Saturday, December 27, 2008

holiday boredom

phew !!! it's the 3rd day in the four-day long weekend we have got, owing to the Off given on Dec 26th, Friday. I am left alone in my house, with all 3 of my roomies leaving Bangalore. First, I shuddered at spending 4-days alone. Then I thought that this might be a good time to spend on oneself, which I hadn't done off-late. Sleep took it's toll on the Christmas day. I woke up late than my usual time, thinking how to spend the rest of the day. After some cereal breakfast and a quick browsing, I never knew what took me back to my bed. It wasn't before 4:30 in the evening, before I realized !! Over sleeping sometimes spoils the whole day, and sure it did. I somehow managed to spend the rest of the day, little cooking, a pencil sketch ending in a smudge of paper ...

Spent the 2nd day watching movies. 3 movies in a stretch ... 9-10 hours spent in front of the PC. Great way. Made phulkas @ night, making a little over my requirement, for the next day's breakfast. I decided to spend my next day, i.e 3rd one @ office. I reached around 8 in the morning. Needless to say, seemed like I was the lone guy in the office, even when it was noon. I headed back home by 3:30 or so, to reach home at 5 o clk.
Wondering about these pictures here? Well, this was what I did after coming home, tried something new for dinner. Guess what: Mango-Methi rice.
No, No, I did not get it on any site this time. I started with making methi rice, ended up putting little raw mango pieces along with. It came out good. It made an awesome combination with ginger pickle on the side. I figured out that it would need a little fine tuning here and there. Want the recipe? Contact me :-)


That's it. It's almost 12 in the night. I successfully complete 3-days. Let's see what's in store tomorrow, a new dish might be? or Or a chat with my house-owner, who intends to prepare us for a rental hike this new year !! Let me see....

Friday, December 12, 2008

early morning, on the wall

12 Dec 2008:
I woke up this Friday morning, when my roommate called me excitingly, 'you must see this ra'. I was amazed at the site. Sitting calm on the high wall, was a big fat and green caterpillar, or something from that species. The scene looked serene during this season, with just the right kind of climate for these creatures to come out of their pupas. Here are a few pics from my N73:


We were sure that it had eaten something and was having a nap. Wonder how these creatures have the patience to climb such high walls . . . . at least for them they are !! We tried to fondle it a bit with a dry leaf. What we saw was just amazing. Out came two tentacles, giving a clear picture of a venomous defence system of this creature. Wish I could post the captured video here.

After taking a few snaps of this beautiful creature, we decided to place it on a plant nearby. It was gone in while, obviously camouflaged with the surrounding colour.





People have always known me to be fascinated by these less observed things in life, clearly shown in my photos. Hearing that my roommate had called me for this, a friend pointed out in a comic way, 'woh bhi tumhare hi tarah hai kya?' :-)
All I could do, was to help myself with a smile.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

feather in the cooks' hat: dalia soyachunks khichidi

30-Nov-2008:
"what shall we have for breakfast?', spoke I to Satya soon as I woke up.  No wonder, he gave his uth-gaya-saala stare!!! He was used to this waking-up-hungry habit of mine.
One staying in Bangalore would admit this lazy weather, on this Sunday morning today. Since 07:00 I was lying in bed, thinking of excuses to stay late :-) 'enough !!!', I thought, with my N73 already showing 08:00, 'too lazy !!'. My roommate was already up and reading the newspaper. I was less curious about following the mumbai news anymore.
It's only on Sundays or holidays that we get to prepare breakfast too at home. It is always a rush-for-the-bus routine everyday otherwise. We made the idea of preparing something nutritious and healthy. Browsing through this recipe site, we found exactly what we were looking for:  Wheat-Dalia-Soyachunk khichidi.
We got the required ingredients from a nearby shop. Preparation was not difficult. We just followed th instructions given on the site. It came out great. Well, don't go by the photo given here. I have taken it from the site. Our preparation looked little different :-)
Yet another dish added to our cooking list. I must recommend the website for a variety of dishes listed. The author lady is sure a good cook and documents well too. Do check out the site to find out about the preparation. Am sure you would also like it. 
Photo coutesy: Sailusfood.com All Rights of the author are respected

Friday, November 21, 2008

Poetic words : Why Daddy's not here

Got this poem as a Fwd from a friend, couldn't resist sharing it with others. Really touching.
 
Daddy's Poem

Her hair was up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
and she couldn't wait to go.



But her mummy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.


But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn't there today.


But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home.


But the little girl went to school
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
a dad who never calls.


There were daddies along the back wall,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats


One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.


At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
a man who wasn't there.


'Where's her daddy at?'
She heard a boy call out.
'She probably doesn't have one,'
another student dared to shout.


And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
'Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day..'


The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mum.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.


And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.


'My Daddy couldn't be here,
because he lives so far away..
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day..


And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.


He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike..
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.


We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.


'Cause my daddy's always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he'll forever be in my heart'


With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favourite dress.

 
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.


For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.


And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.


'I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
but heaven's just too far.


You see he is a soldier
And died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
and taught brave men to fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away.'
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.


And to her mother's amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.


Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.


'I know you're with me Daddy,'
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.


Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.


And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


My kudos to the poet, who put the feelings of a little daughter, in few verses. All rights credited to the poet of the content above.

Monday, September 29, 2008

latent relations

Unknowingly, or knowingly, many a people touch your life and become a part of it too. People range from friends, neighbours, seat mates on your everyday journey to the office, maybe your barber, the tailor or the man with a cart of vegetables at the end of the street, who always smiles as you pass by. You never get to knowing their name perhaps,  but still you end up maintaining a hidden relation with them.

One such guy was my tailor,
Narayan. I figured out his name from the newly designed bill he gave me, the nth time I went to him. This was an year after he became my personal tailor, if I can call him so. Nevertheless, he knew my name well. I still do not remember the first time I went to him. Thanks to the company I work for, wearing formals 4 days a week became necessary and I preferred them getting stitched. This would not restrict the size to an even number, which is the case otherwise, with ready-made stuff. I used to have little weird requests like having a secret pocket inside my shirt and he used to remember each one of them on my next visit. And he used to give me the best fitting always. I even had his phone number now. It's been 3 years. I never went to any other tailor. I was so used to this one. With hardly any time left for my birthday, I felt very enthusiastic, getting new formals stitched, with the day being a Monday.



I went to his shop last Friday, only to find it closed. I wondered at the odd time of closure, since I was there at around 5 in the evening. The same closed shutters greeted me the next day too. I decided to try for a third time today morning. Still closed. I enquired with the lady of the adjacent shop. "I don't know. It's been nearly 15 days they raised the shutter.", she said. "Why, do you have any idea?".

"They haven't opened it ever since their Prop Narayan passed away", she informed. The news came a bit hard on me. Totally unexpected. Here I was, waiting to get another of the man's best fit on me, and I would never see him again !! .....



somewhere deep down, I felt a little pain. An unknown feeling which I wasn't able to comprehend. Unsure of what to do next, I went back home, threw the bag into my closet and made my way to office . . . .

Monday, September 22, 2008

glimpse out of the fast lane

....a minute or so had passed before I realized where I was. The driver had just slowed down a little, and I had landed thump on the pavement. I couldn't take my eyes off this scene. I was amazed at this little girls dedication under the street light, undisturbed by the fast moving traffic beside her. I saw her mother a little away, doing her chores at a hut. 
some things just make you realize how much you have, in spite of which one tends to crave for more....

Monday, September 1, 2008

bengalooru, me and my jacket

..it rained heavily that night. I could still hear the sound of large rain drops hitting the roof of a car outside, while I slipped into sleep. I woke up at 6.45 the next day to find the downpour still going on. Umesh mumbled in bed, wondering about our travel to office.


Reminded me of old school days, I used to feel happy to see a climate like this. We could go late to school, half the hours would be canceled, or sometimes, better still, would be declared off by the Delhi Govt. Oh, I loved that time :-)


Sigh !!!! not anymore. My workplace was inviting me, and for that, I HAD to be at the bus-stop by 7:25. After a quick shower, geared myself with a rather little heavy jacket with a good head cover, and stepped out into the rain. Our neighbor aunt stared at me in a rather odd way which didn't seem to impress me. And why not, I was literally dripping all over, with only my head and upper part covered perfectly. I am sure her kids had had day off from school. I paced slowly along the 1 km walk to the bus-stop, avoiding water logs and vehicles splashing water. I saw few of my stop-mates better off with umbrellas.


The bus was dripping at places inside too. I was lucky enough to find a seat, perfect near the window. Not long, I fell into sleep, unaware of what lied ahead in time !!! 


I woke up as my bus neared office. It took me no time to realize that I was all heated up inside, thanks to my wool-from-inside jacket !!!! The scorching heat of the Sun.....YES..you read it right !!! the SUN, out, bright and shining on my left side !!! All the clouds had cleared off and it was just as any other mid-summer day. I had never saw such a contrast in weather patterns till now. My colleague was smiling at me, obvious at my surprised  look over the sudden change in climate. gosh !!!!


..and today, it is raining again. I am still thinking whether to take the jacket or not . . . . .

Saturday, August 2, 2008

reaching home late night --- cab

'ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಬರ್ತೀಯ?' (coming to Vijayanagar? )
'ಇಲ್ಲ ಸಾರ್. ನಯನ್ದಹಳ್ಳಿ ಅಷ್ಟೇ' (no sir, only till Nayanadahalli cross), told this cab driver at Banashankari. I had been waiting here for the past 15 mins.
"some distance covered is better than waiting in vain here", I thought and got into this white Sumo.

Welcome to the new world of night transport in a metro city like Bangalore. These vehicles, which otherwise work for some software company, also help to drop late night travelers like me, in non-official trips. Totally at the behest of the driver, who would want to earn little money, rather than driving empty. I say this service seems pretty good sometimes, when you are traveling late and do not have any other transport option.

But, at the same time, one must be careful before boarding such vehicles, especially during odd-hours, similar to mine, around 22:30. You might be unlucky and might fall into the hands of goons, sitting in the vehicle, who would snatch everything from you before you get down.

I was cautious enough, before getting into this empty one. Making myself comfortable in the front seat, I struck up a conversation with the driver. "My family would be waiting for me to join for dinner, am already late. Otherwise I would have dropped you to vijayanagar", he told. "I understand, hope I get a bus or so from there", said me, listening to his heartening reason. I learned that he stayed somewhere ahead the place I was intending to get down. The drive was swift, we would cover the 10 kms distance in not more than 10 mins, I thought. Sometime during the drive I found him shuffling through some paper folding from his shirt pocket. He slowed down a bit at the same time, carefully avoiding opposing vehicles. I wondered what he was doing.

He kept something in my hand. Before I could see it, he told, " ಇವತ್ತಿನ bus PASS. ತೊಗೊಳಿ. ಬೇಕಾದರೆ. (Today's bus PASS. Keep it, in case you use a bus)"
"Wow", I thought. He had given me the daily BMTC bus pass (25/-). Saving my ticket expense was his intention.

I knew it was not right, since the PASS is supposed to be 'non-transferable' !!!!
Felt good at the same time at the little possible help he did for me. But, alas, it was not of use to me. There no bus in sight where I got down, I had to take another one of those cabs to go further to my place.

The little paper piece was still in my hand, as I walked home, with his signature scribbled on it. I tried to read his name in it. That's when I realized, I should have asked him....

Thursday, July 31, 2008

my N73 comes handy always

I woke up from a deep sleep, by a cab honking loudly
near my window. 'Phew, still on Hosur Road', thought me. Sleepy journeys to/from office are a habit nowadays. Not feeling sleepy anymore, i was just looking around, just when I spotted this small fly stuck between the two panes of window glass ;-)
Everyone has his own tale of issues to deal with, I thought. Not wasting a moment, I took out my phone and 'clicked'. I found out the 'macro' feature of my cam works well.
..I have been taking these kind of photos ever since I got my hands upon my new N73. Comes in handy to click these instantaneous moments.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

..bangalore mein dhamake

much has been spoken about them for the past one day. I got a chance to watch some TV at a nearby restaurant this afternoon. For obvious reasons, the hotel guys put on their favourite TV9. Yes, you too must have heard about it. It's the most famous local news reporting channel in the recent times :-) These were the first people to report this incident, and news channels all over India had their footages. I saw them showing clipping after clipping about Malls and shopping areas being empty, and the shopkeepers owes......hmmmmmmmm

We were in discussion in the office, yesterday, when suddenly a colleague spoke, freeing himself a little from his mobile phone, 'there's been a blast at madivala it seems'.

Ok great, now what? , thought we. Withing minutes, people jammed mobile networks, with each one having one to his ear. News spread like wildfire, with people scurrying themselves to our parking lot, to catch the early 5 o clk bus. Hearing about one blast on Hosur road, I was sure that my bus would be diverted via other route. I mean, that's the way I heard the news. But being skeptical about going by the panch baje wala, I thought of leaving by 7.

The news was a little boosted up, learnt later. No wonder, I reached faster than usual to my home, with literally little traffic on the road.

But whatever the reasons behind the blasts, may it be of little intensity, it does send some message. Hope our cops get a break through soon and we learn who and what made folks do this.

the nuke effect

..so that's it. Our Singh has won the vote. May be by a slight margin, but chalega. Majority is what they wanted. May it be amidst a wad of currency notes by some MPs, indicating horse-trading or whatever.

I wanted to nuke deal to go through, personally speaking. Kuch bura nahi, to kuch accha to hoga hi. If it's not this govt, may be the next one would have surely taken a step towards this. What hurt many was the fact that this deal was taken by an opportunity by many parties to topple the govt. ... umpphhh...enough has been spoken about all these in editorials and articles. I won't bore you more with this.

That's it. I AM GONNA get my Voter ID card done this time. It's been a long time in Bangalore, staying for the past 4 years. Actions might be better than just words I guess.... wish me luck :-)

Saturday, July 12, 2008

second blog..feels great


Since my first blog, Memories, I had a plan to put together my thoughts about few events we see in our daily life. And ..so, this is it.

Hope to blog something about funny happenings I encounter. You might also find my views about any current affairs, hope I won't bore you with them.