Dont let the bed bugs bite!

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS ARTICLE MAY SEEM BORING, BUT PLEASE READ IT FULLY. IF YOU HAVE EVER USED A SUITCASE EVEN ONCE IN THE PAST YEAR, THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS ABSOLUTELY RELEVANT FOR YOU

Snug as a bug in a rug. This phrase has lost all its cuteness for me. I read an article today in the New York Times about the rampant spread of bed bug infestation.

I was a victim too, in April this year. Here is the story.

For a period of over three weeks, I kept waking up in the morning with a swollen eye, swollen cheek, reddish bumps on my hands, neck etc. I spent days cleaning my apartment, and laundering my bed clothes, and still, there was no use. I even saw a dermatologist who promised me that I did not have any mysterious skin ailment.

Then finally, I had a breakthrough. I woke up in the middle of one night, as I could feel this intense irritating pain on my elbow. I immediately turned on the light, and there it was!!!! This big horrendously fat bed bug happily sucking the life out of my hand! Bed bugs are tiny little creatures, almost invisible normally. But when they feed, they bloat up to many times their original size, and are like these little balloons. I squashed the little son of a %^&$!!@ and from then on, it was an all out war.

I am a vegetarian, and I try not to kill insects, but the bed bugs were a different story altogether. I checked out a number of articles online and even called a few pest extermination specialists. They scared the living daylights out of me, by making it sound as though the only way I could be bed bug free was to move out of my apartment and BURN all my worldly belongings (really, no exaggeration. Apparently you cannot get away with just using baygon spray)

Well, to cut a long story short, I decided to take matters in my own hands and did the following:
1) Threw out my mattress, box springs, and all the bed clothes
2) Sprayed a bug repellant spray (specially for bed bugs on the mattress frame)
3) Sprayed the replacement mattress and box springs thoroughly with the repellant spray, and then covered the entire mattress and box springs with plastic mattress bags (so that if the replacement mattress had any bugs, they could not crawl out of the plastic bag)
4) Bought brand new pillows, sheets, comforters etc
5) Wiped the surface of all the furniture in my bed room with the bug spray (WARNING: i dont have children or pets, if you do, do not do this)
6) Vaccum cleaned the floor EVERY DAY (to get rid of eggs)
7) PRAYED
8) PRAYED
...100) PRAYED

Thankfully, the above steps eliminated the problem for me. I was really shocked to have had this problem, as I am very good with cleaning my apartment, and I launder the bed clothes almost every other week. Apparently, the bed bugs have nothing to do with cleanliness. Even the most spotless bedrooms could be infested. Bed bugs were eradicated a few decades back in the USA. However, over the past few years, most of the insecticide sprays have become pretty mild, and DDT has been banned in the USA. International travellers brought the bed bugs with them (via suitcases etc) and the bugs immediately made their way back into American homes, with no threat from the weak insecticides.

So, how do you protect yourself?
1) When you travel, keep your suitcase away from your bed in the hotel. When you return home and unpack your suitcase, DO NOT keep the suitcase on the bed. Better still, try not to bring your suitcases into the bedroom

2) Do not buy used mattresses or box springs.

3) When you buy new mattresses, there is the danger of them being placed along with old mattresses (that the delivery guy picked up) in the delivery vehicle. Make sure you vacuum all the surfaces of your new mattress and box springs before you make your bed

4) Check your mattress and box springs for tears, holes etc. If you see any, immediately cover them very tightly with tape

5) PRAY

Weekend TV/movie watch

* I started watching Bambara Kannaaley. I could not make it past the first 10 minutes

* Attention Surya - Please read this post: DO NOT DANCE. REPEAT. DO NOT DANCE. EVER.
(Case in point - Suttum vizhi sudare)

* Try not to watch sun tv on sunday night. There is a new series - Veppalaikari!!! (and you thought Raja Rajeshwari was bad enough). Luckily, the little kid in Veppalaikari is not as scary as the big baby in Raja Rajeshwari/Velan (dont remember which)

* Still cant stop laughing - The top ten songs' take on Sindhu Bhairavi and Sivakumar was hilarious!

Time flies and everybody grows up

When I was a kid, I would get really bugged when my aunts would visit once a year, and then go on and on about how much I had grown! Well, I've become exactly like them now. While away from Madras, things have changed so much, and all the little kids in my family have now grown into young adults! Prime example is my cousin's cousin. I always thought he was this little kid, but now, he has his own blog, and sounds totally grown up. I've added Bhargav to my links. He expresses the angst of a private engineering college student pretty well!! (havent we all been there!)

PS: Theres another cousin of mine. A totally happening Chennai girl now, and ofcourse, always the little baby to me! Check out Parvathi's blog too (gosh, i even remember the day her parents named her that!)

I'm really stuck in a time warp.

A good movie, a good song and good food

The good movie -

I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and I loved the movie. Do drop everything you are doing, and watch it ASAP (even if you are a sworn muggle). I do not need to write about the story ofcourse, everybody has read the book, which is the most significant in the series. After three books that darkly proclaim the return of he-who-must-not-be-named, the Dark Lord makes his first full appearance in the thrilling climax.

The super long book has been condensed into a 2.5 hour movie. Although the movie tends to drag in the middle (especially the much-written-about ballroom sequence), the action sequences more than make up for this. The intial Quidditch world cup is thankfully brief. Especially thrilling are the various Tri wizard tournament contests. Daniel Radcliffe finally settles into his role, and may I say, could turn out to be the next heart throb by the time we see the cinematic version of Harry Potter and the half blood prince!

Speaking of heart throbs, Cedric Diggory is hot!

A good song

Ok.. This song is quite old now, but I finally got around to listening to it. Miss Independent by Kelly Clarkson.



Good Food


I made this greek(?) dessert called Baklava. My husband once bought this from an authentic Greek restaurant in Arizona and its taste was unforgettable. I watched Emeril Lagasse make the same dish on food tv a few months later. I am not a big fan of making sweets at home, but this recipe seemed simple enough. I finally got around to trying it, and it came out great! You really cannot go wrong with this dish. Its just the perfect combination of flaky layers of puff pastry, lots of butter, honey and nuts.

Try the recipe below, or head to your nearest ethnic Greek food store/restaurant
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_30271,00.html

Thanksgiving again

Imagine being in Madras on Diwali morning. The whole city is celebrating, but you have nowhere to go and no family to meet. You are still in your night clothes, and you spend the day cleaning the house, cooking etc. Sounds like fun right?

Its that time of the year again here in the US of A. Only thing, its Thanksgiving. and the equivalent of the same scenario (as described above) happens every year for me.

As you can tell, I am not a big fan of the holidays. I have another two days to tide over (Christmas and New Year) and then, thankfully, we will not have anymore holidays till the end of may. Yeaa!!!! I love my routine - going to work, seeing people around me, being able to shop whenever i need to etc. Its really awkward when everything shuts down for a day, its freezing cold outside, dark by 4:00 pm, and then ghostly quiet.

Forgive my grumpy post.

As for the pressure to do lots of shopping on the friday after thanksgiving...dont even get me started!

Rasam and Chips

You have got to try this recipe, its the perfect comfort food for the winter.

1) Pressure cook 1/2 cup toor dhal with water and a pinch turmeric powder. When done, churn until smooth using a hand blender
2) Pour 300 ml water into a saucepan
3) Add 1 pinch hing, salt to taste, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 5 curry leaves chopped up, 1/4 cup tomato puree, 1/2 tsp tamarind paste (if using the dark variety) and 1 chopped tomato
4) Add 2 tsps store bought rasam powder (priya or MTR brand).
5) Cover the pan and heat
6) When the rasam starts to boil, and you no longer get the raw rasam powder smell, add the dhal
7) Add 1/2 tsp jaggery and boil the rasam till it "pongufies"
8) Remove from the heat and immediately cover
9) In another pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee, add mustard and jeera seeds and splutter. Add 2 curry leaves and pour over the rasam, and cover immediately
10) Serve garnished with a handful of chopped cilantro

Basmathi rice and Lays potato chips go really well with this. The tomato puree makes up for the lack of flavor in the real tomato. Also, rasam is a great diet food. You can eat as much as you want guilt free, as it is all water anyway!

MovieReview - Sivakasi... What the &*?!!?

I heard Sivakasi is a big hit and that Vijay is the next Superstar, beating even Vikram. I tried to watch the movie as objectively as possible. But really, the movie is sooooo full of bull^&%$%, its not even funny.

I am really worried about two things right now - the state of Thamizh cinema, and worse, the attitude of the people of Thamizhnadu. Really, is Sivakasi acceptable cinema? And, is Vijay's behavior acceptable any way you look at it? Are we really going to have an entire generation of young Thamizh guys trying to hero worship and emulate his actions in the movie?

Vijay harasses Asin, and also promises her that if she "izhuthu pothified", all men would fall at her feet. What crap! Try telling this to the millions of Tamil women getting harassed in PTC buses every day, even when they are totally wrapped up and wear dresses resembling tents? So, what does Asin do? She falls in love with him!!!!!!!!!So much for women's empowerment.

Vijay breaks EVERY single rule in the election commission guidebook, trying to get his sister elected. I agree the Indian electoral system has its flaws, but, impersonating the opposition candidate (Prakashraj's voice) and allowing his sister to think that her husband is dead because of Prakashraj....does it make any sense really? Is it morally acceptable?

There was a time when the hero used to always be a good guy, and somehow successfully fight the villain. But now, anything goes huh? The hero can be an even bigger sleazeball than the villain? And what about the podhu makkal? They seemed perfectly ok with Vijay's election rigging?

And the worst is yet to come - the last scene of the movie. Prakashraj's wife throws away her thali, and gives the green signal to her mom (Mooli mungari!!!) to kill him. Cut to the next scene. There are a bunch of fights, and Ms.Mooli is ready to kill Prakashraj, then Vijay saves him, and then everyone shakes hands and acts like they are the Hum aapke hain kaun family!!!

Is this really where Thamizh cinema, Thamizh kalaachaaram and Thamizh panpaadu are heading?

The first day of winter

Feels like it was just yesterday when I wrote my blog about spring. How did the past nine months go by that fast? Its winter again in Chicagoland, with the first snow of the season falling yesterday. I always get sentimental when I see the seasons change and the snow makes me remember where I was last year and how far I have come.

A lot has changed, and I should say for the better (touch/knock wood). Nearly five long years ago, I was on my way back to Texas after a harrowing 36 hour journey from India that included four flight transfers. I had lived in the USA for over a year, and I still had mixed feelings. However, when I finally went through immigration and picked up my baggage at Chicago Ohare, I thought to myself "Thank God! I'm home". I was pretty surprised at myself, I had not expected to feel that way.

My career brought me back to the midwest from Texas, and after two years here, I'm finally living the American dream- buying a house. Its really overwhelming, and I cannot wait to move in. I'm dreaming up my living room - light birch colored floors, creamy yellow walls, little pretty plants everywhere, deep red, brown and gold accents etc etc.

I love the brilliant midwestern summers, the beautiful fall colors, and I think I can almost survive the dreadful winter. All through the year, the howling wind keeps me company.

I am finally home in the windy city!

I have been tagged

I have been tagged by Sunanda! I couldnt think of 7 things for each category though.

Seven Things I plan to do:

Spend two blissful weeks in my fav city London
Decorate my new house beautifully
Learn carnatic music someday
Be surrounded by babies

Seven Things That I Can Do:

Make the best more kozhambu and paruppu usili
Learn the lyrics for a song and then remember it for life
Come across as "paavum" even without trying
Stay at 100 pounds even with 2 muffins a day
Sing
Survive

Seven Things I Can't Do:

Not cry during a chick flick
Be streetsmart
Negotiate
Watch/play sports
Dance
Get my ass out of the sofa to exercise

Seven Things I Say Most Often:

What "concerns" me the most is .... (my fav line at work)
Is it time to go drinking yet?
Awww
Man...
Helllloooo

Seven (Untagged) People I Want To Tag:

Meera
My Mom
Karthik
Raji
Sangee
Hamsi
Neeru