Changes...

This is somewhat difficult to explain, even for a person who considers writing one of her strong points. But I'll give it my best shot.

I'm changing again...
Everything around me has been fine. Beautiful. I like being home, mom & me have been getting along swell. The changes are not around me. They're inside me. I'm going through a time of inner conflict. This happens with me sometimes (most notably about 2 years ago). It's usually during vacations, when I'm not in contact much with my friends.
I'm just trying to sort myself out, mentally.
What influenced this? I can think of a few...
Being away from friends, thus having a lot more time to think.
Michael Jackson's death
Watching Michael Jackson's This Is It
Reading some wonderful, inspiring blogs.
Old, repressed dreams for myself.

These can be tumultuous times. Mentally draining, sometimes dark. A place to face old demons. But I always emerge stronger. I might not blog too much during this time. So please understand.

xo

Magali

This was defnitely It

I went to see 'Michael Jackson's This Is It' today. I had always been a fan, & had first seen the trailer on the internet in early September. But it was gonna be given a release for only two weeks, & I doubted it would reach India. Anyways, what are torrents for?
Fast forward to a few days ago. Mom & me were at Bharath Mall, one of Mangalore's only malls. It has a multiplex too, & we were just roaming there, when I saw a poster for This Is It. I was absolutely ecstatic. But by the time the film released, we would be back in Mumbai. So mom promised to take me to see the film as soon as possible. So we went to see it today. I was scared that we wouldn't get tickets because we hadn't pre-booked. But sadly there were only 10 people in a theatre that could have seated atleast 200.
Now let's get to the good stuff. The film was really nice, a treat for MJ fans. The original video developed for the concert were lovely (Smooth Criminal, Thriller, Earth Song; though the video with the little girl for Earth Song was a personal favorite, the video for Smooth Criminal was good fun too)
The film had it's light moments too, (like the female choreographer teaching the male back-up dancers to crotch-grab & saying, "For me this is nothing more than a simple hand-movement" amid peals of laughter.
I like how the end didn't dwell on his death, but left you with this simple, powerful phrase- 'Love Lives Forever'.
I felt sad not only for MJ's untimely demise, but also for the performers (vocalists, back-up dancers) & all the fans who had booked tickets for his sold-out concerts. This would have been BIG. They were gonna be his first major concerts since 1997.
I loved the film, I know this was not something I would miss for anything else.
So did you see the film? What were your views on it?

love,

Magali

Being dragged on a trip- kicking & screaming!

I have already decided earlier that I wouldn't rant here. So I'm just gonna tell you people in a matter-of-fact way. I'm going on a trip for one week. No actually, I'm being dragged on a trip (see how I'm cleverly portraying myself as the hapless victim here?)
When my mom agreed to finance my very expensive full-back tattoo, it was with the understanding that i would make this dreaded & loathed trip with her. At that time I recklessly agreed, because the tattoo would come NOW, & the trip would be LATER.

But the time has come, Later has become now, & I'm filled with self-pity! People keep on calling Mom, & she keeps telling them about how I hate going with her there. But she doesn't want to leave me alone here.

Anyhow, the tickets are booked & there's no turning back! 

Now I'm wondering which book to carry along- Lolita (by Vladimir Nabokov. Just bought it yesterday) or Duma Key (by Stephen King. Purchased over a month ago. Really huge, hardly finished 1/10th of it before abandoning it!) But I'm gonna be carrying my laptop (even though I'm not gonna have internet access), & also a book to study. So I'm gonna have my hands rather full. That's a lot so I'm sure to be occupied all the time.

Until next time!
xo
Magali

Shepherd's Pie- A Grand Success!

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This was a long overdue project. I had taken an interest in baking Shepherd's Pie, & even found an easy recipe for it on the internet! Mom had promised that she would help me cook it soon after my vacations started. But mom was so busy running around doing this & that, & a week passed.

She finally promised that we would do it this Sunday! 

Sunday (today) came, & both of us went to the kitchen to start! I was excited!

But there was one small obstacle. The oven was somehow stuck on the shelf holding it, & refused to budge. After some brainstorming & innovating, we managed to get it out. We also had to check if it was working since we hadn't used it in quite a long time. But it worked fine! So we started. We decided to use the earlier linked-to recipe with a little variation. We would substitute the lamb with beef mince (also called ground browned beef in the recipe) & seasoned it generously with pepper & oregano (& a little bit of chilly flakes)

We prepared the entire dish, going a little slow on that divine-but-unhealthy butter. Here's a picture of the pie just before we popped it in the oven.

We baked it for a little less than 40 minutes. It looked beautiful & smelled lovely!

We realized that next time we would have to put a little less water (after reading the recipe, you may ask that there isn't supposed to be any water added, so why did we add water? Instead of using actual stock, we used stock made from Maggi Cubes . We used just one cup as mentioned, but even after 40 minutes of baking at high temperature, it was still a little watery down)

But other than that it was PERFECT. I mean how many people can be this lucky when they try baking something for the first time? It was so tasty, both Mom & me took second helpings.

Here's a wonderful picture of it after it was ready.

And here's a picture after we cut out a portion.

After I had finished eating, I keyed in 'Shepherd's Pie' in Google image search. And after I saw the pictures of Shepherd's Pie, I was delighted because all of them are quite like our's though maybe more professional. But I don't care! The recipe was a grand success. Mom & me even decided to serve it to guests!

love,

Magali

UFOs... Do you believe?

I have always believed in all forms of Paranormal stuff ever since I was a little kid. UFOs, Big Foot, Ghosts, Wicca, you name it!
Yesterday I watched this 1 hour special on Cattle Mutilations, Crop Circles & Abductee Syndrome (All related to Aliens & UFOs)

Anyway, today I want to pose this vital question to my blog readers.
"Do You Believe in The Paranormal?" This can include ghosts, UFOs, Lock Ness Monsters, Yeti, etc.

Do leave the yes/no answer with a short 'why' explanation in the comments. Thank You.

Climate Change: Not another one of those things that happens to 'other people'

Most of us, have to deal with a lot of problems in life. High Crime Rate, Cancer & AIDS. Most of us dismiss these problems as things that happen to other people. We won't get Cancer, we won't get robbed etc.

But there's something different with climate change. Climate Change is truly a universal problem: despite the fact that developed countries are the ones mainly responsible for Global Warming, EVERYBODY had to suffer.

What is Climate Change, & how is it caused?
Though I've read quite a lot on this subject, I will try to keep this description short & lucid, without the use of too many technical terms.

Climate Change is the unnatural change in the earth's temperature due to man-made factors. Vehicular pollution, factory emissions, even aerosol cans (perfume spray-cans) release harmful gases. Those gases go & accumulate near the ozone layer ( a layer of ozone gas in the earth's outer atmosphere that protects us from the harmful Ultra Violet rays of the sun) & deplete the ozone layer. This lets harmful sun's rays through, as well as additional heat of the sun (more than necessary). 

The consequences are numerous & very real. The increase in temperature causes glaciers at the poles to melt, destroying habitat for the polar creatures (penguins, polar bears) as well as raising water levels worldwide. This poses a very dangerous threat to islands as well as coastal areas of all counties.

The president of the Maldives in 1987 said:
"...a mean sea level rise of two meters would suffice to virtually submerge the entire country of 1,190 small islands, most of which barely rise two meters above sea level. That would be the death of a nation."

This change in temperatures is causing weather all around the world to go absolutely hay-wire. Floods in some areas, droughts in others. And here's another bit. This problem won't just pass. We ave to make efforts to curb it because if not, we will be acing MANY problems.

How can we stop climate change?
There are many simple but effective ways that we as individuals can help.
Try to generate less waste, avoid the use of aerosol cans, use public transport, car pool, walk etc.
And one of the main ways we can help is raising awareness. The 2007 Nobel Peace prize was awarded to Pachauri & Al Gore, & that helped to raise some awareness on the subject. But there are still MANY people around the world who have no idea what climate change is, or how it is caused.

And that's what we're for.

This post is part of Blog Action Day.
http://www.blogactionday.org/

All images are from Google Image search.

Living it up these Holidays!

This is just one of those posts, when I 'think aloud' about how lucky I am.

Yesterday Mom decided to take me shopping.

I love shopping. I mean I really *love* it! Sometimes (only sometimes) I think about how being a mystery shopper would be a perfect profession. But I getting off-track here...

So yesterday we started our excursion. We had a little work to do before we could go to the mall. We finished it soon & reached the place. I hadn't bought myself anything major in quite a long time, so I decided to treat myself.

We went to Benetton area, & BAM! I fell in love with a purple hoodie. It didn't matter that it was pretty thick, & Mumbai never sees that type of cold weather. I wanted it!

So mom bought it for me, and also surprised me with something else- A wrist watch! (also from Benetton!) The box is so damn cute, but the watch is cuter still. A little big for my thin wrist but I love it. 

Mom says she could see the happiness on my face. She even tweeted the following when we came back home: "I can see the ear-to-ear smile on @magali_c's face :) She is very happy!"

And I really was.

Just this morning she mentioned about how I'm really living it up these Holidays, I'm either sleeping, sitting with my laptop or shopping. I agree. 

And she's been really generous. I hope I'm worthy of her generosity!

love,
Magali

Note: The shopping bags is from Google Images while the watch & watch-box are my own pictures

Barack Obama is now a Nobel Laureate.

Barack Obama is now a Nobel Laureute. Great! What are they gonna do next? 
Canonize Saddam Hussein?

I had earlier decided to refrain from Blogging about this. But, I've had so many people asking me 'what I think' that I just decided to come out and say it, once & for all, without making this post too political (I talk quite a lot about Politics in real life, I try not to blog about Politics. Politics is irritating because discussions on it can go on & on...)

According to me, BARACK OBAMA did not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. I don't have to go into details of it. I've never been a fan of his, but giving him a Nobel, at this point of time, WTF!! (for want of a better or more suitable exclamation)

It is definitely too early. In the past few days, I've been hearing so much about it. A blogger said 'It's like giving a child a bicycle as soon as he learns to walk!' Somebody else said 'It's like giving a young director an Oscar hoping that he'll make a really good movie someday' (Sorry if I cannot give credit to the people who actually said this. I've read too much in the past few days & it's all mixed up in my head)

I think I would say that the worst part of it for me would be losing faith in the value of a Nobel Prize. Ever since I first learned what a Nobel was, I have respected it immensely. Martin Luther King Jr has won a Peace Nobel. (His Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech blew me away! It's a lovely, powerful speech second only to his 'I Have A Dream' Speech) So now there are actually going to be comparison between the two of them. Disgusting!

How am I supposed to live without you?

"Tell me how am I supposed to live without you
Now that I've been lovin' you so long
How am I supposed to live without you
How am I supposed to carry on
When all that I've been livin' for is gone"

I'm guessing that everybody has heard this chart-topping, ultra-sappy Michael Bolton song sometime or the other in their lives. I'm not (yet) the Romantic type, I never thought I would ever actually feel that the lyrics apply to me, or actually feel like listening to it.
But the unthinkable has happened. And I'm quoting these lyrics. Not for a guy (or girl!) but for my dear LAPTOP.

Mom wants to go to Mangalore to meet somebody she knows, & she's dragging me along. I absolutely hate it there (she knows it), but she gets me so much & does so much for me, how can I refuse? I'm surely not gonna let her go alone.
So I agreed to go with her, but on one condition: I'm to carry my Laptop with me.
My laptop completed it's 1st Birthday a few months ago, & it's been acting up a wee bit. The keys sometimes get stuck, the 'M' key got detached (as mentioned in an earlier post 'This & That'), the screen is slightly loose etc. So it has to be given for servicing, and I'm gonna hate being without it even for a day.

On the bright side, I will continue using the desktop, and when my laptop comes back all fixed, I'm gonna be sooooo happy!
Update: As of evening, I have decided to postpone the plans to service my laptop. It can wait! Not mentally prepared to part with my beloved yet...

Just a few Reasons why there shouldn't be too many holidays before an exam

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Less than a month ago, we had our 'unit tests' which was somewhat odd because most (Read: ALL) other colleges chose to skip them with the Swine Flu scare. Just as we were recovering from the 'shock' of our unit tests, we had our Semesters. We OBVIOUSLY hadn't had enough recovery time in between. But we still gave our exams.
When the time table came out, everybody flocked to the notice board to check it out. Our second-last exam Sociology, was on the 1st October while our last exam, History was on the 8th! Great. Everybody got a little happy with that because they thought we had more than enough time to study History. Our History teacher can be likened to a slightly kind-hearted version of Hitler. Kind-hearted, but still a dictator! She usually fails over half the class in her paper. I was lucks to have passed for the unit test. One of my friends was not as lucky.
So my Sociology paper got over on the 1st, then we went to visit relatives for two days (NO STUDIES) Then I rolled around the house with my book for the next couple of days (AGAIN NO STUDIES) Tomorrow, on the eve of my paper, I have to attend a dinner party (Surprise Surprise: STILL NO STUDIES!)
And technically, I'm blank! Why, you ask? Well I try to study, but can I help it if my mind & body is already in Holiday mood? I don't think so.
And that's why I'd like to make this humble request to all of you people who are responsible for setting our Exam Time Tables: Please NEVER EVER give us more than two holidays before any exam. Lots of Holidays might help really nerdy people, but they sure don't help me!

SAD is kicking in again.

☁ + ☂ = ☹
☼ =☺
As I have mentioned on my blog before, I seem the have a mild case of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) In simple terms, that means that people suffering from it get very depressed when the weather is dull, & happy when the weather is bright. It's not like I've been officially diagnosed by a Doctor or something, but I once read about it somewhere, and realized that I have all the symptoms. Bummer. But it's kinda comforting to know that it's a real disorder, not a quirk of mine or anything. And it's not like I get too depressed, just a little.
But I find ways to deal with it. Music never fails to cheer me up. Even movies help a lot. And if I have to get out of the house on a gloomy day, I wear bright colored clothes, or something that I really like. That seems to help beat the blues. 

Inspiration needed! I think I have 'blogger's block'

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Okay, if you've been reading my blog regularly, you'll have definitely noticed something. For the past 10 days or so, my posts have been absolute rubbish. Yes, everything I wrote was stupid. Really stupid.

I did a little thinking, and then it just hit me. I need to find better, more meaningful topics to blog about, or I'm gonna delete this blog just to save humanity from the sheer torture of reading the nonsense I write. I tried Plinky a year so ago, but then forgot about the whole thing. I was thinking about all this, when I watched 'Marley & Me' today (the film was touching but really weepy at the end. And since they had to fit a lot into the movie, the scenes were pretty abrupt. But I still liked the movie because I'm a sucker for doggies) (but reading the book is better because you get the real story. The movie changed a lot of stuff)

Anyways, in the film, the character of John Grogan (portrayed by Owen Wilson) is offered a promotion to columnist (from being a reporter) That struck me because I personally think that writing a column is a lot like blogging. Then John realises that Marley is all the inspiration they need, and a lot of his columns are about Marley. So I know how to get rid of the block. Get a Dog! (Yeah right! And get killed. It's more likely to rain inside our house than for mom to get me a puppy & she has valid reasons for that.)

So the dog idea is obviously out. So that leaves me with my first & only option at the moment: Plinky? I'll probably give it a try tomorrow.

150 Twitter Followers! This calls for a celebration

It's been 4 whole months since I've been tweeting, & guess what! My follower count just reached 150! Whopee! The average Twitter user has about 75 followers. So I'm officially well above 'average.'

I don't think that my Twitter craze will end soon. I'n hooked! What about you? Do you like Twitter? Leave a comment. Also, do follow me on Twitter: @magali_c

Thanks for reading.

I'm so fickle minded!

So here am am blogging today, as promised. I have decided not to blog about the topics that I'd mentioned earlier. They didn't seem so 'blog-worthy' anymore! So I'll just blog about random stuff (as usual!)

Yesterday we went to visit my 4 month old cousin Joshua. He's so cute! But I was away from computers and I missed stuff.

One of my twitter friends has promised to send me an invite to Google Wave this very evening. I can't wait! I know that so many people are still waiting for invites.

I've stopped playing Monopoly City Streets. It was over-hyped, but now that the novelty has worn off, I find it really annoying! And I know I'm not alone in thinking that.

All I can say is, I can't wait for my Google Wave invite!

Bye for now.

This & That

Okay, well I'm back (on Blogger) again! My exams are almost over & I have a lot of stuff to blog about. But unfortunately, my keyboard is kinda screwed up. No, I'm not just trying to give silly excuses, it really is! The space key gives trouble, and the 'M' key? I pulled it out and don't have the patience to fix it back. So now whenever I type 'm', I'm actually pressing some weird rubber nub that's supposed to be under key. I have got to take this laptop to the servicing guy! But I happen to be too lazy.
So I'll blog soon as I get a good opportunity (literal translation: "I'll blog as soon as I get my hands on the desktop, which still happens to have a fully functional keyboard!") Anyway, how do you like my new template? I loved the previous one but was forced to change it because a faithful reader noticed some irritating bugs in the comment form. But I like this one. Everybody is fascinated by the night & I'm no exception. But if anybody notices any overall bugs with this template, please tell me at once!
Also, thanks for reading!
PS: As you can see, I've chosen normal-size, non-bold font for this post as opposed to my previous ones. I personally found those too loud! Please tell me what you think of this change too!