Two awesome must see movies!

I got to see two amazing Korean movies-- both starring this fabulous actor named Jae-yeong Jeong.
I discovered them on netflix.
Okie so the first is called--"Going by the Book."

Jae-yeong Jeong stars as the perfect cop, asked to rob a bank, for a police training simulation. Mr. Jeong is flawless as the perfect cop Jung Do-man. Set in a beautiful South Korean small town. You will fall in love with the town, the characters and this unique story. I have never heard a  better story than this one. This a must see movie. Should be on everyone's must see list.

The other gem also by this fabulous actor is called---"Castaway on the moon"

Watch the trailer to this movie here.

The story unfolds like a profoundly beautiful and simple poem. Another solid performance by Jae-yeong Jeong. It is a beautiful story of loneliness and the company you find at rock bottom. It is an ode to hope.This movie tugs at one's humanity and I think people from all parts of the world can relate and connect with this movie. I have noticed that a lot of Korean movies and dramas are very universal. Korean film industry has a lot of good story tellers.

So go watch them, now playing on Netflix now! Enjoy!

Mary Oliver's West Wind # 2

The first poem in Housden's Ten Poems to Change Your Life is Mary Oliver's West Wind # 2.  His first book also started with Mary Oliver. Like in the first book, this poem, beckons the reader to plunge into the book and to poetry, and in this case also into love. I especially like the Oliver's words, "Without fanfare, without embarrassment, without any doubt, I talk directly to your soul." I have been waiting for messages to my soul, which would suddenly make sense of everything and dictate what to do with my life. And here Oliver, speaks to my soul without the grandiose I expected. But it appeals to me since she speaks without embarrassment or doubt. Then she asks the reader, " Lift the oars from the water, let your arms rest, and your heart, and heart's little intelligence, and listen to me." I have always looked fervently looking for actions, something to do, being still scares me to death. I have felt the need to constantly engage with something. I have learned that I am a very impulsive person, who has struggled a lot to also listen to my own instincts and my true voice. Housden in his incredible generosity can relate, "I can pile into an idea or a course of action before I have barely given it the time of the day, with what can seem like arrogant certainty. This is what Oliver calls 'the heart's little intelligence': the  impulsive response of a heart governed by the emotion of the moment" (Housden, 18).
Housden proceeds to explain, 

" the impulsive heart...knows and sees the world with a naive and definite clarity ... The soul knows in a different way. It gathers honey in the dark from near and far. The soul is always connected to a larger life. It is joined by invisible threads to the soul of all other things, and in this way, the world whispers to it without ceasing. That is why it  is natural for the soul to pause, to listen, to wonder. Only the soul in us has the time to listen deeply"(Housden, 19).

I have always been conscious of my soul's desire to pause and listen. I have heard "the world whisper[ing] to it without ceasing" (Housden, 19). Like I said I am scared of the stillness; the pause. I have always fleed at the first inclination of a pause or stillness. I stopped meditating out of this fear. This blog is an exercise in learning to pause in small increments--baby steps. I am hoping that this will be a good safe way to let thoughts play. I realize that the act of writing is my way of satisfying the urge to act. But this is a good starting place. 

I have for a long time experienced what Housden describes eloquently, "nights carry[ing] other voices on the wings of dreams. Whispers of great empty spaces, lonely and afraid"(Housden, 20). Oliver betrays that alas, you can have a life without love, a life of action not in sync with voice and pull inside. Housden enlightens, "Trust and courage are qualities of soul, and you will need them both to follow the path of love" (Housden, 21). These are not exactly qualities that come easy to me. I do remember that my last venture into loving another, proved to me that I have these qualities innately. After getting my heart and life ripped to shreds in the wake of that relationship, I am a little cautious. I really thought I was in love, madly, deeply, like the whirling dervishes. But now I wonder if that could have been just an infatuation, blown up in mind feverish mind to resemble that which I seek. 

Housden clarifies, "Only you, in a quiet moment of receptivity, can know the difference between your soul's true direction and the convincing clamor of your life's current intensity"(Housden, 23). I feel that, my previously mentioned relationship showed me that I thirst for a life with love. Housden consoles, "Wherever you are in life, her lines all out to you to let yourself fall headlong; into life that has been waiting for you all along(Housden, 23). I look forward to it; it is a great consolation to know that this life with love is available always and waiting for me. After that relationship, I really felt like my life had stopped,a that it couldn't go anywhere, and certainly not where there is love. I have as time went on realized and with great joy and comfort that it is possible to have a life with love. Now it is upto me to listen for it, and to falling into it again. On this journey I am honored and thrilled to have Housden and the poets he enlists to jump in with me. 

Roger Housden and his ten poems

A few years back I had the chance to read Roger Housden's Ten Poems to Change Your Life. It was in this amazingly rich reading that I first met Rumi. And I fell in love. But the book offered more than just Rumi. It struck a profound chord somewhere dormant in my yearning soul. I had an experience quite similar to Georgiou in Housden's, Chasing Rumi, "A vision of beauty that poured through his veins the first time he saw Fra Angelico's Frecsco of the Sermon on the Mount" (Housden, Chasing Rumi, pp11). The poems in his book seemed like they were written for me. As though Housden was a somehow tuned into what reverberated in my depths. There is a sense of familiar and of comfort at finding a corner that called your name. Since then I have navigated several streams of life, but ultimately finding myself craving more, wanting  to plunge into what I trust to an vast expanse of love, gratification, satisfaction, that is just hidden from my view.

With this intention, I have picked up his other works hoping to find more, and to appease my restless and ever-growing desire. That was the point of this blog in the first place, to savor my thoughts; to listen to the deep and not to preserve the ceaseless voice within me. I am starting with Housden's Ten Poems to Open Your heart. I plan to read, digest, and process the poets and Housden, to find what I am listening to and what I am hearing.

Once again, I cooked the entire thanksgiving spread for my family. I can't tell you how much I love cooking thanksgiving every year. This year I had a fabulous spread...hit me up for recipes.

For the first course I made Avacado Beet Citrus Salad and Turkey Stuffed Mushrooms.

FIRST COURSE

Avacado Beet Citrus Spinach Salad with homemade croutons

Turkey Stuffed Mushrooms

Then we had Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with homemade Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes with chives, Crunchy Green Beans, Orange glaced Carrots, Studded Stuffing, Brandied Cranberry sauce, Turkey Gravy, Sweet Potatoes in coconut casserole, and homemade white corn muffins, presented in order below

Herb Roasted Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Crunchy Green Beans

Orange Glaced Carrots

Studded Stuffing

Brandied Cranberry Sauce

Turkey Gravy

Sweet Potatoes in Coconut Casserole

White corn Muffins

My guests were delighted, I was thrilled that my first Lactose free thanksgiving was a great success!

Do let me know if you want my lactose free recipes!!!

This thanksgiving I am thankful for everyone in my family and for everyone who have become family!

Prithviraj Mamta tribute tum jo aaye

Check out my youtube channel for my video experiments:
http://www.youtube.com/user/desirebelle

My new favorite recipe

My dearest cousin Nadia, gave me some new recipes. So today I tried out the one she recommended highly- KASOORI MEETHI CHICKEN.

What gets to you first is the intoxicating aroma. It is such the fresh and inviting aroma. And the taste, what better word to describe other than Umami.

The best part of the recipe is that you DON'T HAVE TO CUT ONIONS for this fantastic recipe.

The dish taste good with white rice, Malabar Parotta, or Chapatti. It think it will also taste good with Naan.

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken ----One(cut into small pieces)

Oil----------------- 2 tablespoons

Garlic---------------8 cloves (chopped finely, you can substitute with garlic paste if you prefer, about 2 tablespoons)

Chicken Masala-----2 1/2 teaspoon (I used the chicken masala by Eastern Curry powder)

Tomato-------------1/2 a pound

Ginger-------------- a small piece about an inch or so (chopped finely)

Cilantro------------- 1/4 cup (chopped)[ save some to garnish as well]

Salt----------------- to taste

Kasoori Meethi------1 tablespoon (these are Fenugreek leaves, available at your local Indian grocery stores)

Garam Masala-------1/4 teaspoon (All the masalas are available at your local Indian grocery store)

Heat oil in a chef's pot or large skillet. When the oil is hot add garlic and chicken masala. Let that cook until the oil starts to come out a little. Now add tomato, ginger, and 1/4 of the cilantro. Let that cook; once again til you see the oil come out. You will start smelling the appetizing aroma of this dish. Add your chicken pieces and salt. When the chicken is cooked and changed its color, add kasoori meethi and garam masala. Let stand in heat for two minutes. Take off the heat and garnish with the remaining cilantro. Serve hot with rice or an Indian bread of your choice. Enjoy!

Well stay tuned for other recipes I might post here.

oh the diaster that is my life

pardon the sarcasm...but sometimes I don't know what comes over me...I overreact and make a big deal out of everything...

My boyfriend is really amazing...he loves me dearly and is very patient with me...throughout my bouts of insecurities and crazies...I have been smothering him lately because of my insecurity...and today I was talking to one of my closest girlfriends and I realized just how much my boyfriend really loves me...and I felt soo silly. But I am glad to have such a good friend who gave me the space to be my dark self...she allowed me to express myself fully and honestly in all my shame, misery, insecurity and eagerness...she helped realize what my poor boyfriend was already telling me...was true...she also told me that this wasn't the be all end all that I was making it out to be...

I am truly grateful to have such a wonderful friend, and incredibly grateful and happy to have a fantastic boyfriend who loves me.

Sometimes I am soo silly and my judgment gets soo clouded...so I wanted to write this so the next time I overreact, this will remind me to think twice.

Lately I had been feeling like I need to spend every waking moment with my boyfriend...but I realized today that I need space to process and intergrate this love and all the other emotions into my being. I need the space to allow me to truly see and appreciate this realtionship.
I also need the time and space to let this growth process really work....I need to allow for the growth.

oh and if you have been curious about my housing situation...I had to get more paperwork in today...I hope to hear the good news soon...Keep sending me your good thoughts.

Mother's day is coming up and I have been thinking about what to get my mom for mother's day. More than anything I just wanted her to know that she is loved and appreciated and not just because its mother's day...but because she has been having a tough time lately.

It has been really hard on her to see me spend less time at home...and now that I am moving it is going to be harder on her. I love her and want her to truly be happy and find happiness in her life. I just want her to know that eventhough we have differences of opinions, and distance between us...I still love her and she is still important to me and I want her in my life. I have been away a lot lately, and she misses me. And my brother has also been away...times are a bit tough for my mom.....so gentle reader keep sending your good thoughts her way as well.

The other thing that has been on my mind is my cousin who is getting married as i type. Her's is an arranged marriage and I am a little nervous. I don't know the boy at all...and sounds like she doesn't know him a whole lot either. I sincerely hope that he is nice guy who will love and respect her like she deserves to be. So that's another person for whom I wish the best and send all my good thoughts...hopefully you will also send your good thoughts her way.

I am also trying to get back on the diet and exercise bandwagon...my friend and I are going to an appointment with this personal trainer next...hopefully that will help.

So there thats what's going on in my world right now. Tune in for more...