Am bored...

Am really bored. Got a ton of work to do, but have absolutley no energy nor the inspiration to do it...

Grrr....

People I meet on the train..

Sometime back, I had written about a very happy man I used to meet on the train..

 

pic courtesy: wikipedia

This is sort of a follow up to that I guess. It’s a new town this time round: Chennai. Though it lacks the charm of the Mumbai Local, Chennai has a very functional and convenient MRTS which I take for my daily commute to work.

This is the story of a blind man- and a very happy one at that. He gets in sometime before me and he gets down at the same station as mine. The first time I saw him I was pissed as he was not moving and blocking the way while alighting. Taking him to be one of those perennial train-door-hanger types who always block others, I gave him a little shove as we were alighting. It was only when we got down and he unfolded his walking stick that I realized what a totally insensitive thing I had done.
What really stood out was the way he took it all in, all smiles. It takes tons of patience and maturity to keep that kind of cool. He must be subject to this kind of treatment everyday and it really amazes me as to how he remains calm and composed with his simple unassuming smile. Makes me think twice as to why I complain so much.

And these days as I alight at Light House station, I watch and observe; how other commuters do just the same, their reaction later and how their expressions change once they see his black shades and the walking aid. The moment they had the same realizations that I had for the first time.

Hats off to you sir!! Hats off!!

Balyakalasmaranakal...

Sometime back, I'd gone home for the weekend. Albeit very busy 3 days, I got time to go with my family to our old quarters where we used to stay before moving into our present house. This was where I grew up and had so many fond childhood memories


And I try to keep touch with my past by visiting the place every once in a while, just driving around those familiar roads, stopping by my old block, the park where we used to play and the road which we used to take while walking back from school. This time round, it was very different. For an upcoming expansion project, the whole place was bulldozed over. What was once a lush area with trees and houses and sounds of children playing has been reduced to rubble.


Before leaving, we also went to the other end of the quarters where my school stands. Went to the park nearby. It was so much fun, playing around the old place. The statue of the snake which scared me as a little boy, the slide which was too steep for me, the mysteries of the open fish and a statue of a soldier around which I always felt protected.


A desperate attempt to cling on to these memories..

Grrr.. Am so bloody irritated...

Really.. Really.. Irritated.. For no reason at all..
Just don't feel like working.. Just don't feel like doing anything..
Wanna scream at the top of my voice.. Aaaarrrggghhhhhh!!!

Theory of Relativity...

Doesn't time seem to stop when you are in your hometown..


Take today for example. I woke up at 7am. Was out of my house in half hour. Met a friend and went to a relative's place. Then got my hair cut and joined my sister for getting greeting cards. Finally shopped for a Christmas Star. Reached home. and finished off writing the Christmas cards and the stars. Did all this by 1am.




Really wish I could find a job in my home town...

French Toast..

French Toast is a very simple to make breakfast item. It can be made as both a sweet as well as a savory dish. Stuffed French Toast is basically two pieces of French Toast that have been stuffed with bananas, strawberries or other fruit. It is usually topped with butter, maple syrup or powdered sugar.

To make French Toast, take two eggs and beat them lightly. To it, add half cup milk, a few drops of vanilla essence and half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder. (if powdered cinnamon is not at hand, just boil the milk with broken pieces of cinnamon stick and strain it; which is what I did. Remember to cool the milk to room temperature before using it; else it’ll cook the beaten eggs). Mix well.

Take bread slices, dip them in the mix and place on a very lightly greased (egg ensures it won’t stick) frying pan or girdle. Cook until both sides are browned. Use slightly older bread as it’ll be dry and will prevent the toast from getting too soggy and breaking off.

The cooked slices can be served with a variety of toppings such as jam, butter, honey, maple syrup, ketchup etc... It can also be topped with powdered sugar, fruit or syrup.

Important to have it hot. Tastes bad when cold.

Puttu...

Couple of days back I made puttu. Puttu is a very common mallu breakfast dish. It can be made with both rice as well as wheat flour. Puttu with hot steaming kadala curry or sweet banana and a cup of hot tea brings back so many memories. It is a very simple and healthy dish consisting of the flour with layers of grated coconut, steamed in a cylindrical vessel called puttu-kutti.

pic courtesy: HOTDishes

To make puttu, slowly add warn water with a little salt to the flour till it forms tiny lumps. Fill the puttu-kutti with it, adding layers of grated coconut in between. Once fully filled, close the top of the puttu-kutti and load it over the vessel and steam it till done.

Other variations include, steaming it in bamboo stems or coconut shells (chiratta puttu)

Well, since I donot have a putti-kutti, I opted for the easy way out which is buying a pack of instant puttu-podi. Just add equal quantity of hot water to the powder and stir for a minute with a fork. Leave for it to set for five minutes and its done. It tastes pretty much like a normal puttu except I didn’t add the grated coconut. Sprinkled it with sugar and had it with bananas.

Nowhere like the homemade ones, but craving satiated for time being!!

Quickie Dinner..

Was too lazy to labour for dinner. Just boiled rice, lentils and peas with salt to taste.

Had it with curd and some tangy tomato pickle.

Yum...

Healthy (read bland) Pasta...

After gorging on beef and going Godzilla on pastries couple of days ago, I’d decided to cut down on calories and tried making an oil free pasta. Very simple to make and not too bad on taste; though my friend told me it was quite bland to her tastes (you can add pepper to make it spicy)

Boil the pasta in good amount of water (about 4 times the quantity of pasta) with salt to taste. Boil veggies and keep them aside. Use a colourful mix of veggies like carrot, peas, capsicum etc.. Since I was going fat/oil free I didn’t make the traditional white sauce. I plainly reduced milk with corn starch and for taste added a spoon of Maggi mushroom soup powder. Mix the boiled pasta and the vegetables with the sauce and you’re done!!

Quick & Easy Pancakes!!

I love pancakes. The sweet and eggy taste makes for a perfect lazy Sunday breakfast.

Not made them from scratch yet and the few times that I’ve made them, I’ve used Betty Crocker Pan Cake Mix. The recipe on the box is quick and simple.

Beat eggs and milk together and then slowly sift in the flour; all the while stirring so that lumps are not formed. Mix well to make a smooth batter.

Heat a pan and pour in a ladle of batter onto it. Spread the batter by turning the pan. Do note that the pan needn’t be greased as the egg in the batter prevents it from sticking (as explained by a good ole friend). Cook on one side till the topmost layer of the batter solidifies and then flip it. Cook till it turns a warm yellow.

Have ‘em hot with fruits, honey, maple syrup or strawberry syrup.

Whenever I make pancakes I usually make copious amounts of batter so that I can satiate my cravings as soon as they come. It can be stored for upto 4 days in the fridge.

Attempt No:1

So here's a snapshot of my first attempt..

I think its important to be a good photographer first. Though I've been trying to photograph food for sometime, I'm nowhere near what the pros do. In fact, the only decent snap I have to date is that of a strawberry tart taken at Le Pain Quotidient which I've uploaded in the previous post.





I started out to make Rice, Dal and a vegetable curry but ended up with something quite different.







Pressure cook equal parts of rice & dal with enough salt and vegetables (in this case peas & carrots) with a spoon of bisibele bath powder (I used the MTR one). Its not the purest way to make the dish. Heck! even the recipe on the packet calls for elaborate measures. But for a single guy on his first attempt and that too trying to finish off in 20mins flat, this will do. And hey, it did taste decent..





I usually get hungry when I cook, so I made a snack too. Just cut up some mushrooms and braise them in white wine (the cheapest ones like Dia will do) with a dash of ginger-garlic paste. Spread it on dry roasted bread to get a quickie bruschetta. It did make for a good snack while cooking the rest of the meal..



For the side dish, I made a simple vegetable curry. Just boiled peas and carrots and reduced them in a gravy of tomato and sauteed onions. Also added the leftover braised mushrooms to it..

Voila! and dinner was served..





Seasoned food writers might turn in their graves, but this is my version and I'm sticking to it and am here to stay!!

World here I come..

* attempt the above at your own risk

Trying something new...

Like I said in my earlier post, I'm trying to do something new.
My first try is at food writing. I actually do know a bit about food and keep myself updated with the restaurant scene in Mumbai. But its actual writing that I have a problem with..

Anyway, made a start with an experimental dish I made a couple of days ago. Meticulously took photos also of the same. Though I made a big blunder of not photographing the actual finished product..

More on that later..

A new start..

Ok.. This I hope, is an earnest attempt to revive my blog.

Presently am in a rut.. The job sucks and I can't seem to find another one. Nothing interesting's going on. Desperately trying to divert my energies to something productive or creative..

Dug up the junk in my storage and brought out my colors and sketch book.
Not started on it though. Nor in a mood to read anything. Am mulling some ideas.

Will soon narrow on something. Hoping the blog will have something to do with it..

Let see...

It's the Most Amazing eXperience

went to watch Alice In Wonderland today... My first IMAX experience... Man! I was bowled over... Kicking myself in the butt for not watching Avatar at IMAX...

A Navi Mumbaikar reacts...

DB just sent me this link of an article that came in HT coupla months back.. I can so totally relate to it.. But unlike the author, I'd like to think that Navi Mumbai does have quite a few places to hangout..

Burn it Up.

The Happy Man…

Everyday I take the 8:12 local from Vashi to Andheri. It’s an uncomfortable 1:10 hr journey on a crowded train and I meet a lot of people on the way. Among the regulars is one man, about 28-30 years old, always in 2nd last compartment. Gets in before me and alights at Vile Parle. He has his 4 friends who get in along the way.

Never before have I seen someone who is so happy. He’s always smiling and laughing. And cheerful to the hilt- which is quite difficult in a crowded Mumbai local where there just enough room for one to stand and breathe for the hour long journey.

What makes him so cheerful? I wonder every single time…

SMS Mishap

A message intended for a close buddy which I accidently sent to my boss:
"Hey, buzz me tonight if you are free...
Itching to bitch and gossip. ;) "

To which he replied:
"Do not worry!
You can call me tonight and we can bitch and gossip..."


Like they say in the mastercard commercials..
Having a boss with a sense of Humour...
Priceless...

Vidyarambham...

Hari Shree Ganapathaye Namaha

Happy Death...

I had a wonderful time the past few days.. went about town with a coupla good buddies.. ate some really good food and downed a coupla mugs of beer and just went about the city walking along the victorian structures of south Mumbai, window shopping here, reading a book there, haggling with a hawker and gazing at passers by.. in short I was happy…

So happy that I wish I had died.. I’ve started to think that maybe it is best to die when you are happy…

“Happy Death” a point I’m beginning to ponder…