Spicy Fish Puttu

Fall denotes the fall of leaves from trees. It is poetically melancholic to many. Imagine having to face the grey skies and accept the confirmation of summer ending. And to embrace chill of the winter in the short future.


But the coloured foliage of trees depicts another picture. So colourful, so fiery. Just like a dish I cooked borrowing a recipe from DH Easthouses' blog 

I really enjoy this. The flavour and the heat was fiery. The colours warm like the autumn foliage. And yet it is light that I didn't feel that I became mentally inward and blue (usually after eating a heavy meal in the cold and dark winter)

It was good even for the following day's snack.

In the other gardens

And all up the vale

From the autumn bonfires

See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over

And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes,

The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

Fires in the fall!

Ceramic Jade-Hope

I do feel guilty of not blogging for a long time. Bad bad blogger.

I have not been cooking or baking either. I have been busy with ceramic. Ceramic is like magic sometimes as I have no control of the outcome and the result is always a surprise.

After "baking" this particular object (bowl/cup)  it turned out to have a  jadeite tone. As jade is always a symbol beauty, nobility and perfection I am happy with this result.

Even though this is not jade, I hope it would do no less than ensure good health, good luck and banishes evil spirits like what Asian believe what jade could do.

I am not hoping this object has the ability to bring abstract definition into physical reality but sometimes the very belief in the possibility instigated a transformation. So why not hope and think positive!

Passion, a gift.

In the summer on my birthday this year, my 9 year old son bought me some colour pencils which actually work as watercolour. I carried it everywhere I went, while we were on a vacation in Tuscany summer this year. It was so easy to use, I just needed to dip them into some very little water to moisten the tip and voila, watercolour. It was a very thoughtful gift. 

I made some paintings with just a few pencils and some water from the pool.
And of course, Tuscany as my inspiration.

I still remember the time when I explained to my kids to pursue a career in their future base on passion and not anything else. Not money, not fame and not power. Passion... They looked at each other with question marks on their faces.


I explained passion is something that you love doing. And not get tired or bored of doing it. And you would not expect a reward from it because by just doing it , you are satisfied, happy and peaceful.


And then my son said to my daughter, " Oh! I get it! She means hobby!".... (!?)... I wanted to explain more but left it as that.

This fall my son turns 10 and wanted to collect money as presents as he was saving for a DJ console equipment for junior and an iPod. Suddenly, he is interested in mixing his own music. I am not a fan of such music. I decided to leave the decision to him. I am actually happy he knows what he wanted.