Summer secrets

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Harleen Arneja knows her food and how. Be it her homemade wood fire pizzas or the gooey chocolate cakes, we love her experiments and trysts with food! The Doha heat has so far been excruciatingly bad for us. We keep piling up on cold soda cans, lemony iced tea, laban and whatnot. What we need right now is a refreshing drink that will make this summer bearable; a thirst quencher to tickle our taste buds. We asked Harleen to share a summery drink recipe with us. She chose the Jasmine Mint Spritzer because she thinks it is a perfect mix which combines both sweet and sour elements. The taste of jasmine tea lingers on, cooling your system and reviving summer memories. Here is Harleen's recipe:

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Summer! The parties, the barbeques and the beaches. Nothing is quite complete without the perfect drink to beat the heat, to start the breeze, to make us sway and enjoy the day!

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” 
― Henry James

Indeed. Summer afternoon: most coveted, most awaited and most enjoyed.

Here is a recipe to accompany the scrabble games on the patio under the clear summer sky:

Jasmine Mint Spritzer Recipe

 Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients: 

1 cup boiling water
1 cup room temperature water
2 tea bags, Jasmine tea/green tea
2 sprigs of fresh mint
2 plums, pitted and sliced
1 nectarine, pitted and sliced
1.5 tbsp. maple syrup ( or regular table syrup)
1 cup ice
half cup soda water

 

 

Instructions: 

Step 1: In a large container, combine boiling and room temperature waters. Add the tea bags and let it steep for twenty minutes to an hour. Discard tea bags.

Step 2: Pour the tea into glass pitcher. Add mint sprigs, plums, nectarines and maple syrup; stir. Refrigerate for up to two days.

Step 3: To serve, place half cup ice in glass. Top with tea mixture until 3/4 full, ensuring some fruit and mint sprig in each glass. Top the last quarter of glass with soda water.

Enjoy!

Laysh

Alan Bennett, the screenwriter and the man who read out the adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland to me when I was all of seven, once spoke about why reading is so unlike anything else in wide world. He elaborates “The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.” 

How many times have you felt this feeling of transcendence, when you are here and there at the same time? That, is the magic of reading.

Nowadays, it feels as though reading has been reduced to status updates on popular networking sites. People “don’t have the time”, and are busy on their (not-so)smartphone; a device that sadly doesn’t facilitate reading like it should.

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These are just some of the thoughts that Uzair had in mind before embarking on Laysh,  an initiative which picks up one of world’s oldest hobbies and packs it with a fresh approach.

So what is Laysh all about? To tell us more, we caught up with Uzair Mohammed, chief curator of TedxYouth@Doha and one of the active minds behind this project. 

Here’s what he had to say:

Q: Laysh as an initiative, how did it all begin?

TEDxYD and Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Project were hoping to work together ever since the first edition of TEDxYouth@Doha. When we finally did sit down and brainstorm ideas of launching a project, one of the first ideas that came up, turned out to be (what is now known as) Laysh.

Q: What do you aim to achieve from this project?

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Reading is obviously a critical element of any child's education. The challenge is to cultivate it within young people as a passion rather than what it is seen as today (in Qatar, at least) by youth, i.e. a chore.

By hearing perspectives from all sides of the debate, from young and old, we hope to create a maelstrom of ideas, thoughts, and perspectives on the positives and ills of reading- hoping that in the end, we are able to address youth with these messages. 

Q: Why did you pick reading over other popular interests?

TEDxYouth@Doha focuses on developing critical skills within youth- public speaking, writing, speaking, and reading. We consider these skills a bedrock for youth development. Combine TEDxYouth@Doha's approach with the aspirations of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing in Qatar, and reading was a natural topic for us to engage over. 

Q: What has the response been so far?

The response has been excellent, actually. We have had tremendous interest from youth community leaders many of whom have chosen to join us as Laysh mentors and record videos for the campaign. Additionally, we have schools taking part in the project and we expect lots of entries to start pouring in quite soon. 

Q: Why a video about reading instead of a write up about reading?

I think that we have to start engaging youth where they live and breathe. Making a video is simple, it doesn't require much prep, you don't have to be worried about spelling mistakes or that your composition skills may not be up to par. In making a video, you can express yourself in any way you wish. If you wish to shoot or direct a film instead, someone can do that. If someone does not want to appear on video, they can choose not to. If someone wants to create a beautiful piece of art, they can do that, and someone else like me who has no video editing skills whatsoever can also just turn their smartphone around and record their thoughts for 2mins. Videos are also much easier to share through Facebook and Twitter. Making a video today is accessible, easy, and fun. That answers the video part of your question.

The other side of it is that youth aren't writing too much either. That is just as hard a reality as the stats on reading. We chose to address reading this time. 

Q: To the founders of the idea: What were the last three books you read and why did it make you feel like reading is essential enough to make it a cause?

Lana Shamma - Acting Director of Writing & Development - Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing: The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Sophia Al-Maria; A Country Called Amreeka by Alia Malek; and Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami.

As cheesy as it may sound I think that reading is a formative part of my life. The books I read growing up helped me create a sense of who I am, who I want to be, and where I want to go. To this day, I can fully immerse myself in a book and not notice what's going on around me. I hope that this generation of kids is able to activate their imaginations in the same way.

Uzair Mohammad - Chief Curator, TEDxYouth@Doha: I have recently read/am reading: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman; A History of Iniquity by Jorge Luis Borges; and Enter Phlebas by Iain M. Banks. Whether these books sparked a cause is putting too much pressure on too few books. I think though that reading allows us to imagine a world through other voices, in detail. Rarely do we get a view of someone else's life/ideas/thoughts in such depth- this is true for fiction, non-fiction, educational, and art books. These varied voices, ideas, words, and phrases allow our own voice to develop- leading us towards better expression of our own thoughts/ideas/life- whatever shape that expression takes. That's my take on it, at least.

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Reading is a boon we take for granted and we are absolutely thrilled to see refreshing projects like Laysh in Qatar!

Uploading a Laysh video is very simple. All you have to do is visit the website, fill in details and add files. We strongly recommend you do!

For more information about the project and to know how to get involved you can visit their page here: http://laysh.org

The 7 Must Watch T.V Shows

Every week, with all the work, socializing and networking, comes a time when all you want to do is order some take-out food, get into comfortable clothing and catch up with the stories of people living a life that we all would love to live in an alternate universe where everything is almost perfect. Yes, it’s time to watch some TV! We conducted an anonymous survey and our readers love them all, from romantic comedies to suspense dramas!  Here is a list of 7 sitcoms that our readers highly suggest:  

                                                  

                                                       7) Madmen

Our readers love this show which depicts the world of advertising in the 1960’s and how a guy with the whole package (a genius at work with extremely good looks) struggles to compete with his fellow peers to stay ahead of the changing dynamics of the advertising world.  Madmen is the best show in the field of advertising as it beautifully captures the essence of the corporate world of advertising full of  ego,  pride and the mad race amongst the fellow workers with fresh and innovative ideas. 

6) Walking Dead 

This TV show, based on a comic, depicts an era where a group of humans are struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies called "walkers". Apart from the usual horror shows, Walking Dead not only gives you goose bumps but also, unexpectedly, takes you on an emotional ride. 

5) The Big Bang Theory

The smart and witty comparisons made with science and the video games make it a favorite show for geeks who love science and also for video game lovers. However, this show has a little something for all audiences. Not all people get the comedy in this sitcom but whoever gets it, loves the show. With mixed reviews from the audiences, this show has still made it to our top 7 list. That is a reason to check the show out and decide if this sitcom tickles your funny bone or not!

4) The Modern Family

This comedic mockumentary highlights the most common dilemmas faced by a family in the modern society. Based on the Pritchett Family, this sitcom depicts the daily hurdles faced by a parent and the kids while growing up which pretty much sums up many versions of a “modern family”. What makes this show so unique is that this family lives with all the possible stereotypes ranging from the old rich man married to a hot young wife to a gay couple adopting an Asian child and these 20 minute episodes display how the family copes up with this on a everyday basis.

3) Breaking Bad

On losing hope, a common man can turn devious for the survival of his family. Breaking Bad, a crime series, illustrates this journey of a common man into the dangerous world of Meth Industry. An important aspect of Breaking Bad is that it does not condone drug use nor glorify the criminals that surround it. Easily considered among the best TV Shows ever written, Breaking Bad is nothing like you've ever seen before and therefore a Must Watch!

2) Suits

Suits, as the name suggests, is a serious drama revolving around the life of a lawyer in one of the top firms in New York. Apart from the stunningly good looking lawyers, this TV show is very well written with perfect amount of sharp dialogues, entertaining drama and emotions.  The light sense of humor between the lawyers makes the show even more likable by our audiences. 

 1) Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones, (but of course!) `an epic fantasy drama, is based on a series of a fantasy novel and our readers believe that the show is equally good or even better than the books. As per the survey, this is the must watch show. Depicting the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, this show is an escape to another era where members of several noble houses fight for the Iron Throne. 


 Do you agree with this list? What are your must-watch TV shows?