Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday. Being away from home I don't get to celebrate Indian festivals on a grand scale- I don't have holidays on the days of the festival, everyone is busy and I don't have the right things at home to perform an elaborate puja. 

Hence I try to compensate for things I miss out during Thanksgiving. Its about being thankful for all the great things / people in my life and spending time with my loved ones by sharing an elaborate meal. Whats good about this holiday is that I don't have to worry about getting the customs right- I just invite my friends over for dinner and we have some fun. Plus there is the added bonus of looking forward to black friday deals. I would say going to a shopping mall at midnight and shopping all through the night has been my thanksgiving tradition.

Thanksgiving dinner- 2013 @ my place.

Apart from all the shopping, meeting friends and eating rich food -- the tradition I love the most is making a list of things I am thankful for, because each time I do it, I have a new found appreciation about the things/people I have in my life.

So here's my list for this year: ( This is going to be a long post so please bear with me)

1. I am thankful for the wonderful family I have- This year I became closer to my parents and I am mending the distance I had developed with my mother over the years.

2. I am thankful for the wonderful friends I have- who stuck by me through my adversities and helped me become a better person. (Manish Harnur, Shankar Ganesan, Vallabh Prakash, Shreyas Payal, Deepika Podila, Arvind Iyer, Vikram Ramanarayanan, Poornima Balakrishnan, Suhas Thotada Ravi, Prathyusha Chilagani, Sanjay Shanthakumar, Kathik Shekar)

3. I am thankful for finding a job that I love: I found this job when all others failed and I was about to  go back home. It was a happy accident. My learning curve has been exponential. 

4. I am thankful for all things related to USC: Leavey Library, fountain near Tommy Trojan, Ground Zero, Alumni Park, Olin Hall of Engineering.

5. I am thankful for the beautiful apartment I am living in.

6. I am thankful for the city I am living in. I am exploring LA and its been an awesome experience so far- the beaches, museums, restaurants, coffee bars. The list goes on and on.

7. I am thankful for all the holidays I could take this year- Yosemite national park, Acadia national park, Death Valley national park, Catalina Island and the upcoming trip to Florida :D

8. I am thankful for the invention of anti- depressants and ADHD medicines.

9. I am thankful for the existence of the following technologies- Internet, Cell phone, Air Travel,  MacBook Air, Kindle reader, Ipod, digital cameras,Netflix, Pandora.

10. I am thankful for being able to understand myself, re-discover my passions and over come adversity.

11. I am thankful for all the courses I learned/ learning on Coursera:

12. Last but not the least ( actually this is the most important one)- I am thankful for prayers: Hanuman Chalisa, Vishnu Sahasranamam, Aditya Hridayam, Bhajagovindam, Guru Bhakti Geeta and various devotional songs which has been a guiding lamp, source of solace and tranquility in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

LA Meri Jaan!

Sometimes I feel

Like I don't have a partner

Sometimes I feel

Like my only friend

Is the city I live in

The city of Angels

-- These are the first few lines taken from the song ' Under the bridge' by Red Hot Chili Peppers. This is how I feel about Los Angeles. 

My life took a dramatic turn 4.5 years ago when I left home and came to LA for my higher studies. While Bangalore is my birth city, LA is my re-birth city. LA is where I metamorphosed into the person I am today. Life was not easy in LA- especially to a girl who left behind her sheltered and privileged existence. I had to do everything on my own, I had to live with people I did not know and I had to work very hard to achieve my goals.

I struggled because of loneliness, stress, deadlines (I had a knack of selecting the toughest courses), issues with room- mates. For the first few months I had a constant urge to go back home, back to my comfort zone. But eventually I learned to fight my fears. I learned to work hard. I learned to make friends. I learned the art of networking. I learned how to be independent. I learned a lot about data analytics. I learned to be a better person. I learned a lot about myself. 

Its been an exhilarating journey. I graduated from school two years ago. I have been working with USC ever since. LA is the city which helped me define myself. LA is the city which taught me to explore. Though I live alone I never get lonely. Because LA is my muse.

P.S. I love walking around in downtown and taking pics. Here are the few pics taken during my walks. 

Walt disney concert hall

Grand Central Market

Olvera Street- Oldest part of LA

Grand Avenue ' Stars' at night

Grand central park- Civic center

Los Angeles Public Library and US Bank tower

Los Angeles Public Library from Bunker hill steps

My beloved apartment complex- Milano lofts

My love affair with Desserts.

I have always had a craze for sweets/desserts. I inherited this from my Amma dear, who is extremely fond of sweets.

Mom was strict when it came to my eating habits. She made sure that I had healthy wholesome meals and controlled my intake of junk. This rule however was broken when it came to me eating sweets.

I never missed an opportunity to go to Asha Sweets in Malleshwaram with mom because I could easily convince her to buy me a lot of sweets. She would not fuss too much if ate a whole box of sweets.

My mom made a lot of sweets at home as well. (I truly, madly, deeply love her Khova barfi). I usually got shouted at for nicking chips and other junk from the kitchen.  But when ever I stole sweets, she would laugh it off and let it go. 

My exposure to European desserts while in India was very limited. The non- Indian desserts that I knew off, was cake, chocolate mousse and biscuits. When I landed in the US 4 years ago, a whole new world of desserts opened up to me. Being a grad student I could not afford to spend money on fine dining and delicate french desserts on a regular basis. But when I did try something I would be amazed at the incorporation of various textures, flavors and finesse into a single dessert. I will never forget the first time I ate Cheesecake Factory's  Godiva cheesecake or my first plated dessert at Mi Piace- Pasadena. 

My first plated dessert!

Once I started working and had some money of my own I started spending a bit more on trying out exotic desserts. But I never really thought of making those desserts myself.  That changed when I was gifted a dessert recipes cookbook for my 24th birthday. I poured over the book day and night and decided to give dessert making a try.

I made dessert after dessert and I perfected the cheesecake recipe. I also learned to make orange cake, sponge cakes with chocolate ganache, creme brulee (of various flavors), panna cotta and different types of layer cakes. I bought an ice-cream maker and started making ice-creams as well.

Godiva chocolate cheesecake, Marble Cheese cake and pistachio ice cream.

Caramel Flan

As a consequence of having to finish the desserts by myself (I don't have friends who are crazy about sweets like me) I became heavier and heavier. My belly had become so big that it looked like I was pregnant. That's when I stopped making desserts and started the war with my body fat. I have lost 20 pounds and no longer look pregnant. But I do miss making rich desserts so so so so so much. 

Moving on to the brighter side of things I stay very close to Bottega Louie. When ever I miss making artsy ,creamy, lip- smacking desserts I just go in and check out their dessert display. Sigh!

The desserts on display at Bottega Louie

I think I need a guinea pig.