Its amazing when you miss something only when you cannot have it.. It may have been a constant factor in your life, even a good part of your life. It just remains unappreciated. Till the time you cannot have it, smack!!! You want it, you want to do everything with it !
Like my cooker, which apparently, gave up on me and died 2 days ago.. Now, considering that we have rotis more often than not, this should not bother me so much.. The only so called cooker stuff we make, aka the weekend Rice, is made in the electric rice cooker so, again should not bother me..
But I have no idea whats gotten into me.. All i wanted to do from yesterday was make stuff that needed a cooker. I wanted to make dals, i wanted to boil potatoes, I wanted to cook vegetables in it!
Its like this sudden itch I can't get rid of ! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Hum do hamare do.
The eternal search.. First you search for that best friend in your toddler years, then you search for cool people to hang out with when you r growing up, then you look for that special someone, then you look for cool people to hang out with, then you search for the perfect someone to spend the rest of your life, then you look for someone cool to hang out with....
Do you see a pattern here ??? I do.. With lives taking so many turns and taking us to all those places, its very difficult to keep in touch with your friends, leave alone be in the same zip code...It just ends up with you trying to probably meet up over some long weekend once in 6 months...But obviously thats not the same as having people /friends close by you can hang around with..
With all the places I've been to, especially since I was living alone, it was a challenge to find friends. After a while, you tend to give up on the so called 'friends' category of people and you make do with the bearably cool ones you can spend friday/saturday evenings with. Well.. suffice to say its been a challenge.. but not been bad.. Maybe its good luck, but I have always managed to find people I could hang around with.. Its not always easy and sometimes you have to go through a lot of trial and errors..Sometimes you just hafta grin and bear whatever shape and size they come in...
But nothing prepared me for this.. The eternal search for the perfect cool couple to hang around with.. When you are a couple, sometimes you want to be with other couples, its just natural.. I think everybody goes thru that..Its just that we hadn't gone thru it before...You see, last few months were really the only times we actually stayed together sans me getting packed off to another city.. So, its been great and all that.. But... after a while, you want to reach out you know.. you want to make new friends.. you want to call people over and you want to go out with company..
Since I have no patience with the so called W fraternity we have going on everywhere, its just that much more difficult to find or meet people elsewhere.. I don't think I ever had this problem in b'lore, there were always people around, singles, not so singles and couples! Lots!
But now, I just don;t know how to tackle this problem.. I have half the mind to put up an ad that says - Need cool couples to hang out with, with these these an these qualifications.
What ? You thought there weren't any qualifications required ?? Think again mister! We have a strict filtering system in place here :)) In fact my hubby calls it the nose system, my nose goes up in the air everytime i meet a couple who r sooo sooo not cool !! :(( From across the room, he can make out if I have got along with anybody or not...
Well, its not like I am picky, but come on.. people gotta have some style man! I belive in impressions and the choice of clothes and topics to talk about really indicates the kind of personality you have (or the lack of :p)
So, theres been a round of filtering in the last so called Diwali party we had, where there were these tons of couples to chose from.. But its sad coz, sometimes the guy is creepy or the gal has a really bad taste in shoes! Its a miserable state of affairs here...
How on earth do you find that couple you can get along with, when you have a list thats as long as the great wall .. Good taste in shoes an clothes, a so called intellectual bent of mind, someone who knows his finances (yes, thats something hubby seems to like, don't ask me its a mystery to me too), people who do not associate having a couple of drinks with alcoholism, someone who likes shopping and most importantly people who like and can appreciate good music..
See, thats not a bad list at all.. in theory that is...But when it comes to reality, you will be surprised to find how far from theory people really are.. You will meet couples who are either too mushy and gushy (yuk yuk yuk !) or couples who are completely wound up around their li'l kids! Its just so tough to find sane couples anymore..
Ahh... maybe one of these days....
Do you see a pattern here ??? I do.. With lives taking so many turns and taking us to all those places, its very difficult to keep in touch with your friends, leave alone be in the same zip code...It just ends up with you trying to probably meet up over some long weekend once in 6 months...But obviously thats not the same as having people /friends close by you can hang around with..
With all the places I've been to, especially since I was living alone, it was a challenge to find friends. After a while, you tend to give up on the so called 'friends' category of people and you make do with the bearably cool ones you can spend friday/saturday evenings with. Well.. suffice to say its been a challenge.. but not been bad.. Maybe its good luck, but I have always managed to find people I could hang around with.. Its not always easy and sometimes you have to go through a lot of trial and errors..Sometimes you just hafta grin and bear whatever shape and size they come in...
But nothing prepared me for this.. The eternal search for the perfect cool couple to hang around with.. When you are a couple, sometimes you want to be with other couples, its just natural.. I think everybody goes thru that..Its just that we hadn't gone thru it before...You see, last few months were really the only times we actually stayed together sans me getting packed off to another city.. So, its been great and all that.. But... after a while, you want to reach out you know.. you want to make new friends.. you want to call people over and you want to go out with company..
Since I have no patience with the so called W fraternity we have going on everywhere, its just that much more difficult to find or meet people elsewhere.. I don't think I ever had this problem in b'lore, there were always people around, singles, not so singles and couples! Lots!
But now, I just don;t know how to tackle this problem.. I have half the mind to put up an ad that says - Need cool couples to hang out with, with these these an these qualifications.
What ? You thought there weren't any qualifications required ?? Think again mister! We have a strict filtering system in place here :)) In fact my hubby calls it the nose system, my nose goes up in the air everytime i meet a couple who r sooo sooo not cool !! :(( From across the room, he can make out if I have got along with anybody or not...
Well, its not like I am picky, but come on.. people gotta have some style man! I belive in impressions and the choice of clothes and topics to talk about really indicates the kind of personality you have (or the lack of :p)
So, theres been a round of filtering in the last so called Diwali party we had, where there were these tons of couples to chose from.. But its sad coz, sometimes the guy is creepy or the gal has a really bad taste in shoes! Its a miserable state of affairs here...
How on earth do you find that couple you can get along with, when you have a list thats as long as the great wall .. Good taste in shoes an clothes, a so called intellectual bent of mind, someone who knows his finances (yes, thats something hubby seems to like, don't ask me its a mystery to me too), people who do not associate having a couple of drinks with alcoholism, someone who likes shopping and most importantly people who like and can appreciate good music..
See, thats not a bad list at all.. in theory that is...But when it comes to reality, you will be surprised to find how far from theory people really are.. You will meet couples who are either too mushy and gushy (yuk yuk yuk !) or couples who are completely wound up around their li'l kids! Its just so tough to find sane couples anymore..
Ahh... maybe one of these days....
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Yummy in my tummy
Been catching up on my reading and todays' been the day for this.
Quite an interesting blog about various restaurants and food from around..
So, after about a few posts, it got me thinking of restaurants in bangalore that are my all time favourites.. See, the thing also about bangalore is that theres always something new and interesting coming up and given the fact that I am out of the country currently, i really miss all that "hey theres a new place in town, lets check it out!"
So, the list is a little outdated but these places are where I would go to everytime I go back...without further ado and not in any particular order:
a. Desmonds' - I found this place courtesy Prash (Dude man!). A small place on lavelle road near the maruthi show room (or service station). The food is soo good there, I have eaten there quite a few times and there has been nothing that has disappointed me. The food is multicuisine and they have 2 things a week day quick lunch eater may like- a salad bar and an executive lunch thali.. And not to forget the yummy deserts that are simply well.. yummy.. One of the few places where I have tried a cheesecake and liked it immensely. And yes, they do server liquor.:)
b. Rice bowl - This place has been the venue for like a numerous team dinners and lunches back when I was working in MG Rd. This place is a standard fixture for chinese food in bangalore i tell ya.. They have a good vegetarian selection as well. The ambience is nothing spectacular and there is always a 15-20 mins wait no matter what time you land here. But the food makes up for it.. Damn , I miss the hot an sour soup! The place is dimly lit and is quite noisy with like about a zillion tables.. But the food makes up for all that..
c. Aangan - This punjabi restaurant has dhabas at 2 locations, one on lady curzon road and another on race course road. (Unless they have another one now). I have always enjoyed the food here, smells and tastes authentically punjabi.. The kababs and the dal makhhani is to die for ! This place used to be really small and there were 2 uncles who would run this place and who would always stop by our table to ask how things are.. I miss that familiarity in the restaurants now a days.. Its almost impersonal.. When i was with my ex BF, we also used to order for home delivery ever so often from here...
d. Nandini - I had never really been a fan of andhra food, which is why I am probably one of the few who have just been to 1 or 2 andhra chains that are present in banaglore..I just thought it was spicy and would always put me to sleep after eating all that rice. But I should really thank an old BF for getting me hooked to this one. This was our usual weekend lunch place where guys could hog as much as they wanted and gals (well, it was just me..) could taste all the spicy stuff on the thali :) Not very authentically andhra (as in its a mix or improvised), as I found out later when I married into an andhra family :P But the food is good no matter what. You should not miss out on the dried chillies and that gun powder !! (God bless u )
e. Shiok - I actually got to know the chef and the owner of this place online :) And its been a pleasure to visit him and his restaurant.. I think he has done a good job with the place. The lounge is really nice and cozy and the food is quite commendable. Its not often that you get to eat good thai or other oriental cuisines in Bangalore, but this one is really worth a visit :)
f. Jukebox - Man, this one only brings back memories, ol ol college memories.. Jukebox is another standard fixture in koromangala. Famous for a little parsi food and lot for its steaks.. Now that I have travelled here n there, I know steaks are not really how they are supposed to be. But I have reasons to believe that the steaks at jukebox are yummy nevertheless. Its just a small place and sometimes crowded, but its a place that reeks of familiarity and ol memories.. The only problem I have with this place is that they serve only beer and nothing else !
g. Casa P - On the similiar note as above, Casa P as we call Casa Piccola.. Its a chain of restaurants scattered across banaglore and the food is well.. western (or maybe intercontinental).. Its difficult to call it anything else.. lots of italian thrown in.. but they also have sandwiches and good soups.. Another college time fixture and has been a venue for soooooo many lunches I have lost count of..
h. Lalitha's paratha point - This one again has 2 branches, one near commercial and one in domlur (near indira nagar). I cannot forgive or forget the latter as the owner also ran sweet chariot franchise next door and she screwed up my budday cake! (Hmmpppff). But the one near commercial have provided respite from afternoon sun and sheer exhaustion for the enthu shoppers of commerical street. About 3-4 years ago, except for Woody's there was no other restaurants on commerical street. So in case you are famished from all that excercise, you had very limited options. One of my favourite options was Lalitha's.. This place is famous for its paratha's , they have all kinds. But careful, they are heavy on ur tummy and if you are wtahcing your weight, this may not really be a paradise for u ! But the parathas are simply outstanding.. I also like to mix it up a bit at times and order the sarson ka saag, another fav of mine ! Yummm....
i. Samarkhand - There are certain specific reasons you should go to this place. First being the ambience (which is like an afghan cave), second being the mirchi ka salan and the thrid being dehydration from partying in Hypnos.. Out of the 3, I prefer the mirchi ka salan :)
j. Food Street , VV puram - See, this one is not one restaurants, but a foodie paradise spread across a whole street! Can you believe that, a whole street! Its difficult to describe this, you have to see it and eat here to believe it..
k. Noodle Bar - Bombay central is where you will find this one, now merged with the bombay something. I really like the food here, its the quintessential oriental place with a variety of food choices.. I havent tried Jap food anywhere but the yakisoba here is definitely worth a mention.. Its yummm.. Its another respite for the shoppers if you must... I especially like the outdoor seating and they have a good selection of veggie food.
l. Olive bar - Ok, this one's not being mentioned as a restaurant.. I found exactly 1 veggy dish that I could order here which was a pizza :p. But this place is pretty according to me and has a nice medditeranian theme goin on.. I like the wine selection they have and its been fun to just sit there with friends, a big bottle of wine and just chill :)
I can go on and on.. Bangalore is such a foodie paradise, i really miss being there... But here are a few for the uninitiated in case anybody's interested :)
Quite an interesting blog about various restaurants and food from around..
So, after about a few posts, it got me thinking of restaurants in bangalore that are my all time favourites.. See, the thing also about bangalore is that theres always something new and interesting coming up and given the fact that I am out of the country currently, i really miss all that "hey theres a new place in town, lets check it out!"
So, the list is a little outdated but these places are where I would go to everytime I go back...without further ado and not in any particular order:
a. Desmonds' - I found this place courtesy Prash (Dude man!). A small place on lavelle road near the maruthi show room (or service station). The food is soo good there, I have eaten there quite a few times and there has been nothing that has disappointed me. The food is multicuisine and they have 2 things a week day quick lunch eater may like- a salad bar and an executive lunch thali.. And not to forget the yummy deserts that are simply well.. yummy.. One of the few places where I have tried a cheesecake and liked it immensely. And yes, they do server liquor.:)
b. Rice bowl - This place has been the venue for like a numerous team dinners and lunches back when I was working in MG Rd. This place is a standard fixture for chinese food in bangalore i tell ya.. They have a good vegetarian selection as well. The ambience is nothing spectacular and there is always a 15-20 mins wait no matter what time you land here. But the food makes up for it.. Damn , I miss the hot an sour soup! The place is dimly lit and is quite noisy with like about a zillion tables.. But the food makes up for all that..
c. Aangan - This punjabi restaurant has dhabas at 2 locations, one on lady curzon road and another on race course road. (Unless they have another one now). I have always enjoyed the food here, smells and tastes authentically punjabi.. The kababs and the dal makhhani is to die for ! This place used to be really small and there were 2 uncles who would run this place and who would always stop by our table to ask how things are.. I miss that familiarity in the restaurants now a days.. Its almost impersonal.. When i was with my ex BF, we also used to order for home delivery ever so often from here...
d. Nandini - I had never really been a fan of andhra food, which is why I am probably one of the few who have just been to 1 or 2 andhra chains that are present in banaglore..I just thought it was spicy and would always put me to sleep after eating all that rice. But I should really thank an old BF for getting me hooked to this one. This was our usual weekend lunch place where guys could hog as much as they wanted and gals (well, it was just me..) could taste all the spicy stuff on the thali :) Not very authentically andhra (as in its a mix or improvised), as I found out later when I married into an andhra family :P But the food is good no matter what. You should not miss out on the dried chillies and that gun powder !! (God bless u )
e. Shiok - I actually got to know the chef and the owner of this place online :) And its been a pleasure to visit him and his restaurant.. I think he has done a good job with the place. The lounge is really nice and cozy and the food is quite commendable. Its not often that you get to eat good thai or other oriental cuisines in Bangalore, but this one is really worth a visit :)
f. Jukebox - Man, this one only brings back memories, ol ol college memories.. Jukebox is another standard fixture in koromangala. Famous for a little parsi food and lot for its steaks.. Now that I have travelled here n there, I know steaks are not really how they are supposed to be. But I have reasons to believe that the steaks at jukebox are yummy nevertheless. Its just a small place and sometimes crowded, but its a place that reeks of familiarity and ol memories.. The only problem I have with this place is that they serve only beer and nothing else !
g. Casa P - On the similiar note as above, Casa P as we call Casa Piccola.. Its a chain of restaurants scattered across banaglore and the food is well.. western (or maybe intercontinental).. Its difficult to call it anything else.. lots of italian thrown in.. but they also have sandwiches and good soups.. Another college time fixture and has been a venue for soooooo many lunches I have lost count of..
h. Lalitha's paratha point - This one again has 2 branches, one near commercial and one in domlur (near indira nagar). I cannot forgive or forget the latter as the owner also ran sweet chariot franchise next door and she screwed up my budday cake! (Hmmpppff). But the one near commercial have provided respite from afternoon sun and sheer exhaustion for the enthu shoppers of commerical street. About 3-4 years ago, except for Woody's there was no other restaurants on commerical street. So in case you are famished from all that excercise, you had very limited options. One of my favourite options was Lalitha's.. This place is famous for its paratha's , they have all kinds. But careful, they are heavy on ur tummy and if you are wtahcing your weight, this may not really be a paradise for u ! But the parathas are simply outstanding.. I also like to mix it up a bit at times and order the sarson ka saag, another fav of mine ! Yummm....
i. Samarkhand - There are certain specific reasons you should go to this place. First being the ambience (which is like an afghan cave), second being the mirchi ka salan and the thrid being dehydration from partying in Hypnos.. Out of the 3, I prefer the mirchi ka salan :)
j. Food Street , VV puram - See, this one is not one restaurants, but a foodie paradise spread across a whole street! Can you believe that, a whole street! Its difficult to describe this, you have to see it and eat here to believe it..
k. Noodle Bar - Bombay central is where you will find this one, now merged with the bombay something. I really like the food here, its the quintessential oriental place with a variety of food choices.. I havent tried Jap food anywhere but the yakisoba here is definitely worth a mention.. Its yummm.. Its another respite for the shoppers if you must... I especially like the outdoor seating and they have a good selection of veggie food.
l. Olive bar - Ok, this one's not being mentioned as a restaurant.. I found exactly 1 veggy dish that I could order here which was a pizza :p. But this place is pretty according to me and has a nice medditeranian theme goin on.. I like the wine selection they have and its been fun to just sit there with friends, a big bottle of wine and just chill :)
I can go on and on.. Bangalore is such a foodie paradise, i really miss being there... But here are a few for the uninitiated in case anybody's interested :)
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Arre deewanon...
A very filmy weekend..
Mum is shocked coz every day that she calls, I am forever watching a movie. But I have to tell ya, this Netflix is really addictive and is too cool :) I have upgraded in fact to 3 movies at a time rental!
But anyways, this weekend was not just about rental movies but 2 latest ones.. Don and Jaan e mann.
Don.. well.. well.. The moral of the story is do not try and remake any movie of Mr. Bachhan's!!
Its just not possible :) Every inch of the screen screamed for his presence, every dialogue spoken and every fight sequence. Big B is big B!
Its just not possible :) Every inch of the screen screamed for his presence, every dialogue spoken and every fight sequence. Big B is big B!
Shahrukh.. oh well.. I am confused.. People who know me know that I really really have a soft spot for him. Despite all the hamming and the not that great looking reasons...I sincerely believe that he is all about energy, its something that fills up even the most emptiest of the screen or screenplays...well, at least he tries.. There are movies which would not have been without him.. there are scenes which would not have the same effect if not for him.. More often than not, I think he is best in Yash movies, whether chopra or johar productions.. Maybe its the subjects or the candy floss romance, I don't know.. All I know are that these movies have their moments..Moments that make the movies bearable, moments that stay with you. After all movies now a days do not have the capability to hold your attention for the entire 2-3 hrs of the duration. Its only the moments that remain in your memory, some movies do not even have that.. Actually most do not.. But like I said, Shahrukh's movies have them.. even the latest disaster KANK.
Remember - "Mohabbat ke zamaane guzar gaye janaab, ab chote mote pyaar se hi kaam chala li jiye aap " :)
Or the evergreen - "senorita, bade bade shehron me aisi choti moti baaten hoti rehti hain"
But... alas, his energy or that overboard enthusiasm for seeming like an arrogant cold blooded killer, could not save the movie from being a dud that it is.. What do I think the problem was?.. I don't think the movie failed technically, I dont think the movie failed the intent or that the performances were bad.. But there are 2 key factors for a remake to succeed (IMHO)
1. You need people(actors) who will not make you cringe and then cry for the people from 70's! Which means that every actor or role needs to match up against the older one.. Which unfortunately just does not happen. And with all due respect, its too much to ask for.. How can you expect Priyanka to ooze that impish sexiness of Zeenie man ! Its just not possible..
2. You need to take a side when you want to re-make a movie.. Either you just do it cut to cut like the older one and don't care about the modern sentiments (which is a little like what Devdas intended to do). Or you have to just take the basic script but adapt it completely to look like a DJ Aqeel remix :)
I think Farhan tried to do the latter and wanted to make a remix.. But it fell short.. For like umpteen reasons.. the top of the list being, too much missing Big B :)) The movie is slow.. It just doesn't grab you like a caper should.. The dialogues are eeks! For a complete modern adaptation, at the least dialogues should reflect the modern sensibilities.. I mean, at the end of the day, if you just say the dialogues in your head, I am sure you will realize on your own accord that they are corny and so not like something any sane person will say..
"Main tumhare saath hoon bete, tumhe ghabraane ki zaroorat nahin hai" - Who can believe that a so called yuppie looking Arjun Rampal can talk like that to an equally yuppie looking and sounding son of his !!??
I think Farhan thought snazzy chase sequences, hot babes and designer costumes (a la velvel jacket) will do tha trick, but my dear, as much as i loved your other movies, you really need a reality check..in the form of.... Fataak !
Even the hairstyles which I thought was one of those talked about things in his movies falls short, Don's hair cut is soooooo D'uh, especially of the bumpkin Vijay.. Its really quite similiar to the nerd one in Main hoon na !
Which is sad, coz as it is people can't wait to rip SRK apart.. And in this movie he had to share a space with Arjun Rampal who is sooo infinitely good looking! Like infinitely.. I am sure babes in some screens, looked twice at him and thought, hmm why fight for him (SRK) when i can have a piece of that :) (muuaaaaaaaaaahhh)
I was dazed and confused after seeing that movie.. I kept asking myself how someone who could make DCH and Lakshya could not know a Dud when you see it in the making ?? How.. Well.. I had to see DCH all over again just to get DON outta my head....
You know what, this made me think (and yes, I do have a lot of time on my hands, vot to do..) I think this is how the movie should have been.. It shoudl have actually been a sequel to Don, you know,. Don 2....:)
So, the movie starts from where the previous one left off.. The Don is thriving and played by the ever saucy Mr. B. Enters a new cop, a la Junior B (AB baby :p) and the chase begins.. But little do they know that Abhishek is really Zeenie and Big B's son ! (aha !) .. The race continues till the last shot where Big B holds a gun to his head and just before AB grabs to ctahc him.. dishhhhkaonnnnnnnn... "Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin......."
See that would be an apt sequel for the movie and yet racy and modern..(yes, yes lot of time and jobless...)
But sigh.. yeh log meri sunte hi kahan hai :P
.... Jaan e mann review to come....
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Coming this fall...
Scrubs ...
I just love this one ! Cracks me up everytime.. Now, I can happily say. Coupling has been de-throned !
I just love this one ! Cracks me up everytime.. Now, I can happily say. Coupling has been de-throned !
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
To do or not to do..
I have finally reached a conclusion to stop doing things for logical reasons.. You know, the right ones and the wrong ones... Reasoning just doesn't cut for me!
So.. I decide to do things that I really want to do, feel like doing. At least at the end of the day no matter what, I did something that I wanted to do right...? Right....
So.. I decide to do things that I really want to do, feel like doing. At least at the end of the day no matter what, I did something that I wanted to do right...? Right....
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