Sunday, July 19, 2015

Yo Aamen So ...

'Sujata Tawde, khaate batate vade' (meaning: Sujata Tawde, eats batate vade) Aamen, my nephew riles me when I try to wake him up early in the morning around 12 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. I flare up all right with "How could any boy be so disrespecting to his Mawshi?". Aamen's blunt straight forward is 'What has it got to do with disrespect?, you can retaliate me with - 'Aamen kumar, Takle pe bhar'.

We the family members have always been so buddy buddy with Aamen that sometimes, well almost all the times, he stretches that buddy-bond beyond boundary. I can imagine you chuckling under the breath 'As you sow, so shall you reap'. Okay fine, we don't mind! He loves us so much that everything is fair and lovely in our relationship. 




Aamen is a happy, loving, caring child who loves to play, play and play still more with his friends. His daily diet is fortified with lots of fruits, Dal-Rice, Kellogg's Chocos and freshly cooked home made stories. Occasionally he gets to feast on ice-creams, cakes and yummy Yo yo jokes.

Aamen's sense of humor is phenomenal and he delivers it saucily, with a deadpan expression. We have enjoyed lots of "Khushi ke pal" with him.

I try to ruffle his feathers with 'Yo Aamen so lazy that he possess two Dunlop tires around his west'. He ROFLs and replies 'Yo Mouse ( petname for Mawshi ) so workaholic that she slogs and tires herself even in her dreams'.





I like to annoy him with 'Yo Aamen so lazy that his tongue needs rest while saying Maav...shi ... so he calls me Mouse'.

He YoYos me with 'Yo Mouse so Kejriwal that Kejriwal has replaced all the mirrors at his home with Mouse's photos' and 'Yo Mouse so Aaloknath that he calls her every morning to ask for a day's script'.

Aamen is extravagant, so my being careful with money is a constant source of jokes for him, 'Yo Mouse so Kanjoosh, that Shylock took special coaching from her and paid a whole pea as the fee' and  'Yo Mouse so Kanjoosh, that she shops for a pin, only when it's a Buy 1, Get 2 free deal'. 




Our war of words has enabled Aamen in gaining A+ in Essay writing and English literature. Aamen's Self-deprecating, tongue-in-cheek humor put us in quandary - 'Yo Aamen so Catty that he got a little mouse as a Mawshi'. His funda is very clear "Chill ..."

Aamen's sense of humor is hilariously  dangerous. He possesses an armor full of freshly sharpened one-liners. Stay safe in his company otherwise you might die in varying degrees of LOL, ROFL, LMAOing. Aamen's gem of a joke - 'Yo Mouse so thin that she actually floats in the air while walking so I have to hold on to her as if a balloon's string'. 

In other news 'Yo Aamen ke sath Khuljaye Bachpan so much that Rajnikanth dreams to be reincarnated as Aamen in next birth. To realize his dream Rajnikanth has opened up a giant Kellogg's Chocos manufacturing plant in his palatial kitchen' 

Wish you all lots Khushi Ke Pal with your kids and Kellogg's Chocos .


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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Little Mouse

Yes, Mouse Little , that's what my nephew Aamen calls me, his Mawshi ( mother's sister in Marathi ). 



Do I scold him.? Never. I am actually proud of that nick-name as 'Mouse Little' is Geronimo Stilton. My nephew's favorite author and the hero of a best selling children's book series is Geronimo Stilton. 

'Buddy Parenting' is not just a term for me, I am living it Extra Large size, since Aamen's birth. The memory of that first time, I took Aamen in my arms is still fresh in my mind as if it happened just yesterday. He was all pink and pretty like a delicate Japanese doll with tiny-winy nose, chink eyes, chubby cheeks and ruby lips. 

Aamen could not even utter an A, but I was already reading out my page two stories to him. No wonder then, he started reading the newspaper at the ripe? age of two. So what, if he held the newspaper upside down, he could recite both career and personality development articles, I wrote a day before.

Aamen was in Junior K.G., and wanted to be a journalist, while his classmates were dreaming to be Doctors and Engineers.


True to his words, Aamen did win the semi-final of DNA's Junior-Journalist. He was just 10 years old then, so could not be selected as a Junior journalist, which required to be at least 12 years old. I still remember his essay 'Why I want to be a Journalist' Aamen wrote all politically correct things in an essay and he clinched it at the end by confessing "Last but not the least, I want to be a journalist so that I can interview my favorite actor Shah Rukh Khan."


We had donated our TV-set  to an orphanage in Vikramgarh. Aamen grew up in a TV-less home, surrounded by hundreds of story-books and newspapers. He did not know Shin Chan and Chhota Bheem, but he relished Charlie's Chocolate Factory and James's Giant Peach.

"Aamen loved stories.", is an under statement. He always expected to be the hero of each and every story recited to him. I learnt to make my stories exciting and reader-friendly by getting an approval from him. He would either crinkle his nose or squint his eyes or wrinkle his forehead, if he did not like a single sentence in a story. All hell would broke loose when he combined all 3 i.e. nose, eyes and forehead together, meaning my story was a complete disaster. 


I know, you must have a little doubt, whether Aamen grew up to be a boring book-worm. On the contrary, after reading all those Enid Blytons, Roald Dahls, Geronimo Stiltons etc. he has turned out to be quite a smashing teenager, who loves adventures, learns karate (brown belt), has won medals in running, roller-skating, swimming, baby-sits neighbor's little daughter and to our horror ,drives his papa's scooter (early in the morning, in society's compound.)
                      

Aamen is an ace prankster, he adds charms to the family gatherings by mimicking us all in an endearing way. Nobody can remain angry with him for more than a minute as he embraces us in his signature bear hug, smiles his sweetest and pleasures us with a chocolaty kiss enriched by Kellogg's Chocos. His exclusive excuse = "Mazzak kar raha tha, give me a tight slap if you wish but say Chee...eese".

The first Starbucks opened in Goregaon and Aamen dragged me there. I was showing the recycled tissues to him and hinting to add them to his World Environment Day collage. He didn't pay attention to my novel? idea. We took a parcel of Java Chip Chocolate muffins and Chatpata Wraps for Aamen's Mamma, Papa. Aamen paid the bill ( We always request Aamen to pay the bill. So what if his academic maths is not upto the mark, we trick him into practicing the maths in real time.) and received the carry-bag. Suddenly his face lit up with 1000 splendid Suns powered smile, " Mouse, Let's do the World Environment Day collage on this carry bag. We will open up this paper bag and stick the paper-cuttings on it." That's what, I love about Aamen, he has done perfect SWOT ( Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats ) analysis of his parents and takes accurate advantage of them with cool confidence. 


So every thing is goody goody between us ? No, Capital NO. Aamen had made me cry, when I taught him how to measure an angle and Longitude / Latitude. He hates Maths, loves to learn History and English Literature. He hates to eat Subzi-roti but loves to cook Omelettes for us.


Few years ago, I showed Aamen , how to create his own blog, and within no time, he taught me, how to embed a video in my blog. 

Buddy Parenting is a Two-way Process and High-way ProgressThe Child and parent both grow together and the loving, caring, sharing bond between the two enriches both of them.

Won't you just love to share the bond between Aamen and me?. Here you go...( this is an expression, Aamen taught me to utter in an uber-cool style )

Khilkhilata Bachpan ... Kellogg's Chocos ke sang ... Hardam with Aamen

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[ *All the photos, except Kellogg's Chocos video are clicked by me ]

Friday, July 10, 2015

Honey hain toh health hain

'Money hain toh Honey hain' proclaims a hilarious Hindi movie. I would like to go one step ahead to state the reality ... 'Money hain toh Honey hain and most importantly HONEY hain toh HEALTH hain




How?. Let's do some Reality check about HONEY :


All over the world in general and particularly in India, Honey has always been a very popular gourmet delicacy as well as an important medical remedy for thousand years. Globally, our ancestors were well aware of the many health benefits of honey. It's earliest known use as a medicinal prescription is found in ancient clay tablets. In India, honey is an important part of Ayurveda. Egyptians used Honey to cure skin, eye diseases, and as a natural bandage applied on wounds. 

HONEY is more popular due to it's Ready-to-Eat form. Even the lazy people like me, who love to eat sweet and hate to cook can use Honey in our diet liberally, that too without worrying about weight-gain. Honey can be eaten directly, can be smeared on bread, toast, chapati, pancakes, can be added to various juices, cakes, mithai, chocolates, cookies as a substitute of sugar. 

My favorite medicine for cough / cold is Honey + Sitopaladi choorna, prescribed by Dr. Sandhya Kadam ( M.D.- Ayurveda ). Honey contains 69% glucose and fructose, so it's commonly used as a sweetener, which is better for our overall health than normal white sugar. 

Lots of people, eager to lose weight, drink warm water mixed with Honey, early morning instead of tea. The fact is Honey has more calories than sugar but when Honey is consumed with warm water, it helps in digesting the fat stored in our body. Honey and lemon juice as well as Honey and cinnamon help in reducing weight. 

Honey as an ingredient in medicine is savored by children as well as adults due to it's sweet, creamy, yummy taste and liquid golden looks.

On personal level, for thin people with delicate digestive systems like me, the carbohydrates in Honey can be easily converted into glucose by the most sensitive stomachs since it's pure and natural. Honey contains 64 calories per tablespoon so can be used as an instant source of energy. 

Crash Diet for Zero-Figure is horrid past, thanks to Internet ,we all know the benefits of daily exercises ( Yoga in particular ) plus balanced, nourishing diet. let's add just dessert to it with Honey Diet. We can stay Fit, Gain admirers with 3 clicks at Dabur Honey Diet 

Enough of lecturing and it's time to acquaint our selves with the real life benefits of Honey Diet , which can be accessed from http://www.daburhoney.com/

A spoonful intake of pure Honey has lots of advantages : such as 

1. Weight Management A Spoon of honey taken with warm water in the morning is useful in weight management.

2. Sugar substitute : Honey is a healthier substitute to sugar as it contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which are good for health.

3. Beautiful Skin: Honey is useful for the skin because of its moisturizing and nourishing properties.

4. Source of energy: Honey is a good source of energy as it’s natural sugar and carbohydrates are easily digested by the body.

5. Aids Digestion: Honey in our diet aids in digestion.

6. Cough and cold: Honey relieves the cough and throat irritation. 


To get fit connect to : Honey Diet.

@DaburHoney_Ind with the hashtag #HoneyDietIsHere.


( The image / photo of Dabur Honey jar with Plums is clicked by myself , specifically for this post )

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Let's ZOOM into 'Thank God It's Fryday' with PHILIPS

Thank God, It was Wednesday. I had already RSVPed for the GCPUG (Google Cloud Platform Users Group ) meetup on 2nd July and then I received an invite for ZOOM - PHILIP's launch 'Thank God It's Fryday' at ITC Grand Central-Parel (12.30 p.m.) and GCPUG was at J. W. Marriott-Sahar (4.30 p.m.) while I stay at Goregaon. Thank God, It was Thursday and I reached Grand Central before time to click it's Grand Glory.




The grand stage was set in a ramp style for the unique Food-Fashion show to launch season 2 of ZOOM - PHILIP's popular lifestyle program 'Thank God It's Fryday'.




The charming hostess acquainted the media about PHILIP's Airfryer-'Thank God It's Fryday', a fusion of healthy food, popular lifestyle entertainment and fashion show, with a twist ... which will be travelling to 8 cities. ZOOM , the flagship Bollywood and Lifestyle channel of the Times Network in partnership with Philips revealed the unique features of Season 2 of Philips Air Fryer -Thank God It's Fryday. Bollywood star, Celebrity show-stopper Yami Gautam walked the ramp and superstar chef Ranveer Brar demonstrated signature dishes from Season 1 of the popular show.




 “ZOOM is closely connected with its premium audiences who are driven in their pursuit of a stylish and fulfilling lifestyle. PHILIP's Air Fryer-Thank God It’s Fryday helps them in their quest, as it shows them ways to keep their diet healthy even as they happily enjoy tasty, fried food. This is why we are particularly pleased to launch Season 2, in which it will offer even more engaging, entertaining and extremely useful and relevant content to our viewers.” said M K Anand, MD and CEO of Times Network.


Thank God It’s Fryday was a truly innovative concept that seamlessly brought together food, fitness and travel to create a very interesting story. As expected, the audience loved its first edition in 2014 and were left hungry for more. This year, once again, PHILIP's Airfryer is joining hands with ZOOM to explore more cities and more cuisines to create interesting stories that the audiences will love. And it is not just stories – we have received tremendous response from people trying the innovative recipes and re-discovering tasty, healthy food. Like everyone else, we are also looking forward to Chef Ranveer once again creating magic with his trusted companion Philips Airfryer.” said ADA Ratnam, President Consumer Lifestyle, Philips India Ltd.


Filmstar Yami Gautam added dazzling charm as well as perky humor to this Yamilicious launch event with funny anecdotes like ... 1. Muze meetha bahot pasand hai , guilty feel hi nahi hota . I wanted to marry a Halwai , when I was a child. 2. I can help you, once you are done cooking, that is I can help only with eating part.  3. I love home-made food, which is prepared on chullah, that brings out earthy flavor. 4. Once when I ventured into kitchen to cook the dish turned out all burnt-black, ekdum filmy scene tha. 5. Mummy jo subah chai banati hai... uski to lajjat hi kuchh aur hai ... nobody can beat that .


In Season 2 also, the show will  be hosted by the audience-friendly, charming, multi-talented brand ambassador of Philips Kitchen Appliances, Chef Ranveer  Brar. This season the show  will have a new format, new fried flavors, and most important, a host of healthy and delicious new regional delicacies created in the PHILIP's Airfyer. Season 2 will also feature a new fusion of cooking and photography. The chef and his photographer friend will travel to different cities around the country, exploring various local delicacies and new fried flavours. Philips Air Fryer Thank God It's Fryday will travel across Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Amritsar, Hyderabad and Goa and will target those eateries that believe their local fried favourite dish deserves to be featured on the show as a challenge to Chef Ranveer’s skills and abilities. Chef Ranveer goes on to recreate a healthy version of the same dish in the Philips Airfryer, but with an interesting twist to create a new fusion dish. Commenting on the show,  Chef Ranveer  Brar said “In today’s world of stress and convenience, where well-being and health have become all the more important, a gadget like the Philips Airfryer, along with Thank God It’s Fryday, bring back well-being into our lives, and with style.” Super Chef Ranveer Brar gave tips for healthy eating 'Eat fresh , eat whatever is in season. Eat whatever is grown locally. Use as much as possible fresh ingredients such as fruits and vegetable to even out the demerits of fried food. Eat whatever you want without guilt with Philips Air Fryer.

To know more about the show 'Thank God It's Fryday' and Philips Air Fryer , please visit :

http://www.philips.co.in/e/airfryer/home.html
http://zoomtv.indiatimes.com/