I apologize for these long weeks of silence. What kind of friend am I, so far away from you all?

I had some trouble these last months, and was not joyous enough to come on MyEc and share with you about our lives. That's the way I am: when I'm sad or worried, I turn into a hermit!

In fact, I'm like a bear: I like to be in my lair! I was about to leave the tip of my nose out when I heard the bad news: my grandfather died.

I miss you all, and I will do all my possible to come on MyEc more often. Being with you is really more funny than sleeping in my lair...

I hope you are all well. I think of you.

I'm singing in the rain... Just singing in the rain...

Hmmm.. that's not true. Actually, I should say: If all you need is some rain , you just have to ask me to sing. OMG! How can a human singing be so awfull?

Dear readers, do you sing better than me? If you had to be on the stage, what song would you choose?

If I would have to (Please, no !!!), I would try to sing "I want to break free" (Queen)...
Be sure of one thing: dressed like a woman, with mini-skirt and high heels, you would never forget such a show...

:o)

Ingredients

1. Paneer(cubed)-250 gms

For marinade

1. Ginger paste-1/2 tsp
2. Garlic paste- 1/2tsp
3. Garam masala-1/4 tsp
4. Kashmiri chili powder-1 tsp
5. Kasuri methi ( dried fenugreek leaves)-1/4 tsp
6. Yogurt-3 tbsp
7. Lemon juice-1/4 tsp
8. Salt to taste

For gravy/sauce

1. Onion(medium)-2 nos
2. Tomato (small)-2 nos
3. Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
4. Bay leaf- 1 no
5. Ginger (crushed)-1 tsp
6. Garlic(crushed)-1tsp
7. Kashmiri chili powder-1 to 1/2 tsp(according to taste)
8. Coriander powder-1 tsp
9. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
10. Garam masala-1/4 tsp
11. Fresh cream-11/2 tbsp
12. Coriander leaves chopped-1 tbsp
13. Water-3/4 to 1 cup
14. Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)-1/4 tsp
15. Salt to taste
16. Oil

Method

• Combine all the ingredients for the marinade.Add paneer pieces and mix carefully and keep aside for 30 minutes.Place this on a greased baking tray and drizzle oil on top .Bake this in a preheated oven (180 deg C) for 15 to 20 minutes,turning sides in between.(or you can shallow fry the paneeer pieces ,turning sides in between)
• In a blender,add chopped onion and tomato and grind to form a smooth paste.Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan ,add cumin seeds and let it splutter.Now add the bay leaf and saute for a few seconds.
• Add ginger ,garlic and tomato- onion paste.Add salt  to taste.Saute this over a medium flame for about 15 minutes or until oil separates.
• Reduce the flame to low and add kashmiri chili powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder and garam masala.Saute this for at least 5 minutes(on a low flame)
• Pour 1/2 cup water and mix well.adjust the salt level and bring it to a boil.
• Add the baked paneer cubes and kasuri methi and mix well.
• Add more water if required .Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Now add cream and mix well.Cook for a minute and turn off the heat.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with naan or roti.

Recipe: Gado-Gado Surabaya

(Gado-Gado Siram)

Ingredients:

Blanched/steamed vegetables
long green beans, cut into 4-5 cm long
Chinese cabbage, shredded
Bean sprouts

Fresh Vegetables:

Lettuce
Tomato, wedged
Cucumber, sliced

Other Complements:

Boiled/steamed potatoes, sliced
Boiled eggs, wedged
Fried/baked tempe
Fried/baked tofu
Lontong (rice cake with log shape), cut into 1 cm thick
Ready-to-use fried shallot
Melinjo nuts crackers
Shrimp crackers

Gado-gado sauce:

10 cloves garlic, stir fried/fried/roasted
300 g roasted/fried peanuts (In this case, I used 1 cup of organic crunchy peanut butter)
1000 ml coconut milk
10 red chilies, discard the seed and stir fried/fried
1 tsp terasi (dried shrimp paste), toasted
1 block of coconut sugar (about 62.5 grams)
2-3 tbsp rice flour dissolve in a small amount of water

Sambal:

20 red bird eyes chilies, boiled /steamed
1/2 tsp sugar
Sea salt as desired

Method:

Gado-Gado Sauce

1. Process garlic, peanuts/peanut butter, a half part of coconut milk, red chilies, terasi, coconut sugar in a food processor or blender.
2. In a sauce pot, combine processed mixture with the rest of coconut milk, stir and turn on the stove at low-medium heat. Stir occasionally.
3. Cook sauce until boiled, the volume reduced and the sauce surface looks a bit oily. Add rice flour mixture. Keep stirring until bubbling about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Sambal

Combine all ingredients and process in a food processor/blender or you can grind them with mortar and pestle.

Serving

Place lettuce, slices of lontong and boiled potatoes, blanched vegetables, wedges of boiled egg, slices of fried tempe and tofu, and wedges of tomato, slices of cucumber. Pour the warm sauce over, garnish with fried shallot, crushed shrimp crackers and emping nuts crackers. Put sambal on the side as people has different tastebuds to handle the spiciness. You can omit the sambal if you don’t like the spicy sauce.

Tips

- If the sauce to thick, add a small amount of water.
- Always try the sauce before remove from the heat, so you can add salt or coconut sugar to match your tastebuds.
- Serve gado-gado sauce while it is still warm. Warm up the sauce if it is cold.
- If you still have leftover sauce, keep it in a jar and refrigerate/freeze. You may use for other dipping purposes.

Glossary:

Emping Melinjo: Melinjo or padi oats crackers
Lontong: Rice cake with log shape
Kerupuk/krupuk Udang: shrimp crackers
Tempe/Tempeh: Indonesian fermented soy bean cake
Terasi/Trassi: dried shrimp paste

Tah chin — also spelled tah-chin or tacheen — is a dramatic Persian rice dish. Partly cooked rice is flavored with saffron, yogurt and egg yolks and then layered in a dish with chicken or lamb. The whole dish is baked and then turned out onto a platter, forming a mound of deliciousness with a golden, crispy crust.

Image  by ampersandyslexia

The crispy, crunchy layer of browned rice that forms on the tah chin as it bakes is called the tahdig and is highly valued as a delicacy.

6 to 8 servings

-What is your favorite dish?

-Which colour do you prefer?

-The country you would like to visit?

-The vegetable you can't absolutely eat?

-The last book you read?

-Your favorite song?

-The weather is so hot? What flavour for your ice-cream?

-Do you play music? What kind of instrument?

-Of what animal are you afraid?

-Which is your hobby?

Feel free to answer. Or not. ;o)

I'm looking for a correspondence between phonetics and sounds. To be sure on how to pronounce words.

I've googled my search, but didn't found anything like this. Could you help me ?

Thanks a lot !

EDIT : I've found this ? What do you think about it?

It was in summer. July, 17th, 1998. I was waiting for him since so long! My wife and I have decided to call him Peter. Our little boy! He was so cute. He was already smiling... When I saw him on my wife's chest, when I heard his voice for the first time, I felt so proud!

He were our first child. I couldn't imagine he wore an another name. Peter. My grand-father was called Peter. Unfortunately he died when I was young and I didn't know so much about him. When we've known it would be a little boy, my wife asked me for a list of a few firstnames. I've found one. The one.

I still remember when I took him in my arms. He were so frail! My was looking at me, smiling, while I was giving him the bottle for the first time. I felt so happy.

I was so moved... For two weeks, I was always crying. Tears of happiness, tears of emotion. I was wondering if I would be a good father. I was wondering if I would always find the right words for him, if I would be able to show him all the love I had...

All these questions every parents ask themselves... No need. We're humans; To have children, to love them, to do all our possible for their happiness... That is in our genes. We don't need to read books. Just old your child in your arms. The first time, you will know...

I even remember the song at the radio when I came back home, late in the night. (Cinderella, by Martinelli, 1985)

"(Cinderella, by Martinelli, 1985)"

Till this day, my eyes are strangely brimming with tears each time I hear this song... I know it's really kitsch but i just can't help myself!

Of course, Peter is as beautiful as his parents!

My dear Peter, my wonderful son, never forget it : We love you so much! You will enter upper-secondary school soon. You're a young man now...

But I will never forget the first time we met...

With all my love...

In France, when we are in front of something we can't understand, or something we don't know how to use, we say:

"Comme une poule qui a trouvé un couteau ..."

"Like a chicken who has just found a knife"

Would you share with us an expression of your countries?

Edit: Mickey, I've just corrected my punctuation! ;-)

Dear All !

I'm so happy to read your comments! Many thanks to you all! You have to know one thing. I love to read and watch thrilllers. I love black humor... So my "hero" won't be a good boy! :-p

I want to write a story which is jubilatory. The story of a man who switches into his past, his mind and his deepest feelings. He is happy, it's true. If he thinks about his life, he know he has everything. His life is a happiness-lined road.

Unfortunatly, the way he has been treated by his client has throwed him into black feelings.

All that he knows is that he has something to do. He still doesn't know exactly what...

But he has to do it. To be far away of his old daemons...

(Please, feel free to tell about my mistakes...)

Dear All,

Since a few years, I was thinking about a story of a man whose life is going wrong. It's for him a manner to remember those who made his life a hell. Some very old angers  were rising to the surface. Let me tell you his story. You will know the choices he made, and what he felt during his vengeance... Writing this story here, in English, should be a great exercice! 

******

I was wondering why? A few hours ago, I was working for a client of my office. I had to configure his brand new server. Everything was ok when he suddenly started to shout.

-          We can’t send email anymore! Our internet provider says that we are considered as spam sender! They decided to switch off our mail system! That’s your fault! I’ve just lost a big deal because of you incompetence!

-          Hey please, don’t shout on me! We are not friends, we’re not in schoolyard! Let me look what happens.

-          No! Get out! I will call your boss, and will do all my possible to be sure you will be fired! You won’t be able to find a job for a long time!

I was shocked by his gratuitous hatred. His face was red, his eyes were dark. He was sputtering while spitting out his anger on me. I knew I couldn’t have made such a mistake. Security is the base of my job! I was trying to argue with him. In vain. And when one of his sputter reached my face, it was like a punch.

I felt bad, and started to think my career had suddenly ended. I’ve taken my things together and I went away. As I was going back home, I was feeling more sad than ever. I’ve never had such problems before!

If I can understand is anger, I can't agree the way he behaved. I stop my car in the forest. I dissolve into tears … What can do? I know he could make my life like a trip in hell.

I look straight ahead. I start to accelerate. This roads ends by a hairpin bend. My car will fly away, and I won’t have no more worries. The landscape scrolls faster and faster… I feel so sad… I feel useless.

Just a few seconds. And I will be in peace forever. My lovely wife. Tears are rolling on my cheeks. I throw myself on the brakes. What am I doing? I don’t want to lose them. My lovely wife, my children. How can I impose such a pain to them?

Tears stop. A smile was raising on my face. Why should I die? Why should I commit suicide? I’ve done my job. I’ve done what I had to do.

I can't let a man to destroy my life, my dignity. I go back home. I blow a kiss to my wife, and make a big hug to my children. I’ve made my choice. I will settle old scores later…

 (To be continued …)

Okay. The chat feature of EC if OFF. Too bad.

So, it's time for me to review my aeronautical alphabet. Repeat after me ;-)

Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Fox-trot Golf Hotel India Juliet Kilo Lima Mike

November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey

X-Ray Yankee Zulu

In France, the schooling is established in this way:

First, we have “kindergarten school” (Ecole Maternelle in French). For children aged between 3 and 5. There are three levels.

Small section, middle section and high section.

Then we have Elementary school, for children aged between 6 and 10. There are 5 levels.

• CP (Cours préparatoire, in French): First Grade. When CP is achieved, children should be able to read and write.
• CE1 (Cours élementaire 1) : Elementary Grade #1
• CE2 (Cours élementaire 2) : Elementary Grade #2
• CM1 (Cours Moyen 1) : Middle Grade #1
• CM2 (Cours Moyen 2) : Middle Grade #2

When Elementary school is achieved, children should be able to read, write and count wihtout difficulties. They should be fluent. They may have started to learn English. Unfortunately, this learning is not enough efficient.

After Elementary school, comes time of Secondary School. For children aged between 12 and 15. There are 5 levels.

Elementary school is divided in two sublevels:

1. ( Collège in French) : Lower Secondary school

• 6^th
• 5^th : Start learning of one second foreign language
• 4^th
• 3^th : Brevet national tests at end of year

1. (Lycée in French) : Upper Secondary School

• 2^nd: May start learning of one third foreign language
• 1^st : national test at end of year ( French subject)
• Terminal: National tests at end of year (Every other subjects). This national test is called “Baccalauréat”. It’s the first degree which account for a professional life.

Could you tell us about schooling in your countries ?

(please, feel free to tell me if you've seen any mistake in my post. The best way to learn ...)

Some friends of mine call me "Mr Special"... They're right!

I am a man of reserved nature. I don't speak to strangers easily. I have to look around, to look the way they speak, the way they think. It is not voluntary, that's the way i am.

If everything is ok, if we can have a real of conversation like, speaking about everything even without avoidings topics that can upset, then i will give him/her all my friendship, and I will always be there...

I love to smile, joke and write stories. I like to ask many questions, not because i'm curious, but to know who you are... About what you love, what you dislike...

Like friends should always do...

And you? What kind of Mr Special are you?

(please, feel free to tell me if you've seen any mistake in my post)

It's kind a magic. Imagine. Through the screen, i give you a gift box. Pulll off the ribbon. Tear the colored paper. Open the box, gently.

You can see a key. A very special key. This key will open the gate of your sweetest dreams ...

I've tried. Suddenly, i was at 20000 feet, flying a wonderful jet. What a wonderful feeling of freedom ! The sky was clear, blue, perfect ... Everything was possible.

Everything ? Hummmm. Let's try. I close my eyes. I Think of him. My father in law. He was died 8 years ago. And i miss him so much. He was there, sat on the beach, smiling to me. I didn't know how long i could stay with him.

So i told him how much i miss him. "I love you" ...

He already knew it, and i felt better ... 

So ... Where would you like to go, with these special key ?