Shutterbug's Blog

Living with Multiple Myeloma in Hyderabad , India . Random musings .

Monthly Archives: October 2020


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One month to go before I Retire from my job – Retiring young

Taking the decision to Retire from work did not happen overnight.

I am working in a Government Company where security of the job is assured till Retirement at 60 years.

However, I had been mulling over this for the last few years and eagerly waiting for a VRS Scheme (Voluntary Retirement Scheme). The VRS Scheme would come with Medical Benefits after Retirement along with any additional Monetary benefits.

Several other Government organizations had declared a VRS scheme in the past. My own organization had one such scheme a couple of decades ago.

For some reason my company wasn’t coming up with any such VRS scheme.

Fortunately , an alternate Retirement scheme was declared few months ago called Pre-Mature Voluntary Retirement. This scheme is applicable for those who have crossed 50 years. Medical Benefits are provided after Retirement.

This was the final trigger for my decision.

I had submitted by application to the HR Department last week. There is a one month Notice period and I am coming to work. I am also using up some of my leaves .

News spreads like Wildfire isnt it 🙂 …. Life was very hectic before I applied for Retirement. Once the News spread all over the company , things have changed drastically :)) ….I get very few phone calls, very few mails are addressed to me directly , no meetings , hardly anyone dropping into my cabin….hmmm getting bored while in the office.

Started cleaning up my drawers , physical files and sorting out all the information in my System and my mails.

Planning for handing over all my work.

Expecting to complete several formalities required by HR, Finance etc.

Feeling relieved already  🙂 and looking forward to be at home.

…and much much more :))

~ Love you Life !! ~


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Best Barbeque Grill for home : Electric Grill

Whenever we like to have grilled food we usually head towards a BBQ restaurant. Grilled food is everyone’s favorite that everyone loves. So, we had this idea of having a grill at home.

Due to the Covid pandemic ,visits to Restaurants or takeaways have completely stopped. But ,the cravings for restaurant style food has not reduced isn’t it :).

Also, there are times when we wish to have our own outdoor grill in the comfort of our home. All of want a no hassle and easy to use Grill at home.

Gas Fired Grill Vs Electric Grill Vs Charcoal Grill :

After considering all the pros and cons of different types of grills , namely Coal fired , Gas fired and Electric , we decided to get an Electric grill.

Arranging gas supply at the place of grilling , especially if it is to be placed in the balcony or in the open may not be easy. While coal fired grills generate a lot of smoke and takes a while to get the coals hot.

Whereas an Electric Grill is easy to assemble , it is compact and smokeless. Easy to grill in the balcony or in the garden or indoors too. This is a smokeless, no hassle way to have a great time with your near and dear ones.

Choosing an Electric Grill Online :

After checking Amazon website for various Electric Grills, I placed an order on ‘Clearline BBQ and Electric Grill’.

This is how the package looks-

Here is the unboxing and Assembling video . Do watch the video for detailed instructions on how to assemble this Grill and I will also demonstrate cooking some grilled chicken. Took around 20 minutes to cook one batch of grilled chicken.

Hope you found the video useful 🙂

The oil drip collection tray is not strong and has to be handled and cleaned carefully. Fixing this tray is a bit tricky , but once put in place it doesn’t move . To clean the tray easily , just pour a little water to soak in all the dried stuff and it comes off easily.

For the ease and comfort of grilling with your family in the convenience of your home , I found that price is quite reasonable.

Here is a pic of the heating Element when it is ready for Grilling –

Enjoy the experience of Grilling and having a party in your Balcony , patio or garden using this simple and easy to operate grill.

This is the Electric Grill that I had bought. I find it easy and convenient to use.


~ Happy Grilling !! ~


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Easy way to enjoy Grilled food at home |Assembling an Electric Grill | Grilled chicken

Whenever we like to have grilled food we usually head towards a BBQ restaurant. Grilled food is everyones favourite that everyone loves. So, we had this idea of having a grill at home.

Due to the Covid pandemic ,visits to Restaurants or takeaways have completely stopped. But ,the cravings for restaurant style food has not reduced isn’t it :).

After considering all the pros and cons of different types of grills , namely Coal fired , Gas fired and Electric , we decided to get an Electric grill.

Arranging gas supply at the place of grilling may not be easy. While coal fired grills generate a lot of smoke and takes a while to get the coals hot.

Whereas an Electric Grill is easy to assemble. Grill your favourite veg and Non-veg food at your home. Easy to grill in the balcony or in the garden or indoors too. This is a smokeless no hassle way to have a great time with your near and dear ones.

After checking Amazon website for various Electric grills , we placed an order on ‘Clearline Electric Grill’.

Here is the unboxing and Assembling video that I made.

Do watch the video for detailed instructions on how to assemble and make some grilled chicken. Took less than 10 minutes to cook one batch of grilled chicken.

Hope you found the video useful 🙂

~Happy Grilling !! ~


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One Pot curry in a Clay pot using Brinjal in Nellore style , in 15 minutes~Vankaya Bajji / Pullagura

Here is another simple One pot recipe which is populare in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.

All the Ingredients are added in the Clay pot and cooked till they are soft.

The curry is then mashed using a ‘pappu gutthi’ and then given a ‘Tadka’.

Check out the video –

Very quick and easy to cook.

Can be prepared in 15 minutes without much effort.

Make this when you crave for a simple traditional dish and are in a hurry. Especially suitable for those who are new to cooking , for Bachelors, for working professionals who prefer to eat homemade food.

Similar method can be used for different vegetables like bottle gourd, Ridge gourd, Sorrel leaves (Gongura) , Spinach , khatta palak etc. Just replace Brinjal with any of these veggies.


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Gongura Pullagura in Nellore Style – One pot recipe in a Clay pot

Uploaded a Recipe on my Youtube channel a few days ago.

This is a One pot traditional recipe that I made in a Clay pot.

This type of curry is popular in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh.

Can be easily prepared by newbies , bachelors , working professionals, students in 10-15 minutes.

The ingredients are very commonly found in any typical South Indian kitchen.

Here is the video –

Hope you liked the recipe.


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21 Oct 2020 – New Phase in my Life !!

After my BMT , I continued to work and felt quite strong , Mentally as well as physically and I wanted to complete a few tasks and reach a few milestones.

Among these Milestones are :

-To see my son settled down in a job

-To complete the contruction of our house which we had got designed by an Architect just before I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma.

-To do my best in the organisation that I was working for

I had decided then that I would quit by job once the above were achieved.

I am currently at a stage where I am happy that I was able to achieve all of them. I feel very contented now and hence decided to take ‘Pre-Mature Voluntary Retirement’.

Submitted the Application form to HR Department. I will be relieved on 30 Nov 2020.

The rest of my life I will be able to do a lot of stuff that I was unable to do till now.

I am extremely grateful to the Almighty for getting an extension to my life.

I am also very thankful to all my near and dear ones who have supported me in various ways.

Looking forward to a new Phase in my Life !!

~ Sarve Janaja Sukhino Bhavanthu~