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  • Hindu fasting days are here again!

    Yes, I am back in Ahmedabad and it is that time of the year again when I shall be fasting for 9 days, eating fruit once a day and drinking water. :)

    I love this season though. It is so colorful despite the fast. Somehow I find this fasting makes me alert to some parts of my consciousness that have been buried in daily concerns. I also feel more spiritually inclined in these days. Maybe it's all the prayers and fasting that does this or something else, that remains a mystery.

    For those who don't remember this time of the year (which I think most of you wouldn't unless you're living among Indian community), this festival that began today and would last until the 28th of this month, ending in a day called Dussera is called Navratri.

    This is the temple I made in my home. Today, I changed all the clothes and jewelery that is draped around the photos. :)
    Puja time

    Here's the pic of how it looked today evening when I finished my prayers.
    new avatar

    And these are some small statues that I bought from Badrinath.
    New statues

    The extreme right is easy to identify I'd say. That is Lord Ganesha, destroyer of troubles. Next to him is Lord Kuber; the giver of wealth. On the extreme right is Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth on whose instructions Lord Kuber works. In the middle of Lakshmi and Kuber is Lord Vishnu,"preserver" of Hindu Trinity, the remover of darkness of illusion. Goddess Lakshmi is Lord Vishnu's wife. I got them from my travel this time. Hope they bring me luck and happiness. :)

    There's still something that niggles me. All these prayers still don't help when I get annoyed at something. I hope to God I find reserves of patience and understanding through these prayers. I feel like I'm on the edge with some things and I don't like it. In such things, I can do without this thrill.

    I know I'm still to write about my travel and I shall start doing so from tomorrow considering I have two days holiday. ;) In the meanwhile, I'll leave you to enjoy a bit of Garba dance that is one of the most colourful dances of India.

    Garba is Gujarat's folk dance and believe me, it is not easy even though it looks so! Men and women love to dance in this season, dressed in their best traditional costume. They say you can recognise a Gujarati anywhere in the world. Just play and bit of music and he'll be doing his Garba dance. ;D There can be no occasion for a Gujarati when he can't celebrate with Garba and his unlimited energy. I'm afraid, I'm showing a staged performance here. Youtube has a lot of Garba videos from my city but most of them are poor quality.

    Of course we have a lot of styles of Garba and I know only a few. You see, I plan to dance this season too. :)

  • Howdy!

    I'M BACK AGAIN! :DD

    I came back from my Himalayan trip a week ago. Been down with cold, cough, boredom, work,etc. Also didn't really feel like copying stuff that I wrote during the journey in my diary writing so had stayed away.

    But today morning I heard about Patrick Swayze's death; the guy whose movie introduced me to Salsa, dirty dancing. RIP Patrick. It said in the news that he had been suffering from Cancer for the past two years. And then I heard of another Top Chef dying cos of Cancer. Sad.:(

    Just now came across this article which I wanted to share with you guys. :)I plan to return back to Ahmadabad on the 17th so I shall be writing my travelogue from there. So long! Hope this helps someone. :wave:

    John Hopkins Update

    AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.

    Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

    1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

    2.. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime..

    3 When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

    4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

    5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

    6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

    7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs..

    8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

    9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

    10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

    11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply..

    *CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

    a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful.. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

    b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.

    c.. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

    d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans.. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

    e.. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

    12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

    13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

    14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

    15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

    16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

    1. No plastic containers in micro.

    2. No water bottles in freezer.

    3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

    Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Pa per isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

    Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

  • Here and there again....

    Hello Hello!! :wave:

    I disappear time and again I know. However, I must say that I've been so busy of late...enjoying and working *laughs* that I've not had a moment of peace. Of course, one doesn't count all the hours when one snores off to la la land.:DD

    Anyway, in news... I've been in NCR region now for 12 days. It has been a blissful period as usual, with work going well and spending quality time with my beloved. Touchwood.. I hope it remains the same. :)

    Tomorrow morning at 6.00 hours, I'll be off to Haridwar and from there on to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. Some call it a religious journey. For me however, it is a path to serenity. Nature is the only ruler in those places and I would like to be one with nature there.

    Mum and Dad are going to join me in Haridwar tomorrow afternoon. They've been having some "time together" in another fantastic place close to Haridwar- Mussoorie.

    Mum had called me yesterday to tell me she feels like she is walking in the clouds. :DD I said to her...I said, " Enjoy the moments Ma. It's not everyday one can boast of walking in the clouds." :)

    Sooo.. I've got a lot of work to finish before I leave tomorrow morning. I've kept a diary with me this time around so that I can at least write my travelogue in the bus and later on pen it down here. :)

    For the moment, it goes like this:

    24.08.09- GURGAON

    Woke up late today, just in time to see my boyfriend leave for work.. without breakfast I might add. Made him sit and drink milk with Bournvita. After all, he's been caring for me the last few days. I've had a series of headache, leg ache, back ache, stomach ache. My poor darling has been cooking and tending to me for the past couple of days while I finish my work on the computer and groan in pain.

    Not that he lets me stress meself. He'll make sure I'm not overly stressed. Too many phone calls in the night and he'll insist he can help. :) Delighted to be so cossetted.

    On 22/08/09, we'd gone for a TweetUp here in Gurgaon. I liked those who had attended though I shall reserve my opinion about some. I enjoyed myself; great conversations, relaxed atmosphere with Mojito to continue later on with some good Weissen beer and good old rock music. :)

    OH dear...how time flies!:( I must rush for my shower. Need to attend a meeting this evening.

    Cheers everyone! Be good and have a great week ahead. Catch you all soon! :)

  • Quick note

    Just dropping in to say hi to all. Been hellish these days.. with rains and then no rains and then falling sick.

    Be back soon.. but couldn't resist saying hello out here. :DD

    Have fun ya'll!!

  • Rain rain don't drench my drain?

    You wonder why I say that?

    Well now, this is what happened today. A few hours ago,ummm - at about 10 o'clock this evening, dark clouds gathered in the sky. One could feel that it was going to rain soon. Then began a great show of thunder and lightning that lasted for about two hours. I might add that it has been pouring since then. :))

    I went out to enjoy the rains for a bit on my terrace, made sure the water was going down the drain and not accumulating on the terrace due to the heavy downpour.And I had two hot buttered corns to eat while I was working. And I-

    But I am digressing from the topic. U-(

    I had cleared up the debris on my terrace yesterday to make sure the water flowed down the drain and not get clogged if it rained. Unfortunately, I didn't count on my downstairs neighbours coming up to tell me not to clear the water on my terrace! I was like-what?

    Apparently in the last few weeks, they made a small backyard of sorts close to where the drain ends downstairs. Thus, all the dirty water from the terrace would flow down there. They didn't want that. I took them upstairs and showed them the terrace.I have no other way to empty the water off terrace, I tell them. They had of course no reply to that. They just said, don't do it. :crazy:

    Now that bugged me. I asked them if the construction of this backyard was legal because when these apartments had been made, the drains had been put in place for this very reason-when it rains, the water should go down the drain and not get clogged. It had been the same all these years. So how was it that I was not allowed to do it this year? :?:

    I have a feeling this backyard construction is not legal. Or perhaps- they just realised their mistake in coming up and talking to me in that tone. What ever the reason might have been, they left without another word.

    Unfortunately, something unexpected occurred that still clogged the drain and drenched not just my penthouse room, but also the living room downstairs. :##

    A cloth I normally keep upstairs to wipe the pots must have fallen down the clothes wire sometime when during that wind, thunder, lightning show earlier. It must have floated with water to reach the drain hole and got stuck there, closing the mouth of the drain hole. The result- water blocked and overflowing outside the terrace and into the penthouse room and down the stairs into the living room.

    My brother was busy on the phone in the living room, oblivious to this. I was in my room, working. When he put the phone down, he saw the trickle coming down steadily. He called for me immediately.

    Dashing out of my room, I had a vague idea of what could have happened. Something was blocking the drain hole. No other way all that water drips down.

    Action time! We rushed upstairs to the terrace, removed that cloth which had blocked the water. Next thing we know, the water goes down the drain with a huge swooosshh! (I liked that sound :)) ) After that, came cleaning and mopping the rooms and staircase dry. And now that all that is done, I'm sitting here writing this account while it still rains steadily.

    I'll get back to my work soon and finish it. :**: Have a busy day tomorrow with a client coming down from Mauritius for discussions. Still, I shall earn something from this association soon so I am happy to work.

    Tomorrow night, I leave to go home, spend some time with family and friends there. It's been a long time since I went home-almost 8 months!

    Enough of chatter. Time to get back to work. :) Hope you'll have a lovely evening/morning/day ahead. :wave:

    P.S. Do you think I could be good at writing daily life articles? A company has offered me a contract to do so. U-(

  • One wish coming up! :)

    A wish fulfilled- it rained yesterday night. Finally, a bit of respite from the humid, sweaty, suffocating weather. ;)

    Today it is cloudy with sun playing peek-a-boo with the clouds. Peacocks can be heard singing everywhere, thirsting for more rains. Birds are chirping louder than usual. I just saw a chameleon on the tree nearby while standing on the terrace of my house, changing colours, inviting more rains.

    My brother tells me when he went to buy milk today morning, he could see relief on faces of people around him, praying that this heavy shower be the sign of the delayed monsoon that everyone has been waiting for.
    The vegetable vendors looked happy. Finally they may get fresh supply of vegetables soon. Maybe the farmers living in small villages close to the city are hoping for the same.

    Young folks going to college stop by at the local chai wallahs and drink their favourite masala chai and eat "dal wadas with onion rings and fried green chillies" or roasted/buttered corn.B)

    Women in the house are happy that the rains are here but also dismayed at the increase in the amount of work. NO drying clothes outside, making sure the house stays clean despite children coming back from school with muddy shoes, making sure no body falls sick due to changing weather,etc.

    It seems a pot pourri of emotions is all at display simply because it rained. :))

    I'm going to sit on the terrace for a while with my book and a cup of masala chai before I start with my work for today. Lots of meetings in the evening, not to mention regular work that needs to be done.

    Talk to you guys later! Have a great day! :wave:

  • World Book Fair

    If you like reading books- and I'm not just talking about hard paper backs here, reading in any form; e-book form, mobile book form, etc.. here's something for you.

    Go go www.worldebookfair.org and browse through the books there. Who knows, you may find the one book that you'd been looking for ! :)

    Have a wonderful time! :wave: Me off to browse more books there. ;)

  • I find it strange...

    Normally, the sky turns bright with colours by this time around. Normally the birds would be chirping by this time. It is time for Sunrise..5.20 AM now. But today, I see only darkness. No sign of the sun. Wonder where he got delayed. :)

    God-I wish this weather would change! I wish it starts raining!! It has been stifling!! EL NINO .. BEHAVE! *deep breath* Okay, am calm now. :)

    We've been having some weird weather these last couple of days. Dust storms, cloudy sky, intense humidity and terrible heat. The water in the tank up on the terrace is almost boiling by the time it is 3.00 PM. What I've started doing is filling the buckets in the morning so that I may have some cool water to wash my face and hands if it gets too sweaty.

    On the other note, I've been up the whole night watching CSI Miami that I downloaded recently. Can't seem to be able to sleep despite the cooler in my room. Hope I get sleepy by the time I finish this last episode. :)

    Wish you all good day/night depending on where you are! :wave:

  • What next?

    .....is the question plaguing my life at the moment. I've got some job offers but choosing is difficult. Should I stay back out here or just head out? *thinking*

    I am back in Ahmadbad since yesterday. I left Delhi with the heavens opening up to pour down and am back to sweaty, humid climate. Ugh! The Tee that I wear at the moment keeps on sticking to my back. I don't want to use the Cooler simply because I don't. (Electricity costs):oops:

    Coming back to Ahmadabad was a non eventful journey except for one thing. The guy sitting next to me on the plane had decided to keep his mobile turned on for the entire journey despite hearing the instructions carefuly which said "please turn off your mobiles for the journey. You can switch them on when we land."

    Not that he got a chance to do it with me sitting next to him. :DD He tried to put it on silent mode. As soon as the plane started, I looked at him and asked if he understood Hindi and English. He looked a bit taken aback but replied back in positive. I then demanded to know why in the blazes was his mobile on silent mode and not switched off if he had heard the instructions correctly.... well. bascially I gave him a piece of my mind and reminded him that he was risking my life too along with his own.
    He had the grace to look sheepish and turned off the mobile then. Bugger!

    Apart from this one incident, it was absolutely uneventful. ;)

    Coming back was easy. Spending the day without my man was hard. Although it did have one compensation- I reunited with my nephew. :)

    He's grown and he remembered me!! :) I was so happy to note that he hadn't forgotten me. The moment he saw me, he stretched out his arms and gurgled happily. They say kids forget you easily if you're gone long, especially when they're so very young. He didn't. So I guess.. I'm memorable after all. :DD

    More to come later...... gotta catch up on some work. Have a lovely day you guys! :wave:

  • Rain clouds are here finally!

    I'm still in Gurgaon, working. It's been more than a month since I left home to hunt for more work.. thankfully, I seem to have succeeded and made some good contacts too. Thus, I'd say it's not a wasted trip.
    Not to mention of course that I got to spend time with my man.

    It's been terribly hot the last few days, almost a week. The temperature went up to 44 degrees and felt like 47 degrees. I felt roasted despite the fact that I never went out in the sun. It's the heat that makes you house a furnace, never mind the AC.

    However, today seems to be a much better day. Clouds have come in since yesterday night, halting temperature rise and getting the weather to cool down a bit. They're predicting a dust storm with rains today evening. It will most definitely be a relief! :DD

    God is being merciful I think, since He knows it's my birthday today. :) I've been having a lovely time since midnight last night. I cut the cake that he'd brought and am going to wear my birthday gift today evening. :)

    I just hope this happiness I feel today stays all the year round.. Amen.

    I wish you all a happy weekend then and leave ya'll to lovely weather in your countries. :) :wave:

    Hugs!

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