Beside the silent waters

brownie with ice-cream with a little chocolate syrup over it   Welcome back to my blog! Today I'm going to share with you the recipe of a brownie I tried at home. Thanks to Stuthi and Arpita who shared this recipe with me. So let's begin! In a bowl beat (this is the main bowl) 2 eggs and 2/3 cup oil/butter   Sift together and add to it: 1 cup maida (all-purpose flour) ½ cup cocoa powder ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 cup sugar   Blend it well. Add to it 1 tbs coffee (melted in warm water) and 1 tsp vanilla essence and mix it well. You can add in some nuts   (½ cup or less nuts) of your choice and give it a light stir.   Butter grease tin and bake it in the oven at 375* till the batter leaves the sides of the pan for about 25-30 minutes.   Tips: # Can serve 6-8 people (1 piece each) # Adding nuts is an optional step. You can do without it too.  # Tastes best with ice-cream. # I’d rather bake the brownie till the batter is baked well

  Well, I've met her before CMTC, but didn't know much about her. And that's when Committee Members Training Camp happened. Since the world was facing a pandemic, we had to attend it online. I wanted to meet all of them, be there in Tamil Nadu, have a great time meeting many people, places and learning new things. I hated the online stuff but was grateful that I could attend it, at least. Anyway, this is Arpita Samson, in short, you can call her Achu (if she lets you). She is a great artist. Her paintings, embroidery and cooking-baking are amazing. The brownie recipe I'd shared with you some time back is actually from her. see how talented she is?! Blessed to meet her. Love you Achu!  

  Finally, my 21st birthday! Celebrated it with family friends. Aunt Eliza, my previous neighbour and the only neighbour I ever had, shaped my perspective and approach about the Goan culture and traditions through my interactions with her children Patrick and Wanda. They partly raised me and my sister. I honour them as much as I love and miss them being here in Verna (and they in Sancoale), and so happy to have them beside me as I enter adulthood. In the picture: my little friends- (from left) Evelyn, Daleny, Deial, Nathan and Zaeden. Baby Keziah was too shy to join us for a photo.  Patrick and family. Thanks for coming man! I couldn't be happier to see you all come for me. :-) Wanda! Thank you too for coming. I love you guys!  ...and here comes the baccha party!  I had a great time with the kids while the parents association gathered together for a chat after dinner.  Nathan's missing..  This is dinner time. We all had dinner together after cutting the cake. Mummy prepared ev

Memory-van poem by Deial Johnson  Sometimes, I travel to the past While still awake On my vehicle named ‘memory’, This wonderful journey I make.   I see everything that once was seen And hear everything that once was heard; Live life the way I would’ve lived Break some rules that were once revered.   I travel to a place where I am Forever young And I sing every song That remains unsung.   The still smiles in the photo-frame Turns to cheerful laughter And I long to be there- Forever and ever.   Yet, in this journey to the past Travels only my soul; With my body, My vehicle won’t move! I'm going to travel the past As often I can And I wish I could take you too In my memory-van!

Happy Wedding Anniversary to my dear parents!! They have completed 23 years together and look forward for a fun-filled, peaceful, joyous year ahead. According to dad's philosophy, one ought to celebrate the next year and not what has passed. For instance, this year they completed 23 years and yet celebrated their 24th year saying "we are entering the 24th year together as a couple. Let's celebrate that." But I don't agree to that at all. Born on 14th December, 1999, my calculations say that I turn 21 this year. but no! daddy's daughter is 21 and will turn 22 this December.  Anyway, we celebrated their 24th anniversary this year.  that's the card we made for them

Outside the Guntakal Railway Station, Telangana On the way to Hyderabad, our train stopped at Guntakal Railway Station for two hours. Our group took this opportunity to move out of the train for some fresh air, charge phones, some guntakal-chai and using the latrine. As for me, I just wanted to move around and see the place and click some picture to post it on google maps. Me, Achi and Sangeetha talked and walked around like birds just freed from a cage. Out of all these fun times, my personal favourite memory about the place is a very tragic one.  While Narayan uncle, Sangeetha and Achi was busy buying some tea for themselves, I took a quick check of the place. There was a political party meeting going on towards the right side of the station. I watched all the people devoutly sitting around the speaker who was speaking in telugu. I understood not a single word they said. Anyway, I slipped from there and moved around, away from them. I saw some children playing in the public park in f

One year of meeting these lovely, chosen and blessed people!   (from the left) Ravi, Jaganath, Noah, Gautam, Calvin, Chris, Joel, Sam, Dekee, Deial and Phebe.  My good sister friends Achi and Aishwariya  Prince, Mr X, Joshua and Chris. [i dont know mr.x's name..sorry bro] My dearest brother Naresh ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Honestly, I'm not in touch with many of them right now, but I still remember most of their names. I miss them too. Naresh, though you're the last one on the list here, you're not the last in my friends list. I miss being corrected by Aishwariya. My brother in Christ Chris is a very good graphic designer. Catherine(I don't have her picture) was another dear friend of mine during the three days in Hydrabad and she still is. Mr. Ram Babu my ISRO friend, explained to me chandrayan 2's orbit, and the best part: he has touch

I didn’t have network in my phone for the past couple of days and to the surprise of many on WhatsApp, I survived it with ease. I didn’t really bother about the network. We have 10 sim cards at home and 8 of them are the same company. Living in the second-last house a valley of a forested area, network issues are not a big deal so to say. Only few companies are functioning in my area of which one is the brand we own. However, these were only one of the many days I spent without internet. Internet is a good thing. But too much of it is bad. For instance, too much of honey is bitter; too much of studies is crazy; too much of eating makes a person obese; too much of talking leads to talking nonsense or even things we don’t mean. In fact, too much of anything is bad. Everything in life has to have a balance. That’s what I learn every time something is taken from me. It makes me feel that maybe I was not just using it, but being addicted to it. And that’s exactly the line I shouldn’t cros

A still of the song "ennodu nee irundhaal" Ennodu nee irundhal is a famous song from the tamil movie ‘I’ starring Vikram and Amy Jackson. Sung by the majestic A.R.Rehman, this romantic song was released with the movie in the year 2015. Lingesen, the hero of the movie is kidnapped and tortured after which the villain injects a poisonous chemical in his body that destroys his beauty. Devastated at the sight of his present state, he separates himself from the  love of his life though he yearns to be with her. Thus the song is shot in the beauty-and-the-beast theme. {music} Kaatrai tharum kaadugale vendam     [I don’t want the forests that give me breeze] Oh thaneer tharum kadalgal vendam   [I don’t want the sea that gives water] Naan unna urangave boomi vendam    [I don’t need this earth to sleep or eat] Thevai ethuvum thevai illai      [I don’t need the necessities] Thevai ellam devathaiye       [all I need is my angel] {music} Ennodu nee irundhal Uyirod

Hadn’t Chris mentioned it that day, I’d never know anything about the story behind the song “Because He lives.” This song has always been my favourite song of hope and assurance that He is all I need to face each day. Though written in the sixties, this song has seen generations singing it with the same flame as when written. God sent his son, they called him Jesus He came to love, heal and forgive He lived and died, to buy my pardon An empty grave there is to prove my savior lives Because he lives, I can face tomorrow Because he live, all fear is gone Because I know, he holds my future And life is worth the living just because he lives. How sweet to hold, a new born baby And feel the pride and joy he gives But greater stI’ll the calm assurance This child can face uncertain days Because he lives And then one day, I’ll cross the river I’ll fight life’s final war with pain And then as death gives way to victory I’ll see the

Banana Cake In a separate bowl combine: 1 cup flour 1 tbsp Baking powder 1 tsp Soda ½ tsp   Salt and set aside. PS: These are the dry ingredients which you need to add later. In another bowl (the main bowl) Whisk 2 Eggs Add 1 cup sugar (powdered) and mix together Then add in ½ cup butter (room temperature) and blend it together. Add 3 ripe bananas (mashed) Keep blending in every addition of the dry ingredients after which you will add ½ tsp   Vanilla and few walnuts for flavor. butter grease a cake tin. Bake   for 45 min at 180*c              This is my favourite recipe for a banana cake that I always bake. I don’t like to write recipes in a formal manner. My method of recipe writing is almost the sequence of how to bake it. This recipe prepares a half kilograms of banana cake for 5-6 people as an evening snack. Tastes best with tea. Some tips to remember: §   Use roo

Princess of Christ!  -poem by Deial Johnson pic:internet I am a child of Jesus Christ- I’m neither afraid nor ashamed; To give his gift of life to all From heaven to earth he came. He died for me on Calvary’s cross, and saved me from my sins, And even when he died on the cross, it is he who still wins. Death could only bind him, two days and two nights And rising again the third day, he made my burden light! Through this great master plan, I have received redemption, And therefore I believe in Jesus Christ, the finisher and author of salvation.

Happy Good Friday!  Screenshot taken from "The Passion of Christ" Have you ever wondered why Good Friday is called “Good”?? It’s the day when the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ was crucified. He was betrayed, humiliated, and crowned a crown of thorns. Heavy and dangerous weapons hammered all over his body. He was bruised, pierced and shattered. How then can such a day be ‘Good’? As a child, I always thought about this. Curious as always, I did my research and found the reason and I’d like to share it with you too. The answer I found is in the Bible. Isaiah the prophet prophesied about the crucifixion about 750 years before it actually happened [Isaiah 53].   Jesus came into this world to die. He died for each one of us so that through him we may have life to the fullest. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”[ John-3:16] This day is not at all to mourn becaus

picture credit: internet Hosanna in the highest! Jesus’ triumphal entry in the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey’s colt more than 2000 years ago is celebrated as Palm Sunday every year all over the world. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter. The people, on seeing Jesus on the colt, cried out joyfully saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” They gave Jesus a kingly welcome to the city. They also spread their cloaks and branches from the fields on the road where Jesus rode. This event is recorded in all 4 gospels in the bible. I’d like to refer to my favourite one which is in the gospel according to luke-19:28-44.  In a diverse country like India, people of different states celebrate Palm Sunday. It's good to know the different names this day is called. In Tamil Nadu it is 'Kurtholai Pandigai' or 'Njayar', while in Kerala it is called 'Hosanna Njayar'. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana it is called &

poem by Deial Johnson T he roots, spreading deep in the earth and sucking the goodness, to strengthen its slender branches for eternity- of vigor, lushness and warmth.

some pictures of the meeting and concert..

  Amit Kamble ministries along with Aaghaaz band was in Goa on the 25 th and 26 th Jan for catch and Freedom music concert. Known for his shukriya, Amit Kamble is a blessed man of God and hails from ‘a small city or a big village’ called Sholapur in Maharashtra. Amidst rejection and suffering in his life, he experienced Gods peace and happiness. He composed many songs and gave birth to Amit Kamble Ministries in the year 2016 with the aim of bringing this generation closer to Jesus. Amit Kamble ministries began its first public ministry of the year 2020 in Goa. I was prepared for this day and was excited for it since I had heard shukriya and was fascinated by the lyrics and tune.   25 th Jan was a prophetic gathering for all the worship leaders and musicians in the state called catch which was in Panjim in the G.C.C.I. hall. The seminar was wonderful and it was such a blessing to worship God with other members of the family across Goa. Also, I got to make some