Not a working class hero

Hungry in Mumbai: Carter Road, Bandra

2012-01-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

As per the latest unofficial survey of the few people who were tortured by this blog, I should be hauled over coals, again. Apart from the usual travesties inflicted, my friends complain that I have failed to do justice to my home town of Bombay. After being adopted by Bangalore I seem to have forgotten my roots and sworn my allegiance to Vada Sambar over Vada Pav. To this I say, my home is where I charge my laptop.

My dull Republic day holiday evening was rescued by the Agnel College gang consisting of 2 other neo-Bangaloreans like me. For them there is only 1 place to hang out, the hang out to beat all hang outs in Mumbai - Bandra, which I unfortunately had done very less of hanging out.

So after much jostling for parking space we hit Carter's Blue for the awesome succulent shawarma, chiken tikka and paneer rolls. This is rolls the right way. I think this is the best I have ever had and I have had a lot. The Shawarma here is much better than the authentic Mediterranean wraps I had in california. I shall come again.

Dont get distracted by the aston martins, harleys and the lowly BMWs while you finish your friends rolls after you done yours. Next up, dosas. After suffering Bangalore's dosas - yes suffering cause face it after sometime what you eat everyday gets pedestrian, we wanted the Bombay version. Cheesed up and crisped out, non jain varieties and made by the trademarked bushy mustached fat Tamilian Anna plated up some Mysore Masala, more like Mumbai Masala. Good stuff.

OK now for some Momos. Dear stomach, I am gonna punish you today. We were disappointed with the poor attendance of celebrities. Anyways as a consolation we snapped up Dance India Dance judge Terence. If you dont recognize him dont fret, neither did Ankit who's expression was priceless.

Ok now what, frozen yoghurt. Seems to be all the rage with one shop crammed to max and a line snaking out into the road. I don't have homicidal tendencies, usually, but after standing in line for a frozen version of 'Shrikhand' if I have to wait behind girls who probably apply make up with a mop wondering what toppings they want only after reaching the counter, getting it piled and then asking them to make it again as the yoghurt wasn't Non Fat. Urge to kill rising...

Note to self, skip the frozen yoghurt stick to Kulfi.

11.30 and the streets were full of people having a good time, something I feel Bangalore lost out a few years ago. We head to Cafe Mocha, another college hang out and we proceed to order another cache of desserts. Time to loosen the belt one notch. Wonderful Apple Cinnamon Tea complimented the ungodly size of cake and Oreo Chocolate chip shake. All this while there was a DJ spinning tracks and happily taking requests.

In this particular visit I came to Mumbai with a pouring cloud on head. This city sure knows how to turn a frown upside down.

Yercaud: Poor Man's Ooty

2012-01-27T20:48:00.001-08:00

What does one really want from a vacation. Usually a change from the routine. Some people like to 'chill'. But given that people working in IT are susceptible to lapsing into a coma given the super sedentary lifestyle, it would be nice if one can go stretch out ones limbs.

So we decided to chill some more by going to Yercaud lake in Tamil Nadu.

A wonderfully pleasant 4 hour drive away from Bangalore on Tamil Nadus silky smooth roads, you pass through Steel City Salem as you head upwards into Yercaud. There is nothing much to do here and frankly the poor man's Ooty moniker is deserved given well there isnt anything proper you would get to eat or dine upon unless you would want to splurge in the British era style resorts like the Grand Palace or the Regent Hill Side - which by the way has an opulent buffet.

So this is what you do - you go to the lake do some boating, shoot some arrows at everything apart from the targets, go to the points and vistas and you come back to your hotel room and not get drunk with some bad food, cause you dont get proper booze in this town. Not that I drink. But the best thing is there isnt the same maddening crowd as you could find in Ooty. For me thats good enough.

But as far as the whole chilling thing goes mission accomplished! And make sure on your way to and back, you have some proper South Indian style lunch in some of the nice restaurants on the way.

Would I go back here? Bike ride to Yercaud anyone?

Hungry in Bangalore: Ice N Spice, St Marks road (Guest Review by Karthik)

2011-11-12T21:36:00.000-08:00

Guest Article by Karthik -

Situated in one of the most happening areas of this so called "Silicon Valley", Bangalore, lies my most beloved restaurant that goes by the name of 'Ice 'N Spice'. A title that very aptly describes LIFE as well. And yes, i find my very purpose for existence in here. GOOD FOOD.

Known primarily for its British, Italian, and Mexican cuisine the place also offers a few Indo-British (yeah you read that right! ) dishes which are no doubt, the chef's own creation. But good ones at that. The exquisite flavor, and the variety of the food makes the place quite a rage among the foodies!

I, personally being an aficionado of British cuisine( Steak, burgers, et. all) am a regular face over there. The ambience is quite good, and the music is just another reason to be present here. The Non veg steak being a specialty of theirs, is so well made and soft, that you wouldn't need a knife at all! And all this food talk is making me extremely hungry. Sadly I am miles away,and can only look forward for tomorrow to arrive.

A tad too expensive, the place does not have much to offer for the common man, hoping to find an 'Idli' or a 'Dosa' over here. What it does have, are the mouth watering Chicken Steak burgers that are embellished with Barbeque Sauce and oodles of Mayonnaise that comes with the classic potato chips as well. All in all a great combo, that makes for a very satisfying experience every single time i come here. With a large crowd present almost through out the day, the service is
is well...limited. But who cares as long as the food is worth it?

And I am off to make myself a midnight snack!

Until next time,
Bon Appétit!

Advice Animal - Avoid getting trapped by the Net

2011-10-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Internet addiction - digital dope of the masses now. Depriving millions from exercise, well rounded personalities and 20/20 vision over the past decade. Sporadically recognized as a problem, this personal vice is affecting people with alarming pace and magnitude.

After alarm bells were set off by my junior who apparently spent a huge part of the day on the internet, consciously ignoring more time on this vice, I decided to write the following mail addressed to both of us.

I noticed your computer usage is largely unproductive in nature and now that your student life is coming to an end, there has to be a drastic correction for your own significant benefit. Trust me, I am speaking looking back at my own and others mistakes.

Somedays I would be surfing FaceBook and share sites the whole day. The brain just happens to tune out of anything 'work' related. I read stupid jokes and forwards and procrastinate on things till the last minute when I would work through the night to complete things. I wonder why would I knowingly while away time so very very unproductively. Its scientific probably. We get so used to this habit of instant and constant internet stimulation that we rewire our brain to seek out this artificial hit of dopamine. Much like nicotine.

If one writes down what he/she has done the entire day they would realize how much value that day had and was lost. By value I dont mean constant productivity, watching a cooking show would teach you something new too. As long as you have your priorities right, you would know what is worth the valuable time spent. But this is very difficult, I guess only Buddhist monks can be the true practitioners of this wisdom - knowing what really matters. I am guilty of not practicing what I type.

Since you are not a monk, lets stick to the basics and get down to the point. Time/Life is getting wasted in front of a screen. What to do? Like it takes an injured man incredible resolve and perseverance to become fit again, a comparable and satisfying effort is required here too.

1.There is life beyond a PC. There is the great outdoors which is getting lost everyday due to pollution and what not. There are so many new activities done and they dont come as attachments or apps.

2.Maintain a strict schedule. Take a decision how many minutes and how frequently you thinking surfing is good, write it down and STICK TO IT.

3.Cultivate better uses for the internet. There are so many productive sites to learn so many things and add something of solid value to your life. Learn a Foreign Language (livemocha.com). Join a professional forum, if you are an electronics engineer there are robotics site. Blog..etc etc there are endless good things that can be done. Scheduling time is necessary as its very easy to get carried away with things so easily.

4. Most important - Donot neglect you have a problem which has a solution. Neglecting a problem is first and usual reaction; to escape from a problem by neglecting it. Like all bad habits, realization of its presence and knowledge of the solution immensely helps overcoming it.

I look forward to your reply.

Hungry in US: dil ko SAKOON at Mountain View

2011-06-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

Coming soon the pics as soon as I get it

Indian food in the US, many a times victim to the degradation to suit 'localized' tastes. Its what has happened to Chinese food in India - to that effect you get the 'Indo-Chinese' cuisine in the US ..mind blasting! But it hasnt suffered as much due to places like Sakoon at Mountain View, Ca.

Probably the best Indian food ever. Its a whole new ad different dimension to Indian food - sample this the Avocado Jhalmuri - basically the humble Bhel on a base of Avocado cake with Tamarind chutney and the Lavender Kulfi, take something basic and make something innovative and super tasty. The traditionals like Shahi Paneer and Chana Pindi got the thumbs up from Veggie King Rohit. The Chicken Sakooni was very very good.

Veg Biryani, paradox in its name since Biryani was invented to be a non vegetarian affair, but these guys here took it, gave it a great presentation and even better taste. The service here is good with the waiter cutting open a doughy shroud of freshly cooked biryani which tastes great.

I am keeping it short because I have to sleep on time if I am to be on schedule tomorrow for more feasting and fun. Probably celebration for getting over my writers block at the end of my awesome US experience.

Hungry in US - Monterray, CA: Indian Summers

2011-05-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

Do you know the Chinese food in India. Its not Chinese. Here is what is happening to Indian food. Well not the exact analogy, since Indian is so unique you can only go so far as to corrupt it..anyways hungry from our long drive we come down to the nice city of Monterey in the night. Read that this place is a tourist destination - well not in the night.

Indian Summers. Music is arabic, not a single desi in sight. Its definitely a happening place, but chilly and the fireplace you see in the pic is not for show. You need the fire to keep warm. Well food, me and Sharayu tried to Non veg with Spicy Fried fish not spicy, Chik Jalfrezi - mysteriously spicy since we didnt see chillies. The veggies had a good time with the Maakhanwala, the dal and the peas jeera rice. They even went as far to say this was the best they had! Come on now Non Veg is also food, you have to make both of them good.

Anyways we had to leave before the Reggae band started playing. Yes Reggae band in and Indian Restaurant. On the expensive side...

On a foodie blog roll! No.3:

Hungry in US - Aptos, CA: Manuel's Mexican

2011-05-01T23:25:00.000-07:00

I was growing loathsome about Mexican food in the US. Mexican is close to the Indian cuisine, but I just simply didnt like the fast food version. Until we got hungry along CA1 and decided to have some mexican. Thank you GPS, for guiding us to this delightful place. I like mexican now, especially at Manuel's.

Hemant guided the vehicle to this blink and you miss restaurant. This place is pretty old with and old style mexican tavern feel to it. The service was very warm and friendly. We needed a lot of guidance with the orders since we were new to this authentic cuisine which is unlike that of taco bells. Lot of variety for Non Veggies. We didnt want to risk anything meaty on the road so we opted for everything Vegetarian. Which again the hostess guided us. The Cheese Enchilada I had ordered was enchanting. Delicately made pockets of veg stuffed with cheese and covered in a wonderful tomato bean gravy melted in my mouth. Sharayu had the Quesadillas and the guys had the traditional Bean Burrito which were pretty decent. The Salsa Fresca was adequately hot. The Mexican equivalent of masala Papad - the Tortillas and Habanero sauce kept on coming. We generally dont have deserts, cause in the US, the portions are huge. Still we decided for the hostess's suggestion and again she hit the sweet spot with Flan and Mexican ice cream - a nicely spiced (not hot spice) chocolate ice cream which she described as 'her favorite ice cream'. Its really really good.

For those who would want to know and should know, they do not take Amex :)

Hungry in US - San Francisco: Burma SuperStar

2011-05-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

This made me right a review at Yelp and give it four stars. This made me write a blog about it without a pic (coming soon). This is making me very hungry writing about it.

I said hello to Burmese cuisine in San Francisco. Burma, our country's iron curtained mysterious neighbour, has such delightful food to offer and I wonder why we didnt take it and indianize the hell out of it.

Well, authentic or not this place is a must visit. My cousin followed instructions, not suggestions, to drive all the way upto Frisco with the kids and me to San Francisco just to eat at this place. We had to wait 30 mins to get in at 5.15 pm. So that just pretty much sums up the popularity of this place.

Heres my review same as at Yelp:

The food here is very very good. For an Indian guy, even I found this place to be spicy..I guess because the server was observant of my tastes and got my order in the right time. I loved the Samusa soup,Tea Salad, Nan Pia...well heck everything. Really liked the Mango Coconut juice too. I am coming here again and ready to wait in line for a long time just so I get hungry and eat moar!

San Francisco - City by the bay

2011-04-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

Man is measured by his friends. I am a billionaire. Before I reach the US invitations, plans and discussions arrived or started with gusto. So dear pal and ex boss Sharayu and her Husband Hemant lay it down for me...first weekend its Frisco!

And not just any tepid car tour, we biked over the golden gate bridge. If you can imagine joy, aching muscles and wind blasted wide eyed exhilaration in one moment multiplied by several hours.

We had to buy a 3 bike rack, exchange it for a new working piece, load up the bikes then start to SFO from Surajganj, CA (Sunnyvale for noobs). The good thing in this season is that Sun sets at around 8.10 pm so you can do a lot of activities in day light. First stop FisherMans wharf. This place is the chowpati of SFO, but not a beach. It has rows of Piers, some of which are functional. Rohit had to rent a bike from here and off we go.

Slopes are killer in SFO. Killed my gears right off the start. My Bike was rescued by Hemant with his common sense and plain mechie skills. I dared not change my gears but then as can be imagined, I stress the slopes are killer. I crawled my way up the slopes while Sharayu, Hemant and Rohit were floating like fairies up the the picturesque route.

The route went through beaches, through awesome lawns, through lovely neighborhoods, through hills, through scenic high point vistas, through the golden gate bridge..through a mindbendingly beautiful montage of sights and sounds.

Biking over the Golden gate bridge is an experience not to be missed. The win blasts and chills you while you over look the pacific over one shoulder and Frisco city over the other. You see the traffic stream mixed with tour busses and you wonder why they are boxed in steel when they could be biking or else walking over the bridge. Get Sunscreen. Just after we went over the bridge is an awesome ride down slope into sleepy Sausolito. Unexpectedly we come across a bunch of Indians and among them is a pal Rakesh. What a coincidence.

A nice ferry ride took us back to Pier 39 where we had parked the car. Like little kids back from an amusement park we went back home with a glow and deep tan on our face, ache in our body and warmth in our hearts.

Amrikka!

2011-04-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

Finally I manage to erase the shame of not having gone to 'Foren' despite being in IT for 3.5 years. Unlike my imagination, the entry wasnt as wide eyed and breath taking as I imagined primarily due to the fact that the airlines lost the bag which had all my clothes, the immigration giving me a hard time and the customs insisting they hand check every thing in my bags and pockets. Couple that with a let down of a hotel and you have one seriously angry jet lagged desi. The journey from San Francisco airport to my place in Belmont wasnt that jolly as I had imagined.

Rescue was 35 mins away at my cousins place in Santa Clara. Jumped into a cab driven by a weird bigoted taxi driver who started advocating me the reason for U.S's problem is the president till I reached Santa Clara. NOTE: its pronounced Sana Clara. Almost like the 'T' disappear here.

But things are not bad, not bad at all. I guess everyone goes through the pain of lost baggage, Immigration and customs once in their life. I got a small dose in my first trip overseas.

But things went better from then on...

Getting Kicked

2010-12-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

I tried to slap her, a proper one aimed at the right cheek. She grabbed my right arm, twisted it deftly and flicked me on the ground. I anticipated this and rolled perfectly, regained balance and tried a right handed punch this time. This time she ducked, slid to my right side and threw me down. I was very much pinned and am sure IF I wanted to actually assault this lady I didn’t stand a chance.

Obviously this is deviant behavior. I would never harm a lady nor am training to do so; this was in a kick boxing class and my trainer was demonstrating a few techniques with me role playing as the attacker. With the new batch started, I had previously attended a month long course, hence was the ‘senior’ student and most eligible to be demonstrated upon. But no complaint as being part of the demonstration is the best learning in my opinion.

My first experience with Kick Boxing was amazing, within a month of training I felt like never before. I was in the best shape ever, I could resist sickness, I could endure a lot of pain, I looked good and I definitely felt beyond awesome. The journey indeed was difficult with the rigorous training and pain that came along with it, but the result was worth it. I had trained with the best instructors in the country and with a highly motivated group at various levels of proficiency. Unfortunately the demands of my job prevented me to continue the class as the travel and recuperation involved cut down my work hours drastically.

A centre opened near my house and I was super excited. Initially the class was for women only and I couldn’t get in and obviously they couldn’t make any exception without a sex change operation (kid you not that’s the conversation) later they relented and let the guys join in, I feel they needed attackers :D

So again the journey starts with Coach Sindhu who will reassure you that women can kick ass. People who feel they would start punching and kicking and become Bruce Lee over the weekend would be severely disappointed. The first two months are all about body conditioning and basics. Almost every class you end up tired and sore and hurting. Cliché’ alert – no pain no gain. A lot of work would be involved to get into a decently capable physique, stamina, endurance and flexibility; something gymming out would simply not provide even if you do it right and who wouldn’t want that. Right now I think I am still to achieve that level which would be half the war won for me.

More on this as I progress further

Check out their website
http://shootfighter.wordpress.com/

Forgive to Win

2010-09-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

Something so universally relevant, simple and beneficial; yet we dont give it a try. Forgiveness, is very effective and beneficial, not to the person who offends you, rather beneficial to yourself. If you continually seethe with anger or maintain negativity about someone, invariably you end up clouding your mind with negativity. Almost always the time and energy spent in that negative loop amounts to nothing productive.

You can do yourself a favor by forgiving the person. This is more out of a selfish intention than an altruistic one. You realise when you do so, you can live better, think better, be happier and accomplish a lot by being positive.

If one thinks, 'what happens of my relationship with the offender?' well there is no relationship anymore. He or She is just one more person in the crowd for you. If the person forgiven is worth the gesture, you will in time realise it was a wise decision to forgive. If the offender has even half a brain, he or she will realise you have taken the high road and will probably reciprocate positively or else be netural. There is no negative outcome.

Trying it out is very easy, and you will start to realize its benefits immediately. Otherwise you can always revery back to the default setting we had from our cave dwelling times.

Hungry Iin Bangalore: Charting Chat - Masala Capsicum

2010-09-12T06:03:00.001-07:00

Delhi Chat, Bombay Chat and yes there is something called Bangalore Chat (pronounced chat as in chat window and not the usual chaat). Its a different school of chat making in this town. Very different from the general understanding of the pudina, raw mango, khajoor infused and sev covered variety from Bombay, Bangalore Chat starts from the masala puri - puris covered with peas curry, bhel puri which is more close to the Davangere 'mandakki' and some interesting creations like Bullet masala - cylindrical fryums stuffed with stuff, pineapple chat (this rocks!) and Capsicum masala to be had fresh.

Capsicum masla - pipping hot fried 'Bhajji' of whole capsicum split and stuffed with veggies and Congress. Not the political party but the local name for fried peanuts. This stuff is awesome! A friend introduced me to this wonder of local snack. Worth wrestling through a mob of people to reach this variety and east fast before the crispiness goes.

Bangalore still has many chat secrets, unfortunately my reach limited due to my struggles with colitis, I hope to enjoy as many of the different varieties as possible.

Hungry in Bangalore: Halli Tindi Darshini

2010-09-12T05:37:00.000-07:00

Its always breakfast time in Bangalore. Idli vadas are to Bangalore (and many many places in South India) what corn flakes are to the whole world. I practically lived solely on the combo my entire 1st year in Bangalore. There is a good chance one will get tired of this stuff, variety is the key. So you basically eat the same stuff at different places.

After climbing and descending a hill, its small but a hill, in Banashankari Bangalore to visit Ganapati at Banagiri, the best way to satiate your hunger is just opposite the steps. Head to Halli Tindi darshini. Recently opened, this place is an instant hit. It goes a bit beyond the usual Darshnini fare and serves you some variety in your everyday breakfast. The signature dish here - The Peserottu Dosa. Featured in many Bangalore newspapers, this dosa is healthy , tasty, fulfilling and as the proprietor scowls it - dilisius. Also must have the Jumbo Tindi, translating into Jumbo Meals. Not too Jumbo but the breakfast platter you were always looking for with idli, vada, dosa, upma and sheera.

Location - Banashankari 3rd stage on Ring Road. You can spot it by the crowd. The tea coffee is passable, you can have some real nice and exotic varieties at the 'Tea Shop' close by.

Whats new - Art @ Black Design

2010-09-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

On my way back home, everyday I notice a shop very apart from the usual rash of shops. If I can define it properly, a boutique shop selling assorted Art with similar theme. Black design - a small neat shop selling artsy articles which are in use everyday. Photo frames, weird coat hanger hanger (yes the second hanger is necessary), Belt holders, showpieces and some nick nacks. I really liked the coffee table made of wood, glass sheet and bottles. Very artsy and has class. Much of the work is wooden, kind of rough and dark shaded, so everything probably wont work universally in someones house.

What I liked about this shop, the first one of its kind I stepped into, is its unique offering of practical articles which you can use everyday. Why the praise? I guess thats the way all the boutique shops work, but probably because I dont get to see a lot of variety in peoples house or workplaces. Apart from the potted plants and colorful flowers and stones in water bowls, there really isnt much to look at. What can work is 'Art' ing up everyday stuff. Functional and aesthetics, although subjective, an attempt can be made. Subjective being the main word to look at, of course. One mans trash is another mans art. Put that trash together and its that sells.

Have a looksie if you are around Jayanagar, straight down from KFC towards Ring Road. Worth your time.

Thorium, answer to India's power woes

2010-08-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

'Obama could kill fossil fuels overnight with a nuclear dash for thorium' is the article heading in the telegraph article.

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/7970619/Obama-could-kill-fossil-fuels-overnight-with-a-nuclear-dash-for-thorium.html

Just wish someone could write Dr.Manmohan rids India of power cuts with a big nuclear bite into Thorium(Th). Aunties now watch Saas Bahu serials non stop.

Th seems to be a wonder drug, clean and efficient and not as deadly as Mr.Uranium. Perhaps its non deadliness is what resulted in a technological lag to convert it into a usable power resource.

Some more R&D reveals India has 25% of worlds Thorium at last count, and it was upgraded recently by the IAEA. So it seems like we are sitting on a coal mine, with lots of coal, only radioactive and not coal. But many reasons stop our scientists from shoving loads into the furnace perhaps a lack of funds, stifling of any advancement by the jealous biggies, the brain drain (this is most responsible I think) and I might even go as far as to say the squabbling morons in the parliament, most of them though Dr.Singh you rock, just cant get their work straight when someone says 'this is good for India in the future' instead of 'heres your cut you pig'.

I see a glimmer though, what with signs of a proper nuclear treaty bringing things closer to a technology transfer and private investment into thorium based reactors and technology. Never mind getting dependent on fuel cartels, we got our own fuel stocks. Hopefully better sense would prevail in the powers that be and close the energy gap that affects us.

Check out more references at Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium

Worry isnt work

2010-08-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

http://blogs.hbr.org/pallotta/2010/08/worry-isnt-work.html

Totally agree by what Dan Pallota says in the above article, we take worry as part of our work, fooling ourselves into thinking man thats a lot of work done. I confess I do this a lot and it screws up whatever amount of effective work that needs to be put in.

Quoting the best lines -After all, who is likely to be the more productive contributor to the company, and to the world — the person who is healthy, rested, well-balanced, full of energy, and clear of mind, or the sleep-deprived, overweight, heart-attack-waiting-to-happen, psychologically unexamined, self-critical maniac? Who is more likely to be present enough to see the next breakthrough? Who is more likely to analyze problems clearly, for what they really are, instead of what they are assumed to be?

Heres a mid year resolution - work not worry. Now wheres the beer.

The Wait Gain Project - step1 GOMAD

2010-07-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

There has been only one period of time in my life so far that I have actually looked 'Khaate Peete ghar ka' or simply put a slightly chubby healthy guy. This was in the Third year of my engineering right after I made a trip to Tirupati. Well I infer it was divine intervention that helped me gain some mass, I now have decided to help myself and try some weight gain myself. Since its going to be a long journey without the use of any weight gain products, an all natural approach will definitely take time, hence the title 'The Wait Gain Project'

I am going to start out with the GOMAD diet - Gallon of Milk a Day diet. 1 Gallon = 3.7 litres. Nuts, I am going to start off reaching a 1.5 Liter a day target by the end of 1.5 weeks, which means I will incrementally reach 1.5 liters by starting off with .5 liter and go on increasing the amount, unless of course I go lactose intolerant which means I will switch to the 4 Packs O'Lays diet.

On a serious note - tonnes of body builders swear by GOMAD - its the best way to gain some natural weight. Just google.

Hungry in Bangalore : Momoz Koramangala

2010-06-06T01:58:00.000-07:00

With a lot of courage and reflection I declare this - The best place to get Chinese in Bangalore

Make it the best place to get awesome Chindian cuisine for the best prices in Bangalore. No wonder it’s an instant hit in Koramangala, the place was packed on a Wednesday. Add to it a very rare and very wonderful gathering of all the members of previous project from MindTree. This Dinner ranks in the top 10 of many eat out dinners I had. This is not the usual run of the mill Chinese joint – this is a classy place with well trained and well mannered waiters, classy seating, dulcet ambience for a warm dinner – as long as the party is limited to 8, beyond that gets crowded. Momoz has come up with some really unique and enjoyable creations which I am sure people will love for a long time. Located near Baskin Robins, in a corner near Furtados’ , people should avoid getting confused with another joint named Momos near JNC college which is the OK college hangout and leagues behind this joint.

Sudip had been to this place just the day before and was blown away by the food and ambience. No second thoughts, Momos steamed, fried in Veg and Non Veg avatars were summoned without wasting a breath. And the chicken Momos are simply unbelievable! Friend and Boiled both are of the right texture and of proper neutral taste that you can zing up with the assorted table sauces. That’s the tip of the ice berg for the Chinese goodness to start rolling. Unique item – shredded threaded Chicken. Small ribbons and threads of deep fried chicken had us confused whether the stuff was fried rice noodles – but bite into the whole and you will find out the difference. Honey Crisp chicken was very nice. That’s the starters.

Main course : Cashew nut with Chicken and Hunan Chicken are quite nice. Chicken in Black bean Sauce is a rockstar! I will definitely have that the next visit. All these dishes grooved with Mixed fried rice and Chicken Schezwan noodles. Vegetarian were more than satisfied with the Chilli Potato and Veg Schezwan rice. All the dishes were adequately sized and we were stuffed way before we could finish.

The cost for feeding 8 with 14 amazing dishes and cold drinks in a lovely ambience and good service = 1045!!! Beat this and I will take you out for lunch at this place.

Desserts? Unfortunately we weren’t left with any place for dessert, one more reason to try this place out ! Run to this place…

Hungry in Bangalore: Shree Krishna Cafe Koramangala

2010-05-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

The usual dilemma strikes again, you are at some hip locality and you wonder where do we have lunch? This thought has befuddled and repeatedly caused me and my pals to end up in KFC/MC or a very tried/tired and tested eatout for food not worth the price. So the next time you have a thought like and you happen to be in Koramangala, head straight to this place.

Revered for its wonderful Tamil - particularly Tanjavur veg cuisine, Shree Krishna cafe is a favorite of many from all over the country. Its in a street full of fancy restaurants like China pearl (), Oye Amritsar and many more. Blink and you miss, its above Kairali, announced by a modest board. Lets jump right into the food - meals.

I crown this place the best place to get a South Indian meal on the Leaf, so far in Bangalore.

Serendipity brought me to this place. Hungry after a tiring seminar, 4 of us were looking for some lunch. Last on my mind was a South Indian rice meal. Whats there to eat I exclaimed. As my friend Ravi, who I had befriended that very morning said, said this is the best Southie meal you will ever have. Challenge eh? Lets go. Two simple dining halls accommodate the patrons with simple furniture. The Plantain leaf is put as soon as you sit. 95 bucks for a meal. Say yes and the parade begins. I guess 3 sabjis, variety of sambhar, dal, rasam, buttermilk kadhi, assortments, vada (to die for) some sweet and some things I just dont know the name for keep coming. This is true to the word unlimited. I never saw myself eat so much rice before. The best stuff was the authentic Ghee which they dish out by the tablespoon load. This is the good stuff man.

You need to eat to stay alive, you need to eat good to stay happy.Go to this place, I am sure you will feel happy.

The Pre Mid life Crisis Crisis

2010-04-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Get up, commute through the circus that is Bangalore traffic, endure through office hours, eat, crash

Somewhere in between is the thought - wish I was hiking in Japan taking snaps of buddhist temple or speaking in fluent French amongst a group of international students or stitching together a nice track on a dj console ...there are so many. These are not entirely impossible yet they seem to become so as each day passes by despite efforts. They are no longer priorities.

Its pretty common in Europe for a person to take a sabbatical for 6 months or so to go on an extended break, a self discovery per se. A similar lifestyle is followed in the States - work hard, play hard. Of course there are exceptions. But not for the people in developing countries like the Indians and Chinese. Things are a race to the top, which is a narrow ledge you need to balance your feet on. This gives most Indians the edge over the Europeans or the Americans. The hunger to achieve a life style like theirs. Perhaps take a break for a few months...That break never came for most. They got older, they had kids. They stopped getting the H1B.

Having seen such cases, which are by the way cases of successful people, makes me say - hold on a moment and define Your success; its difficult. And I am not alone in this thought. I bet most of my peers feel the same. Perhaps its just the way people 'grow up'. My generation had it easy as compared to the previous. Things were easy and quick like 2 min noodles. IT companies were hauling in many and stupid. But getting stuck in a place, job or a schedule gets on our nerves pretty fast. I guess its a part of a mellowing process. At the end of it I hope something good comes out - like maturity.

Too senti? I guess its because I am writing this on a weekday :D

Blessings of Simarouba

2010-04-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

Heres an interesting read I put up in another blog -

http://simaroubabangalore.wordpress.com/

Pulp Fictioned

2010-04-18T05:48:00.000-07:00

Pulp Fiction - 1994
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/

Fact can be stranger than fiction – this movie goes against the trend. My favorite from Quentin Tarantino’s works (which includes Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Desperado), this movie carves its cult. Quentin weaves magic again through the medium of a Movie. He builds the various chemistries between characters with long drawn scenes, extracting a 100% of their ability to emote and deliver lines which are truly Tarantino’s trademark. I hope I can meet this guy.

This film is absolutely revolting to the normal Hollywood RomCom – Jackie Chan types. Watching it with your family is the worst thing you can subject them to. I have seen it thrice and I wish to see it again. On a repeatability scale, it ranks high up with The Departed. The dialogues are brilliant, expletives and all of which there are tons in this film. The best concept of the film is the shifted time lines. It leaves you guessing and wandering in different directions and following characters, some of which will become your favorites. My favorite was Vincent Vega. Travolta burns a solid impression of Vega. You feel sorry for the guy who has to take out the Boss’s wife for a date – its not a date according to him cause if it were then the Boss will….see it yourself.

Every cast member is a perfect fit for the characters – Samuel L Jackson, Bruce ;Willis, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Quentin with his expected cameo in all his films all are just perfect. Can’t think of anyone else playing anything. I am in love with the character of Fabienne.

See it, see it full. See it even if at some scene your reaction can be nausea or pure horror or disgust or anything that Tarantino might evoke – and he will evoke. Just keep your family out of the room.

Viva la Vile Parle - Gajalee

2010-03-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

A town is defined by its people, places, events, weather etc. Gajalee is one such restaurant which has been an icon on Vile Parle’s and Mumbai’s culinary map since several years, lending Parla its distinctive identity. A Landmark on Hanuman Road, this joint has attracted many sea food enthusiasts and is a favorite of many celebrities, appealing mainly to Maharashtrian tastes. Tastes I say because Marathi sea food cuisine is not simply Malvani as many think. The food here has influences from Karnataka as also a generic way of preparation which might appeal to wide demographics. Check out some of the awards and accolades at http://www.gajalee.com/.

I have come back home after a brief period from Bangalore, and if there is one of the things unique which set Mumbai and Bangalore food apart is the sea food, obviously. So when asked which place to have dinner I couldn’t resist Gajalee, again.

First off the start without asking for a menu we, meaning me and my Brother, ordered Fried Bombil (Bombay Duck) and Tandoori Pomfret. These dishes are to die for. If not the need for the variety on offer we could have ended dinner on rounds of these two dishes. The Bombil is perfectly fresh and crispy, melts in the mouth leaving you wondering if you ever had some. The Pomfret was nice and robust. Cooked with the right amount masala and oil or butter – it was deliciously light. Tempting us to order a second round but we held on to having a main course. The waiter – conversing in Kannada after eaves dropping on our conversations suggests we order an Oyster Masala with Neer Dosa and Akki roti – or Rice Bhakri. Palak Khichadi for Mom as she is a Vegetarian, and so am I most of the time. Beverages were Sol Kadi and Fresh lime soda. The Sol Kadi is of a love it or hate it kind of make, so not recommended for the un adventurous.

A waiter does the rounds of tables balancing a fresh Pomfret, Lobsters and live Crabs for the customers to choose. As the price varies with the item, the waiter has to display the many offerings. The live giant crabs wriggling around are a sight and the kids reactions are quite a sight. I remember meeting my meal last time I had come here – he or she was a sprightful fellow who transformed into a tasty meal.

Palak Khichadi that mom ordered is very nice. It’s a bit heavy on the fat though but tastes awesome. It soothed my tongue from the fiery Oyster Masala. Beware this one is not for Kids, spicy hot with a tomato based gravy – the Oyster masala was a unique experience. I never had oysters before and I think I will skip them and stick to rather mobile crustaceans.

The cost of such a wonderful meal – 1200 for 2 sea foodies and dear vegetarian Mom.

I leave for Bangalore with new memories with my family, satisfied expectations and a hunger again which is so easy to deplete in times of task. I hope I come across newer experiences like ones to be had at Gajalee.

Now I am off for some Vada Pav…

Bangalore, how long till its no more

2010-03-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

The Tech capital of India, the global IT hotspot, the place when millions of young Indians have flocked to make a career and call it home. I donot see a bright future ahead alas. I hope I am wrong.

Here is a glimpse of the future 10 years from now -

Bangalore is a workforce magnet. People from the country - not able to find opportunities in their home town or state still flock to Bangalore. Its Mumbai in fast forward. Inefficient state governments are to blame.

There is inadequate road network. The existing ones have been stretched to capacity a decade before. Traffic Jams are the order of the day. The workforce needs to spend a lot of time just to reach work. Bangalore since it cannot be served by a spine shaped railway corridor like Mumbai, the metro simply wont work. It is working in a few sectors, but is merely a gimmick. It cannot handle the ammount of passengers required like the Mumbai locals. It connects few areas, people would rather take their own vehicles. Vehicles add to congestion. Pollution levels have increased alarmingly. A daily unavoidable fight against traffic.

There is not enough water for buildings built recently. The water table is depleted soon after Monsoon. New Buildings are not served by the water utilities. People have to rely on Shady Water Tanker services. There is a severe Electricity deficit. Realty rates are sky high and unreasonable. Concept of Bangalore suburbs fail to provide people a good living zone.

Local political bodies similar to Shiv Sena will start agitations to claim rights for 'Sons of Soils' and similar Bull Shit.

Thats some of the things I forsee - all of these assumptions are possible. Agree am a pessimist, but this is is a fact in making, unless herculean efforts by the powers that be do something. Visionaries have made great efforts but votebank politics and crooks in power have screwed things up bigtime in the nation in general. Its not a regional problem rather a national one. There is a quick fix solution in the making right now - Integrated private Cities with adequate infrastructure for a limited number of residents. People will work and stay within giant gated cities, outside is an urban disaster.

Take that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome !

2010-03-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

Yep the reason for my absence from subjecting random people to my blogs is CTS. Happens mostly to unsuspecting code monkeys who bang away at keyboards with the worst of typing postures. Plus I have the added advantage of having wrists thinner than usual – I knew instantly I wont be a good wrestler, shame the world will not witness that.

Sooo anyways why this return? Not for people to acknowledge my ramblings – that’s a side effect and I found out that quite a lot of people do like my stuff (honest to god people did notice I stopped writing and asked me to do more foodie posts), but I realized I had simply stopped thinking creatively. Partly because of CTS curtailing my typing, partly because I am still in the middle of a crisis, I am sure I will overcome now that I have found whats the root of it all. Not cured though relieved as to remember there is a tunnel out of the cave at the end of which is a light.

So here is the first salvo against it all – at least one article per week. Come rain or bad bandwidth; code reviews or aching hands the one article shall be written. (Note to myself -this doesn’t count)

Thanks a bit to Scott Adams in part – got a lot of inspi after I started reading his book – ‘Stick to Drawing Comics Monkey Brain!’ mind you was #1 NY Times Best Seller.

Dilbert again

2010-01-11T05:45:00.001-08:00

Lol!

And a previous favorite of mine

Scott Adams, my inspiration to quit the rat race and become a cartoonist :D

Interestingtings - Running from Camera

2010-01-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

The web is the new art gallery. Nice simple and cool theme running on this art blog - Press the 2 second timer and try to run away from the camera.

go to -> http://runningfromcamera.blogspot.com/

Hungry in Bangalore: Utsav’s North Indian Food

2009-11-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

Bangalore is transforming. Its undergoing the same changes Bombay (now Mumbai) saw in the past 2 decades, steady and massive influx of populations from around the country making Bangalore not just their place of work but their homes. This mass of people also brings along great appetites in tow.

Utsav is the tip of the ice berg of what is to come. The new working population is mostly single and living in shared accommodations and usually not too keen on cooking their own food. So naturally a huge demand for messes or joints which make home cooked foods available for reasonable prices. Utsav serves the north Indian or basically all roti sabzi eating demographics well. Located at Katriguppe main road in Banashankari the place dishes out the usual home fare of roti sabzi daal chaval and some times some special dishes. The owner/manager a lady who watches over the patrons caringly adds to the homely atmosphere. The crowd at the joint showed how fond people were about this place.

Sam and Ashu had sniffed this place out about a month ago and it had become their staple place to eat lunch and dinners ever since. It was my first time of many times. I went for the usual roti sabji and daal. With more repeats of the rotis. Sam went for the mooli ka parantha along with the rotis. Very good stuff and for a change there was real ghee on the freshly made rotis. When Sam mentioned Litchee thanda I remembered I had a sore throat and a slight cold. Yeah why not. 50 bucks for such a meal is more than super. 4 Thumbs up for this one.

Weekend warrior: Rock Climbing in Bangalore

2009-11-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

Another weekend another shot at getting some adventure, albeit a paid safe one where even school kids are part of the group. 14th November was reserved for Rock climbing, rappelling and related activities at Ramanagara conducted by the Bangalore Mountaineering Club. I have never been on a proper Trek or some real forest outings, due to a lack of options and a fascination of becoming a quick fix spider man I signed up for this one day thingy.

http://www.bmcindia.org/ this lists all the upcoming activities by the club, after a simple e transaction which was acknowledged quickly, I simply had to show up at the pick up point with the right gear. Basically something you can afford to tear and soil and which allows you enough flexibility. Wear a full shirt, trust me all those thorns can be a real and constant pain in half tees, unless you are Arnold. I joined a group of techies, 3 pilots and 2 6th grade school girls, whose high enthused spirit I really appreciate, total 30 of us.

After a small breakfast enroute we reached Ramanagara around 10.45. It occurred to me I had been here almost 2 years ago on a company Out Bound learning session facilitated by the same Jagadeesh; the guide and coordinator. He made us go up a practice trail and up a lot of steps as a warm up, more of a cool down cause most us city slickers had enough trekking for a day in the first hour itself.

Rappelling, involves a controlled descent using rope down a cliff or a steep slope. Jagadeesh led us to a solid rock wall almost 60 - 70 feet high. Two separate rope sets were used for this exercise for 2 people at a time. This was pretty fun and easy, I tried the traditional back way down and frankly it was a bit boring.

Lunch was high on every body’s agenda, but Jagadeesh had different plans. Next up Rock Climbing. The high point of my day. We were led to another stone wall, this one wasn’t smooth and had a crack running along its face. Jagadeesh of course reached the top without a safety harness. Next up was an experienced guy who I guess made it within a minutes time. I started timing the next attempts. Next up Boris, a web designer from Boston who made it within 1.2 mins. I had to beat these guys!

Inspired by the two, many try to scramble up but easily took upwards of 4 mins and some assistance to get to the top. My Turn, I had to do it. The starting step is the trickiest and many required a boost from people helping you. I didn’t want any but someone waiting in the line volunteered to hoist my left leg, unknowingly I lunged my left leg and connected my knee with his chin. It hurt to watch too. Champ was down for 10 mins and out of the whole rock climbing event. Sorry dude. I appreciate the guy to be smiling after some time saying it happens. That’s something to take away from this. Well after some more of my own blood, my right hand was cut in many places, made it to the top roughly equaling Boris’s time. Yeah!

Lunch, and what a lunch it was! It was the best Poori Chhole and the whole usual course eaten atop a rock next to a seasonal pond on a glorious cloudy day! I stuffed my self against someones warning not to. I needed a nap. A nicely sloping stone wall was my bed, a pleasant cloudy sky the ceiling and the balmy cool breeze my blanket. Heaven! Why cant I do this everyday? I wouldn’t believe myself, I actually napped in that state for a full 15 mins till someone woke me up abruptly to gather again. It was another shot at rock climbing, my tummy didn’t agree to it, so off for another dose of Nini time.

Chimney climbing is to climb up a small gap between two vertical walls by gripping the walls with your feet and back. This is tough. Damn tough. Jagadeesh was encouraging everyone to go and do what we felt was impossible. Your legs give away at the middle of the climb, you just wana let go and trust the rope to hold you when gravity calls. But miraculously no one gave up. Scratches on the back, aching hands and cramping legs aside, up is the only way. And the scene on top is beautiful.

Happily tired, I felt a wonderful accomplishment. The escape from the urban jungle was an awesome respite. I paid 700 rupees, I gained experience worth a million, and now I am hungry for more.

The Hot new Mobile phone/ Mini PC you can talk to

2009-11-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

Check out the new Motorola Droid available from Verizon in the US....remember Motorola ??

This phone was meant to do one thing - kick iPhone's A$$. This is best part of Competition. New platform (Android), Cam, Power, Apps and the list goes on..basically a more powerful functional and well equipped phone as compared to the i who should not be named.

Check out the ad on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYM-XTqcec

If you wanna read more, from the tons of reviews and stuff out there -

http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/ci.Motorola-DROID-US-EN.alt

Ajab Pu Ki Gajab Review

2009-11-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

Review by Her Highness Ms.Pu

Ajab prem ki gazab kahaani has no kahaani in the first place .. its bout a no good fellow called prem who falls in love with jenny who is an orphan adopted into a christian family .. The first half has is somewhat funny and sweet when the two of them become friends . But in the second half the story takes wild twists and turns that fail to excite you or even amuse you.. A lame movie to be watched if you have excess cash and time or your bored to death.

Dandiya Nites in Blore

2009-11-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

Navratri 2009!

I can’t remember the last time I had been to a Garba, perhaps it was in 2001 or 2000 in my colony Bombay. Its 2009 and I never imagined I was to attend a Garba and Dandiya again on the night of 26th in Bangalore of all places. And never ever could have imagined writing this sitting on a rooftop in Bangalore in a cool golden Bangalore evening with a cold tea cup and Sheryl Crow providing me company (acoustically). Things just fell into place for my Vacation, day -1. I needed a break. IT can get unforgiving at times, and best way to keep the steam up is to get away from it. More to come on that. Now Navratri.

As expected it was Sharayu who drove things to the end, with help from Swati this time. Gotta hand it to these two iron ladies to bully a bunch into the long forgotten art of having fun. The plan since last 2 weeks was to attend the Navrati celebrations at the Samyukta Mandal in Jayanagar which finally came through on Friday. The best plans are made last moment, and so I got a call at 5 ordering me to come for the do tonight. There were to be 4 confirmed people me, Sharayu , Swati and Kavitha. Sandy and Kamal were teetering on a go – no – go decision. What boosted our Enthu was Murli, a senior guy with equal enthu as us teenagers (mental age). I wish I could give him an award, but I guess my Dandiya sticks would have sufficed. I managed to get my tired self to this do knowing very well that I had a packed day tomorrow as Mom and Bro were to come to Blore. But since it’s a once in a decade event, I can miss my sleep for a night.

We reached at a very proper 9 pm to the venue which is just off the parallel road to KFC jayanagar. We could see the energy to be involved in the revelry, outside the venue with the colorful traditional Garba costumes people were coming in. Our group was one of the fairly well dressed I felt what with the ladies in great Punjabi suits and us guys in Kurtas. Swanky cars displayed the economic achievement that the Gujrati community has become synonymous with. The venue was a large school indoor audi which we entered for a ticket fee of 200 per person, pretty decent given that the big mandals charge as much as 500. The scene inside the audi struck us like a car. Packed with people already dancing in the circle, the whole place had a festive energy like none other. A professional navratri band was playing and almost every body was up on their feet and dancing and singing, the best way to worship the Goddess.

Immediately Sharayu, Swati, Kavitha and Me joined the circle absolutely clueless on how to dance the Garba. Never the less improvisation and a few mini disasters later we all managed to pick up the steps which are pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Sandy and Murli jumped in after a few rotations. The star of the show was Kamal! The shy fellow was replaced by a guy who truly danced, as the saying goes, as no one is seeing you dance. He was thoroughly into the groove and enjoying himself as were the rest of us. The tempo kept varying and we learnt some variations in steps to the Garba, basically a 4 step combo with claps.

We took a well deserved snacks break which was a cool surprise in itself. A great spread of Bombay theme dishes like Vada Pav, Pav Bhaj, Dhabeli (this stuff is awesome in Bombay) which was kinda OK and Gujarati dishes like Dhokla, Khaman chivda etc. We had some of everything and ended it with multiple Golas. Refreshed, we were looking forward to the Dandiya round.

Dandiya Raas is played with sticks (Dandiya in Gujarati) in two counter rotating circles where two people, or solo sometimes, are involved at a time. It requires some practice or Gujarati genes to kick it off the first time, but once to many I ended almost hurting people around me. People who knew how to play did so brilliantly. I was dazzled at times and stopped to see them but each person had a step on every beat and so had to keep on playing to avoid disappointing the partner who switches after every 4 steps. I played with Kids, teens and the seniors alike. Especially the seniors played splendidly with their ease and grace. Also present were the flashy young guys and girls with fancy costumes, steps, makeup and funky Dandiyas (one guy had a cool pair of rotating silver colored dandiyas ).

We ended the experience at 3 am, but because of the amount of the festive fun we had; I am sure no one slept for atleast another hour. Now I need to find out where to get those silver colored rotating dandiyas for next year…

Wake up Sid....Zzzzz

2009-10-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

Pakau.

I labored through this uneventful movie like sitting in a bus for a long long time with a full bladder. Forget waking up, half of the movie hall was asleep in the night show. My Brother slept through 70% of the movie easily.

Good night.

Bowled out by inSwing

2009-09-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

"Doctor I can only see Ducks"
Doctor - "Have you seen an Optometrist?"
"No, only Ducks".

These and other cricket themed rib ticklers and trivia adorn the table mats on this quaint eatery. Blink and you miss, situated in a nook on the first floor above Overhaul accessories in Banashankari BDA complex in Bangalore, this place has been a favorite for many people for different reasons. Firstly the theme - cricket. Cricket greats are remembered in many Black and white photos, their anecdotes and feats captured in frames which cover the walls. They enthrall me everytime that I come here. You have to spend a minute checking out the painting of Ganapati in 8 forms with Bats and cricket pads, the ambiance will catch you with a surprise! The food - is homely North Indian; affordable and very tasty. You can find some new thing to like when you come here. Today I discovered the Onion rings, superb stuff. The Chaas here never bores me. Highly recommend the Palak based dishes as the palak gravy is too good. Dont expect a mughlai feast, this is homely food so its made the usual down to earth, moderate style - which I love.

Cost comes down to the strictly moderate slab - 3 Thaalis with starters and drinks comes to about 300 bucks, super score. Watch out for the sly waiter, he will count your orders twice on purpose (experienced this on two outings), but you wont regret the extra helping. I am sure you would want to play more Innings with inSwing..

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb..

2009-09-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Total Human annihilation was never so hilarious! This is dark comedy at its best. The picture above is of a Bomber commander wearing a cow boy hat riding a nuke to its target, talk about hi tech guidance systems hehe. The satire maintained in this film never becomes farcical even for a moment. A great movie to see the works of Stan Kubrick and Peter Sellers. A must see to realize the importance of your bodily fluids ...

Amelie

2009-09-05T12:53:00.001-07:00

The power of expression can change the world. A story can make you live an era, a picture can take you to different lands, a song can make you laugh or cry. Likewise a movie will let you live someone else’s life, albeit for some moments.

I have been captivated by some wonderful movies, one of which is ‘Amelie’. No wonder this movie was nominated to the Oscars (in 5 categories ) and won many European awards. A run of the mill story about a girl meeting the love of her life – in a fantastical script set in Paris, crafted with superb movie making. This movie blew me away with its creative usage of artistic tools like animation, metaphors (the garden Gnome photos from around the world! ), music and the consistent pleasant visual theme . More than anything, it takes me to a place I yearn to visit – Paris. This movie lets you into her small world. How she makes a big difference for everyone in that small world, touching aspects of people’s lives which result in fantastical outcomes, makes you realize reality should not be so complicated and sometime you need to look at it through the sepia tinted glasses that Amelie uses.

Audrey Tautou (who is also simply great in ‘Priceless’ BTW ) is just the cutest ‘pretty girl who lives on the 5th floor ‘. I reserve the next few lines for my favorite actresses playing my favorite characters – I wanna marry her!

Bangla in Bengalore - Bengali food at Bangliana

2009-07-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Heres a cool place to try some authentic Bengali food in Bangalore. These guys make it the authentic way, vouched for by a semi-Bong and a full Oriya, right from the ambiance which takes you to a cramped Kolkata eatery decorated with Bangla curios. No ac, no cushion seats, Bangla music and a real high pitched owner makes you feel right at home.

Ok Food. The Vekthi(or Bekthi) is to die for ( I dont know how its supposed to taste and since this is my first encounter with Bangla food I will let Sandhya and Ashu to judge on that). And it was superb. Its a fish preparation wrapped in a leaf with spices and fried in the typical Mustard oil. The flavor hits you like a truck so be careful digging into it like tandoori chicken. This is the first time I had a leaf cooked fish or anything and it tastes quite good. Thats not quite the best thing here though.

The fish curry and mutton curry were nice. I notice the good dose of mustard oil makes the dishes a bit getting used to initially. So dont get spurned away at the first bite. They also serve some tasty fish heads chutney. This is sure to drive away all Veg readership.

Now the best stuff. Bengali Sweets. The magical originals were present in their true forms competed to win our taste buds. Rossogolla - super soft and sweet just to perfection. The Mishti Doi was awesome. Its like a Shrikhand only a bit more runny. Then the Payash, synonym for the south Indian 'Paysa' was the super star. Sweet Mango chutney was delightful. The winner hand down was the Payash. If not the main courses or the usual stuff - the desserts will have you running back to this place.

Csst - Rs.1050 for 6 hungry people and 1 non participant who did eat later on for a fully satisfying belt loosening Bangla experience.

Song - 'Every Build you break ' :D ROFL

2009-07-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

This is a superb (hilarious) example how creative software guys can be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVc_VPMsj7A&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fxteam.us.oracle.com%2Fblogs%2Fblog4.php&feature=player_embedded

Business Intelligence for the Mafia! Mogambo interested

2009-07-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

Travel and Transport, Education, Governance - all these domains are done. The pond has been fished out and face it..there is not much new stuff people can do in Business intelligence. You gotta create a niche. Turn your attention to the other great organisatons in our society's the friendly neighbourhood mafia. Efficient, extremely profitable and agile and highly liquid with funds ( some of that stuff is solid too :D ) these wise guys can be the best clients you could ask for.

For example Mogambo would have achieved his dastardly plan if he simply let us do all that pointing and making people jump in acid tanks and basically wreak havoc on the world. That we can do sir, we can perfectly do. Infact we give you a 6 month on site guarantee our application can make you the emperor of the world within 3 months, of course we have to account for the odd attack on the main frame by Mr.India. Which we will take care of in the next upgrade ( as if ).

Uhh Mr.Mogambo...stop whipping our developer please ...

The first 2 hours of your day

2009-06-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

The first 2 hours of your day

Some fiction for a change. I am counting the number of people in a bad/sad mood.

You get up in the morning; curse the short sleep, bad dream, whatever (1). Get ready for work, in the process mess up the stack of clothes roomie had kept, forget to order some drinking water in the hurry (2). You rush down the stairs and almost bang into the old lady from 1st floor whose son is in the US hasn’t called her since a month (3). Zoom past the nepali watchman (4), walking briskly towards the bus stop. You get onto the bus brooding like a villain from a Z grade movie. There are the usual passengers, the new mother who never gets any appreciation from home nor office, the manager fast approaching 50’s yet unable to afford a decent flat, the group of four Keralite bachelors - some of whose fathers and brothers have come back from the gulf after they lost their jobs – you wish they stopped their yapping in Malayalam, the urban hotshot whose parents live in the same city but prefers to live alone and is worried about his credit card loans and the quite girl from the village who never speaks to anyone because she dosent have any confidence to have a long conversation (lets say 12 so far). You sit in the last bench. The bus driver has a really bad time negotiating through the traffic. It’s a deadlock. Not a single vehicle is moving from its place at the intersection. Everyone wants to be the first one out of the mess, is causing the mess. There is an ambulance wailing at a distance (almost 32). 2 hours up.

32 people minimum are in a bad/sad mood. Probably half of them (optimistically) will become happy in the other part of the day, for the other half it might be another forgettable day.

You get up in the morning, thankful for a new hale and healthy day. Get ready for work with nothing bad on your mind to bother you. You remind roomie to call up his sister to wish her luck for her exams. He also calls for the water to be delivered that night from the shop. You head down the stairs and meet the lady from 1st floor and ask her whether her left knee injury had subsided. She said it was getting better and in the evening she expects you to come to her house for some puja sweets. You tip the watchman as it festival time, which means he can send some money for new clothes for his new born daughter in his village. You board the bus with a bright smile. The bus was filled with comments on your goofy new yellow shirt which was so bright it could land planes. The new mother jokes that the shirt will drive away all your girl friends, she feels 5 years younger already. You congratulate the manager about his account getting an award. The Keralite guys ask you exactly who is the younger of Kareena and Karishma and offer you some coconut chips, of which they have a ton stocked at home. The packet of chips makes rounds of the bus making its way to the driver. They start discussing in Malayalam how you look like a comedian in a certain regional film. You nod like a similar fool in agreement with the conversation you cant understand which they explain later after a good laugh. Hotshot asks what might be a good bike for him so that he can go back to living with his parents while keeping some of his freedom intact. ‘How much maximum HRA component can we declare in the tax declaration?’ was the question out of nowhere from the quite girl who usually wouldn’t have asked anyone. You spend 5 minutes on explaining the details. In the background at the intersection, the driver senses a deadlock and stops for the other drivers to cross the intersections. Drivers of some of the other bigger vehicles see him slowing down and sense the same and wait for the smaller vehicles to go. The bus driver meanwhile finishes the packet of chips. Everybody reaches office in a good or better mood that day. They all greet the pantry guy who makes the worst possible tea, except that day they all had the best tea after lunch from the same guy.

How would you like spending the first 2 hours of your day?

My Holiday in Ruins

2009-06-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

I wanted a getaway, from a lot of things. Work, pollution, grey cubicles and routine; just seek new experiences. My friend’s wedding started a perfect getaway in the last weekend of May. Joining me on the trip was Krishna, best known by everyone as KK, and Anirudh. A Tamilian, a Telegai and a part Maharashtrian Kannadiga (myself) who spoke 5 languages amongst themselves and spent a weekend on an unplanned trip in the great outdoors. How best to spend the weekend eh?

Saturday morning we reached my Mom’s native of Dharwad. Dharwad, the Oxford of Karnataka. I spent many a vacations in this quite town. Green and cosy, this wasn’t a village nor was it too big to make its citizens feel lost in it. Its University is marvelous and its education renowned. I loved the rains here. Everything would be so fresh and green. The Hordes of black faced Langurs have stopped marauding the fruit trees in the ancestral home. There is no ancestral home anymore to speak of now. It was years since I had been to this place. This was a wonderful opportunity to go back to those years.

The night in the train was a sleepless one. We arrived haggard at the place we were put up called Sevashram. It was a Christian institute with dorms. We freshened and changed quickly into Kurtas which we had coordinated. KK looked like he was coming straight from a communist party meeting. The marriage venue had my Family name, a lot of places do in Dharwad. The guys were teasing that I owned half of Dharwad. We decided to walk the short distance from the dorm to the venue, providing the natives a rare sight of three Kurta clad individuals walking. Rare because I guess it has unfortunately become de riguer for people to use vehicles even for short distances, especially if you are affluent moreso for a marriage. Yes I am a part time Tree hugger.

We met up with many of our friends from Bangalore at the Venue. This was the first Konkani wedding I was attending. The ceremonial dresses were quite unique. Ceremonies and rituals differ in different cultures and communities. This was another unique one. Anirudh was trying to compete with the official photographer and was doing a good job too actually. One mention – the Casio camera which he was using is very impressive. My friend, the bride’s, brother was running around to managing the event, which was flawless, reminded me of the duties I would have to do when my Brother will be getting married. Better start going to the gym :D . Best wishes to the lucky couple.

It was Saturday Afternoon. Now what? We have to do something. All the resorts were full because of school vacations. The archeological ruins at Badami, Aihole, Pattadkallu circle were off season. For a good reason. It was summer, in interior Karnataka near the Maharashtra border. It was blazing hot. It would be nuts for anyone to roam around in that heat. Lets go.

We went around Dharwad looking for anymeans to go to Badami, but as it turns out Dharwad is a little bit too laid back to have people at the ticket counters to even guide us. We took the next option of going to Hubli and trying for a way to get to Badami. Hats off to KK who ignored my whining to stay back in a hotel in Hubli and Dharwad and waste precious time. Hubli is the bigger of twin city to Dharwad. It was a big lucky break that we caught the only bus to Badami – the glorious Rani Channama Private Bus service, I will call it the RCPBS cause we will need it again later. Now RCPBS can give the airplanes a run for their money. They have Two screens and a DVD player! Plus the bus actually flies, low. Our host started the Kannada movie ‘Rama Shama Bhama’. This I truly enjoyed. I had seen the Hindi version –‘ Biwi No.1’ which was a murder of the movie. I didn’t notice the maniacal way the pilot/driver reached the destination in good time. My recommendation, catch the film, worth 2.5 hours. Oh Garcon, the champagne please….

It was dark by the time we reached Badami. We made our way to the closest decent hotel – Rajsangam which seemed to host a lot of foreign tourists during peak season. We bargained a decent 600 Rupees for a 3 bed room. Had a simple dinner of masala dosas and crashed. We would need all the energy we could for tomorrow.

The rates for Taxis, as usual of Tourist places, were too prohibitive for our budget. The rickshaws offer a far better deal. Airy and comfortable for the three of us, the whole tour for 350 rupees, the rickshaw was a super deal. 350! You say, the rates start at 600 for the record. An important advice for everyone at this place at this time of the year, stay hydrated. To do so we had to down almost 4 litres of water, a couple of cold drinks and 4 coconuts. Trust me its way better than sunstroke at this place.

First stop were the Badami caves. Just a few minutes from the town, these four temple caves were built by the Chalukyas in various centuries. The approach towards the cave complex, if you notice, is uphill a path bordered by huts. If you see closely is a proper path with way stones probably for a ceremonial route in the ancient times. We skipped getting a guide who would charge a flat 200 rupees for the gyaan which I was sure to forget in 5 days. The caves were as far as I can guess a Monolithic structure. The cave temples were for different deities. Vishnu and Shaivaite temples were the dominant ones, but surprisingly the last temple was a Jain or a Buddhist temple, that’s why you need a guide. The temples were made in different centuries by the Chalukyas. It is impressive that a kingdom can last for so long, so much so that there was even a shift in the faith of the people. We were really impressed by the carvings. They were incredibly detailed, beautiful and more importantly flawless. These were no idols or individual sculptures that you could replace if you goofed up while making them; they were part of the monolithic structure. The cave complex had a superbly built tank, rather a lake next to it. It was easily the size of a 50 Olympic swimming pools. Credit goes to the Archeological Survey of India for doing a good job here. In a day’s journey from Bangalore, I was standing in another century altogether.

Watch out for monkeys at the place, if you are not careful they will swipe your food primarily or your digicam if they are bored with the ones they had swiped before. Monkeys are OK, it’s the humans that consistently make me angry. Do you have to have a picnic at such a beautiful Archeological place? Gangs of picnickers desecrate the place with bottles and leftovers, at all the places we went to that day. Sometimes I feel these places should have stayed hidden in dirt because we don’t deserve to see their beauty.

Badami caves were a great appetizer for the main course coming up. Next stop Banshankari temple. As we were to see, this day we were going to set personal records in number temples seen in a day. This is a revered Devi temple, with people coming here from all over the nation. For sale were the crispy tough bhakri rotis and their accompaniments – chutney and curd. Mind you, if you skip the curd you will end up with a real bad stomach ache. We didn’t have the guts to try it.

Next up – Mahakoota. I have limited knowledge of this place, but if you are a Shiva devotee, you gotta come here at least once in your lifetime. I guess it has the largest number of Lingas in a single place. I can easily estimate more than 150 easily seen Lingas. There were replica or representative Lingas from all over India in small temples. There was a small tank at the centre with a small temple embedded inside enshrining a Linga. We were amazed at all the Lingas here. The number of Lingas was simply incredible.

We quickly moved to Aihole. The road to this place was almost alien. Dry, black and rocky, I am sure NASA can do some experiments around here. We reached the town of Aihole after quite a long drive. This was another temple complex from the Chalukya dynasty. These temple structures were Huge. They were beautifully stylized, and the construction was intricate. Its simply hard to not say how did they do it! You would definitely require modern construction techniques and the architecture acumen employed for this level of beauty would have been outstanding. I am sure if they updated Wikipedia back then, we would have made the Eiffel tower atleast 8 centuries early in stone. By this time fatigue had set in. The heat had taken its toll and we were hungry already. We had a forgettable lunch at the fabulous Mayura guest house, a government run tardy and inefficient facility, expected. We still had Patadakallu to go..

We were tired, despite the constant drinks, the heat had exhausted us. Patadkallu was still on the list. And it did not disappoint us. This was by far the best of all. The ruins here were big and beautiful. The temples were literally crammed in a small place. This place had a lot of variety in structures. The entire place was laid in stone and it seemed like a very important place of worship. Some of these structures were very spooky. A whole day of ancient temple watching was obviously monotonous but this place rocked! A definite must visit, I would recommend heading to this place before Aihole or Mahakoota. Patadkallu was a perfect ending for the tour.

We reached our room just after 4 PM. We had to get the bus to Hubli in time to make it for our train at night. We packed up and hurried out of the Hotel at 5, but we missed the Rani Channama Private Bus service (RCPBS). This was disheartening, frankly worrisome. Transportation wasn’t easy in these parts and there was the possibility of missing our train. We waited an hour for the next RCPBS, which was the same one we came in. The in flight movie, no prize for guessing, ‘Rama Shama Bhama’. This time we enjoyed it even more. The pilot got us into Hubli in good time. We headed straight for the Dharam Singh Line Bazar Shop to buy Dharwad peda. Sacrilege if you don’t get Dharawd peda if you visit Hubli-Dharwad. KK got a lot of that stuff. We had a simple Dinner at the Kamat’s. I would recommend some other place though. If anything the ‘Majgi’ saved the day for Kamat’s.

The train arrived 1.5 hours late, which got us into Bangalore 2.5 hours late on a Monday. A perfect start for another week of work. I wonder will I ever be able to see such work as done by the Chalukyas in my life time?

Not bad for my first decent article after my brief experience with RSI.

Station 24

2009-03-25T12:11:00.001-07:00

On 24th of March 2009 I turned 24 :D . Magic number. I honestly don’t want to get all fancy with words, but this train simply rolled into Station 24.

This is my second Birthday in Bangalore and it had gotten better this year. Thanks to my friends, birthdays are really something I cherish and look forward to. I now have a reason to be happy to grow old. This wasn’t the case a few years ago.

Birthdays in Bombay were a simple affair. My humble background and deep rooted moderation in everything restricted most forms of exuberance. Without that I wouldn’t have been where I am today and pretty sure would not have been able to achieve what I have. Birthdays were placid with an expected cake in college, if I was lucky, followed by some more of it at home. Mom makes some sweet at home (she still does and I miss it like anything). Bachelor’s life in Bangalore has turned many things on its head and bottom.

These were the last few days before Station 24.

22nd : Ayush had come down to Bangalore for some official work and was to spend the weekend with me, Chandu and Adwait. Busy man that he is, he had a packed schedule so did I with my cousin’s engagement. Sunday was the last evening Ayush would spend with us so we headed to the most happening place – Brigade road to catch up with a few friends.

Adwait’s birthday was on 18th. That night I, Chandu and Lakshman had surprised him with a face full of Chocolate truffle cake which had become a tad too hard because of refrigeration ( sorry dude :D ). We did a good job of the surprise and I am proud of us especially since Adwait is as alert as a cat.

We paid a rather late visit to another friend, who I have to mention, a very unique person indeed – full of spunk and always glowing. After escorting the person home Ayush had the fantastic idea of walking home a long long distance fully aware of the hatred stray dogs have towards me. Thankfully an Auto rickshaw guy rescued me from the harrowing march. One more day to go for my Birthday, I said as I stepped out of the washroom. 12.30 Am.

The dreaded cold chocolate truffle cake. Pushed very hard on to my face to compensate for the lack of adhesion. But its a day earlier! Neverthe less a surprise indeed! Now that’s a surprise. This was followed by a white forest cake (!). Thank fully not graffiti-ed the way I had vandalized Adwait’s cake 4 days ago. Hot milk accompanied the feast of a cake. My family in Bangalore – my roomies had superbly executed the plan. I may be bragging, but I am telling you I have the best roomies in town :D

It took me quite a while to get the cake off the floor and my face. I uploaded the pics quickly and the wishes started streaming in on Orkut.

More was in store.

23rd : The day after. I was confident my gang from office was up to something. I could bet my life on it. A give away of the plan came from Snehaji when she accidently mentioned about Ashu behaving rather excitedly at their office. I could imagine Ashu frantically waving his arms to motion her to not mention anything. I headed home pretty warily to avoid any accident on my way back. ‘Not this day please ‘I had prayed , and it had worked thank God. On my way back I picked up big bags of
chips and some cold drinks for the party that I hoped will come.

Adwait and Chandu were exhausted with all the excitement from yesterday. It seemed if any action were to happen, they would opt out. Chandu dozed off as soon as he came in and so did Adwait. Nothing. No shifty behavior, no hidden stuff in the fridge. I was worried if people even remembered its my birthday. I tried to trick Chandu into telling me if there was any surprise “ How much chips shall I get and cold drinks too, tell me cause then I don’t wanna waste anything”. He didn’t reply much in detail – usual case with his tired days. When I came home he started having some of the stuff which I assumed were meant for later. Means there was not going to be any party! I asked him again “Uhh..why are you having the stuff now?”. “Cause you brought it, is it ok I have it?” was his reply. “Sure, hmm so theres actually no party” I said.

Pretty obvious, I thought. People are already stretched at work. Far off offices, tight projects and schedules did not allow much respite for my gang. Its Ok I thought. I had a party yesterday night. Its Ok if my gang dosent come tonight. Convincing yourself can be tough.

12 am 24th March everyones asleep. I get the first call from Kavita at 12.05 AM. She’s the winner of the first wish contest. Then the calls trickle in. One by one. Everyone’s home. Wishing me and excusing themselves for not being here. I fake energy into calls, perhaps even over compensating. The house is dark and I actually felt sad.

12.35 Am I am in my bed ready to go to sleep. I get a call from a very good friend which warms my heart, particularly because I guess calling so late at night is not an option for her. I had left my bedroom door open and I suddenly see Adwait wearing a shirt ( apart from the usual vest)!

The lights go off. I excused myself from the call. Suddenly I feel someone jump on me! The lights come on and before I could react a whole lot of cake avalanched on me – propelled by the whole gang. I suddenly realized what getting a full body massage with a cake on your own bed feels like. Its awesome!

The gang had come. Thanks :D

I had a rather long bath to get the rather oily cake off myself. A quick change of clothes and I am in the living room where a Chocolate fantasy cake was waiting for me. Ashu, Sam, Sharayu, Victor, Shiv, Syed and Sandhya had made time for my Birthday which was truly a surprise. Hats off!

This was followed by the ritual spinal realignment. Everybody were party to this merry affair and I suggest wearing jeans when you undergo this. Thankfully this year it was a single round compared to last year’s 4. A message to all ladies who partake in ‘Birthday Bumps’ - leave it to the guys! They know where not to hit!

Shiv started the second round of caking. Some precision chocolate decoration for my face. Another bath. The maid’s reaction the next day was “ You guys keep playing with cake or what everyday?”. As I write, there is still some cake along the bed’s headboard.

I saw the gang off till the gate as they went back pretty late in the night (1.45 Am), trouble for us office goers in the weekdays.

I uploaded the few pics we managed to take on my cell cam and my well wishers could see a little bit of what happened.

But I wish I could print the whole experience so that I can share it with my brother, all my friends my relatives and more importantly me. The train will roll onto different stations via different routes, never going back. These photographs, these memories and this blog will remain.

Holi 2009

2009-03-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

Holi the festival of colors. Lost amidst gray cubicles. That was 2008

But this year it was different, fun and totally unexpected and unforgettable.

7 pm at office at Bannerghatta road, an hours travel and I was exhausted. The night before was a sleepless one. Naturally when Ashu’s SMS came instructing me to be ready for Holi, I called replying a rude no as I was tired and Holi simply didn’t seem like a good idea. This thought would have surprised me a few years ago. I was un excited and actually didn’t want to have fun just cause I was tired. I loved Holi. It’s my favorite festival. But like a lot of things, I had lost interest.

I reached home to find none of my roomies Adwait or Chandu were present. I wanted to play some PS2 for a change. That did it. Couldn’t reach Ashu on his cell I called up Sharayu – another true blue Mumbaikar, asked if they are really going to play Holi at the company office in the night. Seemed like a crazy idea. Of course we will play was the joyous reply. It’s a festival and whats left of us if we don’t enjoy festivals. Codejunkie – my cousin’s word echoed.

Ashu the ever adolescent had kept up the tempo and excitement for this year’s Holi along with Serious (about fun) Sam. I wouldn't have believed myself - I called them up saying I am going to join the group for Holi. I was to report to Ashu’s apartment dressed in my most expendable attire which will get dyed to an unrecognizable hue and as was to turn out –to be almost torn into bits.

Driving blind without my spectacles ( my only pair ) I met fellow blind without my specs Ashu and Sam joined us in some moments. Ashu and Sam had purchased a good quantity and variety of colours. Sharayu, Sandhya, Victor and Syed were waiting for us at office as we entered the office at 8PM, dressed in old track pants, worst of the lot Tees and slippers. Hope the big brass dosent sees us in this avatar. We got rid of the bags by sweet talking the security guard to stash it near his desk (who had become accustomed to our odd timed outings and whacky activities being conducted by us or originating from this office).

We couldn’t wait to get out of the main gate and near the main road. In full view of the public, abandoning any coyness we tore open the Gulal packets and the celebrations began. The 6 of us were unrecognizable after a few minutes. Each of us were covered by Gulal ( pink), yellow, green and violet. Ashu had also got some synthetic dye (Which makes my hands and neck look candy pink for another week). Sandhya ( and Shiv to come) was the only amongst us well dressed. We made her regret wearing those clothes. So was to realize Shiv. Black Raymond’s pants? Not anymore. Try this new yellow briefed one we just made :)

Shiv arrived from another office. He needed some convincing. Like Sam hiding in the bushes to ambush just as he was to get out of the protection of the office. After a handful of yellow gulal, Shiv joined us with a vengeance. We did another round of Holi play adding to the several layers. It turns out people in Gorakhpur and Orissa play Holi a tad rough. They like to tear clothes it seems. And so Ashu’s shirt got a decent amount of stretching. Next in the firing line was my own shirt. I bargained for a sleeve. So Shiv and Syed tried – and did not succeed in getting even a stitch out of plcae (that shirt was from Belgium. Thanks bro. There I said it for the record. I can explain why I was wearing that shirt :) ) Now it was the turn of any body we recognized near the office. A few of our colleagues joined in the revelry.

By standers were enjoying simply watching us play. I could see that they badly wanted to join in, but they couldn’t. They had to get back to office next day. It was late already.

Victor couldn’t participate due to lent. But being a true sport he did let us color his face yellow a little.

We ended the night with photographs to preserve the memories we would never want to forget.

Notting Hill or Nothing Hill

2009-02-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

Not much for mush movies..just wanted to capture a defining moment from this film which has many.

Julia Roberts plays a very successful yet unloved actress stands in front of the Book store owner Hugh Grant, asking for him to love her despite all she has put him through. The simple and affable Hugh still forces a smile and asks her permission to say no. She says ' fame is not for real. After all I am a still a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love me'.

Of course he runs back to her through a very mandatory climatic, romantic, dramatic end.

Mush movies make you feel mushy. So defined. I like them. But things dont work similarly in real life though. Its ok to be inspired by such on a date, but not in real life. Even if you do get inspired, think .5 times before you do anything stupid. So dear kids, you should stick to wonderful movies of Uncle Rambo and Santa Bourne.

Waiting to be convinced here...

p.s: Am not drunk nor did I have a recent breakup or both.

Bite into great Desi Chinese cuisine - Beijing Bites, Jayanagar

2008-11-30T20:51:00.001-08:00

Food - Bite into great Desi Chinese cuisine - Beijing Bites, Jayanagar

K, V and S giving a great colgate moment.
Bachelorhood. Married guys envy, bachelors pride. Yet another weekend spent postponing studying for the imminent competency exam. But no regrets. Yesterday, 29th, was one of the most enjoyable nights I have had in Bangalore. Dinner with good friends always ranks among top of my favorite activities.

So it was me, Ashu, Sandhya, Victor, Sandy and Kavita trying something other than loitering at BTM or Forum; we decided we would loiter around Jayanagar , except for Kavita who had better things to do, and then end it with dinner at Beijing Bites.

We first hit another avatar of Cafe coffee day, Kalamane koffee ( or something similarly named) to sample some fresh brewed south Indian coffee while waiting for Sandy to grace us with his ever delayed presence. Great place to chill with some really interesting kaapis. Worth checking out for its uniqueness and the price. The crowd was as usual youthful but I did notice an elderly gent with I guess more discerning taste present there. I wouldn’t mind visiting Kalmane kofee to seriously try some more.

After some more dilly dallying and delaying Kavita further, we managed to move into Beijing Bites a full hour later than schedule. No need for reservation, there was enough place for many diners. The décor was great. Grades better than the Beijing Bites at Banshankari which looks like an over glorified Chinese tapri compared to this place. The crowd was a good mixture of young and sophisticated. Again scoring above the Banshankari place.

Victor, luckily or un luckily, for him was seated between Sandhya and Kavita causing the young couple seated next table much pain. The gentleman then, I guess was forced to shield his ladyship from Victor’s charm by sticking real close to her. We provided them further engagement in their uncomfort by gesturing and speaking in obvious hushed tones at them. The entertainment was superb.

Trying to reform back to vegetarianism, albeit for a full 10 minutes, I made Kavita agree to Veg Koithio , a Malaysian noodle dish, and crispy chili vegetables. Veg Koithio I should mention is a must try at B B’s because of the unique flat noodle make and the spice. It’s a great welcome break from the usual fare. The veggies were great, better than some of the non veg stuff. Well that’s what I can say about the veg.

Many more fowls lost their lives when we asked for Manchow soup and Hot and sour Chicken soup. The Manchow was reliably good, but the hot and sour was just too bad. Sandhya and Ashu had a hard time gulping it down. Then we asked for the all time favorite at BB - lemon basil chicken which did not disappoint us. Must mention another connoisseur friend Samrat whose extensive research in non veg dishes at many eateries results in reliable recommendations. One more dish was passable. For the main course was noodles and fried rice. The spice was provided by pickle chicken curry. Frankly the main course wasn’t a great experience, it was just as expected. I was expecting a surprise. It seems the food dosent change much between branches of the same chain of restaurants.

The bill for such a big quantity of food came to INR 750. Shared among six that’s a great deal! The service was better than average similarly the food. Much better than the Banshankari outlet.

We continued chatting till we reached our steeds, strolling in the beautiful Bangalore night. For a guy from Bombay, which I love, the weather was simply wonderful. Bidding everyone a safe ride back home, I ended yet another enjoyable Bangalore experience.

Banjara

2008-11-28T01:05:00.001-08:00

Food - Banjara

Bit difficult to write after what has happened in Bombay.

Chandu finally decided to generously host us for lunch for his belated Birthday at Banjara at Jayanagar 4th block after repeated reminders on Sunday 23rd Nov. At 253 INR for the buffet, yeah those 3 rupees are for the toothpicks, we intended to attack the buffet table for every last paise that Chandu paid. Me and Advait know that there is a similar financial ‘correction’ in store at our Birthdays.

Kavita had tipped me off about this place and I have to really appreciate her choice. The décor was surprisingly very good inside. Huge dining hall with capacity to seat almost 250 people comfortably I guess. We were led to a comfy corner by a hostess, waited by a head waiter and served with the usual cutlery and stuff by another guy. Great presentation must say.

After Chandu confirmed his financial situation and the fact that they do take tax saving meal cards, we voted for the buffet. Not a very wide spread, we started with three kinds of salads and pasta salads. But it’s the starters we made a bee line for. The vegetable manchuri ( mind you they call it manchuri intentionally ) , chicken ajwain, peanut chicken and tawa chicken were good. Ok the peanut chicken was great. Almost full, we were determined not to give up at this instant.

Next up main course of some really fancy phulkas made on a unique wire framed roti maker which made for a nice show every time the phulkas went into the flames naked. I went for my healthy compensate of palak paneer, dal fry, spl gujurathi sabzi –actually undhhio ,dakshin fish curry and chicken labadar. Full points for the veggies. But the non vegetarian fare was passable. I didn’t care , it was very difficult eating anything after the starters. I managed to try few more grains of pulao of the rice varieties offered which was pretty decently spiced, just for formality sake.

I strangled the last breath out of my attempt at eating healthy that weekend by the next onslaught. Gulab jamoon, gajar halwa, vanilla mousse, ice cream and some dish I don’t know what to call. I had it all. Gajar halwa was toooooo good. The mousse was excellent. Gulab Jamoon was ok. Ice cream..ho hum. Please call for a fork lift.

How was it? Totally totally worth the money. The extra 3 rupees too.

Mumbai, 26th Nov 2008

2008-11-28T00:55:00.000-08:00

Event - Mumbai, 26th Nov 2008

At last count 125 dead and 330+ injured. Among the dead are 14 policemen. Unknown number of terrorists attacked Mumbai on 26th and as I write this post at 27th 10.17 pm in front of the TV, it seems the night that started yesterday hasn’t gotten over yet for many. I stare at the TV screen cumulatively adding to more than 6 hours of watching the news channel. I see the menacing picture of a young dark guy carrying an AK-47 with what seems a sardonic smile. I see news channel showing fat head opportunistic politicians and Bombay ‘celebrities’ like the idiot Prahlad Kakkar and the assorted bunch of morons. The ‘leadership’ has to show up at the hospital to pain the survivors further. Please appreciate my patience in using parliamentary language here.

Seems like the same story which has been happening in Bombay ever since I can remember. I called up Mom to assure myself about her and Manish my brother like before today morning, and as before both Mom and Manish go to office. They shall attend office albeit a little relaxed with all the excitement. Come back home, answer calls from relatives; update themselves with more news and go to sleep as usual to attend office tomorrow. Like the other many millions.
But many will not attend office tomorrow. I realize again that misfortune also affects the affluent. Stalwart policemen fell prey to bad luck when they entered a hospital, unexpectedly falling prey to bullets. Retribution is of no concern for the perpetrators. I guess they have achieved what they wanted to. The stock exchange was closed today. The mood among the industry isn’t good and there is going to be a further impact to the already reeling economy.

I hope retribution will follow. But vengeance is too personal a feeling to be taken seriously by the

‘leadership’.

My respects to the departed.

Movie - Dostana

2008-11-16T22:25:00.000-08:00

Movie - Donstana

Finally a Karan Johar movie which I was able to laugh throughout and not choke on senti - baazi. The movie starts with the usual plastic perfect location of Miami (really?) with picture perfect bods throughout the movie ( except for Boman Irani). The overall theme was - as you can guess pretend 'Happy' guys are in love with the very very lovely Priyanka Chopra. So who ends up winning her heart? In the process losing a lot of other things. Aishwarya just in case, I am there for you .....

Quite awkward watching it with 5 guys and 1 sporting girl in a theatre which was attended by almost everyone younger than me! My first tryst with mid - young adulthood crisis. Just for the record, our group out classed any college kid in that hall who could whistle, cat call or pass colorful comments whenever Ms.Chopra did something worth commentable. The screen was too far away, or I was sure we would have danced in front of it when 'Ma da Ladla' played - exaggeration OK, but sure did that in our seats!

It was great letting my hair down like this, quite a memorable movie ! Enjoy, without your parents of course. And just for the record, I am totally behind baby log ha...

Yo Andhra! - Dinner at Mandara

2008-11-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

Food - Yo Andhra!- Dinner at Mandaara

After a day of hard work (sic) four of us decided to have dinner at a place we had dined at recently. Mandaara’s which lies upslope of Katriguppe Junction towards Mysore road, is another miss if you blink eatery on the first floor. More visible on the exterior is the billboard announcing the Bar on the second level. Enter the decent well lit dining hall and you will find a sparse crowd of family and young diners. I am to be puzzled why. Not yet though.

We sit on very comfortable sofas seating 3 at a time and six on the marble table with folded plantain leaves. All this looks very inviting. The whole atmosphere is just right. Not posh not bad just decent and comfortable.

My fellow diners were Jason, Samrat and Ashutosh. All seasoned non vegetarians. And today Jason and Ashu are gonna test the Biryani. So shall we. Although we ordered the mini meal – which is not mini in any sense. “And we shall also have the kalmi kabab” says Jason matter of factly. One thing to mention is Jason is a thin guy for an Indian software engineer who eats meat twice a day, skips most of the veggies and feels chapathis are no match for parathas which he religiously eats with ofcourse chicken curry and lots of it while at it. Ashu agrees to the kababs, though a little doubtful whether he will be able to eat that much.

Me and Samrat wash the plantain leaves with water and the waiter ladles delicious thick dal, spicy brinjal and the unique chutney (what is its? Gram dal or peanuts or a combination?) .Then comes a plate of white rice, small bowls of rasam, curry, kadi and thick creamy curd. A sad excuse for a papad is also provided. The fragrant biryani comes in a brass serving kadhai. The Kalmi Kabab will take time. We start with the rice in front of us which is the main course of an Andhra Dinner. The dal is just right. The spicy brinjal is surprisingly well made, cause I detest brinjals. The chutney as usual is great but what took the cake was the kadi.I don’t know if what we had was kadi, but similar to that – it was just great.

Jason and Ashu seemed to applaud as soon as they had the biryani. The taste was well balanced, the spices and the flavors not overpowering, giving each other just space on the palate. The chicken portions seemed scant , but were tender and tasted great with the spice thoroughly mingling with it. The kalmi kabab appeared finally – it is a kabab made from chicken legs and is a favorite amongst chicken . So Mr.Kalmi arrived super tender and wonderfully spiced. The accompanying pudina chutney was unnecessary , the kabab tasted awesome and as Ashu said, we were just afraid of finishing it off soon.

All of this was finished off over a healthy discussion involving Multimedia. We didn’t bother with deserts cause we were just too full.

The bill came which was a very reasonable Rs.356.

Mini Meal – Rice with various curries and chutneys Rs 34 --------Great and superb value for money.
Chicken Biryani Rs84 ------------------------------------- Good but the price was above the wow zone
Kalmi Kabab Rs120 ---------------------------------------------Good and price seemed on the high side.

Bottomline – great place to have a meal. I had it the second time and will go back again.

Now bring your spreadsheet to the beach and make your friends to also work on it!

2008-11-12T00:38:00.000-08:00

Tech - Now bring your spreadsheet to the beach and make your friends to also work on it!

I was surprised when I came to know that many of my friends dont use/know of office suites and applications like notebook.google, reader.google and google apps and OpenOffice.org . Understandable. We have had access to Microsoft Office all the time ( I am making a point here if you understand what I mean ;) ).

Now I buy a new laptop. I need an office suite. So what do I do? Financially drained from buying the lappy and unable to buy an MS Office suite, I am left with 2 choices now:

Get a net connection and start using docs.google apps

Get OpenOffice suite.

docs.google is really simple and quite convenient - you dont need to have it installed in your pc. You just need an internet connection and start using it a regular speadsheet/document application. Your data is on the net and can be shared for collaboration and such - this might also be a negative point. You are placing your data on the net. So most probably you would avoid using the service for official purposes. But consider the following use : - I am placement coordinator for my college. I need data of my batchmates such as semester scores and company preferences. I simply upload a template and share it with my friends. They fill in the required data. This can be tailored and further shared with recruiters and linked in many ways possible. Simple and sweet!

OpenOffice.org gives a neat package of fully functional Office tools like the Word equivalent - Writer. Pretty much the same functionalites, you can enhance it with further Open add Ons like EuroOffice Dictionary. You end up saving tons in money buying a set of Office tools and come on now its high time we started getting into the Open movement. The only thing that kept us from doing this is we never bought much of the software. Issues like compromising security and Microsoft blanking off your screens if you buy its pirated stuff ( yes now it can ...Huhuhuhahahahaha..) has turned many away from the lure of pirated software.

Well two points I needed to drive home so that my friends can start using the best stuff the net has to offer out and try some reliable FOSS ( Free and Open Source Software ) . Bottomline - we need to start exploring the net better.

Anyone heading for the beach? I will get my laptop...

Tech Post 1.0 - boring new stuff

2008-11-11T03:22:00.000-08:00

Tech - Tech post 1.0 - boring new stuff

I might as well jump onto the tech blog that are as common as mosquitoes in a swamp, but try to make it relate to us..us being of a large definition.

A new bird ( Media player ) worth checking out: This is songbird 1.0 . From the makers of Mozilla, this looks like a cool player worth checking out. It comes across as highly customizable as with the likes of Firefox. Pretty cool if you are bored with Win Media Playa or iTunes and want something refreshing, to read more hit the link.

3D display - Shaktiman comes alive!! Yikes, looks like Star Wars isnt too far away. One of my favorite "Thing of the future" ..3D display technology I feel is long overdue. Might not be surprised if the next iPod pops up with a small version..hello Shakira!

Crapgadget at Engadget - Vote for you favorite crap gadget Engadget churnes up a list of the really bad gifts to give, now wheres my credit card..

Start your own e-commerce portal: follow the link. This site tells you how you can set up your thela on the net. Whats that coconut guy? you need a nice background for your e-store?

Namaste to the first person to suggest me a better name than "Tech Post 1.0" :)

Solutions to improper usage of meeting rooms (MRs).

2008-11-10T01:10:00.000-08:00

( I was going to post this in my intranet blogosphere but I dont think this suits the forum)

Now I am gonna do something taboo! write about the office........

Office - Solutions to improper usage of meeting rooms (MRs).

Another meeting, another booking and yet again somebody other than your team occupying the room. They seem pretty busy to bother checking the availability of the room. Quite understandable. Hence occurs the idea – something to tell people that this room has been booked from so and so time. It is really rude if you occupy the room in someone else’s slot and going on a break while the team which has booked the room stands outside wondering whom to inform to take away their laptops and their papers from the room.

Ok, the last incident was a personal experience, true though. This prompted me to shoot some ideas to my team mate “What if there was a big LCD displaying the occupancy schedule for the meeting room”. He responded “Hey, great idea. Why don’t you put that up on intranet?”

What followed was my email to some of my friends with some genuine ideas and some humorous ones to solve to problem of ‘Solutions to improper usage of Meeting Rooms (MRs) ’ but to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Here some of the collective ideas, with some pitfalls mentioned:

An application which pops up on the system screen inside the room which displays the details – basically the above idea without the Hardware and it requires the system in the room to be kept switched on all the time.

A scrolling LED display board which displays the time, who has booked the room and the event/meeting. – Hardware cost and the interfacing of any scheduling software with the display (a project all in itself ! )

A printout posted with the details and stuck on the venue by the person booking the room. – wastes paper, will required the person to come in advance and is pretty messy.

A poster stuck inside the meeting room which says “Please adhere to the official schedule to avoid disturbing the booking schedules” – creates a bad impression.

And some really interesting ones by the more disgruntled than usual:

Keep a Doberman in all the meeting rooms and wire their brain to a central server which attacks all unauthorized users of the room. The dogs can also attack in case the meeting gets very boring – Dobermans require a lot of room, so can be implemented in larger board rooms only. Suggest replacing them with Pomerians.

Automate the doors of the MR such that they shut close whenever there is any unauthorised usage, quite useful if co needs to add resources like Dungeons - have to recruit dungeon keeper and costumed prison guards, rather can be replaced by harrowing hours of 'training'.

Finally, Use the (favorite disruptive political outfit) approach. Start pelting stones in case there are some ‘non native’ users of the MR – stones are not easily available.

Now I wonder where I can find some Pomerians…

Gymtertainment!!!

2008-11-06T03:35:00.000-08:00

Remember those beautiful days when your mom hit you to get your lazy posterior off the floor cause you been playing the darn video game without blinking , eating-drinking , no pee pee, no homework, mind numbing five hours straight. Well now the kids and the older versions of them can rejoice they can do all this while buffing up their muscle mass. So say good bye to juvenile or early Spondylosis and allied bone altering ailments cause here come the video games incorporated with workout gear such as treadmills http://www.phillymag.com/articles/health_The_Greatest_Workout_for_Gamers/ and
http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/goods/gadgets/2008/10/19/Video-Games-and-Gyms . The most well known perhaps is the Wii Fit. In May, Nintendo introduced the Wii Fit—a wireless balance board used for yoga and pilates and even snowboarding—to wide acclaim and sales. Nintendo 1.1 million units in its first two months alone!

Pretty soon I guess we will be heading to a Gym for some great video games and a great workout. But this isn’t new, Dance revolution. Its that dance game you find in the better arcades where you have to tap on the four direction arrows on the floor which light up according to a rhythm on the screen. You have music and characters grinding along to the grooves. Played 2 players usually, I do it in the usual competition mode, its great fun to goof up and just manage to save paying another load of money to continue the game whose pace just increases relentlessly

Pictured here are my two teammates R and Y at Amoebas Arcade at a Team Outing, who refuse to be identified with this blog, but at the same time enjoying the game with the usual IT infused muscular dystrophy. Just like Rocky said “I cant sing or dance, that’s why I joined IT :) “.

Hats Off Mumbai Police

2008-11-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Hats off Mumbai Police

In the last week of October, a young man looking for a job in Mumbai suddenly took a double decker bus under his control by the force of a revolver. He positioned himself on the top deck and held many people of the bus hostage. He shot a man in the thigh, injuring him, and tried to strangle the bus conductor. He fired several times from his revolver. The police gave him warnings and ultimatums, finally had to shoot him dead. The police had entered the top deck via the small stairwell.

My only thoughts besides the title; pray tell what the police should have done alternatively, risking minimal human lives and using prudence.

The paragraph again:
In the last week of October, a young man from Bihar looking for a job in Mumbai suddenly took a double decker bus under his control by the force of a revolver. He positioned himself on the top deck and held many people of the bus hostage. He said he wanted to kill Raj Thackray. He shot a man in the thigh, injuring him, and tried to strangle the bus conductor. He fired several times from his revolver. The police gave him warnings and ultimatums, finally had to shoot him dead. The police had entered the top deck via the small stairwell.

And the Mumbai police was condemned by people and media for the 'heinous' act.

The muslim flower seller.

2008-11-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

People - The Muslim Flower Seller

My home is in Parla, Mumbai. There is a street close to its railway station simply called 'parla market'. Market hosts many hawkers who over the years have sold some of the best produce in Mumbai. In front of a vey usual readymade clothes shop, a crowd is the usual sight. And the crowd is buying the best flowers in Parla; or for many the best till Dadar along the rail line, at the most proper price, sold by perhaps a very honorable seller.

And Mom always buys all the flowers from her, so does half of Parla, I guess by the ever present crowd. Come festive season and its a mini Dadar in a few square feet ( Dadar is one of the biggest flower marts in asia, belive me it is huge and to the word wholesale ) . Her establishment has everything a Hindu festival can ask for. Usually everything comes fresh and at a price which is lower than most ( personally verified ). Staffed by a bunch of what seems like her male relatives who look like thugs, and act likely while transacting when the lady of the shop remains away, seldom though. If at all she happens to notice that the guys have managed to rip some money off someone, she promptly makes it up in cash or quantity. Once she told my mom in fluent marathi "What to do, these men are always looking to cheat at the shop and at the house".

So I can declare easily it’s a good establishment run by a good manager which attracts repeat business with the guarantee of a good product at a good price.

So whats the big deal?a lot of small shops impart the warmth and guarantees that this lady has to offer. But there she said something special that compelled me to mention her.

Evening, Diwali in October 2008. I am home after many days and have accompanied mom as usual to the market to buy the usual tons of fruit and veggies she always buys (which I noticed do get over, Ok I am lazy to nourish myself I know). And since its festival time we have to go to the flower shop. There is only one. There are many, but only one that we will buy from.

A crowd is present, as usual. Mom asks for the 5 rupees bunch, she starts wrapping up many different varieties of flowers and leaves which will eventually be used in a pooja back home. “10” she says. “Why?” asks mom back . “Prices have increased” says the seasoned lady. She wears the usual salwar suit which distinctly identifies her faith. She is visibly tired and still glances at mom as if she knew mom or the many moms and aunts and dads or the hundreds of people who visit her shop. Mom asks her why she was looking so tired, didn’t she have anything to eat? (That’s classic mom, she is always enquiring about ‘her’ people ) And the reply “I have been standing here since morning, and when your customers are fasting, it is does not feel good to eat” she says nonchalantly, I might be suspect but mom believes it. I believe it later.

She had nothing more to sell than the usual bunch which cannot be bargained from her. She never fires the no good helpers who I guess are family. She keeps her shop respectfully unobtrusive to the shop in front of which she encroaches; which I suspect has let her flourish symbiotically, she dosent have to not eat. She does not fast this time of the year. She is a good seller. That’s it. The Muslim flower lady that’s the identity I have created for her. Do I come across such people everyday? Not many. Worth a mention though, read? I need feedback for…

The lunch group ....call us the MTW lunchies!

2008-10-05T05:22:00.000-07:00

I dont know how it started but I am glad it did.

It now gives me a reason to go back to work. Not that works bad ( hey dont fire me, I havent said anything..... yet :D ). Life can be measured by its memorable moments, happy ones moreso - nothing too senti, just plain truth. I literally felt a new beginning in my work all over when things changed, changed a whole lot recently.

I moved into a new project, a new team, new house, new roomie and a new set of people; People who take their lunch time seriously. It has to be fun. Noisy, irritating to by standers, waste fuel and generate pollution. Hey this is not me. But I likes, I likes a lot.

So now I eat my food for a minimum of an hour, laugh at least a couple of times, ride my bike with my friends - exhibiting a sense of abandon when I zoom my bike past many a people looking at the horde of bikes pass. The horde interspersed with the female IT kind, glamorous in IT metrics. We eat fresh and full, not the usual bucketed variety and sometimes indulge in the wayward Heart clogging roll ( heart attack in 2 hand fulls - yeah that big! ) .

The roar of bikes ( ok I am exaggerating ) makes the stall owner eager to clear the biggest of his 4 tables and arrange for some 3 legged plastic stools for us to balance on. We sit below the blue - blue plastic sheet supported by 4 posts to save us from the rain and seldom from the heat. I am sure an extra ' paratha' guy gets commissioned at this time, cause the orders come next. Appetites so large, I mean they are IT workers after all, not wood cutters man! How can a guy eat 10 parathas and chicken curry every day and stay sub 65 KG! And the ladies sometimes display equal enthusiasm. A word about my Hindu veg non-veg perspective here. Veg is when I am not eating in a place where you get awesome non veg. Other wise I am pure veg, pass me the egg curry please. All the while contributing to the unorganized food industry.

We finish in good pace, not too slow not too fast. But sometimes we have to be pleaded when other lunchies come for their lunch ( notice my superb vocabulary ). Back to the bikes, zoom past people, park together, crack some more jokes, give someone some bumps if possible, finally back to desk for some caffeine. And I am refreshed.

Best lunch I ever had. Many more come and I pray will keep coming. The food, the people, the ambience, the bikes, the commotion...

This continued beyond the lunch hour. An outing, another outing ..more in stow I guess. All truly memorable, joyous and perhaps the only few times I have come out of my shell.

We can be named the Guddu's lunch group, MTW roadies better call us the MTW lunchies....
and we did in true roadies style have some more fun ahead!!

Not biryani for a change..

2008-06-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

Say Andhra and there was only one option, Hyderabadi Biryani. Yup, the royal rice and meat preparation is synonymous for Andhra and Hyderabad, nourishing the Nizam ,Nizamettes and people who are looking for a complete meal in one dish for centuries, this dish is truly my favourite; as true as my excellant grasp of history.

I will give it a pass this time though....

Friday night , not exactly weekend cause mostly I work weekends too, was another impromptu 'Jashn' . This time ,people of this world, there will be no order of Biryani or pulav or some boring dish for flat 305, gangotri apartments, next to venkateshwara stores, close to K something something petrol bunk, down the slope ( notice the extra 'down' and 'up' dimension in addition to right and left in bangalore ) after the upslope near Canara bank...whew. We would personally go and feast..again.

This time to a glorious Andhra 'restaurant' called Nandini. This over glorified mess...sorry restaurant is locally well known for its Andhra cuisine and its high prices :( Right off Kathriguppe circle in Banashankari 3rd stage, if not for Nandini, you have to come here for the dozen other food joints and cool places here.

For Friday night, the place was quite packed,no waiting though. Beware people looking for an ambience or even a lamp shade, the atmosphere was similar to a railway station, a very clean and delicious smelling railawy station at that. I wish the lights were a bit dimmed down, but I guess people were really into eating the even last grain of rice with the last milligram of the fiesty Andhra curry. The crowd was totally family, households were dining on sumptious rice dishes, great apetities in tow. Although I was a bit full.. the whole atmosphere was very encouraging. Over all the restaurant came off as a very well made up mess hall with long row of tables and seatees for comfortably packing in eating machines. I have always been a fan for functionality over vanity..this place me likes :)

The menu came very swiftly, after a prompted brush of rice from the last meals off our to be seats. Vast would be a nice word for the menu. Very full of descriptions and images, my salivary glands kicked in just looking at the menu.

I yearned to eat meat. Chicken being the usual victim, I did as always, ask the waiter what would be a good chicken gravy dish, chicken chettinad it is; to be shared with Lord Chandu. His tallness Ayush went for a very vegetarian egg curry. And obviously, all of us went for plain rice.

The spice was explosive! I mean I did tell the waiter medium spicy...its ok though I have taken similar hits,cant feel my tongue though. NOT the best place for foreign client lunches or dinners ;unless you want to kill them. Trust me, milligrams will do. Then it is perfecto. The cutlery were some fine fingers of mine, best way to get the right quantity of killer gravy right with the rice and chicken. Best Chicken in a long long long long long time.

Is that it, rice and chicken curry. And plain rice at that too. Hell yeah. Beats a lot of stately meals and fancy food outs in a long long time. Thats the beauty I say. They dont need to serve me anything else . A simple chettinad chicken, correctly tender, well balanced with the spice other than the chilly, the chilly is very very challenging with the intensity. Very unique. The rice is no silent bystander, very fresh, perfect timing out of the cooker and the body very full. Fulfilment.

Desert was something my roomies looked ahead to. I expected the usual faire which was available in much more quantities outside for less than half the ammount. Friday, was the wrong day to have dinner, the waiter says, they dont have desserts, ditto for Saturday and Sunday!! Urge to kill.....rising......

There was nothing much eaten to rate, but still, in keeping with the traditions of this fine blog..

Chicken Chettinad.......Very Very Nice

rice( plain and white ) .....Nice

Terrible Strawberry Ice cream.......Horrible

Bottomline, go to this place its nice.

Pre Placement prep 1

2008-05-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Apologies to my long lost readership of my friends who are to appear for their placments, for the absense of any articles that relate specifically to the recent placement scene. My job has kept me more than occupied to set time aside for these articles which cannot be handled leisurely.

This is the extract of a recent mail I had sent to one of my friends who is due to appear for placements in a few weeks and he had the following usual queries:

The current IT scene,

Anxieties of placements,

Tips on leveraging the best result out of a placement programme. Of course, its not the original :) mail.

"Settle down, its a long long mail.

I was in etrx so I had all the etrx cos like ####### and the likes. Software cos were the usual . For the comps, IT ppl , there were more like ( specific cos) and many I dont recollect.

I have a fairly good idea about this time's scene .This time around, be prepared for Finance cos along with the sofwtare bunch. Rest assured there are enough to take you in , as long as you are deserving.

If an #or# or # is enough, I would advise against setting your targets low, they will take a big number in indiscriminately. This time around some very high paying and powerfuly branded cos are coming in and I want you, and all of your friends, to get the big ones. So start your career with a good co, mind you a good co can also mean a small co which can give you superior exposure and experience to technologies, and you will never have to worry about many things.

I had made my resume long before my exams had started (6th sem), anyways its not that difficult, make one after your exams. For now, you have your exams to worry about. Placements will happen when they happen. So give a good 6th sem to get a good post grad ( I am sure you are looking forward for that).

I know I am not a guru, but the following Gyaan can't be too wrong.The current scenario, is not that great, as profits are down on SOME fronts not all. Software will always have work, something or the other as long as you have perseverance. The companies come to recruit almost a year and half in advance when analysts say things will get better, I dont believe analysts though :) Placements will happen when they happen, again, you give your best. The slowdown period is actually the most exciting, and I am glad I am on the scene at this time. The action heats up, companies go on a buying spree due to low valuations and people have to stretch and prove themselves, and after the slowdown there is a decent rise always in IT. People also might lose their jobs, but as my Project manager says " if you are good , nothings goining to happen to you".

Another piece of important advice, start getting friendly with all the nerds, and the software gurus, who you might have despised, cause they will be immensely resourcefull during the placements. If required for the time being, be a good pal and get all the techie knowledge off them, it will help far more than reading books and solving prep papers. Along the long way too, their network will help you get opportunities and relations.

Best of luck for 6th sem!"

rajasthani delights in bengalooru

2008-02-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

Almost every weekend we have a ‘Jashan’ (celebration). Usually not for any reason. This one was for my allocation to a project, which by the way is a BIG issue.

So Roomie Ayush suggested Buffet at Dal Tadka, a rajasthani-north Indian cuisine restaurant.

“Buffet eating is an art” quotes Roomie. True. Its an artistic whim which makes you to pay for one, unlike the ones we enjoy at weddings and such food fests. You have to make good every rupee that you shell out. The more you shell out, the more the vengeance with which you attack the food. It’s a task at hand, not a meal. It requires strategy. Most importantly you have to be hungry, very hungry. Considering Rs.150 to be made accounted for.

Dal tadka, is as Indian as it sounds and rajasthani to boot. Enter into a sort of rajasthani mehfil, with the expected fabrics, paintings and seating. Not very over the top rajasthani, just right. One glance at the higher than average prices a la’ carte, we headed for the Buffet, which was gloriously waiting for us.

I guess we were the first ones to tuck in. And the first ones to be subjected to the terrible tasting fluid served in a very very ‘chindi’ plastic glass called JalJeera. If I were a gujju, trust me I would have killed someone. Plus floating dead insects. Hurrah!

But that’s where torture ends.

Starter alu tikkis were superb(4.5/5), the accompanying sauces made them interesting, best we had had.
The Naans were superbly flaky and so were the Phulkas (4/5).
Paneer sabzi ,Alu Gobi and Peas Pulav were usual(3.5/5)
Raitha was just curd blended with Hajmola anar daan, lame (2.3/5)

Dal Fry, thumbs up (4/5)

Gulab Jamoon, tired and tasted (3.5/5)

Over all, I felt it was overpriced at 150. We felt we didn’t give a tough fight since we gave up in between. Man it takes some guts to fight a Buffet.

China Pearl. No shes not my GF..unfortunately :(

2008-02-22T05:03:00.001-08:00

China pearl, koramangala:

The occasion was a casual dinner party thrown by my roomie and some common friends. If you might have read my previous blog post, company really matters.

I don’t really fancy fancy places like this one, obviously they are supposed to be good, given that people who were hosting the party had tried or had been reccommended about it. Hence the notch goes higher this time.

My first night time in Koramangala, enjoying the sights and more sights (I was wearing a helmet) of Bangalore, the glam city. Hey this is what I came for. My earliest memories of Bangalore were a place where you could enjoy ‘american’ style food way back when there was none in Bombay and a hi tech, clean and functional city. Seems it still has it!

On a road full of similar joints, China pearl strikes no amazement into you. Enter and the décor is a bit crowded and usual. The staff were crisp ( hey I havent started tasting yet!) and very much in the ‘theme’ ! Not bad. The crowd seemed upmarket, except for us J had a good sprinkling of youngsters although it didn’t seemed like a very hip place (considering the fact that at one point they told us to pipe down, but we had our usual kind of fun). All this points to some serious dining. And. It’s Indian Chinese, not authentic.

We were 11 hungry people all from the same company. 11 different points of view, 10 great companions,7 states represented on a table and for sure 5 different languages spoken in a span of roughly 2.15 hours. I love my country.

So let’s eat.

What? The menu was huge. The sea food section was also well populated, which surprised me. The vegetarians definitely don’t lose out in this restaurant.
Heres what we ate, with an attempt at pro star rating, mind you this rating was done by 3 guys, hence I can say , this rating does good justice. Tabloids, please contact my agent.

Shaolin sticks (veg seekh Chinese style) – * * * * .5
Crispy paneer – * * * *
Momos – * * *
Lung fung soup – * * * .5
Chicken manchow soup – * * .5
Red Dragon chicken – * * *.5
Veg balls in hot garlic sauce – * * * *.5
Veg Chowmein - * * * *
Veg Schezwan fried rice (peas!) - * *
Chilly fish - * * * *
Kum Fa lamb - * * * .5
Chocolate mousse - * * * .5
Sweet lime soda - * * * *

Overall I can give it a * * * *. Lack s a full 5 because it seems a bit on the expensive side.

A meal I shall remember, for the food and the people.

Hey, I just did what many foodie columnists do; impose their judgement on the readers in metrics like numbers and stars. That’s the last thing I want to do.

Go to this place. It’s good.

The 'Good Food Guide' guide

2008-02-18T03:35:00.000-08:00

I like food. A lot. I like to write , moderately though. Hence you will find articles religiously dedicated to food.(aneeshksh.blogspot.com). I have been blogging for more than a year. Intermittently though, every time I wrote, I was left with a feeling of satisfaction for putting my thoughts into words and for the ability to express one of lifes pleasures into letters, that of taste. My inspiration, presenter of ‘The Cook’s tour’ –Anthony Bourdain. It’s a bad practise to get inspired by TV, but his curt style and his love of food made not in a 5 star hotel, but of the kind enjoyed daily by Billions around the world. I however started on a small scale, exploring food that was served in my home in Mumbai, Vile Parle – the home of Parle-G biscuits and I was hooked.

I never tasted food like I used to before. I tasted for my readers, whoever they may be. Every taste and flavor, no matter how subtle was noticed, appreciated or taunted. I realised that the texture of food, aroma and the ambience could make or break a meal. Probably this is what my mother wants of me. To eat, enjoy and share. And what better way than blogging.

So how do you start? Assuming you do know how to start a blog of your own, the following guidelines can start you off with your own foodie page.
1:Like food, all kinds: You have to be impartial, like in a cricket match, an umpire who allows the usual sporting sledges and watches out for the no balls. You should be able to appreciate not just one cuisince but must be eager to try exotic ones. At the end of the day, the umpire likes the game, or gets paid well.
2:Know food: here you need a bit of research. This is the case with acquired tastes and local varieties. Better ask someone who is from the region to give you their opinion which will matter more. And most of all, you will know what to look out for and appreciate.
3:Company matters: Sharing a meal adds to the experience immensely. Talking statistically, it normalises any imbalances in judgement and a conversation always completes a meal. Plus it benefits you monetarily, obviously. Parties are good. Especially when you are not paying :) .
4:Keep a note: what you had, where you had and how much did you pay. These factors are fast forgotten when you eat something else! Remember, you are using taste and experience as metrics, which are not standard and tend to be forgotten easily.
5:Have an iron stomach: Don’t go anywhere without it! It took me years of digestive condtioning to be ready to brace almost any kind of food. It dosent mean we compromise on hygiene, we never do. But someone, somewhere always forgets to follow procedure.

I guess with this bit, we could start appreciating food and writing about it. But I shall tell you the place to get the truly best food in the world: home.

Battle of Bangalore: hunting for food. Intro

2008-02-14T03:21:00.000-08:00

Battle of Bangalore: hunting for food. Intro.

Leaving Bombay was like leaving a Nice juicy, crunchy bhelpuri on the table after taking a bit and digging into a fresh plate of karela salad. Its healthy for me, I don’t like it but I have to eat it.

So as before, I explore new gastronomical frontiers with my roomies, let me remind you this blog isn’t a food blog, I write what I like to.

Let me start of by saying I hate Bangalore, for now. I am part Kannadiga so I am acquainted with Kannadiga food ( if that’s what it is called). And things are not Ok for a hog like me as I have to hunt. For food which is not the same as the last meal and which you might not get bored with within 3 cycles of iterations. For places where you don’t have to consume food like horses, standing up.For a place that is not run like a military canteen cause there is no other fodder station for miles to come . For a decent functional and affordable meal.

It dosent end with Dosa and idly, it starts with it. Best so far will be MTR which I haven’t tried but with all my techie brethen swearing by it, I can give it thumbs up.
But who has time to go and eat at all these fancy places when subsitence is the matter of hour. So you eat what you get. But all along in Bangalore you will discover gems of Dosa and Idly all along. Be it the canteen of the office or some small darshini you happen to try the accompanying chutney and sambhar are unqiue and interesting. Northies and I personally like the dry chutney which they put in the parcels, be sure to get it when you eat there also. But these occasions are rare where you are delighted by the food. Far and Few. So eat the next as it might be your first.

Gobi Manchurian. How these natives like it. How the Chinese might consider this a blasphemy. These spheres of nutritionally deficient califlowers tortured with vinegar, sauces and heaps of MSG potentially cancerous, how good they are! Best place to eat, my auntys place. Commercially I can say so far I have had it best at SLV swadishta, Banshankari. Banashakari by the way is my stomping ground for my adventures. Look out for Gobi manchurian with gravy, it can just make this dish or break it completely. NOT RECCOMENDED FOR PEOPLE WITH BAD THROATS, STOMACHS, INTESTINES….

Good North indian food, dosent come cheap here. If it comes so tell my dear flatmate who happens to be such a harried Northie affected by acute deficiency of good northie food. Already angered by lack of the national language, the final straw was the ‘north indian’ meals. This is Chinese food all over again. Local versions of North Indian fare are deluding the locals, or probably easing the transition I guess. Hey who am I to say. I am from the land of cocktail foods.

So run along to Shree Sagar(jayanagar 4th block). Our new found haven for Bombayya style Northie Food which my aforesaid Punjabi flatmate gave his thumbs up. Trust me that finger dosent come up as easily as one of its neighbours when it comes to food joints. Observe- food joints. Cause there usually are no chairs to sit and the consumption happens in a standing position, not this place. Thank you.
The roti, kulcha, naan run along the expensive side (Rs12+ !!) , but are well turned out. Sabzi, yes sir. Palak Paneer and Makhanwala are better than many of the ones I tried in Bombay. Priced similarly. Great Pulav. The service was quite mentionably fast and good. The Mushroom gets a 4.5/5! Schezwan rice sucks :( Gobi MC :( North indian meal :):):):) hehe, they had ice cream in that meal :). Its in Jayanagar :) , next to Cool joint :)

Cool joint, :) I cant stop doing that. This place definitely takes the ice cream cake. Screw Baskin robins 52 times over man! Great prices, great dishes , sandwiches, sundaes, shakes , juices. Thank god for this piece of holy land. You have to experience this place. Try amazing ice cream combos like Honey crunch, my darling, spider man…… innovative, very delightful and cheap(25+) !! what more. I want my salary paid this way. Womenfolk, you will love this place, men escorting the lady, this is your lucky cheap break.

Finally for this article, the one thing that made us happy, kept our energy and morale up, juices. Omnipotent. Omnipresent. Mega size, Mini price. Max satisfaction. Since I stepped into bangalore I have been drinking like a fish, purely non alcoholic in nature. Man, water is for washing, juice is for drinking! All the prices are low and juice is made fresh. The water so far has always been clean and best way to get vitamins awfully low in bachelor food that we eat. I always ask for mice without sugar and filter. Which makes the juice dude wonder, why bother drink a juice? Just eat a fruit and drink water. But I am too lazy for that. Highly reccomended, bangalore reads fresh good cheap juice for me.

Further I invite my friends who are fighting valiantly the battle to conquer new tastes and experiences in food land. Together we shall make this world a better place to eat :) forgive my pjs :P.

Viva La Vile Parle, mumbai - looking for food in parla east part 1

2007-08-09T11:02:00.001-07:00

Vile parle (east) or parla is a suburb in mumbai. Thats just not it.
Its where people have lived for decades, never can leave it, never will, will keep coming back, not just because of its real estate, but its very experience.

I moved to parla in 2001 from another part of mumbai, and just like the shire to the hobbits, parla to the parlekars. Not only parlekars mumbaikars in general have been fascinated by its sights and smells, very very sweet smell in particular.

Home or the Parle-G biscuit - the worlds highest sold, the factory is in central parla and been enticing people from many parts of mumbai like bees to its fragrant batches of biscuits. Bus drivers religiously make unscheduled stops right in the middle of the road to hold up traffic for many minutes just to buy army quantities of the sweet delight from the factory shop. Just follow the station road towards andheri and let your nose guide to the factory. School kids get to visit the factory with previous intimation.

Nothing satisfies mumbai's belly like the home grown carbo-bomb burger, Vada Pav.

Fried savoury potato fitters nudged between local bread called pav and as if the vada was not spicy enough, chutney to take your tongue on a taste overload trip. The chutney just like the coke formula, is proprietary of the vada pav wala . The symphony of all the elements create the perfect filling vada pav. Notch up the waist size please. One of the best places to get this humble mans meal is at Babu's vada pav who operates out of the revered Parle Tilak school canteen. Crowds spill onto the busy hanuman road to get their dose of the vada pav , fixed on it since school time. Babu, although never seen the guy , whips out the best vada pavs , samosas which mind you are authentic marathi samosa not filled with potatoes but cabbage, kothimbir vadis and the usual assortment of superb chutneys, cant get a table in a restaurant, come here there are no tables. Great for bikers who can use their mobile hands to eat the vada pavs while riding. Thirsty? Answer sugar cane juice opposite babus.

Bhel puri, sev puri, ragda pattice, dahi puri, pani puri and Ganesh Chat Bhandar. That completes a sentence. At the end of subhash road is this little place which as the picture might suggest looks better setup and hygienic than the usual bhel puri guys, but don’t worry the pani puri has jut the right quantity of sweat to make it fit to be called a pani puri. Best place, not joking considering the hundreds of bhel puri walas in Bombay , this guy knows how to make it and make it well. Proof, the damn crowds. Try getting your fix of some on a Sunday or Saturday weekends without waiting for 15 mins atleast, statement that this bhelpuri wala has truly arrived.

These are just three of the places where you can sample the wonderful local creations, I want to open up more of my experiences to you. So lets see further,

Where do you see yourself 5/10 years from now

2007-08-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Asked usually at the end of an interview, your answer can cause a lot of good or whole lot of bad. Heres my attempt to guide you to a good answer.

This question is basically to judge your foresight, knowledge about your domain and in general one’s attitude towards one’s career. By forth one of the most important questions that could be asked - so be very prepared

Hence should not be answered loosely in vague terms and absolutely no dhapugiri. Beginning with retrospection, figure out what you wanna do if you can, tragedy is most of us don’t know for sure what we want to do. Seriously guys do we? (yeah I am reading the fountainhead) So atleast narrow down the options we want to do, whether manager, a consultant, entrepreneur etc. Take your pick and think deeply about it.

Once you have ascertained what you will be doing, try focusing on some aspects further, now by researching your interests and responsibilities arising out of the role that you will be playing. I guess now you hold a clear picture what you will be doing, subject to change of course.

So the answer finally (whew!): Show foresight stating the role you want to fill as of a leader (manager, project lead etc), a worker (developer) an entrepreneur…you know something beyond the mundane and please be confident here. To say you want to be an entrepreneur in a pedestrian way will be irritating. Say what you think will be the future in your domain..like you see advanced mobile apps in JAVA or rural networking.
Convince them you know whats in store for YOU and how you can/will CONTRIBUTE to this vision. Give them relevant examples ,hello research . If possible a time frame.
And finally tell them how you tend to achieve all this, by learning further or gaining experience.

This answer I feel is as endless as one’s avenues and I feel is one that should be answered honestly by everyone, literally on a piece of paper. Do this atleast twice. I Guarantee a positive result in many ways.

Facing HR questions in interviews for freshers

2007-08-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Many times my batch mates and most of my juniors have asked the question , how to efficiently answer HR questions , with a few dreading these more than the technical questions.

Not much of a risk for freshers appearing on campus as most of the people clear this easily except in some interviews like microsoft the majority rejects were after the HR round. Nothing to be alarmed, probably they realized that the job was not good enough for you, yeah that could happen.

Here are a few guidelines.

When In HR they ask you “describe yourself” they are looking for a person to suit their needs which may differ. For instance a siemens guy who has come to recruit for marketing would prefer a people person not some lab guy who is good at research;agreed siemens is core but at that moment his need is something else. For an infy interview they want a team player. For Tata SED , I am taking a guess, they require an innovative person who is very focussed and aware of his field and even a bit defficient in extra activites..So there is no one formula for HR questions

The solution is to be yourself and SELL yourself properly. Dont be negative at any moment. If you have a problem like a KT convince them that it was a one time issue and an opportunity to improve yourself in that subject (they wont ask about KT but if they do) . If its a software company and they want you to know SQL and stuff….show them you are open to new things and eager to learn anything. Give examples when you did something new even if it wasnt succesfull…they appreciate initiative and will be impressed when you take credit for everything including failure. Its an interview, you have just a few minutes to allow them to evaluate you, so dont be ashamed of giving them the goodies about you.

DONT LIE, never lie! You get caught easily, these guys might be the biggest fraud and you are speaking to them. Just show them how good you are and give them a reason to employ you.

Finally, most important RELAX. You have got nothing to loose cause the avenues are endless.

You dont need luck, you need yourself.

A cliche'd new Beginning

2007-08-09T10:50:00.001-07:00

I am an electronics fresher from mumbai - Bombay, and I have to say the four years of engineering has taught me a lot more than engineering.

Majority of my lessons were learnt in a brief period of time, called Robocon. The highest level of robotics competition held in India where the best institutes and minds of India compete to win this international event, and to get a chance to represent India. Simply said its the common Indian engineer's olympics. Replete with misadventures, misfortunes and missed ballroom dance sessions, this was the best time of my life...so far, so good.

Opportunity never knocks twice, yeah right....sometimes it comes and punches you in your guts till you acknowledge it. Thats when I 'became' , hell was bestowed to be the placement coordinator for my college electronics batch. Great way to experience an office environment, complete with water dispenser crass talk, back stabbing and some good old boot kissing. Better was the satisfaction of helping my friends to get a good job and a great career.

It dosent stop here, never can with the people and circumstances you come across while in Bombay and well life in general.