In My Hands Today…

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Flood of Fire – Amitav Ghosh

21375203It is 1839 and tension has been rapidly mounting between China and British India following the crackdown on opium smuggling by Beijing. With no resolution in sight, the colonial government declares war.

One of the vessels requisitioned for the attack, the Hind, travels eastwards from Bengal to China, sailing into the midst of the First Opium War. The turbulent voyage brings together a diverse group of travellers, each with their own agenda to pursue. Among them is Kesri Singh, a sepoy in the East India Company who leads a company of Indian sepoys; Zachary Reid, an impoverished young sailor searching for his lost love, and Shireen Modi, a determined widow en route to China to reclaim her opium-trader husband’s wealth and reputation. Flood of Fire follows a varied cast of characters from India to China, through the outbreak of the First Opium War and China’s devastating defeat, to Britain’s seizure of Hong Kong.

2017 Week 48 Update

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Another interesting week in terms of interviews. I interviewed for the position I mentioned last week and in the middle of the week, got another offer to interview. The second position is better than the first one, which may turn out to be a part-time one after all. During the second interview, the interviewer was selling the company and position to me, which I understand is something positive.

We also went out quite a bit this week as S was on leave and that was something we rarely do as a family, what with school and work getting in the way.

The year is winding down and I am now starting to work on what I want to achieve in 2018. This is something I try to do regularly and want to continue next year also.

What are your plans for the rest of 2017 and in 2018?

In My Hands Today…

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A Student of Living Things – Susan Richards Shreve

1234661Even in the confusion and dread of the post-9/11 world, the tightly knit Frayn family is fairly well insulated from the snipers, bomb threats, and natural disasters that plague Washington, D.C., a few years into the future.

Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig for her umbrella while her brother Steven waits next to her on the library steps of their university, he is shot and killed. Shattered, the family scatters to whatever havens they can find. Steven’s father moves into the airplane hangar behind the house, his mother moves into the glass factory where she works, and Claire, a biology student, adapts.

Galvanized by an impassioned stranger who claims to be her brother’s friend, she sheds her measured academic persona and sets out to avenge her brother’s death. Expecting to uncover a political conspiracy aimed at her outspoken brother, Claire finds instead her family’s own darkest secrets and her true love.

Recipes: Ginger Coconut Chutney

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This Chutney came about completely serendipitously! I started off making something else, felt it was not going to be enough, added some coconut and the end result was this yummy Chutney.

Ginger Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup coconut, grated
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • A small lime-sized ball of tamarind
  • 3-4 dried red chillies
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies, ginger and tamarind and stir for a few minutes.
  • Now add the onions and sauté till the onions turn translucent.
  • Switch off the flame and let this cool down.
  • Once cool, blend it together with the coconut, adding water as necessary and make it into a fine paste.
  • Season with salt and serve with any Indian bread like dosas, idlis, rotis. It even goes well with breads.