Big Weddings,Lack of Communication and a SuperAgent

I'm just back after attending the wedding of 2 close friends, conducted in true North Indian ishtyle - loud, lavish and colorful - and all at the expense of the bride's family.

It was sad to see 'dowry' being demanded and some more untoward incidents..which could have been totally avoided had some people shown some spine!

I wonder if education has helped at all!

And back to the grind, and realized,yet again, the importance of communication and how lax everything on that front has been.

Why do people not voice their concerns?

Why is it normal to bottle things up, and let them fester, instead of making noise and trying to get answers?

I personally think that in the current scheme of things, spending a whole day talking to team members, on a one-to-one basis, would be time well-spent indeed.

On the brighter side, one agent developer was promoted to the SuperAgent level - he accomplished a task projected to take 2 weeks in 1 day!

Cool or what...?!

The name's Kool, GoKool..!

Of course, now he has plenty of time on hand to document his effort well..he can't shirk that responsibility!

Way to go,dude!

Radio Murtu

A rap tribute to the one and only (applause)
Murtaza (applause)
for giving us Radio Murtu,the cool in-house radio station :

All ya people out there,
Rap it nice and loud,
We've a new RJ in da house, (yeah)

Who's da man? (yeah)
Who's da man?

Murtu is his name,
Wacky fellow,PJ King
Meet him once and you'll never be the same .. (yeah)

You're da,man! (yeah)
You're da man!

Playin' songs for one and all,
No adverts,yeah,none at all,
Thatz our new RJ in da house, (yeah)

Who's da man? (yeah)
Who's da man?

Murtu is his name,
Murtu sure knows his game,
Meet him once and you'll never be the same .. (yeah)

You're da,man! (yeah)
You're da man!

People, please feel welcome to rap your own thoughts out.. and we need to put a tune together...

Get Rich or Die Tryin' ~ 50 Cent

Project Sushi

Now this is art on a plate!

To achieve this, in the very basic form, one would need :

1. Sushi Rice :

* 1.5 cups (200 mL), Dry, short-grain (Japanese) rice
* 1.5 cups (200 mL), Water
* Kelp (seaweed), in sheet-form(nori) or cut into strips
* 4 tablespoons (50 mL), Rice vinegar
* 2 tablespoons (25 mL), Sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL), Salt

2. Wasabi Paste

3. Filling :
Tinned Tuna, julienned
Cucumber , julienned

4. A bamboo tablemat (the kind made from strips of bamboo strung together,which can be
rolled)

5. Cling film

Now to put it all together :

1. On a clean surface, place the bamboo mat, cover it with a sheet of cling film (excess rice will
ooze onto this,instead of the mat).

2. Moisten the sea-weed and arrange on the bamboo mat.
If nori is being used, arrange it equi-distant from the edges of the mat
If kelp strips are being used, align them centrally (with some practice,you can roll them with
your hand,instead of using the mat)

3. Spread the prepared rice ,starting from the edge closer to you,covering about 3/4th of the
nori surface(leaving the edges free) in a layer about 1/4th inch thick.

4. Smear a thin line of the wasabi paste in the center of the rice.

5. Lay some cucumber strips and tuna strips along the wasabi paste.

6. Here comes the bit :

Lift the edge of the bamboo mat (with the cling film) closer to you and lift it gently and roll the
nori away from you.

Take care that the filling is not getting pushed ahead.

After reaching the other end (with no rice),press the rolled nori gently with one hand to hold
in place, moisten the end of the nori with the free hand ,finish rolling and seal the end.

7. If using nori sheets, cut the roll into 1-inch rolls.

If using strips, sushi rolls are ready.

Now all that is left is, arranging them prettily on the square plates and serving them with pickled ginger and soy sauce.

Who's interested??

Law of Location

No Matter Where You Go, There You Are..!!

Casablanca...

The spell never seems to diminish,and once more, I couldn't be happier for that!

And I was, yet again,drawn into the world of Casablanca,where so many different lives converged.

The atmosphere - rife with intrigue,spies,romance,politics,betrayal and the enchanting 'As Time Goes By' in Rick's Cafe Americaine - has always seemed to me almost sinister with the black-and-white photography.

Once more I wondered about Rick - cynical,brutally neutral Rick - and what it must have cost him to say 'Of all the gin joints in all towns in all the world,she walks into mine' letting us see the hurt and anger and bitterness inside.

Each time I watch Casablanca,there seems to be one more unnoticed shadowy corner which could spring yet another surprise.

This time,however,there was no shadowy corner but something right on centrestage -
S. K. Sakall as the cheerful Carl - he is such a joy to watch!

I appreciated his 'I have already given him(Major Strasser) the best,knowing he is German and would have taken it anyway' for the first time..!

And Madeleine LeBeau - she is simply luminous - with the self-realization in her eyes as she sings 'Vive La France'

I was especially touched,after knowing Marcel Dalio(croupier) and LeBeau's life story, the script seemed to be directly based on their story - fleeing Paris all the way to Lisbon, bribing corrupt officials for exit visas - the works!

In the turmoil of WWII, it seems like there was Casablanca for each man and woman.


Holding hands 'neath the paddle fans
In Rick's candle lit cafe
Hiding in the shadows from the spies
Moroccan moonlight in your eyes

where else but Casablanca..

Hindu Scriptures

Apart from what history books have told me, I've never made an attempt to find out more about ancient Scriptures, and today I find myself unusually curious about what - putting religious connotations aside- one can learn from them.

Starting with the Vedas - now what exactly are these all about?

1. Vedas - Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda and Atharva-veda

The Vedas contain the 'eternal truths' revealed by God* to Rishis (seers).
The Rishis were 'enlightened' - they were the spiritual discoverers of thoughts which were already in existence.

In effect, the Vedas were not authored by Rishis.

They are not a product of the human mind.

The essence of Vedas has always existed and will continue to do so.

In the book form,the Vedas are recordings of revelations and spiritual experiences undergone by Rishis in the process of imbibing the Divine Knowledge (I prefer Eternal Truth).

The vedas also formed the basis of religion and philosphy.
The underlying principles of many religions can be traced back to the vedas.

These books are written in Sanskrit - the intellectual language of the ancient (and classical) Indian civilization.

And what fascinated me was the fact that,come to think of it, Vedas have no beginning or end.

Vedas are not merely books - they embody much more than what can be contained in the books.

Truth,it is said, is eternal and impersonal.

And it's out there for each person to understand in his own unique way.

Indian last names that indicate the knowledge of vedas (minimum 2 vedas needed to be mastered)-

Dwivedi (dwi = 'dwee' = 2) - mastery over 2 vedas,
Trivedi (tri = 'tree' = 3) - mastery over 3 vedas,
Chaturvedi - mastery over all 4 vedas

I learned from my grandfather that the knowledge of the vedas was always passed on verbally - usually rhythmic chanting of verses - until students 'realized' the truth.

(I find that Sanskrit has a unique lyrical quality that makes the chanting sound almost entrancing, even when I don't understand anything)

2. Upanishads -

Also known as 'Vedanta' - 'anta' = end

These are 'conclusions' to the Vedas.

There are 18 Upanishads containing commentaries,episodes,stories through which the essence
of life - common and metaphysical - and the views about Brahma (the Absolute) and the
'Atma' (the soul -one's true self) are revealed.

Only select students were allowed to know the answers of the mysteries of life and creation -
the simple reason being that knowledge couldn't be handled by all.

3. Puranas

Meant for the masses,the Puranas were written to impart the essence of the Vedas to the
common man - who could not understand philosophy.

They emphasize the worship of Brahma(the Creator),Vishnu(the Preserver) and Shiva(the
Destroyer)

The abstract truth is given 'form' here - gods and goddesses emerge, idols and symbols are
introduced.

Religious fundamentalists today seem to be exploiting this layer - where the Truth is to be interpreted in the common tongue for the common man - to start wars, to kill, to oppress, all in the name of God and religion.

Maybe all we need is patience and the desire to find the essence behind the teachings of our faith.

* Henotheism - the key to Hindu theology - is the idea that although there are many different gods and goddesses, each is a representation of one Supreme Being.

Morale boosting..the French way

A little blinkey ad in the sidebar of my browser window caught my eye, and a few clicks took me to : http://magazines.ivillage.com/marieclaire/frenchdiet/howtos/0,,80jnh093,00.html

Wow! A Wine,Chocolate and Cheese diet????

Sounded too good to be true..!
And I delved in deeper (naturalment!) to find that it did make sense, I mean how could one go wrong with '1/2 hr of moderate exercise,3 full meals(with fresh veggies and meat), baguettes,cheese,butter and no snacking' and hey ,some wine too!

The logic being that 3 full meals with all fresh,regular ingedients (nothing low-fat,low-cal,fat-free) keeps you fuller longer so that you don't snack(this is the real culprit,anyway!)

But what took the cake was the quiz 'What Kind of French Woman Are You?'

(Granted that it had almost no competition,with the other quiz being 'Test Your Portion IQ')

The result was : You are most like: Juliet Binoche.

With a sprinkling of adjectives like 'Elegant', 'striking' and 'sophisticated' , also 'classic beauty' and 'strong character', it sure made me feel good..and not like an overall social snafus!

Ego massage aside, I seriously think that the French way is the smart way..and hell, it's my grandmom's reccomended way too!!

The Morning Poem

I woke early one morning,

The earth lay cool and still

When suddenly a tiny bird

Perched on my window sill.

He sang a song so lovely

So carefree and so gay,

That slowly all my troubles

Began to slip away.

He sang of far off places

Of laughter and of fun,

It seemed his very trilling

Brought up the morning sun.

I stirred beneath the covers

Crept slowly out of bed,

Then gently shut the window

And crushed his fucking head.

I'm not a morning person.


(Allegedly, translated from an ancient Urdu poem - until I''m able to trace that..)

My thoughts were on the same lines this morning,not so very lyrical,though.

They were more incoherent, and infused with more than the permissible amount rage.

And targetted towards a dog with enormous lung capacity, barking its head off before dawn - for the pure pleasure of barking..!!

It would have been a nice day..

Feelin' Good

On a Monday????

Unbelievable...but true!

I'm feeling good..and happy and perfectly content with my life, as is..

Nope, there's nothing I'd like to change - not even the shape of my nose!
(So there..now you know how serious I am!)

I've had a perfect weekend...not that it was elaborately planned or filled with spectacular events (house-cleaning and a flooded kitchen,anyone?!) but it was great..just great!

It was just what I needed!

I guess at sometime my subconscious took over and pulled me out of the life-is-so-blah rut I had gotten into.

I saw a movie - Rang De Basanti (flawed plot but likeable,nonetheless)- with a mixed group of colleagues and then we hung out at a club.

Coincidentally, another bunch of friends were partying there as well so drinks and jokes were going around pretty fast (Suraj singing Balle Balle took the cake!)

Couple of tequila shots, a Margarita pitcher,a strawberry hookah, cool company, good music(retro,classic rock) - oh yeah, I sang myself hoarse - was the perfect mix for a Sat evening!

Opening up, going with the flow,letting my hair down felt so good, I almost felt like I had forgotten how to...

Sure feels good to feel good!


Note to Self : Margarita by the pitcher is totally acceptable..and recommended!

Killing in the name of...

God

Freedom

Rights

Vengeance

Power

Control

Faith

Greed

Desperation

Insanity

Lust

Honor

.
.
.
.

Fun

Fun??

Last night a friend saw a pyramid-shaped corporate building and casually said,'Won't it be fun to have a bomb go off at every level,starting from the top?'

At that moment I was certain that phlegm (been down with a severe cold for the past 2-3 days) had now blocked my aural canal which resulted in morbid distortions.

It was one moment when my expression said it all, thankfully, because my ENT was totally out of sync anyway.

My friend repeated his brilliant idea ,slowly, (btw,ENT issues do not mar the brain functionality!) and proceeded to tell me about the coolest ever fireworks show held in the tallest building (101 storeys) in Taiwan,which had fireworks going off on every storey starting from the top.

Now I agree that must have been spectacular, because I personally believe nobody does fireworks like the Chinese, but what got me was the casual replacement of 'fireworks' by 'bombs'..!

(And I'm certain,my friend was not alluding to an old,derelict structure ,which would have to be razed to the ground)

So,would it actually be a source of amusement to some to watch a building blown apart by bombs?

Would real fire,smoke,blood,bones and body bits* be props of an entertainment show in the near future?

How's that for a scary thought!

I would have thought that the difference between 'fireworks' and 'bombs' is so obvious....now I wonder, is it??


* Blood,Bones and Body Bits - Nick Arnold, Horrible Science series (totally awesome!)
(And no,it's not a how-to-be-a-terrorist manual)

Go figure!

WILT thou then, my soul, never be good and simple and one and naked, more manifest than the body which surrounds thee?
Wilt thou never enjoy an affectionate and contented disposition?
Wilt thou never be full and without a want of any kind, longing for nothing more, nor desiring anything, either animate of inanimate, for the enjoyment of pleasures? nor yet desiring time wherein thou shalt have longer enjoyment, or place, or pleasant climate, or society of men with whom thou mayst live in harmony?
but wilt thou be satisfied with thy present condition, and pleased with all that is about thee, and wilt thou convince thyself that thou hast everything and that it comes from the gods, that everything is well for thee, and will be well whatever shall please them, and whatever they shall give for the conservation of the perfect living being, the good and just and beautiful, which generates and holds together all things, and contains and embraces all things which are dissolved for the production of other like things?
Wilt thou never be such that thou shalt so dwell in community with gods and men as neither to find fault with them at all, nor to be condemned by them?

Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, X

Its Shoots and Lives

Its Chutes and Leaves

Its Chutes and Lives

Eats Chutes and Leaves

Its Shoots and Leaves

Eats Shoots and Lives

Eats Shoots and Leaves


Is it ok to be 'discrete' when I really want to be 'discreet'?

Wouldn't a careless placing of 'hypotension' in place of 'hypertension' result in a serious case of misdiagnosis?

And one glance at 'Chainees Food' is sufficient to drive away all my appetite for Chinese cuisine (which is particularly painful because it is one of my favorite cuisines)

Granted that the 'Chainees Food' joint was a street-side stall and the owner, in all probability, was never taught English, so it is understandable in a way, but to see 'privileged' people admitting to being 'priveleged' on paper makes me want to sock someone in the face!

Why are we so careless about spellings?

Why has a regular spellchecker tool gone from being an aid to being a crutch?

How many of us are confident of sending out an email without running a spell-check first?

Lynn Truss has taken up cudgels to fight the cause of Punctuation (http://eatsshootsandleaves.com) but methinks we have a problem, a big problem, one rung lower - word formation.

Do we really need a 'Spell Correct' movement for people to take notice?

I was shocked to hear my cousin was given a serious dressing down in school for wearing unpolished shoes but got off with hardly a reprimand for 'therepy'.
Some therapy, I must say!

If Lynn Truss is a stickler for correct punctuation, I'm a stickler for correct spellings.

I find it visually disturbing to read an incorrectly spelt word and to be faced with this :

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid!

Perfect recipe for a slow, persistent headache!

And yet a spelling mistake is casually dismissed as a 'typo' and laughed off.

Standards are being lowered at an alarming rate with emailing and txt msging growing to be as necessary as breathing.

Will we have a whole generation unaware of the fact that 'ur' , 'gr8', 'ata2ud' is completely 'nkorekt' and frankly, very 'anoyN'??

Yesterday while in conversation with a colleague, I was told that it is alright to make spelling mistakes as long as you get your point across.

I beg to disagree.

If I have to read a research paper on Tribology (a study of design, friction, wear, and lubrication of interacting surfaces in relative motion) and am faced with Tribeology (which doesn't mean anything!) in place of Tribology, I'm going to find that very hard to forgive!

My firm belief is that in English, you can't spell with your ears; you have to spell with your eyes.

And yes, I like pandas. They eat shoots and leaves.