Oh My God!!!

I have my reasons!

2011-02-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

l love being lazy but hate to admit it. I'll come up with the best excuses for why I don't do what I am supposed to do. And you'll believe them. You better.

I haven't come to this blog in months and this is why (actually there's more than just one excuse):

1. Theo - our Golden Retriever puppy that we brought home on New Year's Day, when he was 8 weeks old. He's very lucky he is cute, because he gets away with a ton of mischief. I mean, how can you say "Time Out" to this face?
Theo has spunk, personality and is what keeps me busy all day. I need to watch him all day and my spa moment in the day is the One hour he is willing to sit inside his crate while I watch the Housewives (never mind which city they are from).

2. Chocolate and More - If Theo keeps me on my toes all day, Chocolate and More keeps me up all night. My passion for desserts - eating and preparing, all comes together in this one package. I plan on preparing chocolate, cakes, and more for myself and others. I spend sleepless nights thinking of how my next dessert would be different. I now completely understand the difference between an idea in my head (which may be great) and execution (which may not be great).

But, I now have a Chocolate and More website that shows what I can do and this means I am my own boss. Yay!

This also means I worry about why I haven't had a hit on my website today or why no one has responded to my Facebook update or why no one else (other than friends and family) have signed up for my class.

Stress level - high
Theo's energy level - very high

An Aahaa moment!

2010-08-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Aren't there times in life that you wished you knew the answer to the one question that kept haunting you often? Just the "Damn, I NEED to find out" feeling?

And? How did it feel when you found your answer? Ecstatic? Disappointed? Mmeh?
Or, did you scream, "Hey! I already knew that!"?

I had an ecstatic moment the other day. I'm usually in my Zen mode when I'm cooking. I will mildly smile as I work with desserts. Am positively happy when I work with chocolate (at home and at work), and was absolutely thrilled to learn this technique of printing pretty patterns on dipped chocolate truffles!

Hence, I can make these! Super Yay!

Yes, I eat salads too!

2010-08-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

When it comes to salads, well, I basically hate salads. Except when it has crisp apples, some candied walnuts and a good helping of Gorgonzola thrown in. But today I made a huge bowl of salad that I cannot stop eating. It's so good, I feel like I'm eating ice cream, or chocolate, or both. That guilty.

So what did it have? Asparagus, garlic, red onion, red pepper flakes, sea salt, cracked black pepper and olive oil. Use tender asparagus and trim their ends (basically bend the fat end, and when it snaps - that's how much you trim off the entire bundle). Mince a clove of garlic. Shave a quarter of a red onion into thin slices (yes shave it on a mandoline or slice it paper thin. This is important). This is your 'mise en place' - everything in place for your salad. Oh, also preheat your oven to 375F.

On a sheet tray, arrange the trimmed asparagus to form a single layer. Sprinkle some olive oil to coat the asparagus and to ensure all the seasonings stick. Add the garlic, onions and all the seasonings. Use your fingers to toss everything together and again, arrange the asparagus to form a single layer. The onions and garlic will hide between, over and under the asparagus and that's just how you want it to be.

Then place the tray in the oven and wait for 10-15 minutes. It should be done in 10 minutes. I let it go to 15 and the slightly over cooked asparagus was tender and creamy as I bit into them. And the 15 minutes helped the onions brown to sweet perfection (see this is why the thin slices are important).

The salad itself doesn't look great - limp green spears and browned onion bits. It was good hot out of the oven, but great when I let it sit in the refrigerator for about an hour. Then I started eating. Picking up each spear, trying to add the onions over each for the perfect bite.

I started with about 25 asparagus spears, and then there were none.
Not really, I left 2 for boy to taste.

Picture Frames

2010-05-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

If a picture could say a thousand words, well, then last night I probably read two hundred thousand words.

Our bare walls are dying to have some works of art. Between art that even I can understand and not having to stand upside down to read, I enjoy having art that means something to me. I have some art. Some stuff I bought @ Landmark-Chennai, and some others, gifts that people gave me for my wedding or birthday or... well just anything and nothing.

But the pictures are my favourite. Simple photographic evidences of memory. Every image standing as a testimony to who/what made me smile, grin, laugh, sulk and cry even.

Sometimes it was the Teacup ride in Florida, or the Carousel during Christmas or a confession that there was probably a rip in the photographer's boxers, or when I was caught unawares while crossing the very busy downtown roads, or when I refused to smile while at the top of the London Eye. Then there is the "just pose for a bit and continue Kayaking" one, this between the humongous calving glacier and, God knows, Beluga whales below us.

Apparently the boy and I have a signature pose. My brother in law and his wife call it the "RD pose". You know the one... where the two of you stand at an angle, like a 'V', in the hopes of appearing thinner :)

I love the pictures of when I was little. When I used to smile at the birdie without worrying about how my hair looked or if my right eye seemed bigger than my left. I love my dog's pictures. I love pictures from college and those in front of Champa. I love pictures of my work in the kitchen.

We are now working on a Wall Photo project. The many photos on a real wall kinds. And having looked back at the years gone by, we just don't know what qualifies to go on the wall.

Do some moments in life really mean more than most others? I mean, if we bothered to take a picture, doesn't it mean the moment was important at the time?

Exams

2010-03-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

How can I study when everything around me could be distracting?

The TV - What rubbish do I not watch?
The Kitchen - Has a new batch of my favourite foods from India, and dishes to clean
The Dining Table - Has my laptop, phone, newspaper
The Laptop - Gmail, FB, TOI, and this blog
The iPhone - Gmail, FB, Scrabble, NYTimes
The Windows - Have gorgeous views of a lovely spring day
The Bedrooms - The very expensive mattresses which are very inviting
The Books - Obviously not distracting, but why not? When all I do is sit, leaf through recipes and fondly remember the sights, sounds and smells of bread making

I have to get back to studying. Really. About baguettes, about yeast, about bread flour, about Starters, about Sourdoughs, about Wholegrain...

And now I'm imagining how good it would be to spread some butter on a warm piece of toast. Damn!

Artisan Breads

2010-01-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

I've always been a fan of bread. I knew Modern Bread even before I knew anything about Branding. The healthier version my mom recommended? The regular bread without the Tutti-Fruity bits.

I've had bread with regular butter, jam, peanut/chocolate butter, spicy tomato salsa, and yummy paneer stuff. Not so much dinner food, but definitely a breakfast and lunch item. In fact a hot Tawa-ghee toasted bread with Tomato Hot and Sweet ketchup was a regular after school snack.

I was never a big fan of the bread and olive oil combination though, even with very sad unaged Balsamic Vinegar. The only reason I wolf it down at a restaurant is because I'm really, really hungry (and then I also get to doggy pack my favourite food and have it the next day. Yay!).

So what am I doing in a three month class learning everything about artisan breads? Actually enjoying it. I love the smell of yeast. Love to see it grow - double in volume and burst out of the bucket even. I love to touch dough. Sometimes soft, sometimes wet, sometimes elastic, and sometimes too darn elastic. Roll it into a baguette and it just comes back to being a small loaf. Sometimes it looks like a pregnant snake (I know!) or just a very hungry snake that's just had a giant rat for lunch. Oh so much fun!

What is actually fun is how our chef gets us to learn. To smell, to look for signs, to taste, to try, to poke, to stretch, to falter and to hopefully succeed at the end of the course. It's like being in a very fun play area.

In this class I'm thoroughly transported to a world I do not control. The dough rules. It tells us what to do when. And we watch. The mixer takes it's time to knead. The use-your-hands-to-knead technique is pretty much the 20 count fold and 20 minute wait process repeated six times. Then the resting process. Just to keep lifting the linen to look at a monster growing below is exciting. Then there's the pre-shaping, then the resting again before the actual shaping. Then there's the proofing. And finally the wait for the brown browns of a good dark crusty bread. No golden browns here. Did I mention the many days required for a proper fermentation even before we start with the breads?

At the end of three months if I do not learn how to make great breads, I'm happy to just have had a ton of fun and to have gained a lot of patience.

Pachchaaak!!!

2009-10-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

So some or most of you know that I have this thing for shoes right. Most or all of you also know that I fall. A Lot.

I fall down stairs, on hard wood flooring, on carpets, on the road, in restaurants, in theaters, on the badminton court, in class, in my new class... As you see, everywhere. Sometimes I trip over stones, I twist my ankle, I fall off my high heel shoes (when I manage to walk in them, I mean) and sometimes I can just be perfectly still for a while and then magically my feet will ache to fall, and then they'll ache some more.

You pretty much know what my shoe closet contains. Even when I travel, I carry all kinds of footwear. Mostly inappropriate. High heels when I have miles to walk and flat, open sandals when going into the Absolut Ice Bar. But they are all mostly pretty. Except for this one. This one ghastly clunker they call "work shoes". Hate it.

They fit weird. Bumping my toes and yet loose around the heels. The are heavy. They drag along the floor. But they are supposed to protect my feet if a knife or a huge twenty quart mixer falls on them. They have anti-skid soles that keep me from falling on my ass on the slick, oily kitchen floor in front of everyone. Ha! Keep me from falling on my ass. My ass indeed!!!

Last night. We were just finishing with all the clean up in class. All the utensils were being washed, the floors swept and mopped. My french instructor was standing very pleased. He probably had his eyes closed and enjoying the beautiful scent that was enveloping the kitchen. The beautiful smell of Bleach. Some one should really manufacture chlorine scented room fresheners and gift it to him. And then it happened. The Pachchaaak, and as my brother mildly put it, a mild earthquake too, which he felt all the way in Bangalore.

The Pachchaaak was me falling really hard on my hands and knees on the very hard cement kitchen floor. The wet floor was all dried up. I wasn't carrying anything in hand. I was standing still and then took a step. My left foot turned on it's ankle somehow. One second my hands were flying and the next I was on my palms and knees.

It was probably the loudest Pachchaaak I've heard. And it hurts.

Diwalification

2009-10-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Diwali is my favourite festival. Yes, favourite, not favorite. Not Yet!

Everything about it is fun. The noise, the pollution, the new clothes, the shows on TV, waking up at half past four in the morning, racing to be the first to light a fire cracker in the apartment, the oil baths. Then there's all the great food, the 7 cup cakes, the thengai burfis, the laddoos, the jaangiris and all the namkeen. There's a reason why we make the Inji Marundhu. Digestion.

My first year in Seattle, I spent Diwali with my aunt and her family. The second year, my mom was here. So both times Diwali happened on automatic mode. The house was cleaned up. All the food was prepared, I was woken up early, the TV was already blaring the Pattimandram... you get my point.

This time, it was MY Diwali. I called all my work - Diwalification. The cleaning up, the new bed sheet, the new table cover, the preparation of my 'proxy' proxy pak, the rangoli, the mehendi, the flowers, the lamps, the exchange of wishes both at IST and PST, the new saree, the glittery salwar kameez, the boy's help prepping all the food, the boy's new clothes, the boy having to hook up the laptop to the TV to watch my tamil channels online, traditional lunch with friends, fireworks in the evening, antaakshari and pot luck dinner. All Diwalification.

I missed having things done for me and yet loved doing them all myself.
Our warm Diwali wishes to all reading this. Hope you had a Blast! Literally too!

Unpacking and Packing

2009-10-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

So we got back yesterday. One week with our one year old Queen was pure joy.

You know we always think that we need 4-5 people to sit around a baby, making funny faces, singing, dancing, making her laugh or giggle or eat even. But we are so wrong. It was on our flight back that the boy and I realized how much we missed her entertaining us throughout our trip.

She'd open and close her fists to the tune of 'Twinkle Twinkle" and would put her pointy and thumb fingers together while trying her best to sing "Ish-wish"... Spider. She'd spit out any water fed to her with a spoon, and when we used a cup, she'd blow bubbles. We'd laugh when she cried Crocodile Tears and really felt horrible when she actually cried. We brushed her teeth and thanks to that, that song wouldn't leave our heads. And that is the only thing I'd complain about my London trip.

London was beautiful. The city, the life there, the buildings, the Themes, the Lord's, Wimbledon, Buckingham Palace, the jacket potatoes and beans, meeting an old friend, lovely Paneer Wrap at the Selfridges, learning that Greenwich isn't pronounced Green-witch, the cute little market there, shopping at the Harrods, afternoon tea with piping hot scones and clotted cream, wonderful stuffed bhindi masala, riding double decker buses, taking the tube, admiring the perfectly dressed people, Saravana Bhavan, and of course wonderful the clotted cream ice cream with honeycomb bits. All Beautiful.

Yesterday we unpacked. Put away all the clothes and souvenirs we bought. Today I have to put away my Golu. I'll wrap the dolls in clothes that don't fit me any more and bring them out next year.

I also have to do my laundry and iron my chef's uniform to prepare for the new quarter. This time around, it's baking, European cakes and tortes and purchase and product ID. My prayers this time around? To have a fun team to work with.

I'm tickled pink!

2009-09-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

Multiple reasons...

1. Have been having a very successful Golu season. All the effort that went into hunting, packing, shipping and unpacking them only to see minimal damages, it's all worth it. I love my dolls and the arrangement and the lights and the thoranam. I can keep looking at it all day. I do my Puja, sing, play the Veena... all good.

2. I am done with my exams and submissions. I longed for days like today... where I have nothing to work on or worry about. And, my grades weren't bad at all. Great in fact. Many thanks to the boy for all his help and food for the last few weeks.

3. People know my name in this country. I don't have to repeat it 5 times at the coffee shop. They all smile and say "Oh you know this show 'Royal Pains' has this girl called...".

4. I'm going to London to look at the Queen... my soon to be One niece. Happy :)

Work in progress - Finished product

2009-08-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... it's been a while and I'm sorry.

And for some reason blogger wouldn't let me upload more than a few pictures in a single post. But here's what I was up to a couple of weeks earlier.

1. Lady fingers

2. Crème Brûlée and Lady fingers used in the Raspberry Mousse Génoise Sponge.

3. The Inside view.

4. Sacher Sponge.

5. Chocolate-Raspberry Sacher Torte (Happy Birthday again!).

6. That was 8 layers of cake with raspberry jam and ganache between the layers

Is my class any fun? Well, Duh! See what I get to bring back home.

Happy place

2009-07-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

I wasn't in my favourite mood this weekend. Blahness that just sat in my head and constantly annoyed me like a horrible song on a neighbour's play list on repeat mode.

Sulking didn't help. Nor did vain attempts to put me in a better mood.

I know this will bite me sooner or later, but read on. In the movie 'Namesake', Tabu was asked by her friend to close her eyes and think of what made her happy. Sitting in the car and looking out the window, I did that. I instantly knew what would make me happy. I came home and took out one of my favourite books - The MICA yearbook.

I read through every word written for me, by me, for everyone else, by everyone else. So many people who made a difference to those around them. So many people for whom, now, I could write tomes about because I know them better. So many of you I wish I was in touch with more.

There were many memories that book brought back. That I'd played Monopoly and not just badminton. Co-cos, Chotta, Sankalp, pre-reads, my cushion, paan, MCSA, all my varied groups of friends, Kelkar Ka Dhrishti, Cake-com, parties (where I looked drunk and where I looked out for the drunk), Surya movies, Athithi, endearing nicknames, ragging, fad of wearing mismatched chappals, fractures, placements, room assignment, assignments, walks, TT, the fights, the love.

Some refuge this was. If one was mad about something, he could turn around and find someone that would make him happier. That is my happy place.

Philosophy... Really?

2009-07-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

With last night's class, I realized that I've grown. Just a little deeper than you may think.
We've learned this over and over again. "Don't count your eggs before they hatch".

Last night, I waited for MANY eggs to hatch. I resisted the urge to count them till I could not wait any longer.

So I had 3 bowls in front of me. One for the egg shells, one for the yolks and the third for the whites. And even then I didn't count.

I weighed.

540 gms of yolks and 900 gms of whites for the Sacher Sponge cake.
350 gms of whites for the Butter Cream done the Italian Meringue style.

My thumbs have micro cuts from the egg shells. The pay off? I'm an expert at separating eggs. And the butter cream was heaven on a slice of Génoise layered with raspberry compote.

Wish come true

2009-07-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

As a kid I watched Martin Yan, Julia Child and Jacques Pépin not knowing how big they were. In fact I don't think I cared who was cooking on TV. This was entertainment.

I sat with my bowl of Maggi and two slices of bread watching them julienne, chop, dice, sauté and carve. I probably knew how to cook mussels before I knew what muscle was where in the human body. I watched those chefs de-vein shrimp and have recently wondered why they didn't do it anymore. Of course I've only seen them now in the super markets already de-veined and prepacked.

Sanjeev Kapoor was an inspiration too. Charming and always making food seem so easy. I remember a particular episode where he taught us how to make chocolate cake and wished I could cut and fold the batter like he did.

And yesterday, my wish came true.

I wore my chef's uniform and grinned like an idiot. I carried my "kit" with pride. I've peered through all my knives over and over again. I was thrilled to see the little KitchenAid mixers and the giant 20 quart industrial mixers. I was happy doing Baker's Math. I LOVE my new whisk and can't wait to use the baby offset spatula on the Génoise sponge we baked yesterday.

At the end of class we rinsed, soaped and sanitized the dishes and the kitchen floor. My new work shoes kill my feet. I can only have dinner after half past ten most nights. I had to cut off my lovely, long, beautifully shaped finger nails.

But who am I to complain when I would go to sleep smelling of a wonderful warm bakery for a long time to come.

Lesson 1 and probably the most important of them all

2009-07-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Cooking is an Art; Baking is a science - Don't mess with the proportions.

Three weddings and a funeral

2009-05-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Wedding 1:
Fairy tale. The bride's maid fell for the Best man. Months of romance and courting later, the wedding is less than a month away in Hyderabad. Start bridal-ising if you haven't yet. I remember, a banana-honey face pack was what I was suggested.

Wedding 2:
Also in Hyderabad. Where else? I'm dreaming of Khubaani ka Meetha and Karachi Biscuits. I want to see you with full make up and jewelery on, and for this, Biharan and I are in charge of tying up your hands and feet. Set the date alReddy.

Wedding 3:
In November @ Namma bengaluru. Feel privileged that I was the first to know about this love story. Like coffee, carefully, slowly brewed and perfectly warming. Your life's going to change and good luck and lots of love to you both.

Funeral 1:
Mine. Probably in the greater Seattle area. The above three are people who mean the world to me. I swear I don't want to choose between them. And for just mentioning the word "choose", for attending one of the weddings and not all, or for not attending any of them at all, I'm going to get killed. Do come and say a few nice words about me.

Confused???

2009-05-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

I'm up when I'm down, and I'm down when I'm up.

Pbbffftttt!

Urbanspoon - my picks

2009-05-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have any stories to share, I'll share with you some of the nicer places to eat that the boy and I discovered recently.

1. For Vegetarian/Vegan - Georgetown Liquor Company, Seattle. Great sandwiches and good beer. I'd highly recommend the Polenta as an appetizer.

2. For Italian - Fiamo Italian Kitchen, Victoria B.C.. Good, no GREAT food. Most items on the menu are Vegetarian friendly. Rustic interiors just bump up the experience factor.

Go!

I don't want to pack

2009-04-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

... because I'm not ready to leave.

If Seattle could have these too...

2009-04-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

The King of fruits, need I say more.

Nongu, a palm fruit - pity those who haven't tried it yet

Dilpasand, or what my local baker calls it

Finally!

2009-03-31T10:15:00.001-07:00

The few that read my blog, I apologize for the horrible choice of font colours, but...

It's been ages since I had this last. Every other day in the last two months I've craved for this.
And in it's honour, this is a multi coloured post.

The mother of all ice cream sundaes... the Gadbud.

Words cannot explain the child like rush of emotions I felt as I saw this gorgeous dessert in front of me. My mother probably can. She saw my eyes pop out and heard me squeal in pure delight.

A long glass vase like bowl, with layers upon layers of fruits, nuts, jelly, syrups and ice creams. Thin crispy wafers cut in triangles and thick cream layered wafers garnished the dessert. I dove for my bag to look for my camera. Not having found it, I settled for the long dessert spoon and merrily dove into my sundae.

:)

Lesson learnt

2009-02-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

I hated my history teacher in school. Matilda Miss she was. I thought she was partial to the other kids. I thought she knew the text book verbatim, nothing more. She wouldn't draw maps marking kingdoms of Indian rulers. She had a strong Malayalee accent that I then made fun of (imagine finding out that Ashwamedha sacrifice had nothing to do with pipes and "hoses"). The two of us were proudly part of the mutual hatred society.

Eventually I hated history too.

Hence it's not my fault that I mistook the Shanti Stupa in Bhuvaneshwar to be something we learnt in our history books. I wasn't the only one though. My friend hopefully had her reasons to forget her history lessons too. The two of us climbed up the stairs looking for the 4 lion headed pillar and the "Satyam-eva-jayate" inscription, only to find a simple Buddhist temple.

Like I said, this was the Shanti Stupa, not the Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh with the Ashoka Pillar.

However, there was some element of history about this place. It was here that King Ashoka repented after the Kalinga War. This much we remembered.

The whole nine yards...

2009-01-30T04:58:00.000-08:00

I was never the kinds who was excited about marriage. Wedding? yes. Marriage? Not really.

I liked the kanjeevarams, the wedding invitation, demanding gifts, seeing half my batch at the wedding hall, the family gatherings, the make up, the bridal glow getting at beauty parlours, the idea of the yellai chaapaadu etc.

I wasn't a big fan of the smokey homams, the what seemed like hundred saree changes, the embarrassments during Nalangu, seeing my dad cry, me crying in front of guests, having my brother look me in the eye and ask me if I was alright, wearing the Ra-raaa like head ornaments, uttering Sanskrit that didn't make any sense to me, and of course the good byes.

Having gone through this, I often asked myself if I would do it again. Renewing vows that is. I didn't think I would survive another wedding. The standing, the sitting, the uncomfortable clothes, the countless namaskarams...

But I witnessed something a week ago. I witnessed a marriage. It was fun watching the "bride" get dressed, get shy. The strapping groom in his pattu veshti fervently uttering Sanskrit shlokas he fully understands. Together they performed all the rituals while maintaining a composure I wish I could have.

While I was running around greeting and taking care of guests and making excuses to be with my adorable niece, all the time hoping that my madisaar would stay in place and that guests notice my fancyily studded blouse that made braving Ranganathan street worth while, my 60 and 55 year old parents in law sat, stood, did namaskaarams and pradakshinaas, prayed, sought blessings and blessed us. Not a complaint nor sigh across their faces.

I don't remember watching the movie "The Whole Nine Yards", but this recent nine yard and panchagajam experience made sense to me.

Role reversal

2008-12-18T10:57:00.000-08:00

I would have been about 8 or 9 when I got my first snow globe. It was that of the Statue of Liberty. Some aunt/uncle had gifted it to us.

I used to get the greatest kicks to just wait till all the "snow" settled and then shake the globe vigorously. I would never get tired of it.

My 20th birthday or something a friend gave me one that technically wasn't a snow globe, but it was what life underwater would look like. It was actually a pen stand, but with fishes and dolphins swimming. If I remember right, there were a couple of sea horses as well. I used to try to get the fish stuck in the "reefs", but they'd always get away. Very cute.

Have you watched "While you were sleeping"? When Bill Pullman gifted Sandra Bullock the snow globe of Florence as her wedding gift, I thought it was the most romantic gift ever. I cried in the last scene when he does actually take her to Florence after their wedding. In fact, I still cry each time I watch that movie.

As I look out of my apartment window (every 30 seconds or so) to check if it's still snowing, and if so, then how much; to check for new footprints in the snow and how fast it gets covered, I feel like I'm in a snow globe myself. Like someone else's hands are shaking the globe and that's what makes me move from one room to another.

I made a tiny snowman from what I collected on my window sill. I'm making Christmas candies. I'm shopping for gifts online. I'm going to go play with one of my first gifts from boy. A snow globe of downtown Seattle.

From my window, that's what I'm in. :)

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

No pain, no gain - rubbish

2008-12-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

Any body that disagrees with the title, come see me. Seriously.

My mantra is, "No pain, all gain" and I'm fine with some extra weight.

And I will not/shall not put up with aches and pains in places I never knew existed.
To hell with the fancy downtown gym.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

Nah, this isn't really my festival. Don't have happy memories of turkey feasts or family gatherings. Last year I was drunk in Reno. Can't remember much.

About giving thanks, the less said the better. Well maybe a mutter when gifts are received or when dinner is made or when an offer is made to do the dishes.

Don't mistake me. I went to a school that taught me the Our Father and also taught me...

"Thank you Lord for the food we eat,
Thank you Lord for the friends we meet,
Thank you Lord for the birds that sing,
Thank you Lord for EVERYTHING!"

Yeah, "everything" was said out loud. Real Loud.

I do enjoy this season though. Only because I'm in Seattle. I was driving around in the morning and saw a very pretty Merry-go-round at the Westlake park, a huge Christmas Tree, Macy's star and cannot wait for the ting-a ling of bells in the downtown area, for carols in every store, and the lights. Oh the dainty pretty lights.

The shopping. Now that I really am thankful for. Most thankful for the Biggest One day sales that last for a week, at least. I'm looking forward to going shopping at 5 in the morning on the day after Thanksgiving. I have absolutely no idea what I'll shop for. A few sweaters maybe. Shoes. Pretty shoes. Handbags. Cute trinkets for home. Some stuff for the new home. A dog. Jewelery. KitchenAid. Calphalon utensils. Cake pans. Pumpkin pie. Onions. Potatoes. Yogurt. I need to go grocery shopping now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I had a dream

2008-11-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

I was sick today. Did feel a little bad that I couldn't take a "sick leave" or get my Mommeee to write me a "leave letter". Nobody at home to baby me either. I just lay on my couch and either slept or watched TV all day. If I lifted a finger to change channels, it hurt. So I just watched anything that ran on Bravo TV. ANYTHING.

About my sleeping now. My friends know I have the weirdest dreams. A lot of them dramatic. Some realistic, and some, just good enough for my dreams.

One dream I had today... was so real, and yet so unbelievable. It was relevant considering the current state of affairs. (No, it wasn't about the economy, nor politics. Gosh, I wouldn't even dream of those.). It was about the relationship I have with a friend. Honestly, it feels weird to type out "friend" while referring to my friend (weird again), simply because I don't know if we are.

This dream was about our personalities. Or the opposite of what we actually are. An apology, a plea and a walk away. It could only happen in my dream.

Darn it, it should only happen in my dream. Although one part of me actually wants it to come true. As a closure to the many moons of uncertainty.

Just somethings...

2008-11-06T20:58:00.001-08:00

... you'll get used to:

Walking
Dancing
Drinking,
Drinking and dancing
Talking and not
Eating spicy food
New places
New people
Sharing food, ideas, chocolates, emotions, a bed
Being told "you'll get used to it".

Try and try again, till you are snubbed...

2008-10-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

... and then try some more.

Note to self: Give up before you get snubbed, again.

Song playing in the background... Hum Honge Kaamyaab... ek dinnnnnnnnnnnn
sigh.

Dessert, and food and dessert

2008-10-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

So the weekend went off like most others. A lot of eating out, some Indian Association work, and a movie that wasn't all that bad (but I personally found it hard to follow).

And no, Leonardo Di Caprio does not die at the end.
(haha, I've always wanted to do that)

It was around 9.30 on a Friday night that the weekend really started. Why? Because I had the best ice cream since I came to Seattle last year.

Now I've always been a fan of the Indian ice creams...Aavin, Amul, Vadilal, Corner House, Havmor, Nirula's... and even the MTR softy cones.

The American ice creams have some grainy texture to them. The flavours are great, almost unimaginable. But I do miss the chill of the smooth runny cream from a "Lolly" or "chocobar" or cone down the back of my hand, all the way to my elbow (and of course my tongue following the creamy line). The heat in India does that you say? Well, that, and the ice cream itself. But I don't think I'd ever do that with ice creams here, even in summer.

So what excited me on Friday night? This quaint little store in Wallingford. Molly Moon's ice creams were delightful. Imagine Balsamic strawberry, Cardamom, Salted Caramel, Honey Lavendar, Coffee (my favourite) and more. The texture was creamy to say the least. The flavours, a fine balance between delicate and over whelming-ly great. You'd just want to take in a spoonful, close your eyes and enjoy the tingles on your tongue. And if you make embarrassing noises, well, so is everyone else.

Saturday started off being forgettable. And then Taco Bell happened. Don't know why this cheap Mexican joint gives me the jollies. I had the same bean-rice-veggie-sour cream-guacamole filling in a Chalupa and 2 Burritos. Not to forget the Nacho potatoes. Yumm!

So one meal for two came under 10 bucks and for dinner we paid ten times more.

Dahlia's Lounge in Seattle is as of now my favourite place to eat. Of course, there were just 4 items on the menu that we could eat. 1 Veggie salad, 1 Cheese plate and 2 Entrees. Oh the bane that is vegetarianism.

The food was excellent. The salads so fresh and light, yet well dressed and seasoned. The cheddar was sharp and when tasted with the fried green tomato and beer braised onion, heaven was oh so close. The Eggplant Parmesan is nothing like you'd expect it to be. Totally deconstructed. Small rounds of crisp batter fried eggplant on a bed of creamy cauliflower risotto topped with tomato salsa. The ravioli was nice too, except that I didn't quite fancy the smoky onions.

For beverage, I had, what in my opinion now is the best drink ever... Dry Lemongrass Soda. These might probably be available in stores already, and if so, go grab a bottle.

Dessert was fulfilling. A beautiful chocolate pudding topped with vanilla cream and a popcorn brittle for a twist. Elegant, rich and yet not overwhelming. The perfect end to a wonderful meal.

Sunday was alright. Thai food, movie and Indian food. Not Great, but good enough.

How's Seattle?

2008-09-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

When it comes to making polite conversations, I have a disease.

I'm either really good at it or I suck at it.

I am in the process of making new friends in Seattle, and when introduced to one, I effortlessly make small talk, "accidently" spill a drink on my dress and move on. There are times when I assume that I'm going to hate or already hate the person I'm being introduced to. Even then I manage to make the hated believe I love them.

It's when I have to make small talk with people I've known differently earlier that I'm terrible. If I know them well enough, I should already know how they are doing, and how the weather is where they live! If i ask, then this is exactly what it is... unmeaningful small talk.

I don't know what I hate more...
1. Me doing the small talk
2. The small talk itself
3. The other party so knowingly playing a part in the small talk

For all I care, the glaciers in downtown Seattle are getting bigger!

Already?

2008-09-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Boy needed a break from work, and I just needed a break, generally. The excuse hence - our first wedding anniversary. All those of you who came to Bangalore last year around this time should remember.

Of course, I didn't think we should spend too much. So I suggested that he attends conferences in China, Italy and such. While he'd be conferencing, I'll be in the fancy hotel room... yeah, an A/C and clean white sheets do it for me. I figured that way we only spend on my flight tickets.

That idea was ruled out, bad scheduling of conferences.

Then I suggested Disneyland... lovely summer days, roller coaster rides, probably a Best Western or something with free breakfast for guests, nearby. But really, this trip would not have lasted for more than 4 days. Max. And we wanted a big break remember?

Some looking up Orkut photos udates, talks to friends and brainstorming sessions later, Alaska seemed like a probable place to go. Far away? Yes. Expensive? Very. Chances of finding vegetarian food? Slim. There, our decision was made.

Here's a little preview of what we saw in Alaska. It was like watching an active volcano. Just the opposite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLHldfAv7qU

We celebrated our anniversary sea kayaking and watching glaciers calve. Scary.
I'm sitting at home and today it's a year since I came to Seattle. Already? Very Scary.

But so far, touch wood, I've enjoyed it here. For all the fun, fights, family and friends (on TV and on g-talk), I'm thankful.

Happy Anniversary Swamiji!

New muse

2008-07-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

It was a very hot Thursday afternoon. So hot I was glad to be inside a Fred Meyer's shopping for cleaning liquids, wash cloths, kitchen towels and the like. My mom will be here this Tuesday and I do have a lot of scrubbing to do.

But the good part about all this is my latest addition to the shoe closet. The Osho chappal.

I've had similar pairs before. There were ones with the velvet straps which I hated. I also hated the roundedness at the toes. I only liked mine with the thin lining, braided straps and square ended toes. I'd harrass my friends to bring me these from the tiny stalls on Linking Road, Mumbai. At 50 bucks a pair, I absolutely didn't mind having them in blue, pink, gold, purple, silver and brown... all at the same time.

This one is a little different though. Nothing metallic about it. No braided straps either. Just a thin lining of pretty white flowers on a blue background. The best thing about it? I get it in a size 10. I don't have to force my feet in or cut my toes for my heel to have a sole underneath.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for iPhone

2008-07-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

I've never worked harder for anything else.

My day began at half past 5. With eyes half shut, I managed to throw on a pair of jeans and a top from the dirty laundry basket (yeah, I still haven't found the stolen one).

We drove down to the nearest AT&T store at the Pacific Place Mall only to notice that there were already 27 of them who beat us. We took out our portable chair and found our place at the end of the line. A guy walked in after us with a pillow and blanket.

Boy made me wait in the line, went to Starbucks and returned with the New York Times as well. We saw pictures and read reviews of the gizmo that was released yesterday. I let out a sigh, remembering that when I went to the store yesterday at 9.30 am (the store opened at 9), they were already sold out, and was asked to return today.

So return we did. While waiting for the store to open, the nice people from AT&T gave us free Mini cookies and Goldfish crackers. They answered queries, showed us demos and showed off the accessories we were very tempted to buy.

Being the 28th in line meant we definitely were getting our 8GB, 3G black beauty. We didn't mind having to wait at all. We all cheered when the store opened. As each one of us were called into the store, high fives were passed around. And as we walked out of the store, jealous grins of those still waiting in line.

:)

M for Monkey, Mmmmmmm for?

2008-06-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

3 things...

1. Maggi

Yeah the good old Masala Maggi in the yellow packet. Had it for lunch after a really long time. Waited till the water came to a boil and broke the Maggi just like they do it in the advertisements. Cooked the soupy yellow noodles (the soupy part is actually my favourite).

Brought back memories of my school days. This was our after school, pre dinner meal. Amma would give us a plate of Maggi served with sweet Modern Bread. I'd watch Small Wonder or some Wrestle mania while still wearing my blue pinafore. Or "Unifong" as I used to call it when I was younger.

Cut to the present. So when I was just about to serve the Maggi into my bowl, I remembered that cheese went really went with this particular hot bowl. That there would be sticky strings with each fork. Or better, lumps of gooey cheese.

But all I saw was the yellow liquid and the noodles (the taste of which had been dulled by the cheese now). The cheesy effect was only there in taste. Couldn't see it.

I finished the noodles nevertheless, slurped on that soupy liquid and then came the best part.

All that cheese I'd added? Was sitting at the bottom of the bowl. It'd had all melted and needless to say, I scraped and licked my platter clean.

2. Masala Dosai

Not Dosa, but Dosai.

Made the traditional way. The warm, mildly spiced mashed potato of sorts. Yellow lumps with specks of mustard here and there, brown, crisp kadalai parppu... it was, to say the least, perfect.

The dosais were good too. Thanks to my Secret Santa from Sammamish, the batter was just right. Just a little thinning down and it came out nice. Brown and crisp. Infact it cooked through so well, I didn't even need to flip it over.

Now a good part of all my masala dosais were from the Shanti/Sukh/Megh Sagars of Bangalore. All these come with a smear of a red or "kemp" chutney as they call it. It's spicy, garlicy and kind of takes away from the taste of the plain dosais. It also almost kills the masala. I admit though, I do like it sometimes. On a cold rainy day in Bangalore, with nice coconut chutney.

But now, for once, I could have more than one teaspoon of masala. So I dumped a good heaping of the dosai. Tri-folded it perfectly. Smeared some ghee on top, right before serving so the steam would carry the flavours all over my one bedroom apartment. More importantly, right up my boy's nose.

3. Mango

More specifically, Alphonso Mangoes. Boy got them shipped from India. They were a golden yellow colour. Typically the colour of the Mambazham colour pattu podavais. Whipped it up with some milk and ealakkai, and served it with some fruit bits on my beautiful martini glasses.

It was the perfect dessert.

What can I say? I baked gooey, chewey chocolate chip cookies today. The whole place was smelling like I've walked in to cookie factory. And towards the evening I cooked us a nice meal. Chinna aloo curry, melagu kuzhambu, Parppu podi chaadam, thair chadam, and then dessert in my martini glasses.

Beat that Google Maps!

2008-06-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Red marks my home in Seattle!

I'm Leeeeaving on a Jet Plane

2008-06-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

The Cessna 172 and I flew it. Unbelieveable?

Believe it!

Row, row, row your boat!

2008-06-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Gently down the stream...

... and not so gently down the stream

A Teesket a tasket...

2008-05-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

... I lost my Laundry basket.

Yes I did. I'm used to being careless. Have lost keys, bags, books, temper. My mind even.

But a laundry basket? I left it in the laundry room on top of the dryer that had my wet clothes. I come back in an hour to collect my clothes and what do I find? My dry clothes. No basket. It was the most frustrating thing ever.

To quote a friend, "At the end of doing laundry, I am dead beat and wet. Like laundry itself". So true. Especially at that point in time, I was cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, answering phone calls through one ear, listening to Seinfeld on TV through the other... you see, I was busy. And the last thing I wanted to do then was to climb up two flights of stairs again, emptying the other full laundry basket on the floor, then going back down to laundry room again.

I have lived by myself quite a bit earlier in life. Not once have I lost clothes. I remember this one very wet monsoon season in Ahmedabad. The laundry guy in college had piles, Piles of clothes strewn all over. Inside the laundry room, on the machines, in the machines, on the floor, on the shelves, outside the room, hanging on the lines, on the cemented floor, on the wet mud...

These were piles of wet clothes mind you. (No place to hang out clothes to dry. Monsoons remember?). They were not bundled according to room numbers, or hostels. They were just all mixed up. Everyone came up to me (being President and all) asking for a solution. Everybody complained that their clothes were missing, or returned dirty. Not mine. Every item of clothing came back safe and clean. Call it luck or whatever.

But here, this fancy apartment that I live in in Seattle, with just three washers and dryers, with no lines ever to do laundry, with only residents who are allowed to come and use the room, losing a basket sucks. Sucks so much, I'm writing about it after four days.

I'm still cribbing. I'm gonna crib till I get my pearly white basket with cool grey soft handles. Somebody stole my green Post-it note that said "Stolen! White laundry basket". Damn!

A host of golden daffodils

2008-04-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

... Need I say more?

Whatay Vacation I say!

2008-04-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah. There's definitely a reason why people go to Las Vegas.

The plain flip flops, the heels, the there it is-there it isn't clothes, the drinks, the hunt for vegetarian food, fancy dining, the Cirque du Soleil show, Variety entertainment, (and entertainment shows that were strictly off limits), lion habitats, King Tut replicas, two HD TVs in one room, height defying rides, spending money on all of the above, and more on slot machines.

For the academic oriented ones, I visited the Harrah's Casino too (remember the Direct Marketing case study anyone?). I toured the place and promptly took a picture in front of the huge sign board.

Every soul (big, small, fat, thin, young, old, rich, poor) on this earth can find his/her own reason to go to Vegas.

It was such a lovely trip and I have exactly 2 reasons why I want another vacation
1. I love the place
2. I don't want to unpack, it's the world's most boring job.
(Volunteering to help anyone?)

A few of my favourite things

2008-04-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Savebucks!

2008-04-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

It was 41 degrees this morning. It took great effort to get off the bed. Aches and pains all over. The poor boy fixed his own breakfast. 5, yes FIVE loads of laundry done but need to be folded/ironed as the case may be. A quick visit to the bank later in the day, packing and then finally, PACKING (even more). Argh!

But then you see, even days like these have these teensy weensy incidents that put a huge smile on my face.

All groggy, I managed to drop the boy off at work, still in no mood to make me a cup of coffee or tea. So I drove to the closest drive through Starbucks only to see this huge line ahead of me. I could have well got off the car, picked me a cup of something. But like I said, it was 41 degrees and the heated seats in my car stuck to my butt (or the other way around). So I waited, and waited, and then ordered and waited and waited...

Finally, I reached the pick up window and grabbed my cup. Just as I was reaching into my wallet, I heard "Your Chai Latte is on the house today as you had to wait for more than 5 minutes for it".

(Biiiiiig smile)

It's all worth it.

Just sharing...

2008-04-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my old college scrap book. Brought back a zillion memories of classes attended and classes bunked, friends, fun and of course, studying, presentations, television and jeans manufactured and sold, crisis managed and not so well managed.

I needed some cheering up. What with the all the rain and 'Weather Reports', my grey sweater looks happier.

So I looked up one of my favourite write ups in my scrap book. Right at the end of my book, just before the hard cover, a (then) close friend had written this down for me. She'd also stuck some very cute shiny stickers here and there, which always put a smile on my face.

Just as I was googling for the poem (to check for accuracy before I posted it), I noticed that the version in my scrap book is missing a few lines here and there. Right until now, I've never looked up the full version. As incomplete as this may seem, it's always made me feel complete.

So here goes...

Have a seat upon a cloud and make yourself at home,
You are now inside a book, inside a poem.
Where anything can happen if only you make it real.
Take off your shoes and close your eyes, relax upon the sand,
Join me in my land of dreams, reach out and take my hand.
Let me share my dreams with you until you find your own,
I'll take you there if you believe, take mine out on loan.
Where birds are words so gracefully they glide across the sky,
Leave behind your worries, here the rules do not apply.
Face your fears; erase them one by one,
See the world from up above and don't stop at the sun.
When the world starts raining down and the sun is out of sight
Let your dreams control your mind and see you through, alright
There is a place inside my dreams for all those who care to roam,
So have a seat upon a cloud and make yourself at home.

- by Danielle Rosenblatt

Rain in Summer... Spring, Autumn and Winter

2008-03-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

I learnt this poem 'Rain in Summer' by Robert Louis Stevenson when I was in the third standard (I confess, I almost said "grade". Fullto Amricaan and all).

So when I heard I was moving to Seattle, almost everyone I knew of... sorry, everyone I knew of said, "Oh but it rains so much in Seattle!".

It rains during the day, evening and night. It's sunny one minute, it rains the other. It's snowing one minute, and it rains the other. It's windy one minute... you get the idea. Basically there's no particular rainy season. It's always rainy season.

Hence I sit at home, eat food that's typically rain food - steaming cup of adhrakh chai/coffee, hot chocolate, fried food, melty cheese. Lounge in my giant couch, wrapped under a warm blanket, watch Hugh Grant, the Food Network or Tyra Banks (my sincere apologies).

[Rain or no rain, I do all of the above otherwise too. Does one wonder why I've put on loads of weight?]

Blah Blah black sheep

2008-01-31T18:58:00.000-08:00

There's scum. Then there's fungus on that scum. Then there's an ant that tramples all over and probably feeds on it.

Right now I'm dwindling somewhere between the scum and the ant.

Tried playing Bouncy ball to cheer myself up, but the only colour I see there is blue.

Sigh.

Sugar and spice and all that's nice

2008-01-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

My last post had a comment that said my writing was more "Food for stomach, than food for thought". I'm pretty disappointed at you Anon. You should've known already. I only food of food. See what I mean?

So last week was pretty sick. I mean I was sick. Phlegm, mucous, cough, "iinininininininn" in my ear, God knows what coming Out of my ear, Tylenol, decongestants... I'm quite sure TB sounds less painful than the stooopid cold. Someone told me "Cold gets cured in 7 days with medication, and in a week without them". Well, it's been 10 days now, and nothing seems to go. Except my nose. That's still running.

But then towards the end of the day, there was always something hot to go to. Food. Not what you were thinking. Thanks to the medication my tastebuds were probably dead and I used sooo much spice to bring it back to life. Whole garam masala, garam masala powder, chillies (green and red), pepper, Sambhar powder and more.

I cooked. Pasta, Rasam, Capsicum with Besan, Mor Korambhu, Arbi, Sakh, Paneer. I cleaned too. Used sheets and sheets of Bounty. For my nose. Sniff. But other than that, the food was pretty great. It could land me a diamond ring :)

When I cooked it was therapy. I paid attention to the little details that would make/mar the dish. This gave me such a high that I didn't even mind doing the dishes afterwards. Or getting them done :P

But because it's been so cold the last few days (we had a snow storm here last night), we'd eventually grab a cup of warm coffee, mocha or hot chocolate. I made myself a lovely cup of hot chocolate once, and added beautiful Irish Cream to it. Seriously, nothing could make me feel better. Ofcourse there's Nyquil. Gulped down a good mouthful and slept like a baby.

Pongal. Oh Pongal! Jaggery, oodles of ghee, cashew, milk... and then ofcourse the crushed pepper version. With a happy stomach full, Pongal specials on Sun TV and a good afternoon siesta (is it still a siesta if I slept for two and half hours?)

Still sick. Will visit the doctor tomorrow who will probably stick things in my ear. As long as I can ALSO use the right ear for the phone soon I will tolerate it.

For now, Dinner time. Yaaayiieeee!

What meets the "I"

2007-12-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

There are some things that are important to me and those that are VERY important.

1. Good ice cream - Important (I)
2. Cheesy food - Very important (VI)
3. Altoids/Gum - I
4. Cinnamon Altoids/Gum - VI
5. Favourite songs - I
6. Favourite songs on Repeat mode - VI
7. Christmas - What's that again?
8. Plum cake on Christmas - VI
9. TV shows - I
10. Reruns of food/fashion/travel shows - VI
11. Anthony Bourdain - VVI (you get this don't you?)
12. Orkut - I
13. Superpoke on Facebook - VI
14. F.R.I.E.N.D.S - I
15. Friends - VI
16. Friends who splurge on me - VVI
17. Hugh Grant - I
18. Hugh Grant in pink - oooohhhhh VI
19. Retail therapy - VI
20. To be able to curl, stomp and grunt - I
21. Curl letter - VI
22. Stomp supporter - VVI
23. Good food - I
24. Indian food - not just VVI, but also necess-ness :)
25. Clean loos - I
26. CLEAN and DRY loos - VVI (don't want AIDs, thankyou very much)
27. LVMH - need I say more
28. Bold and the beautiful - no thank you
29. Grey sweater - VVI
30. Princess' diary - VVI
31. Arnicaa - VVI
32. Foggy nights in Delhi - VI
33. Lost in fog with 2 maniacs, having to pee - VVI
34. Poooooooooooooooopeeeeeeeee-ing on MSN - VVI
35. Mint chocolate fudge with M/G/A - VVI
36. R.E.S.P.E.C.T - Super I
37. Family - Super I
38. R.E.S.P.E.C.T plus Family - Triple Super I (ever heard of synergy, sum of parts being more than...)
39. Comments on this post - VVVVVI (get to work now!)

Fav Christmas quote - "Merry Christmas you filthy animal, and a Happy New Year!"

As per request and in the interest of reducing offended-ness,
40. Sneeze and WCC - VVPee I

Today was rough alright!

2007-11-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

I woke up real late this morning. Around 9.30 to be precise.

See normally it would be okay to wake up that late, but not when I'd set the alarm to buzz at six itself. God knows I'm trying to obey dad's discipline regime.

It's not even about waking up late. It's about waking up late with a grunt, a (croc) tear and having to do the bed myself.

So what kept me going right up till lunch time? The fact that I was gonna get myself a lovely tomato basil/mushy corn soup. And for FREE! Whoever said "There's no such thing as a free lunch" was so damn right. Because today, ladies and gentlemen, I lost the coupon that was gonna get me that free lunch.

And to top all of that, a blabbermouth blabbered the wrong stuff out to all and sundry, and chose to shut up about something important. It irks me to no end that there's no guilt either. Why do I even bother caring? Soooo pissed me off.

Well, am gonna go out now. Will sit with a big tub of ice cream tonight and watch pathetic Laaga Chunari Mein Daag. That's gonna lift my spirits up. Oh yeah!

Rasam and Vendakkai curry

2007-11-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

As I'm writing this, I'm the only one to have tasted tonight's dinner. But, I can proudly say that this is probably my best contribution to the food world.

Seriously... I'm the queen of Rasam and Vendakkai curry! (ok fine, you can take some credit Amma).

The Rasam is the simple Parppu Rasam. The ingredients were simple and regular - the tomatoes, tamarind, hing... and ofcourse, Amma on the phone :P
I thaalichikottified it with mustard seeds and ghee right at the end, and I must say, I'm really trying hard to not pour myself a glass of hot rasam. Dee, here's my post on the perfect Rasam, just like you had predicted.

The Vendakkai/ladyfingers* curry was a little bit of a struggle though. The pre-cut frozen ladyfingers, although a blessing, is a bane. When it defrosts, it becomes all mushy and stringy. Yuck! And it's not a pretty sight mind you. It gets worse when the oil is hot and because of all the water, the whole thing begins to splatter when you add the thawed (and hence wet) ladyfingers. However, I rose to the occassion. I made it work. And work it did. It's simply finger licking good, with the right mix of textures (with the crisp mustard seeds and golden brown daal). Poo this is something you'd have loved. It's your style bhindi.

I'm so pleased with myself. I can't wait to start eating, and finish my meal with good curd rice and pickle. Only thing I'm lazy about is cooking rice. I think it's a chore. Unless I get the other eating participant to cook the rice. But me being me, will probably just lift my ass from the oh-so-comfy chair, be the good Indian wife, cook the rice, and GRUNT.

FYI: There is no Sambar powder in tonight's dinner. So there!

* - You can replace "ladyfingers" with "lady's fingers". If I remember right, I picked this up from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Diwali ke shubh avsar pe...

2007-11-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

I found my Shiny Ink Pen... the pink one!

Yaaayiiieeeeeeeeeee.

Fireworks and more!

2007-11-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Diwali it is...

Woke up at 5 a.m. (I know!)
Patti performed the "put kaachified oil on head" ritual
Lit diyas (alright, so my aunt lit them and I took pictures)
Lit sparklers, and my favourite, snake tablet thingy
Wore Pattu Saree (supposedly a Sneha Pachai one)
Ate:
- Inji Marundhu
- Rava Laddoo
- Boondhi Laddoo
- Thengozhal
- Chakli
- Nada Pakoda
- Omma Pudi
- Mixture
Watched Sun TV like there was no tomorrow (the Pattimandram, Chennai 28, Gilli, Surya's interview, and every advertisement that came repeatedly during every ad break)
[also noticed that a friend of mine from school was "Fortune"ately acting for some cooking oil advertisement]
Visited the temple here to witness a pooja and then went on for some 'Paet Pooja' to an Indian Restaurant (v.v.imp).

I'm too lazy to scroll up now, but also add Badaam Cake to the list of things I ate.

You know how they say, it's a pity one doesn't get to choose relatives. Well, with mine here, I say Thank God for them. Diwali wouldn't have been the same. I'm blessed I got to celebrate it with family, old and new.

So there was Halloween that came by and went. We drove to the suburbs to watch little kids "Trick or Treat"ing in cute costumes (the most common ones were the characters from the Pirates movie), saw really fancy Jack-o-lanterns, spook/haunted houses etc. This was my first American festival, and it was an interesting experience. What gave me a high were candies my cousin managed to bring home. We weighed it, a whopping 10 pounds of candies of all colours, tastes, shapes and sizes. I swear to God I wished I wasn't 22 already... sigh. (Do not correct me on my age).
What also made it special were all the scary/horror movies that they were showing on TV all that week. Missed a few friends :( [Trivia: Which movie in Hindi is "Hayawaan Uth Gaya"?

Oh well, Diwali is still my favourite festival. Did wish I was in Bangalore with my folks, but I shouldn't complain. Diwali, here, was good too.

And so was Navratri... what with the 5 padi golu, the decorative lights, the dandia et al.

What's cooking?

2007-10-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... Green Dal, and Jeera Chawal.

See, wasn't that so easy to answer?

The question I hate the most, rather the one for which I never have an answer is "What's up?". Nine times out of ten, (in my head) I want to say "Sky". Once in ten times I blurt out a "he he, nothing much", and grin like an idiot would.

Americans are supposed to be friendly people. Well, they are. Friendly, sweet, sugary, syrupy... icky. Seriously. It gets to me at times. What with the girl at the mall or the guy at the cafe or the chappie at the fudgery going "Hey, what's up? How's it going?" and putting a stop to my "hmmm"s and "eh?"s with a "Have a good one you guys."

And let me warn you, it's not just a "Hey" or a "how's it going?". It's a "Heeyyyiiieee" and a "hooow's it goooing?". The singing puts me off even more.

You know why I get miffed by all this "Nice-ness" or "Nice-ity", it's because it's all fake. They don't really care. Why would someone say "Have a nice day" while we cross paths on the pedestrian crossing? Do I know that someone? No. Will I ever meet that someone again or remember his/her face? No. Is he/she a neighbour willing to become a friend? No. Arbit, unwanted niceness I tell you.

I'd rather have meaningful conversations through G-talk or over the phone that begin with "B%^*h" or "Oye, Dharti pe bhoj, kya haal hai", or a simple "Poo". These conversations I have with people I know. They are with my enemies, relatives or worse, with friends. These are people who I would spend time and money on. Most of these people spend atleast (and thankfully) time on me. Some spend more, and some, a whole lot more.

And when they ask questions, I have answers. However unrelated they might seem to someone not in the know.
Q: "Paris Paris Paris?"
A: "No, only H and L came and went"
Q:"490 done?"
A:"Ille, I cooked and cleaned"

:P

Today the courier guy came with my Chocolate and Larouse (yeah yeaah yaayieee!!!) and said "Are you Di... Diii...ummm Diiii Why ah Shee ttall". You can be rest assured I made a face, snatched the parcel and slammed the door at his face.

Randomly...

2007-10-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

1.
All my bags is packey, I is ready to go,
I is stand here outside your door,
I hates to wake you ups to say goodbye.

Wonder why this song has been ringing in my head for the last couple of days. The exact same way, with all the incorrect lyrics. I could blame some arbit random idiot who, I'm pretty sure, sings this way.

2.
Ahhh, sleep... that's something I could use a lot of now. But the pattern works best. If I don't sleep for a couple of days, the third day I sleep like a baby. Although, when I wake up, I do look like D.Jo used to, scary (a nice, sweet, endearing scary mind you).

3.
Need to talk to friend and get him to come to Seattle. He does have chances of coming with the new job. Fabulous source of entertainment.

4.
Diwali is in another 2 weeks. How can one think of Diwali and not miss family, special food, specials on TV and fireworks?

5.
"Hmpf" means "I'm not talking for three days".

6.
One down, three be prepared. Two can take a hike/sandwich,

7.
It rains here so often. So bloody often. Wish M was here and we could go eat Cheeeesy garlic bread and call the waiters at cafes "Uncles", and have them blush.

8.
As a diligent friend, I need to go look for hunks who could be suitable "boys". I don't complain about this chore though. Also need to look for Jessica Alba look alikes, now that is not very interesting to me, unless I get paid for it. Big Money.

9.
I want Petha.

10.
I wish I had shiny ink pen.

I used to...

2007-10-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

1. Have no time, now I have all the time in the world
2. Have friends, now I need to make more
3. Stay away from books, now I read three of them in two days
4. Have a diary, now I have a punching bag
5. Have a blank passport, now I have stamps on them

They say count your blessings. I've made a list of five. I just don't know WHAT I'm counting.

No title

2007-10-11T18:06:00.001-07:00

That's right. This post has no reason to be here. There's no topic, no funny anecdote, no boring stories, no serious issue debated upon...

Pretty much what is running in my head right now. Nothing. Just a blahness (that tends strongly towards a "Blaarrrggghhh"), a strong disinterest towards everything I see. The only sound I make during the entire day is an "Ehhh".

I don't need help, nor any suggestion (although, a suggestion for a good hand moisturising dishwashing leeequid is welcome).

Bah!

The humble chikki

2007-10-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

If I remember right, my college in Bangalore sold them at 50p a piece. We bought them by the dozens. Reluctantly shared them with friends. Reluctantly so, because sometimes it served as our lunch, or breakfast, or just time killers during those painful classes. Of course we ensured the "kishishk" noise from the wrapper was heard loud and clear.

This was about 5 years ago. When I was working in Bangalore, I had forgotten about the chikkis. The 50p ones I mean. I had chikkis that were either homemade or store bought.

The store bought ones weren't quite the same anymore. They were darker, thicker, and heavier and didn't have the light crunch that the old chikkis had. Also the new ones came in the form of fat, long bars that we had to fight with to break into a small piece. Didn't have the convenience of small, bite size individual packets the old ones came in.

The ones that were made at home didn't even have the same form. They were made into small balls. Although tasty, it wasn't the same thing. You know what I mean.

Ahmedabad. Thank God for all the Paan stores there. The original chikkis were there again, although they were now priced at one rupee a piece. Sitting pretty on the shelves sometimes next to India Kings, and sometimes next to Benson & Hedges. But they were there. After a point in time, our beloved Chhota stocked it too. Bad food at the mess? Chikki came to the rescue. Well so did Cheese Maggi, and "Veg Noodles kum vegetables and extra garlic sauce".

Okay, so the lunch/dinner at the mess WAS good, and you've had your fill. But in an hour or so wouldn't you crave for something? Something that's not heavy, not fried, not aerated, not maida, not hot, not cold and more importantly, not expensive (double of what it was 5 years ago, but still)? Chikki came to the rescue. It didn't matter if the wrapper sometimes got stuck to the chikki, and you would have to spit it out tactfully. It didn't matter that the crushed bits would fall and what would remain is half of what you paid for. It didn't matter that while you were still enjoying it, an ass (of the first/second/third order) would snatch and finish the rest of it. Whatever part of it you had, would satisfy that craving.

And then, much later, D and I had THE chikki. This was different in form, taste, everything. We enjoyed it nevertheless. Here we bought each of them individually, and willingly shared them. With P, I scaled new heights. We bought them by the boxes and finished them over a period of time. Especially during winters. These chikkis were of course rolled.

This is my first post from Seattle. I could use some chikki here. Any form, size, or shape would do. Cinnamon flavoured would do too ;)

Writer’s block

2007-07-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

It’s been a month since I picked out my wedding card. I liked how simple and elegant it was… is. A square maroon card with a small, golden image of Ganeshji, bang in the middle, with a shimmery copper border along the sides of the card. I’m sure you get the picture. Ironically, this was exactly what I didn’t want in the beginning.

On the inside, it’s plain maroon. I’ve imagined that the text would be in a glowing copper or gold font. Like I said, I’ve imagined so. There’s no text yet.

I’ve been driving my folks mad because I do not want a “We cordially invite you” or a “We request the pleasure of your company”. My brother ended his invite with “Peace Yo!” Oh God help me. Since I wanted something different, I need to come up with some interesting text myself. Bah!

Well, all I want is for my friends/well wishers to attend my wedding. Yes, it’s in the middle of the week, during month end/quarter end or when colours change from pink to red. But yeah, apparently it is the most auspicious day around this time of the year. So what’s the prograaaam like? Here goes…

- The Nischaythamboolam/Engagement ceremony (yes, again) – 29th August, 2007; 5:30 pm onwards
- The Muhurtham/Wedding ceremony – 30th August, 2007; 7 am onwards
- The Reception – 30th August, 2007; 7 pm onwards

The venue? S.J.P.S.V.V.S Mutt, Vibhutipura, Marathalli Post, Bengaluru – 560037. The name is quite difficult to remember, but trust me the directions aren’t. Call/mail me sometime and I’ll help you out.

While I tie myself to the chair to type out the text for my invitation card, you guys block your dates. Book your tickets for Bengaluru now.

Psst… Air Deccan has announced cheap flight tickets in today’s TOI.

I’m full stylish and all...

2007-06-18T22:39:00.001-07:00

I own a Dell Inspiron 600m and am supremely proud of it. Have always been so.

When about 50 others had got identical looking Toshiba laptops from college, mine stood out. It was sleek, beautiful and had the most beautiful keyboard I’ve ever seen. I was also the proud owner of a DVD/VCD writer. For very good reasons, I would willingly write CDs for friends :-P

After a full three years of using my laptop for all the wrong reasons too, it still gives me a good hour or so without worrying about my battery dying out. Yaaaayyyiiiieeee... Oh yeah, absolutely! I remember how some sidey Toshiba laptops wouldn’t survive a minute without the charger being plugged in. Talk about wireless!!! I’m getting such cheap thrills writing this down.

Annnnddd.... For all this, I still paid a cool couple of ten thousand bucks less than what the others paid for their laptops. Ha haaaaa!

I’m also very proud of my black MotoRazr. It’s not a V3i which comes with fancy features, extendable memory and such. I wanted my new phone to look good, and look good it did.

Of course, I wasn’t the first to get it. I didn’t buy this before it’s time came. I bought it when it was at it’s peak. I didn’t mind that every 5th person I saw also owned a black MotoRazr. In fact, I beamed each time I saw another one thinking, I’ve bought the most popular phone at that point in time. Yaaaayyyyiiieeee again. For very different reasons though.

You must be wondering why am I talking about all this now? How come so far there’s no mention of food in MY blog? Should I rather not be all weepy and bawling over the fact that I’m leaving Delhi for good?

Well, I am leaving Delhi for good. I am quite unsure about the coming two months at Bangalore. Delhi’s been home to me for the last year or so. Not a comfy home where things are taken care of for me. Not a home where food is prepared and I’m just asked to come and eat. Not a home where I get to be with my parents and brother.

Delhi was a home of a different kind. It was the place that made me realize that I could live anywhere and make the most of that place. It was the place where I was independent. It was the place where I could go gallivanting by myself to the various crowded market places, pick up 35 bucks worth of clothes, eat Chinese Chat, gobble down a cup of utterly butterly lemony corn, and top all of this off with dessert - McDonand’s chocolate thick shake or Mother Dairy’s Chocobar.

Of course there were times when I had company too. Like when I’ve watched movies, always sitting on those rows that are at an arm’s distance from the screens (munching on popcorn or corn or a heavenly scoop of mint-chocolate ice cream or even a scoop of Gold Medal Ribbon), or when there was a nasty landlord to handle, or when I’ve had the worst Chinese food in my life, only to cover that up at my favourite Chocolate restaurant (yes, that’s how I’d like to think of Choko La), or even when there were very embarrassing discussions at Mainland China (where the staff think I’m an alcoholic). Yes there were also times when I’ve visited those places that are meant for the intellectuals or arty-farty - the IHC, the NSD, the Shreeram Foundation etc. And at the other extreme end, I also walked about the crowded gullies of Chandni Chowk, wolfing down terrific chat at Natraj, Jalebis, and Rabri-Falooda at Fatehpuri. Oh I almost forgot about Dilli Haat. Now that place was something else altogether. By far the prettiest spot in Delhi. I went there for the first time with a friend to have some delectable momos and fruit beer. And then, thanks to her, I have tried out every North Eastern state’s momo and fruit beer, and was never disappointed. And then there was this other friend. The two of us have promised to have authentic Gujrati Thali together. This was something we did for the to years of our stay in Ahmedabad. Now, we had to continue with the tradition in Delhi too. So when "Rajdhani" opened up at CP, we had to try it out. It wasn’t fabulous. But it was good alright. The staff maintained the trade mark Gujju warmth while serving food and when they wanted us to try out their specialities. The Paan, well, let’s just leave it at the fact that I asked for a second one. The innumerable chocolate nut sundaes from Nirula’s, the heaps of goat and gorgonzola cheese at Diva, the fun chatpata pizza from Slice of Italy, the Shahi Paneer, the Mattar Paneer, Mattar Gobi, Aloo Goi (all rattled off in a distinctive style) at the Uttaranchal Dhaba, the carrot-beetroot juices... Sigh. In all this did I mention how I vicariously had food from all over the world (foie gras too) thanks to a certain Binga Bonga who only ate Bingo.

As you can see, all this food in Delhi only means one thing - a fruit diet for the following two months. Bah!

But then, I’m full stylish and all you see. I’m reminiscing about Delhi and typing this out on my comfy upper berth on the Bangalore Rajdhani. The train is not all that dirty. There are a bunch of students who wish to study Medical Sciences in Bangalore colleges. They spout medical jargon that I don’t understand at all. Not fair. I mean have conversations which involve topics such as food, travel, climate etc. Not medicine, disease and ugghhh, surgery.

Hence I got miffed and climbed up to my upper berth, took out my stylish laptop and super stylish phone, put on my complimentary Kingfisher earphones, listening to a bunch of songs on repeat mode and am typing this post out. They all keep looking up. May be they think I look funny, but I also think they are jealous that I have stylish laptop and super stylish phone, and that I’m acting like I’m this super busy "marketing communications professional". (heeheee, that’s what I called myself when we were doing polite introducing-self conversation.)

Right now after all this effort at "Shine/Style Maaroing", I’m only hoping that my network (yeah the one that sounds like when you sneeze, once) will permit me to connect to the internet while I’m on roaming so I can put this post up for you to comment on.

Should I? shouldn't I?

2007-05-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

Everything in my life right now is governed by the above questions. When I say "Everything", I mean it. So don't you dare ask me what I'm talking about. Bah! It's even more irritating that a "May be" does not even feature...

Is "Hakuna Matata" something that's really possible? Well, er... may be. According to P, it might be possible. She said something like "depends on your attitude... " I stopped listening to the details, because... hooorrraaaayyyy, a "may be" finally happened.

My life absolutely rocks... yeah right! One month from today, I will leave this city. Delhi, for all that I'd whined about, isn't all that bad afterall. I'm smitten by so many things here... India Gate, metro rides, Sarojini/Lajpat Nagar markets, the hundreds of movies I've watched, the Kali Bari...

So much so that I now find the "Daahlings" and the "Sweeties" actually endearing... Gooooeeypooo, don't kill me for this.

Ah well, can't complain much. My lunch at least is taken care of today. Some pinky finger sized cucumber-ish vegetable. Tummy is stuffed now... burnt toast and crunchy peanut butter sandwich, and tomato juice.

My glowing skin had better combat the carcinogen.

Oooooooooooooooooooh huzoooooooooooooorrr…

2007-05-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

1: A friend of mine once sang “Tu hi re” with a very strong Mallu accent. We all laughed at him. Then another one sang “Brown gearl in the ring” and we all laughed with him.

2: At Chhota, amidst a lot of smoke and lemon tea, at 4 in the morning, Pinky dada sings my favourite “Main koi aise geet…” from Yes Boss. Sorry Poo, but no amount of vodka shots can lift my spirits like this song can. Actually when he sings it, I even enjoy a Bengali song.

3: D. Jo and M4rrrr practicing for their duet, to be performed on college day. Anxiety and self criticism scaled new heights that day, but no two people can compliment each other like they did… with their singing of course.

4: Has anyone paid you to listen to a song he liked? Ha! I was made to listen to “Mujhe ja na kaho meri jaan” on repeat mode, and I made a cool couple of hundred bucks. Come to think of it, I do like the song now.

5: Baddy court, Chandni. A corner room on the ground floor played “Nachh Baliye” loudly when I played Badminton. Of course with a song like that, I’m bound to continue playing for hours. Aaha, there’s the reason I broke my spine. It’s all your fault.

6: A very boring session on Brand… Marketing… some management, whatever, I just know it was all pfaff. What kept me up? Yahoo messenger and online antakshari with CC boy. I would like to believe I won.

7: To let people know that I am “Zinda hooooooon”, my own playlist (running on repeat mode sometimes) with my favourite tracks from RDB, Sankalp tunes, Kisna, Lakshya, my Punjabi neighbour playing loud Punjabi pop music, another neighbour playing heavy metal, one random junior playing “kaali nagin ke jaise zulfein teri kaali kaali” at 7 in the morning.

8: The three D’s against A, mocking her rendition of John Denver’s “Leaving on a jet plane”. Sniff sob, I soon will (hint: get senti now).

9: Doing the Thapaankoothu to Gemini’s “Oh Podu”, or Saami’s “Thirunelveli Halwa thaan”, or Superstar’s “Rakamaa” or even “Padayappa”.

Those were the good old days. Really.

Well, there’s no dearth of music now either. Only problem is that all I hear around me is either “Diya diiiiiiil, dil diyaaaaaaa” or “Naam teraaa tera”… you get the idea. Now seriously, bad enough that there’s one real live person literally crying through his nose, there are enough fake ones too on all the music channels and laughter challenges of the world. I hate anything that reminds me of him – caps, noses… To think he sang “Mere ishq ki, deewaangi, Dil Ding Dong Ding bole” and ruined “Ding Dong Ding” from Tezaab. Uff God bless my ears.

I will willingly subject myself to someone’s “Koel jaisi awaaaz”. It’s close to Chinese torture, but thankfully, like I said, CLOSE.

How lazy should a lazy Sunday be?

2007-03-18T03:38:00.000-07:00

Ah well... Now that I work, I treasure the weekends so much.

Waking up late, skipping breakfast, only to cook a nice meal (today’s special was Yellow Dal and Kadhai Paneer (I made in a Kadhai alright!)), cleaning up home (after the maid finishes her bit), listening to my favourite songs on repeat mode, visiting Ansal Plaza or attending a one year old’s birthday party... Aaahhh, I swear, I couldn’t ask for more from life. Ooops, there’s one thing I would rather do though, spend a Sunday at home in Bangalore. Mommee’s food, watching Sun TV, a bit of shopping, may be a visit to the temple close by, steaming hot cup of nice strong Kaapi, Bangalore weather that can never go wrong... I truly wish I could go home every weekend.

Hold on there... wishes do come true. It did. I was at home 2 weeks ago. Lazy Saturday went by. Slept, got myself a wonderful head massage, close friend visited me to invite me for her wedding, chatted with her family like there was no tomorrow... little did I know what Sunday had in store for me.

It started off differently... I woke up earlier than I normally do on Sundays, around 6.30 am. Rushed through my cup of Kaapi, burnt my tongue in the process, a shower and new clothes later I took off on a driving spree. I don’t own a license mind you. I was asked to be a tour guide. Being the nervous wreck that I am, I showed off Indiranagar 12th Main, CMH Road and Kids Kemp. I tell you, thinking about this, I want to just vanish into thin air. Somewhere down that drive, realizing that I wasn’t the only nervous one there, I gained confidence. Sat in the food court at Garuda Mall, ordered nothing and felt sheepish about occupying a table for no reason. I got back home and distinctly remember saying "Yes" to some question. Ha! And that changed my life forever.

That night was probably my scariest ever. I probably would not have been this scared of injections. I called a hundred people and gave them my news. Some had heart attacks and some were heart broken. But somewhere in my moments of fear, I was happy. I could not stop smiling. My engagement pictures say the same thing. Yes I did want the photographer to stop, but he just wouldn’t listen. At the end of the day, my jaw ached, but the smiles were all my own, not plastic. Of course, the diamonds, Kanjeevarams, jasmines and roses played a big role too.

This is my own fairy tale. And I’m living it.

Yes there’s the moving away, leaving familiar grounds and people behind, job hunting... thinking about all this makes me want to run away in the other direction. But I was promised, that things will be pretty "straight forward", and that I needn’t worry. Well, I won’t. I’ll pray though.

It’s a Sunday today. Am slouching on my couch and am thinking of the choices I need to make in life - between joining a gym and eating eggplant, between recording conversations and blogging, between a maid who’ll clean up my apartment and a fancy TV with DVD player Some choices I make, of my own free will of course. Others? Well, who chooses to eat eggplants anyway? And you think I have the drive to wake up early every morning to hit the gym? It’s 4 in the afternoon, I’m going to catch some sleep now. Shoooo... go away.

This time last year...

2007-02-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

How much can change in a year’s time? Really now!

I had issues back then too. Like how does one choose which restaurant to visit for possibly the last time in Ahmedabad - Athithi/Upper Crust/Havmor, how to say thanks to my friends who took me to beautiful Diu, how to conduct elections (and be fair about it)... Somewhere in all this there were worries about thesis/final project submissions, the good byes that would soon happen, finishing with all the shopping that Law garden could offer, wondering if Paras Bhai had returned all the clothes he’d taken to wash, checking if Sainom (God bless his soul) Maggi was a lot better than Bhej Maggi Bhit Cheese...

Did I call them "issues" and "worries"? Did I? God I’m ashamed of myself. Such petty matters. Bah!

Now I’m a grown up. Like the Little Prince, I now know that only those that I nurture and spend time on/with are really my own. Others are just "stuff" around me. People and things alike.

Some people say I am growing older. Well yes I am. Now I take grown up decisions - like "Should I buy Bhindi today, or can it wait till tomorrow", once the Bhindi is at home, "Should I make it the way I like it? For lunch or for dinner?". Bah even more now!

When such important matters need to be decided on, "Stuff" such as marriage, work, unpaid bills etc seem frivolous!

I really want someone else to make my decisions now. He/she has full authority. I will simply follow instructions. I always loved playing "Simon Says...", and people call me conceited!

I normally get depressed around my birthday. This time I’m not. Three days to go and not depressed... not yet at least. In fact, I’m proud of myself, tired to death of thinking, hopeful of good "stuff" to come...

It happened one night…

2007-01-05T03:05:00.000-08:00

This was about 10 years ago. I cannot quite decide on whether it was my scariest night, or one that I’d fondly remember for the rest of my life and even tell people about it ;)

I was being kidnapped (I told you it was scary). I could not see who had taken me into an empty garage. But I was chained up. I felt like helpless Sridevi after the Hawa Hawaii number. At least she had Mr. India to rescue her. The villains were making fun of me, and all I could do was hope and pray that my hero would come and save me too. But there was no sign of that happening. The absolutely inconsiderate villains were having a pizza party (inconsiderate because they did not order vegetarian pizza for me). Yeah! They placed their order and were probably humming “Ta na na na na ree, oh pizza aaya free!”

What seemed like an endless wait, turned out to be only 29 minutes and 35 seconds. My knight in shining armour had finally arrived, albeit that he was the pizza delivery boy in a red cap (which covered his face entirely). He fought for me, like the angry young man, and I was free! He removed the cap. Our eyes met. And we fell in love that instant (although I’d like to believe that he fell in love with me the second he saw me).

At least I fell in loouuu with him then. I mean who wouldn’t, if the pizza delivery boy who rescued me was Keanu Reeves!

Yeah, it did happen one night, while I was dreaming…

Going, going, gone!

2006-12-01T01:41:00.000-08:00

When a few of us were moping about how unsuccessful we have been in finding our respective soul mates, a friend of mine remarked

“My epitaph would read – Died a virgin, Hmph!”

This conversation happened some five years ago. However, discussions with other friends since have led to a few more. Here are some classic ones –

“I’m getting engaged today. Yaaayy!”
No1’s fiancé told me this one – “You promised you’d kill her before the engagement”.
“22 x 15 VLOOKUPs killed me!”

Mine would read one of the following
“Happily unmarried”.
“Married, yeah, whatever… if you say so dear”

I really really want mine to read - “Drowned in chocolate/cheese fondue”.

Question

2006-10-14T01:19:00.000-07:00

I need help here...

"Does NOTHING WRONG simply mean EVERYTHING'S RIGHT???"

An apology…

2006-08-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Has it ever happened that you’ve pulled your friend’s leg incessantly about something very personal without quite realizing that it could cause a lot of pain?

Well it happened to me. And to think I’ve made fun of my friend since the time we got to know of each other. It must have hurt him so much.

I feel terrible and just want to say “I’m Sorry, I swear I didn’t know”.

Things you shall do while at work...

2006-08-19T01:38:00.000-07:00

1. Enable Microsoft Office Assistant (absolute time pass) - My Microsoft Office Assistant is a cat. It’s the cutest when it tries to shoo off a butterfly.

2. Learn a new language - I’m learning Bengali, Marathi and Malayalam (don’t ask me why, I didn’t ask my boss why either)

3. Play with colours – Open old Power point presentations and change the background, template or text box colours.

4. Non engineers should teach Engineer friends – I got my greatest kicks out of teaching one how to use Excel and that tally bars are called “Tally bars” and not “lines and one line crossing 4 other lines”.

5. Exercise – Walk up to the coffee vending machine at least 10 times a day. It really helps burn those calories (however, the extra sugar in my cup of tea/coffee does not help one bit)

6. Be heard and let your cell phone be heard too – I have now come to believe that it is impolite to keep cell phones on silent mode. Aaargh!!!

7. Ask self and sigh… and rant - Since when did a PC stop being a PERSONAL computer which is free for all to peep into and comment?

So far, this is the list I can come up with. Readers are most welcome to add.

Mmmmm...

2006-05-05T02:59:00.000-07:00

The only thing (so far ;)) that can make me go Mmmmm is food... And to think I dished out some absolutely lovely food makes me so proud of myself.

1. Mushroom and Baby Corn Saute: Huge chunks of Mushroom and Baby Corn stir fried in Soy Sauce, with tons of garlic. This goes best with A and Dee (u guys will luuuurrrve it)
Tip: Never wash the mushrooms, just wipe them clean. It stops the mushrooms from getting soggy.

2. Shrikhand: Sweetened hung curd with saffron and chopped nuts. I made some for breakfast. Couldn't wait till lunch time, so had some mpre as a pre lunch snack, with Pooris for lunch, later as a mid-afternoon dip... I still lick some off the bowl each time I go into the kitchen.

3. Coconut Chutney: I'm a specialist at this. And to think, the Mixie does all the work. But yeah, the "tadka" will make/mar the dish. I for one, love the Urad Dal absolutely crisp. So simply "taalchikottify" right before you serve the Chutney.

All this food talk has got me hungry. Will raid the kitchen for more food. Am in the mood for something sweet.

Oh there's some Carrot Halwa. Or should I just dive into Milk Maid? or better still, I think I'll have them both together.

Did someone say calories? You think I care? Have you seen me lately???

It's raining... Hallelujah!!!

2006-04-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read it right. It's NOT raining MEN, but just raining in Bangalore!!!

They are called the "Mango Showers"... and it felt so good. Bangalore just didn't have its true spirit right until today. The Garden City did manage to look it's very best with all the flora washed and green as ever. Thanks to the very first rain of the season.

Yes, the rains will ruin a lot of fun "outings", the roads and drains will get clogged, etc., but what the hell, who would not want to curl up in bed under a nice warm blanket, eat spicy pakoras with steaming chai, watch movies on TV the whole day, read books, have endless conversations over the telephone...

I, on the other hand go for walks in the rain, love to take my car out in the rain (simply love the sound of the raindrops splattering on the roof), sip on my Cinnamon flavoured coffee at Coffee Day, have mint-chocolate ice cream at Corner House, sit on my swing and watch the trees dancing in the rain...

I have very pleasant memories of rains during college... of multi coloured umbrellas, of umbrellas getting lost, of rubber Hawaii chappals, of getting drenched and sitting under the A/C in class, of clothes not drying up, of yelling at the laundry guy for clothes not drying up (like it was his fault), of the million creepy insects that would emerge, of Acid Bugs, of classes getting cancelled because visiting faculty could not fly down to A'bad, of very slippery walk ways, of the Shela Lake filling up, of Tuk Tuks not being able to ply on the village roads...

I think I'm just going to look through some old SNAPs now :-)

Home at last... DAMN!!!

2006-04-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

It's been three days since I got home. By home I now mean B'lore (sigh).

Don't take me in the wrong sense. I love being here. I've been meeting up with old pals (hehee, I'm not the only one who's added a few pounds), eating Amma's food (Gujju's should give up trying to cook South Indian Meals), picking up fights with my brother, riding my rickety bike, learning new routes to familiar destinations (thanks to the hazaaar One-Ways), getting used to what my Dad calls "regular" sleep timings (wake up at 6.30 and sleep by midnight)... Aaah! Life's good so far.

Still can't believe that I'm not a student anymore (at least not for a while). Was looking through some recent pictures... the Farewell, the Lounge Party etc. Can't help but sigh. I really can't put a finger on what I'm feeling. I'm not entirely missing MICA, I'm not entirely missing my friends yet, I do have internet access all day... but it's all just a blur. I don't think the feeling has sunk in yet.

But yes, at the end of the day, I do want my own 10 by 10 room, I want to see the Post-its on my cupboard, I want to look at the "Welcome Back" posters my friends had put up for me, I want to sit by my window and gaze at the beautiful OAT outside, I want to look under the bed to pull out my bucket, slippers etc, I want to eat Namkeen out of my "Food Bag", I want to open my drawer and find a half eaten Fruit n Nut bar, I want to open my cupboard and secretly eat my "Good" chocolates, I want people to wander into my room asking for food, I want to irritate people by playing songs on repeat mode, I want them to irritate me by ruining songs I love, I want to yell out names of friends and ask them "Do you want to wake up/ Do you want to go for lunch", I want to remind people that on Tuesdays we need to go to the temple, I want to watch English horror classics dubbed in Hindi, I want to watch K3G for the nth time, I want to have Chai at 1 in the morning, I want to play Badminton till 4 in the morning, I want to tell people that I'll murder them when they crack PJ's, I want to bug the life out of friends (or those who used to be)... SIGH...

On a happier note though, our Convocation was the prettiest (except for the bees that did manage to disrupt the proceedings). We laughed, we cried, we hugged and cried even more, we said our Goodbyes and then yes, cried even more.

For all those I love and will miss, I do hope we meet again.

Don't move my cheese...

2006-03-16T22:06:00.000-08:00

No, this isn't a new book sold on the pavements at Flora Fountain...

It's probably the apt(-est) way to describe the attitude with which the four of us (A, D, DJ and yours truly) attacked the cheese fondue at Mocha. Of course, it wasn't just the fondue... there was also the cheeeeesy white sauce in corn and spinach wrap, the vegetable pie and more...

Over the last few days I've also had pizza - Pizza Hut' s Veggie Supreme and the Smokin' Joe's one with barbequed mushrooms topped my fav list. Yes I know I'll get flak like "You don't have chicken or pepperoni pizza". But Hey! With Veggies, Corn or Mushroom with cheese (loads of it), why would I complain. Did I already mention the cheeesy garlic bread? Well... Ahem... yours truly had loads of that as well.

I remember as a child I used to eat cheese in all forms - The Kraft singles, Laughing cow's triangular cheese, Amul Cheese cubes. These used to be a part of my school tiffin. Everyday!!! Mommy dearest makes the best Corn/Veggie Au-gratin. Awwwwww I wanna go home now and have more cheese. Thanks to uncles and aunts in the foreign lands (yeah they are the kinds who buy and send everything including Tide detergent), I've never run out of some form of cheese at home.

In fact writing about cheese has made me realize that may be cheese was my first love (and not chocolate surprisingly) - heheheheeee... movie isshtyle Cheesy dialogue - Ha ha!!! So cheeeeesy again.

Did someone say "How corny"??? well, if you read a post with a title that goes "A Corny Affair" you know what I'm talking about.

P.S - Upper Crust has a baked dish (or was it a sizzler) by the name Corny Affair.

So long, farewell, it's time to say Goodbye...

2006-03-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

I've been through these times earlier, through high school, college and now at the end of my Master's programme... and I only got worse at it.

I've been through so many difficult times... surgeries, extremely tight deadlines, relationships (or lack of it), but over the last few days, I've been absolutely mentally drained.

Filling out entries for the Year Book was probably the most difficult thing I've had to do ever. I was never good at Precis Writing in school. Imagine my trying to put down 2 years of my life with each person into a small paragraph. The highs and lows, the friendships and fights... to encapsulate it all, trying to do utmost justice to each person who's meant so much to me. I hope my friends realize how much I love them.

I'm almost out of any money, but when friends ask to go out for dinner, it's very difficult to decline. Why? Because, I have less than a month left at MICA, and I do want to spend all my time with friends. Thesis and assignments can soooo take a hike. So whether it's a Masti, or grabbing a burger, or Bombay Blues, or Mirch Masala... I'm so glad I made it a point to go out each time.

There was a party last night. After a really tiring day (courtesy primary research), I was in no mood to go at all. Just wanted to have some quiet time and hit the sack early. A 5 minute conversation with a friend changed my mind. She convinced me that this was the second last party, that we could have chocolate dipped in rum, that we could have all the cold cocoa... but somewhere during that conversation she said "This would be the last 5th of the month in MICA". And the rest is history... I got dressed and hit the party. I can't believe I almost gave it a miss.

Moral of the story, it's just that time of the year I feel all "Awwwwww". I hope I make the most of the remaining 28 days here.

The week that was...

2006-02-19T01:10:00.000-08:00

I finally got to do the 2 things I'd promised myself to do...

Took a trip to Diu
Competed in the Badminton matches in college

Let's just take one thing at a time shall we...

Nine girl friends took off to Diu. No BOYS allowed. There were the MCPs who defiantly said that a trip without guys would fail miserably, that we'd land up in trouble not knowing how to handle problems... well, No problems faced... was the best trip ever... IN YOUR FACE GUYS!!! The beaches, the fort, the caves... they were all just so beautiful, I can't believe I didn't make a trip there earlier. Sadly though, we didn't drink too much. Just had some Port Wine. Even sadder was that we didn't get one crazy weirdo drunk.

And how can I forget... I got the best-est birthday gift ever. The night that we spent at Hoka (the beach resort there), my friends surprised me with a beautiful cake (they made the lousiest excuses to go and buy it). My birthday was a week away, but they thought it would be just beautiful to celebrate it in Diu. The cake cut, "Happy Birthday" done with, my friends dropped the bombshell... my friends had brought me to Diu as my birthday gift. I can't thank each of you enough. Really made it so special.

The next day, after a fair share of the museums, the Churches and the cross dressers, we decided to head back to college.

Just when I thought NOW life was going to be Oh Hum... oh so boring... whaddya know... the annual Baddy tournament was on soon. Yippeeee.... Not that I'm great at it or anything, but then it is the only sport I play. A few moons ago, when my back was troubling me, my doctors told me that I wouldn't be allowed to play for an entire year. The surgery didn't worry me much. But that statement had me crying buckets. Post surgery my friends would not let me touch the racquet for months.

But I had vowed to play in the tournament, no matter what. Yes, I had to wait for those painful 4 months post surgery, but finally I did get to play. The tournament was good fun. I didn't win the doubles series and was placed 2nd in the singles. Don't really care whether I won or lost. But the fact that I got to play... It gave me such a high. And the same set of friends who'd yell if I touched the racquet earlier, were rooting for me, cheering me on the court, whispering tactics I could use, repeating the opponents' weaknesses... Thanks again.

I am feeling the aches now. Every inch of me hurts. I'm no sportswoman, definitely don't have the stamina. Too damn tired to type anymore.

My "Happy Birthday" is in 2 days. So yeah, I've celebrated my birthday in advance... for an entire week!!!

The Best days ever...

2006-02-11T03:24:00.000-08:00

Well you know how people think that we Master's students are so busy??? Welcome to MICA.

The last few days have been so relaxing.

I've slept for atleast 13-14 hours each day. I never sleep this much. I think one stupid friend's nature is finally rubning off on me. (I'm not complaining A'loo)
I have watched so much of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Well, I watch this series so often, but the fact that now, with VERY limited supply, I have to watch the same episodes over n over again. (this time I am complaining A'loo)
I've been introduced to Orkut... and boy is this addictive or what!!! I am joining arbit communities (3 cheers to all the TAMIL communities, love u guys there). I hunt for my friends, hunt for my friend's friend's friends too. I have written Testimonials for friends and others too. Been bitten once, but not shy at all!!!
Worked on one finance assignment... put in 3 hours on this
Worked on my thesis... put in 1 hour on wasted "Literature review" and 15 minutes to make the PPT

And now... I'm gonna take a break from all this and go "Do the Diu"... it's such a cliched phrase used on campus. Have to start packing... This would be the most difficult one hour in the last 72 hours. Which outfit to pack, what make-up stuff to take, what accessories to wear, do they all match??? Will go and get DJ/Dee/A'loo to help me pack.

The Hunt...

2006-02-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's official... I'm handing over the responsibility of MY getting hitched to my friends. They can go through the trauma of finding me Mr. Right.

Here goes...

Dee - hunt your cousin down. You need to ensure that the B'lore meet DOES happen.
Smee - Hunt your good looking cousin down. U.K. is just too ideal to give up. Batchmates from computer/AOL classes would do just fine as well.
A'loo - Stick to the GSB's will ya. Just leave my clan alone.
Harsh - A NATty guy would be nice you know...

I know that at the end of the day, my Mr. Right would be this Tam Bram guy... the types you'd want to take home to Amma. The Engg grad (pref. the IITian), the MBA (pref. an IIM alumnus), slightly shy, loyal to old friends, thoughtful, focussed, witty, is good at atleast one sport, shows keen interest in classical art forms... Ofcourse, along with the "He must be"s, is a list of "He must NOT be"s as well - Spineless, liar, condescending, pretentious...

Normally I do like a hint of pride in men. But they'd better know their stuff well before getting too cocky about it.

You see, if my friends don't help me, my aunt in Seattle will do her job. She's already compiling a database of the unmarried Tam Bram techies working at Microsoft.

Its funny how I exactly know the kind of guy I want, although I haven't been able to find one on my own.

You know what's funnier? The guys I've had crushes on so far come no where close to the criteria above. Actually come to think of it, two guys came very close, but I was too scared to let them know how I felt. Don't have the heart nor guts to ruin friendships over silly crushes.

Never mind... the dreamer in me wishes to live on.

My favourites...

2005-12-09T05:47:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me wouldn't be surprised that I'm writing about chocolates. In fact, they would be wondering why I hadn't written on this earlier.

What I'm going to do now is list down my favourite chocolates... in NO particular order mind you.

After Eights - the thin slices of mint covered in chocolate... the perfect after dinner chocolate.
Snickers - with gooey caramel and roasted peanuts... could be snacked on, no matter what time of the day.
Bounty - with the soft coconut filling... if had chilled, then OH MY GOD!!!
Hershey's/Lindt bars - the dark chocolate bars especially... to die for.
Toblerone - great fun to collect the letters T.O.B.L.E.R.O.N.E in each pyramid... simply love the dark chocolate variety.
Ferrero Rochers - with layers of wafer, chocolate and nutty filling... the supreme all-in-one chocolate... I used to even save the brown paper cups these came in.
Cadbury's Dairy Milk - the oh so comforting chocolate bar... especially for those "awww" moments
Cadbury's Fruit N Nut - Can't imagine my hostel room desk without one of these ever in the last one and half years... no matter what kind of mood you are in, this is an absolute Must-have.

Well, these were just my favourites. I just luuurrrrve COCOA (that's not just my dog I'm talking about). There are the Perks, the M&Ms the Temptations, the Mars/5-Stars etc. But I like them only because they are chocolates as well.

While I am still talking about chocolates, warm Hershey's syrup on ice creams, coffee, pastries could send me straight to heaven as well. My current fantasy...sssslllllluuuurrrrrrpppppppp... warm syrup on Abhishek Bachchan. My friends should note... no Yana Gupta there.

Now you know for sure that I'm an absolute chocoholic. But don't you stereotype me as this "Here's another Chocolate lover". My friends and family will vouch for the fact that I have the world's biggest sweet tooth. However, when it comes to food, give me bland food, and I might throw up. This doesn't count for corn/veggies baked in white sauce. But my Sambhar and Rasam had better be spicy. This holds good for the Paneer Butter Masalas and the Kadhai Vegetables as well.

Talking about spicy food, here's a spice that I could live on... CINNAMON. This simple bark with so much flavour. Some day I'd like to get the attributes of cinnamon. Sweet yes, but with the strong fiery spirit too. My chewing gum is not Juicy Fruit or Spearmint, but is BIG RED, from the Wrigley's staple. If I have cold coffee at CCD, it will be Cinnamon flavoured. Though I have Tic Tacs in every shade of green and orange, my favourite is the red cinnamon flavoured one. Those who love this spice will love the cinnamon flavoured Altoids. It will burn your tongue, but once you like it, trust me, you'll never want to have the regular Polos or Mentos.

Well, I have to go now. I will keep you posted on my other favourites. But at least now you know what you could get me on my birthday.

2005-07-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

This might just be the ONLY time I'm ever gonna blog... I mean, what's with the sudden spurt of all and sundry blogging, being proud of it, and actually asking for comments on their respective blogs???

Wanna know how I got to know of this "Kewl" concept?

Well, a friend of mine wanted to share his experiences (read ramblings) in New York. Then there was another friend who glorified Mumbai while she was interning there. I went on to read more blogs and then realized that most of them were simply desperate attempts at poetry, philosophy...

Who are you kidding? You think people are gonna appreciate fantastic writing skills? Well, think again. The ones who will be reading through blogs would be doing so for lack of better things to do.

Can u imagine how utterly bored I am, to actually be doing the exact same thing I'm berating??? Am I going to get a load of flak for this or what? But hey, considering that I DO NOT have better things to do now, may as well read all the comments I get for this one...