apercevoir

Le chat brun

2012-01-23T03:18:00.003-05:00

One of my favourite moments at Petra, Jordan.

Special Chinese

2011-06-01T10:14:00.004-04:00

"It was a natural method for picking up a new langauge: First, you established basic sentence structures and vocabulary, the way a painter might initially outline a portrait's fundamental elements. Over time, you acquired more sophisticated words and phrases, attaching them to the existing foundation. It felt like living in a rough sketch of the world where new details appeared day by day."
Excerpt from Peter Hessler's Oracle Bones; his description about Special English and how he realized he was developing his own Special Chinese.
P.S. Speaking of languages, here's an interesting NPR article about Foreign Accent Syndrome.

bougainvillea blooms

2011-04-10T10:32:00.001-04:00

bougainvillea blooms
Originally uploaded by Vaish.

Pulled my camera out again after a long time. :)

Snapshots from Nola

2010-11-27T18:38:00.004-05:00

I loved New Orleans, especially the French Quarter and its 'lively atmosphere' as H put it! Great music, food and weather - just what we needed! Here are some moments captured on camera. More pictures here.

Tea High!

2010-10-15T00:25:00.007-04:00

I discovered this little gem, HighSocieTea House, a tea lover's haven run by three friends. The place is drenched in warm yellow light, is cozy as can be and serves a marvelous variety of tea, (daahling!). The eats are delicious too. A wonderful place to spend an evening with friends!

More pictures here.

GoodnessGraciousYum!

2010-09-26T23:23:00.001-04:00

GoodnessGraciousYum!
Originally uploaded by Vaish.

Thindi at Nammi's place. Heavenly!

No control. Shift delete?

2010-07-19T00:32:00.004-04:00

Can we (or should we) dissociate the music from the musician? Isn't a large part of the music's appeal coming from the artist? I consciously avoid some artists like Marilyn Manson but, I love Amy Winehouse, who is apparently considered a bad influence on children given her constant rehab issues. Well, going by that, we shouldn't be listening to a LOT of musicians!. So, we've grown to ignore certain things celebrities do and accept their lack of control as part of their lifestyle. "What else do you expect with all that fame?", etc., etc.

I suppose in some cases, we don't know or care enough about the musician and in others, we tend to get rather attached and hence, involved with the artists’ personal lives and philosophies. We all love the fact that some of our favorite artists do some serious charity work and the fact that they sing genuinely for some important causes and use their music to advocate peace ;) and love, right?

What really got me thinking about this was what I read about Cheb Mami. I have been a Cheb Mami fan for ages now. I love his voice and his music. And then I hear about how he drugged his pregnant girlfriend and forced her to undergo an abortion (What the?!). Of course, this horrific fact might not be true (even though he's apparently imprisoned in France right now) but if it is true, naturally, it makes me feel extremely uncomfortable when I am listening to his music (the same songs that I've played over and over again a gazillion times before). So what if his voice is divine? It is still the voice of an evil, evil man. Shudder.Oh well, there's always hope. As per Wikipedia, "This biographical article needs additional citations for verification."

Sigh. :-/

Ah, the joy of flowers!

2010-07-07T09:35:00.001-04:00

Ah, the joy of flowers!
Originally uploaded by Vaish.

One of my better shots, this one shot in Stowe, Vermont.

Little drops of water...

2010-02-23T23:08:00.001-05:00

Click on the picture to see it better.

Hold on a second. These things aren't very difficult to do. We can do these things! Some of them, everyday. I bought a sturdy cloth bag and I've left it in my car so I can take it with me whenever I shop. No more plastic bags. I also bought a nice metal water bottle.

If you're not doing any of these things yet, start today! ... make the mighty ocean! :)

Winter Highlights

2010-02-21T23:04:00.004-05:00

I simply had to stop my car and photograph this marvelous, giant snowman. I can only imagine how much hard work went into creating him!

It's hot and it's cold...

2010-01-09T16:57:00.005-05:00

This problem has been driving me crazy for a few months now. In the warm summer months, when the sun is shining down on us and we are hot and sweaty, our office buildings are violently air-conditioned. The cold blast hits you in the face as soon as you get to work. You are shivering, drinking 40 cups of tea in 8 hours and wearing a shawl over your suit. So, how come all your colleagues seem warm and snug? Personal heaters. Every single one has one. Multiple attempts to get the management to change the AC settings are useless, it is a central system and we can't deal with this heat, and we like it cold inside. Deal with it, they say. So people do, in their own ways. But wait! Let's examine this situation here. It's hot outside, so you cool the place, but it's a little too cold, so you use personal heaters to stay warm in the AC?! Ack.

The winter is no better. I'm in Chicago, it is cold. Very, very cold. The cold is bad, bitter, biting. The apartment complex is centrally heated. But the heating doesn't just keep you warm, it makes you feel like you're sitting in a furnace with thermals on. It's hot and stuffy. One cannot open the windows, the cold draft will kill you. One cannot sleep in this heat, one cannot breathe. So one has to turn on the AC every now and then and kill it when one's head doesn't seem like it is going to explode. Eeps!

Utterly baffled by this phenomenal waste of energy. How are we going to save our planet?

The Maestro is back!

2010-01-04T00:12:00.003-05:00

I loved watching Paa for two reasons:

1) It's a very funny movie. (No kidding, it has a serious theme, but the movie itself is very funny, heart-warming and enjoyable).

2) The music is fantastic. Ilaiyaraaja is back!, and in his inimitable style, he creates beautiful new melodies. My favourite is "Mudhi Mudhi Ittefaq Se":

All the other songs on the album are wondeful too. You should definitely watch the movie and buy the soundtrack.

Ma chandelle...

2009-11-30T03:45:00.004-05:00

Au clair de la lune

Mon ami Pierrot

Prete-moi ta plume

Pour écrire un mot.

Ma chandelle est morte

Je n'ai plus de feu

Ouvre-moi ta porte

Pour l'amour de Dieu.

Au clair de la lune

Pierrot repondit

Je n'ai pas de plume

Je suis dans mon lit.

Va chez la voisine

Je crois qu'elle y est

Car dans sa cuisine

On bat le briquet.

Devendra Banhart

2009-11-09T18:03:00.000-05:00

Devendra Banhart's picture from here.

I really like Devendra Banhart's Baby. The style is somewhat iron-and-wine-esque and perfect for a Saturday indoors. (Check out Angelika too).

Tharoor on Vegetarianism

2009-11-08T16:40:00.003-05:00

ShashiTharoor: I explain my vegetarianism by saying i don't want to bite into anything that in its natural living state would have bitten me back.

Pomplamoose

2009-11-07T00:34:00.005-05:00

While looking for Mr. Sandman, which appears very briefly in one of my all time favourite movies Grease 2), I stumbled upon the talented Pomplamoose (no, not Pamplemousses). This one-woman-one-man band is absolutely delightful. Click on the video below for my favourite: Mr. Sandman! Wow!

Also, see what they do with The Sound of Music, La Vie en Rose and finally, (I can't stand the original version but I love what they've done with) Single Ladies (Haha! Listen closely at 2:03).

Remember this? More at PomplamooseMusic.
Apparently, Mr. Sandman is very popular (0-99).
The soundtrack for Prema Loka (one of Juhi's early films; a Kannada mega-hit) is loosely based on the Grease 2 OST.
Yes, I do like Grease 2 better than Grease (blech!). There, I've said it!

A-ha! A-Capella!

2009-10-21T07:19:00.000-04:00

Absolutely my favourite 80s number of all time. A-capella!
Original 'Take On Me' video here.
Anoop Desai (of American Idol fame and) of theUNC Clef Hangers sings 'Angel of Mine' A-capella.
If you like the A-capella group in Scrubs, you can buy their CD 'Riding the Wave' here.
Perpetuum Jazzile performs Toto's Africa.

Intel's Ajay Bhatt Advertisement

2009-10-19T07:02:00.002-04:00

Got to love this ad:

BumpTop!

2009-10-17T21:20:00.001-04:00

Check out BumpTop, a new concept for desktops. I like the idea!

Dog Photographer of the Year

2009-10-06T21:40:00.004-04:00

DPOTY 2009 - Dogs at Play Winner
Originally uploaded by thekennelclub

An amazing set of pictures, this. The one on the right is my favourite. The photographer deserves his award for capturing these adorable expressions. Priceless! Danke, DJ.

Before I go, here's some doggie trivia:
a) The Chow Chow has a purple tongue! and
b) The Basenji is a barkless dog!

Traditional Bengaluru Walk

2009-08-17T13:25:00.001-04:00

I loved the Traditional Bengaluru Bangalore Walk! I was amazed to learn so much history about Old Bangalore and Basavanagudi. Savita, who is the guide on this walk is full of interesting information and leads the walk very well. This walk has absolutely the best food stops, so if you want some seriously good Bangalore breakfast/snacks, you should go! Some shots from the walk:

Jai Hind!

2009-08-15T12:49:00.004-04:00

Happy Indian Independence Day!

To celebrate, here's a beautiful video which was shot as a part of Pangea Day.

"Set against the backdrops of Nairobi city and the beautiful landscape of Uhuru Park (Maasai country), a Kenyan choir sings the Indian national anthem. The director has chosen the Indian anthem because Kenya is home to a sizeable Indian population (including Sikhs & Jains also) of approximately 2.5 million, most of them descendants of the East African Railways labourers who were brought over by the British during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the British colonialists ruled Kenya and the rest of the East African region."

Some short films from Pangea Day.

Trees for Free

2009-07-28T04:55:00.003-04:00

Click on the picture to see it better.

It breaks my heart to see the plight of the beautiful trees on Nanda road. Here's one way to do something for Bangalore : Click here to contribute.

Blog and Official Website (leave it open for a while and enjoy the sounds from the good old Gubbachi days!).

Culture Unplugged

2009-07-27T08:44:00.002-04:00

I found some very nice short films here, including Tara (Indian scene beautifully depicted), Mannu Kudhirai (haha!) and Wings. Let me know if you like any film(s) in particular, there are so many to watch!

Remember the time...

2009-06-26T17:07:00.007-04:00

Every once in a while, on a lazy afternoon, I throw on an MJ CD and listen to it play. His songs still have the same effect on me that they did when I was 8 years old - they make me want to sprinkle talcum powder on the mosaic floor and dance with reckless abandon. I have the fondest memories of playing and replaying all his incredible numbers, learning them by heart simply from ODing on them and gasping in wonder at his smooth supernatural moves. On the school bus home, Triv and I would go over all the rap bits in his songs until we had them down perfectly, we'd discuss Liberian Girl and Billie Jean as if they were the most serious topics on earth. We adored him, we still do. No one compares.

Life goes on normally; the people around me don't seem to understand. I am upset, I am devastated, I am mourning the loss of a special person whose music is really close to my heart. I think he did heal the world and make it a better place with his wonderful songs. It saddens me to think of all the suffering he had to face since he was a child, the dark side of being so colossally popular, the sad decline in recent years.

This is the face that I first saw, the face that I will always remember.

RIP, MJ. We're going to miss you a lot... :'(

a little happy, a little sad...

2009-06-22T09:00:00.002-04:00

A Cup of Tea

2009-06-18T03:17:00.001-04:00

"It is curious how a cup of tea can be refreshing even on a warm day such as this - a mystery, really - but there you have it."

~ Mohsin Hamid in The Reluctant Fundamentalist

On our recent trip to the UK, I ODed on tea, in spite of the heat-wave we were fortunate to experience. It was such a joy to have tea readily available everywhere. Truly a haven for tea lovers.

Tea and Scones, at The Old Town Deli, Inverness.
An Enid Blyton moment for real.

Assam Tea at Embankment Cafe, London.

English Breakfast Tea at Helen's Kitchen, Edinburgh.
Ah, the delightful little piece of shortbread on the side.

Tea at Paul in South Kensington, London.
Delicious Strawberry Marzipan cake to go with it.

CéU

2009-06-16T02:47:00.006-04:00

I'm addicted to CéU's self-titled album. She's got a fabulous voice and her songs are beautifully composed. She's Susheela Raman-esque at times, but her style is unmatched. I'm fascinated by the sound of Portugese and particularly love how she sings "Menino Bonito" in Malemolencia. Also check out Lenda. The live versions are nice, but the studio versions are just out of this world:

Video of 'Roda' - Another beautiful number by CéU

Thanks, H... you're the best!

Global Chandamama

2009-06-07T16:16:00.005-04:00

In every Telugu home, there is a rhyme about the moon that is taught to little ones before they can say Tomato Pappu. Presenting, Chandamama Rave:

Inviting the moon to your place and asking her to bring flowers for you is as integral a part of your overall Telugu upbringing as knowing and loving your pickles and pachadis. There are various references to this concept all over Telugu culture including in Tollywood. For example, see classic NTR hit song "Raavoyi Chandamama" from film Missamma:

And finally, the reason for this post. The latest rendition of this classic. Playing for Change has brought together musicians from all over the world to create this beautiful version of Chandamama:

PS1: Posting this reminded me of a couple of songs that have Telugu lyrics:

Chinnamma Chilakamma from Meenaxi (Music by A. R. Rahman)
Ramayya Vastavayya from Shri 420

PS2: On the other hand, most Telugu songs have a lot of Hindi lyrics these days. Listen to "Dole Dole" from Pokiri.

PS3: Old Hindi Chandamama song.

Un printemps encore!

2009-05-10T06:20:00.001-04:00

Le Printemps
par Théophile Gautier

Regardez les branches
Comme elles sont blanches,
Il neige des fleurs.

Riant de la pluie
Le soleil essuie
les saules en pleurs.

Et le ciel reflète
Dans la violette
Ses pures couleurs…

La mouche ouvre l’aile
Et la demoiselle
Aux prunelles d’or,
Au corset de guêpe
Dépliant son crêpe,
A repris l’essor.

L’eau gaiement babille,
Le goujon frétille
Un printemps encore!

In English here.

Naturally 7

2009-05-06T06:39:00.003-04:00

Naturally 7 performing "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins in the Paris Subway:

Another fantastic version here:

They performed "Wall of Sound" (which has some serious beatboxing and only human sounds!) at a TED show in Feb 2009.

Official Website.

Merci, H.

Kooza - The best show ever!

2009-05-02T09:59:00.007-04:00

Cirque Du Soleil (French for "Circus of the Sun") is a circus group based in Canada. They have several performing troupes that travel and perform different shows all over the world. They follow the Cirque Nouveau (or New Circus) concept which I love - a circus with no ring and no animals but a general theme that combines all the acts to convey a story.

I watched Corteo and Delirium in 2006 with very high expectations. The shows were good, but I was a little disappointed since I didn't think they lived up to Cirque's reputation. And then, I watched Kooza over the weekend. What a brilliant, mind-blowing, spectacular show! I was spellbound, had my mouth wide open through more than half the show and have never said "Oh!My!God!" so many times in a span of 3 hours.

Kooza has several acts all accompanied by perfectly matched pieces of music (many performed by a live band on stage). My favourite acts were the contortionists (they MUST have had their bones replaced with rubber), the juggler (he was full of surprises, I loved him) and the two daredevils you see in the picture above, on the Wheel of Death. These two guys looked absolutely fearless, but boy! they really gave me a heart attack. I don't think I've ever felt that much fear in a show before. With the kind of tricks and jumps they were trying, this act was just too much - I'd go back just to see it again.

Kooza is currently running in the grand chapiteau (a colossal, well air-conditioned tent) at Randall's Island. It's the perfect show for friends/relatives who are visiting (and I say this after having seen at least a handful of people happily snoring at Broadway shows after a long day of sight-seeing). The show captures your attention from start to finish. The costumes are beautiful, the sequences well choreographed and the big blue-green curtain made me happy! Kooza is a wonderful visual experience that's enhanced by powerful music. I walked out of there feeling like it was the best show I had ever experienced!

Official Website.

Permanent Vighneshwara

2009-04-28T17:16:00.007-04:00

I work with a wonderful person UPR about whom you must note the following:

1. She's a big Ganesha fan. She gifted me a cute little pink one when I bought my car last year and she had barely known me for a couple of days back then. She collects Ganeshas of all types, has tiles of him in her cubicle and has this desire to be able to look at him whenever she wants.

2. Her actual age is very hard to believe, she looks like she's 40 and has the mind of someone who is 30 (approximately the age of her kids). She's always brimming with energy; she's well read (she let me borrow this) and well travelled. I can't help but admire her enthusiasm.

Combine the above information, throw in a sense of adventure and a serious dash of courage and this is what you get:

Picture by M Coremin

And apparently she wants another tattoo now! I am completely in awe.

The Phantom of the Opera

2009-04-26T01:18:00.004-04:00

I loved the show! The special effects were fantastic. And this song sent shivers down my spine:

L'Elisir d'Amore

2009-04-21T10:52:00.000-04:00

Image From http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/

This weekend, we finally went to the Metropolitan Opera and watched Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore" (The Elixir of Love). It's a light-hearted and entertaining show - the story of a young man in love, Nemorino, and his attempts to convey his feelings to the beautiful country girl, Adina. Read the full synopsis here.

The theater is stunningly beautiful - covered with red velvet and classy sparkling chandeliers (I want one!). But what really amazed me were the individual hi-tech polarized screens that show you scrolling subtitles in three languages (wow!). Naturally, you enjoy the show a lot more when you understand what they are singing. The sets and costumes were very colorful and nicely done.

It was a very interesting experience. If you're ever in the NY area, I highly recommend a night at the Met Opera.

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra

2009-04-19T22:11:00.005-04:00

On Wednesday, we watched the The YouTube Symphony Orchestra come together for the first time to perform at Carnegie Hall. YouTube brought over 96 professional and amateur musicians from 30+ countries together and formed this orchestra via video auditions online! The significance of this was rather overwhelming; I felt as if I was witnessing a truly historic event.

I went with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The orchestra was fantastic. They picked a great line-up of classical pieces with varying styles and had me hooked from start to finish. My favorite piece was Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, which was stunning. We also got a chance to see the amazing Yuja Wang play a piece. Her fingers just fly over the keys!

Watch other YouTube Symphony Orchestra videos (including the auditions) here.

The Earth from Above

2009-04-12T21:31:00.007-04:00

Greater flamingos on Lake Nakuru, Kenya - Yann Arthus-Bertand

We stumbled upon The Earth from Above exhibit which is currently showing in Old San Juan. The exhibit consists of over a hundred images - aerial shots that ace French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand captured from helicopters while flying over various nations. The pictures are spectacular and give you a completely new perspective of these nations.

Check out all the amazing pictures on his official website.

The Earth from Above Exhibit in Old San Juan

Viejo San Juan

2009-04-07T18:55:00.004-04:00

Some shots of the quaint and charming Old San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Colourful Houses in Old San Juan

Graveyard by the Sea

Old San Juan Charm

Near El Morro Fort

The full set of pictures is here.

First They Killed My Father

2009-03-30T07:54:00.003-04:00

From the very first time I read about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, I was shocked and enraged to learn about the events during those five years...events that occurred not so long ago (1975 - 1979). Pol Pot's idea of agrarian communism led to the deaths of 25% of Cambodia's population of 7 million.

From Wiki: "During their four years in power, the Khmer Rouge overworked and starved the population, at the same time executing selected groups who had the potential to undermine the new state (including including or even those that had stereotypical signs of learning, such as glasses) and killing many others for even minor breaches of rules." They shot you if you were wearing glasses. I just can't get over that fact.

When I heard about First They Killed My Father, I wanted to read it immediately to understand what really happened. Loung Ung's riveting tale of survival is beautifully written. My heart went out to the millions of people, particularly children who watched helplessly as they lost their family members to starvation, disease and the brutal acts of the Khmer Rouge. Ung's life is an inspiration and another reason to remember how lucky we are to have enjoyed the lightness of a normal childhood.

Flying in a Blue Dream

2009-02-25T15:53:00.000-05:00

Not Satriani, but really nice artwork. Especially "Owl".

Bruno Coulais Week

2009-02-10T00:22:00.009-05:00

Film: Les Choristes

Last week, our netflix queue finally sent us 'Les Choristes'. This endearing French film is nothing short of brilliant; the story of a kind teacher, (a talented musician), who transforms the lives of a group of unmanageable children in a correctional school, Fond de L'Étang, through music. (Watch preview here).

The background score by Bruno Coulais is both beautiful and haunting. I bought the soundtrack minutes after the movie ended and have been playing it on repeat ever since. My favourite tracks include: Vois sur ton chemin, cerf-volant and caresse sur l'océan.

Film: Coraline

Meanwhile, I had been waiting eagerly to watch Coraline, ever since I watched the preview on Christmas Day. Normally, I avoid scary movies like the plague, but a scary animated movie was just too tempting. Coraline is an animated Pan's Labyrinth with a 'button'y twist, if you will. Watching it in 3D really brought out the beautiful art work which does justice to the author's fantastic imagination.

More than anything, I was mesmerized by how creative this masterpiece is. As the story unfolds, every new twist and development continue to thrill. In my opinion, Coraline is as good as, if not better than, my favourite animated movie ever: Ratatouille. (I can't help but side with comedy over horror anyday, but Coraline is making it really hard!). Ah, I digress. I thought my 3D glasses were playing tricks on me when I saw that Bruno Coulais, (whose name has been playing in my head all week), has composed the soundtrack for Coraline. The music is fantastic and sets the tone for the film beautifully. Some of it sounds very Indian, or so I thought.

Please watch both movies. They're fantastic! And now, I'm off to find out if I can be an alto...

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T22:12:00.004-05:00

May 2009 bring you lots of happiness!

(And the other months too... :P)

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs

2008-12-25T23:36:00.005-05:00

I was walking past a bookshop one day and peeking at the display when this beautiful image caught my attention. I walked in and bought the book without thinking twice.

If you've known a dog through its senior years, you'll understand the transition that dogs go through. It's very similar to what people go through in their old age - they're senses begin to dull, they sleep a lot, they start to grey. What's most endearing though is how much they seem to be at peace with themselves and the world around them.

This wonderful book features several loving canine companions, all over the age of ten. The photographs are beautiful and the anecdotes that accompany them are delightful too. Some will make you laugh, others will make you cry, but you're sure to love them all.

If you're looking for the perfect gift for a dog lover, this is it. But keep in mind that this gift is best presented to a person who has known and loved an old dog. Old dogs really are the best dogs!

Here are some excerpts from the book. Woof! Woof!

ps - If you liked reading Marley and Me, you should watch the movie.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T17:54:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Blackbird

2008-08-30T22:43:00.000-04:00

I stumbled upon the CSN version of Blackbird first and it's still my favourite. The Beatles version is beautiful too (especially the blackbird chirping!). But gosh, Bobby McFerrin's rendition is really something else!! Wow!!

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise, oh
You were only waiting for this moment to arise, oh
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Dakshin - Great South Indian Meals

2008-08-13T18:33:00.000-04:00

One of my favourite restaurants in Bangalore, Dakshin, offers excellent variety in South Indian Cuisine. If you happen to go there for lunch you can pick from one of their three Thali Options - Vegetarian, Non-Vegetarian and Seafood.

Here's the menu (with the prices). Click here to see a larger version.

The Dakshin Menu

They start you off with a glass of hot piping rasam. Soon the chef at the frying station (the Dakshin Trolley) will start sending little banana pancakes (the highlight of my meal) and steaming appams your way. Several fresh chutneys are presented. Fresh fruit juices (especially watermelon, (oh! yum)) are a good choice.

The Thali arrives in beautiful silverware and you're entitled to unlimited helpings (although you'll find you'll have trouble finishing the first helping of everything - the meal is really filling). The food is delicious and is served on the traditional banana leaf. The finest dishes of the 4 South Indian states are brought forth in style. The Bisi Bele Bath (served with chips!) and Coriander Rice were delectable. The Mutton Vartha Curry and Carrot Ishtoo taste best with the hot appams. (Gosh! My mouth is watering and I want to go to Dakshin NOW). The curd rice with oggarne adds a lovely finishing touch.

The Non-Vegetarian Thali for Lunch at Dakshin.

Click here to see it better.

The ambience, the staff dressed in traditional South Indian clothes and the classical music in the background all enhance the wonderful experience. If you haven't been there yet and want to treat yourself to you a fantastic South Indian meal - GO! And oh, if you need a fancy place to take your parents to, this is it. They'll love it!

Lady Grey Tea

2008-08-05T17:42:00.000-04:00

Have you ever tried Lady Grey Tea? Yet another delightful Twinings product, this.

Black tea flavored with lemon peel and orange peel. I like it way better than Earl Grey.

Try it, it’s yummy and it smells heavenly, too. Oh! What a novel tea! ;0)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

2008-07-21T20:11:00.001-04:00

I want to meet Mma Ramotswe.

The first book in the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series introduces Precious Ramotswe, who starts the first ever Ladies’ Detective Agency in Botswana. The idea of going to Gaborone, driving past the Kalahari, looking at the white skies and thorn trees, meeting Mma Ramotswe and having a cup of bush tea with her in her office – this has become my current-favourite-daydreaming-image. A Botswana without Mma Ramotswe seems so empty, somehow.

Precious Ramotswe is an intriguing person. She is adventurous, intelligent, strong, brave and sharp. Best of all, she has the one thing a good detective should possess – intuition. Turns out when Mma Ramotswe has a hunch, she trusts her gut and always gets good results. Mma Ramotswe is also wise and kind and I love her non-detective side. The side that loves and respects Botswana and Africa. The side that misses her father and hugs children from the orphanage to make them feel better.

The books talk a lot about Botswana. I find myself suddenly feeling very close to nation I knew almost nothing about. I have this longing to go see Botswana now, to visit Gaborone, Francistown, Mochudi and Molepolole. (The names! I love all the names!).

I also find myself very interested in Setswana. I found this little piece fascinating:

"The main tribal language and one of the two official languages of Botswana is Setswana. In Setswana prefixes are more important than they are in many other languages. Some of those prefixes are "Bo" which refers to the country, "Ba" which refers to the people, "Mo" which is one person, "Se" which is the language.

For example, the main tribe of Botswana is the Tswana people, hence the name Botswana for its country. The people as a whole are Batswana, one person is a Motswana, and the language they speak is Setswana. Lesotho, located in the middle of South Africa, is considered a sister country. It was inhabited by a cousin tribe called the Sotho, who speak a similar language. That language is called Sesotho and can be understood by anyone speaking Setswana. The country is called Lesotho because "Le" is a prefix that means "other," holding lower rank. In Botswana, foreigners, particularly white people, are called "lekoa". Africans from other countries are not referred to as Lekoa."

I just love their greetings “Dumela Mma” and “Dumela Rra” and have happily incorporated them into my daily life (Ah, the look on my colleagues' faces!). Listen to the audio files.

I even went and bought myself a pack of Rooibos 'Red Bush' Tea. I have not, however, found the courage to taste it yet; especially since Mma Ramotswe's assistant Mma Makutsi thinks the tea tastes like rats. (Eeps!). But, Gosh, Mma Ramotswe loves Bush Tea. She brews and drinks cup after cup every single day. So does her good friend, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni.

Smith shows through his characters, the true spirit of Botswana, the kindness and warmth of the people, the old Botswana ways and value system. Life in Botswana is so radically different from the life we know. I find it almost eerie, the way the Basarwa live and the rules they follow. I love the way Batswana show how tall a person is – with their palms turned upward so as to not crush the spirit of the person they are referring to. It’s terrifying how many lives are ripped apart by AIDS in Southern Africa. Smith is always talking about ‘the disease’ and how rampant it is.

What scared me the most though, is the strong presence of Muti and Muti killings in these parts. We are so far removed from witchcraft and the occult, that it’s scary to believe that people and children have to still fear and go through this, is this day and age. I read in the news, a couple of days ago about Albinos being targeted in Tanzania for similar reasons. It’s horrific and so inhuman.

There are nine books in the series so far (I'm reading the fourth and can't wait to read the rest). There is now a TV series too, co-produced by BBC and HBO. I hope to watch it once I’m done with all the books (I don’t want the actors’ faces to skew my mental images of the characters just yet). Smith has written a few other series as well. Check them out here.

Nam! Thank you SO much for gifting me the first book. I’m taking you to Botswana with me whenever I go. Ke itumetse!

Would you like some diapers in your cake?

2008-07-11T08:44:00.000-04:00

Recently, I went to Corner Stork Baby Gifts to buy a gift for a friend's new-born. I like the site; they have some really cute stuff. While browsing this site, I stumbled upon a real gem of a gift. An idea unprecedented in originality. A real prize winner, this.

Of all the bizarre things to gift someone to celebrate the birth(/day) of their child. Ready? Presenting, The Diaper Cake.

After I got over my initial shock and lack of comprehension, I came across pages and pages of designs. There's plenty of choice for a diaper-cake-buyer.

I just cannot imagine how a person sat down one day and thought up this idea. Oh! Just look at those diapers in a bag, all lined up. How boring they look. Why not arrange them differently? Maybe in layers? Maybe like….wait! Like a cake?! How appetizing that will look! It will be loved by children and parents alike! Grandparents will clap when we tug at the bow and cut the cake! It will also be so memorable for the child in 20 years – “Look, Son! Those are the nice people who gifted you a diaper cake when you were born!”.

I mean, come on! Diaper and cake are two words that just don’t go together. There’s too much gross imagery involved in this picture if you try to understand it. Why? Why? WHY?

Oh, in case you are wondering how diaper cakes are made, please watch the video on YouTube: How To Make A Diaper Cake . Ahem, “You can also use a tray to display your cake”. Here’s another disturbing video.

Ok. Question: So you get a nice 3-layer diaper cake for your baby shower. Your baby arrives after a few weeks. Are you actually going to use these diapers on a new-born after they’ve been sitting on your dining table gathering dust for a few weeks? Somebody help me comprehend this. I just. It’s. God!

Edible Arrangements

2008-05-07T18:41:00.000-04:00

Gift basket fan? I am. I love to browse through catalogues and websites searching for the perfect gift basket for every occasion.

Flower Arrangements? I love those too. But flower arrangements in the US are exorbitantly priced in comparison with those in India.

And just like that I chanced upon this heavenly combination of flower arrangements and gift baskets, the mother of all gift-flower-basket-arrangements: Edible Arrangements.

Beautifully shaped pieces of fruit, (some, half-) dipped in rich chocolate and arranged in the most delectable fashion. I love the idea of arranging fruits like flowers! What a fresh concept! ;o)

From the website: Edible Arrangements^® specializes in creating delicious fruit designs filled with fresh strawberries, pineapple, grapes, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, bananas and pears. Arrangements are guaranteed fresh and are available in a variety of styles and sizes. arrangement is made to order and can be customized with a jar of all natural fudge. All ingredients are natural, no preservatives or sweeteners are used.

A tad expensive, but apparently completely worth it. (H tried some when a colleague received an edible arrangement at work).

Just click here to see all their arragements and drool away! Aren't the blooming daisies in the watering can adorable? Sigh!

Inopportune: Stage One

2008-05-07T18:19:00.000-04:00

Inopportune: Stage One - Part of Cai Guo-Qiang's exhibit at the Guggenheim

I throroughly enjoyed my first visit to the Guggenheim museum over the weekend. The building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is shaped like a spiral. One walks along the spiral (and into viewing rooms on the way up) to see the exhibits. The main exhibit right now is Cai Guo-Qiang’s "I want to believe". The exhibit has various sections – sculptures, gunpowder drawings and installations among others.

There are three installations that I enjoyed seeing:

1. Inopportune: Stage One: Nine cars suspended in the centre of the rotunda from the sixth floor all the way down to the ground floor, creating a car explosion scene. I found the concept astounding and the beauty of it stunning. It grabbed my attention instantly and I couldn’t stop looking, especially at the lights.

2. The Wolf Scene: 99 wolves (so life like, they were), all leaping in a rising wave and crashing straight into a thick glass wall. The wolves are in a pack and they’re all taking the plunge following the wolves ahead, without realizing that they’re all heading towards impending doom. The scene is both tragic and beautiful.

3. The Tiger Scene: Several tigers (also looked very real) in various positions, pierced with hundreds of arrows all over. The interesting thing is that you could look at each tiger in it's pose and imagine it to be living happily in its natural habitat if you mentally erased the arrows. It was eerie, yet beautiful. This scene was based on a painting of tigers which Qiang’s father painted.

There is also a fishing boat suspended in one of the viewing rooms with 3000 arrows pierced into it. It’s based on the story of an army that runs out of arrows and sends out a fishing boat with straw figures in it. The enemy, unable to see clearly, shoots hundreds of arrows at the boat assuming attack. The army reels the boat back and obtains a fresh supply of arrows straight from the enemy!

A must see exhibit. Watch the video here; click on View Online Exhibition and then Installations to see pictures (You must check out the Wolf Exhibit!). See this blog post for some more pictures.

Fighter

2008-05-05T00:33:00.000-04:00

Last night, I watched a fantastic film Fighter, at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film is based on Aicha, a young Turkish girl in Denmark who is obsessed with Kung Fu. Her family is traditional and conservative and her parents want her to become a doctor and get her married to a nice Turkish boy of their choice. Aicha, on the other hand can think of nothing but fighting. She is so driven and obsessed that her father forbids her to continue her classes. Unable to give up on her passion, she secretly joins a professional co-ed club and faces hell to keep her secret Kung Fu life alive. At the club, she meets a Danish guy Emil, who falls in love with her. Her Kung Fu obsession greatly disrupts her family and school life, but she stays true to her heart and continues to fight for what she loves most.

The film is mainly in Turkish and Danish with some English thrown in. The background score is fantastic, especially during all the running scenes (when she sneaks out from home and runs to her classes) and during her parkour sequence with Emil which I loved.

It was very interesting to get a glimpse of the life of Turkish immigrants in Denmark. It bears a striking resemblance to the life of Indian immigrants in the US. It made me realize that immigrants everywhere go through the same things in a different setting – the feeling of not completely belonging, the bilingual life at home and away from home, the mixture of culture and traditions, among other things.

A movie filled with energy and life. Extremely inspiring and motivating (I couldn’t stop taking jabs in the air for a while after the movie) and best of all, as H said, a movie that has everything - drama, comedy, romance and good music.

Please watch the trailer, it’s fantastic!

Sita Sings the Blues

2008-04-29T19:12:00.000-04:00

Ram, Hanuman and Sita - A still from the film

The Tribeca Film Festival is on in full swing. Last night, AK, H and I watched Sita Sings the Blues, a film by Nina Paley.

The film is, believe it or not, an animated, blues version of the Indian epic tale of Ramayana, this time with Sita as the main character. As an Indian who grew up watching the Ramayana on television depicted with great seriousness and drama, it was refreshing to see this perspective of the Ramayana. It was initially strange and later rather endearing (and cute!) to see Sita singing the Blues and crying over Rama in husky, lovelorn jazz vocals.

Ram, Hanuman and Sita aboard the Pushpaka Vimana

There are several parallel tracks running through the film:

• The actual story of Ramayana (depicted in different art styles which keep changing back and forth) with a focus on Sita. You can see the various styles used in the film here to get an idea of how different each one was! Paley magically weaves ten beautiful blues numbers sung by Annette Hanshaw into the story such that Sita sings them in context!

• Three hilarious Indonesian Shadow Puppets, accompanied by cheerful Indian voices, narrating the story in modern day talk (with some really funny slang thrown in, considering the context still is the Ramayana!)

• Paley’s real-life story in which her husband moves to Kerala in India and dumps her with one simple email. This is when Paley read the Ramayana and drew parallels between the Ramayana and her life and life in general, as we know it today.

Rishis in the forest

The art-work was mind-blowing. I particularly liked the way in which certain things were drawn, like the Rishis and the Vaanar Sena (see all the stills here). There was much detail and the essence of each character and object was captured very beautifully in the animation. The overall look of the film was fantastic; the graphics stunning and the flow between parallel threads excellent. The movie was followed by a Q&A session with Paley and others who worked on the film and Paley mentioned that it took 5 long years to get this show on the road. The long years of hard work comes through in the free flow and effortless transitions within the film.

I really liked the background music throughout the film, especially the fast Indian-Techno numbers which were so Indian and so modern at the same time. Hanshaw’s voice is mesmerizingly beautiful, although I thought they could have reduced the number of Hanshaw numbers that were used in the film.

I really, really enjoyed watching the film. If you have a chance to watch Sita sing the Blues, please do! Watch the trailer here.

Kilorie

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

The company my friend Nivi co-founded, Kilorie LLC, is participating in this year's Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) / Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) business launch competition. GRA and TAG have joined forces to support the creation and growth of start up companies in Georgia. I really like the concept of Kilorie!

Nivi recently made a 1 minute video about it and it's now online! Check it out here: No.7: Kilorie.com

Please watch the video (it's just 1 minute), click on 'vote here' and vote for Kilorie! Your vote means a lot to me and Nivi, and will 'fast forward' Kilorie directly to the next level in the competition. Voting ends on the 30th of April, 2008.

Check it out and thank you!

Rodrigo y Gabriela

2008-03-08T15:38:00.000-05:00

Have you ever listened to Rodrigo y Gabriela?

Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican musical duo who specialize in playing fast, rhythmic classical guitars. The duo's members are Rodrigo Sánchez, lead guitar, and Gabriela Quintero, rhythm guitar. The pair are from Mexico City. They moved to Dublin and gained popularity there. (Read more here).

Their album Rodrigo y Gabriela is fantastic. Isn't the album cover beautiful? I particularly like Tamacun, Vikingman and Diablo Rojo. You can listen to all the tracks on their myspace page.

Best of all, I love their version of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Gabriela's drumming is astounding. Check out the video:

Metallica fans must watch their cover of Orion which is also superb. Half the time one cannot believe that the track on the album is an acoustic version! (Gabriela! What drumming, I say!)

And finally, check out Rodrigo picking up his beer bottle (with the beer still in it!) and ing Floyd's Wish You Were Here with it:

Many thanks to H, who keeps sharing wonderful music with me.

The Accent Lady

2008-03-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

I am well and truly amazed.

Merci, H.

Alphabet Tag

2008-02-23T16:11:00.000-05:00

Tagged by Chitra. Tu Hi Re! Here you go:

A - Available?
For a cup of tea? Always!

B – Best Friend:
Amigo

C – Cake or Pie?
My right ear or left?! :P

D – Drink of Choice:
Alcoholic: Baileys on the rocks. Non-Alcoholic: Fresh lime water sweet.

E – Essential thing used every day:
My watches. Can’t live/function without them.

F – Favourite Colour:
Blue (in combination with green). Purple.

G – Gummi Bears or Worms:
Bears! The worms give me the creeps!

H – Hometown:
Bangalore

I – Indulgence:
Dessert!

J – January or February:
February – It’s closer to Spring!

K – Kids and Names:
Not now, thank you.

L – Life:
Is like a sine wave.

M – Marriage Day:
Most memorable. Yummmmmmmmmmy Food!

N – Number of siblings:
One

O – Oranges or Apples:
Oranges – Especially in chocolate and Milano cookies.

P – Phobia
Algophobia, Odontophobia, Ailurophobia

Q – Quote
“The more people I meet, the more I like my dog”.

R - Reason to Smile:
Puppies!

S – Season
Fall. I love the colours.

T – Tag three people:
Ashanka, Payaniga and Srividya

U – Unknown fact about me:
I occasionally drink tea in the bathroom?

V – Vegetable you do not like:
Bitter gourd

W – Worst Habit
I worry way too much. I worry that I worry too much!

X-rays you have had:
Have been quite boring.

Y – Your favourite food:
Biryani. Andhra Style.

Z – Zodiac
Libra

Another one 'bites' the dust

2008-02-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

The 'root' cause of my misery.

The horror stories I heard before I appeared for the surgical extraction of my third wisdom tooth today scared me plenty. I was petrified all of yesterday and today and I didn't get much sleep last night. I've had two wisdom teeth extracted before from my upper jaw and although those extractions hurt a little, they were fairly simple and took just a few minutes each (and some tug-of-war type pulling by my dentist).

But this one, no such luck. My dentist informed me casually that my tooth was completely horizontal and impacted and I had to get it removed surgically. (Ouch! The T(r)ooth hurts!). He couldn't perform this laborious procedure himself but had to call his friend, the friendly neighbourhood endodontic specialist.

I've never been so petrified in my life. Lying in that chair waiting for the surgery to begin, I felt my heart beat so strongly, I surprised myself. I tried to take deep breaths. I tried to relax. I tried to concentrate on the Jab We Met song on the radio. I tried to smile at the doctor while he reassured me that everything would go well, but my heart continued to play the tabla like Karsh Kale during a concert finale. Crescendo. Nintendo. Jackie Chan. Distract yourself! Distract yourself!

The ordeal lasted an hour. My heart was thumping the whole time. There was drilling, drilling and more drilling. Mariah Carey's seven octave vocal range was put to shame by the spectacular vocal range of this drill. The low pitched reverberations, the shrill ringing, the sudden squeaks, all well and truly presented in surround-sound amidst the wonderful acoustics in the empty concert hall of my head. Distractions were what I needed. I couldn't hear the radio anymore, so I tried imagining this drill sound to be external. I pictured carpenters working on a Sanjay Leela Bhansali set. I pictured Dhananjay, my friend, repairing the motor of a boat. And then I pictured, (like rows of sheep before I sleep), every single one of my friends driving past me in a different coloured Ferrari in the Malaysian Grand Prix. (Poorie, so sweet of you to wave. And Zoo, that thumbs-up was so classy). At some point I felt my entire skull vibrate. That really, really scared me. My tooth put up a major fight. It just didn't want to leave me, the sweet thing. (I've always known that I possessed a sweet tooth). This large vibrating monstrosity of a drill kept hitting my other non- anesthetized teeth because of the angle at which it was held and goodness, that hurt! The final prying process, felt more like it should have been termed as the 'crying process'. The doctor followed the "Pry and pry again until you succeed approach". I could hear my tooth cracking out of it's comfortable embedded state while I tried to picture Amigo doing the hula, draped in garlands of large yellow flowers.

Anyway, in the words of Ms. NP, God Bless Anaesthesia. It started to wear off a little when I got my stitches and I felt sorry for every garment ever made on this planet. I'm supposed to eat a lot of ice-cream. I bought 8 scoops and ate 2 so far. But right now, the pain is too excruciating to care about ice-cream. This is the same feeling I got after my tonsillectomy 20 years ago. I woke up to a family pack of strawberry ice cream with a spoon on top, but the pain was too much to eat any of it. In any case, I am so glad that it's over and I have said goodbye to the last of my wisdom. Another one 'bites' the dust.

p.s. Here's another lovely dental memory from my pensieve.

Tender is the soup!

2008-02-11T05:06:00.000-05:00

Imagine my delight when my Tom Kha Gai soup arrived inside a freshly cut tender coconut. The delectable coconut milk taste of the Tom Kha Gai soup is enhanced with the soft, pulpy chunks of tender coconut that you can scoop out along with your spoon of soup. Such a treat!

In the background, the best Chicken Satay I have ever tasted. I ate two entire plates all by myself (and conveniently skipped to dessert). The peanut sauce was heavenly.

Shot at the poolside restaurant Seasõn at the Amari Boulevard Hotel in Bangkok. Authentic Thai cusine in a beautifully lit garden setting.

Views of Pattaya

2008-02-04T02:50:00.000-05:00

Pattaya by Day

A view of the curved bay in Pattaya. Shot from a viewpoint at the Phra Tamnak Hill temple. The road that runs along the bay is called Beach Road (but, naturally!). It is lined with hotels, restaurants and shops. It leads to Walking Street where vehicles are not allowed (oh, but naturally!) and where there are many pubs, bars, cabaret shows and more.

Sunset at Pattaya

Beach Road in the evening light. The two hotels on the left, shaped like ships. The swimming pool illuminated in an interesting manner.

Click on the pictures to see them better.

Britain's definitely got talent.

2008-02-01T16:42:00.001-05:00

I love watching auditions. Britain's Got Talent has some really fun auditions since its not just a singing talent show like American Idol.

Here are my favourites:

Scott, the Amazing Break Dancer. Never performed outside his bedroom before this.

And doesn't he look like Shreyas Talpade a little?

Craig, the Baton Twirler.

George, the Street Dancer.

And finally, my absolute favourite... M D Productions.

There are a whole bunch of fun videos - The Michael Jackson Singing Monkey, The Rapping Granny, The Bar Wizards, 6 year old Connie Talbot, The Incredible Paul Potts, Jake Pratt, Mike the Impressionist and so many more. All these videos are available on youtube if you want to check them out.

Fallen Mangoes

2008-01-31T10:51:00.001-05:00

Fallen Mangoes
Originally uploaded by Vaish.

Chin up!

2008-01-20T16:24:00.001-05:00

Peace
Originally uploaded by Vaish.

Amigo, relaxing.

Sweet Child of Mine (Indian Version)

2008-01-07T16:34:00.000-05:00

Brilliant! :)

Walk Score

2007-12-13T12:53:00.000-05:00

What a fantastic idea! Check it out: WalkScore.

Currently very thrilled because our address showed a walk score of 95! :)

90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.

Thanks, H.

...

2007-12-04T11:10:00.001-05:00

pour ma prof bien-aimé.

Kukur Tihar

2007-11-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

Picture from cellar.org

Ok, this has to be the cutest festival ever. Check out the BBC Feature In Pictures. (Merci, H).

Pretty ironic that dogs suffer so much through Diwali, though.

Sgt. Pepper's Happy Hearts Club!

2007-10-25T18:16:00.000-04:00

Picture of some Pasta that H made. Yummy!

Bajj, who now lives in California, is a very good friend of mine. I met her during my first few days in college, barely a week or two into the course. All my friends from school were in Computer Science and I was all alone in Electronics, trying hard to find a friend on the same wavelength. With little success, I was trudging along, distracted during classes, waiting eagerly for breaks so I could run over to the Computer Science class and see a familiar face. One boring afternoon, in physics class, I found myself sitting next to a cheerful young lady, with a happy, smiling face. I liked her instantly and we got talking. We seemed to have a few things in common and I was enjoying my conversation with her, albeit via scribbed notes and hurried whispers whenever "Mr.Ruby Lajer" turned his back to the class and went to draw his 'lajers'. Amidst this restricted conversation, I managed to find out that we were born on the exact same day, about two hours apart. All through school I hated sharing my birthday with anyone (silly me!), but for a change, I felt terribly happy that I shared my birthday with this cherubic person who eventually became my closest friend in class. (I feel quite tickled about this now…all the fuss that went into my birthdays…and still does!!) :o)

Bajj made college a very bearable place for me. I looked forward to her company everyday and I truly enjoyed it. We shared so many jokes about classmates and professors. We spent hours on the phone in the middle of the night, planning study schedules, discussing lab records, yelling at lizards and millipedes (?!), worrying about exams and laughing about everything. We had a birthday celebration once, when we both cut cakes simultaneously, something that might seem immature for 19 year olds, but I must admit that it was incredibly good fun. And call it a cosmic-birthday connection, but we often completed each other's sentences, thought the same things at the same time and also said the same things at the same time. Sometimes, the exact same thing would happen to us with a 2 hour lag and we still find this extremely amusing.

I visited Bajj in California about two years ago. It was great to see her and we thought about how we never dreamt that we would one day meet in the US and hang out! A few months later, Bajj and her husband came to the East Coast and hung out with us. It was such a pleasure having them over and I was overjoyed to see her again. I decided (Surprise! Surprise!) to even make breakfast for them (such a rarity, I think I even marked it on my calendar). So there I was, in the kitchen making scrambled eggs and toast for everyone and Bajj stood by my side randomly chatting and catching up on news. Much to her amusement, I took out a few black peppercorns, put them on a cutting board, took out a spoon and started smashing the peppercorns with the back of the spoon. Naturally, Bajj asked me why I was choosing this elegant way to grind my pepper and I narrated the long story of my miserable luck with Pepper Grinders. H and I had tried innumerable times to find a good Pepper Grinder. Every Pepper Grinder mission to every store in town ended in utter failure. Either they had no pepper grinders or the pepper grinders they had were horrendously expensive (I mean, really?! $100 for a pepper grinder?!). On one occasion, I settled for a plastic pepper grinder which broke the next morning over my omelette. Apparently I wanted a lot more ground pepper than the poor thing could give. Finally, I gave up and resorted to buying little boxes that dispense pre-ground pepper. But still, every single time eggs were made for breakfast, I would think about how "I really should go out and get a good, sturdy pepper grinder". At restaurants, I would gape at the beautiful pepper grinders the waiters used to spice up our entrées. And every single time I went to a large department store, I would always walk to the kitchen section hoping against hope that I would someday be able to find a decent pepper grinder. No such thing. The quest remained somewhere in the back of my mind, forgotten but there, and making an appearance once in a while.

Two weeks after my birthday, a package arrived from Bajj. I was really happy that Bajj had sent me a birthday present and I wondered what the package might contain – Books? CDs, perhaps?. I opened the package and couldn't help but laugh out loud! Almost a year and a half after Bajj visited me and witnessed the manual pepper crushing efforts in my kitchen, she remembered my peppery plight and sent me a beautiful, sturdy metallic Pepper Grinder and Salt Mill set! Definitely one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received. When H came home, he was also very surprised. He has always been a partner in my unending quest and he realized what a special gift it was. He couldn't help but chuckle along with me!

After shaking my head in complete amusement and disbelief, I realized that I had a vague memory of Bajj asking me (what seems like about four or five months ago), if I had ever managed to find a pepper grinder and I told her sadly, that I had almost given up hope. Bajj and R, thank you SO much for your super amusingly thoughtful gift. Made me feel really, really special! I have hereby said goodbye to pre-ground pepper and I shall proudly grind my own fresh pepper whenever I need it. All our meals shall now be blessed with freshly ground pepper!

Sgt. Pepper's Happy!
Sgt. Pepper's Happy... :o)

Quillpad - Bridging one major language gap!

2007-10-23T17:55:00.000-04:00

Bangalore has always been a melting pot of people who speak different languages. Growing up, we were a large bunch of kids from all over India, our families settled in Bangalore. The local kids spoke Kannada at home, Mangaloreans spoke Konkani, the Malayalis Malayalam, the Tamilians Tamil. In school we all learnt Kannada and Hindi as our 2nd and 3rd languages respectively, some kids also studied Sanskrit. As a group, we spoke to each other in English and sometimes in Kannada.

Our mother tongues were exclusively for home, for our parents and relatives. This is why it is not uncommon to meet a Bangalorean who speaks at least 4 languages; probably the same reason why auto drivers in Bangalore speak several Indian languages. In the future, I wouldn't be too surprised to find an Auto driver in Bangalore saying "Oui, Madame? À Jayanagar?". Anyway, I digress.

Because we only spoke our mother tongues at home, we never learnt the script formally. Some wonderful parents had the time to sit down and teach their children their native scripts, but most others either thought we were being tortured enough with three languages already or just didn't see the need. So now, in our late twenties, we are all a bunch of mother-tongue speaking people, with the inability to write to our mother-tongue-reading-and-writing grandparents.

Although, I do write to my grandfather in English occasionally, I have always wanted to write to him in Telugu. It is in Telugu that we speak and in Telugu that we have always communicated. It should be Telugu that I use when I write to him. My wish finally came true because of a great piece of technology.

Miss M sent me the link to Quillpad (Merci, M). At Quillpad, you type out in English (using simple phonetics) whatever you want to say in your language and voilà, the words get converted into regional script. Brilliant, eh? Quillpad now supports Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and Bengali.

So finally, I wrote to my Thatha, a letter in Telugu! I felt truly overjoyed to finally be able to break that barrier and tell him exactly what I wanted to without groping for English words that would only moderately translate.

I am however, going to have a hard time explaining to him that I did not master the script overnight! And oh, please wish me luck deciphering the reply.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2007-08-12T14:55:00.001-04:00

I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The book tells the tale of two Afghan women and their disparate lives in the same neighbourhood. Eventually, they come together to support each other. The story has many unexpected twists (which made the book very gripping and unputdownable).

If you’ve read The Kite Runner, (Here's an old review I wrote for French class), you already know Hosseini’s beautiful style. He makes some of his characters so lovable and endearing that it breaks your heart to see the troubles they are enduring. As Usha pointed out, it is shocking to see the sort of insight Hosseini has when he talks about women and their feelings and emotions as they deal with strife as well as happiness. Overall, the book is very heart-rending. It is so devastating to read the plight of thousands of Afghan women, to think about what it must be like for them, even to put yourself in their shoes for one day. All through the book, I thanked my stars for my freedom; my freedom to choose and all the rights I so happily enjoy without thinking twice.

Despite all the tragedy, the book is also extremely encouraging and shows that there is always hope. I enjoyed reading the book tremendously. Must read!

Witty Taglines - Fresh and Direct

2007-08-07T13:57:00.000-04:00

I was driving home last week and while I waited at a red light, I saw a huge Fresh Direct truck pass me by. The tagline caught my attention immediately. Under the words Fresh Direct, in clear black letters it said “Buy Thyme. Save a mint.” Muhaw!!

Their other taglines are great too. I love “Our food is fresh. Our customers are spoiled.”

Check out some of their TV ads here. Looks like they’re competing with Trader Joe’s.

Read more about the Fresh Direct ad campaign.

A Beautiful Day...

2007-07-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

Playing Chess in Washington Square Park

Sunday was such a lovely day. I woke up really late, had lunch at home and watched two episodes of M*A*S*H. After a short nap, I went to Angelika and watched the Oscar award winning German Film "The Lives of Others" (Best Foreign Film 2007). The movie was fantastic. I highly recommend it.

After the movie I walked along West 4th Street enjoying the lovely neighbourhood and reached "The Place", a cozy, beautifully lit restaurant where the ambience was just perfect. The food was fantastic, the service excellent and the dessert out-of-this-world!

Next, I walked to Washington Square Park (one of my favourite parts of the city,) just to hang out. In one corner of the park, we noticed a small crowd gathered around a group of musicians. I could hear the Santana song "Maria Maria" being played. It sounded wonderful and I was drawn to this talented little group. I stood there for hours, as they played on. Beautiful acoustic versions of wonderful, popular songs – The Beatles, Steely Dan, George Michael, A-ha! Gosh, it was amazing. They had several singers, one, an Indian guy who had a powerful voice and belted U-2s "With out Without You" perfectly. I was truly impressed. Another girl sang some Joni Mitchell songs beautifully and those can be pretty hard to sing well. The musicians seemed to be a very fun and easy-going bunch. A girl in the audience asked if she could sing with them sometime and they let her sing right away. She sang "Killing me softly" and did a good job.

The crowd grew larger and larger and the voices grew louder and louder and at one point, I could see everybody singing in harmony, smiling, dancing, keeping beat and having a great time. Music can really bring us together. This, was easily the highlight of my day.

There's always Hope!

2007-06-29T10:42:00.001-04:00

Hope
Originally uploaded by Vaish.

I've become a big Willow Tree fan. Check out their products here.

Ilayaraja's Music Plays On...

2007-06-23T20:10:00.000-04:00

Have you listened to the soundtrack of Cheeni Kum yet? Most South Indians will find their ears perking up when they listen to Jaane Do Na and Sooni Sooni. Both are beautiful Ilayaraja melodies from the 1980s.

Jaane Do Na is based on "Jotheyali, Jothe Jotheyali" from Geetha, a 1980 Shankar Nag movie. This song has remained one of the greatest ever love songs in Kannada film history. Fond memories of the song playing on the radio came back to me instantly when I first listened to Jaane Do Na.

Having listened to both versions, I find the older one far superior. The intro, the beautiful lyrics and the subtle nuances in the song are very pleasing to the ear. The lack of digital techniques and re-mastering really don't seem to play a big role. Also, I like the song much better as a duet and S P Balasubramanyam and S Janaki are simply unmatchable in their style. I particularly love the way they sing the verses with sudden stops (I'm not too sure how to describe it, but they sing at half beats..listen!). Check out the video here:

Sooni Sooni is based on another great Ilayaraja song "Mandram Vandha" from what I think is one of the best movies Mani Rathnam ever made - Mouna Raagam (1986, starring Mohan, Karthik and Revathi). Call me biased, but I can't help but like this version better! SPB's voice weaves magic again with Ilayaraja's intricate melody. Once again, the intro is beautiful and lacking in the Hindi version. The song has all the beautiful characterisitics of Ilayaraja's genius in the 80s. Also, I have always maintained that there is something really mesmerizing about tamil lyrics. I have always found them to be most romantic. I shall not even go into some of the Ilayaraja and A R Rahman songs that overwhelm me every single time I listen to them. Check this one out:

Twenty five years later, Ilayaraja's music still plays on.

Haircut Therapy!

2007-06-16T19:48:00.000-04:00

Photo by JM

I find myself picking from a list of mood uplifters when I am feeling blue. My number one choice is happy music. Play me Khaled's 'Didi', Bombay Rockers' 'Rock The Party' and Eagle Eye Cherry's 'Save Tonight' a few times and I'm all set. A funny movie helps plenty. A nice hot shower, delectable dessert and unexpected snail mail can also do wonders. Ice cream and chocolate therapy are good options. But goodness, the powerful effects of a haircut!

What is it about getting a haircut that leaves you feeling so darn good? In the words of Sheryl Crow, maybe it's just that "A change would do you good". I think sudden drastic changes help us feel better merely because of a change of scene or appearance. Perhaps this is why rearranging furniture is very refreshing. Clichéd, but true, variety is the spice of life!

Maybe it's the attention you get from the lady at the salon who is, until you place your entire appearance in her hands, a perfect stranger. This time, friendly Ms.Tina was gushing and paying me so much attention, I felt like a princess. "Would you like it a little shorter, honey? Wouldn't that be nice and easy for the summer?". Oh, and I loved this one – "Would you like me to frame your face?". I hesitated before I said yes. I had to get rid of the images popping up in my head of my face inside a thick rosewood frame mounted on a wall (saying hello to passers-by Harry Potter style). Tina proceeded to snip the hair around my face in diagonal patterns (which gave me a mild cardiac arrest and an adrenaline rush) and she then went on to examine her work by turning her head to various bizarre angles, similar to the way a terrier would cock it's head if you stood in front of it and made funny clucking sounds.

Maybe it's the adrenaline rush from foresight that you might, you really just might end up looking like the terrier used your head as a chew toy.

Perhaps, it is the literal yet symbolic effect of having taken the load off your shoulders/head.

Could it be the kick you get out of a surprise? You can imagine all you like, but you're just not sure how you'll end up looking until it's over. This time I said "I'm really not too sure what I want, you decide". Sort of like a mild, organic-spa-bunjee-jump-into-haircut-land.

Whatever the reason may be, haircut therapy features very highly only my list of mood uplifters. The next time you're fed up with everything and feel like moving to Greece, try a new hairdo. It might be just the thing you need.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

2007-05-21T22:41:00.000-04:00

This weekend, since Poo is visiting (Yippee!), I decided that we should go watch a Broadway Show. So, I went with Poo and Anj, to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. (Read more about it here). I like Spelling Bees in general, so I was very excited.

After the disappointment that 'Rent' turned out to be, the Bee was a treat! Of all the plays I've seen so far this was easily the funniest and most entertaining one. The play is about six kids who are participating in the Annual Spelling Bee Championship – each one quirky and special in their own way and each one wanting to win the contest just as much as the other.

As always the voices were spectacular and the accompanying musicians were great too. The sets were really good – a high school gym setting made in an innovative way. All the characters were very endearing with their respective idiosyncrasies. The coolest part about this play was that they pulled people from the audience onto the stage and directed them within the play while they were on stage. I think this was particularly a major challenge and they did a fantastic job.

Finally, I can't remember the last time I laughed and guffawed this much in a two hour period. The script was super witty. The delivery (especially from the Vice Principal played by Mo Rocca) was fantastic. The timing was absolutely perfect. And I never thought I'd say this about a play, but I'd love to watch it again! G-O-S-E-E-I-T!

An Evening at Accra

2007-05-18T14:15:00.000-04:00

In Barbados, we stayed in the ChristChurch Parish (Barbados is divided into 11 parishes) at a delightful place called The Nook. It's a bunch of furnished apartments with a big, clean swimming pool and a nice garden. The apartments are clean and well-maintained (cleaning service is included). There's a nice kitchen and a clean bathroom in each apartment. Studios are also available. The open, airy balconies have a nice view of the pool.

The best part about The Nook is the location. It's about five minutes away from the beautiful Accra Beach, The Quay Side shopping center (which has Supermarket, Restaurants, Snack Bar, Internet and ISD Phone Parlour, ATM, Shopping, etc. etc.) and also a walking distance from The Gap, at which there is some very festive night-life.

If you are going to Barbados and want to stay at The Nook, please contact:
Pamela Clark (who is really sweet!)
Phone: 246 427 6502
Address: 'The Nook', Dayrells Road, Rockley, Christchurch, Barbados 15152, West Indies.
E-mail: nookbdos@sunbeach.net

Many thanks to SS for finding the place for us!

Some shots of Accra Beach in the evening:

Beach Cricket!

2007-05-17T10:08:00.000-04:00

If you're in Barbados, there is no way you can escape cricket! Just like in India, you will see little kids using makeshift bats and wickets and playing cricket with great seriousness on little streets. Much to my amazement, I once saw a bunch of 6 or 7 year olds using used bottles of Banks Beer as wickets! Banks is the popular lager beer brewed in Barbados.

Here's a happy bunch playing beach cricket in Holetown, Barbados.

Barbados!

2007-05-12T20:58:00.000-04:00

A bunch of us spent a week in sunny Barbados last month. It's a laid-back island with beautiful beaches, plenty of things to do and see and a crazy love for cricket. The island felt like a mixture of Mauritius, Goa, Pondicherry and Mangalore in many ways. The locals are very friendly. Sometimes a little too friendly (Read: "Hello! Want some ganja, mon?").

Early in the trip, some of us went snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea to spot turtles. (I wish I could've, but with my swimming skills (or lack of them!) I would make a doggy-paddler look like a professional swimmer). The waters were much like a beautiful blue-green painting; little waves shimmering in the sunlight. Here's a shot of the adventurous ADG, stepping into the sea and looking like he can walk on water.

Tamil Rap and Malayalam Rock!

2007-04-29T21:08:00.000-04:00

Here are two gems I was sent recently.

First, a fantastic rock song in, believe it or not, Malayalam! The Band is called Avial. The music is truly superior and I am completely addicted to the song. Every single time I listen, I want to head bang! I think the video is excellent too. Check it out:

Check out some more demos by Avial here. Way to go, guys!

Next, is a hip-hop number in Tamil! Yogi B and Natchatra are from Malaysia and their album is called Vallavan. They sound really, really good! Check this out too, it's great and super catchy!

Many Thanks to Deej and Mithun who sent me the links! :)

Last Class

2007-04-09T23:09:00.001-04:00

On Life...
Originally uploaded by Vaish.

I took a short (10 hour) course in calligraphy last year. It was fun! :)

Sports Junkie: The Football Head!

2007-04-02T03:00:00.000-04:00

Some people love sports. Some people really, really, REALLY love sports.

Our dear friend Bond is one of such sports crazy individuals; one, with a truly sporty sense of style. One who lives in his own world where everything revolves around sports. He eats sports, drinks sports, dreams sports, thinks sports, writes sports, religiously watches sports, talks sports, hypothesizes various situations in sports, travels all over the world to watch sports, _____________ (fill in the blank with any verb in any language) sports and also of course, sports sports.

What do I mean sports sports? In Germany last year I accompanied three such sports crazy people to the Football World Cup 2006. Bond and Leppy (our gracious host) disappeared one morning from the apartment in Marl. We waited three full hours before we started panicking. Where were these two? We had a game to go to, for Bratwurst's sake! I fished some change out of my pockets, took a post-it note jam-packed with phone numbers and started walking in whatever general direction looked appealing. After vigorous use of my hands in combination with broken German directed towards horrified Marl residents at various points, I managed to find out where the nearest Telephone Booth was - in the post office gerade aus. I looked all over the post office for a phone booth (and was hoping to spot Robert Cray in one) but I just couldn’t find it. So I went and stood for a good 20 mins in the post office queue (I wasn’t too sure what the German punishment was for cutting lines). Out in the garten, apparently, I had to look. I finally got through to Leppy, who sounded all excited (and a little surprised – "Where are you calling from?!") and informed me that they would be back shortly.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, shot Bond into an instant orbit of fame in Germany. They spent three laborious hours planning, designing, cutting, shaving, trimming, fine-tuning and what not. Leppy was the navigator, apparently. He told the shocked and confused barber (who had not taken an Engineering Drawing Class in his peaceful life and could not easily envision the end result of this preposterous experiment in 3D) exactly what needed to be done. The Football-Head was a walking, talking football sensation. People on buses, trains, random pedestrians, match-goers, policemen, restaurant owners and every other person we walked past expressed their appreciation and amazement with a slap on the back, a thumbs-up sign or a happy exclamation! Wow! (And Leppy never failed to chip in fluent German that it was all his design and artwork, following which people shot him looks of admiration!). People everywhere wanted to take pictures with him (or his bent head, if you please!). In Berlin, a South American TV Crew interviewed him before he walked into the stadium and I am sure some South American nation marveled at his head in the evening news, dropping their jaws and exposing their half eaten bites of dinner to the TV Screen.

The next few days in France without Bond, we felt constantly like something was missing until I realized what it was – nobody was staring at us in complete amazement and yelling out superlatives at us! Bond, you got us all accustomed to some serious popularity! More pictures here.

Today is Bond's Birthday! Happy Birthday, Bond!! May you achieve all your goals! :)

The Producers - The Play and The Movie

2007-03-27T13:21:00.000-04:00

Last year, we went and watched “The Producers” on Broadway. The St.James theatre is small and we managed to get decent seats, so we had a great view of the stage.

The Producers is a Mel Brook musical. The play is about a Broadway Producer Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, an introverted unhappy accountant who wants to break free from his boring life, enter the glamorous world of Showbiz and become a Broadway Producer. Max and Leo get together and come up with a brilliant scheme to make some money, but the plan goes horribly wrong.

The play was extremely funny. The highlight of the entire show was the German Franz, author of the play “Springtime for Hitler”. The script is fantastic (especially if you know a little bit of German). The song lyrics are hilarious.

Hunter Foster, John Treacy Egan, Gary Beach, and Jai Rodriguez: A scene from the play.
Production Photography by Paul Kolnik.

Here’s a word of caution though. If you have to pick between the movie and the play, I would strongly suggest picking the play. The real life version is much better and much more entertaining. The plus side of the movie of course, is that you will see Nathan Lane, Mathew Broderick and Uma Thurman at their best. But if you’ve already watched one of the two, please avoid the other.

I happened to watch the movie after I watched the play and was shocked to find that the movie is an absolute exact replica of the play. Word to word, scene to scene, setting to setting, backdrop to backdrop, including the angle at which people stand in a particular scene!

Don’t miss the play, though. It’s Broadway entertainment at its best. Break a leg!... Oops!

Stay Young Playing Golf in Germany

2007-03-19T22:44:00.000-04:00

I have fallen in love with Ludwig Hohlwein’s art work. I love his style and his use of color. Read here, a very interesting write-up about his work. (I think the Bangalore Torpedo might like the second piece!). He came up with some superb posters, I must say.

Check out this Poster Gallery for some more beautiful pieces. And speaking of brilliant art work, have you checked out Shruti Nelson's talent?

Paws and smell the grass!

2007-03-19T22:41:00.001-04:00

Paws and smell the grass!
Originally uploaded by Vaish.

And check out the little paws on his leash! :)

At Usha's Place. Jan 2007.

Vaish at Rivoli!

2007-03-17T14:35:00.000-04:00

Picture Taken by SK, 2007, Delhi.

A delightful picture that The Talented Thambi took at Connaught Place, Delhi. At first, I thought it was a restaurant (of course I read it as Ravioli!), but I found out later that it is in fact, a classy clothing store. Who cares what their business is anyway?!! They have my name written stylishly. I like them!! ;o)

Check out more of Thambi's wonderful pictures here. I am completely in awe of his photography skills. Like I said before, it really must be something to see the world through his eyes!

P.S. Check out this amazing "six-second photo" that he took.

Meringue and Pavlova!

2007-02-22T13:49:00.000-05:00

On this trip, I managed to indulge in 8 of my 10 favourite Bangalorean snacks! Look up #9 on that list - pure dessert bliss.

Walnut Meringue

After a very nice meal at Tangerine (do try it; off CMH Road, Indiranagar), I dragged Nanji and Venx to Herbs and Spice for dessert. I couldn't not! We polished off the Walnut Meringue and the Pavlova. If you go, try the Walnut Meringue. Please. I cannot describe in words how incredibly good it tastes. You MUST try it to find out. The Pavlova is also fantastic.

Pavlova with Kiwi and Strawberry toppings

And of course, I made sure that I completed the-snack-#9-experience fully. The extremely sweet Ms.Puggy greeted me with this wonderful surprise (For the uninitiated, please read here about Sangeeta Damani). Thank you so much, Puggs! You're such a sweetheart!

pretty lights!

2007-02-15T10:04:00.001-05:00

pretty lights
Originally uploaded by Vaish.

I happened to look up and spot this pretty sight at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City.

Jayanagar is hep! (Part 3)

2007-02-13T10:45:00.000-05:00

Jayanagar has 3 Café Coffee Days and 1 Barista (If I’m not mistaken. Let me know if there are more). The Barista is located right next to the Telephone Exchange in 5th block. It’s small, but nice and cozy. Parking is easily available. Definitely a nice place to hang out and chill. Their tea is pretty good – try the Assam tea, black (unfortunately, they don’t serve it with honey). Their pièce de résistance, however is the incredibly delectable Wildberry Cookie that S suggested I try. One taste of this little heaven of a cookie and you will be addicted. Just before I left Bangalore, I asked DJ to buy me one, so I could enjoy it on the flight back.

A couple of not so great things about the Jayanagar Barista, though. I was highly annoyed to see at least one person at every table smoking. Luckily, the place is built in someone’s front yard and is lightly enclosed with grills as opposed to heavy walls and windows. So there was some air for me to breathe before I choked and died at the table with my face in tea and cookies. But seriously, I hope all that smoking is not a regular occurrence. And oh, please do not read the boards/posters put up inside Barista. They say absolutely the most ridiculous things. One of them said something like “You can change your religion, but you can’t change your coffee shop”, or some random nonsense like that. Drove me nuts. So, to summarize:

Order Black Assam Tea and Wildberry Cookie. Consume over good conversation. Don’t read. Don’t breathe.

Jayanagar is hep! (Part 2)

2007-02-08T17:48:00.000-05:00

Yummy Dessert at Painted Platters, Jayanagar

When we were students of NCJ (National College, Jayanagar), we had three joints we hung out at. One was Sathisha’s Angadi, Sathisha’s little store that sold cigarettes, assorted candy and biscuits. The second, more popular one, which was recently shut down, was Dosa Palace - a true haven for any dosa enthusiast. This place served more than 17 types of dosas, from the standard plain and masala to panneer, pineapple and avarekalu! Naturally, we hung out here almost everyday for steaming dosas that were served with a dollop of melting butter, hot coffee/tea and oh, the most delicious hot jamoons and jalebis that were made in front of our very own eyes. The staff was extremely friendly and I still remember the smiling faces of Suresh and Seema, complete with twinkle in their eyes and all that. The third was an SLV down the street that we went to once in a while. Later on, Coffee Day opened (the first one in Jayanagar) and we discovered the likes of an Iced Eskimo in South Bangalore. Anyway, I digress.

What stands there today, right opposite NCJ and next to the still standing Satisha’s Angadi are two marvelous places for a foodie to enjoy. The first is a wonderful salad bar called “Pure and Natural” that serves fantastic salads of all kinds. You simply must try this place. S ordered a “Russian Salad” that was really delicious. V’s fruit salad was rather interesting too. They also have some fancy drinks that are worth ordering.

The second is Painted Platters! (Told you Jayanagar is all hep, now!). Gone are the “Dollops!” days. If you want dessert, go to Painted Platters. They have some fantastic things on their menu, including the Mississippi Mud Pie which is an absolute must eat. The place is small and quaint. I have always admired the style with which Painted Platters presents both their menus and food. The menus are usually in the form of Gramophone records, CDs, LD’s and whatever else you can think of. They’re really creative and made with exclusive taste. You must check them out. The platters are, of course, always served painted with chocolate and say some interesting/witty/corny thing or the other.

Another, more yummy view. Click on the picture to see the chocolate better.

Guten Appetit!

Jayanagar is hep!

2007-02-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

Caramel Custard

Good old Jayanagar. Oh, how it has grown! From being the quintessential, modest South Bangalore Market Place, Jayanagar has turned into a great combination of the old and the new (read: hep!). You'll still find the old flower stalls inside the 4th block complex selling garlands and hand-tied jasmine (Q: "Ondhu Mola Yeshtappa?". A: "Yeldu Mola Kodla?"). You'll still hear your tummy rumbling as you walk past Iyengar Bakery and smell the hot Khara Buns baking. You'll still see the stout, grumpy fella selling SSLC text books in the quaint little R.A.N stores. But wait, there's more.

Casa Piccola - Jayanagar

Bored with Sukh Sagar and Icy Nicy? You can now stay within the confines of Jayanagar and still eat at Casa Piccola! Yup, you read correctly! Our very own 4th block has a Casa Piccola. (Located between Pizza Corner and Prism Book Store; Upstairs, above Health & Glow and Levi's). Wait! There's more. They also serve alchohol! (Not like I care, but that's something for good old 4th block). The place is nicely done up. They have two floors (2nd and 3rd), with a buffet (that includes beer) on the 3rd and à la carte on the 2nd. The buffet looked too expensive (~Rs.400), so we decided to go to the 2nd floor.

Grilled Chicken with Veggies

The bean bags are perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon meal. And oh, the view is fantastic. You'd expect little from a 4th block main road filled with bulldozing buses and hurriedly scurrying autos, but the large glass wall is hugged by bright green leaves from the neighbouring gulmohur tree.

Chicken Stroganoff - Shredded chicken with vegetables in a mild sauce. A classic dish served with rice & salad.

Here's a little view of our meal the other day. The food is very good. They also have Indian food, although we didn't feel very adventurous. The desserts are excellent – try the Caramel Custard or Marble Cake. The Crepes look good but are avoidable. A great Bangalorean experience, overall! Meal for 3 approximately Rs.800/- with One Entrée each, Fresh Lime Sodas and Desserts.

Veggie Pasta with garlic bread

What's for dessert?

Marble cake

Chocolate Crepes

Chocolate Crepes - Another view

Click on the pictures to see them better.

Bon Appétit!

2006!

2007-01-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

2006 was a good year. It was a significantly different year for me in many ways.

Home: Moving to the US and getting used to life here was exciting and challenging (read missing Bengloor). I spent the entire year off of Indian soil, something I never dreamed I would end up doing! I guess there's always a first time, eh?

It was nice watching the seasons change; I particularly enjoyed the Fall. I noticed that I have now started saying things like Skedyool (Schedule), Noo (New) and Happy Holidays. I now drive on the other side of the road and I crave for Japanese food! In the words of the masked one, Somebody Stop Me!

Home Home: I think being so far away from home gives you a rather interesting perspective about many things. I spent a lot of time and effort this year trying to keep in touch with everyone back home. Much to my delight, some people really made an effort to stay in touch with me. Some others have faded away. I spent a lot of time thinking about home and missing all my near and dear ones. The most painful part of it all was staying away from Amigo. How do you inform a pet that you miss him? That you long to see him? That you still care for him? You can't call him or write to him. I strongly advised a colleague to refrain from buying herself a pup for the as a playmate for her children. I told her to remember that it is just like getting herself another baby.

Work: I spent an entire year enjoying the work that I do. That's definitely something I haven't done before. I've learnt a lot and I have really enjoyed learning it all. I got to meet a lot of interesting people too.

Travel: I went on eight very wonderful trips in 2006, the best of which was a long awaited trip to Paris; easily one of the most memorable trips I've ever been on. Being in Germany for the world cup was truly a great experience. I also traveled around the US a little bit and enjoyed discovering various places like Austin, San Jose, SFO, Portland (Maine), DC, Boston, San Antonio and Atlantic City.

Books: In an effort to get my nephew and niece to read, I read a whole bunch of Children's Books with them. I fell head over heels in love with Roald Dahl's works and his hilarious poems. I just love the guy. I loved reading Eragon (although I seem to have read it rather late) and I was fairly disturbed by Camus' The Outsider. Marley and Me was a lovely story about a great dog (I adore dog books).

Movies: I don't think I have ever watched so many movies in one year. This year I watched a grand total of 83 movies – 53 English, 6 Hindi, 6 Foreign, 7 Animated, 9 Telugu and 2 Tamil.

Concerts: I saw three fantastic concerts this year – Dave Matthews Band, Roger Waters (The Dark Side of the Moon Tour) and Eric Clapton with Robert Cray. Need I say more?

Shows: I watched several amazing shows this year – Corteo and Delirium (Cirque du Soleil), some great Stand-Up Comedy Shows at Laugh Factory and Comedy Cellar in NYC, and
on Broadway: The Producers and The Altar Boys (both hilarious!).

Hobbies: I spent three very wonderful months diving headfirst into a great French course at the Alliance Française in New York. I loved the classes, the teacher, my classmates and the library there.

New York: I spent many a weekend in New York Nagaram, discovering a little bit more about it every time. I have fallen deeply, madly in love with the city and can't wait to discover more.

All in all, it was a great year. I hope all of you had a good year too.

Happy New Year 2007, All! Hope the New Year brings you lots of happiness and success!
...Et Bonne Année grand-mère! ;0)

12 Days of Christmas! (Indian style!)

2006-12-20T21:53:00.000-05:00

’Tis the season to be jolly! (Sing that in the Good Golly Miss Molly tune, it's more fun!). And this video that Poo sent me had me ho!ho!ho!ing all morning. The Indian version of the 12 Days of Christmas. Please do check it out.

Once you’re done with that you should really check out the HappySlip videos. They are hilarious! This girl is very talented. You can read more about her (and the hilarious origin of the name Happy Slip) here. Her dad's way of saying "Deesassterr" always cracks me up! Here are her videos. Mixed nuts is my favourite!

Thanksgiving in Texas!

2006-12-11T21:31:00.000-05:00

The spectacular river walk in San Antonio. The Palacio Del Rio on the left.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I fled like the typical snowbird to warm, sunny (and even hot!) Texas and allowed the Sun to engulf me in its warm rays. The prospect of no thermal underwear, no heavy coats and no need to flee from buildings to cars at break-neck speed to avoid exposing one’s ears to the evil winter was just too tempting.

I spent four days just chilling, and enjoying a good break with family. I explored Austin a little more. For a change, I had the opportunity to enjoy a non-sweet breakfast at Kerby Lane Cafe near UT, Austin where they have Round The Clock Breakfast! I had some very tasty Migas Tacos (which is a tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, veggies and pico de gallo). Finally, a spicy breakfast item! Phew!! The sweet breakfasts here really make me sick and I crave for Idli-Vada-Sambar and Dosa Chutney breakfasts all the time. The Breakfast Taco which is the same thing with just plain eggs and potatoes was a little bland for my taste.

At the Pedernales Falls State Park

After that filling meal, we went to Pedernales Falls State Park which is located an hour away from UT, Austin. The place had some nice hiking trails (which I didn’t bother venturing into) and a little beach where people were lazing around and much to my delight, walking their dogs. There were a lot of dogs about, many that enjoyed diving into the water for a nice afternoon swim. I had a good time talking to one who decided to come pay me a little visit, a little far away from where his family was. We all just sat around and enjoyed the scenery.

After a relaxing afternoon, I took great pleasure in an hour long nap in the backseat of the car. I awoke with great enthusiasm for the tex-mex dinner we were about to have. We met up with friends and went to the famous Chuy’s which has, in my opinion, the best tex-mex food I have ever eaten. The Chicken Chile Relleno and the Chicken Enchiladas were fantastic. And I have never had better refried beans in my life. I polished off my entire plate and then showed it off to everyone at the table too! After dinner, we decided to get dessert at Mozart's and our friends ( who own a brand new red Mini) let me finally find out what sitting inside a Mini and zipping past traffic feels like. I was extremely excited and I loved every moment of it. Gosh! What a car!

On the way to San Antonio from Austin is a town called San Marcos. There are so many outlet malls in this place, it’s just ridiculous! Anyway, our initial plan of stopping here for 2 hours went tata bye-bye when at 5 hours into the shopping spree we decided to call it quits. I have to admit though, I’m not very fond of shopping in general, but this place is just the greatest place to shop. I got great sneakers, awesome sweaters and pants for really great prices. I didn’t shop as much as Mr.HKS however, who needed to buy a bag to fit all his shopping into! Hahah!! (Ok, ok, and mine).

By the Alamo; where the wedding party was.

San Antonio is simply spectacular. I got lucky because I got to see it in all its Holiday glory. The city is very beautifully lit and has a slight Vegasy feel to it. A walk to the Alamo took us through pretty streets and everywhere, the lights got my attention. We even got to see a wedding party that was in the garden right opposite the Alamo, dressed beautifully and waiting to take horse carriage rides. I felt like I was inside a book. A large Christmas tree with pretty decorations was placed right outside the Alamo.

Boat rides! Riverwalk, San Antonio

But nothing, and I mean nothing can outdo the charm of the Riverwalk. Canals that are lined on either side by quaint cafés and restaurants and festively lit trees. The place is like a carnival without the costumes, musicians included. There were plenty of people taking boat rides in the river and some restaurants have boats that you can have your meals on. They keep docking at the restaurant to load and unload food. I loved the concept!

Saturday Evening along the Riverwalk

We stayed at the Hotel Palacio Del Rio, which had an elevator that took you straight down to the riverwalk. I loved the convenience of the location. From the 25th floor of the hotel, our balcony gifted us with a truly wonderful view of the winding riverwalk. To watch the bustling crowd, the shimmering lights of every colour and best of all, the reflection of the lights in the water, was a really great experience!

Lights along the riverwalk.

squigglyboo!

2006-11-30T00:56:00.000-05:00

squigglyboo! Originally uploaded by Vaish.

Je suis contente! :)

Road trip to DC!

2006-11-05T16:44:00.000-05:00

The White House

Last month, we went on a road trip to Washington, D.C. It's been a while since I went on a trip with a bunch friends from college and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Driving on the roads here is good and bad. The roads are beautiful, the ride is wonderful, the navigator is a god-send. The monotony of good roads with large green signs, the lack of potholes and the non-existence of horn-blaring, oncoming, well decorated yellow lorries can make you terribly sleepy. The drive to DC takes a little over 4 hours from NYC. With Sting to keep us company, the 4 hours flew by and we reached Virginia late Friday night.

After a good night's sleep and a heavy breakfast at Einstein's brothers bagels, we set out to our first destination for the day – the Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian Institiution Building

The majestic Smithsonian Institution building is built like a castle. The garden in the front yard is beautiful. We liked the idea of an information center – it really helped us get around the Smithsonian. First we went to the Museum of Natural History where we marveled at the Dinosaur Exhibits. We also loved their collection of gems and precious stones. The Hope Diamond was beautiful (and grrr…. taken from India!). My favourite exhibit there though, was jewelry pieces made from yellow diamonds. They looked remarkable. Apparently, diamonds occur in a restricted variety of colours — steel gray, white, blue, yellow, orange, red, green, pink to purple, brown, and black (Read more at the related Wikipedia article).

Pretty Flowers Lining the Streets!

We walked around the streets a little and I was fascinated by all the flowers they had placed all over the place in pretty pots, lines and lines of them!

Sculpture at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden

On the way, we also checked out the beautiful Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden which had some very interesting exhibits.

Next, we proceeded to explore the Air and Space Museum which was very fascinating. I particularly loved the re-entry pods from the Apollos they have on exhibit there. They have an entire section dedicated to the Wright brothers. We watched a couple of shows that were running there – one was a show at the Einstein Planetarium and another was an IMAX show about fighter planes. The IMAX show was excellent, the planetarium was warm, the seats were nice and comfy and I found that a nice black sky with shiny stars is the perfect soporific agent (erm…sheepish grin and all that!).

The Washington Monument at sunset

After exploring the Smithsonian we started walking in the general direction of the Washington Monument. We spotted the Capitol Hill building on the way. It was a nice walk. We walked to the White House and admired the well manicured lawns. I was particularly fascinated by two armed guards who were walking around on the roof. We sat by the Washington Monument for a while, soaking in the pleasant weather and just chilling.

The Georgetown Area is really beautiful. We walked around the streets and really enjoyed being there. The roads are so pretty, every lamp-post is decorated with pretty flowers. How they maintain such things, I really wonder. They have some lovely stores here, like Paper Source which I loved. If you've got the money and you like stationery, this is the place to shop! Amazing variety and really innovative stuff. We also explored the oldest house in Georgetown. It was interesting to see how people lived back then. We finally ended up by the Georgetown Harbour which is lined with restaurants. The place is very pretty; well-lit with a beautiful fountain and a fantastic view of the beautifully lit Kennedy Center. We had dinner at the harbour and pulled Aagmik's leg as much as possible.

The Kennedy Center, all lit up; view from the Georgetown harbour

We woke up late on Sunday. It was a warm, sunny day. We pigged out at Baja Fresh (where Anj simply HAD to go for lunch) and we walked the streets of Georgetown in the afternoon. Eventually, we ended up at the Georgetown Harbour once again. Here we took a one-hour long Canal Ride. We saw the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial and various sites along the banks of the river Potomac on the ride. The view of the Georgetown University building on top of a hill by the water was spectacular. A few shotglasses and goodbyes later, we were on our way back home.

The Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument behind it; River Potomac in view

A very nice trip indeed; a major highlight being the absence of flights, long, boring security checks and the removal of one's shoes to indicate the absence of weapons of mass destruction in one's soles (no pun intended). Road-trips are really good fun, especially with a navigation system to tell you where to go! We didn't look at a single map on the entire trip. We found everything (including our hotel, the Bagel Place, and the Smithsonian) with the help of the navigator. God bless Technology!

Note: Click on the pictures to see them better. The entire set of pictures is here.

Trick or Treat?

2006-11-03T17:47:00.000-05:00

Jack-O-Lantern Lights!

This year I got to experience my first ever Halloween.

The day began normally, until Green Goblin Gouri entered the office and started distributing random, grotesque body parts to everyone at work. I was the fortunate recipient of an eyeball. I was also gifted a large candle shaped like a piece of candy corn. I must thank Gouri, (a) for making my day special by gifting me a random body part (oh! how kind!) and (b) for telling me about the delicious treat that is called Candy Corn and (c) for gifting me a candy corn shaped candle! Gouri, you're an angel, we all ogre(e).

At the local school, I attended the Halloween parade and saw scores of cute kids dressed in the most fascinating costumes from ghouls, death eaters and witches to superheroes, chinese women and old ladies. Power Rangers, Spiderman, Superman and Fairy Princesses seemed to be the most popular ones. The whole event brought back great memories of Fancy Dress Competitions that we used to have in school. What fun! The differences though, were that these kids were not in a competition; it was all just for fun. And Gosh!, every single teacher was dressed up too! The principal was a chef, some teachers were policemen, one was a gift box, and others were prison inmates. After the parade the policeman handcuffed some inmates much to the children’s delight!

Pretty Lights Decorating someone's driveway!

In the evening we went trick-or-treating and had a great time (errmm..we as in, I accompanied the kids and didn’t actually go trick-or-treating myself. That would’ve scared everyone, although that would have been a good thing to do for Halloween! I did however polish off seven mini-bars of Twix. Ahem.). Most people in this neighbourhood are very friendly and they opened their doors with big smiles and lots of candy. Some were a little grumpy but generous nonetheless. Many houses had little kids (under 5) opening the doors in costumes and handing out candy. That was so cute! Some had their doors closed (with signs like “Nobody home”) and some people had their doors wide open, waiting for the little trick-or-treaters, who were all dressed up. The coolest thing was when a tall monster and scary ghoul opened the door to hand out candy to the kids! Haha! They were in for a fright!

But I found that the most wonderful experience during Halloween is to hand out candy when the doorbell rings and an adorable little kid looks at you expectantly and is thrilled beyond belief to hear you say “Go on, take some more!”. I was most amused when a little fellow took all the candy he possibly could with his grubby little hands and yelled to me before he ran off, “Thank you! I love you!”. Hahahah!! Happy Halloween!

Notes:
Check out this amazing picture of Candy Corn!

When Autumn Comes...

2006-10-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

When Autumn comes, it doesn't ask
It just walks in where it left you last
You never know when it starts
Until there's fog inside the glass around your summer heart

Something's missing
And I don't know how to fix it
Something's missing
And I don't know what it is
No, I don't know what it is
At all

Something’s Missing from John Mayer’s album “Heavier Things”. Beautiful album, this. One of my favourites.

Tum Hi Tum by H.T.T.P!

2006-10-23T18:54:00.000-04:00

H.T.T.P (From L to R: Suva, Karthik, Murali and Ashwin)

H.T.T.P is band that a couple of my friends are part of. The band members are all techies and hence, the cool techie name. But wait, the full form of the band name truly signifies a techie's life: H.T.T.P stands for Hardly any Time To Practise!!

I've been hearing about their band for a while now and their great performances at Infy, Chennai, but I've never heard them play live. Last week, a link popped up in my inbox about an uploaded video and I clicked on it. I was truly amazed. HTTP wrote this beautiful song called Tum Hi Tum, recorded it and even made a video for it!

I am in love with the tune, it's really wonderful. I am completely in awe of Ashwin's voice and drumming and also Murali's lead. These fellows are so modest and down to earth, I had no idea they were so talented! I've been playing the song on repeat and I can't help but think it sounds like a professional band is playing it. Despite leading such hectic lives as techies, they actually found the time to pursue their music. Wow! They are obviously very passionate about the band and it shows.

I love the way the song starts and I love the way it ends too. Guys, I am totally impressed. I can't wait to hear more!

Congratulations on your first video! (And next time we meet, I want autographs!!)

Check out HTTP on MySpace and watch Tum Hi Tum here.

Here come the Hot Dosas!

2006-10-10T12:31:00.000-04:00

Dosas! Originally uploaded by Vaish.

The next time you are in Edison, make sure you go to Moksha for lunch/dinner. Located on Oak Tree Road, (in the same complex as Movie City, Moghul and Ming), this South Indian restaurant is a true haven for people who suffer from various ailments such as homesickness, Good Dosa-sickness and just proper South Indian Oota-sickness. The best time to visit is Sunday afternoon for their well-priced buffet. The spread is not colossal, but is big enough to be just right. They have scrumptious appetizers (like Kothimiri Kodi a.k.a Corriander Chicken) and they usually have a very appetizing Pineapple Rasam which is good a soup/starter and also quite tasty when mixed with rice.

For the main course, they have very piquant chicken/fish/lamb curries (any two) and some very tasty authentic vegetarian dishes, like beans poriyal and pattani sundal. The sambar is also very good! The best part though, is that they make heavenly dosas right in front of you and bring them hot and fresh to your table every few minutes. Imagine my joy! They also have very yummy, tangy chutneys to go with the dosas. If you're not a big dosa fan, they have yummy rotis too! Last week they had this really delightful rice called Mango Rice which was basically like a pulao with raw mango pieces which tasted delectable when eaten by itself. This week, they had tomato rice which was also very tasty.

The best way to end the meal is with their delicious curd rice, made in an authentic South Indian style with a variety of pickles and appadams to go with it. But I always take it a step further and enjoy the desserts they have – Paruppu Payasam, Rice Payasam, Malgovia pudding and fresh fruits.

The vegetarian starters are not all that great, their drinks are avoidable and I wish they would have Biryani included in their buffet. But overall, the food and the service are both very good. And all said and done, nothing can be as satisfying as a nice, hot South Indian meal. Moksha is, I must say, a very apt name!