Nair Newsline

What's Up

News in Oz
Karuna, Aman, Renu, and Vinod are having a hectic time right now. But, when life is hectic, it's FUN! And a lot of hard work too. Renu and Vinod spent a busy month preparing signs and food for the Mundaring Truffle Festival where The Dosa Shack will be selling their normal menu along with some Spice Tea and a Squid Curry. Aman enjoyed a Farmyard on Wheels incursion where he fed a lamb some milk and touched many animals. He's also been learning about Australia. Karuna re-starts her recorder and guitar lessons, organises a debate-competition and auditions for a dance. For more Info, check out nairsinoz.shutterfly.com (use the normal shutterfly password- if you don't know it just email me!)

Long Holiday
Raji Menon and __ will be going on a 6 month holiday to the USA to visit their son and his family. They are very happy to be going. Their plan is to go by train to Dehli from Kerala for a month-long stay with one of her daughters, then they'll take a plane to America. Their train to Dehli was unfortunately delayed for ONLY just a day. But now anyway, they are enjoying their time at Dehli before heading away on their long holiday.

Amazing Oz and Incredible India
A pro- con list on India and Australia, suggested by Raji Menon.

Something I don't like
Cons (Australia)
Sunburns- Australia's ozone layer has gotten quite thin- as of global warning- and so its quite easy to get sunburnt. You need to wear sunscreen, and a hat and all, which is fine, but if you don't, it's likely that after a few burns you'll get cancer.
Cons (India)
The pollution- I mean, the whole world is polluted, but in India, the roads and air are all filthy. I'm hoping THIS one will change soon

And something I do
Pros (Australia)
Education in Australia- the thing is, there's a lot more choice. As in, music, and arts and all those things, are available just as much as math and english. Well, not fully. Not until high school (Yr 8), when you can choose, or be made to do, different topics beside academis. Like aviation, soccer, cooking, music, multimedia, or art. India has started to offer these more, but from what I know (correct me if I'm wrong, please) it's not till college and if before college, it's not in school, you'll have to do private lessons.
Pros (India)
Costs- Okay, so one Austraian dollar is 30 rupees- yes a big difference, but the point is, while something could cost $20 here, it might be just 200 rupees there, which means it's ONLY 400 rupees more cheap. An example is dental service, or other smaller things.
Comparing them
So, the thing is there is a MAJOR population difference. Most of you would know that, India is second in the World when it comes to people. Whereas, Australia is 53rd on the line according to an approximate number checked in 2010. SO is that good or bad?
The Bad- Of course that is the reason for pollution. Oz and India are roughly the same size, so that means India has in it squeezed a lot more houses, cars, shops and all those other things we have. So a lot more emission, a lot more crowd as well.
The Good- One reason for the huge mass of 1, 129, 866, 154 (in 2007) people being better than Australia's 22, 400, 113 (approx. 2010) is manslaughter. Well, saying that, I realised it's also the worst. Because, in Australia, you'll get paid a lot more for your tough jobs, yet, in India, you'll need to pay less to those who serve YOU. (And not just to you business owners. A lot of Indian's employ a maid to clean and cook. Obviously for the latter reason.)

Places to See when visiting (The reason these places- and any place- RULES!!)
India-
The Taj Mahal- In New Dehli, this huge building made with love and once filled with gold stands, one of the Seven Wonders of the earth.
India Gate- Also in New Dehli- on a highway, it looks the best in the night with it's glowing lights.
Lotus Temple- Dehli Again, it's a pretty amazing temple with dainty flowers surrounding the prayer place.
Ajanta Caves- This time we're in Maharashtra looking at statues telling a tale of ancient life.
Wildlife Sanctuary-
India an Oz both share an incredible range of animals, which you should definitely stop to see.
There are quite a few of these around India.
Australia-
Sydney Opera House- Listen to a huge range of great music in the famous building. To me, it SORTA resembles Lotus Temple, in a way.
Sydney Harbour Bridge- Take a walk over the Harbour with a breathtaking view at terrifying height.
Perth Mint- Perth's ancient money making business. Take a tour!
Bell Tower- The historic bells ring during festivals, or you can even do it yourself if you go at the right time. An amazing view in the night as it glows.
Uluru- A huge rock (the biggest on earth!) slap bang in the middle of the Aussie Outback.
Great Barrier Reef- The biggest coral reek on earth, full of amazing sea creatures.
Monkey Mia- Beach where dolphins visit people.
Plus, there are heaps of zoos and parks, and even just islands, with awesome unique fauna of Australia. And the best of all- there are a hell of a lot of beaches- wherever you are, you can drive to a beach.

Famous For...
India- Population, Taj Mahal, Temples, Culture, Food (GRREAT SPICES!), POLLUTION.
Australia- Beaches, Barbecues, Animals, Island- Continent, Food (lamingtons and pavlova!)

The World of Imagination
We'll post some artwork up later, by Karuna Nair, and maybe more.

Art and Craft
This month's issue is ON art, so this time we're doing a section on The Arts, instead of just, Art as in Drawing and Painting.

Visual Art-
1.Sculpt! It's SO fun, yet pretty hard to get it looking like anything.
2.Sketch- You probably know how to do it- if you don't, why not take a chance? God forbid, it might be FUN!
3.Paint- Try a still life, a landscape, or abstract art- basically either squiggles, OR something really good that everybody sees something different in.
4.Cartoon- Create a few cartoon characters while you draw on your hand or write a shopping list.
Music-
So unless you play an instrument or sing, I guess you might not be able to. BUT all of us own a voice (have you insured yours?) so why not try just singing a favourite song.
Just for fun you can-
Play a game where you sing a song, and the letter it ends with needs to start the next players. (called antakshari)
Play some music to your friends and family.
Dancing-
If you've learnt any style of dancing, why not teach your friends as much as they'll be able to learn and have a 'party' where you can all dance.




Fantastic Food



Eclairs
Ingredients:
strawberry or raspberry ice cream or sherbet, softened
ladyfinger cookies OR madeline cookies
cups strawberries or raspberries
Preparation:
Mash or puree half of the fruit and set aside. Place one cookie on each serving plate and top with a scoop of ice cream. Place some berries on the ice cream, then top with another cookie. Spoon some of the mashed or pureed fruit over the eclairs and serve. Freeze leftovers. 4 servings



Spinach Quesadillas
Ingredients:
frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed and very well drained
shredded Havarti or Gruyere cheese
10 flavored or plain flour tortillas
Preparation:
Drain the spinach well, then squeeze it between paper towels to get out as much moisture as possible. On four tortillas, sprinkle half of the cheese. layer on all of the spinach. Then top with remaining cheese. Top each with another tortilla and press gently.
Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat, then cook each quesadilla for 2-3 minutes on each side until cheese melts and tortillas are crisp, pressing gently with spatula as they cook. Cut each into six wedges to serve. 8-10 servings


Super Survey
As mentioned previously, this month is the Art Special. Our online 'guest' this time is Anita Menon, on Arts, of course. And of course, you're WELCOME to get interviewed on art, and it'll go in the August Issue.

Have you ever learnt an instrument/singing/dance?
I've learnt Kathak dance.

If you did did you perform/ play in a choir or band?
Yes I've performed plenty of times on stage.

Were you ever interested in drawing/painting/ any kind of Visual Art?
Yes, painting.

If yes, did you take lessons, do it for fun- what?
Just for fun, also took some oil painting classes.

What was the best part of doing Arts?
Whenever I did any art of any kind, I almost always lost track of time and enjoyed it immensely. To express yourself creatively, in my opinion, is very liberating.

The Worst?
The worst would be, as a kid, I forgot to do my homework when I got engrossed in painting or singing or dancing.

Your favourite art?
Too many to list.

Did any of your close family do arts?
My brother, Vinay, did needlework. He was awesome at it. My mom is a very good artist and my father a very good singer.