Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! The next big thing I am looking forward too!!! :)
Catch it on you tube...
The HP franchise is one of my favourite novels.. the power of JK Rowling's imagination... sheer art!! If you havent read it... YOUR LOSS!!!!
The movies - have been ok so far.. in fact i think the HP movies are the only ones which can actually hold a candle to the books!!! :) Usually the movies are never able to do the books justice.
I love the books.. I have read.. re-read all of them... one of my initial posts was about harry potter! I have put in some harry potter posts in the past - the movie potter, Trivia, more HP stuff, world of HP ... quite a lot, actually!!!
So then you may ask, why do I wait for the movie ... ever since the series got over, there has been this hug gap in life...one wishes JK Rowling had not ended it.. now there is only one thing to look forward to...the HP movies!!!
It is supposed to be out in November!!!! And I wait ... patiently!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sweet lucy
Lucy is the name of a dog... she was a stray who was adopted by our society... a black shiny dog.. so she stays in the lobby or thereabouts.. and is fed by residents of our apartment!!
She is an absolute sweetheart!!! An adorable thing. I love dogs.. and she is the friendliest soul ever. Now I know for sure (not that I didnt earlier but it just got reiterated) that having a pet is the best thing in the world ever.
Everyday when I come back home.. no matter what the time is .. she will be there all ready to welcome me!!! And if by chance she is standing on the road.. the minute you enter the street.. her tail starts wagging!!!
This has become an everyday ritual... I meet her at the gate everyday.. pet her.. and then when I open the gate.. she comes bounding up behind me.. licks my hand.. stands with me till I wait for the lift and leaves only when I get into the lift!!!! And I have become so used to it.. if I dont find her at the gate, then I wait.. I hang around till I find her or she finds me (most of the times she finds me).
I cant tell you how one feels at this display of affection.. you come back home after a long day at work.. and there is this huge bundle of energy who is so happy to see you... the feelings of love and affection burst inside you!! You just cant help it.
Are you a hated boss?
Are you looking horrible?
Had a bad hair day?
Hate your boss?
Hate everyone in the world?
Clients hate you?
No matter.. she will love you still!!!!! Unconditional love .. this is what it is... as my colleague commented when she saw Lucy.. she is not so fond of dogs but was tempted to pet her.. imagine!!! Imagine what she does to us dog lovers!!!
She brightens up my day.. and I wait to meet her every evening!!!! A too is extremely fond of her .. and carries biscuits for her everyday!!!
Theres nothing better in the world.. than to be loved like this.. all the sins / bleakness / harshness swept away by Lucy's cheerfulness... its contagious.. and and you cannot help but smile and love... feel all the tensions ebb away..
The sweetest soul ever. My sweet darling Lucy.
She is an absolute sweetheart!!! An adorable thing. I love dogs.. and she is the friendliest soul ever. Now I know for sure (not that I didnt earlier but it just got reiterated) that having a pet is the best thing in the world ever.
Everyday when I come back home.. no matter what the time is .. she will be there all ready to welcome me!!! And if by chance she is standing on the road.. the minute you enter the street.. her tail starts wagging!!!
This has become an everyday ritual... I meet her at the gate everyday.. pet her.. and then when I open the gate.. she comes bounding up behind me.. licks my hand.. stands with me till I wait for the lift and leaves only when I get into the lift!!!! And I have become so used to it.. if I dont find her at the gate, then I wait.. I hang around till I find her or she finds me (most of the times she finds me).
I cant tell you how one feels at this display of affection.. you come back home after a long day at work.. and there is this huge bundle of energy who is so happy to see you... the feelings of love and affection burst inside you!! You just cant help it.
Are you a hated boss?
Are you looking horrible?
Had a bad hair day?
Hate your boss?
Hate everyone in the world?
Clients hate you?
No matter.. she will love you still!!!!! Unconditional love .. this is what it is... as my colleague commented when she saw Lucy.. she is not so fond of dogs but was tempted to pet her.. imagine!!! Imagine what she does to us dog lovers!!!
She brightens up my day.. and I wait to meet her every evening!!!! A too is extremely fond of her .. and carries biscuits for her everyday!!!
Theres nothing better in the world.. than to be loved like this.. all the sins / bleakness / harshness swept away by Lucy's cheerfulness... its contagious.. and and you cannot help but smile and love... feel all the tensions ebb away..
The sweetest soul ever. My sweet darling Lucy.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
chicken chettinad.. well almost :)
I just made chicken curry.. and Scarlett asked me to put up the recipe.. well here it is!!
Refer to ndtvgoodtimes site... go to chak de india and check chicken chettinad recipe.. I really like this show... Aditya Bal (who was apparently a model earlier) tours the country.. tastes all kind of cuisines.. and makes it as well!!! His show is quite good.. tells you about regional cuisines...no city touches to the dish.. and are surprisingly easy to follow.. in the last episode I caught, he walked into a coorgi home and ate boiled tapioca with spinach (fried in onion and garlic).. simple stuff, looked positively delicious!! So anyway, I tried his recipe of chicken chettinad with some small (really small) embellishments of my own :).. for all of you lazy people, here's the recipe :
a) About 600-700 gms boneless chicken.. which when cutting I effectively brought down about 3/4ths!!! I do not know how to cut chicken.. and whatever looks strange to me goes straight into the bin! So anyway, cut them in whatever fancy shapes you want/ like to eat.
b) Cut/ slice about 3 onions (medium sized).. the site suggested 2 but I put in 3.. more onions are always good I say :)... fry it in oil (about 1.5 -2 ladles.. lesser if you want).. oh, before this, put about 4 cloves (laung) and a piece of cinnamon in the oil and then add the onions!
b1) Check FB.. cackle at some people.
c) While onions fry.. put in about 1 tspn pepper corn (more or less depending on how spicy you want it), 1 tsp aniseed (saunf), 1 tspn cumin, 2 red chillies, ginger and garlic (about 2 tspns worth).. grind it all in water to make a paste. Check the site once to check if I havent missed out anything :) But I think thats about it. I checked.. and this it it. Of course this was for 1 kg chicken.. but it tastes awesome, same masala, less chicken!
c1) Put comments on FB.. and then delete the very picture which you commented on!! Hah!!! That will tell them(tell who???? I have no clue). Check to see if your onions are burning!
d) Once your onions are golden brown (mine were!!!), add the paste (mine was slightly watery.. but it doesnt really matter)... and fry it!! Before adding the paste, I removed the cinnamon and laung.. My, arent I sounding chef like :)... but anyway, I did that because I hate getting laung or cinnamon in my mouth when am eating. So there!!! And anyway it smells divine as the oil / onions would have absorbed the flavours of the garam masala (this was the deviation from the recipe).
d1) Have a breezer while you are at it!
e) Chop one tomato finely.. add it to the masala. I fried it till tomatoes disintegrated (I have watched enough cooking shows to know that I should say when fat separates from oil.. but I basically keep a lookout for tomatoes disintegrating, becoming paste like.. I have no idea what fat separates from oil means.. works for us ordinary mortals I guess!!!!)
e1) If you are sulking, then this is the perfect dish.. you can fry as much as you want and not be forced to be in the company of "people".. and sniffle strategically (cutting / frying onions.. what else do you expect).. the dish does not disintegrate because of over frying!!!
f) Here I tasted the masala.. it felt less spicy so I added a 1/4th tspn of red chilly powder.. do it at your risk.. the pepper is really hot.. and you come to know much later when you eat more quantities!! Add salt.. I would advise to put less salt (as compared to whatever you usually put)... I thought I put in less salt but it tasted slightly saltier than I liked it to be!!!
f1) You can of course show "people" how hard you are working by asking them to taste the masala in between the football match!! And politely refuse the offer to make rice(as if that needed making.. hah!!!!).. turn your nose up in the air when you refuse!!!
g) Add the mutilated ( courtesy my chopping skills) chicken pieces... let the masalas coat the chicken..
h) Another deviation.. recipe asks you to add water.. I added chicken stock .. maggie chicken stock..maybe it was more salty because of that.. oh well, whatever!! It tastes good because of the stock!!! :) I also added some curry leaves and 1-2 slit green chillies... (not there in the original recipe).
i) Cook till chicken is cooked and the gravy is thick!
i1) Make up by asking "people" to check if the chicken is cooked.
And voila.. there's your chicken chettinad... for the actual recipe, check ndtv good times site / chak de show.
Turned out to be good.. we finished it and thats a good sign. Goes well with plain rice.. fried rice.. rotis.. whatever is your fancy :))
A very easy dish for the lazy people!!!!! Lazy people of the world unite :)
Refer to ndtvgoodtimes site... go to chak de india and check chicken chettinad recipe.. I really like this show... Aditya Bal (who was apparently a model earlier) tours the country.. tastes all kind of cuisines.. and makes it as well!!! His show is quite good.. tells you about regional cuisines...no city touches to the dish.. and are surprisingly easy to follow.. in the last episode I caught, he walked into a coorgi home and ate boiled tapioca with spinach (fried in onion and garlic).. simple stuff, looked positively delicious!! So anyway, I tried his recipe of chicken chettinad with some small (really small) embellishments of my own :).. for all of you lazy people, here's the recipe :
a) About 600-700 gms boneless chicken.. which when cutting I effectively brought down about 3/4ths!!! I do not know how to cut chicken.. and whatever looks strange to me goes straight into the bin! So anyway, cut them in whatever fancy shapes you want/ like to eat.
b) Cut/ slice about 3 onions (medium sized).. the site suggested 2 but I put in 3.. more onions are always good I say :)... fry it in oil (about 1.5 -2 ladles.. lesser if you want).. oh, before this, put about 4 cloves (laung) and a piece of cinnamon in the oil and then add the onions!
b1) Check FB.. cackle at some people.
c) While onions fry.. put in about 1 tspn pepper corn (more or less depending on how spicy you want it), 1 tsp aniseed (saunf), 1 tspn cumin, 2 red chillies, ginger and garlic (about 2 tspns worth).. grind it all in water to make a paste. Check the site once to check if I havent missed out anything :) But I think thats about it. I checked.. and this it it. Of course this was for 1 kg chicken.. but it tastes awesome, same masala, less chicken!
c1) Put comments on FB.. and then delete the very picture which you commented on!! Hah!!! That will tell them(tell who???? I have no clue). Check to see if your onions are burning!
d) Once your onions are golden brown (mine were!!!), add the paste (mine was slightly watery.. but it doesnt really matter)... and fry it!! Before adding the paste, I removed the cinnamon and laung.. My, arent I sounding chef like :)... but anyway, I did that because I hate getting laung or cinnamon in my mouth when am eating. So there!!! And anyway it smells divine as the oil / onions would have absorbed the flavours of the garam masala (this was the deviation from the recipe).
d1) Have a breezer while you are at it!
e) Chop one tomato finely.. add it to the masala. I fried it till tomatoes disintegrated (I have watched enough cooking shows to know that I should say when fat separates from oil.. but I basically keep a lookout for tomatoes disintegrating, becoming paste like.. I have no idea what fat separates from oil means.. works for us ordinary mortals I guess!!!!)
e1) If you are sulking, then this is the perfect dish.. you can fry as much as you want and not be forced to be in the company of "people".. and sniffle strategically (cutting / frying onions.. what else do you expect).. the dish does not disintegrate because of over frying!!!
f) Here I tasted the masala.. it felt less spicy so I added a 1/4th tspn of red chilly powder.. do it at your risk.. the pepper is really hot.. and you come to know much later when you eat more quantities!! Add salt.. I would advise to put less salt (as compared to whatever you usually put)... I thought I put in less salt but it tasted slightly saltier than I liked it to be!!!
f1) You can of course show "people" how hard you are working by asking them to taste the masala in between the football match!! And politely refuse the offer to make rice(as if that needed making.. hah!!!!).. turn your nose up in the air when you refuse!!!
g) Add the mutilated ( courtesy my chopping skills) chicken pieces... let the masalas coat the chicken..
h) Another deviation.. recipe asks you to add water.. I added chicken stock .. maggie chicken stock..maybe it was more salty because of that.. oh well, whatever!! It tastes good because of the stock!!! :) I also added some curry leaves and 1-2 slit green chillies... (not there in the original recipe).
i) Cook till chicken is cooked and the gravy is thick!
i1) Make up by asking "people" to check if the chicken is cooked.
And voila.. there's your chicken chettinad... for the actual recipe, check ndtv good times site / chak de show.
Turned out to be good.. we finished it and thats a good sign. Goes well with plain rice.. fried rice.. rotis.. whatever is your fancy :))
A very easy dish for the lazy people!!!!! Lazy people of the world unite :)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Who is the villain : Raavan
Apparently people have not liked raavan!!! Or so I hear!
Post the review experience of Raajneeti, this time I went to watch the movie without reading the review.. not consciously though.
My verdict : I really liked it. It is a different movie like Scarlett says!!!!
Abhishek Bachchan was good.. a bit over the top sometimes.. but good nevertheless. And surprise surprise.. I liked Aishwarya Rai too!!!! I am truly surprised at that! I am dead sure... all the men were drooling... the loooooooooooonnngg hair... the natural look.. well, what to say.. she did look quite good!!!
The surprise package - VIKRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He looked , oh so hot!!!! Especially in that song... I am ashamed to say I actually didnt mention it at first.. but grudgingly mentioned it to scarlett who also admitted to liking him!!! And my sis too went gaga over him!!!
So yeah.. the movie.. I thought it was a brilliant narrative... unlike Raajneeti wherein they created obvious situations around Mahabharata.. Raavan had all the elements of Ramayana.. and Mani Ratnam effortlessly portrayed Ramayana without having to resort to putting in the actual characters..
The movie flows from one scene to the next.. its all effortless!!! It kind of looks at Ramayana from the "other" perspective.. Raavan's perspective so to speak!!! Told you its different! By the end of the movie.. you probably need to take a raincheck.. who is the villain you ask yourself!!!!
Govinda (Hanuman) was good ... I didnt recognise Nikhil Dwivedi till the credits happened...
The scenery is amazing!!! Was watching the "making of raavan" a while ago.. the bridge scene towards the end.. has been shot on an actual bridge!!!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful cinematography!!!!
I really really liked it.. I loved it.. Mani Ratnam.. what else can one expect. Loved the music....
My take : must watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next is A Team and I hate love stories!!
************************************
On another note, wireless is activated at home!!!!!! I am ecstatic!!!!!!!!!!!! :))
Post the review experience of Raajneeti, this time I went to watch the movie without reading the review.. not consciously though.
My verdict : I really liked it. It is a different movie like Scarlett says!!!!
Abhishek Bachchan was good.. a bit over the top sometimes.. but good nevertheless. And surprise surprise.. I liked Aishwarya Rai too!!!! I am truly surprised at that! I am dead sure... all the men were drooling... the loooooooooooonnngg hair... the natural look.. well, what to say.. she did look quite good!!!
The surprise package - VIKRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He looked , oh so hot!!!! Especially in that song... I am ashamed to say I actually didnt mention it at first.. but grudgingly mentioned it to scarlett who also admitted to liking him!!! And my sis too went gaga over him!!!
So yeah.. the movie.. I thought it was a brilliant narrative... unlike Raajneeti wherein they created obvious situations around Mahabharata.. Raavan had all the elements of Ramayana.. and Mani Ratnam effortlessly portrayed Ramayana without having to resort to putting in the actual characters..
The movie flows from one scene to the next.. its all effortless!!! It kind of looks at Ramayana from the "other" perspective.. Raavan's perspective so to speak!!! Told you its different! By the end of the movie.. you probably need to take a raincheck.. who is the villain you ask yourself!!!!
Govinda (Hanuman) was good ... I didnt recognise Nikhil Dwivedi till the credits happened...
The scenery is amazing!!! Was watching the "making of raavan" a while ago.. the bridge scene towards the end.. has been shot on an actual bridge!!!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful cinematography!!!!
I really really liked it.. I loved it.. Mani Ratnam.. what else can one expect. Loved the music....
My take : must watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next is A Team and I hate love stories!!
************************************
On another note, wireless is activated at home!!!!!! I am ecstatic!!!!!!!!!!!! :))
Thursday, June 17, 2010
It was the JD that did it!
Went out ostensibly for a farewell last night.. with colleagues. I say ostensibly.. because we just needed a reason!!! In the last few weeks we figured out that going out together - the entire office gang has been fun!!! We just needed an excuse!
We went to a teenage pub.. called couch.. you may ask why.. 50% OFF ON DRINKS!!! Need i say anything more?
It was fun.. we ribbed each other.. asked random stuff to whoever could listen, in that blitzkrieg of a music!!!!!
And we drank! Boy did we drink... I am not a very heavy drinker.. but I had 4 cocktails and 1 JD with coke !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has to be the JD that did it..
Did what, you ask? I threw up... at a hotel we all went to for coffee later . And today has been a lacklustre day!!!! I am still recovering.. so is the entire group .. completely hungover!
No more for me!! At least for a few days.
We went to a teenage pub.. called couch.. you may ask why.. 50% OFF ON DRINKS!!! Need i say anything more?
It was fun.. we ribbed each other.. asked random stuff to whoever could listen, in that blitzkrieg of a music!!!!!
And we drank! Boy did we drink... I am not a very heavy drinker.. but I had 4 cocktails and 1 JD with coke !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has to be the JD that did it..
Did what, you ask? I threw up... at a hotel we all went to for coffee later . And today has been a lacklustre day!!!! I am still recovering.. so is the entire group .. completely hungover!
No more for me!! At least for a few days.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
I have a dream
A few days back, when I saw that mooney's post title was leeches.. I took a step back.. ahem!!!!!!! Well, not in the leech way she has described it.. but a leech nevertheless!!!!
I am talking about myself!!! I, me, myself.
Ever since I got married.. a good 4 years back.. I have become like this totally dependent person.. totally dependent on A.. a complete anti thesis of how I used to be (am exaggerating but what the heck) in terms of dependence.. I have become (kind of) of what i used to advise my friends not to be like!!! Little did I know!
I cannot go anywhere without him. Even if I hangout with my friends.. it usually is not over weekend (that is our time).. hate it when he goes anywhere without me!!!! Hated it when he found something he liked but didnt involve me!!!!!!!!!!!!! Possessive? You bet.
But I had become.. have become this clingy.. leechy (I know theres no such word, but goes well with clingy) kind of a person!!! I dont like doing anything on my own.. I think it all started when I sold off my car before getting married.. and it was own bright little idea (my poor little zen..sob sob) !!! On second thoughts, maybe that too wouldnt have helped!!
The context - my hubby and I have a weekend marriage ... our work hours are different... so it has become a pattern.. cant think of not spending weekend together.. sacrilege!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
About a month or 2 ago, I was really stressed because of work and desperately needed a break. But A was busy - besides work, there was a lot of running around to be done on the house front. I fretted and finally .. break didnt happen.. I was at work, he was at work and time went by!!
Sometime back A said - why do our breaks need to be together.. you needed a break desperately.. you should have just taken it!!! We dont need to be together everytime!! It is difficult and you should learn to chill on your own too... and I took a step back.. it had never ever occured to me I could!!! Which is weird.. because I used to run off on holidays with friends.. even alone to a friend another country.. I never used to wait!!!!!
But then I am a leech.. old habits die hard.. I havent done much on own in the past 4 years...
But I have decided that I will... maybe this and the project are tied together... maybe I will just go somewhere.. check into some hotel in goa alone and chill!!!! As soon as I find the courage.. someone pass the salt please!!!!
I am talking about myself!!! I, me, myself.
Ever since I got married.. a good 4 years back.. I have become like this totally dependent person.. totally dependent on A.. a complete anti thesis of how I used to be (am exaggerating but what the heck) in terms of dependence.. I have become (kind of) of what i used to advise my friends not to be like!!! Little did I know!
I cannot go anywhere without him. Even if I hangout with my friends.. it usually is not over weekend (that is our time).. hate it when he goes anywhere without me!!!! Hated it when he found something he liked but didnt involve me!!!!!!!!!!!!! Possessive? You bet.
But I had become.. have become this clingy.. leechy (I know theres no such word, but goes well with clingy) kind of a person!!! I dont like doing anything on my own.. I think it all started when I sold off my car before getting married.. and it was own bright little idea (my poor little zen..sob sob) !!! On second thoughts, maybe that too wouldnt have helped!!
The context - my hubby and I have a weekend marriage ... our work hours are different... so it has become a pattern.. cant think of not spending weekend together.. sacrilege!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
About a month or 2 ago, I was really stressed because of work and desperately needed a break. But A was busy - besides work, there was a lot of running around to be done on the house front. I fretted and finally .. break didnt happen.. I was at work, he was at work and time went by!!
Sometime back A said - why do our breaks need to be together.. you needed a break desperately.. you should have just taken it!!! We dont need to be together everytime!! It is difficult and you should learn to chill on your own too... and I took a step back.. it had never ever occured to me I could!!! Which is weird.. because I used to run off on holidays with friends.. even alone to a friend another country.. I never used to wait!!!!!
But then I am a leech.. old habits die hard.. I havent done much on own in the past 4 years...
But I have decided that I will... maybe this and the project are tied together... maybe I will just go somewhere.. check into some hotel in goa alone and chill!!!! As soon as I find the courage.. someone pass the salt please!!!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Julie & Julia
I haven't watched the movie.. I recently read the book!! Wanted to write about it even before I finished it!!
It is not a book that you can read like regular books... by regular books i mean fiction! It is about .. difficult to articulate.. what i can tell you is what it is not about - it is not about cooking!!!!! It is about having one .. one project.. a goal (kind of)...
(Well, it is about cooking.. but it is not.. a part of the book does have her making various recipes.. but it is not about the cooking!!! One needs to read it to understand that i guess)
Maybe its a phase i have been going through.. and hence can identify with it!!! At times you need it .. that project to get back the zing.. the wanting to / the needing to work towards something!!!! And in this book... that something is cooking through a recipe book in a year!
Julie is bored.. with her work (arent we all)... and needs that extra fillup (all of us can identify with this i think)!!! So suddenly she decides that she will cook her way through 500+ recipes of Julia Child's book (mastering the art of french cooking).. she is no cook.. but muddles her way through deboning a duck.. making and eating poached egg (was it?) in red wine.. her husband / friends live and eat (should it be the other way round.. eat and live to talk about it.. :)) through it all of course.. and are a tremendous support.. who necessarily and bravely eat various parts of the animals!!!!
She is no cook mind you!!! Its a project.. which she takes on.. and suddenly there is a meaning to her life.. something to look forward to.. the book in between hops over to Julia Child and tells her story (a little.. whatever is available / through letters).. which forms a really nice context.. you feel that you know about julia child too.. well somewhat....she paints a really interesting picture!
And julie writes a blog about it :D.. her everyday escapades ... and finds hordes of followers.. and she becomes semi- famous as she is interviewed by many people exploring her quest!!
And yes, she does bring it to completion!!! It is an extremely witty account of her travails.. a pile of ever increasing utensils.. the guests.. the weird comments on her blog (ha, that sounds familiar :)) ..
I finished the book last week.. and was inspired to make chicken biriyani over the weekend.. turned out nice enough though dry :( .. planning to take another shot at it next weekend!!!
What I liked about it - the sense of purpose.. maybe its because I too am trying to find it... right now I just oscillate between work and home.. and suddenly there is this yawning gap.. its boredom... not knowing what to do.. knowing that life is passing by, without you doing much...
Learn a language.. learn to swim.. learn to ride a bike... ho hum
It is not a book that you can read like regular books... by regular books i mean fiction! It is about .. difficult to articulate.. what i can tell you is what it is not about - it is not about cooking!!!!! It is about having one .. one project.. a goal (kind of)...
(Well, it is about cooking.. but it is not.. a part of the book does have her making various recipes.. but it is not about the cooking!!! One needs to read it to understand that i guess)
Maybe its a phase i have been going through.. and hence can identify with it!!! At times you need it .. that project to get back the zing.. the wanting to / the needing to work towards something!!!! And in this book... that something is cooking through a recipe book in a year!
Julie is bored.. with her work (arent we all)... and needs that extra fillup (all of us can identify with this i think)!!! So suddenly she decides that she will cook her way through 500+ recipes of Julia Child's book (mastering the art of french cooking).. she is no cook.. but muddles her way through deboning a duck.. making and eating poached egg (was it?) in red wine.. her husband / friends live and eat (should it be the other way round.. eat and live to talk about it.. :)) through it all of course.. and are a tremendous support.. who necessarily and bravely eat various parts of the animals!!!!
She is no cook mind you!!! Its a project.. which she takes on.. and suddenly there is a meaning to her life.. something to look forward to.. the book in between hops over to Julia Child and tells her story (a little.. whatever is available / through letters).. which forms a really nice context.. you feel that you know about julia child too.. well somewhat....she paints a really interesting picture!
And julie writes a blog about it :D.. her everyday escapades ... and finds hordes of followers.. and she becomes semi- famous as she is interviewed by many people exploring her quest!!
And yes, she does bring it to completion!!! It is an extremely witty account of her travails.. a pile of ever increasing utensils.. the guests.. the weird comments on her blog (ha, that sounds familiar :)) ..
I finished the book last week.. and was inspired to make chicken biriyani over the weekend.. turned out nice enough though dry :( .. planning to take another shot at it next weekend!!!
What I liked about it - the sense of purpose.. maybe its because I too am trying to find it... right now I just oscillate between work and home.. and suddenly there is this yawning gap.. its boredom... not knowing what to do.. knowing that life is passing by, without you doing much...
Learn a language.. learn to swim.. learn to ride a bike... ho hum
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Why do some people comment on personal stuff
And i dont mean on the blog... i quite welcome the comments on the blog!!!! :)
I meant in real life.. and that too comment on personal stuff in the professional realm. I find it very irritating... And the people am talking about are not close colleagues.. or colleagues too for that matter!!! These are people you tend to meet professionally on various assignments.
Met someone who commented on my haircut!!!! While i did laugh it off.. i found it very annoying.. I am a professional.. and this just distracts or clouds things.. i dont want some people to comment on me personally... we are here to discuss a project .. lets do that.. its not that we meet everyday..
I dont mind it when colleagues say such things.. in fact i quite enjoy the banter.. life would be very unfulfilling without the chitchat!!!
But with some... whoa!!!! I find it unnerving.. and un everything...that too people who you have met recently!!! Uggghhhh...
It is very disconcerting when you realise people notice things.. actually they can go on noticing.. they just need not verbalise it!!!!
I meant in real life.. and that too comment on personal stuff in the professional realm. I find it very irritating... And the people am talking about are not close colleagues.. or colleagues too for that matter!!! These are people you tend to meet professionally on various assignments.
Met someone who commented on my haircut!!!! While i did laugh it off.. i found it very annoying.. I am a professional.. and this just distracts or clouds things.. i dont want some people to comment on me personally... we are here to discuss a project .. lets do that.. its not that we meet everyday..
I dont mind it when colleagues say such things.. in fact i quite enjoy the banter.. life would be very unfulfilling without the chitchat!!!
But with some... whoa!!!! I find it unnerving.. and un everything...that too people who you have met recently!!! Uggghhhh...
It is very disconcerting when you realise people notice things.. actually they can go on noticing.. they just need not verbalise it!!!!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Raajneeti
I am going to make this a quick post!! I dont think it deserved a 5 star rating!!!! A good movie but not 5 star.. a refreshing movie considering the movie draught we have been in!!!!
Well, i agree the expectations were sky high.. an ensemble cast.. prakash jha.. quite interesting trailers...
But i dont think it lived upto it.. maybe i am feeling this more because i read the review first.. and i was quite thrilled to see the 5 stars.. i think dev d was the last movie to get one and i had loved it!!! So my hopes were up.. high up in the clouds.. and i really like ranbir and ajay devgun.
I was curious, interested.. well fed by the hype around it and the 5 stars of course!!!
Where was the miss you ask.. it should have been more diabolical.. people should have been hatching more plans... there should have been more politics.. shrewd politics i.e.
It was there.. but not quite there.. all the intelligent plotting was done by one party... ranbir obviously..
Ajay Devgun was seriously under utilised... he is so powerful in such roles.. it started on a promising note.. but somewhere.. i wish he had more to do!!!
At times the dialogues were funny (they were not meant to be).. but evoked laughs.. a lady saying tum mere jeshth putra ho.. since when do we use such language? Or do we in the northern belt? Even then i thought it didnt fit in.. sounded like ramayan/mahabharat talk!!!
And Katrina Kaif.. should have had more screen time as the person in politics!!!! She would have been quite cool!!! And no, the movie is not the Gandhi family saga ...though she essayed the leader's role really well!! And when is running up the stairs waving to people in one scene, she really reminds you of sonia gandhi! Quite cool i thought.
But here i must say one thing... its not that the movie is not good.. it is good.. but definitely not a 5 star movie!!! It was quite racy... it doesnt allow you to blink...its quick.. i thought they set the pace really well... one thing leads into the other quickly.. there is no agonising wait !!!!!
Ranbir Kapoor was smashing.. I liked Katrina too.. Nana patekar was awesome.. subtle and awesome.. i liked ajay devgun too!!!
Good movie.. definitely worth a watch!!!!!!!!! A must see i will say.
Well, i agree the expectations were sky high.. an ensemble cast.. prakash jha.. quite interesting trailers...
But i dont think it lived upto it.. maybe i am feeling this more because i read the review first.. and i was quite thrilled to see the 5 stars.. i think dev d was the last movie to get one and i had loved it!!! So my hopes were up.. high up in the clouds.. and i really like ranbir and ajay devgun.
I was curious, interested.. well fed by the hype around it and the 5 stars of course!!!
Where was the miss you ask.. it should have been more diabolical.. people should have been hatching more plans... there should have been more politics.. shrewd politics i.e.
It was there.. but not quite there.. all the intelligent plotting was done by one party... ranbir obviously..
Ajay Devgun was seriously under utilised... he is so powerful in such roles.. it started on a promising note.. but somewhere.. i wish he had more to do!!!
At times the dialogues were funny (they were not meant to be).. but evoked laughs.. a lady saying tum mere jeshth putra ho.. since when do we use such language? Or do we in the northern belt? Even then i thought it didnt fit in.. sounded like ramayan/mahabharat talk!!!
And Katrina Kaif.. should have had more screen time as the person in politics!!!! She would have been quite cool!!! And no, the movie is not the Gandhi family saga ...though she essayed the leader's role really well!! And when is running up the stairs waving to people in one scene, she really reminds you of sonia gandhi! Quite cool i thought.
But here i must say one thing... its not that the movie is not good.. it is good.. but definitely not a 5 star movie!!! It was quite racy... it doesnt allow you to blink...its quick.. i thought they set the pace really well... one thing leads into the other quickly.. there is no agonising wait !!!!!
Ranbir Kapoor was smashing.. I liked Katrina too.. Nana patekar was awesome.. subtle and awesome.. i liked ajay devgun too!!!
Good movie.. definitely worth a watch!!!!!!!!! A must see i will say.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Turbulence
Its been quite a turbulent time.... at work.. at home!!
Wont bore all with work stuff... on the home front, was busy shifting!!!!!!!!!!! Its so difficult!!!!!!! I thought it would be easy this time round.. given that we have experienced the shift from bombay to blore sometime back... so i thought it would be easy.. blore to blore.. how difficult can it be really!!!
It IS tough.... really tough. There is absolutely no sense of time ...no sense of space... there are people walking all about the house all the time!!! There are chants of madam echoing through the house.. A had it worse..
We shifted last friday .. as in we slept here in the new house last friday... took a suitcase full of essentials only.. from sat onwards its been a havoc.. packers... dumping of all cartons... there are cartons lined up from floor to ceiling.. of course now its better.. now that we have opened up half the stuff...
We had about 8-9 cartons of books!!!! :)
There's still a lot of stuff to be done..i cant find stuff.. had to go for a meeting today.. but couldnt find my work diary.. my watch..you get the picture.. .
Ploughing through all this.. not just unpacking but other house work.. like.... we dont have any curtains in the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We bought curtain rods only yesterday.... etc etc etc..
I guess it will take us some time to settle down.. a few weeks i guess!!! I just want to breathe easy... phew!!!!
Wont bore all with work stuff... on the home front, was busy shifting!!!!!!!!!!! Its so difficult!!!!!!! I thought it would be easy this time round.. given that we have experienced the shift from bombay to blore sometime back... so i thought it would be easy.. blore to blore.. how difficult can it be really!!!
It IS tough.... really tough. There is absolutely no sense of time ...no sense of space... there are people walking all about the house all the time!!! There are chants of madam echoing through the house.. A had it worse..
We shifted last friday .. as in we slept here in the new house last friday... took a suitcase full of essentials only.. from sat onwards its been a havoc.. packers... dumping of all cartons... there are cartons lined up from floor to ceiling.. of course now its better.. now that we have opened up half the stuff...
We had about 8-9 cartons of books!!!! :)
There's still a lot of stuff to be done..i cant find stuff.. had to go for a meeting today.. but couldnt find my work diary.. my watch..you get the picture.. .
Ploughing through all this.. not just unpacking but other house work.. like.... we dont have any curtains in the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We bought curtain rods only yesterday.... etc etc etc..
I guess it will take us some time to settle down.. a few weeks i guess!!! I just want to breathe easy... phew!!!!
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