Manu's Medley

Idiyappam, is a well known break fast item in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka. It is also known as sevai or string hoppers (in English) and is primarily made out of rice floor. Like idli, idiyappam is made through steaming using no oil, making it very easily digestible and light on stomach.  When I think about idiyappam, I remember 2 instances from my childhood. One of my friend's mom, used to feed her 2 year old with different colourful sevais for evening snack - white, yellow, red along with a liquid version of it too, almost 3-4 times in a week. Later I learnt from her elder daughter (my friend) that they are coconut sevai (sweet version), lemon sevai, tomato sevai and rasam sevai. Though born and brought up in Chennai, we aren't much into idiyappams.  I don't remember eating them until I crossed 10 years. Whenever we visit a doctor with fever, our doctor used to give a list of food items - kanji, bread, idli, idiyappam and rasam rice, which I was usually averse to even...

After reading the title of this post, don't mistake me for a health expert or a lifestyle coach who is going to lecture about the importance of sleep. I am also not going to explain how loosing an hour of sleep is going to impact your gut health, circadian rythm or your overall well being.  Loosing an hour of sleep is an usual phenomenon experienced by those living in North America, parts of Asia, South America and Europe, once in an year though and at different time period for each country. Typically it happens around spring/ summer. Yes, I am referring to Daylight Saving Time (DST). For someone who is born in India like me, it never made sense to observe daylight saving time, until we moved to North America. In fact I hated DST, as my Onsite meetings mostly with my North American Clients and colleagues (while I was working at India), used to get delayed by an hour and run into my late evenings and nights. For those who are new to this concept, Daylight saving time is the period, ...

It still feels 2024 just kicked in. But we are almost at the verge of the second month. Most of us begin every year with a set of new resolutions, but they aren't for me. I once tried to welcome a brand new year with lots of hope and a list of action items. I couldn't achieve even one. So why unnecessarily pressurize myself. That was the first and last time I made a new year resolution.  Leaving aside the so called resolutions, year on year, I definitely look up to reading books regularly. Last couple of years had been good. But in 2023, with a lot happening on my personal front, I could only finish a handful of books, most of which I have already shared my review on this site. So for 2024, I have a different approach to enable me read more. I will explain more on that while I write about my first read of 2024. For now, here is a quick recap of the books I read in 2023. In this post, I am also sharing the navigation to detailed synopsis and my review for all those books. Hope y...

More than a decade ago, one Saturday morning, my brother casually started to discuss with me about a documentary he saw. It was about the lifestyle of a person in Japan, who had very limited material possession - wardrobe with couple of formal pants and shirts in shades of grey, few t-shirts and shorts, couple of foot wear, a table, chair, bed and very few essential cookware to meet the needs in his daily life. Upon my brother's insistence, I too watched the video and his apartment (though very tiny) looked pristine and simple.  But growing up in a society which believes more stuff = more joy (or power or status), and already living in a house full of items (2 sets of sofas, 3 beds, tonnes of clothes (in different sizes), dozens of footwear (mine alone) etc.), many of which we seldom use on a daily basis and most the items which we don't even remember exist, I simply laughed away saying "the minimalist lifestyle is a hoax" and doesn't work in the real time. That w...

It's almost Christmas. While the festive spirit is surely magically and makes all of us look forward to it, I certainly feel the despair of parents especially those of school going children. I am listing out few ideas that could help engage your kids during Christmas holidays. Set up a Christmas tree Talking about Christmas, the first thing that comes to my mind is Christmas tree. Try setting up a tree along with your kids. It's not only fun, but also kindles the creativity in your kids. You can also try making your own Christmas ornaments using minimal craft items. If you live in apartments or don't have much space in your home, you may alternatively try setting up a wall Christmas tree. Check out the video below on making Christmas ornaments and how to set up a wall Christmas tree. Those festive lights inside your home will certainly warm up the place and your kids will cherish those lovely moments.  Bake Christmas treats Baking doesn't need any occasion. Does it? The...

I have specially designed the below worksheets for toddlers, focusing on educating and entertaining them at home. These worksheets are free. So you can download, print or use it online. These worksheets are designed in such a way it covers English, Maths, critical thinking, colouring and fun holiday activities. All pictures in these worksheets are designed in black and white, so that your kid can enjoy colouring them in addition to the activity it is meant for.  To top it all, these worksheets are free. So you can download, print or use it online. Hope you and your kid like these worksheets. If you do, please share this webpage with others who might like them too!! It is winter and the holiday season is around the corner. Nothing beats enjoying the coziness of the home while enjoying the festive spirit and welcoming the grand new year. So here is my first set of worksheets for this WINTER, for your kids to have fun while learning, during their holiday break. Many worksheets are yet...

There was a time, whether it was a birthday party or a treat or just returning from shopping or lazy to cook at home or dining out or catching up with a friend, we used to order fried rice/ noodles. It was the beginning of the fast food era and fried rice was the most sought out - veg fried rice, paneer fried rice egg fried rice, chicken fried rice, schezwan fried rice and the list goes on. Somehow I wasn't a fan of fried rice nor the noodles made at the eateries, though I love watching the preparation - tossing the veggies, rice/ noodles together. Yeah you got me. I admit I was and am still a fuddy duddy. Though I accept greasy food tastes the best, I am scared of them because of their ill effects to health, especially the reheated oil, MSG (ajinomoto) used in its preparation. Fried rice was originally a chinese dish, which is believed to be prepared to use the left overs - rice, vegetables and meat. But it created quite a stir in Asian countries and is still topping the fast food...