Room with a 'Zooper' view

Winter’s are almost leaving and making way for summer to come in. I hate summer and would do anything avoid getting out in the sun. The summer in this part of the world is extremely harsh. The reason why I am cribbing about the Dubai summer is, once they are here it is almost impossible to do anything outdoors. So we decided to head to the zoo this weekend before the weather changes course.

This time we went off to the Emirates Resort Park at Al Bahiya, about 40 mins drive from where I live. It is a much smaller park compared to the Al-Ain zoo. However, the up-close interaction with animals really elevates the entire zoo experience. I am sure you would be heard all about the petting zoo concept, but this was the first time I was experiencing it. Despite the fact I am not an animal-lover nor zoology was my favourite subject, but this trip might have turned me into one.

We booked ourselves the zoo facing room, while it’s little more expensive compared without zoo view, but it was totally worth it! Check out the early morning sight just outside our room in the video.

Piping HOat !!

It’s no secret that feeding toddlers and infants is the biggest task ever. Yet I feel, mine is a little ahead of other’s in her age group. If she decides not to eat a thing, then there is no way that you can convince her to open her mouth. She won’t even cry, knowing for a fact that food will be shoved into her mouth.

Look, no one told us parenthood would be easy. I know that. But then I didn't know, that making your child eat would be such a colossal task. There is no infant handbook that could give you solution to how make your child open her mouth. And then to top it up every child is different.

So when Smera out-grew her fruity and vegetable purée stage and Oats came to my rescue. I think, Oats are the best food invented ever in the short history of mankind and in my motherhood expedition. When I introduced Smera to this super easy and magical food, she was instantly hooked on to it. She likes her's with milk and a dash of sugar or even the soupy style.

Image courtesy:  eatwellnz.co.nz 

My motherly dilemma is that, I am trying to encourage to Smera to try different things but then she just cannot have enough of Oats. She might soon reach a stage, where she would get fed up of it and then life won’t as easy as it is now. For now I am thrilled that I don’t have think really hard on what to make the next morning. Not to mention they also double-up as absolute life-saver when we are travelling.

It’s also, in surprising ways a healthy comfort food (now that’s an oxymoron) – try a bowl with a pinch of salt when you’re down with flu or cold. And lastly I have mastered the art of cooking them in the microwave, isn’t that the best part to cook and serve all in the same bowl.

To feed my curiosity I searched the net for the origin of oats, and it seems it has been around for eternity. But what was surprising to read, it was only at the fag end of 90’s Oats started gaining its popularity after FDA in US published a report confirming - Oats help in reducing heart-related problems. That’s the problem, what starts in US soon rolls over the rest of the world-wide.

What is amazing is that even in smaller towns back in India have been adopted as Oats as a healthier breakfast option. I occasionally allow myself to get into the conspiracy theory mode. What if the health benefits of Oats is all propaganda? Would the next generation know what it is to have our own local breakfast dishes? Will oats and corn flakes annihilate Dosa and Idli from the breakfast table?

Only time will tell and maybe our palettes will get used to the tastes of Oats chappati, Oats cutlet, Oats dosa, Oats idli, Oats upma, Oats uttapam or even Oats dhokla. Maybe be soon you will see it being served at the desi food joints – HOat Idlis from Saravana Bhawan, I can’t wait J

Go talk a walk!

Ok the truth is I am not a big fan Valentine’s Day, why should we express our love to our loved ones only once a year! I say it all the time, especially when I need his credit card or I need him to take the little one out.

However with all that said, Valentine’s Day is falling on a Thursday.  It gives me just another silly reason to go out on a date-night. So before I made any plans I thought of checking, if had he have any prior work commitments on Thursday.

Me: Honey, how is your Thursday evening looking like, will you be busy?

Hubby: I think not!

Me: Then let’s go out, what do you think?

Hubby: Sounds like a good plan, what about the baby-sitter?

Me: That is taken care of

Hubby: Then let’s go out for a walk on the beach road.

Me: Walk on the beach road? (Thinking in my head: Sounds romantic, but just a walk, may be a dinner too??)

Hubby: Yeah, I have been planning to do the half-marathon for sometime now, let’s do it this Thursday!

Image: gettyimages.ae

Then slowly I get back to work, pretending I didn’t hear that bit of the conservation. Knowing my hubby so well, it’s a given that was purely an innocent remark. He might not even have realised that it’s Valentines.

For rest of the men folk here is my piece of advice – A half-marathon on weekend night, double it up on a Valentines Day – A sure shot way of getting in wifey’s bad books for the rest of the year! 

Talaash: The search begins with a banana

Ever-since we became parents, going to the movies has become a rare affair. Call it added the responsibility or downright laziness but yes it’s true. However that definitely does not mean that we don’t watch movies at all now. We have our full-time home projector, even if we are a few months late we sure to catch up all of them minus the useless ones.

While a certain Mr. Choudhury might like to label us as boring people, for we don’t watch the first day, last show as he does. But it’s a big task to take the little one for the movies. At least that is our excuse, while for him even that is not a problem. Their little one is trained to sleep through the antics of the planet bollywood, right from her second month on planet earth.

Image courtesy: movies.zap2it.com

So on a recent movie marathon in our private theatre, we decided to put up Talaash featuring Aamir Khan. With great difficulty I managed to borrow the DVD from a friend, but just as it is meant, the DVD refused to work. Taking out the disc we realised that it was badly scratched, that meant my hopes of the finally watching the movie went down the drain.

However, my better half was not going to give up so easily. He pulled his phone asked Google for a remedy and unsurprisingly it did come up with an answer. This is the ridiculous part, Google recommends rubbing a ripe banana over the scratched surface, washing it under running water and towel drying it before using the disc.

As a fervent partisan of lord Google, the husband follows the instructions and puts the movie back on. With a slight smirk, I was absolutely sure to see the hammered look on husband’s face. However that look appeared on my face instead as the movie started. I continued to pray during the course of the movies for something to go wrong, but luck as ever was on his side.

Moral of the story is never underestimating the husband (which I always do) especially if he has checked it with the almighty!