Mind Mess!

Ok, so I've got a lot on my mind right now. Like a lot!!! And I don't function well when so many thoughts are running about in my head, so I'm going to put them all down here. Maybe not all, but most of them at least. And please excuse the excessive punctuation, I'm very, very disturbed right now. So here we go:

First and foremost on my mind is the betrayal I faced from my own flesh and blood, my guardians, my PARENTS! Yes, you read that right, my parents, the same people who brought me into this world, have deceived me. This is something you never see coming, I mean friends come, betray and go. But family, never! They are the ones who are always for you, with you. Or so I thought!

Anyway, without further ado I present to you the betrayal, as it happened:
I call my parent every night to take their blessings, its something I've been doing all my life. So, as usual I called them last night, and after taking the blessing from Ma, I was about to say good night and disconnect when she suddenly said, "Oh, our tickets have been booked, we'll be going to Shrinagar in September". I went "WHAAAATTTTTT?" out loud on the phone, and "WTF?" in my head.

Yes, apparently they had planned and booked a whole holiday, without even asking me! Can you believe it? Yes, I was speechless too. I mean, what kind of parents do that? Like really!
It seems, Ma and her Sister had unclaimed LTAs (Leave Travel Allowance - They can claim a full refund on air fares for themselves, their spouse, and non-working kids, once a year or so), so they decided to go somewhere since Sis was retiring and wanted to use the last LTA she got. Sis said Shrinagar, so Shrinagar it was. I wasn't asked because:

- Ma didn't think I would get leave from work.
- Ma didn't think I would want to go with Sis and her husband.
- Sis realised that without me, hiring taxis would be easy! (Since there were only four of them, one taxi would suffice).
- Ma didn't think I would get leave, again.

And its not like she didn't have any opportunity to ask me, or even tell me, for that matter. I mean, she speaks to me only like EVERY single day!

Anyway, whats done is done, the past cannot be altered. So, after a fair amount of soul searching and crap, I've decided to silence my wounded pride, and shamelessly tag along!

"I'm going on HOLIDAY!!!!! WOoHooOo!!!"

Now that I've dealt with the betrayal in a fair way (They're gonna (literally) pay for this!), I have to make a list of place to visit and all. Super excited. I'm finally breaking the circle of Goa-Pune-Mumbai-Goa-Pune-Mumbai-Goa-Pune-Mumbai....

***

In  other news, I've been feeling somewhat guilty. Why? Because I got promoted. And my teammate did not.
Now, I'm more experienced than him, and more deserving too, IMHO. So I don't know where this guilt is coming from.

Maybe I'm just too nice a person! No, that's something I've never been accused off, believe it or not!
Maybe its like misplaced guilt or something, or maybe I'm just being too dramatic, I just haven't figured it out!

***

Also, my flatmate of 9 months is leaving for the USA on Friday. And she informed us about this on Monday! So we now have to look for someone who is ok with Non-Veg (Beef/Pork are the biggest issues!) and us, and is Goan, in exactly FOUR days! How that's gonna happen, I have no idea!

***

And Nadal's out of Wimbledon, first round!!! On the bright side, this gives Federer a shot at the trophy.

***

Now that I've got it all on my blog and off my chest, it doesn't seem that overwhelming!  Phew! Off to dinner!

***

Picture Of The Day: Lone Fisherman on Pashan Lake:

FND: BlackCherry Jelly

Ok, so for this week's FND, I decided to make something easy; the gas was over, and I was feeling too bored, but mostly cause of the gas! I had this pack lying in my cupboard for ages, so with nothing easier, went for it.

It turned out really well, and I didnt add any sugar or anything. It was very simple and quick to make. Just add cold water, and then some hot water to the mix and freeze for about 4 hours.

I tried to trn the bowl and get it sitting nicely in a plate, but it just wouldnt comply! Anyway, taste wise, it was good. So that was fine.

***

Picture Of The Day: The Irish House it is!

The First Wives Club by Olivia Goldsmith

 

Ok so I just finished reading this book. It was ok I guess, nothin great really, just another chick lit piece. I picked it up thinking it would be good, funny and interesting, but was disappointed. The very fact that I took about two weeks to finish reading it says a lot! And if interesting, I can finish a book in one evening!

 

Anyway, about the book, its a story about three women, whose husbands, when at the top of thier respective fields and doing well, leave them for trophy wives. The premise sounded interesting enough, but the book was very much predictable. All of the wives plot and take revenge on the husbands, with half of them ending in jail, and the other half destroyed professionally!

The wives then go on to new loves and successful new lives. End of story!

 

So move on, nothing special here!

 

Next Read: Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

The Weird Question Meme, Part One

Ok, so I completed part two some time back, and now I've decided I need to complete part one also. You know, to restore order in the world and all that. So here goes:

Do you wear slippers?  Yes

How many pictures are in your living room? None

Do you ever watch Brady Bunch reruns?  Nope

Are you allergic to anything?  Yes

When was the last time you called in sick?  Really cant remember!

Have you ever been in a car accident?  Nope

What is your favorite snack food? Chocolate

 Have you ever seen a tornado? No.

 If you won a million dollars, what would you buy first? A car.

What time is it right now? 5.40 PM IST

Do you think it's cool for men to wear flip-flops? Yeah, I guess.

How many pairs of shoes do you own? Too many!

Do you think you are a hypochondriac?  Not really

Do you own a dictionary?  Yes

Where was the last place you went on vacation?  Vacation? Whats that?

Do you talk about your friends behind their back? Yes, sometimes.

Are you actually fat but in complete denial about it?  No Way!!!!!!!!!

What color is your mouse pad?  Black

Does your kitchen have a theme? Yes, Yellow.


Please consider yourself tagged.

At Last....

I'd been in a constant state of melancholy ever since Monday, when I heard about it. As the days passed I gradually descended into the very pit of despair. Broken dreams, shattered hopes! All of it best described, as usual, by a song:

Woke up to reality
And found the future not so bright
I dreamt the impossible
That maybe things could work out right

I thought it was you
Who would do me no wrong

And now you've given me, given me
Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams,
Feel like I could run away, run away

- Johnny Hates Jazz

MaPa and my friends were hopeful and kept telling me that things would turn out all right in the end, but I just couldnt help thinking of the worst. Adi specially was considerate and tolerated (without much complaint) all the moping around that I did for three whole days!

Anyway, as I was getting back to work from the tea break today (the third day), I got a call which confirmed my worst fears: I was the only one left. Just me!

I had a silly smile plastered on my face as I logged in and tried to make sense of the reality, like I couldnt believe this was happening to me! As I was gearing up to do what I do in such situations, it appeared in the lower right corner of my screen, those magic words:

Congratulations on your promotion

And just like that, all was well again!

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin?for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

- Johnny Nash


***

Picture of the Day: Cat Got Your Bike?

And Again....

And this makes EIGHT!!!



Its a little late I know, been meaning to put this up since the win, better late than never!

And  he gets his own label/tag.

Images Courtesy: http://www.khelnama.com/130610/tennis/gallery/french-open-2013-rafael-nadal-winning-moments-highlights-images/9712



The Weird Question Meme, Part Two

Ok, so I've been blog-hopping today, and came across many blogs by Indians, most of them in ladies in their 20s from the looks of their blogs. Anyway, many hops later I came across this post. And with nothing better to do, decided to answer it, so here goes:


What is your ring size? 16, I think. I have fat fingers :(

How often do you wear jewelry?  Almost everyday!

When was the last time you consumed alcohol?  Day before yesterday

Any big plans for the summer? Summer is over!!

What is your favorite comfort food?  Chocolate in any form

Do you prefer broccoli or asparagus?  None, but if I had to choose, Broccoli

What color are your bedroom walls?  Yellow

With whom do you live?  Roomies

Which Star Wars movie is your favorite? I guess the only one I've watched - Star Trek Into Darkness, but its not really a favorite.


How about Harry Potter?  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

What was the last movie you saw in theaters?  Now You See Me

Did you get the popcorn or candy?  Neither

Have you ever played miniature golf on a date? Yes

What’s a phrase you overuse?  "What Rubbish!"

Do you always use good grammar? Mostly, Yes

Do you have an accent or a speech impediment?  Nope

What did you eat today?  Fried Egg with Bread

What do you do at work?  Blog

Do you know the rules to any sports? Yes

Do you prefer to watch or play sports?  Watch

What is your favorite kind of hat to wear?  Straw Hats

Do you pray?  Yes

To whom do you pray?  God

What is the closest mountain to your house?  Baner Hill? No idea.

What size engine is in your vehicle?  No vehicle

What do you need to do tomorrow? Eat, Work, Sleep.

Whoever reads this, please tag yourselves!

FND: Ras Malai

Ok, so this weekend I decided to make something Indian. While browsing I found this recipe for Ras malai.
It looked easy enough, so I went for it.

I'd made a miscalculation while doing unit conversion (!), ending up with much less Milk powder than was actually required, and so, had to postpone the preparation till Saturday.
So, the next day I went grocery shopping with my roomie, who also needed some stuff. It was a nice walk, and I got the milk powder I needed, but also got some ice-cream, as backup in case this did not turn out well. You can hardly blame me with my track record!

I used 200g of Milk powder and mixed with the egg, but that became too dry, so added some milk to it, and it became ok.

 The condensed milk tin: I tried it plain, and it was so tasty, I took a spoon and had whatever was remaining straight from the tin!

 The final product: It was good, but tasted more like Kalakand! And the colour wasn't the light yellow that it usually is (I didn't add any kesar). But a solid effort nevertheless, if I may say so myself!  :P

P.S.: Yeah, I know you're not supposed to use eggs in making this sweet dish, I've heard it now from about 50000 different people!

Elizabethtown

Ok, so I just saw this movie, with nothing better to do on a Saturday night. And I did NOT like it.

I'd read about it somewhere and it roused my interest, mainly because of Kirsten Dunst's character, which was apparently a perfect example of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
I thought she would be like a mix of a whimsical, quirky, sweet, girlish girl. And was I wrong! She came off as more of a stalker, who preys on innocent, vulnerable men, in this instance, Orlando Bloom.

Faced by failure at work causing a loss of about 1 Billion USD, Drew is about to kill himself, when his sister calls saying their Dad died while visiting his family in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. So Drew leaves for Elizabethtown to get him back home. He meets stewardess Claire, who is the MPDG in question. She gives him her number, and he calls her in a weak moment, and they end up talking all night. She falls in love and tells him so, he is too overwhelmed by his failure and Dad's death and is unable to respond and so leaves her. The rest of the movie is about how she gets him out of his depression or whatever, and teaches him to live again! Bollywood like you say? Yes, VERY!

I just realized I cant stand Kirsten Dunst, she was just about ok in the Spiderman movies, but this is the last of her movies I'll be watching for some time.
Oralndo Bloom wasn't that great either, may be its cause I'm not used to seeing him as anyone but Legolas!

The saving grace of the movie was Susan Sarandon as Drew's mother, who comes for the memorial to Elizabethtown, and meets all her husband's people. She even tap dances to Moon River!

Overall, I wouldn't have missed anything by not watching this movie. A disappointment. Nice posters though.

Laugh Till You Cry??

Ok, so I had the best day yesterday! I didn't have any work at all, and so as usual was checking out the blogs after mine. (The NEXT BLOG option is one of the best features of Blogger!)
I came across this blog. It was so damn hilarious, like literally LOL-hilarious!

So that's how most of my Friday morning passed, sitting in my seat, and actually shaking with laughter. Like that wasn't enough, we had an after lunch joke session in office. Read more here.

***

Back at home, I caught up with one of my closest friends, who I'd so foolishly not kept in touch with(Thank You FB!). 
Talking to someone who knows you in and out, who's seen you at your very worst and still doesn't judge, is the best! Also as Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
I am lucky enough to have two such people in my life, who I can be stupid with!

And they seem to like each other very much too!!!

***

Anyway, I cant believe how much I laughed yesterday! Now I'm terrified. I know it may sound irrational, but I'm pretty sure all this laughing has for lack of a better word, consequences. In simple terms, I figure if you laugh too much, the day when you're gonna cry too much is just around the corner!

Maybe I'm being too dramatic, and I hope I am, but I've got this feeling...

Join In...

There's a kind of joke going on right now, on FB/.Whatsapp.
Initially I didn't really find them funny, but after listening to a few good ones, I changed my mind. Some of my favourites:

Footballer Ronaldo jaise hona chahiye,
Messi toh mera kamra bhi hai.

And,

Kapda mazboot hona chahiye,
Mulayam toh Yadav bhi hai

And,

Ladkiyan smart honi chahiye,
Sushil toh Shinde bhi hai

So one afternoon in office with nothing better to do, we were coming up with such jokes based on the names of people present in the discussion.
Here's my contribution to the jokes, all original and copyrighted!

Phool gulab jaise honi chahiye,
KAMAL toh RAJ bhi hai.

Batsman Sachin jaise hone chahiye,
GAMBHIR toh OJ bhi hai

Shot toh chakka hona chahiye,
CHAWKa(E) toh CHETAN bhi hai

Akash mein chand dikhna chahiye,
ADITYA toh Mundhwa mein bhi dikhta hai

To all who think they were lame,

***

Image Courtesy: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYqUdqUsmt-MhPv7z88JMoDZ9Xy2P-RjybGoWyFwsyCWmMOn5gDBrEsAhBdWAi-xidoR-5uffWZ8Mm3AZRHNUaHi5VvNE73HMUK-BVq7mKpeBeONeYhJyf_VI-LHdVFs2Vvte02BBEyA/s1600-h/funny-pictures-cat-hates-your-opinion.jpg

One Time When Crying is the *Worst* Thing I Can Do

Ok, so I've registered for the News letters from Oprah's website. I usually get like the latest books to read quick recipes and stuff like that. Today when I checked my mail, I had a News Letter that had the heading, "17 Times When Crying is the Best Thing You Can Do".
I usually don’t read the mental/emotional health mails as I feel they're a waste of time, created for over-indulgent Americans! But today, since I didn’t have much work, I decided to check it out.

As expected, the first page contained situations in which I wouldn't ever consider shedding a tear. But when I checked the next page, No. 10 struck home!

"When you’re so angry you’re shaking, and all you want to do is scream someone into oblivion. Sometimes the only alternative that remains is a locked supply closet and five minutes of fury sobs."

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Crying-When-You-Should-Cry-Your-Eyes-Out/2#ixzz2Vmjb9UZe

Story of my life!

I just can’t seem to hold the waterworks in when I'm really really mad! Crying is actually the last thing I want to do in such situations, and so very embarrassing, but I just cannot help it.
At work, or someplace public, I usually go to the nearest restroom and let the tears fall, but when at home, even while I'm yelling, the tears stroll down my cheeks. How do I stop this??? It makes me sooo mad!!!!!! *runs crying to the restroom*

Chatpata OFFICE Chaaaat!!! :O

 Ok, so we had a bazaar day at office, where we could set up stalls of different kinds like food and games and stuff. It would be completely run by employees and for employees.

We registered immediately and deliberated over what to sell for around two weeks! Finally after long tiresome discussions, we came to the conclusion that Bhel would be the easiest and tastiest thing to sell.

The day before the actual Bazaar, we had a trial session, where the office pantry was turned into a chaat stall with my manager and some other team members experimenting with various chaat types.

I had a lot of work (and am not the cooking kind, though this kinda got me started on the Friday Night Delights!!), so was unable to contribute anything other than my expert criticism!

Anyway, the next day turned out to be a huge success. Initially things were slow ,but they soon picked up pace and we were actually getting a lot of customers!

Towards the end all our supplies were over, but people were still coming in, some for seconds. Some of them were even ready to eat the samples, but we already had our eye on them (Ok, I had my eye on the sample plates), so they had to be regretfully sent away empty-handed. Some pictures:

Preparation:



The First Plate:

The "Bohni": First earnings of the day. From our very own team-member, who very happily paid up and ran with the plate to catch his bus.

The Stall Poster: A last minute creation. If we'd though about this earlier, we would have got computer print-outs!

The Bhel samples: A brilliant idea from PK, to keep samples that the customers could choose from. Else we would have wasted a lot of time explaining what was what.

All the customers: There was a point when there were so many people at our stall, we were completely overwhelmed, and there was no chance of taking any pictures then.This one is of a quieter time.

 The full money box: Money was actually overflowing from it at one point, this pic was taken after we had counted and kept it in order.

We didn't really make much of a profit, just about 10%, but we did have a lot of fun. Next time we're gonna stick to some game stall, easy money and absolutely no investment!!

FND: Basundi

Ok, so time for the weekly recipe. I've decided to go slow and do something easy. I mean can you blame after last week's disaster!!?
So I couldn't do anything on Friday due to the best match of this year, so saturday morning it was!! At least the best one that I've seen this year. All the best for the Finals Rafa!!!

Anyway, I'd picked up the GITS mix for Basundi when at D.-Marts the other day, so decided to use it today. Now, I'd never ever even heard of this dish, but it looked simple enough, which was what I wanted.

Just heated some milk (I used a packet and a quarter of the 500ml Katraj milk), added the mix, and brought it to a boil. But, I guess I added a little too much milk since it was not very thick, one pack would have been sufficient. I don't know how the real thing actually is, but I think a little thicker would have been better. It tasted yummy though. Added some chopped almonds for garnishing, and voila!

Bon Apetit!

Go Goa Gone

 
Ok, so I go this movie on the recommendation of someone I thought was a good judge of movies, alas, I was wrong! I was thoroughly disappointed by this piece of crap posing as a movie!
Maybe I wasnt in that great a mood, so didnt fine the movie funny. I mean, i found this movie funny, and GGG was along similar lines!

I cannot blame only her for the misleading review, since I also thought it would be a good movie, and just needed someone to validate my thoughts I guess! Anyway, I'm just happy I didn't take Adi to watch it in the theater cos I never would've heard the end of it!

The start of the movie gave a bit of a Delhi Belly feel, but that movie was in a different class altogether.

The movie trailers shown on TV had a couple of good, funny scenes, one with the dumb charades in the jungle, and another where the three start doubting the Russian Saif, and he turns around and says, "Bhenchod, Delhi se hun mein!!" Or something like that.
Little did I know that these were the only two scenes that were really funny in the whole movie. More was expected from Saif, though not from the others, who delivered as per expectations. Its another story that the expectations were really low. Sigh. All in all, a waste.


The movie posters looked good though. See below:

Goa Trip: 1-3 June 2013

Ok, so I was in Goa for a really really short trip. Some glimpses:

Bored in the bus: With nothing to do except listen to music or sleep, I took to photography!

View from the bus as I reached Panjim: It was raining heavily which would have been a welcome change from Pune, if I'd not been wearing cloth shoes!

Reached home, and after a quick shower, re-arranged the book shelves: I take books I buy home, once I'm done reading them. Filled one of the shelves, and so had to make space in the other.

  

Inaugurated the new wine glasses: Homemade Red wine with lunch and dinner, in the most beautiful glasses ever!

Yummy lunch: Rice with Prawn Curry, Shengo (Drumsticks), Tisreo (Clams), simple and tasty.

Followed by the best chocolates ever!!

The next day: Had a sari modelling session with Ma.

  

Another modelling session, with a cousin: History repeating itself? I used to play dress up with Ma's saris all the time when I was a kid.

MaPa's Wedding Anniversary Party (The main reason for the trip): 28 years together!

All the cakes:

The next day: Bully!!!!

Bully & Zac: Brothers!

 

View from the same bridge, in the opposite direction though.

Spider on my wall: Yes, we get spiders, snakes, centipedes and all sorts of creepy crawlers in the house.

~ The End ~

The Great Gatsby - The Book

Ok, so I just finished reading the book. Finally! It wasn't a long or tiresome read, but somehow I just couldn't seem to finish it for a really long time. Anyway, I'm done now.

I liked the book, but believe it or not, I liked the movie better. Just a little. Since I'd seen the movie first, I was constantly visualizing the characters as the movie actors. Like when Gatsby was in a scene, I would imagine Leonardo DiCaprio in it, similarly whenever there was some scene with Daisy, Carey Mulligan was there. And naturally it follows that I was Tobey Maguire! Seriously! I was Spider Man!! Ok, just kidding.

Anyway, I was a little bit happier after reading the book, since the ending was not quite as depressing as the movie. I mean the movie ends with Gatsby's death with only Carraway at the funeral.
The book, on the other hand had Gatsby's father come after his death and for the funeral, and also the guy from the party, who was at the library.
Although, the movie had earned a point since Gatsby hears the phone ring as he is shot, and thinks it is Daisy.
False hope, I know, but hope nevertheless.

Also the whole part about Carraway being in some sort of a institution due to some addiction, and writing this story as a form of therapy was just to add a bit of drama I guess. In reality, he is just disillusioned by Daisy's self-involved or selfish behavior, which he realises is a characteristic of people in the East or have moved East, and moves back to the West (or was is Mid-West?). And the movie could have focused more on Carraway's relationship with Jordan.

Anyway, I liked the story overall, though the ending was very depressing, with Daisy leaving and Gatsby dying and all. As Adi said, and I quote "All Daisy wanted was huge houses and big parties!" Wilson also got a raw deal, but he was a side character and so his fate doesn't really matter much as much!

For the uninitiated, its quite a simple, yet complicated story.

Poor boy meets rich girl. He goes away to war, and does not come back even after it, since he wants to get rich in order to be worthy of her. Meanwhile, she gets married to some rich guy who cheats on her often. Poor boy gets rich by crook, rather than hook, and buys a house across the lake(?) from the girl's house. He throws parties every weekend in the hope that she will wonder across one day seeing all the lights and stuff!!!??!! Anyway, they meet and get together, thanks to the narrator, who is the girl's cousin and the boy's neighbor.
When pushed to leave her husband, the girl realizes that she loves her husband also. Then there is an accident in which the girl's car hits her husband's mistress and kills her. Girl tells her husband all, and they quickly get away. Boy who doesn't yet know that girl has let him, is killed by the mistress's husband, who then shoots himself. He was present in the car which caused the accident, and the girl's husband is mis-directed to Boy, who he thinks his wife was having an affair with, and who killed her to get rid of her or something! End of story, Phew!

Moral of the story, hope kills!

P.S. Next up, the 1974 movie version!