Swine Flu - National Emergency

President Obama declared swine flu a national emergency on 24th October,2009.More can be read on http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/24/AR2009102401061.html.

There's also a shortage of the swine flu vaccine.CNN last night showed video footage of thousands of people lined up outside health care facilities to get their flu shots.But, apparently many of them had to be turned away due to the shortage of vaccines.

Lets hope the swine flu vaccines shortage gets sorted out soon.Meanwhile, lets try to stay clear of the flu  by following simple measures.

1.Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze with a tissue.Discard the tissue after use.

2.Wash your hands often with warm water and soap.

3.Do not touch,kiss or shake hands with people who have the flu like symptoms.

4.Stay at home if you develop flu like symptoms.

Like the saying goes, precaution is always better than cure.

When my brother in law was down with the flu, the doctor asked him and my sister to wear face masks at home all the time.My sister was asked to take the measures inspite of getting her flu shots early during the fall.

So lets play safe.

For more info, http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/

National Pink Hijab Day

I saw the event on my facebook news feed.One of my friends in California is attending the event.I signed up for the event and invited my friends to do the same.

The event serves the purpose of raising awareness for breast cancer as well as about the hijab.It will promote understanding about the hijab.Hijab or the veil is not a sign of oppression or extremism.There are many women out there who choose to wear the hijab by themselves without being forced by their parents or husbands or societal pressure.

More can be read about the campaign on the website http://www.pinkhijabday.net/index.html.

Weekend :D

Yaayyyyy!! The weekend's here.I've been waiting all week.Although I do not work or attend school, but I still want the week to end.There are so many reasons for the same.

1. I get to sleep later than usual and wake up even later.

2. I love the yummy brunch we have on weekends.It consists of khichdi (yellow lentil rice),khatta (tangy curry),pyaz ke ande (omelet cooked with onions) or foul medammas with boiled eggs and pita bread.This is usually followed by fresh fruit salad.

3.I love the leisurely pace we work at during the weekends.Its usually the brunch, followed by us just sitting on the couch lazing around and enjoying the peace and quiet.Its sheer bliss.

4.Later on we head off to a mall for window shopping and/or shopping and maybe snack or ice cream.On some days, we go to the Indian store in Edison for groceries and/or yummy spicy chat (Indian junk food).

5.On some weekends, we go to the Times Square,NY and walk around or just drive around.Later on, we get a shawarma from the road side food carts and get back to NJ late at night.

6.On some other weekends, we attend community events followed by dinner or /are invited over for dinner.

7.On some very rare weekends, we invite people over for dinner which has happened only once so far LOL

8.On one weekend we went bowling to Bowling city.On another weekend, we headed off to the Six Flags Wild Safari and totally enjoyed the day out.

8.One of the things I love about living in Hills borough is the peace and quiet it offers especially on weekends.You hardly see a soul in sight.There's no noise whatsoever.Just a sense of peace and restfulness which is very relaxing on weekends.

This weekend was a bit different since my hubby arrived late on Friday night.He was working away on his computer till early hours in the morning of Saturday.It started raining on and off basis on Saturday.And around 6 in the evening it turned out into heavy rains with thunderstorms.So we just decided to make it pizza night and had a yummy pacific veggie from Dominoes.The pizza was loaded with veggies like spinach,olives,roasted red peppers and also with a lot of cheese, feta and provolone.YUMMMMMM I strongly suggest you try it.

Sunday morning I woke up with a bad chest congestion and wasn't in the mood for doing anything.My hubby had already cooked baigan ka bharta (squashed egg plant).We had it for breakfast with brown pita bread.

Another pleasant thing that happened was I spoke to my aunt living in Toronto after almost an year and a half.I had met her last in Hyderabad at my wedding.It was such a pleasant surprise.

OH MAN I LOVE SURPRISES Dont we all ??

I thank god for small mercies which we so take for granted and a big thank you to my husband for such a pleasant surprise :D

Any more ideas for weekend fun ? Please share :)

25 Reasons - Why You Should Start Drinking Green TEA...

Reasons Why You Should Start Drinking GreenTea Now

Green tea has increasingly become a very popular drink worldwide because of its immensely powerful health benefits. It is extraordinarily amazing what green tea can do for your health. And if you're not drinking 3 to 4 cups of green tea today, you're definitely NOT doing your health a big favor. Here Are The 25 Reasons Why You Should Start Drinking Green Tea Right Now:

1. Green Tea and Cancer
Green tea helps reduce the risk of cancer. The antioxidant in green tea is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E. This helps your body at protecting cells from damage believed to be linked to cancer.

2. Green Tea and Heart Disease
Green tea helps prevent heart disease and stroke by lowering the level of cholesterol. Even after the heart attack, it prevents cell deaths and speeds up the recovery of heart cells.

3. Green Tea and Anti-Aging
Green tea contains antioxidant known as polyphenols which fight against free radicals. What this means it helps you fight against aging and promotes longevity.

4. Green Tea and Weight Loss
Green tea helps with your body weight loss. Green tea burns fat and boosts your metabolism rate naturally. It can help you burn up to 70 calories in just one day. That translates to 7 pounds in one year.

5. Green Tea and Skin
Antioxidant in green tea protects the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals, which cause wrinkling and skin aging. Green tea also helps fight against skin cancer.

6. Green Tea and Arthritis
Green tea can help prevent and reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Green tea has benefit for your health as it protects the cartilage by blocking the enzyme that destroys cartilage.

7. Green Tea and Bones
The very key to this is high fluoride content found in green tea. It helps keep your bones strong. If you drink green tea every day, this will help you preserve your bone density.

8. Green Tea and Cholesterol
Green tea can help lower cholesterol level. It also improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, by reducing bad cholesterol level.

9. Green Tea and Obesity
Green tea prevents obesity by stopping the movement of glucose in fat cells. If you are on a healthy diet, exercise regularly and drink green tea, it is unlikely you'll be obese.

10. Green Tea and Diabetes
Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances your metabolism rate.

11. Green Tea and Alzheimer's
Green tea helps boost your memory. And although there's no cure for Alzheimer's, it helps slow the process of reduced acetylcholine in the brain, which leads to Alzheimer's.

12. Green Tea and Parkinson's
Antioxidants in green tea helps prevent against cell damage in the brain, which could cause Parkinson's. People drinking green tea also are less likely to progress with Parkinson's..

13. Green Tea and Liver Disease
Green tea helps prevent transplant failure in people with liver failure. Researches showed that green tea destroys harmful free radicals in fatty livers.

14. Green Tea and High Blood Pressure
Green tea helps prevent high blood pressure. Drinking green tea helps keep your blood pressure down by repressing angiotensin, which leads to high blood pressure.

15. Green Tea and Food Poisoning
Catechin found in green tea can kill bacteria which causes food poisoning and kills the toxins produced by those bacteria.

16. Green Tea and Blood Sugar
Blood sugar tends to increase with age, but polyphenols and polysaccharides in green tea help lower your blood sugar level.

17. Green Tea and Immunity
Polyphenols and flavenoids found in green tea help boost your immune system, making your health stronger in fighting against infections.

18. Green Tea and Cold and Flu
Green tea prevents you from getting a cold or flu. Vitamin C in green tea helps you treat the flu and the common cold.

19. Green Tea and Asthma
Theophylline in green tea relaxes the muscles which support the bronchial tubes, reducing the severity of asthma.

20. Green Tea and Ear Infection
Green tea helps with ear infection problem. For natural ear cleaning, soak a cotton ball in green tea and clean the infected ear.

21. Green Tea and Herpes
Green tea increases the effectiveness of topical interferon treatment of herpes. First green tea compress is applied, and then let the skin dry before the interferon treatment.

22. Green Tea and Tooth Decay
Green tea destroys bacteria and viruses that cause many dental diseases. It also slows the growth of bacteria which leads to bad breath.

23. Green Tea and Stress
L-theanine, which is a kind of amino acids in green tea, can help relieve stress and anxiety.

24. Green Tea and Allergies
EGCG found in green tea relieves allergies. So, if you have allergies, you should really consider drinking green tea.

25. Green Tea and HIV
Scientists in Japan have found that EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) in green tea can stop HIV from binding to healthy immune cells. What this means is that green tea can help stop the HIV virus from spreading.

Source : Forwarded Email

Scallions with bell pepper and split chick peas

Dinner last night consisted of Scallions with green bell pepper and split chick peas with veggie soup and indian bread/parathas.Scallions/green onions are known as pyaz ki patti in Indian.Scallions are quite nutritious and provide us with vitamins A,B and C.It can be consumed raw as in salads or otherwise.Usually, scallions are cooked combined with other food such prawns,green bell pepper and split chick peas.

Chick peas are a rich source of fibre and proteins.It also provides a good source of manganese and copper.More about the health benefits of chick peas can be found here http://www.healthymuslim.com/articles/yatbg-chickpeas.cfm.

Green bell pepper/capsicum is known as shimla mirch in indian.It is largely eaten combined with chicken or minced meat or scallions or cabbage.The health benefits of green bell pepper are also numerous as can be read here http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofbellpeppers.html.

Ingredients
4/5 bunches scallion
Oil - 3 tsp
Ginger- garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Red pepper - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Split chick peas/chane ki daal - 3 fistful
Green bell pepper - 1 whole

Method
1.Wash the split chickpeas in cold running water until the water comes clear.Add water and let it boil until it becomes tender.You can check this by pressing the chickpeas between your fingers.If it gets crushed easily, its done.
2.Soak the scallions in water for 20 mins or so.This would help any impurities or sand particles lodged in the roots to settle down.Wash well with water and chop coarsely.
3.Heat oil and add ginger garlic paste.Saute the paste till it turns golden brown and gives an aroma.
4.Add the scallions as well as salt,red pepper and turmeric.
5.You can also add a little water, about 1/4 cup to make it cook faster.
6.After about 15 minutes when the scallions start changing color, add the boiled chickpeas.
7.In about 10 mins, add the bell pepper which has been chopped already in medium sized chunks.
8.Cook for 5 mins on high until the bell pepper become tender but not mushy.
Serve with warm indian bread/parathas.

Note : You can also substitute bell pepper with potatoes or shrimps.

Just for Laughs - Little Becky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivDEsLwufXk

Something I received in a forwarded email.
Enjoy :D

The Body Shop

We headed straight to The Body Shop to get some skin care protection for the winter.The consultant was really helpful.They also have useful pamphlets which guide you on how to choose the right skin care for your skin.Anyway, since mine is a normal to combination skin, I chose the vitamin E product.And now I've got myself a vitamin E intense moisturizing cream,a vitamin E cleanser and a vitamin E mist spray.The spray is used anytime of the day when the skin feels dry.It can also be used to set make up.I can't wait to try that one.While in the UAE, I had an Evian spray which was just so refreshing.I have tried to look it up in so many stores but haven't found any.Oh well now I have the bodyshop spray.

There's a buy 2 get 1 free offer on all the face care product.Plus, if you have the body shop card, you are entitled to another 10 % off.So that was a pleasant surprise.Also, the store has an upcoming event, the customer appreciation day where all products are sold at 25% of the regular price.I'm not sure about the date of the event.

So far it all looks good.My skin feels really pampered and plump after using the facewash.I have yet to notice the difference on using the cream.The spray too does wonders to the skin.You could spray it whenever and within a few minutes the skin gets a velvety feel.I'm gonna be trying all the products for another week or so until I give my final review on the products.

Until then,
Cheers

Shopping in NJ

Hi all,

Its been raining for about a week now.Seriously !!!And it rains all day and night.Wonder where that is ???hmmmm……New Jersey.Its beginning to get really cold here.We’ve started with our thermal wear and the long coats.I wonder when the gloves will be out of the closet and be put to use.The last I recall using them was on our trip to Lake Placid in Albany,NY.Boy was it freezing or what !!!This is in such a contrast to the weather in the UAE where winter doesn’t set in until late november.The winter in the UAE is actually quite pleasant during the day.It does get a little colder at night.But a single sweater/blanket is enough to carry you through the night.In fact, every time I complain to my mom about the dull gloomy weather due to the constant drizzling, she goes like wow…sounds real nice.I wish we had some in the UAE.Its still quite hot in the UAE.My family actually keeps the central air conditioner turned on .

We’ve also started the central heating since last week which leads to another major problem.Due to the harsh winter, we need to keep the central heating turned on which sucks out the humidity/moisture from air and leads to dryness of the skin as well as the inner lining of the nose.As a result, we tend to suffer from nose bleeds and extremely taut,itchy skin.So been planning for a while and finally headed off to the mall for winter shopping …yayyyyy
I’ll be updating soon about the visit to Bridgewater Commons, NJ.

Until then,
Toodles

Blogging and much more

After procrastinating for so many months, I’ve decided to blog about anything and everything under the sun.In fact, there’s so much to write about the happenings in my life and around me,my experiences and opinions about life in general.After having lived in the United Arab Emirates for 23 years and moving to the United States after getting married has been an experience.Marriage, in itself, as I’m sure all the married people out there would know is a totally new experience.

One of the main reasons why I’ve started blogging is to get connected with people to share ideas and look at their perspectives about stuff.Also, I love making friends and having a great time with people.And I really do not believe in restricting my friend’s circle to my kind/nationality.Again, this could be attributed to my growing up in the Middle East where you meet and interact with people from everywhere.Also, my culinary experiments in my multi cultural cuisine has attracted me to various blogs and to the fine art of blogging.During my one year as a bride with zero culinary skills, I have many times referred to well established cooking blogs like zaiqa,anjums rasoi,arabic bites,passionate about baking and such to save me from cooking a disastrous meal.

I’ve considered a journal or an online blog/journal to write down my thoughts and views since a long time.So here it goes and I hope I stick to blogging.

Cheers to blogging and a big hi to all the bloggers out there :D