On Saturday I wrote about Kolkata the city I was thankful for.That was a food trip down memory lane and won the WOW badge from Blogadda!Entire July I have recollected the food which has helped me grow and become who I am today.
They deserve a thank you.
One
A fish Hilsa or Ilish. It’s more than a fish it’s like a cult!
If you are a Bengali and don’t like Ilish you may be put under a genetic scanner.
Bengali s love it adores it and makes it a part of every special occasion.
Ilish bhaja with Ilisher tel (the fish oil)
Ilish bhaja
Sorshe diye Ilish.
Ilish bhapa (steamed with mustard paste green chilies)
Ilish begun kumro kaccha lonkar jhol.
Doi Ilish(curd based dish)
Ilish Paturi(Steamed in banana leaves or sweet pumpkin leaves)
All these made my brain have enough omega 3 fatty acids to read through tons of books to clear my medical exams.I am deeply grateful for this fish which helped my brain process the difficult terrains of nonstop studying!
I enjoy Hilsa. Deep fried shallow fried or steamed. It’s delicious with steaming hot rice and an afternoon stretching lazily in front of you.The fine bones in this fish make the eating as much of an art as the cooking is.
I like it cooked in a rich mustard and green chili gravy or a light fragrant gravy with sweet pumpkin, brinjals and generously spiced with green chilies.Any way you serve it, makes me happy.
Two
Dark chocolate and Cadbury’s Silk.
The wiser I grow I am living the bitter undertones of dark chocolate.
Thankful for Chocolate:Thankful Thursdays Favourite Food
But I still can’t give up the gooey richness of Silk.Remember the Silk ad where the woman didn’t share with her hubby?That’s me too!Now my hubby hides chocolateS my daughter is gifted.He doesn’t hide it from Rai He is hiding them from me.On good days I don’t look for chocolates.On not so great days I have chocolate cravings.That’s when I can have an entire bar!Chocolates make me feel good any day.
Nowadays I am participating in a #TeaWithWriteTribe tribe contest and what can I say I love tea.Green Black White, gingery tea, masala tea.anything!
3 Favorite foods I am thankful for
Hot or chilled, tea is a childhood love.
When mom used to come back from office.My sister was in charge of making the perfect cup of tea.
Boil the water just right.Put in a few tea spoons of Darjeeling tea!Wait for 4 minutes.Stir it once.See if the color is just so.
Strain it.
3 spoons of milk or less and sugar.
Home made jhaalmuri (puffed rice lightly spiced, with onions and cucumber diced finely )and chai with TV watching! That was tea time!
In Dilli, I fell in love with the gingery milk tea and the occasional masala chai the canteen wala bhaiya served.
Over cups of it, we used to discuss work load, politics, the party on the weekend or the next mad trip to the hills.
Tea has innumerable memories.Life without tea would be sad.
This Thankful Thursdays remembering my favorite foods have put the midweek blues right out of the window.Absolutely loved this.
What are your favorite food s that make you thankful?Comment below to let me know.Or you can write and link up right here.Just click the big blue button at the end of the post and submit your link.
Thankful Thursdays prompt this week:(open for 2weeks now!)
Thankful Thursday prompt :3 Favourite Food you are Thankful for
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Earache is a very common complaint that children have.A painful ear can make young children cranky with continuous crying, refusing feed and sleeping fitfully.Parents are at a loss, trying to soothe the child. All parents must have faced at least one such episode of an earache when the child’s pain has brought tears to your eyes.
Chronic suppurative otitis media with intracranial complications.
Commonest causes of Earache:
Infected wax
Water entry in the ear causes the wax to swell up .This cause pressure over the tympanic membrane.Child will have blocked ear,decreased hearing and occasionally pain. The wet wax may also get infected and cause pain.
Children themselves and parents often try to clean their ears with objects like ear buds(often too big ), hair clips , safety pin ,feathers and other risky objects ..This may cause the ear canal to have abrasions which get infected.
Furuncle of the ear canal(most commonly occurs following ear cleaning)
Pain due to causes in the ear canal is a very painful condition called otitis externa.If a child is crying due to otitis externa she/he will not allow you to even touch their ear.Forceful cleaning of ear in that case make condition worse.
Acute otitis media: This starts to occur when children especially preschoolers have repeated prolonged episodes of cough and cold. This causes blockage of the passage between nose and ear(eustachian tube).
Nasal obstruction and the sudden blockage causes the tympanic membrane (ear drum) to become in drawn.This cause excessive secretion in the middle ear which may get infected and form pus.Like pus anywhere it causes pain, pressure over tympanic membrane.Ear discharge with sudden relief of pain may occur following rupture of the infected ear drum.Pain due to this condition may not persist through out the day .It increases often at night.Child will allow examination.Never start ear drops etc without doctors permission as it can cause earache to increase in this condition.
Trauma
Referred pain From caries tooth, newly erupting tooth, mumps parotitis.different pathologies in oral cavity and oropharynx and larynx
Secretory Otitis media
Children having allergic Rhinitis may have persistent low-grade blockage of the Eustachian canal. This cases retracted eardrum, secretion inside the middle ear cavity(the part of the ear behind the drum), blocked ear, with occasional pain.
Otomycosis(fungal infection of the ear)Initially may not be painful, but later if left untreated causes pain.Needs prolonged course of topical antifungal alone or in combination with other drugs depending on condition.
3 Things you must know about Earache:
2.What can you do to relieve the pain?
Hot fomentation (warm compress )over the ear.
Over the counter pain medications like paracetamol and Ibuprofen often available at home and may be given.
Antibiotics will have to prescribed in most cases.
Topical antibiotic eardrop, ointment for furuncle, otitis externa will relieve pain.This needs to be started after consultation with an ENT Surgeon.
Earache is a very painful condition both for children and adults.Though 100%prevention may be difficult you can definitely take some action to prevent most cases.
3.Prevention
Make your child drink water regularly.Hydration status has a role to play in making wax soft and liquid.The more liquid the wax is less chance it will accumulate and get infected.
Consult your doctor in case of cold and nasal discharge does not improve within 3 days.Generally, earache starts after the 5th day of continuous cold and nasal congestion.
Never clean the ear forcibly.It’s better to apply a wax solvent ear drop(4 to 6 drops twice a day for 7 days) every 2 to 3 weeks to avoid built up.
If the child complains of an earache no, eardrop, warm oil etc should be applied before consulting an ENT Surgeon.
If the child suffers from Allergic Rhinitis it should be adequately treated to avoid ear problems.
The ear is one of the 5 important sense organs and it definitely lets us know its importance when it aches.Prevention as always is better.
Do you have an earache?How do you manage?Comment below to let me know.
Updated:August 2018
Disclaimer: This information is meant to spread awareness about health and is not meant as a replacement for Doctors consultation.In the case of emergency ,visit your nearest emergency room for medical care.
I grew up in Kolkata.Rather still Calcutta to many of us.My memories of Kolkata has para cricket, picnics, and the pandal hopping during Pujo.
From having phuchka religiously every evening, to visiting the neighborhood temple.Childhood memories are wrapped in myriad sounds and tastes.
My home in South Kolkata has some of the most tree lined houses you will find in this city.With old and new houses jostling for space, this part of Kolkata still has its green lungs.
First Anniversary mocktail mommies celebration contest.Light Sunday: Winning post
The lake nearby and the well-paved footpaths, made for pleasant evening strolls with friends We still heeded all the warnings about wandering too far and strangers but the neighborhood was safe.
Shopping for household necessities, the best fruits veggies or my favorite fish, Lake market was a stone throws away.
Lake market now has a mall, The Lake mall. It’s cool, swanky with its own multiplex and BigBazaar..But the grocery shops in the main market, the fish market, and the local shops have survived.Because they too have learned the art of selling from the big businesses.It’s a beautiful amalgam of the old and new making a social tapestry.
The Gariahat market is where I went with my sister, for buying all the goodies for sale just before Nabo Barsho(Bengali New Year). I remember the many times we walked back home chatting and licking an ice cream cone, as the line at the auto stand was too long !.
We thought we were strong enough to tackle a few roadside Romeos.
I remember the time we all went for the late night show at Priya. Then scared to walk back home at one at night.Our home is 10 minutes away from Priya, but one am is not safe for walking!
Luckily we survived our stupidity.
Summer holidays meant going to moms office near Newmarket.The highlight was mom took us shopping and restaurant hopping.Some of my best memories are full of window shopping activities.That’s when I knew I have a shopaholics heart.Not having extra money helped me learn to rein it in and save for things that really mattered.I now window shop online too!It’s one of the best way to lift up my mood.
Thankful for Kolkata
Visits to Nahoums in Newmarket, Mamma Mia the gelato heaven at Ballygunge circular road.The Biriyani at Arsalan, Golbarir Kashamangsho, prawn cocktail at Mocambo, Chelo kabab at Peter Cat, breakfast at Flurys and picnics at Victoria! That’s the food map of Kolkata.
While in Calcutta Medical College we used to haunt the Coffee house, Paramount (delicious coco malai sarbot, a mix of milk, malai, cashews, ice, cocoa and God knows what .But it was lip smackingly delicious).Don’t ask about calories or nutrition facts though.Some things are beyond that.
The famous sweet shop Putiram had crisply fried karaishootir kachori (Puri stuffed with peas) and an array of Sandesh and fried sweets which made snacking as important as dissection classes.
Having daab(green coconut) from the kaku in front of the college or cooling down with an ice lolly all was part of days work.
The cityscape has changed.People are grappling with air and sound pollution .joblessness and increasing immigration problems.The education and healthcare system is being challenged by exploding population, lawlessness and violence every other day I left Kolkata in 2007 for Delhi.Then came back again.Left again.
Kolkata is where I got married and my darling daughter was born.Kolkata is witness to many joys and heartbreaks.It’s still my city.Wherever I go my heart will always beat for this city of joy.
Now living with my hubby and baby in a small town, but a Kolkata girl at heart.Show me the phuchka and promise a good adda and I will forget everything else.
Writing this for Write over weekends by Blogadda.
I am Thankful for being a Kolkata girl forever.
Linking this post with #MondayMusings
Update .This post won two awards,
One: The WOW badge by Blogadda
I won the wow badge by Blogadda
Second: mocktailmommies celebration contest.Light Sunday: Winning post .
When you are studying away from home, working away from home, its time to make a home where you are.That’s what I learned when I read Love the Home you have and decided to do exactly that. Buying and maintaining homes in all the places you travel is not for you and me. Making a cozy cocoon, wherever I live, is right up my sleeve. With the stress of the profession and creative pursuits, my home needs to be peaceful.
The good news this week
The home we bought in Kolkata, a few years back is almost ready for possession. The effective word is almost!
I have mixed feelings. I have prayed for this day but now we are roughly 9 h 23 min (360.1 km) via NH12 and SH 7 away from this home. If you know the roads of West Bengal, then you know the problem! If not I will avoid giving you boring details. But you understand, right?
So now we have two things to plan
1)What to do?
2)How to do?
Universe are you listening?
The current plan
Get it done slowly as and when we can manage.
The next plan
Pray hard for a miracle!
The fun part
Dreaming about home decor, browsing Houzz, BHG, and Pinterest and knowing its research is fun! I have decided to find those elements, furnishing and decor items which help bring peace and serenity in our home.
[bctt tweet=” A peaceful home is a happy home!” username=”misra_amrita”]
The philosophy is great, dreams I have plenty and Pinterest boards full of favourite ideas.
But the real work will need to be done. The only way I could even start thinking about it is when I decide I will blog about it. One problem, one blog post . That should work right?
The problem with decorating a new home is it’s exciting and terrifying at the same time.Should you ask the interior decorator friend? Should you hire the best interior decorator of the town, if you have the budget? Should you just talk to the friendly carpenter and ask him to follow those saved pictures from Pinterest, Insta, and Houzz? That could be tricky!
This decision is more difficult than what to cook for dinner. But I have a solution. I am writing down all my ideas, then going to make chits with all my options and pick up a chit blindfolded. Will that work?
I don’t think so! But I am determined. When there’s a will there’s always a way.
I am a big fan of no-fuss, clean airy spacious designs, with lots of natural elements, which need a minimalcleaning up.
Home paint and colours
I want a lead free paint. Need to choose from Asian Paints/Berger Paints/Nerolac. I really like the Royale Atmos by Asian Paints and considering it for my home. It’s an interesting way to make my walls help clean the indoor air! (The video was part of a campaign but I really liked the concept).Low VOC is a high priority for the paint we choose.It should also be easy to clean and look good.
You will be getting all the behind the scenes fun stuff on my YouTube channel as I get the home ready.
One color throughout or signature color in rooms?Feature wall or not? Not a fan and I don’t like textured walls. Most of the time I want to iron out the creases. It’s weird but that’s what I feel.
Should I like a mural? Wallpapers?Green walls?Yes for murals and green walls. I would love to have vertical gardens in all my rooms. But the budget and practical issues will need to be taken into account. Will I want window treatments? Sliding doors or folding doors? Modular wooden kitchen or steel kitchen? Functional and blissful. That’s my plan . I can dream, right?
5 Wishes for my home:
#1 I want to find a home wherever I live with my family. Seriously this is something me and hubby believe deeply. You can travel, live in rented places, but if you have a loving family to come home to, any place can be home.
#2 Attachment to places and walls happen, but I want to create feelings and memories. That’s the reason I focus my energy and creativity in finding the right furniture and furnishings.
#3 I want a fresh, clean and green home. Think solar panels, clean water, energy saving lights and Vertical gardening. If I can find the right person to set up, then maybe an Aquaponics kitchen garden. I tend to get carried away when it comes to gardening.But its for a good cause.
#4 I want a library with all my Feluda and Enid Blyton’s and everything in between. Imagine a cozy rocking chair, well-lighted room, green plants and surrounded by books. Bliss!
#5 I am planning a rock climbing wall. When its ready you are invited to come climbing with me!
Why it’s important to avoid overwhelm and have a plan
The stress of living in a different place and having a home in another one means we will be traveling. Since in this case air travel is not an option we will have to travel by rail. It’s hectic for adults and with a six-year-old, we need to do some smart planning. But I believe when there’s a will there’s a way and I have always been blessed!
My next step
Virtual home décor sites and you my friend will be seeing what I try. Give me your best tips in the comments for the new home decor, the stress-free way.
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When I joined the Blogchatter community I didn’t know what to expect.
I did do the Daily chatter in 2016 July, but then it was just writing, reading, linking posts and sometimes sharing.It was disciplined writing.But no connection with other bloggers beyond their blogs.But still, I liked it.I didn’t know how much better it can be.So no complaints.
When I found the #MyFriendAlexa challenge (It’s due to be on from September 1st 2017:top secret )I was ready for more of the same stuff.
What I found this time, was not really Alexa hacks. But friends connected by shared passion and love for all things writing, blogging and creativity.
First Anniversary mocktail mommies celebration contest #TeamworkThursdays Day4
It was the best summer-camp-blogging experience ever.It’s like the ” Kuch Kuch Hota Hain ” types camp.Just online and blogging.I connected with a lot of people.But some have become dear friends who are now a part of my daily brainstorming routine.
Do you know the bloggers who participated in #MyFriendAlexa?
Mayuriwho doesn’t like code writes like a dream.A veteran blogger her “sirimiri” is as gentle as she is her self.
There’s Deepa of Kreativemommy.Dancer mother of two daughters, dietician, writer, blogger and one of the people who was around everyday chatting, helping and always reciprocating.I host a blog linky #MondayMommyMoments with her every Monday now.
Twinkling Tina our gorgeous food blogger and mommy of baby Bluey (love the name ).One of the first who answered my call for an interview.
Darling Dixita our hillstation reader.A friend and my Fiction teacher.
Mayura the super achiever who does everything with an infectious energy.
Bushra a doctor, our dewcool2 who writes about delectable desserts and mouthwatering dishes. A sweet heart.
Geetika our boisterous bee an economics teacher.
Shalini our soldier’s wife.
Priyanka another food blogger and Bengali to boot.
Roma always teaching by being the best example.
Ramya her posts on self-motivation made me want to try harder.
KalaRavi with a blog full of interior design tips.
Anindya another veteran blogger who is a celebrity in his own rights.Travel & food blogger with a style , that few can match.His blog has got some of a gorgeous pics.
And I am still waiting for his tips.He did say October.
Ashu who writes poetry.Mars a.k. a Masoom Jethwa a planetary scientist another poetry write and some of them are not in English.That had a steep learning curve.
Social Maharaj @Atul Maharaj who is always there to help .
Sumit , Anshul, and Abhi , Samjoth.
Hoping to get to know them better.
If I have missed people it’s because of Blogchatter.They made 2 different DM groups and these were the people who were in ours to chat, throughout the day.Encouraging each other.Pushing, encouraging, doing everything friends do.Plus we had fun.
How my friends improved my Alexa rank in 1 month:10 Things I learned from #MyFriendAlexa
What did I learn during MyFriendAlexa?
1) Learned patience ,persistence from blogger friends like Mayuri who has been blogging since 2004
Ultimately blogging is writing.Even when you right great posts you have to get it in font of your readers.If you are not into paid advertising then how do you do it?
All writer writes for herself/himself but also for their readers.So yes, you need eyeballs on your blog posts.
5)Learned you can still help,others even when you are learning.Sometimes being one step ahead ,you might have a view the others don’t.
6)If you have been helped you will always get a chance to pass it forward.Don’t miss out on this.
7)Made my blog the most important priority, after health and family.
8)Explored different contents in my niche that I liked writing about.Other than my in-depth topics on health and healthy lifestyle.
Started writing more about mompreneurs and bloggers who were making a difference.That’s the ultimate aim of my blog.To help struggling mompreneurs who can’t spend money on advertising.
The great thing about these posts was they provided a little relief from the intense research I have to do before writing a health post.I still write 1 in-depth health post every week.Same frequency as before.But other days I try to write other contents to showcase mompreneurs or help them.
This way my Alexa improved.Since I had more fresh content.Traffic increased.
9)I posted at least 3 times a week.
In the last 2 weeks, I posted even more.
10)Followed rules of MyFriendAlexa.
11)Read at least 4 blogs.Mostly I did more.
12)Comment and share throughout the day.Mostly on Twitter .
13)Brainstormed with friends.
14)Started editing my old posts.
Takeaway
Daily chatter was great #MyFriendAlexa was out of this world.
Blogchatter is the ultimate teacher. Not doing their challenges? Sign up now!
I am going to continue reading blogs. That’s the least I can do. They made my Alexa what it is today.
I am part of a blogging challenge with a group of bloggers taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter & #MyFriendAlexa.
[bctt tweet=”Is it correct to always convert a passion into a profession? Does this destroy the essence of blogging? Must earning money be the final aim of blogging? #EarnThroughBlogging” #Indispire @Indiblogger username=”misra_amrita”]
This was too good. I just couldn’t resist voting for this one. The eternal question. Is money worth it? I am a doctor and a teacher in a Medical College. I started writing with a purpose. But money was not the purpose. But whatever I do, I always try to make it self-sufficient. While my other profession helped me start the blog, I am happy to say its self-sufficient now. Indiblogger was the first platform, which by sending me a gift voucher of Rs 1000, two and a half years back, made me believe the potential a digital platform has.
My time is valuable. My blog doesn’t run on air and I need money to maintain hosting, domain and wi-fi and some other costs. So I aim to #Earn through blogging, but on my own terms.
The best professions in the world are the ones where your passion helps you support itself. That’s the story with me being a doctor and a blogger.I don’t promote alcohol, smoking, non-family friendly content or controversial treatments I try to share my knowledge and professional skills to make something which is helpful. If the Universe wants me to earn something on the way that’s perfect.
Goddess Laxmi is not just wealth it’s also good fortune. So if you want to earn through blogging no harm. Focus on good work and you will find a way, but not the other way around. Goddess Laxmi and Mata Saraswati are sisters for a reason. If you can use your education to help others, it will help you be blessed by Laxmi.I am a big believer in a self-sustaining venture. Just writing on the blog is not a money minting plan. The money comes in different ways depending on multiple variables. If you don’t feel earning through blogging is good you will not earn through it. It’s a simple mindset. Ask yourself one question
What is the harm in earning through blogging?
If Indiblogger didn’t have a monetization plan, could this platform be possible? You know the answer to that. Earning and money by herself is faultless, the problem lies in the how and mindset. Write like an angel and always be blessed by good fortune, that is my wish for you!
For this Sunday the two books, I revised are very relevant.
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