The oscars...

I usually never watch the oscars though I sometimes keep track of the movies that won, just so that I can catch some of them when they screen.
Last year I saw "The artist" and it was pretty non moving for me. It was dull for me. So, I know that my taste and the Oscars may not match.
This year I watched the show live and was mesmerised at the glamour! Oh god! How do these people manage to look so breathtakingly beautiful?
Again, some of the best dressed didn't appeal to me. But, I liked a few.

The surprise for me was - ADELE! What a voice! Sheer magic, such a deep, moving voice. It was the only breathtaking performance of the day. Ever since Skyfall is playing non stop here. The stage was awesome too!
I can never understand or appreciate all the jokes at the Oscars. Especially the boobs one and Sally Fields one were so distasteful! I don't know how people bear it. It was gratifying that some of the leading ladies did show their displeasure at the tasteless humour.

So, I saw my favourite George Clooney with his arm candy. The best part was he told one of the interviewers "You talk to her first" as she was more interested in Stacy's dress and quipped "I sewed all the sequins myself". This guy is just so funny. When ARGO was named the best pic, it looked like he was sincerely happy for Ben more than for himself! It was nice of him to let Ben do all the talking after the oscar and take the spotlight. I was like "George manages an Oscar even if he does not act in a movie. That's great!". I have a lot of respect for George (we're now on first name calling terms). The very next day, George was in Germany, awarded for his humanitarian acts. Somehow I feel connected to him. I can get his humour, wit and some persona and charm of his - just attracts me. I love his mannerisms, his smile! After a looong time, here is a man to adore! A man you wish to own! The most coveted piece of real estate in Hollywood has to be George! So, enough of it now..

So, I went n saw a lot of old oscar acceptance speeches. Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Cuba Gooding Jr, Sandra Bullock, etc. The Oscars are considered dull, boring and studded with tasteless humour, maybe they are. Most of the times, the winners seem skewed and chosen due to political motives or for adhering to popular American themes. So, we know that when some movies are made, they are made with the Oscars in mind, which beats the purpose. A movie needs to be made to tell stories that need to be told, to shake and wrench people, to unprove everything they ever believed in, to terrify them, to take them to fantasy shores. These are some of the criteria before one should begin filming or before he thinks of making a movie. The scene in India was also not great. Maybe a few good ones here and there - small budget, regional movies. Much of the bigger ones stuck to commercially viable themes and didn't appeal.

So, I'm all starry eyed now. It's a great achievement to make a movie that millions love! I wonder how it feels to stand at the podium when you receive an Oscar or a golden globe! The pride when your colleagues give you a standing ovation. It must all be so dizzyingly stressful and fun as well. I just envy these guys so much...
  

Fight club quotations

From: http://www.theminimalists.com/fc/
I'm reposting it here, lest the website vanishes!

This goes so well with the ideas of spirituality. Also the minimalist diet sounds great! Quite similar to what they do at Isha.


Fight Club is not a film about fighting. It’s a narrative about life and about getting rid of the corporate and cultural influences (or perhaps the confluence of the two) that control our lives. These are some of our favorite minimalist quotes from the film.

1. The things you own end up owning you.
2. It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.
3. You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis. You’re the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world. (A note from Joshua: after re-reading this quote, I literally threw away every pair of khakis I owned. There was something about this quote, holistically, that had a real effect on my nerve endings.)
4. Reject the basic assumptions of civilization, especially the importance of material possessions.
5. Fuck off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let…lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may.
6. The liberator who destroyed my property has realigned my perceptions.
7. Do you know what a duvet is?…It’s a blanket. Just a blanket. Now why do guys like you and me know what a duvet is? Is this essential to our survival, in the hunter-gatherer sense of the word? No. What are we then?…We are consumers. We’re the byproducts of a lifestyle obsession.
8. We’re consumers. We are the byproducts of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty, these things don’t concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy’s name on my underwear. Rogaine, Viagra, Olestra…Fuck Martha Stewart. Martha’s polishing the brass on the Titanic. It’s all going down, man. So fuck off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns.
9. Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who’ve ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war…our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.
10. What do you want? Wanna go back to the shit job, fucking condo world, watching sitcoms? Fuck you, I won’t do it.
11. [Talking about consumerism] We are all part of the same compost heap.
12. How embarrassing…a house full of condiments and no food. [A synecdoche for modern consumer driven life.]
13. [Narrator, while looking at a Calvin Klein-esque ad on the bus] Is that what a real man is supposed to look like?
14. Fuck what you know. You need to forget about what you know, that’s your problem. Forget about what you think you know about life, about friendship, and especially about you and me.
15. Hitting bottom isn’t a weekend retreat. It’s not a goddamn seminar. Stop trying to control everything and just let go! LET GO!
16. Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing.
17. Only after disaster can we be resurrected.
18. Guys, what would you wish you’d done before you died?
19. [After Raymond Hessel faces death but lives] Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel’s life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted.
20. [Talking to himself about himself] Hey, you created me…take some responsibility!
21. [Talking about Fight Club] And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight.
22. God Damn! We just had a near-life experience, fellas. [Suggesting that most experiences are, by nature, dead.]
23. Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.
24. Time to stand up for what you believe in.
25. If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don’t you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can’t think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all that claim it? Do you read everything you’re supposed to read? Do you think every thing you’re supposed to think? Buy what you’re told to want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you’re alive. If you don’t claim your humanity you will become a statistic. You have been warned.
26. This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.

What is a whole grain? What are sprouted grain flours?

So, there is a lot of hype about whole grains. I had a rough idea what it meant but was not quite sure. Also I wanted to know what all whole grains I could grab. After a lot of futile search, I landed at this website while searching for Amaranth :-) See, Google never gives you the right answer when you do a serious search.

Definition of Whole Grains

Following is the official definition of whole grains, approved and endorsed by the Whole Grains Council in May 2004:
Whole grains or foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. If the grain has been processed (e.g., cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded, and/or cooked), the food product should deliver approximately the same rich balance of nutrients that are found in the original grain seed.
This definition means that 100% of the original kernel – all of the bran, germ, and endosperm – must be present to qualify as a whole grain.

List of whole grains

The following, when consumed in a form including the bran, germ and endosperm, are examples* of generally accepted whole grain foods and flours. Click here to learn more about each one.

• Amaranth
• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Corn, including whole cornmeal and popcorn
• Millet
• Oats, including oatmeal
• Quinoa
• Rice, both brown rice and colored rice
• Rye
• Sorghum (also called milo)
• Teff
• Triticale
• Wheat, including varieties such as spelt, emmer, farro, einkorn, Kamut®, durum and forms such as bulgur, cracked wheat and wheatberries
• Wild rice

More..
http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/whole-grains-a-to-z

So, enough about whole grains.
What are sprouted whole grains or sprouted flours?

What is a Sprouted Grain?

Grains are the seeds of certain plants, largely cereal grasses. Like all seeds, grain kernels are a marvel of nature, containing the potential of a whole new plant, patiently waiting its turn in the sun.

All three edible parts of the whole grain – the germ, endosperm, and bran – are crucial to creating the new plant. The germ is the plant embryo, which, when it grows, will feed on the starchy endosperm. The bran layers provide some additional nutrients and — along with the inedible husk found on many grains – help protect the grain seed until it’s ready to start the growth cycle.

Until then, the seed counts on certain built-in growth inhibitors to keep it from germinating until temperature and moisture conditions are just right. Then, once sprouting starts, enzyme activity wipes out these growth inhibitors and transforms the long-term-storage starch of the endosperm to simpler molecules that are easily digested by the growing plant embryo.

Just as the baby plant finds these enzyme-activated simple molecules easier to digest, so too may some people. Proponents of sprouted grains claim that grains that have just begun sprouting – those that are straddling the line between a seed and a new plant, as shown here — offer all the goodness of whole grains, while being more readily digested.
What’s more, the sprouting process apparently increases the amount and bio-availability of some vitamins (notably Vitamin C) and minerals, making sprouted grains a potential nutrition powerhouse.

http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/sprouted-whole-grains

Why Sprout Powders?
Sprouted grains, legumes, and seeds are some of the most vitamin and mineral-dense foods on the planet. When the seeds are germinated, through their initial contact with water in the sprouting process, their nutritional content changes dramatically. They become higher in protein, lower in carbohydrates, and develop a host of vital live enzymes.
During the first few days of sprouting, a newly developing sprout is loaded with potential energy -- the life source necessary for the seed to grow. As the sprout grows and matures into a plant, this concentrated energy is diluted. The sprouts used for these sprout powders are sprouted only for a short period of time, and are harvested before they change from a sprouted seed to a young plant, at the exact time when they are at their maximum level of nutritional and enzymatic value.
At this point in the sprout's development, the Vitamins, minerals, and important phytochemicals are in their most potent form, and are in their most readily bioavailable state. Additionally, research has shown that for those grains containing gluten, at this stage the gluten content is reduced and is in a more easily digestible form.
After the young sprouts have reached this optimum level of development, they are harvested and slow-dried at low temperatures. Drying at low temperatures is extremely important so that the live enzymes in the sprouts remain alive. After the drying process, the sprouts are then gently ground into a fine powder.

http://www.sunburstsuperfoods.com/raw-organic-multigrain-sprout-powder-blend/

Some great ideas for whole grain recipes.
http://www.mydiversekitchen.com/2008/10/wbb-grains-in-my-breakfast-round-up.html

So, cheers to good health!

Heavy duty downloading + fitness links

So, last few days have been a bit frustrating. I went out to Coorg for a star party and ended up eating a LOT... and my scales showed all the weight. 10 days of exercising gone waste!
For someone who struggles to lose weight this is a huge setback. But the only smart thing that I did was, immediately rush to the gym. So, some damage control has been done. The scales show a few pounds less :-)

Somehow I was getting a bad feeling whether this attempt at losing weight will succeed or not. Last year started well but somehow, staying at home and trying to eat properly and do some yoga/ walk did not show much result. It needed tweaking probably. Even now I do less cardio and more stretches.
Y-day -I tried increasing my treadmill to 25 mins and was quite exhausted. I tried running but was not able to continue for more than 1 min or 1.5 mins. That was disheartening to say the least.
So, the night was spent in turmoil again. Also I probably had too high a heart rate for some sound sleep. I then realized that I should shift my gym timings to mornings so that I benefit from sustained high metabolism.

Yday while browsing about a guy called Sandeep Sachdev, I hit upon this blog:
http://kyleolsonsblog.wordpress.com/

He did not write much about his journey but I was so amazed at his weight loss.  I wanted to mail him and ask him if it was some kind of paid ad for the author.
Then I tried to research about the said book.
I ended up reading about one more book. I was tempted and desperate - the right candidate for selling something to. So, I bought both - which set me back by Rs 4600! One of them, the FLR - did not seem great at first sight. The 2nd one - BFFM did seem good in comparison and that was actually my first choice. I cursed myself why I went and bought the other one. Anyway, maybe we need to make mistakes all the time, to become a little wise. I am always very wary of online gimmicks and never trust these e-books. But a certain kind of desperation has set in and I wanted to do something about it.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/fat-loss-revealed-will-brink/
http://www.freedieting.com/best_diet_plans.htm
http://activelyloseweight.com/best-weight-loss-guides

Nutrition:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/nutrition/#SimpleSubstitutionMethod
http://www.freedieting.com/foods_for_fat_loss.htm

About workouts:

http://www.blitzconditioning.com/functional-fitness/ 

How to start running:
http://www.wikihow.com/Begin-Running

Metabolic Workouts: why use it and how!

http://www.blitzconditioning.com/metabolic-workouts-why-use-it-and-how/

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Best Cardio to Burn Fat

http://www.builtlean.com/2010/06/04/high-intensity-interval-training-hiit-best-cardio-to-burn-fat/

Circuit training:

http://www.freedieting.com/circuit_training.htm


TRX:
http://www.trxtraining.com/train/exercises

http://www.greatweightlifting.com/

There are innumerable fitness apps and running apps.

I downloaded one:
Accutrainer

I'll check and download more!

So, for now - good amount of info to overhaul my system.
Hope this will come handy to a few more people on the way!



 

Prejudice

Prejudice is something that I would strongly rate as the first most negative trait in me. For some reason, if I develop a negative opinion about something or someone, I will not give them a chance. It takes me a long while to get rid of the prejudice.
eg: My husband forgets things a lot. I have to remind him to take the car keys, the wallet, phone or ID card. Somewhere or the other this prejudice about his forgetfulness makes me pass a remark or two which hurts him.
Similarly I have a friend who is not truthful many a times. So many times I have found that he lies in order to portray himself as some mahaan husband or mahaan dad that I have such a low opinion of the guy. So, once when he was telling us of a route to reach home, I just did not take his opinions. I did not think he'd give me a better route! It's not that I think I am the best, but just that I think that person will not be good enough.
I have similar issues with few other people. I develop this prejudice over time and it affects my thinking. Sometimes even when the person is right, I take a long time to acknowledge that. My first reaction would be "Hah, another bluff" or "another nautanki" or "phir se bhool gaya".
Having a well informed opinion about someone is good. It protects you from being fooled or taken for a ride. But prejudices affect us negatively also.
This is one action item for me. I want to get rid of the effects of prejudice. Sometimes my prejudice just shows up at unwanted places :-) I cannot hide it always.

Anger

So, I've been observing myself and I see myself returning to my old self again.

My anger levels are high. My calmness is gone! I am attributing this to my negligence towards Shambavi. I haven't been able to do shambavi in a while. Also, I am travelling quite a bit to the gym. The unruly traffic on Indian roads, drives me mad.

So, I also observed a fellow traveller get angry and irritated with his wife and child (for no obvious reason according to me). That set me thinking - when do we get angry?

Most obviously - when people do not behave in a way we expect - we get angry. If things don't turn out the way we expect we behave angry. If we think, there are more things in the external world that can go wrong than behave as per our wishes. Even your spouse of 25 years will not be able to behave exactly as you like - then forget the whole world that we live in. We need to commute to work - we meet a lot of people on the road, at work, our friends, relatives. So many of them will behave in a way not acceptable to us, right? 

Then why become angry? That too we can observe that some days we get angry for the same things that they do but other days we are in a position to brush it off and remain cool. Why so? The reason is - you are in a state of uncalm. There is turbulence inside you. This turbulence magnifies when such situations occur. We can never predict when unfavourable conditions will occur and wreak havoc. Some days I know that things may go wrong, I am well prepared. I can guess that someone is approaching me with the idea of cheating me or selling something to me that I do not need. In those cases I prepare myself well before I meet the person, so I behave well and do not offend them or do anything stupid to myself. But, how many times can you be prepared? Not always. So, the best thing is - bring yourself to a state of calmness. When you achieve this slowly your anger subsides. You are in better control of your emotions when you're calm inside. You can handle anything better.

http://blog.ishafoundation.org/sadhguru/masters-words/the-root-of-all-suffering/

“The root of all your suffering is just this – that nobody should even trample on your idea, your thought, your emotion, your personality, all this… That’s the reason this struggle is going on. Self-preservation, the instinct of self-preservation should limit itself only to the physical body. Rest of the things are all modifiable.”

It does not matter how much people preach "don't get angry"; when certain situations arise, you get angry. It does not matter what kind of human being you become; even if you become superhuman, you will never have absolute control over the external world. Whether it is with the company you work for, your family or the world, you will never have total control over external situations.

But you can have total control over your internal situation. Emotional states like anger, hate, lust, compassion or love -- from the lowest states to the highest -- are certain types of expression of the same energy. People often ask, "Can we exist without anger?" This is generally because anger is the most intense emotion people have experienced in their lives. People want intensity, but the only way they know how to be intense is through physical action, anger or pain. The very reason why drugs and sex have become such a big thing in the world is, somehow, people want to experience some intensity, at least for a few moments -- it is the intensity that draws them. I am always talking about intensity because intensity is the only thing man is seeking, and it is the only thing that will liberate man from his present bondages.

But unfortunately, for most people, their fear, anger and hatred are the most intense situations in their lives. Their love is never so intense. Their peace is never so intense. Their joy is never so intense. Instead, their negativities are intense, so they experience power in negative circumstances. 

So don’t worry about your anger. At least in anger you’re becoming intense. But it’s time to transform this intensity of anger into higher levels of intensity where it’s very beautiful. At least somebody’s able to get angry, I’m happy. I can’t bear with the people who are eating eight meals a day and are just lethargic, and nothing happens within them; they don’t even get angry. If anger is happening, at least some life is cooking within you; life is still kicking, you know?

Anger is enormous intensity; it is an intensity that hurts you. It is an intensity that can get you into a lot of trouble. It is an intensity that can destroy people around you and yourself in so many ways. But if you transform your energy in a certain way, it naturally becomes love and compassion. Then, slowly, as the process goes further, you reach the pinnacle of self-awareness and experience a unity with all life. The whole process of yoga is based on this.

For many people, "yoga" just means twisting yourself into some impossible postures. But that is not what we are referring to as yoga. "Yoga" means to be in perfect tune, when your body, mind, spirit and the existence are in absolute harmony. When you fine-tune yourself to such a point where everything functions so beautifully within you, the best of your abilities will naturally flow out of you. So yoga is the science of activating your inner energies in such a way that your body, mind and emotions function at their highest peak.

Suppose you start experiencing everyone around you as part of yourself. After that, no one needs to teach you to be good, not to harm others. And once you are experientially a part of everything, then nobody needs to teach you morality. Then you can do something about any given situation that may be unpleasant, but without anger. What you have to do, you do; but when you do it with anger and hatred, it is of no value. A day can come when, even if you are put into the most extreme situation, your energies will remain very calm. When you act out of unity with all life, you act without identity. Only then can you function out of your intelligence.

Yoga means to cultivate your energy in such a way that gradually it breaks the physical limitations and elevates you to the highest level of awareness, the flowering of human potential.

Letting go of some relations...

I think for most people this will rank as the most heart breaking experience. It's one of the hardest things to do. You end up being sad, miserable and you wish days pass by fast to reduce the agony.
So, while I don't know why we need to break some relations, it seems to be the best thing to do. Just like a bottle of medicine that causes much harm when you use it beyond the expiry, a sour relation can wreak havoc, unless both parties try hard to patch up. Most of the times when one person alone tries it does not work. It's ok to have broken relations. We all evolve everyday. We are not the same person as we were 10 years ago. Our thoughts, priorities, expectations - everything changes. When we find that there is a huge gap between us and the person involved, which cannot be filled and its hurting us to continue the relation, you better break it. After a while maybe we may change again and converge once more but for now, breaking apart is the best solution.

I've had some relations spoilt for no reason. My friend suddenly stopped even saying the customary 'Hi, how are you?'. I was at his party and somehow this lack of sensitivity in the person hurt me. At some point we had some small issues because of his spouse but the funny thing is, spouse talks normally when we meet. It's just this guy who behaved odd. I don't know if he's become this way with everyone. Anyway, so I decide not to go to any of his parties (anyway we stopped visiting his place). I expect good behaviour from people and most often I am let down. I had another relation which recently became cold and got reduced to "Hi"s and "Bye"s. The total insensitivity and uncaring nature of the person hurt me a lot.

I have understood that I hate people who do not care for others. I don't say you care for everyone on the street, but a few relations, one needs to maintain. I am so engrossed in relations and the happiness it brings that I can never imagine someone who does not value them. I have some in my family who display no interest in others, what they do and how they are. I have come to terms with that. I also don't go overboard with such people. That gives me satisfaction. We need to tune ourselves to others sometimes. Else, we may get hurt. If you're always caring and the other person never cares - atleast when they ought to - it hurts. There's a saying that give because you feel like giving, not because the other is wanting. The same is true for relations but it's hard to achieve. Some minimal expectation is there. You want your best friend to call up when you're sick or hospitalised. You probably don't expect them to be at the hospital or pay your bills, but you expect them to keep track of your wellbeing. It costs no money. Does it? I was not brought up this way. I made myself this way. Since I value relations I have become this kind of person and I know that for many relations don't mean much.


Why don't we all pay some attention to the way we behave? I'm not saying be a superficial person, but have some level of manners. When you're in a meeting or get together, it helps to follow some etiquettes so that we do not hurt people with different cultural upbringing or different sensibilities than us. You can always say 'I don't care' but that's not the right thing.


On the road and everywhere our actions affect others. Yes, as a staunch follower of yoga I should know to insulate myself from such behaviour but I have not reached there yet. Right now, I am a human who gets affected when people behave bad (bad = not acceptable as per my beliefs). Everytime I drive out - I feel angry and bitter. We just don't care about others on the road. Given the traffic conditions in most cities I don't know how it will be in the next 20-30 years! It will be hell! I think a better option is to move out of Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities or more away from the country altogether. I am now reminded of Kamal. (I digress)When Kamal finds a secular and peaceful place to live, I want to move out with him. I don't think I can stand this kind of society for long.

It's been 62 years since our independence and where have we grown? All I can see is high rise building, posh cars and malls. Is this how a nation grows? When we look back and see the spiritual power of this country, the amazing things that our ancestors did.. I feel proud. That spirituality is rigged up to create N number of businesses today but if we follow the essence of the teachings, we may become a GREAT NATION.. not just a developed country.

The blues have hit me again...

It's been a while since I felt blue. To show its mighty presence and wreck some havoc - here its visited me again. Why - is a question I am unable to find an answer to. Maybe I'm physically exhausted. I have no time to think. Actually I want free time so that I can stay still and not think, but that is not happening. My shambavi went for a toss due to the stupid early morning hunger pangs. I am not seeing much results after so much activity. I know that I should give it more time. It's just 10 days but I want SOME results... Yesterday I was driving back hungry and I did not find a idli dosa joint with parking, so I ended up eating at mast kalandar, which was in itself not a bad choice, but I ordered my favourite HP3 thali and gulped down half a gulab jamun. One day's sin and my weighing scale shows 2 lbs up today :-( That broke my heart. The 2 hours of exercising is undone by one meal. How can I cope up with such setbacks? I need to read my post on things getting derailed. I need to just accept it and start over. When will this battle come to a decent end? I had to go to a party and no matter what I wear, how carefully I choose my clothes and accessories, it does not look good on me :-( I try hard not to get bothered by these things as these do not matter in the long run but how do I run away from every social meeting? I want to look good when I step out. My skin has gone awry for no reason (probably the long drive in the sun is affecting it). Can my body and skin not understand what I am going through! So many people wake up and just look fab.. and here, no matter how many times I take a shower, I end up looking shabby and horrible. Sometimes it gets to me. One needs to see results to continue some habit which is not easy to follow. To work on something which doesn't show results requires an entirely different fabric inside the person, which I do not possess.
I donno whether its the tiredness from a long travel and gym or my jobless state or my inability to continue shambavi or my looks - I donno what.. Maybe it's none of these also, but I am feeling blue. I'm trying to look happy and be polite to others, but inside I feel sad. 

A nice primer to baking!

The science of baking:
http://www.culinate.com/articles/features/baking_chemistry

http://www.culinate.com/articles/features/baking_powder

http://foodarts.com/news/classics/20964/roses-sugar-bible

Basic pound cake:
http://www.culinate.com/recipes/collections/Contributors/zanne_miller/grammoms_pound_cake

Brownies:
http://www.food.com/recipe/best-ever-brownies-from-baking-with-julia-child-99113

Creamy chocolate cake:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/10/baking-with-dorie-grandmothers-creamy-chocola.html

Simple chocolate cake for beginners:
http://www.hersheys.com/pure-recipes/details.aspx?id=4276&name=Celebration+Chocolate+Cake

Very dense and chocolatey cake:
http://cooks.ndtv.com/article/show/how-to-cook-the-perfect-chocolate-cake-296178

The fitness journey so far..

So, after countless sleepless nights, I joined a gym run by a physiotherapist. It's not a usual gym. I hardly use the elliptical, treadmill and cycle (30 mins at the most). They have stretches and workouts to address the core muscles of the body. They want to ensure you're flexible, your muscles are strong and then probably take on more. Sounded good.

It's been 8 days now. The whole day I feel I'm only preparing to go there and come back. I'm down with severe body pain but I think I need to endure another month of this. I do tend to overeat after the gym sessions. It does feel bad.
But, I do feel more flexible. I feel I've toned a bit. The scale does show a dip at last!!!!!!!!!!! It shows 7 lbs less. That's probably 7 lbs gone in 2 weeks. That's good progress to start with. I just wish that I somehow sustain the 3 hour travel and tiredness.... for the whole of this year. 2013 should be the last time someone saw a rotund me. 2014 should be the year of the toned!

Excerpts from:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/a/NewCore.htm

The best core exercises may surprise you. It's not enough to just do ab crunches and sit ups. To build a strong core you need to exercise a variety of muscles from your hips to your shoulders. Most people think of the core as a nice six-pack, or strong, toned abs, but the truth is that the abdominal muscles are a very small part of the core. The abs have very limited and specific action, and what experts refer to as the "core" actually consists of many different muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis, and run the entire length of the torso. When these muscles contract, they stabilize the spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle and create a solid base of support. When this happens, we are able to generate powerful movements of the extremities.
The core muscles also make it possible to stand upright and move on two feet. These muscles help control movements, transfer energy, shift body weight and move in any direction. A strong core distributes the stresses of weight-bearing and protects the back. Core conditioning exercise programs need to target all these muscle groups to be effective.

What Are the Core Muscles?

Different experts include different muscles in this list, but in general the muscles of the core run the length of the trunk and torso. The following list includes the most commonly identified core muscles as well as the lesser known groups.

• Rectus Abdominis - located along the front of the abdomen, this is the most well-known abdominal muscle and is often referred to as the "six-pack" due to it's appearance in fit and thin individuals.
• Erector Spinae- This group of three muscles runs along your neck to your lower back.
• Multifidus - located under the erector spinae along the vertebral column, these muscles extend and rotate the spine.
• External Obliques - located on the side and front of the abdomen.
• Internal Obliques - located under the external obliques, running in the opposite direction.
• Transverse Abdominis (TVA) - located under the obliques, it is the deepest of the abdominal muscles (muscles of your waist) and wraps around your spine for protection and stability.
• Hip Flexors - located in front of the pelvis and upper thigh. The muscles that make up the hip flexors include: psoas major, illiacus, rectus femoris, pectineus, sartorius
• Gluteus medius and minimus - located at the side of the hip
• Gluteus maximus, hamstring group, piriformis - located in the back of the hip and upper thigh leg.
• Hip adductors - located at medial thigh.

Benefits of Good Core Strength

• A Strong Core Reduces Back Pain
  Abdominals get all the credit for protecting the back and being the foundation of strength, but they are only a small part of what makes up the core. In fact, it is weak and unbalanced core muscles that are linked to low back pain. Weak core muscles result in a loss of the appropriate lumbar curve and a swayback posture. Stronger, balanced core muscles help maintain appropriate posture and reduce strain on the spine.
• A Strong Core Improves Athletic Performance
  Because the muscles of the trunk and torso stabilize the spine from the pelvis to the neck and shoulder, they allow the transfer of power to the arms and legs. All powerful movements originate from the center of the body out, and never from the limbs alone. Before any powerful, rapid muscle contractions can occur in the extremities, the spine must be solid and stable and the more stable the core, the most powerful the extremities can contract.
• A Strong Core Improves Postural Imbalances
  Training the muscles of the core helps correct postural imbalances that can lead to injuries. The biggest benefit of core training is to develop functional fitness; the type of fitness that is essential to daily living and regular activities.

David

So, I heard about David 2 days ago. It had Vikram (definitely not one of my favourites) and I had nothing strong to make me go for it.  I saw one song "yun hi re" and found it very good. I found a spark of interest growing. I then read almost all the reviews about the movie. Totally out of character, I decided to give the film a shot - to support Vikram! Poor guy, tries so hard to do different roles. I decided to support him. The film was quite engrossing. Never a dull moment. The Goa scenes - the boat and Isha Sherwani - all sooo dreamy and beautiful. The other 2 David stories - I could not follow the these fully or the issues with those Davids. The film had a certain style. I liked it. Of all, I really really loved Tabu! What a beautiful performer! Can someone surpass her? Tabu - I want to see a whole beautiful movie for you darling..not the ones where you romance heroes, but ones like this.. ones like Paa.. You are superlative.
In the end, Tabu was what made the day for me. The last scene where she hugs Vikram was soooooooo endearing. All the comedy scenes were also soo damn funny that I was laughing out pretty loud in the theatre.
Overall, nice movie. Magical, real, harsh.. everything.