Being Miser

I sometimes wonder why I am such a miser (Kanjus in Hindi). I can't spend money and I hate it, but still I can't spend it. It is not related to if I am earning or I am not earning. It is just my mindset. When it comes to giving gifts, I can buy $100 worth of jewellery for someone, but I have never bought anything worth even $50 for myself. I am not sure what is the reason, but it is just that I can't change it.

Again, I will blame it on my genes. :-) I want to change this attitude, not sure how. After buying something expensive I keep thinking, do I really need it, is it worth it, bla bla bla... God, help me!

I am very sad again... second time this week. One of favorite singers passed away - Jagjit Singh. :'(.

Tears still roll down my eyes as I keep reading about the death of a great man Steve Jobs...

I was in denial mode till yesterday, woke up an hour early today without the alarm, and the mind just couldn't get over the thoughts of him. I didn't know him personally but I know what he meant to the technology industry and to the world. I am sad, very sad. I end up thinking how he must have felt as he got near to the moment, the thought of leaving behind your legacy and family at this young age. He was such a motivator, even 3 months back he gave a presentation to the Cupertino City Council about the new Apple Head Quarters. He wanted to do so much more...

:(

A new hobby - Cooking!

Looking back 6 years, I hardly knew cooking... I still remember my first few days in US, I stayed with my room mates Dolly and Mansi. I was so new to cooking that I was trying to heat oil in a wet pan. aah... that oil splatter hurt. I learnt cooking from my room mates, trying to manage our every day meals. I liked good tasty food, but not so much that I would learn cooking for that. But slowly, I got some basics cleared, could manage making a "sabji" or "sag" and daal.

And then, when I started working and was not a student anymore, I cooked more often. Still basic food most of the time, and something special once in a blue moon. It all started with Indonesian Peanut Saute from Noodles and Company. They have the best Indonesian Peanut Saute. I got a recipe online and made the sauce which turned out really well. It was a motivation factor!

Then I got married to a guy who LOVES food. Well all men love food, so nothing special. :-). The fact that he likes cooking and trying out new recipes motivated me more. And the quest to try new recipes started. We have been trying to cook all the things that we like eating out like pizza, jalapeno pretzels, thai curry, chinese and of course Indian. It is so rewarding to eat the delicious food you cooked and learned one new thing in life... We have been trying to cook one new recipe every week, though it is as simple as making Daal Dhokli (a north indian dish), its new to me. It has been fun overall...

For this new hobby, I went to a Asian grocery store yesterday to get some rice paper for Spring rolls. This store was huge, with so many varieties! I went to buy one thing and instead got ten and it cost me $10. That store was cheap. Safeway or any American grocery store is way so expensive compared to that store. The only thing I didn't like was the store had a stinky meat smell all over. Another thing my five basic sense have learnt to ignore after coming to US.

So, today I am going to make spring rolls with peanut sauce. The same peanut sauce with which this new hobby started! And hence a blog post. :-)

Hope you have a great weekend!
-P