Never Trust a Skinny Chef

What a surprise.... I never knew this place existed in Chennai...
A very short visit to Sparky's with AD between client calls...
A place where one has to spend a lot of time, drinking in the flavour of the place, enjoying just the feel of it, examining all the pieces up on the wall, reading thoroughy through the menu so that one can plan what to eat during the next visit.
Quantities that leave you full enough, so much so you feel sorry that you cannot try more dishes.
Go to these links to read more- they do such a good job that I don't want to write anything here. And an hour spent inside doesn't to justice.
priyam
Hindu review
That said, the gossip, food and the truancy contributed to a lot of recharge!

I Have Absolutely No Patience For...

People who drive rashly inside the building compound. And neither do I have patience for people who do not instruct their taxi/ auto drivers to drive slowly within the complex.
I repeat you morons...KIDS WILL BE KIDS. THEY DO NOT KNOW THAT A VEHICLE COULD HURT THEM. It's you, an adult with so called maturity who has to understand that it's elementary that you drive dead slow inside any building compound. Haven't you seen that speed limit- 20 within any complex? Open your eyes then.
My friend Kiran writes a chilling, blood curdling episode of her child being almost run over by an actor.
Now who else but a parent can understand what it feels as Ceekay puts it.
Rather, I am sure any random person will understand how it feels but this "actor" who had the "grace" to apologise only when literally strong-armed by the father. Coward. As Dips puts it- speaks of absence of common courtsey in this public figure in particular?

Eve says- the incident is much more frightening as it happened inside the apartment which offers more security

Talk about curbing the joys of growing up.

The madmomma & Sue as usual say so well what we all want to say- ill mannered and dangerous who has the shit ingrained so well that it cannot be beaten out of him!

Random Wisecrack

One gets so swamped with deadlines after one is back from a long holiday that it is very tempting to take another holiday just to escape them deadlines...

Stars Stars

Is it only me or there are others who get all starry eyed on hearing anything remotely romantic...
like...
....silent love...
....waiting almost indefinitely for someone....
...a song that represents something long forgotten that makes you sigh with pleasure or buried in memories...
...or a song that a special someone loves...does leave you breathless naa!
...an out of the way lift to your destination...
...couple dancing...
...flowers...
...an arm round your shoulders...
...holding hands...
...eyes searching across a crowded room...
...eyes meeting across a crowded room...
...romantic double entendres...

Ok, your turn... what makes you go weak kneed? What makes you reach out and hokd his/her hands? What makes you go all mushy and starry eyed?

Off Course it's Personal

Because he is an Indian
Because the song is in Indian language.
It is about each one of us. anyone standing upon or even away from Indian soil!
A friend says it is important to be in an important project in US to get an Oscar.
Can't beat that logic and can't argue that sentiment that after this, he deserves bigger awards for his other scores in scores of Indian movies. But the truth is that Rahman won. And that's what that matters.
To me it is well deserved because he is music in totality. His success is not a fluke. It is consistent. The award is incidental. It is global recognition to his work. Jai Ho is just a medium of the recognition.
The award may be his luck, being a part of a huge project and all but his success is not. It is repetitive. Year after year he has given us music that touched our soul, stirred us, forced us to foot-tap, dance and hum with it.
He has given us variety, away from the humdrum affair. His music has cut across language barriers, techniques and convention, his singers have crossed state borders...He is the true Indian in spirit and karma.
So how can it not be personal.
So that's why Milady Kiran, not just you, I also have tears in my eyes and I am sure there are scores of others pulling out their hankies & tissues, seeing Rahman win the Oscar!

The husband and I connect on Rahman's music because it has transcended across both languages. The moment I mention the music is by Rahman in a Hindi movie, his attention is sparked in that movie and I can bet the last hair on his head that he will buy the music of the same.
I would be lying if I say that Humma Humma or aye udi udi did not stir my imagination at a multidimensional level or that Vande Matram and Bharat Humko did not send shivers up my spine and caused tears of pride to prickle behind my eyes.
So here are my other favourites...
Dil se re- not just because it's a movie that I watched with the-then-not-my-hubby, but the fact that it's totally soul stirring
Is there anyone here whose foot doesn't tap to Chaiya Chaiya or tell me you never danced to mujhe rang de ?
Is language a barrier in Jiya Jale? Or Konjam Nilavu? Or in the music of Rhythm?
Expressing tiny wishes in Choti Si asha in a hugely impactful yet melodious way? How many of us thereafter did not think of our life dreams in these terms?
Whether it is Maiyya Maiyya or Barso re that sends you into a frenzy or a aye hairathe that creates vivid imageries of lazy, sunny afternoons with the radio playing softly in the background, Guru is a keeper.
If I have to talk of Taal, I want to mention each and every song, but it's the percussion that takes the cake for me- isn't it something on which you can fit in either a classical or a western dance? Though offcoures Jungle mein & Ramta Jogi are my favourites.
Yuhi chala chal gives fresh lease to my desire of being a singer! Hell, I am even ready to get into a truck if that makes you sing like this.
I can't decide whether it is ghanan ghanan that lifts my soul more or Mitwa?
And I so behko on behka! ...
*floats away humming kaise mujhe ...*

Defining Torture

You drop some Andhra mango pickle masala on the front of your kurta.
You make the best effort to scrub off the stains with detergent.
Later, in office, you are busy at work.
Typing furiously .....
The delicious, drool inducing aroma of the Andhra Mango pickle masala gives your senses company.
And you are surrounded by stuff like biscuits and cereal bars which are related to your work.

Leafing Through

-A hurriedly jotted down number- nameless...wonder whose was it...temped to call up and check...
-some random notes by a colleague who didn't have a paper on hand...
-few pointers for possible blog posts..jotted down at a client place..
-Various styles of signature...
- random doodles...artistic florals, leaves, just circles...a knife...a cup...a face..what was I thinking?
- PNR number...
-product codes...
-SMS check -in number for Jet airways

What's jotted on the last page of your notebook?

Another Pepper Puppy Tale

Continuation of the Pepper Series of Posts
Pepper throws a tantrum & Pepper gets stage fright
Pepper Throws a Tantrum
Very relevant to my kids who are very tantrum-prone. Pepper comes back from a party and refuses to change his "ghummi" dress and wear "nindu" dress. He bawls, stamps his foot, rolls on the floor until at last he is forced to relent and get changed. So now whenever they cry I immediately comment that they are behaving like bad boy Pepper Duggi. It has certainly made them aware of how they look when they throw a tantrum or perhaps now they know the correct steps of throwing a tantrum are as mentioned above.

Pepper gets Stage Fright
Another very relevant book as the kids do a lot of stage recitation an dall in school. They enjoyed the book thoroughly because of the expressions on Pepper's face.
Pepper has to recite a rhyme on stage and he is constantly told by parents/ teacher that do well, all eyes will be on you. This and the crowd makes him nervous and he forgets the poem he was so confidently rehearsing all along. Until a prompt from Daddy makes him forget his fear. Probably it is a lesson for us parents who are so worried about the fact that everyone will be watching and judging our kids on stage. Perhaps there is a better way of motivating our kids than this.

New Design of Bunk Bed

Holiday Collectibles

Offcourse no ritual is complete without Ojas & Tejas putting their hands in- Roasting the Dhaan

Haldi Grinding

Ojas makes a grab at the entire bowl of papaya from the kitchen and serves himself while Tejas eats cucumber

Indoor trip on the Scooty- triple riding

Tejas poses for a snap amidst the crowd

Ojas makes a grab at the cake & cherries while everyone else is busy taking snaps

Cake eater Ojas- the soft toy black dog has a variegated history

And the best-book reading session by Mama for his son, Ojas & Tejas- Russian folklore in Hindi