My World

Are you happy? How do you suppose you are happy? And even more important than these questions is : what is happiness in your opinion? Such a simple, jolly word it is, and yet, it contains the vastest of meaning. I assume the meaning and the context of feeling happy changes over time with respect to our age and our understanding. During younger days, children would associate with getting what they want, and again, in older days, people associate with getting what they want. So, I suppose there is not much of change with the origin or the way it is generally looked open. But is getting what you want the only form of happiness? Of course not. Happiness is much deeper. Nonetheless, happiness is related to a smiling and glowing face. And that is what they tell to keep consistent at the happiness program. The happiness program is a program conducted by the “Art of Living” foundation or AOL that it is popularly known as. The Art of Living was found in 1981 by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shan...

Temperatures are rising and what better way to enjoy a cold treat in this pandemic than to make one at home? It’s super easy to make, all it takes is a little patience and of course, a popsicle mold, which are widely available anyway. Here is what you will need A cup of yogurt (homemade would be even better) 3 teaspoons milk powder 2 teaspoons sugar 3 ripe mangoes (excluding the seed, of course) Get these things and your mold ready. Oh, and a blender, too. Instructions Cut your mangoes into 3 parts. From each mango, take the side parts and scoop the insides into the blender Pour in the yogurt Put in the sugar Toss in the 3 teaspoons of milk powder Give it a good blend, make sure everything is incorporated. You want the batter to be rich and creamy. Take your popsicle and fill each mold to the brim and push the sticks in. Put the mold into the freezer and let it sit in there for at least 4 hours, overnight would be great. When taking the popsicle treat out, take a ...

  The title sounds vaguely familiar to that popular restaurant in Mangal Bazar “Coffee,Tea and me”, does it not? I would be lying if I said I wasn’t inspired from it. But the title just suits really well, so let’s just go with it, okay? Here I am, sipping on my tea. Afternoon tea, such a simple yet sophisticated term. I wonder if it were the British who came up with it; you know, because of the afternoon tea tradition of theirs. The little cakes and sandwiches that go well with afternoon tea? That must be it. Forgive me, I can get distracted easily. Whatever the initiation of the afternoon tea, even if there were none, I am more than happy to enjoy my cup on this afternoon. Shris had said, post her trip to Ilam, that we had been making tea the wrong way, the whole time.   When she visited a tea house in Ilam, for her RES during MBA course, they were showed the proper technique of making tea, the technique which would assure that maximum flavor would be enriched out of ...

  I was never too keen of the cycle. Strange as it may seem, although this childhood fascination of everyone takes hours up of every child’s life didn’t get to be much of a part in mine until later in life. Truth to be told, I didn’t know to ride one; I just couldn’t balance it. And then I just let it be. I only learnt to ride the bicycle after I learnt how to ride scooter and right then, at that moment, I thought to myself: “Why didn’t I try harder and learn earlier?” It was a new experience for me, pumping energy to push myself forward, the wind shuffling my hair, that pedaling fast for some time just to glide away smoothly, I don’t know what else can replace that experience; no, nothing else can. So, when I was able to go a little farther (barely), my bro and I decided to go to places cycling, because why not? At the early morning hours, we both geared up and picked places that had relatively good roads to go cycling. Three places came to mind: Kirtipur, Bhaisepati and G...

Here is an easier version of the Millionaire’s shortbread. And yes, it’s just as delicious. I wonder how it got its name. Was it a millionaire who first baked it; is the taste worthy of a millionaire’s? Anyway; what’s the gist? It requires no baking. If you have a sweet tooth but do not want to put too much effort, no bake snacks are your thing and this one might just be a life saver. Here is what you’re going to need Digestive biscuits ½ pack Butter 1 can of sweetened condensed milk 1 big bar of chocolate (plain) Yeah, it’s that easy, all it requires is a little patience. Instructions You probably don’t even need me telling this. Grab your digestive biscuits and crush them to bits. Make a fine powder out of it. You can do this in zip lock bag and beat your anger and frustration out on it. Or throw it in a food processor; whichever suits you best. Do the first one; definitely the first one. Melt your butter in the microwave. Grab your baking tray or whatever tray yo...

I was reluctant to believe it. I used to believe that coloring is for children. In my defense, it is something we have all been brought up to believe in. but I began to see coloring in a different light when I could see that there were coloring books available that were not mere cartoons; they were complicated designs, artsy, sophisticated. And when I saw that Serina, my best friend was coloring during the lockdown days, I was more than tempted to give it a try myself. I don’t know what set me off that particular day, but it was she, who inspired me. What did I have to lose? There was a slight hindrance in the plan. I had no coloring book. I dug up my old coloring set and decided to draw my own mandala. I had to look up what designs I could fill in for the mandala and I took my sweet time. Needless to say, I was enjoying it. When I finished the mandala drawing, I was rather proud of myself. And now there was the coloring. I split open the coloring set. I inky pinkied my way thr...

Are you missing that familiar foamy iced coffee taste on a hot sunny day? Well take a few minutes of your schedule and make one at home. It’s super quick and super easy. Here is what you will need 1 cup room temperature milk that has already been boiled ¼ cup water 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon instant coffee ½ teaspoon cocoa powder 2 tablespoons milk powder 1 teaspoon vanilla essence This will only take around 5 minutes in making but you will have to chill in the refrigerator for about half an hour or so. Instructions Grab your blender Pour in your milk first Then, goes the water Toss in that instant coffee In goes the sugar Pour in that cocoa powder for that extra color We want that milk powder now Lastly goes the vanilla essence for that flavor enhancement Blend in everything until you’re sure it’s smooth Pour the coffee into a glass of your choice Toss in the ice cubes to your liking Refrigerate for at least half hour Now, all you need is your bro you...

Have you been absolutely sure about something, but then realize that you have it the wrong way? You’re not the only one. It’s called the mandela effect. When a majority of people have a false assumption about something, or remember events or sayings or images different than how they actually are, it is called the mandela effect. So yeah, it’s pretty much a thing. And guess where the name came from? Here’s a hint, his first name is Nelson. A no brainer, right? A large group of people were pretty certain that Nelson Mandela, the Former President of South Africa had died in the 1980s when he actually died in 2013. And that is how this effect or this theory was named after Nelson Mandela. Conspiracy theories believe this is proof of an alternate universe, while many doctors use it as an illustration of how imperfect memories can be. In fact, I actually had a mandela effect moment recently. My cousin forwarded this video in our group. A guy had discovered that in “Kabhi Khushi, Kabhi ...

Did you know that besides making rice, the rice cooker can be used for alternative purposes like making a cake? Get your ingredients ready because this is quick and super soft. Here is what you will need: 1 ½ cup flour 3 eggs 5 teaspoons sugar 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons almond extract Chopped almonds ½ teaspoon baking powder A pinch of salt 4 teaspoons butter The preparation time will not take you more than 15 minutes and the cake should be ready in less than 10 minutes in the rice cooker. How about that? You get a cake in less than half an hour and without an oven. But, of course, you can go for a chocolate cake or a vanilla cake, whatever is your cup of tea. Instructions: Start with grinding your sugar, if you do not have granulated sugar. Take your eggs and separate them into two bowls. Keep one for the egg yolks and the other for the egg whites. Pour in a little bit of that sugar into the egg whites and whisk away until you see foamy mixture that forms sti...