Friendship

The best of friends, Can change a frown, Into a smile, when you feel down. The best of friends, Will understand, Your little trials, And lend a hand. The best of friends, Will always share, Your secret dreams, Because they care. The best of friends, Worth more than gold, Give all the love, A heart can hold. - Jill Wolf -

Paneer Bhurji

Do you need any explanation!!! Finally I got these North Indian food on my platter, Parantha and Paneer Bhurji. Damn, I was dying for these stuff and finally after living life on potato wedges I took the bravest step ever to switch the hob on and cook Paneer Bhurji. Thanks to Subh Bhaina, Apa n Om for their step by step guidance over phone to make the dish super YUMMY. From this you can understand the level of my 'Kitchen Panicness'. The Parantha is of-course a frozen food :D

Please don't get envy of me, here goes the procedure so that you can make it by yourself. (Please don't carry the misconception that I'll cook ever for you :D)

Paneer Bhurji
Ingredients: 200 gms Paneer
                      2 medium sized Onion (Finely chopped)
                      1 medium size Tomato (Optional)
                  2-3 Green Chilies (finely chopped)
                      3 table spoon Oil
                         Salt (As per test) (1/2 spoon is good enough)

Easiest process to make this dish is, just put the oil in pan and once heated leave the chopped green chilies in it. Then put the finely chopped onions and keep frying in high level for 5 mins before putting the cubed tomatoes. And stir for another 3-4 minutes. Now add salt, a pinch of turmeric and even some spices like cumin powder, curry powder or what ever you want but it is completely optional. And now add Paneer which is smashed or cut in to very small pieces. Keep it on hob for 5 mins or so and now your DISH is ready.



Don't you think this is easy!! Try it if you don't know the abc of cooking or afraid of the kitchen more than any terror lecture series or else just SKIP everything what ever you read. Sorry, what you asked? 'You don't know how to use the HOB!'... err, I need to look for an consultancy providing the service and will update you once 'm successful :D.
And people who fall in the second category can even mail me more simpler recipes to share their knowledge only if there is no copy right issue ;)

P.S. The other reason of this post is, at least I can refer it if I'll cook the same in future :p

Colors of Spring

The VIBRANT spring never stops to amaze you with it's colors... On a sunny evening at the 'Lake Side' in University.

My New Ride

Did I ever mentioned that my 'Orange Bike' got stolen! Yes, its true. My firsthand experience of a crime victim here in United Kingdom came with this as someone stole it from University. The CC tv camera though recorded it and after my complaint the University security team assured me with the hope to get it recovered. I also lodged an complaint in the local police station, but all vain. After waiting for two weeks I got no updates. I liked that bike so much which carried me all around since last five months was an integrated part of daily activities. I almost developed a relation with it after 'Uni'. The 'Uni' back in India was a great buddy and it would be rude not to mention about him. Anyways, finally I decided to go for another used bike, as new ones are much expensive and after this incident it's bit difficult to dare for a 300 squid bike. And here it goes. 'Black is beauty', so a black mountain bike this time... :)



P.S. Hopefully someday will do a full phase photo shoot.

Updates from Spring

Spring is on full swing... but a hectic schedule has just kept me busy only to gaze at my lappy all day. I'm not complaining rather work has another kind of hidden FUN in it, after all Easter Study Break it is so can't run away from this ;)

After a long long time 'Lake Side' is explored and not to mention, it was worth after a tiring day. Cherry blossoms that I posted last time are history now and it is the time of Tulips... So beautiful they are with vibrant colors!

Few hours under the Sun!

Finally Sun started to show his face regularly. A constant daytime temperature of 16-20 degrees is so pleasant these days. And not to mention the days are also getting longer and longer, it was even quite bright outside today when my watch was showing 8.00 pm.

Actually today we had a small group meeting in the Studio and the Sunny day outside was so tempting that we decided to come out and use the lush green lawn beside instead of our cagey work place... Damn nice it was, means this Easter Study Vacation is going to be pleasant and FUN. For me the best part is, I don't need to wear layers and layers of clothing to go out :D









P.S. This time the trusty Canon SX 100 came handy.... means none of the images are from dslr :p

Friday Night

Again, I'm sitting surrounded by millions of books... It is the literature floor in our library, you must be wondering, what the hell 'm doing in the Zombie land... lolz.
Actually it is another aimless night to go just to experience the Sunrise and the cold morning breeze along the meadows before Spring comes and Winter becomes history ;)



Actually Spring was about to approach and people started to come out with their summer clothes which forced Winter to send few proper waves of cold... let me tell you, it is really cold and the temperature as low as 2 degrees...

Invitation Sent

Ah, the weather here in the foreign land finally started turning pleasant... today while working inside the room I was sweating like anything and seemed like the temperature is high up like 40 degrees. But it was only 10 degrees which my lappy soughted... Still it is just another pleasant time in the city of Nottingham...

So the invitation to Spring is sent and accepted... And Boy, it's making me crazy ;)


Alien spikes...

P.S. This photograph of the first blossom that I got to see here during this grey period, near the zebra crossing that I cross everyday to go to school. I was actually noticing them since the day the alien spikes came out of the ground showing the shade of green from the color palate of nature. I was expecting some flowers but not these beautiful ones... So beautiful they are really :)
And not to mention SX 100 still rocks...

Latin Night at School

There was small wine session and Latin night in the school cafe yesterday, and a very good friend of mine Carlos was playing Guitar. He would have killed me if I missed the show this time. It was after all a good end of the jam packed day...

Our DJ, Guillermo Guzman. My tutor for the last term...


Carlos in action...


And another sweet friend, Ana...

Thanks for the happening evening guyz...
Cheers.

London Fieldtrip

Just returned from a field-trip to London to experience few high rise of the Capital city... Let me confirm you, London is not the city which welcomes TALL structures, as it is in the process of conserve it's royal heritage.

The 'SNOWY' Affair

It's snowing heavily here in the United Kingdom Midlands and Nottingham is also not escaped..... This time it is snowing here quite early and heavily, even the bad weather is giving a tough time to the people who are living here since last 20 years....

And our whole campus has turned white, except few tar strips and it is a completely different experience for most of the International students. Though they are struggling to resist the weather but you can bet they are having a great time and lovely experience.

At our School courtyard...

'Then' and 'Now'

During Autumn...


And now, during Winter...

The First LAYER of ICE

Today morning we got to see a proper white layer covered on the grass outside our school. Yes, the frozen drops of dew... Though we already have seen this earlier 2 weeks before on top of cars once, but it was the proper topping this time. And even I found thin layer of slippery ice on pathways, which we used to call 'Black Ice' on tarmac roads.
It was freezing cold outside yesterday and it seemed that blood is about to change it's form to solid and you will be converted to a snowman. So finally winter is here and temperature already has started torturing us with it's sub-zero marks...





Wish me a Emotionless FREEZING winter... :)

The first wave of 'Winter'

WINTER is almost here and is knocking at the door...



If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant:
if we did not sometimes taste of adversity,
prosperity would not be so welcome.
-Anne Bradstreet-

FALL is History now...

I'm just making a pout while writing this post. Its raining here since morning and also totally wind. Went walking to the school today enjoying(read resisting) the RAIN without an umbrella, thanks to the memory card in my mind as I left it at one of friends place. Really need an 'Extreme III' :(
While returning on my way back at around 6.00, it seems that I was going to be frozen and people will rescue me by breaking me out of a ICE cube. Did I tell you that after Halloween the daylight disappears at around 4.30 PM!!! Hopefully not, anyways.

FALL was really beautiful and I enjoyed the nature he MOST. These kind of weather is really going to be dream for next 3-4 months.



Captured this Photograph someday back on my way back to home and it's near my accommodation. Don't miss the RED buildings where I stay :P

E.Q.U.I.N.O.X

And guyz, here comes EQUINOX. The band that plays 'Architecture'...'Sustainable Architecture'!

Carlos Hidalgo, Toyin Phillip and Manveen Kaur, You guyz ROCK.

Wollaton Hall, Nottingham

The spectacular Elizabethan mansion, 'Wollaton Hall', was built on a natural hill in Nottingham during the 16th century. This residential building is famous for it's historic 'Hall' and is surrounded by 500 acres of parkland. Except this it also houses the Natural History Museum and Nottingham Industrial museum.

On a sunny afternoon I managed to visit the place but until I reached at the main building enjoying the beautiful parkland in my pace, it was closed. So managed to get few external snaps of this lovely piece of architecture.

Heard that, there is a massive collection of VINTAGE machinery in the Industrial Museum including working steam engines, ploughing machines, telephone exchange and even bicycles and motor-cycles. So that is the target now. I also came to know that, Nottingham has a very rich industrial heritage. Once upon a time it was famous for LACE making and having an importance in textile industry.

The lovely path through the 'Park-Land'...










Complete Photo Album HERE.

PS: Stay tuned for the next post to see this place in details. Hopefully very soon I'll visit the place again ;)

Annual 'GOOSE Fair' 2010, Nottingham

My first BRITISH fair experience.

The annual Nottingham Fun Fair or 'Goose Fair' has a history of more than 700 year. It is one of the prestigious fairs in UK. The name 'GOOSE' came from GEESE, which were suppose to be walked some 100 miles away from Lincolnshire to be sold in Nottingham. Geese are similar to Ducks or Swans and were quite popular on dinner table. But now the fair is popular for its rides and crowd. It is highly popular among local people despite of any age group. The fair held in the first week of October every year.















Though Indians don't need any description of a FAIR, still it's another experience. If you are around at that time of the year, it's worth to give a visit.

Complete Photo Album HERE.