Manu's Medley

A library is a powerhouse of knowledge and plays a very important role in shaping an entire society.  There is a famous quote by H.W. Beecher - "A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities of life".  True to that, Canada houses more than 600 public libraries. Out of these, more than 250 are in Ontario. Moreover, Ontario houses one of the largest public library systems in Canada - The Toronto Public Library. It has 100 branches and is acclaimed as the largest neighbourhood-based library system in the world.  The first free public libraries in Ontario were set up in the year 1883 in Toronto and Guelph. Ontario's public libraries are governed by Ontario's Public Library Act (PLA). Its objective is to provide equal and universal access to information and establish free public library services in Ontario through governance and regulations. Almost every city in Ontario has a public library system. These library services aren't just limited to providing free ac...

The Fame Game, is an Indian web series released on Netflix in late February 2022. It is has 8 episodes of 45mins each (on an average). If you haven't watched yet, you can still read through this post. No spoilers involved.  I know, this review is coming late. Honestly, I don't prefer web series, as we have to invest a lot of time for watching. So obviously, this one wasn't on my watch list. Accidentally, one day, I read somewhere that this series depicts the life of a famous Bollywood heroine. Isn't this not sufficient to arouse the much needed curiosity?😜                                                  ( The official poster of 'The Fame Game'. Credit: IMDb) One Friday night, after a very hectic week, I sat down to relax and pamper myself with a good movie and The Fame Game trailer flashed on Netflix. I convince...

Hello Momma, are you heading out with your tiny tot to the park or doctor's office or visiting your friend's family or going on a day trip? Wherever you go, don't miss out to bring your new companion -  the diaper bag .  It is a bag with multiple compartments to organize all the essentials of baby and mom while travelling short distances. If you prefer, you may carry your belongings separately. However I don't like to handle too many bags while travelling with my kid and so I pack one bag for both of us. Like what you read? Follow me on  YouTube  for fresh videos and updates on every new post! Diaper bag checklist: First, let us take a look at the items that have to be in a diaper bag. Diapers:  Pack a diaper for every 2-3 hours you plan to spend outside. Once you are familiar with your child's routine (specifically their poop timings), you will know how many diapers to carry. But always carry 2 additional diapers for contingency. Once you are out with a kid, be...

Today, I am sharing a recipe of Mor kuzhambu, a curry made out of buttermilk - Mor (buttermilk) + kuzhambu (curry), which is an authentic recipe from Tamil Nadu. There are many variations of curry prepared using curd/ buttermilk across India like majjiga pulusu (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana), pulissery (Kerala), majjige huli (Karnataka), kadhi (Punjab) etc.  I am a big fan of Saravana Bhavan mor kuzhambu, made with ground spices and sour buttermilk. The Saravana Bhavan at our office cafeteria used to serve delicious mor kuzhambu every Thursday as part of its South Indian Thali menu. Whenever I could, I used to skip bringing lunch from home, to savor Saravana Bhavan's mor kuzhambu with hot steamed rice.  Ground spices and sour curd/ buttermilk are the heart of this curry.  I tried my hands at different proportions of spices and finally arrived at the best version, which I am posting today. Do give it a try and share your feedback in comments section. You can add vegetables li...

Today's post is for students, bachelors and families, who are new to Canada or planning to come to Canada. Do note, this article is purely based on my personal experience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, if you buy through the links I have mentioned in this article. While moving to Canada with my family, I was looking for some pointers to buy essential cookware at an affordable price. But whenever I searched online, I stumbled upon brands like Lagostina, Paderno, Tfal, Kirkland etc., which were priced more than $150 for a cookware set. Undoubtedly, all these are popular brands, but I didn't intend to invest in them, given our short stint at Canada. Also I had to spend additionally for a griddle (tawa) and an electric cooker. So I started off exploring, slowly by adding kitchenware suitable for our everyday cooking. My quest resulted in some great finds, that were economical too😊These items should be appropriate for students, bachelors or small familie...

Hello New Momma, Congratulations on becoming a Mom. This phase is very exciting and equally overwhelming, as you get to spend many joyful moments with the little one. Of course those sleepless nights and the bodily changes after delivery can't be ignored and could be physically and mentally exhaustive. It takes few days to weeks to get into a routine with added responsibilities of caring for the baby.  The period starting immediately after labor is referred to as Postpartum and usually lasts up to 6 weeks since delivery. During this phase, most of the new mothers don't focus on themselves. But it is very important to take the time and effort to attend to yourself!!  Follow me on  Instagram  and  Facebook  to get notified about my latest articles!! Let us take a quick look at the Dos and Don'ts and common symptoms, post delivering the baby. Dos: Take sufficient rest: Your body has gone through a lot of changes over the last 10 months and it takes time to he...

"A Promised Land" is a political memoir written by the 44th President of United States – Mr. Barack Obama. It is quite a voluminous book with 902 pages (cover to cover), 689 pages (excluding photograph inserts, acknowledgements, credits and index). But an autobiography of a former US President of such stature, who has done tremendous work during two terms of his Presidency, it is obvious. And hang in there - this is just the first volume of the title. Though I planned to finish reading this book by end of 2021, I took a little more than 4 months to complete. I started to read the autobiography precisely the same time I started this blog, so most of my personal time went into learning, building, writing, editing, proof-reading and re-reading my work and hence the delay in completing this wonderful book.                                               ...