G.A.M.A Times					Greater Austin Malayalee Association P.O Box 27292 Austin, TX. 78755
Greater Austin Malayalee Association
Volume 5 / Issue 4				May 24^th 2010			www.gama-austin.com
2010 GAMA Picnic - Malabar Machans are the champions
Winning team at GAMA picnic 2010 Points 94		Each guest at the picnic was assigned to one of the four teams. The adults and kids participated in various fun competitions and earned points for their respective teams. At the end of the day, team ‘Malabar Machans’ won the GAMA picnic championship. ‘Kochi Kidilams’ won the second spot. They were followed by ‘Thiruvananthapuram Thaarams’ and ‘Kottayam Ghulans’ respectively.
		63 points			36 points	33 points
A little about San Gabriel Park: Meandering right through the very heart of Georgetown is the San Gabriel River. What better place to find one of the most beautiful parks in the State of Texas San Gabriel Park is graced with 200 year-old oak trees that offer the shade of their branches to family picnics, games of touch football or Frisbee, concerts, festivals, canoeing, swimming and fishing. There’s a new wooded 1-mile hike and bike trail that wanders along the North Fork of the San Gabriel. Also, there is the popular 3-mile hike and bike trail following the South Fork of the San Gabriel from the Park to Blue Hole.	A day of fun, laughter and barbecue!
	GAMA’s annual picnic was held on May 8th, at the beautiful San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, TX. The weather on Friday, the previous day of the picnic was hot, humid with temperature in upper 90’s. We were worried about guests having to deal with the hot weather next day at the picnic. We stocked up extra water, ice and soda. Friday night came, and a group of volunteers got together for the fun activity of marinating the chicken and beef pieces, cutting vegetables and cooking beans. We were all thrilled to hear the weather forecast for Saturday – no rain, cool, breezy and temperatures in upper 70’s. It just came as if the weather gods too decided to take part in our picnic. Families started arriving at the picnic venue by 10AM. The weather was cooler than initially predicted, which just added more spirit to our enthusiasm. We could see the smiles on people’s faces as they breathed in the fresh air at the beautiful San Gabriel Park, right on the banks of the serene river. There were plenty of space, lot of shades and one large barbecue pit. The ‘grill boyz’ fired up the grill while the guests (adults and kids) were indulged in fun activities. There were others who just relaxed and enjoyed all the actions. On one side there was the shelter where the first ever “Payasam competition (Njan Pradhaman)” held. There were 9 entries in total competing for the best picks in the ‘White’ and ‘Dark’ categories. By 3 PM when the actions were winding down at the picnic venue, the soccer players were warming up at the McMaster Athletic complex. The Mallu Bobcats were facing the Austin Bulls in the first ever GAMA invitation soccer match. GAMA extends its sincere thanks to all volunteers who helped make this the best picnic ever!

“Njan Pradhaman” - Payasam Competition
The chefs from community competed at the Payasam competition during Picnic, where they gave the judges some real challenge. It was a real tough job for the judges to pick the best among all the delicious entries. Finally, Bini Nampoothiri and Manju Chacko won the top honors. Bini won the best entry in ‘Dark Payasam’ category with the mouth watering ‘Pazham-Parippu pradhaman’ where as Manju’s delicious ‘Semiya Paayasam’ won her the best entry in ‘White Payasam’ category. The winners were awarded with $15 Container Store gift cards.
				The recipes of the winning Payasams are included within “Get Creative – The Kitchen” section
Austin Bulls lifts the first ever GAMA Invitational Soccer Cup
Austin Bulls battled against the Mallu Bobcats in the first ever GAMA invitational soccer match on the picnic day. The game was held at the McMaster Athletic complex adjacent to the picnic venue at San Gabriel Park. The game started with Bobcats scoring within two minutes into the game. Each team then scored one after the other to reach the score of 2-2. But then the Bulls started dominating the game and the score was 4-2 by half time. Bulls scored twice again in the second half to win the game by a big margin of 6-2. For Bulls, both Manoj Panicker and James Daniel scored twice. The other two goals were each scored by Shelly and Santhan. For the Bobcats, Manu and Anand scored a goal each. For being a big part in the Bulls’ victory, Manoj Panicker was selected as the MVP of the game. Congratulations to Manoj Panicker, Austin Bulls and their captain, Sebi Paul!

Editor’s Desk
GAMA board of directors and other volunteers make sincere efforts to make every GAMA event better each year. We dedicate ourselves to listen to your feedback, always trying to improve our service to the community. Please do send in any comments/questions or concerns that you have regarding any GAMA event to webmaster@gama-austin.com. We recently conducted the annual picnic on May 8^th and have heard lot of good feedback. We do acknowledge negative feedback too and will take every effort to understand opportunities for improvement in future. GAMA would like to extend its sincere thanks to all volunteers who helped us at the picnic event. The next GAMA event will be the annual ONAM celebrations. GAMA is also conducting the ‘Karshaka Shree” and ‘World Cup Prediction” competitions. Please see the details in subsequent pages and take part in these events to win exciting prizes.				Salvation Army Volunteering If you are interested in the above volunteering opportunity, do contact GAMA Webmaster at webmaster@gama-austin.com. Next Date: Saturday, June 19th, 2010. Time; 10:45 AM to 12:45 PM Venue: Salvation Army Center, 501 East 8th Street, Austin, TX 78701
Next event – ONAM 2010
	Start gearing up for the mega event – GAMA annual Onam celebrations – 2010. Stay tuned for more details…
$50Home Depot gift card for the winner $25 gift cards to two runner ups			GAMA “Karshaka Shree” Update If you missed the original deadline – don’t despair. We have extended the deadline to next weekend (5/29-30) to ensure that all who are interested have a chance to participate. The GAMA team will make first visits to the gardens on 5/22, 5/23, 6/5 and 6/6. The final judging will still occur sometime in mid to late August. Enroll for this competition if you have a small farmer within you and the enthusiasm to grow few vegetables in your own backyard.
For more details contact Eldho Kuriakose at Kurious.arts@gmail.com
GAMA Notice:
2010 Board of Directors: GAMA hereby notifies the community members that Mr. Ajith Surendran has resigned from GAMA Director board for 2010 with immediate effect. Mr.Surendran’s decision is entirely based on personal grounds. Following is the list of 19 active members of GAMA Director board for 2010:
Anil G Thomas Ann Mathen Antony Sebastine Celine Jose Deepa Raj Eldho Kuriakose		Hari Mony Jacob John (Saju) Jinson Koppanalil Manasi Menon Manoj Gopalan Meena Thomas		Prasanth Vijayan Rajesh Sukumaran Raji Johnson Roseann Thomas Roshan Chacko Shibu Abraham Tinu Mathew
Cine Trivia: The Cine Trivia section will continue in the next edition of the newsletter. Please check the next edition to find the winners from the previous trivia and details about the next one.

GAMA  – World Cup ’10 Predictions
	Take part in the GAMA world cup predictions game and win exciting prizes. The competition is simple. Predict the winning teams from the group stage through the finals. Each correct prediction earns points. At the end of the competition, the top point earner will receive $25 gift card + a soccer ball; the runner up will win a $10 gift card + a soccer ball. The last date for receiving your entries will be June 10^th 2010. So send in your entries (predictions) asap to gama.worldcup@gmail.com.
Step 1: Pick 2 teams from each group for the Round-of-16. Each correct pick will earn 1 point each.
Group A		France Mexico Uruguay South Africa		1.______________ 2.______________	Group E		Netherlands Cameroon Denmark Japan		1.______________ 2.______________
Group B		Argentina Greece Nigeria Korea Republic		1.______________ 2.______________	Group F		Italy Paraguay Slovakia New Zealand		1.______________ 2.______________
Group C		England USA Algeria Slovenia		1.______________ 2.______________	Group G		Brazil Portugal Ivory Coast Korea DPR		1.______________ 2.______________
Group D		Germany Serbia Australia Ghana		1.______________ 2.______________	Group H		Spain Chile Switzerland Honduras		1.______________ 2.______________
Step 2: List down your 8 teams in the quarterfinals from the Round-of-16. Each correct pick gets 2 points each.
1._____________________ 2._____________________			3._____________________ 4._____________________		5._____________________ 6._____________________			7._____________________ 8._____________________
Step 3: List down your pick of 4 teams in the semi-finals. Each correct pick gets 4 points each
1._____________________			2._____________________		3._____________________			4._____________________
Step 4: List down your pick of 2 teams in the finals. Each correct pick gets 6 points each
1._____________________					2._____________________
Step 5: Pick your champions of 2010 World Cup. The correct pick gets 8 points
1._____________________
Take part in the fun; pick your favorite teams; win gift cards and soccer balls as prizes Last date for accepting your entries – June 10^th
Rules:
1) Only 1 entry per person (your last entry will be considered and over ride the previous ones) 2) If more than 1 participant get the same points at the end, weightage will be given to Champions prediction, then Finals, then Semi-finals and so on;  If still a tie exists between entries, the winners will be picked from a draw 3) Last date for accepting entries will be June 10^th.  4) Top 2 winners will be given prizes during 2010 GAMA Onam celebrations
Entry Format:
You can send in an email with just listing down the teams that you think will win from each stage. You may also refer to the format given above. A sample entry would be: Round of 16: France, Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Argentina, Greece, Italy, Paraguay, England, USA, Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Serbia, Spain, Chile QF: Mexico, Argentina, Italy, England, Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Spain SF: Spain, England, Brazil, Germany Finals: England, Germany Champions: Germany You may send the entries in any format. Only the clearly marked (stages and teams) entries will be accepted. Number of teams listed in each subsequent stage should not be more than 16, 8, 4, 2 & 1 respectively

Get Creative!
A new way to look at health concepts with a heavy dose of truth and a shot of humor!		Medical Time Out – Part II By Suja Pillai
Feed a cold, starve a fever”….. Many of us have followed this religiously, because; well, because someone told us that’s the way to do it!! Medical “mythology” as I will refer to it, are the age old traditions and old-wives’ tales that we take for truth, though many a time, they have no scientific basis. Let’s go over a few of the most widespread and common myths and the actual reality behind them.
1.) Milk will increase chest congestion. – We all have heard this one before and probably excused our children from having their daily dose of calcium when they were sick because of this belief. There is no evidence that drinking milk when you have a cold will increase the production of mucus or worsen a cold and cough. In fact Vitamin D is essential to a healthy immune system and may actually be beneficial in the long run!!
	2.) Cracking your knuckles can cause arthritis. – Besides being a habit, people who crack their knuckles are no more likely to develop arthritis because of it. Now try telling that to your significant other who doesn’t make annoying popping sounds with their fingers!
3.) Shaving hair causes it to grow back faster, darker, coarser. – Though the media, including all the razor and hair removal companies may want you to believe otherwise, shaving does not affect the way hair grows back. Your hair may seem coarser because it does not have the fine tapering that already lengthy hair has, and it may seem darker because it has not yet been exposed to the elements and sun as hair that is unshaven has.
	4.) Cold weather makes you sick. – Without a doubt this is one of the most widely believed theories and we all prepare for an onslaught of fevers and cold during winter. There is actually no evidence that the weather itself causes any deficiency in your immune system, however, during colder temperatures, people tend to remain indoors more, and in closer contact with one another, thus allowing for easier spread of bacteria and viruses.
5.) Eating turkey will make you drowsy. – Yes, you can no longer use this excuse after a turkey sandwich has you dosing off at your desk at work! This myth stems from the fact that turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid that is essential to the human body and scientific studies show that sleep and mood are affected by tryptophan. But, turkey does not contain an exceptional amount of tryptophan. Chicken and beef contain about the same amount, and pork and cheese contain more tryptophan per gram than turkey. Now if you put all these ingredients together in one meal, well….feeling drowsy may just be one of your problems! The myth likely stems from the fact that everyone feels drowsy after eating a large meal because the body is using energy to digest food while blood flow and oxygenation to the brain decreases.
Next time you are faced with an interesting medical fact, ask why??? And now that you are armed with a few truths behind some medical myths, you are ready to spread the word!!!

Travel – Japan				By Deepa Raj
Travelling is one of my biggest passions and I have visited about 24 countries so far. Without a doubt, Japan is one of my favorite places on earth. I have travelled to Japan 3 times for work and once for vacation. In this article, I have noted down some of the interesting facts that I noticed during my trips to Japan. Of course, there are exceptions to all these observations.
1. There are no or very few trash cans in public places. You don’t see any trash lying around either. Japan is a very clean country. Japanese people don’t dispose trash in public places.
2. Japan is one of the safest places on earth. You can be outside anytime during the day or night and feel safe. 3. You will not see any public displays of affection in Japan. I don’t even remember seeing a couple holding hands in public. 4. Japanese people are much disciplined, organized, excessively polite, hard working and more. They will go out of their way to help you. 5. Japanese people are very well dressed. They are quite fashionable. I don’t remember seeing any obese people in Japan. Most people either walks or bikes or use public transportation.
6. Japanese meals are in small portions and low in calories. 7. Even though Japan is a developed country, they stay true to their ancient cultural values. 8. Sticky rice is very common in Japan because it is easy to eat it with chopsticks. 9. Cell phones remain in silent mode in public places like trains, buses etc. 10. Japanese people communicate a lot through SMS messages.
	11. Since Japan is a small country, no space is wasted. Most houses have a small Japanese garden, cars are parked very close to other cars or walls, they have vertical car parks etc. 12. The doors of the taxi cabs close automatically. I have unknowingly tried closing them forcefully couple of times but they won’t. 13. They never have two trains going anywhere that depart at the same time, at least, not in my experience.  14. There are vending machines on roads. Technology wise, Japan is much ahead of U.S. 15. Most restaurants will have picture menus, and at the very least will have plastic food out front.  16. No tipping in Japan.  If you leave money, they’ll chase you down thinking you forgot it. 17. The only real difficulty is being a vegetarian in Japan – almost everything in Japan has some form of meat in it, even if it’s just a broth.
18. Japanese toilets are very advanced. The features commonly found on these are washing your back side, seat warming, music, and deodorization. 19. Don’t ever stick your chopsticks directly into your rice and leave them there (i.e. like a tent pole).  This is an offering for the dead. Always lay your chopsticks vertically when still eating and across your plate horizontally when you’re done eating. 20. Don’t blow your nose in public, particularly in a restaurant.  This is really gross in Japanese culture.
	21. Don’t use your hands when talking, i.e. gesturing wildly.  This is scary to them. 22. Watch your head. You’re tall. They’re not.  23. Junior High and High School students wear uniforms. 24. It is not uncommon to eat rice at every meal, including breakfast. 25. Raised floors help indicate when to take off your shoes or slippers. 26. Japan has capsule hotels with a large number of extremely small rooms. 27. Smoking is very common among Japanese men.
28. Japanese people never take their family (or discuss family) to get together with colleagues. 29. Japanese department stores are usually multiple stories, with a grocery store on the bottom, clothes and bedding in the middle, and restaurants on the top. 30. People either sleep, read or listen to music on their cell phones on their way home on the subway and the train. In Japan they drive on the left side of the road.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you have a travel bug like I do, add Japan to your travel list. I promise you will not be disappointed.

The Kitchen
Payasam Recipes: GAMA is publishing the recipes of the winning entries at ‘Njan Pradhaman (payasam competition) during GAMA picnic.
Pazham-Parippu Pradhaman Best in ‘black payasam’ category at ‘Njan Pradhaman’ competition			By Bini Nampoothiri
Semiya Payasam with a twist Best in ‘white payasam’ category at ‘Njan Pradhaman’ competition			By Manju Chacko
Ingredients- Roasted Vermicelli     Sago/Tapioca             Milk                            Cinnamon       Cardamom                                    -   6 pods lightly crushed Sugar                          Cashew                      Kismiss                       Sweet yellow banana  if  using cheru pazhams) Ghee	-  1/2 cup -  1/4 cup  -   half gallon -   3 or 4  one inch sticks -   as required -   as required -   as required -   as required - 1 (I used the HEB version. Use 2 or 3                                 -  as required	Heat 2tsp ghee in a pan and add 3 tsp of sugar to it. Sauté till sugar dissolves. Now cut banana into 1 inch size pieces and sauté it in the sugar syrup till the pieces are evenly coated. On a another stove, pressure cook 2 cups of milk, 6 tbsp sugar, 2 cardamom pods and 1 cinnamon stick at-least for three whistle or till milk turns light pinkish brown color. In a deep pan melt 2 tbsp ghee,. Add in rest of the cinnamon and cardamom and sauté until you get the aroma of the spices. Mix in rest of the milk, semiya, half of the nut mixture and keep stirring. Once the semiya is cooked, add sago and pressure cooked milk to it. Taste the mixture and add sugar if needed. Stir till the milk thickens and reaches the necessary consistency.  (Note: payasam will also thicken as it cools down.)  Now mix in the banana chunks and pour payasam to the serving dish. Garnish it with rest of the nuts. You can serve it either warm or chilled. Enjoy!
Preparation- Soak the sago in water for couple of hours and then cook it in the microwave till it is well done (soft and translucent). Drain the water and keep the sago aside.

Photo of the month	By Sijith Ganga

Community News
	Mr. T.G. Thomas, father of Jacob Thomas (Soman) and Shirley Mathew passed away on April 24^th.  On behalf of the community, GAMA extends its sincere condolences to Soman, Shirley and all other family members.
Texas Landscape - Original Oil Painting by Sreedevi Nair Born in India, Ms. Nair started showing her talent on drawing when she was 3 years old. Her father sent her to study art by the local artists and later she has studied drawing, water color and oil painting for 13 years under the various masters in India. Her art work emphases on nature inspired oil and water color paintings. In this exhibition Ms. Nair will show her landscape oil painting that reflect Texas scene. Also, she will show some of the portraits in Oil. As a child, Ms. Nair was fascinated with Mr. Raja Ravi Varma's painting who was an Indian artist that achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Ms. Nair will show some of her unique study paintings inspired by Mr. Raja Ravi Varma's art style. You will see the fusion of Indian traditional painting method with the techniques of European academic art.		May 2-May 30, 2010 Oil Painting exhibition by Sreedevi Nair At 360 Gallery of Austin For more info, visit: http://www.nowplayingaustin.com/event/detail/440697755/preview
	William Aarav was born on May 3, 2010 to Mary Vadakkan and Prashant Shetty. Congratulations to the proud parents!
Do send your community news with photos (births, weddings, obituaries, graduations etc) to webmaster@gama-austin.com to be added within the subsequent month’s newsletter.

In other community events list:
	Tara Arts presents “Dileep’s Show 2010” on June 4^th at 7PM. Venue: Manor High School. The event will feature Superstar Dileep, along with the comedy kings of Malayalam movie industry – Kalabhavan Mani, Salim Kumar and Nadirshah. The event will also feature programs from other cine artists including Kavya Madhavan, Remya Nambeesan, Rimi Tomy and many others. For tickets and more details visit www.dileepshowaustin.com. Disclaimer: The above show is organized by St: Alphonsa Catholic Church and St. Gregorios Orthodox Church. GAMA has no affiliations with the above entities.
GAMA board is providing opportunities to the community members in Austin to share their hidden talents via the monthly newsletter. Your article will be selected by the editors based on GAMA standards and will be published in one of the newsletters with your name/photo.  Please send in your articles to webmaster@gama-austin.com along with your contact details and photo.
2010 Malayalam Classes: GAMA is planning to offer Spoken Malayalam Clases during Summer 2010 for adults/kids. GAMA invites volunteers from the community for teaching Malayalam during the above classes. Please contact webmaster@gama-austin.com.

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