid alcohol and immoral activities.  For women, they have to remove the ring during the period of menstruation. The makers of this sacred ring assure that there is a tradition of  having special poojas in Payyannur Subhaymanya Swami Temple before it is handed over to the customer.

I have two links to suggest to know more about the Payyannur Pavithra Mothiram.

Lakshami Jewellery, Payyannur 

&

Pavithra Jewellers, Payyannur

Many people used to wear it as a part of fashion also. That type of  'Pavithrakettu' rings and bangles are available with many jewellers. But the beauty of the real Pavithra Work - it is a monopoly of  goldsmiths of Payyanur area.

Fire in Al Asfoor Furnishing LLC, Wadi Kabir, Muscat

A massive fire broke out in Al Asfoor building in Wadi Kabir around 10pm on Friday (8th October, 2010) night. The carpentry workshop of Al Alasfoor Furnishing LLC was caught fire.  It  is believed that substantial quantities of plywood and other furniture material were stored in the workshop. No casualities were reported, it seems. Details of the damages are not officially available till time. Eye witness said that there is smoke even in the morning. 

We are staying nearly 2 kms away from the location and we could see the smoke and glow from our building. It was really a frightening scene for me. It took more than one and half hours to control the fire... 

Image Source : madhyamam.com

Rainbow Roses

I was wondered to know about Rainbow Roses....

Rainbow Roses

The 'Happy Flowers' were designed by Peter Van de Werken- a Dutch business man who dyes each bloom in the colours of the rainbow. The dyes produced from natural plant extracts are absorbed by the flowers as they grow. They were selling single coloured flowers as others  in the beginning of their business. As a part of improving the business, he and his colleagues were trying to do something different, which ended up in the idea of having multi-coloured flowers. For ordering these flowers, you may visit  www.valueflora.com.
Source : http://www.metro.co.uk/news/36352-rainbow-roses-are-all-the-rage

Kutch Work Peacock

My peacock is ready now. Although the kutch work is finished earlier, i have to finish the other parts. First, I thought of doing it in stem or outline stitch. But finally worked it in satin, long and short, herringbone and magical chain stitches.... Here is my peacock.. Have a look..........

NILAVU - a Movie by Ajith Nair

Movie          : NILAVU

Production  : NewSky Productions

Direction     : Ajith Nair

Starrring      : Haridas & Sunitha Nedungadi

The magic of Nilavu is woven around the lives of Hari and Lakshmi and the solitude that brings them together, each searching for an emotional anchor. How their relationship evolves and where it leads to forms the core of Nilavu's journey, exploring human emotions and the different shades of love, perception and belief.

Nilavu is produced by Krishnan Haridas and Ajith Nair for NewSky productions and is directed by Ajith Nair. The movie scripted by Ajith Nair has been filmed in the Kingdom of Bahrain as well as in Kerala, India with a cast of newcomers.

Songs & Links

Title Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcD2Ho7C3Oc

Ariyathe Onnum Parayathe - Singer - G.Venugopal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KDAmtM0VTU

Ravil Nila Mazha Keezhil-  Singer- K.S.Chitra

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl0aCXoYAr4

Kutch Work in Progress....

I got a lovely Kutch work design from a design book which my friend bought for me. It is a peacock design.... I was not so confident to do it.. So I started doing it on a piece of white century cotton cloth. I plan to use it as a hand kerchief.

Mew.....Mew.......

Now, I have four kittens in my balcony. This is the 4th time, the mama pussy's delivery happens in my balcony where I keep gas cylinders and unused things. It seems to be a safe place for the pussy to deliver her kids. Anyway, my kids Alan and Helen are enjoying the activities of  the kittens. It is a pleasure for me too when I see their excitement...The mama  pussy seems to be so cool to leave her kittens in my flat's balcony....

Pink Linen Pillow Cover

This is my second work on a pillow cover. I bought linen material from a shop in Ruwi and stitched two pillow covers to do embroidery. Only the first one I completed. It was a long process. I got the design from net. It was consisting only a horizontal border. I made it as a corner design by arranging it horizontally and vertically by joining the two stems at a point. Simple!

And here is the completed work.

For stems, I used stem stitch. Leaves done in fishbone stitch and the buds with network outlined with outline stitch.  Network I learned from LAKSHMI's sadalas.blogspot.com.

http://sadalas.blogspot.com/2010/03/network-embroidery-vedeo-tutorial.html
                                                   &
http://sadalas.blogspot.com/search/label/Net%20work

Beginner's Hand Embroidery

This is my first hand embroidery work which I did on an off white pillow cover....

Cute birds on off white pillow cover

Bird on the left side

Bird on the right side

I got the design from internet. I used stem, chain, outline, lazy daisy & back stitches to complete each small bird. It was a simple work. But took 2-3 days to complete.

HAPPY VISHU

എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും വിഷു  ആശംസകള്‍ 

Happy Easter...

Happy easter....

Easter Time

Easter time is here again

And bunnies everywhere,

Don't salute, a substitute,

There is no holy hare.

So colored eggs and jelly beans,

Don't mean a bunny thing, '

Cause bunnies do, what bunnies do

And have no gifts to bring.

So Easter Time's, the time to know,

A lie could not survive

And here's the proof in gospel truth;

JESUS IS ALIVE!!

Paneer Masala

I just  love this recipe. Goes well with Chappathi / Poraotta / Naan and plain rice. 


Ingradients

Paneer (Amul) -12-15 pcs 

Keep it outside from freezer  for sometime. 

Wash in fresh water and boil for 3-5 mins and drain it.(or u may defrost and fry the paneer till light golden colour in oil).

Vegetable Oil - 2tbsp

Onion - 3 

Tomato -1 big

Garlic - 3-4 pods(china)

Ginger - 1.5 inch pc

Grind onions, tomato, garlic& ginger together and keep aside. 

Kashmiri chilly -1/2 tsp

Turmeric pdr - 1/4tsp

Coriander pdr -1/4 tsp

Garam masala -1/2 tsp

Cashew nuts - 8-10  (wash&soak cashew in hotwater for 10-20 minutes and grind)

Kasuri methi 2-3 pinches

Preparation method 

Heat oil in a pan. Put the gound onion paste into it. Simmer - till oil separate. No need to stir continuously. Better simmer and cover with a lid. Stir occassionaly. When it is almost dry, add masala powders. Fry again by stirring well. Add drained or fried paneer pieces &  mix well gently. Add enough water for the gravy. Add cashew paste.  Adjust the gravy thickness by adding water. Gravy must be thick. Springle kasuri methi over the gravy and turn off the stove. Remove from stove.

Server hot with chappathi or Naan.

Easy Appam Recipe

Ingredients

Raw rice(Pacchari) - 1 glass
Grated coconut - 1 - 1 1/2 handful
Cooked rice - 2 tbsp
Salt - 3/4 - 1 tsp
Sugar - 3 tsp
Yeast - 1/4 tsp

Preparation Method

Soak the rice for atleast  4 hours. Grind it with other ingredients. The consistency should be of that of DOSA.
Keep aside for fermenting. It will take 6 - 8 hrs to ferment.
Pour mix into a pre-heated Appa chatti and turn the chatti in a cirular motion so that the appams will make perfect round shape. Close the lid.
After the appam is done, transfer it into serving plate and repeat the process for other appams.

Vegetable Macroni Recipe

One of my favourite dishes. Try this for lunch/dinner or during tea time...

Ingradients


Macroni(cooked) - 200 gm
Vegetable oil
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Onion(chopped) - 1/2 cup
Green chilly(chopped) - 1 no
Vegetables(chopped) - 1 cup
(Carrot, Beans, Tomato and Green peas)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves(chopped) - 2 tbsp

Preparation Method 

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Fry onions and green chilly. 
• Add ginger-garlic paste. 
• Add chopped vegetables and green peas and fry for few minutes. 
• Add salt, garam masala and stir well. 
• Add 1/2 cup of water. 
• Reduce the flame and cook for 5 mins.
• Add cooked macroni to this and mix well. 
• Close the lid for 3 - 4 mins. 
• Add tomato and soya sauce. Mix well. 
• Garnish with coriander leaves  & Serve hot.

Alan's Farewell day in KG2

March 22nd was Alan's last day of the school year. They had a class party arranged in school. Usually on such party days, we-the mothers have to send 3 packets of snacks for our kid's friends. They will share it in school. Most probably Alan used to bring back home at least 2 packets each time complainig that there were enough snacks, nobody took more...

He was in the F-section of Indian school. Luckily he and his friends got the same teacher for their KG1 and KG2 - Ms. Subha Shetty. She is such a wonderful teacher... Alan & his dishum dishum friends used to trouble their mam a lot. Even then she loved and cared them very much. On the last day of their class, she was really upset and was in tears...

I sent with Alan a small handkerchief for his Mam as a humble gift from our side... Given a picture of the hanky below.

I completed it within one and half days... On 21st night I sat till  3am in the morning to finish the work, washed it and then kept it for drying. Then went to bed... I didnt get the exact font for the wordings first, then dropped the idea. Then my friend Maya gave me the idea of using Alan's handwriting for the wordings. It worked out on the next day since he was 'busy'. Although the work is not so satisfactory, I liked it -  Especially when my husbad had a glimpse of smile on his face when he saw the finished hanky. The work is not so neat... but even then I liked it...

Some more pictures of the individual flower pots.

Flower pot 1

Flower pot 2

Flower pot 3

Sayonara

Jisha