Season's Greetings and Peace on Earth...

Yet another year has gone by.  As I sit down to write my last post of the year I seem to have mixed feelings about this year and the future.  I do not view myself as the most optimistic person in the world.  Yet my family members tell me that I have unbelievable mental stamina, patience and perseverance.  Three attributes that can bring about incredible results.  So I ask myself why then am I not doing anything about everything wrong out there in the world today? 

The Mayans predicted the end of the world this year.  I think they were right.  Metaphorically speaking the end has started.  We are 'breathing' in an era where the lives of children have no meaning.  We are 'living' in a world where women are the targets of war and acts of barbarism.  We are 'alive' in a world where terrorism is thriving by the day and humanity appears to have set like the distant sun.  Why bother worrying about the future of the planet or who will nurture its health?  The Hippocratic oath of 'do no harm' has now transpired to become more of 'do no good either'...

Then I look the other way and tell myself that there is still good left on earth.  The Mars rover is a victory for mankind, the sciences and the spirit of the human mind.  The incredible feats of the Olympians are an inspiration to the world.  The capture and killing of one of the world's greatest enemy is a sign that we did not give up fighting for what's right in the wake of difficulty or hardship, no matter how long it took.  These give me HOPE.  A crucial element for survival.  The end will happen the day we lose hope and give up.  But we can't do that for there is much at stake and far too many beautiful things worth fighting for: love, peace and justice.

On a personal note, I am thankful that the list of things I am thankful for  this year is too long to count.  But I know that there is more to life that awaits me in the coming year.  Above all I must strive to be worthy of being a human being.    

As I close with a wish for a very safe, happy and peaceful season for all of you I hope that you take a few moments to think about how you can become the change we want to see in the world.  It doesn't have to be something big. It doesn't have to be something grand.  Small yet effective changes like education, the value of discipline, family time, encouragement, respect for one another, etc.  And just like charity, it all begins right at home.  

Season's greetings and peace on earth...   

A Field of Flowers...

Eggless orange-pineapple cake with apricot pineapple preserve filling and buttercream frosting.

Life Begins at 40

 

An eggless mellow lemon flavored cake filled with apricot/pineapple preseve and dressed in white fondant/hotpink/black polka dot decor to match the theme of the birthday party. Cheers to living it up in the years to come!

Angry Anyone?

Hands down, Angry Birds is the game of the first quarter of this century.  It is yet another pivotal innovation first released on the operating system of the fruit company that does not sell a single piece of fruit.  If ever there was something that could unite nations, generations or people of various ages and backgrounds it has to be this computer game.  The game was born with a variety of wingless birds being angry at something...no one knew what at the time.  But since swine flu was an epidemic during the creation of this application, pigs became the first (and obvious) chosen enemies (now there are other variations ofcourse). It sure is amazing how addictive it can be to propel wingless birds as projectiles to kill some bodyless pigs with all kinds of attitude.  What a remarkable creation by Rovio...

Anger can be a deadly emotion.  It not only kills your inner self but also those around you, silently.  It's okay to be mad and angry at times about things not going your way-- that is normal human psychology.  But if this emotion starts to consume your very existence then there's a problem. It would be great if there were no laws against throwing projectiles at our enemies- we too, like the birds could score big and be happy at the end of a win.  But since society prevents us from tossing bricks at each other we are forced to manage anger in other ways.  Some cry, some withdraw, some vent their feelings while some end up with worse predicaments.  I believe the worst style of anger management is when you silently burn a hole in your soul by bottling it all up.  Anger eats into you little by little and you lose yourself without even realizing the damage.   That doesn't mean that you should cry and vent every time you are angry; it means you have to use that anger to fuel your inner drive instead and aim for inner peace instead.  It takes a day, a month and sometimes a lifetime for  to learn to forgive, forget and convert anger into strength.  Mastering anger is one of the keys to achieving inner peace and we all know that peace is infinitely more glorious than war, any day.

Angry bird toppers made out of fondant for an angry bird cake theme.  Sling, stones and wood pieces (including TNT box) made from mini-chocolates and RKT. 

Spooky Fun

Spooky fun seems to be a misnomer of sorts...Let's face it: no one feels fear and fun at the same instant, unless you are on a roller coaster.  Even on a roller coaster ride you feel fear in a controlled environment and hence it appears like a thrill.  Would you ever venture on one if someone told you that there had been no maintenance done on the unit or worse if they thought a screw had come loose somewhere?

What is fear and why is it the driving force behind everything in life?  Why does the distressing emotion brought on by impending danger or pain force us to drive in over gear?  Fear of repercussion, fear of failure, fear of poverty, fear of death...the list is endless. What would our lives look like if we had none of these? 

Buddhism teaches us that much of our suffering, both as individuals and as a society ebbs from fear.  Fear is at the very root of our egos and personalities.  It manifests itself in the fight or flight syndrome worldwide and extensive research in science and religion is being done even to this day to understand how to overcome this emotion and master it.  There must be a bigger force of nature that allows soldiers to overcome fear in the face of death, that allows a mother to venture into the most daring acts of valor when it comes to her child or that pushes a person to unknown limits of bravery. 

Perhaps the keys to conquering fear are threefold:
1. To believe strongly: in yourself and a higher power
2. The confidence of knowing that our words and actions are true and
3. To free onself from constant judgement

When we start to heed our conscience and look at the world with our hearts rather than our egos,  we become liberated and there is nothing more fun in life than a fearless demeanor.

Garland of Fortune

A chocolate cake dressed in an edible flower garland (made of cake and frosting) and the restaurant logo marking a new beginning for Chennai Masala in Hillsboro, Oregon.  Wish you all the best!

Modern Foret Noire

A modern twist on the black forest cake: chocolate cake layered with strawberry preserve, whipped cream and topped with whipped cream, strawberry jelly, chocolate curls/balls and edible glitter.

Lil' Monkey

Most of us are inherently fond of little children.  They carry with them love and warmth.  They bring about joy, cheer, hope and a future worth looking forward to.  The birth of a child brings about many things: new beginnings, new found appreciation for our parents, belief in a higher power, the virtue of patience and the vulnerability that we don't control everything after all.  In addition to some of life's greatest lessons, a child teaches us many simple things.... 

A child teaches us to love without prejudice, to forgive without seeking vengeance, to overlook imperfections, to find blissful joy in a sandbox and to enjoy life without peer pressures and ego-hassles.  Cognitively speaking their cranial neurons have not formed enough connections to recognize stress, fear competition or prepare for achieving perfection.  As such they can giggle and laugh and 'monkey' around without a care in the world.  Over the years as the burden of responsibility, social competition or financial goals hit our lives we tend to lose that carefree attitude but somewhere somehow that little monkey never dies from our heart and soul.  This is perhaps why people tend to act inappropriately under toxication or extreme power. Scientific terms call it 'amygdala hijack'. 

Whatever be the neurological reason behind our actions/words, I still believe that in order to stay young we must keep that lil' monkey alive in us.  Every so often (be it on vacation or when we are not prone to causing harm onto others) we ought to let the child in us come out and enjoy life without a care in the world; we ought to skip and jump and add vigour back to our otherwise serious routine of life. Go ahead, run barefeet in the grass, bike to your nearest park and lay under the tree with the sun shining through, float a few paper boats in the nearest puddle or wade through a stream of cold, clear water.  I guarantee you that the lil' monkey in your heart will thank you for it.

An eggless chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling was draped in antique white fondant to grace this baby shower occasion.  Atop the cake sat a completely edible little monkey in an all edible crib (sans the ribbons). Welcome little one to your special family...

 

Baby in Pink

A baby shower gift for someone dear (with a little help from a commercial bakery).  Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse, white buttercream frosting and handmade fondant decor.

Ninjas

Celebrating my son's fifth birthday with a lemon cake layered with raspberry and apricot/pineapple preserves...Yummylicious...

Red.White.Blue

A 10th wedding anniversary cake made out of simple white vanilla cake and fondant decor.  The cake was served with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream.  Here's to another 10 years of fireworks to brighten your lives.

Terrific Jungle Friends

A pineapple flavored cake with two layers of pineapple and apricot spread was covered in melon flavored fondant.  Figurines are made from fondant, tree from RKT.  Here's wishing a good start to the terrific two's for the little girl.

Little Bites of Americana

These petit fours were made to honor the teachers and staff of Carden Cascade Academy.  The tremendous effort towards putting up this year's Spring Performance titled "Americana" with "cracker-jacks" and "Take me to the ball game" could only be rewarded by little bites of strawberry cake dressed in bright red, white and blue.  Here's to a rocking Summer ahead!

Delightful Raspberry Bars

April brings two things to my home every year: another special birthday and the 'special of the season' virus party.  It is uncanny how every April the whole household goes through this utopia of germ fest and seasonal allergies.  Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest takes new meaning altogether.  

Let's talk about the happier aspect: the special birthday.  This recognition goes to my significant other.  Typically I bake cakes for celebrating life (not just a birthday) as I see it.  However, this year I am seriously delinquent in baking for the two mothers in my life (whose birthdays fall in March).  So I decided no ordinary cake would suffice in celebrating so many special people in my life.  Thus instead of the regular cake, I baked a pan of red raspberry shortbread bars with sliced almonds.  This egg-less treat turned out to be a very addictive, sweet, chewy and soul satisfying indulgence. Moms: here's an ode to your sweetness, warmth and soul satisfying comfort that you provide even when you are miles away.   It goes without saying that my significant other has enjoyed his share and yours too (in case you have any doubts). 


Given the condition of the household health, my spouse asked me not to worry about the extra effort to bake this week.  It is funny how I don't view this as an additional effort at all...I guess love and appreciation far exceeds physical fatigue and allows one to do marvelous things. There is some truth to the phrase: "delight your heart and you will have no regrets".  :)

Hammer, Nails and Building Blocks

Today, after many days, I have found a few moments to pen some thoughts down again.  This afternoon my children attended a  party at a local hardware store.  It was quite a unique setting.  There were a real hammer, real nails and pieces of real wood involved- so all in all the excitement was understandable.   As they spent some quality time under the warm sun; hammering nails into blocks of wood to build a sail boat and a bird house I watched and reminisced my engineering-school days.  How times have changed...  

The first time I held a real hammer and nail and had the liberty to work on pieces of wood all on my own was in my late teens.  My children are fortunate to have the same experience at a much earlier age thanks to the creative minds of Home Depot. From Lego pieces to carpentry, my children are starting to grasp the concept of how things are built.  This concept could easily have been taught to them through books and other media.  But would they have ever understood what it felt to hit a finger instead of the head of the nail? Or for that matter would they have ever appreciated the effort that goes into hand-made objects? Or the pride that comes from building something by hand? I doubt it.  

Experience counts ten times more than any chapter in any given book.  It helps build a foundation stronger than any cement block.  It makes us who we are and helps us understand a situation better than anyone else.  And with the experience comes the understanding and the appreciation of a task/situation without any preconceived judgement. In life, we must thus strive to experience everything but expect nothing...

Easter Eggcitement

Vanilla cake layered with cream cheese frosting and topped with royal icing decor.  Have a great egg hunting experience this Easter!

Many Happy Rings of the Year

Egg-less vanilla cake with pineapple/apricot preserve filling and a light cream cheese frosting.  May Saturn ring in another year of good health, happiness and cheer.

Of Stars, Jedis and Dark Knights...

Dark chocolate cake layered with chocolate ganache and topped with fondant decor in Star Wars theme.  May the force be with you...

Spring Lady

Every year I get all teary eyed and nostalgic around early March.  The occasion is marked by my daughter's birthday.  This year she turned seven and at first I thought to myself: we don't need a big party to celebrate...she is past the years for parties, cakes and gifts.  Then I looked around and found myself thinking twice. 

I am a volunteer baker for a non-profit organization called Icing Smiles.  Their mission is to deliver birthday cakes to families with critically ill children.  They celebrate life, not just a birthday!  Some of these kids don't even make it through a half dozen years and the celebration of each year of life is so well understood and so much more meaningful.  Life is very precious and equally unpredictable and there is no right or wrong when it comes to celebrating another year of life...

So here we are this year with an all fondant three tiered cake.  The cake was a mix of  strawberry and vanilla.  Apricot/pineapple preserve and strawberry preserve were used as the fillings in alternate layers.  The actual event was more in accordance to M's wishes.  The cake flavor, the venue, the guest list and the food were chosen by her.  I let her dictate a part of the planning.  Simply because I wanted her to feel that as she is growing up, she can make some decisions that will be respected. It's a small step in letting her build her own confidence towards decision making and feeling empowered.  For, prepare her I must, for the world that's ahead of her in the years to come.  Spring ahead, my little lady and may you be happy and succeed each step of the way.

A Special 5th...

Valentine's day and a special fifth anniversary at the same time-frame calls for a celebration in chocolate and strawberries...Sugar filigree hearts with sugar pearls to add an elegant touch to the celebration. Congratulations to a special couple.