Let's Try It!!!

Changing gears in TEENZ!!:)

2008-11-24T22:00:00.002+05:30

Dont get mislead by the subject line...of course TEENZ has no gears...but I kind of simulated that functionality today....
This is the reson behind it...
everytime I had to get onto the BTM flyover....it was irritating...
the speed breeaker just before it would make my speed almost zero...and then even if I am on Low range....the vehicle would not go upto 40Km/hr before I get onto the flyover...
sudden raise of accelerator does not result in raise in speed...and so the vehicle did not have enough speed for climbing flyover...and once I am on it climbing...the speed used to drop further...
today I found a work around
Warning: I am not sure if this is good for the vehicle's health...but I did it and it worked...
What I did was...I put the TEENZ to high riange once I get out of the speed breaker....then the vehicle is now at 20Km/hr...as I am moving I switch to medium...now the pick up is not from zero...but from 20 to 30Km/hr...and the vehicle is suddenly moving faster...and the I switch to low range which makes it go at 40Km/hr...
something like gear change...isnt it??

But I found that this technique does not work well at low charge....so have the TEENZ fully charged if you want to do this...

Idli/dosa paste

2008-11-23T16:28:00.003+05:30

I finally made my own idli paste...this is how u do it
take 5 portions of rice (boiled rice). The portions can be in anything...cups, tumblers...anything.
Boiled rice is better than normal rice. But do not get the long one...get salem boiled...
the rice is small small....witish and off witish...
if it is the normal rice also it is ok but take only 3 portions...
soak it in water for about 4 to 5 hours

take urad dal (ulundhu in tamil) 1 portion. add a handful of methi seeds (vendhayam in tamil, menthya in kannada). soak in water for about 1 hour.

optionally take sabu dana (jevvarussi in tamil) and soak it in water for 2 hours.

after the soaking time is over....wash each of the soaked items separately about three to 4 times and starin the water.
Me being a slight environmentalist....I advice you to collect the water that comes out of washing these ingrdedients into a bucket and keep it for drinking for your pet (as it does have nutrients) or atleast pour it for plants and not to waste the water...
if you dont have plants then please get some...

put the urad dal into grinder and por water a little and grind into fine paster for about half hour. The paste will keep fluffing time after time and water must be poured now and then during the grinding so that the paste does not get too thick and dry.
after this, add the rice (and jevarussi if that has been soaked) to the urad dal paste and let the grinder further grind for anotherhalf hour to 45 mins...
keep adding little water at a time so that the grinder does not get stuck and the paste is not too thick.

finally add about 1 to 2 handfuls of rock salt and grind for sometime.

now take out the paste and keep it aside in a vessel till it ferments (it will raise if left for sometime in warm conditions).

then store in refrigerator.

note:
1. The same flour can be used for idli and dosa
2. if you want flour only for dosa you can add a little lesser urad dal. (1 urad dal portion for 8 portions of rice)
3. the grinding can also be done in mixie....but this is not as good as grinder

Going on with TEENZ!!

2008-11-23T15:49:00.002+05:30

I am still using my TEENZ...and now I am using it a little more. No time to really trace how many kilometers I am getting per charge...but I guess its somewhere around 30...
The number of Kms reduce with the usage of headlights, indicator and taking a pillion rider.

But thats all ok with me.
I found out one thing....its an amazing vehicle for traffic time...because the traffic anyway moves at an average speed of 25 Kms/hr only..
I was driving my mom's kinetic honda one of these days and found that if I tried ripping, it was hardly for some distance. after that i had slow down to almost a stop. So effectively...on an average I was still driving at 25Km/Hr speed.

I am only having a problem with low fuel indicator...it keeps glowing unnecessarily. When I gave it for servicing they said that the wire was loose...but even after I fixed it...once I went on a speed breaker ithe light started glowing again.

I dont bother too much about it now...I have an idea of how much charge is there and how long have I driven it. So its fine.

My TEENZ has touched >400 Kms now and still I love it...smooth light weight vehicle.

Coconut oil moisturiser

2008-11-13T16:22:00.002+05:30

Instead of using any moisturisers or creams for the skin, try this...
as soon as you finish bath pat yourself with a towel ( do not rub away the water)
then apply coconut oil all over your body on the supple moist skin.
This would do...no need of any moisturiser...
I tried this and found it very good.
the coconut oil does not make the skin sticky...it evaporates after sometime. but the skin does not become dry.
It seems if this is practised continuously, over time the skin texture changes naturally....
I think thats great...one of the easiest remedies to do away with dry skin.

Dark elbows

2008-11-13T16:20:00.001+05:30

After squeezing a lemon dont throw away the cup like structure of the lemon peel. Pour a few drops of coconut oil into it and rub it on your elbows, knees and any other portion of skin which is darkened.....it helps lghten and soften the skin.

Mouth ulcers

2008-11-13T16:19:00.001+05:30

The other day I was at the clinic and saw this ad there...
If you have any trouble with ulcers in the mouth, then take a fresh cut onion piece and place it on the ulcer for sometime. The ulcer will vanish. Looks like something I should try next time I get an ulcer.

2008-11-02T17:17:00.000+05:30

Here are some snaps of my TEENZ!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Some things for darks circles

2008-11-01T20:47:00.002+05:30

Dont know how many of these tips really work...and also what I find is,...some of them work for some people and some dont..So I guess it also depends from eprson to person...Here goes...

In order to reduce dark circles under your eyes, Put a warm teabag on them.

Make a paste from a teaspoon of tomato juice, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, a pinch of turmeric powder and a pinch of gram flour. Apply under eyes for 10 minutes.

Grate some cucumber and freeze in an ice tray. Massage frozen cucumber cubes onto eyes to reduce puffiness and dark circles.

Apply cotton balls soaked in cucumber juice or potato juice around the eyes.

Add some mint leaves, lemon juice, and salt to tomato juice and drink.

Take some vasoline, put it on a metal spoon and freezes it for 15 minutes. Apply it to the eyes for a few minutes.

Increase fibre consumption to at least 30 gms a day, and drink at least two litres of water.

Hair and skin conditioning

2008-11-01T20:42:00.002+05:30

1. After washing your hair pour milk all over it. Leave it for 2 minutes and then rinse it out for shiny long hair.

2. Soak a few almonds in milk overnight. Grind them and mix with honey. Use this as a face or body scrub.

3. You could add a little milk to your bath water and bathe normally for soft skin.
Use preboiled unpaturised milk as a liquid pack on your face. Milk is a natural bleaching agent and nourishes the skin. It is also a skin softener.

4. Skin glow mask: soak tamarind in water for sometime. Grind and mix it with little besan. Apply it on your face,body and hands. Keep it for 10 minutes and wash it off. Your skin will have a golden glow.

Tasty storable south Indian curry powder

2008-11-01T20:42:00.001+05:30

Take a small cup of dhania, few red chillies, 1 tsp pepper balls, 1 tsp jeera, 1 tsp kadalai paruppu (Tamil) or kadle bele ( kannada).
Fry the above ingredients without oil in a pan for about 3 minutes. Do not allow colour to turn black. Grind it in a mixie and store.
This can be used as a powder with every curry that you make. Goes very well with brinjal and capsicum. You can also fry ladies finger, slit it and stuff this powder and serve.
It is equivalent to the north Indian garam masala.
Additionally, you can grate coconut. Fry that separately without oil till the moisture is gone and the coconut turns brown. And store it separately in a bottle. This can also be used along with the curry powder which will enhance the taste .

Do u know diet is important for dandruff?

2008-11-01T20:32:00.004+05:30

It seems a good diet is very important to prevent dandruff...check this out..
To begin with, t one should resort to an all-fruit diet for about five days and take three meals a day of juicy fruits.
Citrus fruits, bananas, dried, stewed, or tinned fruits should not be taken
After the all-fruit diet, one can gradually adopt a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on raw foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Further short periods of an all-fruit diet for three days or so may be necessary at monthly intervals till the skin's condition improves.
Meats, sugar, white flour, strong tea or coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods should all be avoided.

after all the diet....additionally...
Keep the hair and scalp clean so as to minimise the accumulation of dead cells.

Also, brush the hair daily so that circulation is improved.
It is said that, the most effective way to brush the hair is to bend forward from the waist with the head down towards the ground, and brush from the nape of the neck towards the top of the head.
Massaging the scalp thoroughly before brushing everyday using finger tips is very good.

Got to try this...really

2008-11-01T20:32:00.001+05:30

Moong dal halwa is something I love... I need to try this when I make it..
While making moong dal halwa, add one tbsp flour to ghee and fry for one second before adding the ground moong dal. This will prevent the dal from sticking to the pan.

Chopping raisins is made easier if you grease the knife with a little butter.

Some nice useful stuff

2008-11-01T20:31:00.000+05:30

To remove lipstick stains from clothes, soak the stain in methylated spirit. Spread a little glycerin to soften it and finally wash with soap and warm water.

If playing cards stick together, sprinkle some talcum powder over them, you can have a smooth deal.

To prevent the pages of books from turning brittle and brown, sprinkle vibhuthi or grey ash in between them. The pages will retain their shine and strength.

Oily vessel cleaning

2008-11-01T20:30:00.000+05:30

It seems used tea powder can be used to clean oily vessels....I am going to try this right today

Longer use of joss stick

2008-11-01T20:29:00.000+05:30

A joss stick will burn longer if it is wrapped in a wet cloth for five minutes before being lit.

Remove odors

2008-11-01T20:28:00.000+05:30

To remove food odors from the refrigerator, ad 4 tsps of mustard seeds to ¾ cup of water and keep it in the refrigerator. The smell will go away within 2 hrs.

To remove odor from a flask, put half cup vinegar in it and wash with cold water after half hour.

Load testing on TEENZ....

2008-11-01T20:04:00.002+05:30

120 Kgs is the max load that TEENZ...we tested that today....
in fact we tested it last week and this week...
my sis and me....on TEENZ...for 10Kms....it was ok ok..
the worst was on the BTM fly over...the vehicle refused to go at anything more than 20Kms/hr...
it was much better today...today my sis was riding and I was sitting pillion..
last week I was driving...we were st the right end of the fly over...and a private bus...in full speed behind us...honking...we cant go to the left because the vehicle wont move so fast....it was a little scary...but after that experience now I am a little experianced with the situation and kind of know what to do now...

I am also in process of testing what is the milage that the vehicle gives for one full charge... I find that it is decresing by the day...today I have driven 26 Kms and now the charge is indicating low charge....Lets see how much more it gives...

Pick up of the vehicle is good when one person is on it...but still one should get used to the range adjustment...
We have to be very consious of the charge spent everytime we accelerate....
TVS needs to put in more brains into improving this vehicle... I am sure it would be a big hit if the vehicle could give a better milage

Not all is good with TEENZ

2008-10-15T14:00:00.002+05:30

ok...so here are some troubles I am facing with my dear dear TEENZ.
after my getting wet in the rain along with the TEENZ... I find weird behaviour of the meters. Now I am not sure if it caught a cold and fever after getting wet or is it just happening after that and not really because of the rain...

the low charge indicator comes on almost always. The first time I was worried that I would have to leave the vehicle mid way and go home... but then I realized its just the indicator that comes on. The vehicle actually went upto 9 Kms after that (I recharged right after that as I dint want to take chances. But it could have gone further).

The charge indicator goes too low and shows too low while driving. The service guy says we must look at the charge when the vehicle is not moving (basically when we are not accelerating).....but I still have my doubts. I dont remember this happening when I got the vehicle new.

The veicle speed slows down when there is heavy wind in the opposit direction (considerable slow down which can be read on the speedometer).....this also dint seem to happen when I got it new...

But I am again not sure if this was not the case when I got it...
I had one service done.....will wait for the next one to get all these things checked....lets see.

But I am still enjoying riding it...feels very lovely :)... i have already showed it off to quite a few friends

My long drive on scooty TEENZ!!!

2008-09-21T21:57:00.003+05:30

The subject line is a little deceiving ...but it was a long drive for TEENZ...the veicle is not really meant for this...
Let me come to the point...
Last week...I had a lot of stuff to be done....and also decided to test my dear TEENZ...so took it..
first ride was from JP Nagar 7th phase to BTM 16th main....was a 7 Km smooth ride. I had TEENZ on medium mode and then low mode...so was driving at an average of 40Km/hr
at BTM TEENZ was recharged for about 1 hr...then we set out on a ride to Jayanager 4th block...which was another 5.5 Km and bcak (total 11 Kms)
TEENZ was again charged for about 2 to 2.5 hrs...
then we set out to Banshankari 3rd stage...this was a challenge...because it was almost 8.5 Kms..
The best part was...when I finished my work there and started coming back...it started pouring from the skies...hmmmm...
had to stop about 5 times at different places....got fully wet...and then set out in the rain itself as it did not seem to stop....
the problem was...battery seemed to go down sooner in rain...
I Just touched the ring road (after all the going around in the inner roads....as roads have been blocked by the beautiful magic boxes in bangalore).....and my indicator showed low battery...
according to manual...I can go for a further 2 to 3 Kms with this indicator on....and I was planning to cross about 7 Kms to JP nagar...
I switched the mode to high....moved at a speed of 20Km/hr....managed to reach home without problem...
It was fun....a long day out with TEENZ:)

TVS Scooty TEENZ....I bought it

2008-09-07T21:43:00.003+05:30

I got the vehicle home finally....after all pooja and all that....I am busy admiring it now....
So...let me tell you what I learnt about it...good bad.....both...

First thing to think was about my usage levels….. I would use it mostly only on weekends…my travel was about 20 to 25 Kms per day…
We had a choice between Yo Bykes and TVS….in fact the Yo Byke was a little better in specifications….but we all voted for TVS….because we have service centers close to home…we can replace parts if required….just the basic trust…
Then test drive…took quite sometime to actually get to see this vehicle in the showroom and take it for a small little ride.
They had three colours….red, black and purple. Always wanted purple…but they said that would take time for delivery…so I decided to go for red….had no intentions of waiting and spending any more time waiting for auto or any more money….
Specifications are like this…1 unit of electricity for 1 full battery charging (not really tested this.) ….even if you take it to be 2 units…it costs about 10 rs….
1 completely charged battery can take you upto 40 Kms (not really checked this too)…lets say 30 Kms….still….its very cheap compared to petrol.

One place where you need to be cautious….manual says maximum speed 40 Kms/hr….thats correct….but this is at low range ….
Meaning…..if you are traveling at 40Km/hr speed….then you will not get 40 Kms per full charge….
There is a switch which can be set to low medium or high. This is the range…..this is what tells you the maximum distance that can be covered per full charge.
The catch is here….
When you set this to low….the total distance you can travel per charge becomes less (donno how much….manual does not say anything)….but you can go upto a speed of 40 Km/hr…when you set this to medium…again the total distance traveled can be something less than 40Km…but a little more than how much you can go with the range as low….but what happens here is that your maximum speed now reduces to 30Km/hr…
When you switch to high…you can travel full 40 Km for the full charge….but the maximum speed drops to 20Km/hr…..

For people who are used to ripping and who love ripping …this is not the vehicle…
It is just not possible to rip….
You must always be at the left side of the road so that you are not clocking other vehicles..

Also…one must be very conservative….battery charge is used when you accelerate, brake, switch on head light, indicator….anything u do…u r using up battery…which effectively reduces the range you can go with the charge…

That was some reality about the vehicle…..let me say whats my opinion…..

I am loving it :)…..i am thrilled for many reasons
1. I finally have a two wheeler of my own:)
2. it cost me only 32400…compared to 4L that reva would have costed
3. its got plenty of space under the seat to hold lot of stuff
4. it looks cool….really girly:)
5. everyone at home really liked it and wanted to take a ride on it…I had thought it had too many things that they could not likie:).
6. its slow…but suits me….its making me feel good about going out (I used to rip in a kinetic Honda….now I feel …why on earth was I being fast…its nice to go slow)
7. I will not anyway be using the bike at any time of emergency…hence its slow speed does not bother me too much
8. its for my use within the city to go to places near by (with 10KM range)…hence it serves the purpose
9. extremely low running and maintenance costs
10.service center…very very close to home…

I just got it 2 days back….taken it around for about 30 Kms….will keep posting my experiences with it…

Me into TEENZ............

2008-09-07T21:40:00.001+05:30

I wanted to own en electric vehicle from a long long time. I am little bit of an environmentalist. I wanted to avoid the pollution that is caused by the vehicles that I used. I was very excited to see Reva on the streets. Badly wanted to get one.
Finally once hubby took me for a test drive also. But the vehicle really dint seem worth the price. It costed nearly 4 lakh INR. Too much for me….
Anyway…hubby explained to me that by having an electric vehicle is not really pollution free. Electricity itself is generated by thermal plants which causes a hell lot of pollution. He was right…I had really forgotten this part of the pollution. So I kind of dropped the idea.
Then I heard about the electric scooty. Two wheeler….nice news. Again I started thinking…I am anyway causing pollution…so can do it by buying an electric vehicle.
I worked out the costs and all that.
I spend 70 INR in auto almost every Saturday. Then I have hubby coming and picking me up in bike or car which costs petrol. Worked out quite costly. Also the independence that I would get with a vehicle of my own was very different.
So I decided to go for it….finally…TVS Scooty TEENZ……..

Making silver shine

2008-09-07T21:36:00.000+05:30

Most of the times we have silver items at home that become blackish. To make them sparkle again you can try this.
Fill a vessel with water. Put aluminum foil pieces into the water and immerse the silver item in this water for a few hours.
When you take it out, you will find it nice and sparkling.

Garlic!!A 1:many problem prevention!!

2008-07-03T11:10:00.002+05:30

Recently mom was telling me that she watched a clip on TV. It was about how Garlic can be used to prevent many problems.
Method is very simple....
use about 2 to4 garlics with 1 glass of milk.
peel off the outer scales of the garlic. boil it along with a glass of milk till the milk becomes thick (you can keep it on low flame so that the milk does not overflow from the vessel).
Then drink the milk along with the garlic.

the best part in this is that the garlic does not have the typical smell and taste ( many of them have a problem with it). Once it is boiled in milk...the smell goes away.
This must be taken every night before going to bed.

It helps in the following:
1. gastric problems
2. acidity
3. indigestion
4. weight reduction
5. Keeps you young and glowing
and many more...i forgot the full list..

I am yet to try it. Will buy garlic on the way back home today.

My Bit for Bangalore!!

2008-06-04T21:23:00.000+05:30

Sudden realization….not really sudden…but the thoughts finally coming to action…
I felt Bangalore is going to dogs…..everywhere they are widening roads and coming up with metro….and what happens in the event….trees getting cut…whether the roads come or not….the trees go….
I don’t know how the forest department permits this…but it is happening….Bangalore is not a garden city anymore…but I would not like it to be famous as a desert…
So….i decided to my bit for Bangalore…

Sometimes things are just so close and you don’t even realize….
One of my Aunts is running an organization in the memory of her husband….it is called “trees for free”….

Basically an organization that goes about planting saplings….

I dug into the internet for her website…..www.treesforfree.org…

I asked hubby….and we decided….

We are gifting each other a tree for our anniversary….yes…the trees for free has an offering…
You can gift a tree by paying money to the organization, they would plant a tree for you. If interested you could plant the tree yourself too…

I tried getting more details by mailing Janet aunty (my aunt and the founder of this organization)….and guess what…we were lucky…there is a plantathon happening in the month of June.
Its on the weekends…they are going about planting trees in various areas. They are going to plant more than 2000 trees….

Fine…we decided….we are going to plant trees for our anniversary….feeling great already….

Hope we feel even better when we actually do it…
If anyone is interested , you can also participate….for more info look into http://treesforfree.blogspot.com

It would be great if anyone who reads this can spread the word and also try to participate…..even if u cannot be present physically…at least we can sponsor a tree….lets make Bangalore a garden city again…

Kitchen Electric Chimney

2008-05-04T20:17:00.002+05:30

Mom wanted a nice way to clean her kitchen chimeny herself...she once called in a guy to do this. He did a good job...but after that we feel that the suction power is not too good...reason is...
initially we bought a chimney because we wanted perfect ventilation...without which all the steel boxes in the kitchen were catching up stickiness. when we got the chimney this condition was not there...we were very happy...but after the first cleaning by this guy...we found the stickiness back..

i tried searching throughout the internet...was unable to find a good tip..

finally found one at yahoo india answers. yet to try it and check if it works......

STEP 1: Turn off the power to the fan at the fuse box.
STEP 2: Remove the cover and soak it in hot water with dishwashing liquid. You can use an old toothbrush to scrub the hard-to-reach places.
STEP 3: Unplug the fan unit and pull it out. Set it on some newspaper or cardboard.
STEP 4: Wipe the fan unit down with dry paper towels. When you get the dust cleared away, you may need to spray some window cleaner on a soft cloth and wipe the blades down.
STEP 5: Vacuum out the enclosure with a vacuum crevice tool, then wipe it clean with a dry cloth.
STEP 6: Put the unit back together and replace the cover.

Tips & Warnings
Some fan units can't be removed. If this is the case with yours, simply clean the filters by soaking them in hot, soapy water.
Don't use abrasive scouring powders to clean the fan's parts.
Never spray liquid into the fan itself or onto electrical parts.