Last Sunday.... A lazy Sunday.
I am roaming the city with two friends of mine. A temple, mall and a superstore. Pals 1 and 2 work in another organization. P1 is an Assamese, while P2 is a Tamilian as yours truly. P1 starts, "Dude! At our office, yesterday there was an argument over tamarind rice!".
"What?".
P1, "The Kannadigas were saying that tamarind rice should be called Puligere while the tamilians said it is actually PuliyOdharai".
I am interested. "What happened then?". This maybe another country and we all are Indians here. But inter-state wars are carried over. Cauvery water does that.
P2 says, "It was decided to google both the words with the one with the most number of results to be the winner!".
Sounds perfectly logical to me. "So who was the winner?".
P2 says, "The Kannadigas man! Puligere returned more hits than PuliyOdharai".
I was outraged. Damn the MTR guys! When the poll doesn't favour you, trash the methodology. I proceed to do that.
I argue, "But that is a stupid way to decide!!".
I fervently give examples. "Listen, if the words "Jesus" and "Jenna Jameson" were to be googled, who will return the most results/videos? They are poles apart. Just because Jenna is favoured on the Internet, does it mean that she is better?".
Fuming, I continue, "For deciding who is good, if we depend upon these results, we have to decide Jenna Jameson is good. But it is not so. Jesus is the good person. Jenna is not good. So this googling method is not correct".
After a pause, P2 the Tam pipes up, "I don't believe that".
"Whaaat?" go I.
"I don't believe Jenna is not good", smiles P2.
Cause is lost because of my stupid example.
:-(
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Tag - 10 things I miss of Mom’s cooking Meme
I was tagged by Shankari to do this, like some 3 months back. I may dither; I may delay; but I never fail to deliver. {punch dialogue copyrighted}
Filter coffee
Ultimate. A brew famed among our clan.
Morkuzhambu
Basically, it's boiled buttermilk with turmeric, salt and what not. To simplify such is blasphemy, though. She makes it extra spicy. Oh! It goes even with curd rice.
Poondu thogaiyal
Never had like this garlic chutney anywhere else. Usually not an item in our households, she used to prepare this.
Carrot fry
Not the usual style. A lot different and a killer dish. Many a time, I would have rice mixed with just this and nothing else.
Cocunut burfi
Her staple sweet for all functions. Can't think of a festival without one. Here I ponder. Is it just the food or the association of the particular food and mom that makes it special? Well, One never knows.
Onion and capsicum bajji
Her "Hall of fame" snack, veggie slices coated with flour and fried. :-)
Aviyal
I love it. Why does a common dish which can be had everywhere tastes unique when prepared at home? It's like a doosra of Saqlain or the sneaker(actually a "snaker", for it crawls in without a spin) of Kumble, a patented, associative thing.
Thakkali thokku
Spicy tomato chutney, made to withstand for a week or so, but can't last beyond 2,3 days as it gets devoured with a relish.
Paruppurandai kozhambu
Lentil balls soaked in sambhar. No side dish needed. They rock! I am yet to learn to prepare this delicacy.
Green chilli chutney
One loses count the number of idlis eaten when taken with this extra super hot side dish. This too is one which I've never tasted anywhere else so far. If one is not very careful with the amount of this taken with idlis, dire consequences which I do not wish to eloborate in a "foody" post, will befall.
And sitting down to write this piece, I wondered how things that we take for granted make us miss them when we don't have them. Like mom and her cooking. I am one who used to eat out as much as possible, spend time out of the house almost all of the days and hooked on to phone even while at home. Even for festivals, I used to wait for the decent amount of time before roaming out into the city, not caring to enjoy the food at home. I have had her saying that it is better when I stay faraway because I call and talk regularly than when at home. But some things grow on you within the small amount of time that you devote to them.
I don't tag anyone. It hurt me to write this, living far from home. But if any of you take this on your own, give me credit! :-)
Filter coffee
Ultimate. A brew famed among our clan.
Morkuzhambu
Basically, it's boiled buttermilk with turmeric, salt and what not. To simplify such is blasphemy, though. She makes it extra spicy. Oh! It goes even with curd rice.
Poondu thogaiyal
Never had like this garlic chutney anywhere else. Usually not an item in our households, she used to prepare this.
Carrot fry
Not the usual style. A lot different and a killer dish. Many a time, I would have rice mixed with just this and nothing else.
Cocunut burfi
Her staple sweet for all functions. Can't think of a festival without one. Here I ponder. Is it just the food or the association of the particular food and mom that makes it special? Well, One never knows.
Onion and capsicum bajji
Her "Hall of fame" snack, veggie slices coated with flour and fried. :-)
Aviyal
I love it. Why does a common dish which can be had everywhere tastes unique when prepared at home? It's like a doosra of Saqlain or the sneaker(actually a "snaker", for it crawls in without a spin) of Kumble, a patented, associative thing.
Thakkali thokku
Spicy tomato chutney, made to withstand for a week or so, but can't last beyond 2,3 days as it gets devoured with a relish.
Paruppurandai kozhambu
Lentil balls soaked in sambhar. No side dish needed. They rock! I am yet to learn to prepare this delicacy.
Green chilli chutney
One loses count the number of idlis eaten when taken with this extra super hot side dish. This too is one which I've never tasted anywhere else so far. If one is not very careful with the amount of this taken with idlis, dire consequences which I do not wish to eloborate in a "foody" post, will befall.
And sitting down to write this piece, I wondered how things that we take for granted make us miss them when we don't have them. Like mom and her cooking. I am one who used to eat out as much as possible, spend time out of the house almost all of the days and hooked on to phone even while at home. Even for festivals, I used to wait for the decent amount of time before roaming out into the city, not caring to enjoy the food at home. I have had her saying that it is better when I stay faraway because I call and talk regularly than when at home. But some things grow on you within the small amount of time that you devote to them.
I don't tag anyone. It hurt me to write this, living far from home. But if any of you take this on your own, give me credit! :-)
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Conjectures Invited!
Today I came across a thought provoking quote.
While lamenting about the current World political situation Ted Turner says "The men have had millions of years where we've been running things. We've screwed it up hopelessly. Let's give it to the women."
So let's give in to the hypothesis that we'll have women running everything. Governments, Legislatures, Dictatorships, Wars, Religion, Stockmarkets, Sports, everything.Not that they are not in every field now. Let's assume not a single man is part of any decision making in the whole world.
How things will be?
Better than now? Or still be bad?
All Pink and flowery?
No rough and tumble ball games?
I don't know.
Will countries go to war still?
What role will man have to play in the society?
God only knows!
God? Goddess?
While lamenting about the current World political situation Ted Turner says "The men have had millions of years where we've been running things. We've screwed it up hopelessly. Let's give it to the women."
So let's give in to the hypothesis that we'll have women running everything. Governments, Legislatures, Dictatorships, Wars, Religion, Stockmarkets, Sports, everything.Not that they are not in every field now. Let's assume not a single man is part of any decision making in the whole world.
How things will be?
Better than now? Or still be bad?
All Pink and flowery?
No rough and tumble ball games?
I don't know.
Will countries go to war still?
What role will man have to play in the society?
God only knows!
God? Goddess?
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Steve's latest Job!
Apple is out with 80 GB iPod! Latest Dada of music/video players!
The stakes have just been upped for Bill Gates whose "Zune" is yet to hit the market.
At $ 349 this 80GB pocket monster is an ideal gift for any of you people to give it to me!
:-)
The stakes have just been upped for Bill Gates whose "Zune" is yet to hit the market.
At $ 349 this 80GB pocket monster is an ideal gift for any of you people to give it to me!
:-)
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Curve Ball!!
It started some 2,3 months back.
An idle afternoon, me and my colleague get down talking. She is a baseball fanatic and first base coach for her son's team.
I say, "Teach me baseball. It's kinda hard to follow".
She starts about bases, pitcher, home run etc. After 2 minutes, I lose her.
Then she says, " The best way to learn is to go and watch a game. I'll arrange tickets for a minor league game"
"OK" I say and proceed to tell her about cricket. She gets shocked that it is played over 5 days. I assure her that there is a shorter version too. But I say that it's a game of strategy and the 5 day version is exciting too.
A disbelieving look.
True to her word, she sends a mail to all of us for finding out the number that would be interested in coming to a game.
Families (wherever present) included. Some 10 of us sign-up and including friends and families the number comes to more than 20.
It's a game between our local team, Schaumburg Flyers and some team from Fargo, ND.
That Saturday evening has me going to my first baseball game. I am the only foreigner there in a sea of natives (atleast nobody else there had my skin colour). I get stared at, but nobody says anything. My colleagues ask me to tell them whenever I can't follow the game. The colleague who organized this, deputes her son to me, who is more than eager to clarify my doubts.
I enjoy the atmosphere. It's a massive family outing there in the stadium. Ofcourse, the crowd can't match the boisterousness of Chepauk crowd, or for that matter any cricket ground in India. Anyway, I've only been to Chepauk. But we don't go to stadiums in families. A sea of males and a very few interested females form the crowd in our country.
My friend and her son are very helpful. Sometime into the game, the home team pitcher fails to latch on to the ball hit by the striker and I react involuntarily. She notices that and becomes happy that I am getting the hang of it. Then I get a googly.
She asks me, " Isn't this game interesting?"
"Yeah"
"Isn't this more interesting than cricket?". Right then and there! Everyone around is looking at me expectantly.
I offer a diplomatic laugh, more of a guffaw. I may be brave enough not to let down cricket but I am not going to be make fool-hardy comparisons.
Just a laugh, and no more.
A guy, husband of an ex-colleague offers me a way out saying, " He enjoys this company and crowd". Wholeheartedly, I agree.
Mentally I list out the ways in which baseball comes second to cricket.
First, the fielders, all of them, wear mitts. No such sissy thing in cricket. Ofcourse the wicket keeper needs it as he is catching more of a bullet than a ball.
Second, the fielding positions seem standard, with no great strategy needed.
Third, the probability of bat meeting the ball is less in baseball, given the shape of it.
Fourth there are coaches standing beside the bases to tell the runners to run.
Ofcourse, I can add a few more, but I don't know baseball well enough.
To be fair, I think cricket can take a leaf or two from baseball.
Cheerleaders, for instance. Imagine cheerleaders break into a routine waving their tassels at drinks intervals, when a new batsman walks in, at tea, etc..
:-))
Coming back to the game, the home team loses, and everyone leaves quietly. Three hours of fun, it was, though. Looking forward to see another game of baseball.
P.S.:curve ball or curve-ball (kûrvbôl)
n.
Baseball. Any of several pitches that veer to the left when thrown with the right hand and to the right when thrown with the left hand.
Slang. Something that is unexpected or designed to trick or deceive.
An idle afternoon, me and my colleague get down talking. She is a baseball fanatic and first base coach for her son's team.
I say, "Teach me baseball. It's kinda hard to follow".
She starts about bases, pitcher, home run etc. After 2 minutes, I lose her.
Then she says, " The best way to learn is to go and watch a game. I'll arrange tickets for a minor league game"
"OK" I say and proceed to tell her about cricket. She gets shocked that it is played over 5 days. I assure her that there is a shorter version too. But I say that it's a game of strategy and the 5 day version is exciting too.
A disbelieving look.
True to her word, she sends a mail to all of us for finding out the number that would be interested in coming to a game.
Families (wherever present) included. Some 10 of us sign-up and including friends and families the number comes to more than 20.
It's a game between our local team, Schaumburg Flyers and some team from Fargo, ND.
That Saturday evening has me going to my first baseball game. I am the only foreigner there in a sea of natives (atleast nobody else there had my skin colour). I get stared at, but nobody says anything. My colleagues ask me to tell them whenever I can't follow the game. The colleague who organized this, deputes her son to me, who is more than eager to clarify my doubts.
I enjoy the atmosphere. It's a massive family outing there in the stadium. Ofcourse, the crowd can't match the boisterousness of Chepauk crowd, or for that matter any cricket ground in India. Anyway, I've only been to Chepauk. But we don't go to stadiums in families. A sea of males and a very few interested females form the crowd in our country.
My friend and her son are very helpful. Sometime into the game, the home team pitcher fails to latch on to the ball hit by the striker and I react involuntarily. She notices that and becomes happy that I am getting the hang of it. Then I get a googly.
She asks me, " Isn't this game interesting?"
"Yeah"
"Isn't this more interesting than cricket?". Right then and there! Everyone around is looking at me expectantly.
I offer a diplomatic laugh, more of a guffaw. I may be brave enough not to let down cricket but I am not going to be make fool-hardy comparisons.
Just a laugh, and no more.
A guy, husband of an ex-colleague offers me a way out saying, " He enjoys this company and crowd". Wholeheartedly, I agree.
Mentally I list out the ways in which baseball comes second to cricket.
First, the fielders, all of them, wear mitts. No such sissy thing in cricket. Ofcourse the wicket keeper needs it as he is catching more of a bullet than a ball.
Second, the fielding positions seem standard, with no great strategy needed.
Third, the probability of bat meeting the ball is less in baseball, given the shape of it.
Fourth there are coaches standing beside the bases to tell the runners to run.
Ofcourse, I can add a few more, but I don't know baseball well enough.
To be fair, I think cricket can take a leaf or two from baseball.
Cheerleaders, for instance. Imagine cheerleaders break into a routine waving their tassels at drinks intervals, when a new batsman walks in, at tea, etc..
:-))
Coming back to the game, the home team loses, and everyone leaves quietly. Three hours of fun, it was, though. Looking forward to see another game of baseball.
P.S.:curve ball or curve-ball (kûrvbôl)
n.
Baseball. Any of several pitches that veer to the left when thrown with the right hand and to the right when thrown with the left hand.
Slang. Something that is unexpected or designed to trick or deceive.
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