A poem dedicated to my cousin

White Sheets

Clear and crisp;
they fill me with peace.
Like a blank canvas,
you lay on them
and start drawing your dreams.
But now,
I think of you.
I imagine you wrapped in these sheets
Sleeping a deep sleep.
These white sheets,
hold a thousand stories.
Some untold
some just memories.
As I succumb to slumber,
a whisper I can hear.
A whisper so comforting,
But the words unclear.

These white sheets,
hold a thousand stories.
Some untold
some just memories.

In loving memory of Ridwan Rahman

My dearest paternal cousin, Ridwan Rahman, passed away on December 14th. He was 26 and the brightest amongst us cousins. He looked like a prince and had a twinkle in his eye. I have no words to express how I feel about the sudden and untimely death of my beloved cousin. I pray and hope that he is resting in peace with the angels above. Allah, take care of my little brother.

Marks and Spencer Food

Loveee the food section at Marks and Spencer...check these goodies out! Of the pics I've posted, I've only tasted the shortbread squares...it is divine! I believe you can find similar shortbread cookies at Trader Joes.

 I've had Manuka Honey once and the taste is quite distinct...I like knowing that its so good for you and at the same time can be used as a sweetener. I must buy this the next time I go there.

 Buttery, crumbly, buttery squares of goodness. I can eat the whole box at one go.

 This might have been a holiday special. It says: Delicious butter rich shortcrust pastry mince pies filled with our fruity classic mincemeat, bursting with juicy sultanas, vostizza currants and raisins.

Yet another holiday special, All butter Cherry Genoa Cake: All butter fruit cake made with plump, juicy sultanas and glace cherries. hand decorated with glace cherries, cruncy brazil nuts, pecans and almonds.

I lose control whenever I see the words 'All Butter'. 

Throwback: Christmas lights in Vitruvian Park

Vitruvian park is a 12 acre park in Addison, TX, and we chanced upon this quaint little park while driving by it last December. During the holiday season, over 100 trees are wrapped in multicolored LED lights. And because these trees are lined on the opposite sides of a creek, you can see their reflection in the water...It's like a glittering wonderland and Its absolutely spellbinding! 

Desi Fried Chicken : Recipe Pictorial

 Marinate chicken in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, black pepper and salt for few hours! Not more than 5 hours.

 Make a batter of cornflour, flour, salt , pepper.

 Dunk chicken into the batter. Shake off excess.

 Fry! Fry! Fry!

Crispy, slightly chewy, spicy delicious!

Recipe: Pancit Canton

Pancit Canton is a weeknight favorite in our house (My parent's house that is; my hubby prefers Bangladeshi food over anything else, even if it is occassional!). Pancit Canton is a filipino dish, the noodles are referred to as 'flour sticks' and can be found at most supermarkets (in Oman at least because there's lot of Filipinos here :) The beauty of these noodles is that there's no pre-boiling required, you just cook up some vegetables in somewhat soupy broth and then add the uncooked noodles, which then beautifully absorb all the liquids and become soft and delicious! Here's how I make it :)

1 bag pancit canton
1 small red onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (smashed)
1-2 dried red chillies
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 green and 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped)
Half head of a cabbage (julienned finely)
1 carrot (cut into sticks)
Couple of button mushrooms (sliced)
2 eggs (fried separately and then crumbled into pieces)
1 bunch of scallion (chopped)
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp vinegar (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil

Heat a large wok and add oil. Add 1 crushed dried red chilly, followed by the garlic. Immediately follow with the onion, red pepper, cabbage, carrot and mushroom. Add salt, pepper and soy sauce. Let the vegetables cook well until all moisture has been released (approx. 10 minutes). Add the noodles to the wok and add additional water if your vegetables look dry. Cover and let it cook for 10 minutes. Once, the noodles have absorbed all the liquid, crumble in the fried eggs. Turn off the stove and add the vinegar. Garnish with chopped scallions. 

Painting supplies...

I've been into art and drawing ever since I was a kid...none of that overly intricate stuff...stuff that is easy to draw, easy to paint...that kind of stuff. I look at painting as a relaxing hobby, not something thats gonna make me pop a nerve (yeah I don't do complicated sketches where you can see the different shades of the different strands of hair...or maybe I just cant :)! So anyways, I bought these acrylic colors today and am thinking of painting up a storm (not literally)!

Carrefour

One of the many things I love about Oman is Carrefour. It's a hypermarket chain of a multinational retailer that has its headquarters in France. Carrefour means 'crossroads' in french. It has everything. Groceries, clothing, knicks and knacks, and a drool-worthy bakery, etc. I also love how its always adjoining a mall...so whenever we go to the mall (City Center), we can also get our grocery shopping done in the end. Some of the things I love in particular are the baklava assortment, seafood selection and the spice market...Here's some pics:) Also, interesting fact; courtesy of Wikipedia, Revenue-wise, Carrefour is the second largest retail group in the world and the third in profit (After Wal-Mart and Tesco)

Papparoti

Today  I went to see the 2nd installment of the Hunger Games series: Catching Fire. My sister and I quite enjoyed it. I love Jennifer Lawrence...she's a great actress, she's real and she has hooded eyelids (yay!). I get excited anytime I see a celebrity with hooded eyelids because I have hooded eyelids and for those of you know, having hooded eyelids has its fair share of downs...but then again, mostly due to the way media has been portraying women with double folded eyelids since time immemorial. Anyhoo, my sis took me to Papparoti for some tea and bun. She has been raving about the place ever since I've been back so I decided to give it a try. It's a malaysian franchise and their signature combo is a cup of tea with a bun. It sounds rather normal but omg, it is truly divineeee. Fellow Bangladeshis, its the kind of tea your mom made when you were in 12th grade...frothy with tons of milk and little to no tea...Its just that kind! The bun was pretty epic too...Crunchy on the outside and gooey and chewy on the inside...I almost thought they used some kind of rice flour (maybe sticky rice flour?). It was wonderful overall....a bit pricey, but totally worth it! Here are the pics :)