When people around you get on your nerves..

This happens to me most of the time, not withstanding that I manage to encompass myself alone. I have always wondered if it was my fault or theirs, then I realize it's a cumulative effort by all parties concerned except me. [It's a matter of perception. You think you're right and the offending folks may think you're wrong.]
Unfortunately you cannot stay away from the said parties when they happen to be your parents, siblings or friends.

So what can a person do short of banging doors, pulling your hair apart and screaming that is accompanied angry tears?

1. Smile inwardly and think of various forms of torture they'd be subjected to for trying to make your life miserable.

2. Be silent and know that this too shall pass.
( I do have a doubt though, does being silent and not retorting mean you're spineless and are taken advantage of or does that mean you're a bigger person????? ). I believe when you resort to the same tactics as people who make it their life's mission to  make you feel terrible, there's never much of a difference between the two.

3. I strongly support the motto "Every dog has its day."

4. I leave the vicinity as quietly as possible and indulge in something which makes me happy like listening to music, reading a book, eating a chocolate bar and anything which calms my synapses. (In this case, I'm blogging about the aforementioned predicament.)

5. And for those who do not follow the "Silent method", put them in place with a harsh wording. Then jump into the battle with guns blazing.

Lots of hurt, anger and tears follow this method. Hence, I prefer the deaf and dumb technique. I hear and don't reply all the while struggling valiantly not to care. This technique has not yet been mastered by me.

So how do you react when people get on your nerves??

The way I make my Sambar

Sambar is a staple dish in many south Indian households.However, the method to make Sambar differs from home to home. This is how I make my Sambar for a sumptuous lunch of Pumpkin-Sambar Rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup Toor Dal

Chopped Pumpkin
Chopped Onions
Chopped Tomatoes
Dried red Chilies (2 or 3)
Tamarind (Soak a little tamarind in a half a cup of water)
Mustard
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
Oil
Chilli powder
Coriander(Dhania) Powder
Turmeric Powder
Salt

1. Boil the Toor Dal with 2 cups water in a cooker. (Water is twice the amount of Dal)
2. Once boiled, mash the Dal further, add another 2 or 3 cups of water and boil. (The amount of water varies with how thick you want the Sambar.)
3. In a pan, add oil and wait till the oil becomes a bit hot. Next, add Mustard and Cumin seeds. Curry leaves should be added last as they tend to get burnt quickly.
4. Add the chopped onions and saute till they turn brown. Add the dried red chilies.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and allow them to cook.
6. Once the tomatoes are cooked, I add a little of chilli powder, dhania powder and salt.
7. I add this mixture to the boiling dal and water.
8. Next, I add the raw pumpkin to the above. (Pumpkin, beans, drumstick, eggplant  can be added raw. Ladies finger is added after they are sauteed with onions and tomatoes).
9. Add sufficient quantities of chilli powder, dhaniya powder and salt. (I usually add 1 and a half teaspoons and then keep tasting the Sambar to get the right taste and add more if necessary.)
10. Add the tamarind water after straining the tamarind to the sambar. Let the Sambar boil for a few minutes. Check the taste and add chilli powder or salt as needed and let the Sambar boil.

Raw Banana (Vaazhakai) fry

1. Peel the skin of the Raw banana and cut it horizontally into small pieces. While cutting, gradually add the pieces in water.
2. Strain the water and marinate the raw banana pieces with sufficient amount of chilli powder and salt fora few minutes.
3. In a pan, add oil, mustard and curry leaves. To this, add the marinated raw banana pieces. Cover the pan with a lid and allow it to cook for 5-10 minutes sauteing them at intervals.

Inside the mind of an Indian Male

Alright, not all men are degenerate but even seemingly normal men sometimes get on the nerves of the fairer sex. I have always been a crusader of decent men, but I believe that the 'decent' Homosapien is a threatened species. In all my female life, my interactions with this species has been painfully sparse. This is my feeble attempt at studying the mind of the Indian Male and its perceptions.

* Food --- Lots of it. (I'm yet to come across an Indian male who eats less)

* Sex --- A study suggests that 54% men think about sex everyday or several times a day! The male species never ceases to amaze me.

* A woman walking on the road, irrespective of what she's wearing --- Stare at her bosom and or derriere.

* A girl wearing trousers and a T-shirt (unless it resembles a sack) ---- Look at the way she's dressed / She's inviting trouble / She's easy / I can misbehave and she won't mind.

* A woman --- Fit only for household chores / Sex ( Predominantly because the Indian Society is a hypocrite, we are connoisseurs who gave the world the Kamasutra, but sex remains a taboo and women are still objects.)

* Looking for a wife --- Beautiful,tall,slim,fair with a high dowry and good salary ( The guy in question looks like and has a temperament of a baboon).

* Wife --- (Read Woman), brood mare with preference for male offspring(female offspring reflects on the woman and not the man), may provide financial support but must slog for the house too. In the case of not providing financial support, she better not raise her voice.

* Sister --- Better get her married off as soon as possible/ She has absolutely no rights over our Father's property.

* Daughter --- Provide her education, ensure she gets a job and get her married off. Daughter is duty, nothing else.

* Money --- Required for smooth-sailing with all of the above/ booze / any other decadent expenditure only the male mind will incur.

Then there's a section of the male population which has a completely different selection criteria for a woman to love or a girlfriend and a woman to marry. The male population however can sow its wild oats and can gloat about being 'experienced'. Married or not, monogamy is severely under-rated in today's world.

So I believe, majority of the Indian male mindset revolves around the above, if not all of them.