Our civilization has gone so far that we forgot what we are. We, humans, are just like any other animal. We are driven by instincts. These instincts favor survival. The instinct of survival helps us in the most unprepared circumstances.
The feeling of self importance guides us to the path of survival. This theory sounds reasonable to me, because, unless we feel we are important, we cannot fulfill our needs. But this feeling is so immensely absorbed and built in our system that we do not know.
When the number of alike living things increases immensely, survival becomes difficult. The instincts make us not accept people readily just like animals do. A stranger is always under suspicion of danger. The danger need not be life threatening. We cannot trust because of our instincts. And that is the reason why we keep fighting with each other.
In spite of this crude truth, we are gifted with the ability to learn. We understand and we grow, and, that's how we become civilized. The feeling of kindness and compassion towards each other to coexist on this beautiful earth is something we have achieved as humans unlike any other living thing.
Sometimes, the same instincts which are key to our existence can leave bitterness. The agony we created on this earth are in the form of wars, crimes, hatred and many more. Our aim should be to pacify the bad side and to utilize our good side of the instincts. This cannot be achieved in a day, its an everyday process, the more we do the easier it gets. We need to let live!
As I mentioned earlier, we are gifted with our learning process. There is something about it that we do not realize. Our learning process is largely based on motivation. Our motivation in most of the circumstances is reward. We do things that reward us. The reward can be of any kind, it can be appreciation from people, or that fulfill our needs etc.,. When there is no motivation or reward, we become depressed. The happier we are, the easier life is. If we can understand this simple process, we can make everyday a beautiful day!!!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Easy and tasty chicken 65 recipe
There are so many Indian style chicken recipes, but there is one recipe that can beat all of them (may be!) in terms of juiciness, tenderness and ofcourse, taste. The recipe makes one of the famous dishes, Chicken 65. It is mostly served as an appetizer or as a side dish with drinks. This is my version of Chicken 65 recipe.
What you need:
Boneless Chicken breasts- 1 lb- cut into 1 inch pieces
1 egg white
Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
Corn flour- 1 tsp
All purpose flour- 1 tsp (optional)
yogurt- 1tsp
garam masala- 1tsp
chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt
ajinomoto or tasting salt- optional but good- 1/2 tsp, tasting salt is really salty, so adjust regular salt accordingly, available in Indian grocery store.
Chillies- 3 or 4 (cut into vertical halves)
Curry leaves - adds great flavor
Cashews- optional
Mix chicken with egg white, ginger garlic paste, corn flour, all purpose flour, yogurt, garam masala, salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, tasting salt and leave it for 30 mins (if the chicken is frozen, you need to marinate for longer time). Then, in a pan, add some oil (may be 3 to 5 big tsp), fry the chillies, cashews and curry leaves, add the chicken mixture, and stir fry on medium heat until chicken is cooked (cooks fast). Add cilantro for garnish.
Very quick with less pre-cook preparation time. This is a great Chicken 65 recipe if you are looking for something that is easy to make and the best if you are craving for tasty chicken and can't wait for it!!
What you need:
Boneless Chicken breasts- 1 lb- cut into 1 inch pieces
1 egg white
Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
Corn flour- 1 tsp
All purpose flour- 1 tsp (optional)
yogurt- 1tsp
garam masala- 1tsp
chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt
ajinomoto or tasting salt- optional but good- 1/2 tsp, tasting salt is really salty, so adjust regular salt accordingly, available in Indian grocery store.
Chillies- 3 or 4 (cut into vertical halves)
Curry leaves - adds great flavor
Cashews- optional
Mix chicken with egg white, ginger garlic paste, corn flour, all purpose flour, yogurt, garam masala, salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, tasting salt and leave it for 30 mins (if the chicken is frozen, you need to marinate for longer time). Then, in a pan, add some oil (may be 3 to 5 big tsp), fry the chillies, cashews and curry leaves, add the chicken mixture, and stir fry on medium heat until chicken is cooked (cooks fast). Add cilantro for garnish.
Very quick with less pre-cook preparation time. This is a great Chicken 65 recipe if you are looking for something that is easy to make and the best if you are craving for tasty chicken and can't wait for it!!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Revisit the past
Why do we keep doing things? I mean, all the non essential things for living. Like, travel, sports, friends, shop, etc etc., and we do it every day. Time to time, we do big things like reunions, weddings, parties etc.,. I think by doing these stuff, we are trying to achieve two things.
The first one, to avoid the thought of why we are living and what are we doing in this world, in short, we are keeping ourselves busy.
The second, indirectly we are creating a record or memories. Memories are good, and that's why we live: to create memories. If we forget the past, there is no point. I agree, sometimes past is painful, but it is the past, which is already over and is long gone. We need to forgive ourselves and forgive others. The more easy we are, the better we feel. Past should help in giving us more clarity. It should give us strength and happiness.
Especially, for those living far from their home countries, I guess these blues may have occurred at least once. So, revisit the past. Dust the personal journals out, or talk to old buddies.
Well said, Man is not made to understand life, but to live it.
I hope you had fun reading this!
The first one, to avoid the thought of why we are living and what are we doing in this world, in short, we are keeping ourselves busy.
The second, indirectly we are creating a record or memories. Memories are good, and that's why we live: to create memories. If we forget the past, there is no point. I agree, sometimes past is painful, but it is the past, which is already over and is long gone. We need to forgive ourselves and forgive others. The more easy we are, the better we feel. Past should help in giving us more clarity. It should give us strength and happiness.
Especially, for those living far from their home countries, I guess these blues may have occurred at least once. So, revisit the past. Dust the personal journals out, or talk to old buddies.
Well said, Man is not made to understand life, but to live it.
I hope you had fun reading this!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Train trips in USA
The total land area of contiguous United States is around 1.9 billion acres. And when there is absolutely fantastic road system, it is agreeable why railway system is comparatively weak. But, there are few train routes which have to be taken atleast once in a lifetime. I always wanted to go on one. And I finally took a trip last year from Chicago to Los Angeles by the Southwest Chief.
The Southwest Chief runs between Chicago and Los Angeles daily. The travel time is around 45 hrs. Yeah, it is a long journey, around 2000 miles. But, there are only few long distance trips worldwide at such affordable prices. If you buy sleeper class, food is included in the price. The food is of good quality and we were actually tired of eating so much, and had to skip a dinner. The bed is really comfortable and the cabin attendant makes sure that we have sufficient blankets, pillows and fresh towels. I wasn't expecting any kind of service and was pleasantly surprised by the service we received. The bartender comes in few hours before dinner and lunch and schedules our prefered time for food. The only downside I can think of is, each cabin can accomadate two people, and it is quite small when we sit, but the space is more than sufficient when we sleep. Apart from the comforts, the chief crosses eight states along the old Sante Fe trail. Below is the map of the route.
The rocking of the rails and ample time to relax, we crossed great plains of the midwest, colorado rockies and swimming through Chihuahuan desert, we reached Albuquerque. By the time we woke up in the morning, we were in California.
The amtrak station at Albuquerque is quite a big one and there are native americans selling various kinds of jewellery. Long trips are fun, we can meet lot of people and talk about all random things. And especially at dinner, it is nice to have a little chat with the co-travellers.
We initially took Pacific Surfliner from LA to San Diego and that inspired us to go on a long trip. The Surfliner is so scenic that after Irvine, the tracks are right next to the beach, in some places, right next to the ocean. I should say this is one of the top things to do in Southern California.
The Southwest Chief runs between Chicago and Los Angeles daily. The travel time is around 45 hrs. Yeah, it is a long journey, around 2000 miles. But, there are only few long distance trips worldwide at such affordable prices. If you buy sleeper class, food is included in the price. The food is of good quality and we were actually tired of eating so much, and had to skip a dinner. The bed is really comfortable and the cabin attendant makes sure that we have sufficient blankets, pillows and fresh towels. I wasn't expecting any kind of service and was pleasantly surprised by the service we received. The bartender comes in few hours before dinner and lunch and schedules our prefered time for food. The only downside I can think of is, each cabin can accomadate two people, and it is quite small when we sit, but the space is more than sufficient when we sleep. Apart from the comforts, the chief crosses eight states along the old Sante Fe trail. Below is the map of the route.
The rocking of the rails and ample time to relax, we crossed great plains of the midwest, colorado rockies and swimming through Chihuahuan desert, we reached Albuquerque. By the time we woke up in the morning, we were in California.
The amtrak station at Albuquerque is quite a big one and there are native americans selling various kinds of jewellery. Long trips are fun, we can meet lot of people and talk about all random things. And especially at dinner, it is nice to have a little chat with the co-travellers.
We initially took Pacific Surfliner from LA to San Diego and that inspired us to go on a long trip. The Surfliner is so scenic that after Irvine, the tracks are right next to the beach, in some places, right next to the ocean. I should say this is one of the top things to do in Southern California.
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