Vastu Tips

 Vastu tips for peaceful living
When you are looking for a new home whether its an apartment, room, flat, house  or you are  building a new home use a compass to determine the direction that the main doorway or entrance faces. The direction of the main door is the first key to peaceful,happy,healthy living that will give you the best possible support of nature in your life.
Always attempt to live in a house or apartment that faces EAST as your first priority so the doorway or main entrance is facing East behind you as you enter the building and never to the South or West

The home where the entrance faces East will bring peaceful, happy living with full support of nature and ease in life This is especially true if you have the main doorway or entrance unobstructed by trees and buildings so that the first rays of sunlight each morning at sunrise fall on your doorway. The earlier the rays of the sun after sunrise hit your entrance the better the positive effect will be for you.

Entering your home from the North is also good creating wealth and prosperity.If the main entrance faces south the energy may bring ill health, difficulties and bad fortune to the people and guests who live there.

There are other small things that you can adapt in your home to create soothing environments to live in that will create more peaceful, comfortable homes and bring, happiness and support of nature .

• Keep all corners of the rooms bright so the energy in the home is not stagnant
• Keep the North and Northeast part of the home free of clutter and open.
• Choose a flat or apartment that has a balcony in the East or North 
• Do not live in an apartment or flat that has only a balcony on the South
• Happy family photographs are good in the living room
• Arrange your bed so your head is facing the East whilst sleeping or your feet are towards the North You should not sleep with your head to the North
• Well organised neat and tidy living areas create good luck
• Keep money and jewellery in a North facing spot so when you open the safe or box it will be towards the North
• Do not face South for any activity     
• Shoes and slippers should be left at the door and not scattered around the house to avoid feuds
• Pictures of Ganesh and Saraswati are good in the study
• Attempt to reduce any electrical equipment around the bed whilst sleeping
• When sitting at a desk sit facing the doorway not with the door behind you
• Attempt to have your rooms or flat in the shape of a full square or rectangle so that there are no corners of the four directions missing such as an L shaped room. 
• Bathroom doors should remain closed
• Keep the heaviest furniture along the Southern or Western walls
• Allow the free flow of sun and moonlight to enter your home.

 Enjoy creating beautiful spaces that reflect inner calm that can be your retreat and spiritual refuge but will also bring you good fortune,health and well being.....more vastu tips on colours to balance your home to come....stay tuned. Ciao Diyu

Inform me! News media

 Inform me! News media

Extra!.... extra!......read all about it!.....Paper!!

Today, in our digital age we are at an exciting time in the history of Journalism.

We are able to access the best of both worlds in relation to news and information - traditional media and new media or digital journalism.

The slow demise of the daily ritual of buying the paper cannot be denied. And we don't have the paper seller on the corner shouting out “Paper” any longer.Classifieds are now online and the newspaper industry is loosing revenue so the very nature of journalism is changing. 

My view is, we are in a position in this transition period to access news in a myriad of ways depending on the situation we are in and they all have merit.

Is this the future of newspapers?

The newspaper is still an important source of news.  Rich in tradition and daily ritual such as when we are commuting to work or taking a coffee break at a café or lazing around on Sunday morning.These are all great opportunities to read the paper that continues to be part of our lifestyle and I don’t think the newsprint media is about to end just yet. We source our news also by listening to the radio when travelling or when working and we listen to talk-back news related stories in the car.

Television news from early morning shows to the late night news reviews are a popular,major source of our news information.
On the other hand online news is rapidly becoming the norm especially in relation to the news of “Defining moments” as discussed by Harper.¹  When defining moments occur what do we do? 

                cartridgesave.co.uk                   

With 9/11 it was definitely television that we were all glued to, when John Lennon was shot it was the paper and earlier when JFK was assassinated it was the radio that we sourced our defining moment news from.We use the best or most advanced source of news available at the time.We check our phones and online news sources or we turn on the television, we do not rush out and buy the paper. The speed of news sourcing and retrieval is so fast with phone apps and online news sites that is not comparable to print media, although we may return to print media for editorials and further news after an event or to local and regional papers. Online news reporting is changing the nature of the reporter as well because journalists are able to be directly involved in every aspect of the storytelling, creating multiple layers linked to other stories using a variety of media to tell the final story. Leah Gentry calls this "Nonlinear storytelling" as discussed in Harpers article.¹ 
Linking one story to another or telling the same story from several points of view. Gentry states "Journalists who succeed (online) will do, solid reporting, careful editing, compelling writing, and visual storytelling using the latest tools available.They will tell their stories in whatever medium people use. But the tenets of the industry will remain the same." ¹

This is my view as well, we will have more involvement in the product of news and it will be more layered but basically it is the same - News. There is a plethora of news options online but it comes down to what is your own favourite site, mainstream or alternate that suits you and your interests and of course what source you trust.The one aspect of online news that print media will never compete with is the extent of choice. We are able to subscribe to exactly the sort of information, the style and the delivery we want for specific detail and regular updates with thousands of options so online news can be personally tailored to you.

aiourdubooks.com 

Updates of news online is fast and regular so we can check the latest story. If the update is too old we quickly move on to another site.This is the flighty nature of todays news audience, constantly moving from one source to another and seeking updates.We use the best or most advanced source of news available at the time.We check our phones and online news sources or we turn on the television, we do not rush out and buy the paper. The speed of news sourcing and retrieval is so fast with phone apps and online news sites that is not comparable to print media, although we may return to print media for editorials and further news after an event or to local and regional papers. Online news reporting is changing the nature of the reporter as well because journalists are able to be directly involved in every aspect of the storytelling, creating multiple layers linked to other stories using a variety of media to tell the final story. As Pavilk explains in his book Journalism and New Media  "Storytelling journalism in an online electronic environment is best described as contextualised journalism which has 5 basic dimensions or aspects;
 1. Breadth of communication modalities 2.Hypermedia 3.Heightened audience involvement
 4 Dynamic content and 5.Customisation"²

www.strategoconsulting.com

I do not agree with Harper when he says that the online audiences for news remains small. Harper ¹ Consider the  breaking news of Whitney Houstons death - a Tweet was sent twenty-seven minutes before mainstream media broke the news. On the other hand I would agree that television news remains the largest source for mass audiences.I was interested to hear in our i-lecture Chris Thomson speak about Rupert Murdoch in his speech to an International News Conference in 2005 announcing that it was necessary for News Limited to pitch their readership towards "digital natives" (those born after 1990's onwards) and not to "digital immigrants".(those born before the digital age)³
The decade the consumers were born into, therefore their age,computer literacy as well as availability of technology is a large factor in the move from traditional television news and online news sources.The digital immigrants may consider the changing of their news habits to be too difficult and so continue with radio, television and print media.

In reading Harpers article one can see that already the concepts he speaks about are out of date. I think today in 2012 the main reason people go online is to access social networking sites, to have a say, connect with others and be informed not necessarily to email. Moreover, I think as our computers, phones and ipads or tablets alert us with breaking news and it is delivered straight into our devices, it is free, clearly set out and extremely easy to access we are becoming more consumers of online news than Harper states. At a glance we can receive the latest updates, a glimpse by live streaming text on a building or a post from a news blog, or a Facebook comment, twitter tweets, the news is never far away.

http://venturebeat.com

 News corporations are powerful and the online news business is still based on traditional media and alternate online news sites could not exist at this point without them.The print media provides detailed information based on the editor and the agenda they set, whereas radio and television are apt to give a condensed headline style reporting often over sensationalised and not very much specific information.Online news does provide the headline but by the nature of the web and links allows a reader to further investigate if he or she wants more information on a story or topic.The role of the gatekeeper has changed because with tweets and social networking our interactive audiences demand that if a story is not told or not enough information is given they will do it themselves.They become the reporter, the activist, the publicist, the camera person and the editor.This change in the reporting of news and its scope brings up a point in relation to the other reading this week on "Democracy and New Media" by Thorburn and Jenkins.⁴

dailyshotofcoffee.com

Is communication technology the enemy of anti democratic structures or can democratic structures prosper in a digital environment? History will no doubt tell us the answer in time. 

Comparison of form and content of online and print media: 

I access news mostly on Google news or Pulse aggregated news sites with sourced news from around the world via other news corporations RSS feeds.

The form and content is layered with Pulse being more mosaic in style. Google shows the source of the Top Stories for example ABC News and the time of posting.

The article also links to other sources of news on the same story on other sites thereby giving many viewpoints on the one topic.

The ability to comment instantly is available with Google+ whereas with newspapers it takes days if not weeks to make a comment as a “letter to the editor” Column 8 or Heckler in SMH.

So, when you go to Google news you can easily see what all the other main news sources are saying about a story.

We are able to obtain more comprehensive information and points of view on the same story with Google online news.The format is clear, simple, uncluttered and fairly bland which is good for news, not over sensationalised or editorialised although there are other many and varied online news styles some with questionable credibility. 

ftc.gov 

This differs to news print media in some aspects but not all.With print media the categories are available and the format is clear, uncluttered and easy to read but each story only shows what one reporter is telling us at a time and does not allow many viewpoints so is not as comprehensive as online sites.Also the feeds, alerts, updates and subscription capabilities are more user friendly and accessible with online news.

On the other hand the advantage of the newspaper is the agenda for the top stories is broader whereas on Google news site we may just have three top stories at a time.

With print media the gatekeeper is the editor but with online news we the consumer are the gatekeeper as we choose the content and if we require more we can go to the source.

I also like the Sydney Morning Herald site although I miss the actual feel and touch of the paper especially the crossword.There are wider issues to be considered than choice of medium as J.E. Kirkely in her paper Privacy and the News, poses the question."Can journalists be "trusted" to strike a balance between the public interest in the free flow of information and the privacy interests of individuals?  A better question might be, can government be "trusted" to strike that balance"? 6 

References:

1. Christopher Harper (2003). Journalism in a digital age. 
2. John Vernon Pavlik (2001). Journalism and New Media. Columbia University Press
3. Chris Thomson I-lecture Curtin University: 3.1 Inform me.
4. Henry Jenkins & D.Thorburn (Eds). Democracy and New Media. (pp. 271-280).    Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

5.Top Image courtesy of http://www.economist.com/node/16321506 > retrieved 2/15/12

6.J.E.Kirkley (1999) Privacy In the News. School of Journalism and Mass Communication

University of Minnesota.

Would you like a Tea?

Jacqui Faye

Quiang Huang

What other beverage apart from champagne is as wonderful as TEA?

Elizabeth Fraser

It refreshes the palette, calms the mind, quenches thirst, uplifts the soul, energises, soothes, relaxes, invigorates, enlivens the spirit, stimulates and revitalises. I wanted to share these beautiful paintings I found on a website called daily painters.com 

It is a great site started in 2006 with literally thousands of amazing bright and colourful paintings by individual artists. many thanks for sharing your artwork.

A perfect hot cup of tea does so much.We all have our own unique rituals when it comes to tea choices and there are many to consider.

Carolee Clark daily painters.com

Quirky tea pot

Teapot or tea bag, cup or mug, glass or china, earthenware or ceramic and then green or black tea, oolong or china tea, white tea or herbal.


Every tea drinker is particular about what is the perfect and only way to make the ultimate cup of tea.

Not only are tea drinkers like myself -lets be honest here- "Fussy"about how to make tea we are also known to be pedantic about what to drink tea from - fine bone china cups and mugs or glass cups or do you like petite older style fine china teacup and saucers?  Do you steep a teabag in a pot then pour?

Do you make loose leaf tea and let it sit for 6 minutes?

daily painters.com

Do you pour boiling water over a tea bag in a mug or horrieur of horrors do you pour hot water into a cup and add the tea bag afterwards?

From beaut billy tea on the farm to High Tea in the trendiest cafe or tea at home first thing in the morning there are ways to make it always memorable, tasty and refreshing.

http://jelainefaunce.blogspot.com

I have my own way of perfecting this delightful drink but before I tell you my secrets.

daily painters.com

I'd like to state that I always knew I was fussy about tea and teacups having been known many times to take my country ware white fine china mug with me when I stay in hotels or travel And I also regularly take my favourite tea bags to work and have them in my handbag - just in case!

Well it occurred to me recently that I'm definitely not alone

Tom Brown Silver and Red daily painters.com

I have a friend who has a tea centre in his kitchen and I might add the same tea centre in his holiday house complete with state of the art electric kettle, 2 perfect Robur silver tea pots, tea in canisters with proper tea caddy spoons, silver tea strainers and a timer.

His method is to make robust,  hairs on your chest tea and leave it to draw with the timer on for 6 minutes. No-one in this household or any guest would dream of touching that teapot until the buzzer goes off.

daily painters.com

Also my mother has a tea centre in her kitchen set up all the time with a beautiful tray with pretty cups and mugs, You can see these images on my website kitchenheirlooms.com 

Then displayed on top of each mug is a selection of various teas all ready to pop the kettle on and make a cup of tea for guests as they drop in to visit her in the Blue Mountains.

There is no doubt it is a charming pastime full of  ritual and tradition, it wards off ills, makes us feel better when sick,is a perfect antidote in times of stress, or shock, warms us when cold, and is a cosy and lovely way to make a friend feel welcome.

With the resurgence of interest in the pastime of High Tea - see previous blog just what is exactly the right way to make tea.

Firstly, we don't ever do it the way the Americans do we have to start with rolling boiled fresh water.

daily painters.com

No, not just hot water out of the zip heater and a tea bag left on a saucer for guests to make themselves....aaagghhhhhh what a nightmare

You need bubbling boiling water.....fresh tea or tea bags and a good fine lipped china teacup or mug and some proper ordinary milk.

The water should be poured onto the tea leaves or tea bag and then left to steep or draw at least two - three minutes

Deliah Smith Tea Bags daily Painters.com

 For Perfect Tea Bag Tea

 Pour the boiling water onto the tea bag and leave for 1-2 minutes no more and no less than 1 minute Add the milk but not too much and let sit for 2 minutes and no more than 5 minutes This has been verified by scientific studies to produce maximum results

For Perfect Teapot Tea 

Always use the freshest water available, hopefully spring water as water with chlorine and fluoride will affect the taste of the tea. Let the tap run so the water is cold when you fill the kettle and always refill the kettle when you turn it on so the water contains maximum oxygen ~ 

Warm the teapot before use

Pour the boiling water into the pot of choice using one teaspoon of tea per person and one extra for the pot. Always have a pot of hot water on the tray for guests to add to their tea or to make it weaker as desired.

Now adding the milk two golden rules apply

Tea bag tea ~ always add milk afterwards

Teapot tea ~add the milk first

The Perfect Teapot by Robur

According to the experts it is only black tea that should be made with boiling water

Oolongs are best with water that is just below a boil and Greens teas should be brewed with water no hotter than 180 degrees F. For Greens the cooler the temperature the more the subtle flavours will be apparent.

Favorite Teapot Design  Wish List

Walter Gropius 1950 Teapot in white bone china by Rosenthal 

Eva Solo Tea Maker with cover 

I have this one in red its the cast iron teapot from the Tea Centre in Sydney

Always a winner makes Perfect tea every time.

This delightful tea shop wholesales online an amazing variety of teas from across the world.

They have 10 retail shops in Australia offering a huge selection of loose leaf tea varieties and accessories to make the perfect tea.

Old time favourite enamelled tea pot reminiscent of CWA Garden

Fetes, country towns and Leura Flower Show

Where to find interesting teapots, wholesale tea and a tearooms
1.The Tea Centre in Sydney is in The Glasshouse http://theteacentre.com.au

2.World  Par Tea is a retail tea shop in Port Macquarie and another online wholesaler of quality tea and tea products  http://worldpartea.com/contact.html
3.Bygone Beautys This remarkable shop is in Leura NSW and has 3,000 tea pots on display It is a tea room, china shop and estate jewellery business. Worth a look even as a museum stop The teapots are incredible.
http://www.bygonebeautys.com.au/

4. Royal Doulton and  Waterford Wedgwood have a wide range of teapots and fine china available at David Jones Market street Sydney and via their website
http://www.rosenthalchina.com.au/
http://www.royaldoulton.com.au/waterford-wedgwood-australia-and-royal-doulton-austr.html
5.The Eva Solo range is available from http://www.jarass.com.au/ They also stock the range in David Jones Sydney
6.http://www.toptea.com.au/ tea shop 5 Hunter Street Sydney
7.https://www.thetearoom.com.au/ Level 3 The Queen Victoria Building
8.http://www.takateagarden.com.au/  Taka Tea Garden 320 New South Head Road Double Bay
Time to put the kettle on !!!!

Indian Street Food Snacks.....delicious spinach pakoras, pani puri, bhel puri

samai.in

Street food snacks  are an exciting and  delicious part of travel in India or anywhere in Asia  from pakoras to pani puri, pau bahji and bhel puri a piquant tangy potato onion and puffed rice snack.

Recipes for spinach pakora, pani puri and bhel puri are below and I can assure you they are scrumptious incredibly morish and yes absolutely addictive.Spinach pakoras are one of many typical Indian snacks wrapped in newspaper and sold in the thousands of street vendors.

Spinach Pakoras

• 50g chickpea flour
• 1tps tumeric powder
• 1/4 tps chilli powder
• 1/2 tps salt                                                      
• pinch of bicarb soda
• vegetable oil for frying
• 100g small spinach leaves
• 2 tps chat masala - recipe to follow

Mix the chickpea flour with the tumeric, chilli powder, salt, bicarb soda and 2 tbs water to make a thick batter- it should be like pancake batter. If it is too thick add a bit more water, if too thin add a bit more flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok to 180 degrees Dip the spinach leaves in bundles in the batter and add to the hot oil. Fry for a few minutes until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel Dust with chat masala.... and enjoy

Chat Masala

• 1 tps black peppercorns
• 1 tps cumin seeds
• 1/2 tps ajwain seeds
• 1 or 2 tps pomegranite seeds
• seeds from 3 green cardamon pods
• 1tps black salt
• 1 tps amchur powder
• 1 tps ground ginger
• 1/4 tps asafoetida
• 1 tps chilli powder

Grind whole spices into a fine powder then stir through the other ingredients Store in a sealed jar. These spices are available from good Indian markets

or food suppliers like The Fiji Markets at Newtown

This recipe is from Christine Manfield beautiful book on India called "Tasting India"........truly worth a look if only to be dazzled by the glorious photos.

Bhel Puri

• 20g puffed rice
• 10g sev
• 2 red shallots minced
• 6 thin slices of green mango cut into fine matchsticks
• 2tbs chopped coriander
• 2tbs diced tomato
• 3 tps lime juice
• 1/2 tps chat masala - previous blog
• 250g potatoes boiled and finely diced
• salt to taste
• chilli powder to taste

en.petitchef.com

Puris - use same recipe below as for pani puri
Tamarind sauce use the same recipe below
Coriander Minty sauce

• 50g coriander leaves
• 50 g mint leaves
• 2 small cloves garlic
• 2 small green chilies
• 2 red shallots
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 1 tps white sugar
• 1 tps salt

Blend all ingredients to a smooth pasteLeave in the fridge until needed

Use your fingers to mix the puffed rice, noodles, shallots,mango,fresh coriander leaves tomato lime juice and chat masala in a bowl

Mix in enough tamarind chutney and coriander mint sauce to season and misten the mixture. Lightly crush the fried puri's and combine them with the bhel mixture, adding a bit extra tamarind chutney and coriander mint sauce as needed Spoon into bowls to sauce.

Its amazing there are so many quite complex flavours in this and different textures its hard to beat.

Pani Puri

• 1tbs chopped mint
• 6 tbs thick plain yoghurt
• puri
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 2 cups  fine flour 
• Oil to deep fry 

Filling

• 2tbs vegetable oil
• 2tbs cooked masoor dal
• 100 g cooked potato peeled and diced
• 1 tbs cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 tps salt
• 1/2 tps chilli powder
• 2 tps chat masala

Combine the semolina flour and the wheat plain and add enough water to make a stiff dough. Knead for 5 minutes to soften the gluten. Roll out 2/3 rds of the dough into a long cylinder and cut off twenty, 3 cm pieces. Then roll each piece into a small ball. Roll out each ball into a round

Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.

Filling

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the dal, potatoes and chickpeas together for 2 minutes, tossing to combine Season with salt, chat masala and chilli powder.

Heat the oil in heavy pan and cook Puri's a few at a time pressing lightly with the spatula until they puff up.

Flip over and fry for another 30 seconds then drain on paper towels

To serve make a hole in the puri's and spoon in the filling then sprinkle with chopped mint. Arrange on plates, swirl the tamarind sauce and yoghurt on top and sprinkle with the chopped mint.

Tamarind Sauce

• 1 cup thick tamarind liquid
• 25g shaved palm sugar
• 2 tps roasted ground cumin
• 1/2 tps black sea salt

Bring tamarind water to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly reduced and thick.

Add the palm sugar and continue to cook over moderate heat for another 5 minutes

Add the spices and salt, taste and adjust if you want. Allow to cool before serving.

India Street vendor making Large Puri's

 Street food - roasted corn