Day 29 of February Photo a day challange: Something you're listening to

wind...but can you see it, really?

Day 28 of February Photo a day challange: Money

Well, these are in my purse currently..."money" from 4 different countries...beauty of traveling!!

Day 27 of February Photo a day challange: Something I ate

My mom's yummy noodles...mmmmmmmm

Day 26 of February Photo a day challange: Night

Can the night  get any darker than this?

Day 25 of February Photo a day challange: Green

From my baby's favorite book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Day 24 of February Photo a day challange: Inside your bathroom cabinet

So, I don't feel like showing the inside of my bathroom cabinet, cause, well, there is none! Oh no, yes, I do have a bathroom...thanks heaven for that! But there are no cabinets...there is a shelf over the sink to put things like you would keep inside a cabinet....and it's messy and I don't feel like showing the things I use..LOL

So, instead the beautiful bathroom door for your entertainment ;)

Day 23 of February Photo a day challange: Your Shoes

Well, of course, these are not my shoes! These days I don't wear shoes to show off, rather my pretty little darling has taken over that spot sporting pretty cutsie shoes...and here those are!

Where a bag of Tostitos cost more than I care for

Finally went to Gulshan couple of weeks ago to check out the Korean grocery. I intended to buy Kimchee, I knew I would find Kimchee there if nothing else. But when I found Tostitos, along with Salsa I was overwhelmed with joy and the price tag of each items. That freaking bag of tostitos cost around $6.00 USD!!!!! Oh my lord!!! But I bought it anyway. It's not that I'm a big fan of that, but the fact that I "could" get it here made it seem very exciting and worth paying for. Well, I enjoyed it. So did my sis, and has asked for a second bag already! eeshhh....I'm not paying that much for this crap!

Ekushay February or International Mother Language Day

Yesterday was Ekushay February or  in simple English 21st of February. It's a bitter sweet day for the Bengalis. Ekushay February or 21st February has been declared International Mother Language Day by the UNESCO in 1999. If you click on the link, you can read through the wiki article to learn the history and background of this day. Every year very early morning, politicians and common people alike go to Shaheed Minar or Martyrs' Monument and take flowers to commemorate the loss of students. And of course through out the day people continue to go there. When I was little, we never went to Shaheed Minar. But on Ekushay February we would cut a pic of the Martyr' monument from the newspaper and then put it against the wall (keeping it on the floor, the picture) and put some flower in front of it. It was a sweet memory.

This year, I decided to check out Shahid Minar finally. Unfortunately, the roads were all blocked and no car could enter that area and we would have to walk to get there. I decided against it as I had little miss E with us. Instead, decided to roam around Dhaka University area where it was buzzing with people, old, middle aged and kids...full of them. It was starting to get bit hot as well.  We checked out Fine Art Center and took some pics. On the street it had a festive feeling all around. Lots of hawkers selling Bangladeshi flag, bangles (loads of it, those bangles were made of glass and very colorful), cloths, bags, books, street stalled food etc etc etc. We happened to check out the grave of a famous Poet as well, Kazi Nozrul Islam.I really enjoyed the day and afterwards we went to Nando's to get something to eat. And unfortunately, little miss E already had enough of the day and by then was in full fussy mood. So, I only got to have brownie and ice cream and miss E's dad had burger...mmmm...I am bit pissed that I couldn't eat burger LOL I tried the fries and it was delish! Really good quality.

Here are pictures from our Ekushay February outing:

Day 22 of February Photo a day challange: Where you work

I can't tell you where I work, because "where" is a huge place at this time for me. It would have been easier to say where I work 2 years ago. Therefore, I will post a pic of who make me work all day and night...lately, I get to take some breaks on and off during night time...nonetheless..., here it isTHE little boss of me!

Day 21 of February Photo a day challange: A fav photo of you

Day 20 of February Photo a day challange: Handwriting

So, yes, this is my handwriting and I've written in Bangla after a LONG time. Really. Though my handwriting used to be really nice, now it kind of sucks :(

First Trimester

I'm going to be FINALLY writing the birth story of my baby girl. And before I begin telling the labor and birth story, it's important to say how the pregnancy went. This will be long  as I'm going to be putting things in writing in as much details as possible and as much as I can remember. It's been a while ;) First of all, I was the happiest person in the world when I found out I was pregnant. Those who are close to me know that it was a long time coming. Just didn't come till November of 2010! I found out day after Thanksgiving day, though I wanted to test on Thanksgiving, but due to hosting a Thanksgiving dinner in Dhaka (where it was a bit of a challenge to come up with an "authentic" TX dinner almost at the last moment) I felt exhausted that night (hint..hint) and just thought of taking the test day after. But the night of TX dinner as I was sitting on a bed, and suddenly got up to get food, I got this amazingly horrible muscle spasm like pain on my right side ovary. It was so damn weird, and I thought huh, may be I didn't ovulate when I thought I did, so that means  it's a good thing I'm not gonna test today.

But something made me test the next day. I was doing the 30 day shred by Gillian Michael's video, and while doing some crunches or whatever it was I felt  awkward pain right in the middle of my stomach. So, I thought better test it out and then I can continue with this. I asked H to bring a test and he did. True to my request he brought ONE damn test.  So, got the test and it was duh! + two lines, not crystal clear, but the second line was there. I immediately took a pic and sent to my sis and couple of friends to tell me if they see what I see...of course, they saw what I SAW!! This was my very FIRST positive pregnancy test!

Needless to say, I spent that night ( I tested early evening) tossing and turning in bed and cursing H for bringing just ONE pregnancy test. Who does that???

Next morning asked him to get another test, and this time not to follow my order and bring "few"...which he did for the next few days. He kept bringing tests after tests and I had the most pleasure peeing on those and seeing those magical lines!  This was my second test, took around 10 in the morning, not with FMU, after breakfast... and a funny thing was right when I was going to bathroom I puked. whoa! Well, it was more than crystal clear

And strangely that weird muscle spasm type pain kept increasing. It was way too much painful to turn sides when I slept. And that "muscle spasm like pain" stayed with me for a long long time, which later I came to know were known as Round ligament pain. That was my uterus stretching for the first time in its life! And you know, what else was hurting me? My tailbone! I didn't know so many areas of that neighborhood can hurt this much when one gets pregnant! I swear no one told me this before! It was rather difficult to sit for longer than few minutes.

And then came the horribly morning sickness. If I have to describe the utterly horrible 7 weeks of hellish morning sickness in one word, I would describe that period simply as "DARK." I spent most of my days in bed, unable to move because oh, I was so damn hungry, but couldn't eat anything. And whatever the heck I ate, would come down next moment and it was well, painful. When I got pregnant I was heaviest I'd been in my life! That's all I will say for now. During first trimester as for food I didn't crave anything.

Interestingly, I never craved one single item of food throughout my pregnancy. The only thing I could tolerate to eat was A for an Apple during first trimester! Nothing else would stay in. My father,and my husband had bought so many apples that time I lost count. If it wasn't for that Apple I think, I would have died from starvation. Oh, well, I could eat "polau" rice cooked in ghee...and other rich food, though those also would come out pronto, but I could at least put those inside.

At the end of my first trimester, just when I hit second I had to take a long ass flight from Dhaka to New York! So, this said flight is divided in two parts. One flight from Dhaka to Dubai, then a quick 2 hours transit in Dubai Airport and then 14 hours flight from Dubai to New York. By the way, did I mention my tailbone pain? I was really in horror just to think about that pain and sitting for such a long time in flight. Thank goodness for Miles Program!!!! I piled up pretty significant miles thanks to my previous 3 trips to Bangladesh. And why I always had a feeling that I would redeem those miles when it's going to be very important...such as let's say if I get pregnant and want to fly Business class? Of course, I upgraded my flight from Dubai to New York to Business class, but couldn't get the upgrade from Dhaka to Dubai segment. And that was fine. It was ONLY 5 hours. I could deal with it. Or, so I thought.

It was SO SO SO painful to sit on that seat for 5 hours. My back, particularly tailbone was hurting like crazy. And all I could think was how thankful I was that I got that much needed upgrade for the next leg of flight! I couldn't imagine with back pain like that sitting for 14 hours. Pure horror. Next flight was as expected, very smooth. I was laying down on that cozy flat bed all the way from Dubai to New York! And really, if there are empty seats in  Business class and somehow crew know there is a pregnant woman (whether it's visible or not) they should just offer that to her for kindness's sake!

Day 19 of February Photo a day challange: Something you Hate to do

'nuff said....

Day 18 of February Photo a day challange: Drink

This is my leftover drink from this morning hanging out at the bottom of the cup.....the famous Cha..aka Chai tea!

Day 17 of February Photo a day challange: Time

Oh, why do I picture a bird when the topic is "time"? This is why...both fly!

Day 16 of February Photo a day challange: Something New

My recent purchase from Korea-Mart in Dhaka. And I know for sure pretty soon this is going to come in handy!

Day 15 of February Photo a day challange: Phone

This phone hasn't been working God knows for how long! And oh, how I miss having a "home" phone!! Though it doesn't serve its original purpose now, it does work pretty well as a toy!

Day 14 of February Photo a day challange: Heart

Just couldn't have gotten a better heart than this, it was on a onsie my sweet baby was wearing earlier today, coincident...nothing to do with valentine's day.

Day 13 of February Photo a day challange: Blue

Our bedsheet from today; Blue!

Day 12 of February Photo a day challange: Inside your closet

I don't have a closet here, and I'm too embarrassed to take the full frontal pic of my husband's closet...LOL

Day 11 of February Photo a day challange: Makes you happy

There is nothing in the world that makes me more happy than this sweet little pie, love of my life!

Day 10 of February Photo A day Challange: Self Portrait

A pic taken 3 years ago in Segovia!

Day 9 of February Photo a day challange: Front Door

Not mine..my SIL's ...

Day 8 of February Photo a day challange: Sun

And the Sun shining in Dhaka sky around 1.30 p.m..

Day 7 of February Photo a day challange: Button

And thanks to my baby, I got to take a pic today...button on her dress

Day 6 of February Photo a day challange: Dinner

Usual fare at my parent's house:

Day 5 of February Photo a day challange: 10 a.m.

well well well...this is the best I could do!

First time Baked a cake in Dhaka and it's the best Yellow Cake!

Woohoo so, I got to bake a cake two days ago for the first time in Dhaka! It was a long wait...I'd to get a new oven, getting ingredients one at a time (cause we could never remember to get everything at one trip to store!) etc etc etc... I'm happy to get into baking as I've plenty of recipes to try (thank you pinterest!).

So, of course first try was THE Yellow Cake that I baked few months ago in New York. It was a hit then. And I hoped it to be another hit here again. While I started to get things together, I realized there was a little hurdle I needed to get over. Measurement conversion! eek. My recipe calls for oven to be heated at 350 degree Fahrenheit, my oven has temp in Celsius... then, recipe calls for 1/2 cup of softened butter...and the pack of butter I had was a pack of 200 grams...so how do I measure it just right? Of course, like everything else google came in handy! What can't you find on Google? Seriously.

So, it  turned out 1 cup of butter is somewhere between 225 to 250 grams of butter. And remember, my pack is of 200 grams. So, when using 1/2 cup of butter, I just eye balled it and cut it in half chunk. It's obviously not perfect but it worked out. I know, I could have just easily soften the butter completely, and then take 1/2 cup...but even that I think can be totally off depending on how soft the butter is and how much I can squeeze into that cup.

And as for how much Celsius is 350 degree Fahrenheit? Apparently 176.something. And my oven can't do that 176.something...it can do 175. huh! And really who bakes at such a odd # of temp?

But anyway....now the pan....I didn't have two 8 inch pans as the recipe calls for. Instead I had a 12 mini cupcake pan, 1 9 inch pan. So, I baked 12 mini cupcake, 3 really thin 9 inch cakes....

And the verdict? It was GOOD and GONE!!I didn't use any frosting this time around, but first time when I baked I did make the cream cheese frosting and it was SOOOO GOOD!! One thing I changed this time was I used 1/2 tea spoon of salt instead of full 1 tea spoon, as I knew I wasn't gonna use frost. Without frosting, 1 teaspoon of salt would make it terribly salty FYI.

And here is the pic that I took next day...please don't let my bad pic fool you (this pic doesn't do justice!)....it's yummy.

And here is the link to the original blog with the beautiful pic of this cake how it should really look if baked on 2 pans (rather than three and mini-cup cakes!)

Recipe from the Original Blog

Old-Fashioned Yellow Cake

(adapted from McCall’s Book of Cakes and Pies)

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 + 1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup or 100 grams butter, softened

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 degree Celsius. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl sift flour and sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Add butter, milk and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides of bowl.
4. Add eggs, beat for 2 more minutes.
5. Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally among both. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Turn out and cool thoroughly on wire racks. Frost with cream cheese or whip cream frosting. If using whip cream frosting the cake must be refrigerated.

Day 4 of February Photo a day challange: A Stranger!

Last night when I checked what would be today's topic and saw it was "A Stranger", I was a bit alarmed. LOL First of all, we are sick with cold and there is no way I would go out now till we get better. And it would be very difficult to take a pic of a stranger while I stay home all day. I mean, all day people I will see staying home are anything but strangers.  And then the stranger showed up....and I instantly took the opportunity to take a snap of him/her!



And I swear it is "a stranger" to me. I don't know him/her and oh, how glad I am that this stranger doesn't have to be a human being! Stranger crawling on the wall of balcony....

Day 3 of February Photo a day challange: Hands

Today's topic is : Hands!

And  here are hands of a father and his daughter :

Day 2 of February Photo a day challange: Words

Today's topic is words. And my word for today is : MUM, we all know what or who mum is (well, if you're from the US then MOM rather than MUM), here this is a pic of a brand of bottled water available in Bangladesh. I think, the branding was very clever, as interestingly babies here (almost all the babies that I have personally seen) call water "mum" when they first learn to talk. Isn't it clever?

Dhaka Attraction: Trip to "Jatiyo Sriti Soudho" or "National Martyrs' Memorial"

Just the other day I made my first "touristic" trip in Dhaka. Well, okay it's a bit misleading to say it's in Dhaka. It's actually outside of Dhaka, in Savar. And it took about 1 and half hours to go from my parent's house to there. It's a place that I really like even though been there only couple of times. Reason being it's really far from Dhaka city, and coupled with notorious Dhaka traffic it seems even further! And yet, I really wanted to go there while it's still cooler outside. Of course, my only worry was how miss little E will handle this long journey in car. She has no problem staying in car as long as it's in motion, God forbids it stops and stay like that for a while (which is what happens when you're stuck in traffic jam) then all hell break loose. Good thing was we left at such a time that she was a bit sleepy and as soon as we hit our first traffic jam, she fell asleep.

I meant to take lots of pics on our way. But truth be told, the scenery wasn't great and made me totally unmotivated. But I did take few pics at the Memorial. That place was rather empty, which I liked. Weather was good, bit windy but perfect otherwise. My niece and cousin's son enjoyed it. My niece really enjoyed it as it was more a huge open spaced park like. Right after entering I noticed a sign for prayer place, a public toilet. Didn't venture to either. I only saw one foreigner there. And the rest seemed people from village who were there for the first time (my assumption purely) and people from local area. We stayed there about one and half hour. Really there was nothing much to do besides starring at the triangle shaped memorial monument. Long ago people could go inside that monument but now they closed it. Most likely people go and litter there. gah! There are hawkers who sell nuts, spicy puffed rice, ice cream etc.

One thing I like about that place is there is a section where they have plants/trees that were planted by various world leaders, and/or various dignitaries. I like to see who planted what....there was a plant planted by the Queen Elizabeth of England, though I couldn't locate it this time. I honestly didn't look much but anyway....

And now some pics