Movie marathon

So between last weekend and this, its been quite the marathon

- Eat, Pray Love
How could I not watch this movie? I mean, seriously. Ever since I read this book, thanks to her reco- I was bowled over and this was exactly a year ago. The book still lingers in my memory...word to word...like a silent echo. Wonderfully, hauntingly sublime! So when we heard this was being made into a movie...we decided we'd watch it together and what could be better than having Julia Roberts playing the lead role? Nothing really.

So a whole year went by and it just so happened that we couldn't be together to watch the movie when it released. But watch it I did. I loved it. This must be one of the best book-to-movie renditions I've ever witnessed. I won't say more...read the book, watch the movie and of course- eat, pray, love!

- Inception
Ok, before I proceed I'll have you know- I haven't watched Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight or the other Batman movie. The ones I really enjoyed earlier have been Memento and Prestige. Usually I tend to do some homework before I go watch his movies...cos...well cos I can be quite dense at times.

So all the legwork helped, I enjoyed the movie and was suitably entertained.

- Peepli (Live)
So, where shall I start? Small budget movie, a rural setting, a very real and raw depiction of India's underbelly. But what a movie! The characters are saddeningly(yea, urbandictionary says this is a valid word) funny, the story and the portrayal of the squalor and destitution is haunting. Anusha Rizvi, who claims has no formal training in movie direction has come out with a product that compares with the best of Shyam Benegal and Ketan Mehta and who better to produce than the very best- Aamir Khan?

If you haven't already, watch it! You won't regret it.

- Lafangey Parindey
Well if you're as big a fan of Neil Nitin Mukesh as I am(don't ask me why, cos I can't explain it), you'd watch this movie. Otherwise, you're better off missing this, cos I don't want you throwing rotten tomatoes at my pretty blog page.

Excuse me, while I get rid of this popcorn overdose.

Hope y'all are having a good weekend. Shabba Khair and advance Onam wishes to all...oh and Ramadaan and all other wishes in between.

Rain-dance

One hot humid morn
Another summer day doeth dawn
And as the hours tick by
A sudden cloud dots the sky
Before long there's more and plenty
The clouds have gathered for a party
Out of the blue descends a downpour
Thunder and lightning O' wait! There's more!
Now who would not enjoy
A rain-dance, boy-o-boy!

So that's exactly what this mint did
This hot summer 'noon she bid
At work a half-day nip
Out in the rain, she did skip!

Summer of 2010

And so here were are, inching slowly towards the end of a few intense summer weeks and months. I finally managed to get rid of the old patio furniture, stain the deck a dark oak and got myself this cheery deck swing. You like?

To say that I have overused it and abused it would be an exaggeration. That would be because it gets real warm very early in the morning and get humid towards midday. The only time I get to enjoy a somewhat cool breeze and lounge on this swing with a book is late in the evening- when the sun has set. Sometimes there is nary a breeze, its warm air stationed heavily in one place like stagnant water.

Bursts of colorful blooms and indulging in that ice-cream sorbet right the container just epitomizes summer like none other. Weekend trips to the trail for hikes, cool fruit juices(watermelon juice rocks btw), salads, ice-cream(I can't have enough of it, as you can tell), shorts and flip-flops, shopping, shopping and more shopping...that's what's been keeping me busy.

Aside of all of that...anyone watched 'Tere Bin Laden' yet? No? Well check it out. I rofl'ed all the way till the end. Also in the movie scene, I am looking forward to 'Eat Pray Love' and 'Peepli Live' and 'Lafangey Parindey'(with my two fave actors-Neil Nitin Mukesh and Deepika Padukone).

Book scene is pretty dismal actually. I haven't read any good/great ones.

So yea, that's about it for now. I'll leave y'all with a song....my current favorite.

Cuatro

Sigh! Late last night I realized my blog turned four and I had to scramble to come up with a celebration. As you can tell, last year wasn't my best blog year. This place was neglected and I wasn't even making an attempt to take good care of it.

Perhaps a birthday is the right season and the right reason to make amends.

So here goes. Many many happy returns of the day my dear blog, and I start the fifth year with a song dedication.

The perfect squeeze

All you sleazeballs, STOP right now and go wash your minds. This is a clean and simple post about making juices at home.

Yes, that is my latest passion, thanks to Amma. For some months now Amma has taken to making fresh juice at home, primarily beet juice for herself. 'I used to hate beetroot as a kid, you know' she tells me with elan. Well, apparently she has hated almost the entire vegetable family, as does my dad- just as vehemently with the fruit family thrown in for good measure. Now, there are two conclusions that can be drawn here. One, Hallelujah, we've finally found the one bonding factor in the union of the two poles! Two, is it a shocker that their off springs have such a hard time taking to fruits and vegetables?

Anyhoo, Amma has concluded the best way to get beetroot into her system is by making a juice of it. Seren has procured a small and cute juicer for this purpose and with utmost dedication and diligence, Amma makes beetroot and pomegranate juice with a dash of brown sugar(for fiber or protein or some such nutritious value, she would like to insist). Ever since she made the first glass of this concoction for me(this happens in the evening btw), I've been hooked.

So one morning, on our vegetable market trip, Seren and I decided to mix it up a bit. We got some oranges, kiwi and chickoo along with the standard fare beet and pomegranate. When we declared our wares, Amma's face didn't exactly gleam. Come 6pm, I was handed a glass of a brown-hued drink- your sapota juice she declared wanly.

'What about you?' I ask. 'I'll make my beet+pomegranate juice' she said in sotto voice and slid away. 'Hmmm, daal mein kuchch kaala hai' signals go off in my head. Within minutes she is back with her glass and as we clink and drink, she looks at my glass and goes 'How could you like sapota juice? I've never taken to the fruit, you know!'. Sigh.

So, when I got back to the US of A, I ordered myself a good decent juicer after reading 100s of reviews on Amazon and finally landing on one whose bad reviews didn't far outnumber the good ones(that's the way to pick an appliance on Amazon by the way. If one were to read all the reviews of all the appliances, one could never get to buying anything).

As I unpacked the contraption, I realized the piece looked bigger than I expected and had more parts than my mixie. It took me a few days to understand how to piece the parts together and operate. Then it took me another week to finally 'plan' my juice mix. The recipe booklet that came along with the appliance said my first launch should be of orange, beetroot and carrot. Awesome! That'd make Amma proud, I figured.

Day 1 : It took me 10 minutes to bring the parts to one piece. Another 10 minutes later it was whirring convincingly. Then came the master stroke. I added the ingredients and in the jar was a mixture of purple and orange with a grand total of purple fluid. The beet had won. I whipped in a tablespoon of brown sugar, and finally it purred to a halt.

In my excitement to indulge in the freshness of my creation, the latch on the appliance was hastily taken off. With a light thud, the pieces had come apart and I had purple spots on my favorite Gap jeans and on the hardwood floor. Sigh!

Day 2 : Rinse, lather repeat. Follow the same steps as day 1 till you get to the 'purred to a halt'.

Again, in my excitement, [no it wasn't the latch this time, I'd learnt THAT lesson], I ejected the juice jug and as I poured the purple concoction into a tall glass- I tilted the jug too far. The lid came out and I had purple juice all over my counter and dripping over the cabinet doors and right to the floor. Here we go again!

Day 3 and onwards: Well, by now I had realized that this thing is not exactly one can take lightly. Its not like throwing something into your microwave and walking away. It needed TLC, it was like one of those high-maintenance fashionistas. I lovingly followed the procedure and patted it often and used it gently. All was good. I've been producing glass after glass with relatively few mishaps.

My next mix is going to be apple, peach and grapefuit, wish me luck!

Unfortunately I don't find chickoo that often in our farmer's market. But you know I'll be having that soon enough, much to Amma's chagrin, don't you?

A pink spot of glee

This dawn, bright and early
On the drive to work, daily
Sighted : A shot of bright pink
A lone balloon with a lost link
It sways and sashays
A mild morning breeze plays
Soaring gently
Diving mildly
This carefree little thing
What a joy with a zing
Couldn't we all just be
Like this lone little pink spot of glee?

Hey Ya

Heard this yet? If you haven't, you should! :)




My movie for this weekend happened to be 'Karthik calling Karthik'. So this is Farhaan Akhtar's third movie and three time's always a charm. I'm officially hooked and I now know exactly what I like about FA's movies. His stories are mostly urban contemporary, the themes are very relevant to the times and his lines are crisp, cool and witty. So there you go- its a typical FA movie and I thought him and Deepika Padukone had great chemistry. I liked the storyline, though as always in a movie- some parts dragged, mature and normal. The characters FA plays are not exaggerated, no distinct black or white persona- that makes the people and the stories very relatable. I won't say much else, give it a shot. It's worth spending a weekend evening.

In my neck of the woods

When I hear about new initiatives such as this, a part of me tingles with pride, cos you see the entire route for this walk meanders around places in my neighborhood that I have literally grown up in. An entire section of my locality that certainly had a huge hand in shaping my persona. Another part of me surges with mixed emotion. That part of me that can't imagine walking through the neighborhood as a tourist. I wonder 'will this walker see what I see and feel what I feel when they make a visit to 'Dodda Ganesha'[Big Ganesha] temple- that monolithic enormous Ganesha idol or the neighbor- the Bull temple? For me, its about my daily walk to college, a customary drop in at these temples, more so during exams- to pray for success.

Nostalgia- this area sure exudes oodles of it, whether its gastronomic delight centers such as Brahmin's cafe, Vidyarthi Bhavan, Dwarka Bhavan[famous joints for breakfast, masala dosa and butter dosa] or stores such as Subbamma for nippattu, kodbale, chutney pudi and sundry items, whether its educational institutions such as National College and BMS College of Engineering, whether its temples such as Bull temple, Dodda Ganesha temple, Karanji Anjaneya temple, Raghavendra Swami muttha, Shankar Muttha....the list is endless. This list is my childhood. An intrinsic part of me is weaved heavily into these now tourist centers. Which is why sometimes I feel like a part of me is on display. It makes me curious into what these walkers see and what they read into these visual delights.

Will they smell the lingering aroma of fresh flowers as they eat masala dosa at Vidyarthi Bhavan, like I do? Do they look up to identify which classrooms I have been at for Physics and Chemistry lessons in National College, like I do? Will they recall amusedly standing with an orange bucket at the BWSSB office adjacent to National College with Amma, arguing about why there was no water supply as promised? Will they remember like I do, not the beauty and serenity of Ramakrishna Ashram, but sitting at the Telephone office(then called PnT I think, NOT the BSNL its now been renamed as) next door complaining about the 100th time the phone has gone out of order? Will they realize that fruit juice at Ganesh fruit juice center is the cheapest and best in the area? They can never know that the Shiv Sagar on Gandhi Bazar Road is now gone, but it was one of the first and greatest chaat places in the area. Butter Sponge, Jyothi stores and West End stores have been around for as long as I've been, run by the same management for years and how many ever years later- when you do drop in, they recognize your face and smile understandably.

Do they get to listen to Vedic chants from the Karnikara Paathshaale across from my home? Will they be able to understand little things such as missing the cobbler who had set up shop right at the corner of Vani Vilas Road and Uttaraadi Mutt road who has long been evicted thanks to the megalithic flyover that has sprung right at that spot? They will never get to know that Vani Vilas Road was once a tree lined avenue, much like Diagonal Road, but not any more.

See I have been on walking tours- like in Colonial Williamsburg and in London. I admire the architecture and sometimes try to imagine the life of the people who inhabited those areas in times bygone. But this above walking tour brings a whole different perspective for me. I want to go on one of these. Perhaps I can trace back my wonder years. Perhaps this time around I will try to hang on to every bit of emotion that emerges, to be captured for posterity.

Cos you see, one's childhood is hard to recreate. Why would you consider hanging on to the delightful taste of the chutney from Brahmin's cafe if you lived in the area all your life? You wouldn't, but when you do step away from the very same comfort zone that created you- you realize how such an intrinsic framework provides stability and grounds you with strong ties of nostalgia and a tingling sense of pride.

My neck of the woods, it appears, has now officially gotten a sepia tint and I certainly ain't complaining!

A blurb from this walking tour of traditional Bengaluru goes thus:

" Come and discover Traditional Bengaluru!
It takes only 3 kms and 3 hours to realise that amidst Bangalore as an IT hub and roaring pub city, there is the other Bengaluru - the Bengaluru that was the genesis of Bangalore as we know it today, that evokes nostalgia, and poetry. The bastion of traditional living, a life of grace, goodness, and breeding ground of the quintessential Bangalorean who effortlessly shuttles between several seemingly contradictory worlds.

Walk through the rocks that Bangalore was founded on. Discover the sprawling streets of the old-new city.

Get ready for an assault on the senses; tradition comes in colors and sounds. Treat your taste-buds. This is Bengaluru: Up close and personal.

If you really want to understand traditional Bengaluru, join us on this walk through the neighbourhoods of Basavanagudi and Shankarapuram."

Cover page

One of the very first things I do when I come home is to start reading TOI. I love the Indian print media and goes well with my breakfast coffee :). Even more so the New Year's edition has so much to looked forward to.

So yesterday, as is customary, I grabbed the paper and sat down with what must've been my 4th cuppa for the morning. What does one usually expect? A 'TOI wishes all its readers a very happy new year', correct?

Wrong!

Here's what I saw(statutory warning- please don't throw stones at me for the bad pics, I was in a rush to take the pics while packing, unpacking, repacking, weighing etc- after all I was about to leave in 24 hrs)....

Like the second pic rightly says, it felt odd. What kind of cover page was this- was my first reaction. But as I started reading, right after 2 stanzas, I was floored. I was ready to offer pranaams to the entire team at TOI for this wonderful start to a new year. See- I am the eternal sentimental fool. If one were to tell me that Love is God, I will truly believe and agree. I will have nary a counter argument or logical/rational argument on why and how I don't believe it is not so. See- words, anger, hatred, violence all get nowhere but to more anger, hatred and violence that is eventually just destructive. In the end, who does love and enjoy destruction? No one does, at least no on in their right mind does.

















I love this tagline - 'Aman ki Asha'. There were 2 or 3 more pages with more details on the entire drive across the country wishing and working towards peace and harmony. After all, isn't that what everyone would like? Cliched it may sound, but the fact is undeniable. 'Aman ki Asha' it is for 2010. An idea whose time has come. I'm sold- hook, line and sinker.

3 idiots

After reading some preliminary reviews on this movie, we went suitably charged due to high marks given by most of the reviewers. We were expecting an Aamir's brilliance in a strong script, having earlier been impressed with Taare Zameen Pe and Lagaan.

I came out of the theater, not impressed. It was 3 hrs too long of a story and the message was quite clear very early on. It was that the rote system of learning in the Indian education system that wasn't right and we got it(quite early too). Once that was out of the way, the rest was just plain ole Hindi movie masala- some college romance, some college pranks and a very predictable climax. The scene where Mona Singh delivers here baby could so have been avoided and the ending was Oh-SO-predictable. For a engineering college setting filled with students that overflowed with this much lateral thinking, the mush was rather oblique.

There was some humorous scenes no doubt- those could easily fit in 2 hands worth of fingers(or under), these were easy to relate to and could occur in any engineering college. Aamir plays the college student role very convincingly(not surprisingly of course). The other two could've been given stronger story lines, IMO. They barely passed off as very effective sidekicks. The 'All is Well' catch phrase is definitely...uhm what shall I say...catchy? Boman Irani and Kareena are passable. What do we have left?- A very long and barely impressive movie.

Notes from back home- Dec 2009-1

Its time for some notes- notes about the small things that one does in one's hometown which can never be praised enough but undoubtedly are the prime things that one misses when one isn't here. I do have to write about our next trip which was to Nagarhole National Park along the Kabini river, but that's a later post.

* Day 0 and Day 1 of my trip found us at Bengaluru habba, shopping and enjoying the visual arts and crafts at the fair.

* Week 1- Visited and indulged in masala dosa at UD, idli/vada at Brahmin's cafe, masala dosa at Vidyarthi Bhavan(ran into a Trigonometry lecturer from PU college and had a warm and wonderful chat while digging into afore mentioned masala dosa delight), lunch at Barbeque Nation, chaat at Sukh Sagar(Jayanagar). Phew!

* Watched and enjoyed Julie and Julia and Paa. Paa is undoubtedly a great movie. The characters are warm and wonderful, the dialogues are just about right and there's none of the sentiment/emotion overload that Hindi films are known to overdo. AB Sr and Jr do justice to their roles and once in a while Vidya Balan does come through. Enough said- go watch it and see for yourself.

* Shopping, eating, napping in the afternoons, some movies, some books, visiting friends and family all make for the perfect December break!

On the heritage trail-Part 2

Day 2

The second day was not as intensive on the foot as Day 1 was. We moved from the 16th century Vijayanagar empire back in time to the Chalukyan regime between 12th and 15th centuries. Most important of the Chalukyas was Pulekesi and Vikramaditya I and II. Our first stop was Aihole, about 3 hrs away from Hampi.

Aihole - is popularly known as the cradle of temple sculpture as a lot of artists used it as a test bed for new styles of architecture and stone techniques. A tour guide mentioned in the passing that Aihole was the 'primary school'.









From Aihole, onto Pattadakal(a 15 min drive)

Pattadakal- was the second capital of the Chalukyas. It was the coronation city for Chalukyan kings. Pattadakal was by far my most favorite place of all the ones we visited. Many of the temples in this area were built during the time of Vikramaditya II. Virupaksha temple and the Mallikarjuna temple are some of the more prominent structures in Pattadakal. Our next stop was Badami, the site of the awe-inspiring cave temples.









Badami - was the capital city of Chalukyas, earlier known as Vatapi. The cave temples here are just spellbinding. There are 4 caves- one dedicated to Shiva, the next two to Vishnu and the last cave to Jainism.












Day 3 - Ok, so this is where the mythological side of Hampi surfaces. After a short break away from Hampi, we spent Day 3 back in Hampi. The resort staff had planned for a refreshing hike early in the am along a trail around the place which took us along hanging bridges and the boulders over to a vantage point from where we could view the entire surroundings accompanied by the calming morning winds and lilting river sounds. After a hearty breakfast, we were all set to scale the Anjanadri hill which was the birthplace and abode of Lord Hanuman!

The next stop was at Pampa Sarovar. There is a small lake filled with lotuses and is the location where Sabri is said to have met Lord Rama.

The last stop for the day was at Sanapur Lake(much like ending a meal with curd rice), the calm, clear waters of the lake was a peaceful and befitting end to our 3 day retreat. We went back to Mango Tree for a refreshing lunch and back to our cottage for a well earned siesta.









Our last evening was spent with a cozy campfire and the warm company of the other guests at our wonderful retreat. And thus ended our wonderful getaway into the world of history, sculpture and the finer art of escaping far from the madding crowd.

On the heritage trail- Part 1

Uhmmm...errr....sorry peeps! I've been AWOL again, but what to do? The pen hasn't exactly been my best friend for some time now. That's not to say there hasn't been much going on. Oh, there is sirree. Did y'all know I'm home now? Yes, its home for Christmas and the holidays. I have to tell y'all about my first week here but that's another post.

For now, you've got to hear about our recent trip. Seren and I set off on the heritage trail along the Vijayanagar and Chalukyan empires. What that means is we visited Hampi, Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal.

Right at the onset, we were greatly impressed with our resort. We stayed at Hampi Boulders, and were assigned the executive cottage(that's the first pic on the left in the link above). The resort is scenically positioned amongst the hills and boulders around Hampi. There are about 20 cottages or so each with private walkways and provides ample privacy and seclusion to make it truly serene and picturesque. Cell phone coverage in the area is spotty and there is no intercom to the main gondola. There are also no TV's in the room or in the central dining area. The staff is pleasant, ever helpful and extremely prompt with service. What struck us was that the owner had a very good aesthetic sense and had put immense thought into making it a unique experience for his guests. The staff hold campfires every other evening and constantly encourage guests to mingle amongst each other. It makes for a very English setting with guests meeting in the common area for meals and inevitably chatting and exchanging notes about their day and visits around the area. A five star rating for sure from us and we'd recommend it to everyone. The place is rather pricey, be warned. But for the kind of amenities and service and serenity, it is well worth the money spent.








Day 1
We set off towards the ruins of Hampi, the historical nerve center of the Vijayanagar empire of 16th century. Krishnadevaraya is said to have been the most important monarch that encouraged sculpture and established trading ties with other countries during this regime. The stone chariot at the Vitthala temple is by far the biggest landmark of Hampi. Other important monuments include the Virupaksha temple and Zenana quarters that house the Lotus Mahal. Purandara Mantapa is a monument built for the singer-saint Purandaradasa right on the banks of the river Tungabhadra. King's Balance is a stone structure on which kings used to weigh themselves against gold and gems and donated for charities.














At the end of Day 1 we were exhausted, partly due to our own stupidity actually. We'd been warned to not take the Hampi ruins by foot since it covers about 25 kms. We started walking towards one set of monuments and by 1pm we were hungry and our feet were slowly beginning to kill us. Howoever, lunch at Mango Tree totally rejuvenated us. This restaurant was uniquely built around mango trees with unusual seating areas- low tables with floor seating. The restaurant is also located overlooking the wilderness and woods, so be prepared to catch some wildlife roaming around while you recharge your batteries. Being a pure vegetarian restaurant, the Mango Tree thali was scrumptious replete with thin, soft chapathis, a healthy sabji, a kootu, some rasam, sambar and rice. We coupled the thali with some refreshing lime juice.

This done, we decided to take on the next half of the Hampi trail by auto(which was by far the smartest decision we took). By around 5pm, we'd covered about 80% of monuments. See, there are two aspects to Hampi- one is the historical part, revolving around the Vijayanagar empire. The other is the mythological part- Hampi is also Kishkinda, Hanuman's birthplace is located right here.

More on this side of Hampi in the next post.

Inside the nostalgia dome

So how many of you grew up watching 'Crystal Maze'? No one? Bah!

This weekend, out of the blue, I was reminded of this game show. At one point in time, I nursed a secret wish to be a part of the show, I imagined myself collecting crystal balls and winning the show. The last scene where everyone congregates in the giant crystal dome with slips of paper fluttering around for everyone to collect is etched permanently in my mind.

Youtube can be a life saver most times. Are you surprised that I could find some of the Crystal Maze episodes out there? Well, I wasn't! As I rehashed these episodes, I chuckled at the costumes from those times. While they appear quirky now, the seriousness with which people played these games and had fun while doing so, is infectious. It definitely made me want to be in the show all over again.

Reality shows and game shows of current times appear rigged and are extremely scripted, I am told. I couldn't tell if this one was so back then, all I knew was it was a super cool game to play, thanks to the pyrotechnics, what more can a kid ask for?

Ooooh, I just remembered. I wanted to be on the Bournvita Quiz show as well, remember that one? Did you have a TV/game show growing up, that you wanted to be on?

Its a pleasant surprise when...

....out of the blue, the gym instructor plays a Bollywood track as accompaniment to the workout.

One silent night

Into the stillness of the night
As silence envelopes around tight
A lone lamp shines
While a lone soul dines
Its not a clear sky and hence
The clouds seem to weave dense
The moon tries but can't shine
While a lone soul dines
Holiday cheer has landed
In many a Christmas tree planted
There's hope and faith
In a pair of stockings
For what's a Yuletide in taupe
Red, green and gold is fit for the kings
In the silence of the night
As a lone soul dines
What a wondrous treat to sight
There's magic in the air, He signs.

Giving thanks!

This year, thanksgiving came in its true spirit. It came with the spirit of cozy dinners and lunches with friends and their families. The warmth of candle light and incense sticks, the aromas of chef specials, the scent of fresh flowers, the simmering spices and flavorful dishes...the teasing, lazing around watching trashy movies, the silly questions of trivial pursuit, test driving the kindle, playing Wii bowling(my very first encounter with Wii, btw) with my friend's 6-yr old niece....

Here's a peek into one part of the holiday which was a very traditional North Karnataka meal at Suj's place. My, what a delicious spread it was! I was 'spread' out on my couch for hours after this wonderful feast. What is a Thanksgiving holiday without some overeating, eh?

Up

Not having watched an English movie in a long time, Up was the perfect come-back-to movie. It came with high recommendations from my coworkers and when it finally landed in my hands hot off the redbox vending machine at the grocery store, I couldn't get to it for about 4 days, by which time it almost became a to-do chore to be ticked off my long list.

The auspicious hour for watching the movie arrived serendipitously. On the Wednesday before the Thanksgiving weekend, I came home drained from work. It had been an exceptionally rough week, considering it was a short 3-day one, it seemed like it was inordinately long and hard. With a plate of grilled veggie sandwich in hand, I popped the DVD in and hit play.

Since I hadn't bothered to read up reviews of the movie, I had no clue about the movie or the story. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. This Disney Pixar animation movie was a delight to watch. I'd find it hard to claim it is a kids only movie. I wont say much about the story itself, cos one's got to watch it without any spoilers to thoroughly be immersed in this delicious comedy. Hence I will say less, but I'd insist nonetheless- if you haven't watched it already, put it on your must-list. You won't regret it. For once, I definitely don't foresee rotten tomatoes thrown my way for suggesting so.

Oota from my hometown

For a small dinner party this weekend, my menu was typical Bengaluru fare. It read thus

Maddur vade with chutney
Bisibelebath with (cucumber/tomato/onion) raitha
Curd rice
Sandige(that's vadam for the tams)
Shavige payasa(vermicelli kheer)














(Sujatha Ramesh : Since you asked for my weekend updates as well as what was cooking in my kitchen, this is entirely aap ki farmaish! :)

The treasure hunt

Sigh! No, this isn't the pirate's treasure we're talking about. I wasn't influenced by the movie 'Blue', trust me.

It all began when I got this innocent coupon for Macy's. 10$ off for a purchase of 25$ or more it declared- in red! The Christmas season sale is on, earlier than usual this time. Well, considering the fact Macy's is temptingly located right across from my subdivision could be viewed as a boon, at times. I drive past the place every day to get to work, to shop, to get chores done- well you get the point. It would be hard to not pass Macy's.

So the coupon said it was an early bird special. Valid only between 7am to noon on two working days- Tuesday and Wednesday. Now my long time readers should know by now, if ever the word early bird was to be coined, it'd have to be cos of moi. I mean no one else exemplifies the term better. So that part is pretty set. The master plan was to stop by on the way to work. Refer to the line about having to pass by Macy's everyday. Oh, btw, the coupon also said- 'Doesn't apply for preview sale on Tuesday'. Great!- Wednesday it would have to be.

Now we get to the way the mind plays games. 10$ off it screamed. If you find something for 25$ at minimum, you'll land yourself a steal at 15$. Worth it, it convinced the rest of the self.

Thus convinced, I landed at Macy's at around 7:15am on a Wednesday- I felt like a shopaholic. But nonetheless- I had already decided what I wanted badly. A pair of corduroy jeans. I found the Levi's aisle, tried a pair on and within 10 minutes I was set. As the saleslady at the counter scanned the item and the coupon, she goes 'Ma'am, I am sorry. This coupon isn't valid on Levi's'. She also generously pointed to the long list of excluded brands which I had conveniently dismissed on initial glance. 'What brands can I get then' I asked innocently. 'Ma'am, we've found it easier to just scan and determine if it qualifies or not rather than memorize what brands to not buy' she beamed.

Sigh! On to Round 2. I went back and spent the next 20 mins finding a pair in a brand that wasn't listed in the coupon. Fitting done, I went back to the counter. Same cycle of scanning item and coupon. This salesday declared 'Ma'am I am sorry this coupon doesn't apply. If the sales price ends in .98, those items don't qualify. Watch out for them!'.[I later determined half the store was full of brands that didn't qualify, the other half were prices ending in .98!!!]

Round 3, we're nearing 8am now and I am getting frustrated. Rinse, lather, repeat. I find another brand[which isn't on the list], the price doesn't end in .98[see where the treasure hunt part comes in?], it fits me somewhat and I believe we're good to go. This time at checkout, after scanning item and coupon- salesday goes 'Ma'am, I'm sorry but this was a preview item. The coupon doesn't qualify on those.'. As you can tell, I had had it. 'Ma'am is there a particular aisle I can go to and pick up items for which the coupon would qualify?' I ask in my politest voice.

'Oh, but Ma'am, we don't have those in one place. There are strategically placed all around the store, in various racks and aisles and brands. That's why we open the store at 7am. So people can spend time looking for deals.'

Thud![head hitting the sales desk]

Footnote : What did I do eventually? I went to the gloves and socks aisle and bought myself a pair of gloves and socks[which I probably didn't need, but I'm told you can never have too many of them, once winter sets].

Yup! I found my treasure.