WE Quotes: 26/5/2011

“I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naive or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.” 

                                                                                                                       - Anas Nin

The End Of The Reign of Terror

I am not politically inclined. Although I like to keep abreast with the goings on at home and internationally, my debates are limited to my circle of family and friends. However, with the execution of OBL recently, I find myself getting very upset with certain groups of people who seem to have forgotten who OBL was exactly.

Reading their blogs and twitts, I can't help but think some of their criticisms of the actions taken by the USA and Obama is more to serve themselves personally. I think their show of affront is for purely selfish political gain, to be seen as humanitarians, with the people's rights and interest at heart. Whether or not the person they seem to be defending was a vicious, heartless, ruthless, terrorist who masterminded the murder of thousands of innocents worldwide, both from his own religion and that of others, does not seem to matter to them.

Ever since the devastating September 11 attack of the Twin Towers in the USA, the world has been grieving and living in fear. The victims were not only those who perished in the mindless attack, but also from all over the world who grieved for those innocent lives who were lost. Every single person's life changed in every part of the world because of OBL's horrifying action that day. In addition, the attack was not just on a particular religion seen as the enemy by the OBL camp, but in fact, every single religion practiced around the world, including Islam, the religion in whose name OBL claimed to be fighting the war for.

Thousands of Muslims around the world grieved and suffered because of his actions. They were labeled as fanatics or extreamists or terrorists in which ever part of the world they lived in. The peaceful and harmonious lives they lived up to then was shattered irrevocably because one man thought he had the right to impose his views and understanding of his religion on others. I personally have felt sad when I read about the labels and unjust treatment that Muslims around the world sometimes suffer because of this unfortunate stigma which was bestowed upon them by the unscrupulous OBL.

At the end of the day, if the debate is about whether or not an independent power has the right to invade another country and take action against a wanted criminal, well perhaps I will say no, of course not! That is if that wanted criminal was a jewel thief or swindled billions of dollars in the world's stock market. On the other hand, as in this scenerio, the USA was in fact in pursuit of a mastermind criminal, an international terrorist, a mass murderer so vicious that every single person's life around the world was perpetually at stake. In this case, it had to be done. In this case, it was justified. In this case, it was the beginning of the end of a reign of terror.

Life As An 8 Year Old Kid In The 21st Century

My parents say that I am lucky to be living in the 21st century. They compare the opportunities and things that I have today to when they were young.

From the stories I hear from my parents and grandparents, I realize things were indeed very different for them then. There were no computers, that is, no Facebook, Twitter or surfing the internet! There was no cable television, no Play Station 3, no Gameboy. The board games and other electronic toys I have accumulated over the years were never heard off. I can’t imagine going even one day without any of these things.

When I ask what they did for fun, they get all nostalgic and regale me with stories about how they would get together with friends and neighbours after school and play whatever games they could come up with. There were games that involved stones, rubber bands, slippers, of course the infamous police and thief, riding bicycles, playing in the rain and such. There was no need for fancy toys and gadgets to have the kind of fun that they had. Just as quickly however, they reiterated that, that was during their time, but now, things were so different that it was not possible for me to have the same experiences.

My parents went to a public school. I attend an international school as my parents want to give me a better quality of education. I hear them talk about how competitive it is nowadays “in the real world”, and how this school will give me the advantage I will need for when I am older. They also like the fact that the school hours are longer and so, the more time I spend in school, the less idle time in my hands, and hence, the less time for mischief. I always look forward to school as it is where all my friends are.

After school activities for my parents were about getting together with friends to play until they were called in for either lessons or dinner. Only when they were much older did my father take on football for which he was team captain and my mother attended singing lessons as per her parent’s wishes.

I, on the other hand, was sent for piano and singing lessons when I was just three and a half years old. My mother was told that it was an ideal age for a child to be introduced to such lessons as it helped with our development. When I turned five, my parents banded together and enrolled me in Taekwondo. I remember bawling my eyes out for a whole month before resigning to my fate. They were determined that I learn self-defense, especially because I was a girl.

I don’t ever remember being asked if I liked all these extra activities I was taking. It was just part of what I was expected to do everyday. It was the norm for everyone. These were opportunities given to me to better myself. I really can’t complain as I do enjoy myself at times. Perhaps when I am older, I would have a say in what I choose to learn. I am thinking modern dance will be nice.

So yes, things are indeed very different from when my parents were younger. They lived in times that were more innocent, carefree and fun. I, on the other hand, inadvertently have no choice but to live life that has been shaped and molded so differently from theirs. However, compared to them, I have much to look forward to.

I have to think about a competitive future, in play, education and work. I have to be careful with whom I talk to, with the company I keep, in case of bad influences. I have to be under strict supervision when I surf the internet or the various social networks I use, in case I fall victim to cyberspace predators. The movies I watch, the music I listen to, the books I read, will all have to pass parental censorship of what is considered safe and appropriate. My social time with my friends will be strictly planned, monitored and scrutinized so that our fun time is first and foremost, safe and secure from the ever present threat of evil that is around us. Notwithstanding all this, I also have to watch out for incidences of bullying, muggings, kidnapping, sexual exploitation, natural disasters such as floods, earthquake, tsunamis, and more.

I am indeed living in interesting times, in this 21st century.

Chicken Biryani ala Paella

I decided to cook something different today as both my son and husband were going to be home for lunch. It's very rare that they are both at home for lunch on a weekday. As we had not had rice over the last few days I thought it would be a nice change. We had also been eating mainly non spicy dishes as thats the usual fare for us on a weekday. 

So today, I wanted to make something that was a little spicy, and that was also fast and easy to cook. With a choice of meat, poultry or seafoood, I usually tend to put in two, if not more vegetables (as long as I can get away with it) into any dish I make so that it is a nutritious meal for us. My choice today was chicken and the vegetables I had in my fridge. What I came up with in the end, is a little creation that I think is a cross between a Indian chicken biryani and a Spanish paella.

I won't pretent to be a chef and tell you what to do or what you can substitute ingredients that I have used with. Cause I am not. I will just share with you what I did:

1/2 a chicken - cut into small pieces (like I would use in a chicken curry)
2 cups of basmati rice
4 cups of water
2 medium carrots - cut into circles and then quartered
1 whole flower of broccoli - cut into smaller bouquets
1 tsp each of tumeric powder and mix spice powder
2 tsp chilli powder
3 tsp meat curry powder
1/2 tsp each of cumin, coriander and fennel powder
5 cloves garlic - left whole
a thumb size knob of garlic - sliced
1/2 medium sized red onion - cut finely
8 pcs cardamom
1 pc cinnamon stick
3 pcs star anis
2 tbs butter and a dash of olive oil

In a deep non stick pan, I put in the butter in a little olive oil (so it does not burn). I added the cardamom, cinnamon stick and star anis and roasted it until fragrant. Then I added the garlic, ginger and red onion and cooked it until the onion was soft and translucent. Next I added the chicken and cooked it slowly over a medium fire. When the chicken was three quarters cooked, I add the tumeric, chilli, curry, mix spice, cumin, coriander and fennel powders. This I cooked for five more minutes over a medium fire until the chicken was well coated and the spices had time to cook a bit in the fire.

I then added the rice, four cups of water, carrots and salt and mixed everthing well. I let it simmer gently for about 10 minutes until the rice swelled and the water reduced in half. I added the brocolli and gave it another good stir. After this it was a  watch, test and taste game. As the water reduced and the rice cooked, I had to add in another three quarters cup more water to let the rice really soften and cook through. Once I got the rice in the right texture, I added more salt to taste and kept gently mixing the whole thing until all the water evaporated and the rice loosened a little. I liked the little brown crust the rice got as I kept cooking it over a small fire to let the dish dry up a little, only because my husband does not like his rice too wet.

In the end, I ended up with a Indian Biryani dish that looked a lot like a Spanish paella!

I was really nervous if my son would like the dish as I was afraid he would find it a bit too spicy. He is just learning to appreciate spicy food and I did not want to scare him off. Verdict: He loved it! Yeah for mum!

Then, I was wondering if the dish was dry enough for my husband, because like I mentioned, he does not like his rice wet. Lets just say I am the one who orders paella in La Bodega and he shuns it religiously. So that was a big worry for me. Verdict: He had two servings! Yeah for wifey!

So all in all, I think this recipe is a keeper. I think I will try it with seafood one day soon.

Infertility: I Want Another Baby

I apologise for not being here for a couple of weeks now. I have had a lot on my mind. I now have more or less come to a conclusion. No, thats not really true. I am just stumped and dont know what to think. I guess I am just letting time take care of it. If I run out of time and nothing happens, then I will say, "Its fated" or "Its too late now, I am too old." However, if I am blessed with a miracle, then, I'll say, "Wow! Thank you God!". I'll just have to wait and see which it will be.

I have been thinking about becoming pregnant again. It's been on my mind for at least a couple of years, but now there is a sense of urgency as I will be thirty eight years old this year. My biological clock is screaming, loudly. There is so much to consider. There is so much at stake.

Its been about six years and three months since my son was born. We have not gotten pregnant since. No false alarms, no miscarriages, nothing. Neither have I been on any type of contraceptive medications. The doctors call this secondary infertility. Secondary infertility is when a women experiences difficulty conceiving after already having previously conceived a child, either to term or even ending in a miscarriage.

Secondary infertility. Thats me. I am blessed that I have my son. But I would like another child. My son would like another sibling. He misses having someone to play with, or even fight with at home. It's definitely better than being alone, stuck with two boring adults. He is lucky to have a wonderful cousin sister who spends a lot of time here with us. But he calls her his "part-time" sister as she has to go home at the end of the day. He wants a "full-time" sibling.

I keep thinking I have so little time to figure this out. It takes nine months to carry a child to term. It will take about a year (if I am lucky) to conceive if I consider IVF or the likes. It may take longer if I consider adoption. So what am I to do? Which option should I choose? What are the pros and cons of even picking any one of these options? I believe, the best option would be to suddenly find myself pregnant within the next three months. Thats the best bet I've got. If not?

WE Quotes: 23/02/2001

“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins

  when the doctor says, ‘It’s a girl.’ ” 

  

                                                                      - Shirley Chisholm

WE Quotes: 08/02/2011

“Man endures pain as an undeserved punishment;

Woman accepts it as a natural heritage.” 

                                              - Anonymous

Life Lessons: Part Two

Now I know why they call it "life lessons". It is because you learn lessons literally at every point in your life. Continuously. I have learnt quite a few this early in the new year. They have been eye opening, albeit painful. But I know it has been long due in coming.

I am definitely taking it positively, learning from it and using it to boost my inner strength and spirit. I will use these lessons to shape the decisions and new directions I will take for myself henceforth. For I can only move forward and change what is in front of me. Nothing I can do about the past. I know its better for me to leave it there, in the past.

HonourablyMum: Life Lessons: Part Two

HonourablyMum: Life Lessons: Part Two

04/01/1970

Sometimes, there is no running away from facing the hard truths of reality.  It is of no point shedding tears that were inevitable, as we would have known all along it was coming. Even if your heart breaks in disbelieve at the betrayal, your mind reminds you that it was anticipated.

But if it was anticipated, then can it be called a betrayal? If yes, that is what it was, a betrayal, then who betrayed whom? Is my ignorance and reluctance to face the truth a betrayal to myself? Or is the person whom I have been sheilding all these while the betrayer for forcing me to face the truth?

Nevertheless, the feeling of being betrayed remains:  04/01/1970