San Antonio Trip!

I had an amazing time with my friends on July 4 - The American Independence Day!! We were a group of 6 people and after lots of fancy plans, we decided to go to San Antonio!! A dream vacation spot with the most picturesque Riverwalk I have ever seen.

We arrived in San Antonio at 11am and the whole city was festive and colorful. I instantly fell in love with that place. It had the old European architecture with street lamps from Harry Potter movies and baskets of flowers hanging on each lamp post. Flowers blooming everywhere, narrow roads with lots of people walking on the streets in colorful summer dresses, buggy rides with flower decorated carriages, lush green trees and a cool breeze made this place a treat for the eyes & soul. The weather was perfect too for this wonderful day!

We headed first for the Alamo fort which is significant in the battle of Independence for Texas. It was in the middle of a park with a wishing fountain and a band playing patriotic music. There were people who were dressed as soldiers from the 19th century when the war took place. They made us sit on benches there and narrated the story of the Battle of Alamo. We next went to the museum which contained the weapons (bowie knife, rifles, pistols, cannon balls etc) used in the battle. The museum itself was in the fort, so it had raw granite walls and flooring. The striking part was that the list of the names of all the soldiers who participated in the battle was put up there.

We walked to the Riverwalk at 1pm and on the way, we saw the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium with all kinds of weird stuff and the Magic Mirror on the street which made u look like Johny Bravo - big body n short legs..hehe.. 

 

 

Atlast, The RIVERWALK!! yippiee..it was beautiful like Venice and a perfectly romantic place. The river flowed slowly in the middle with lots of restaurants, small stores and colorful umbrellas adorning the sides, arched stone bridges to cross sides, tall green trees, sunlight peeking through the leaves, colorful flowers on the sides, playful ducks in the river, small boats taking people on tours... oooooo.. so so perfect!

We clicked lots of photos and walked around a bit absorbing the beauty of the place. Soon we were hungry, ravishingly hunggry!!. So we headed to a Mexican restaurant and had a hearty meal of enchiladas, quesidilas etc. I loved the ambiance which was totally Mexican with the ceiling decorated with pinatas and paper lanterns. 

After the heavy meal, we hurried up to see the Tower of Americas, a 750ft tall tower with an observation deck at the top from where you can see the whole city. We reached the tower, which had lots of water falls and fountains at the entrance. So we had a photo shoot again. We finally entered the tower and an elevator with glass on one side took us to the top. There was a restaurant at the top and the observation deck was beyond that. Gosh! It was open from the sides after a 6ft tall glass covering. The city was beautiful from the top. It was very windy at the top but it was not scary because we couldn’t see vertically down. We came down from the observation deck and watched a 4D movie about Texas and its attractions. It  was superb. There was a scene of a snake coming near our faces and spitting on us with real water sprayed on us. Then it disappeared from the screen and we could feel something moving near our legs and we screamed.

 

We headed back home after this short & sweet trip. The drive was exotic, as if we had come in the middle of a forest. Tall pine tree forests on both sides of the road with patches of vast green grasslands and ranches, horses and cows grazing peacefully in the setting evening sun reminded us of the beauty of the simple village life. I dozed off in the back seat dreaming about this wonderful day spent with my buddies!!

-Rajatha

Things to do in Glorious Summer!

Summer is here!! Yippiieee!! The heat and humidity ensures that you stay indoors for the entire day and venture out in the evenings. Lazy laid back days can hamper your thinking process & creativity and by the end of summer you will be one dumb bloke.

So kick-start your systems and have an active, productive summer.

1. Join a class -
Not the boring academic classes which is the only thing which pops up in a graduate student's mind. I'm talking about dance, music, aerobics or even workshops like Skillport for software classes (Photoshop, Dreamweaver etc.)
Look out for free classes, there are plenty offered on campus and in apartment complexes.

2. Become healthy -
Get a nice trendy dress for yourself and begin working out at the gym for the sake of looking great in that dress. This will provide a nice motivation specially for girls. The guys can hang out with their buddies and play a sport - tennis, football, cricket, swimming (please ask the girls to join too!!).
After sweating it out, make sure that you also eat healthy. Eat a colorful dinner - a portion of rice or roti, a generous helping of daal, sambar, curry or lentils, an egg or omelet, a bowl full of fresh fruits & veggies (grapes, strawberries, apples, oranges, baby carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce etc) topped with yogurt (add sum sugar for a delightful fruit dessert).

3. Be Creative -
A typical trait of Indians is shyness to experiment. But since we are living in America, shed your inhibitions and get creative. Go Stylish with your clothes, wear bright cool colors and mix & match them, try on new accessories!! Get a brand new hairstyle and let friends figure out who you are! (LOL)
Coming to food, try out exotic dishes - Italian, Mexican, Lebanese, Chinese - Houston offers world cuisine at an affordable price. Better still, try cooking them at home and involve your roommates. Its time to bond!

4. Attend parks and theaters -
There are plenty of parks across Houston - I would recommend Hermann park on any evening. It has a calming effect on you specially at the lake side. The Miller theater at Hermann park hosts lots of musical & dance shows for free during weekends (http://milleroutdoortheater.com/default.asp?id=1). Spend an evening there with close friends or a special person.

5. Visit Museums & Zoo -
Houston boasts of the Museum district which houses museums for every taste - Science, Arts, History etc. The Natural Science Museum has a free entry on Tuesdays from 2-8pm. (http://www.hmns.org/). It is truly marvelous with holographic displays and touchscreens for each exhibit. You will be fascinated by the wealth of knowledge you will accumulate about the world around you.
The Houston Zoo (http://www.houstonzoo.org/) offers to bring you close to a wide variety of Animals (rare ones like Red Panda too) in their natural habitat. And the Asian Elephant Shanthi recently gave birth to a playful little Baby Baylor. Check out the video here http://www.houstonzoo.org/baby-elephant-baylor/. If you are an animal lover like me, you will absolutely fall in love with this place.

6. Go Adventurous -
American culture involves a lot of outdoor activities. Camping or Hiking in the picturesque northern states will give you a respite from the heat and give you some quality time to explore Nature and enjoy with your buddies.

7. Plan your weekends -
Tired of working the whole week and wasting your weekend thinking what you can do?? Devote a small time before going to sleep during weekdays to plan for the weekend. This will also ensure you have nice dreams and keep you energetic for the next morning too.

8. Do Community Service -
Helping others brings in a sense of joy & satisfaction. Get some blessings by helping people. Search for children homes, old age homes or even cuddle up with the Abandoned pets.

9. Discover the City -
There are many nooks & corners in the city which you can visit. Try catching a bus which you have never boarded before and explore the places where it goes. Here are some free things to do in Houston - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1966360/25_free_things_to_do_in_houston_texas.html?cat=16

10. Develop your personality -
Okay this is a tough one!! To get out of the geeky, boring personality and becoming a charming, attractive person is not a overnight journey. It takes determination, efforts and a constant urge to sculpt yourself into a better person. Find a person you always wanted to be and try to integrate your personality with some of theirs. This blend will bring out a new flavor in you. Goodluck with that journey!

Hope you guys have an action-packed summer. If nothing works for you, don't worry, have a yummy cup of chocolate ice-cream topped with nuts and caramel sauce and Chill Out!!

-Rajatha

Yummmy Peanut Chutney

Perfect with Dosa, Idly or simply Licking it off from the bowl!!! This is a 5min mouth-watering Andhra recipe and you will end up wanting more and more! (Thanks to my roommate Tripura for this delicious receipe)

Ingredients
1/2 cup of Peanuts
3-4 Dry red chillies
2 Teaspoon of Tamarind paste
A pinch of Salt and Sugar
1 teaspoon oil
A pinch of Mustard seeds & Jeera

(All ingredients are readily available in Hillcroft grocery stores)

Method
Dry roast the peanuts and red chillies (5-8min) until the skin of the peanuts turn dark brown. Allow it to cool down a bit. Remove the dry skin of the peanuts by rubbing them with your hands. Now you have white peanuts and dry red chillies.

Put them in the mixer and grind. To this powder, add the tamarind paste, salt & sugar. Grind again until it forms a smooth paste. Add some water if it is too thick.

Pour out the paste in a bowl. Heat oil in a small bowl and add mustard and jeera seeds. When the mustard seeds crackle, pour it onto the paste. The Chutney is ready!!

Ready-to-pour dosa batter is available at Hillcroft. Invite your friends for a round of dosa & chutney and receive their compliments. Enjoy your summer with some native cooking and spruce up your creativity.

-Rajatha

Graduation!

There is something very surreal about graduation - one day you are a student at the University and the next day you step out into the big corporate world. People tend to believe they will stay the same but this one day changes a lot of lives.

This year, I attended the Graduation Ceremony for my friends and trust me, it is one of the finest ceremonies I have attended. The stadium which housed the event was elegantly decorated and the moment you enter the hall, a feeling of pride surges inside you. The band from the Music School plays the most wonderful tunes for the occasion, giving the event the regalia it deserves. The event itself is conducted by a strict code of protocol which gives it an almost military style atmosphere of honoring the graduates.

The event started with all the graduate students taking a walk around the hall and being seated at their designated seats. Then the President of UH - Dr. Renu Khator and the Deans of the colleges, all dressed in the graduation attires lined with golden silk marched around the hall and took their places on the stage. Their attires reminded me of the cloaks worn by the professors in the Harry Potter movies. This followed by a brief speech by the President and other honorary dignitaries to open the ceremony.

Then began the actual process of hooding the graduates on stage and honoring them. It was a beautiful sight to watch with all friends & family members of the graduates cheering them up!! Its like a dream come true for them specially for parents who adore you the most. I could clearly see the twinkle in their eyes and a sense of pride, a sense of achievement that their son/daughter finally graduated.

I was dreaming about the day when I would graduate too..hehe..
Lots of pictures were taken to cherish this big day and when we joined our friends after the ceremony, it was one big joyful party!! I wish them good luck for their future endeavors and pray they make it big in their lives!

-Rajatha