Manu's Medley

I am back yet again reviewing a web series. The star cast is the prime reason why I got dragged into this series and adding to it, this series is made in "namma" Tamil language and has garnered accolades from all over.  Suzhal - The Vortex, is a Tamil language web series released on Amazon Prime in June 2022. This 8 episodes series is written by Pushkar-Gayatri duo. Yes, what you guessed is correct. They are the couple who created and directed the brilliant movie Vikram Vedha. Bramma G and Anucharan M have directed, 4 series each. The series has been dubbed in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, English and many other foreign languages like German, Japanese, Polish etc. This crime thriller series has eminent performers like Parthiban, Kathir, Aishwarya Rajesh, Sriya Reddy along with Elango Kumaravel, Harish Uthaman, Santhana Bharathi, Nivedithaa Sathish, Prem Kumar, Latha Rao etc.    The story is set up in a fictional town - Sambaloor in Tamil Nadu, which is a close-knit p...

It's the season of cherries, offering us one more wonderful activity to do in summer in Canada - Cherry Picking!!!  Cherry trees start to bloom in April or May and start bearing fruits in June. They ripen and are found in abundance starting early July. Cherry season is highly dependent on the weather. Rains and heavy winds could ruin them. So cherries last only shorter duration, tentatively until early September. We missed to witness cherry blossoms this year, so we didn't want to miss out cherry picking.    Most of the farms near our locality were closed for the season just within a week of opening (in the first week of July). When we checked around mid July, Sun Valley Farms at Stoney Creek, Winona (Ontario), claimed to have a variety of cherry orchards and abundant cherries for everyone, in their farm. Sun Valley Farms is the closest cherry orchard to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and has been in operation since 1955. Though we had to drive more than an...

Congratulations on crossing the 3 month milestone with your baby. The best of the time elders get to spend with their children is when they are young. So make the maximum out of it.  At this stage, while your baby is still in the eat - poop - play - sleep and repeat mode, you will observe a slight drop in the number of hours he sleeps. He will be more curious to explore his surroundings. What to expect from a 4-6 months old? Holds head steadily. Most of the kids will get head control by the end of 3 months. However, there can be exceptions to this.   Rolls side-to-side  Tries to imitate facial expressions Reaches out and grasps objects Recognizes people. Puts a face to a voice. How to play with him? There are many simple ways to engage your little munchkin, that helps in the development his of physical, cognitive and emotional well being. Most of the time, we perform many activities most naturally without even knowing that they simulate the cognitive, language, motor...

"Peace, love and inner panic" - doesn't this phrase sound catchy?  The book title "APRIL may Fall" , the above tag line and the cover picture definitely makes one to pick it. 'April may Fall' is authored by Christina Hovland, an USA based writer.  Christina holds a degree in journalism from Colorado State University and had worked in the media industry before turning into a chocolatier. She loves to write romantic comedies. Apart from "APRIL may FALL", her other works include "Going Done on One Knee", "Blow Me Away", "Take it Off the Menu", "Do Me a Favor", "Rachel, Out of Office", "There's Something About Molly" etc., which all are romantic fictions.  About "APRIL may FALL", April Davis is a single mom living with her three unmanageable kids. She is an yoga instructor and a social media influencer. For the outside world, she puts up a "Calm Mom" image, but is n...

Dear Reader, Today's post is a requested one. One of my cousin's is a big fan of hummus and wanted to know a simple version that can be made at home in a breeze. You will need no cooking experience to make this recipe and can use it up to 4-5 days when refrigerated, only if it lasts that long. I am certain, you will finish the full batch in one sitting. According to history, it is presumed that hummus originated in Middle East. However Greeks too claim it their own. Wherever it actually originated, today it is widely eaten and available in restaurants and stores, in almost all the countries. I specifically love Middle Eastern cuisine for its hummus, falafel and baklava.  Hummus is made from chickpeas in combination with tahini, garlic and few other spices. We can make a wide range of flavorful hummus with eggplants, roasted red bell pepper (capsicum), roasted garlic etc. apart from the classic hummus and hummus without tahini. Tahini is nothing but a paste made out of sesame se...