:)

Beerfest with Monsters

Friday Night, Beerfest with Monsters., huh!! I am not writing on this title now. Try guessing what it would have been and post your comments. Monsters and friends of monsters are requested to keep quiet.

Potter Mania~Mahabharatha~Ramayana~Ambulimama~Panchatantra

Potter Mania is slightly decreasing in the city. It was actually disturbing me the fact that there were Qs in book stores to get the book on its FDR. What interested me was that some gentlemen who might find it difficult to get a packet of milk for their wives every morning were also standing in those Qs early morning at 6AM.

The response of the book was overwhelming the city and media says that its arguably most awaited book in history. (They meant the ages, not the history text book) This is the biggest achievement for Rowling and she has to be congratulated for the achievement. Not though for her achievement, I congratulate her for writing a series of books exclusively for children, be it fiction/fantasy/anything else. That’s the best thing I like about her.

I also heard people criticizing Potter books that they are spoiling our children and our own Mahabaratha and Ramayana are losing interest among them. I also read few columns on the same in leading dailies as well. To those out there, Mahabharatha and Ramayana aren’t meant for children. They are for erstwhile adults looking out fantasy/fiction forgetting the real world around them. Yes, I admit they are great epics and there is a lot to learn from them. But they have to be customized fitting to our interests if felt contemporary children have to show interest in those epics. If done so, there will be some groups emerging from nowhere to protest for customizing the great epics.

There were Panchatantra, Ambulimama which were equally interesting as Potter stories. Those did not have such marketing or promotional activities like Potter. I used to read panchatantra stories with fantasy and fiction. Children need better books suiting to the lifestyle and customs they are growing into.

Unfortunately, Harry Potter has become a style statement such that children who are strange to Potter are seen as distinct by their peers in institutions and parents are forced to get a book at least to showcase. But, somehow milk packets cant be kept in show cases, that’s why gentlemen hesitate to get them every morning I guess! We always have a valid reason behind every decision of ours., yeah!!

Again An Inconvenient Truth

Watterson should have read my previous post. Below is todays strip of Calvin and Hobbes. Moreover, everyone around are talking about Green in my office. !#@!!#$@

An Inconvenient Truth

I couldn’t sit for Al Gore's presentation (a) documentary for over one and half hours. It’s an inconvenient truth that I did it. Yet, the topic was alarming. It’s not to be ignored. It was about Global Warming.

Please check out http://green.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-overview-interactive.html and learn what it is all about and what you can do, if you wish/care for the place you live.

Making of PASTA…

1. 
   
   Take 300ml of water (2 cups) in a pot and bring to boil
2. 
   
   Open pack and add
   Pasta
   Saucemaker
   11/2 tbs of Butter (optional)
3. 
   
   Cook for 8 – 10 min on medium flame, stirring continuously
4. 
   
   Allow pasta to stand for 1-2 mins with lid on, your delicious pasta is now ready7 to eat !

The above is the procedure given in the Pasta pack. Below is the procedure I managed to get through., It might help you as well., yeah! I swear…

Aim: To make a yummy pasta.
Steps:

1. Take 300ml of water (2 cups) in a pot and bring to boil. (I had additional cups of water nearby as a precaution, on a doubt that pasta was too much in quantity. I’m a bit smart when it comes to cooking; no running once the process starts ! )

2. Open pack and add
· Pasta
· Saucemaker
· 2 tbs of Butter (You need to be very careful here. After the saucemaker and is added, the pot appears to be small for the contents in it., the mix starts boiling and bubble over in the heat. I somehow… managed it very simply. Just switched off the stove )

3. Cook for 8 – 10 min on medium flame, stirring continuously. (Omigod! Beware, this the difficult step. After the stove is lit, the mix again starts to overflow. Very difficult to manage. So, take the pot from stove, lit the stove, turn the flame to medium and then bring the pot back to stove. Keep the hand spoon ready to stir. Otherwise, you will have to switch off the stove again!!

Don just think that it will be over by 10 min exactly and start your Stopwatch. It will take 15 min approx. If you ask me for a shortcut to end the process fast, turn the flame to medium high from medium and keep stirring. When the flame is increased, more heat is produced. I am a science student, believe me!

Last but not least, the pasta size would have increased as its boiled. To test, take out a piece and try cutting it. It has to be smooth in the process.

4. Allow pasta to stand for 1-2 mins with lid on, your delicious pasta is now ready to eat ! (If you find excess water, nothing to worry, just transfer the pasta alone to another vessel without the water)

A pasta is now ready to eat. Huh!! I never knew its so simple to make a Pasta… I once had a bad testimonial from my friend’s mom that she was forced by her daughter to make a pasta! Probably, I should suggest this method to both mother and daughter.

End of day I had to take in some curd rice. Whatever food you eat my dear friends, nothing tastes like the curd rice and pickle at the end of day. Don’t miss it after you make and taste the pasta!

Result: ………………!! ( Try out and tell me)

the tripleR column!

Sunday newspapers are always my choice whenever I get much bored sometimes. I keep on browsing the papers twice, thrice to read each and every column. Given the fact that I sleep over a few lines while reading, there are few columns which interest me much. One such is The Shashi Tharoor Column.

The authors’ writing would be on current debatable national issues. The author takes up the issue right royally and writes tactfully leaving the decision on the issue to the readers sometimes. Well, that’s the authors’ style and the issues too cant be solved by an individual. I am a fan for that style of writing. One such issue is the Guruvayur temple issue.

It’s a sensitive issue and it might take more years for it to get solved. I was interested in the issue as I had my own experience while entering the temple.

Though I hail from South India, a dhoti has been a difficult costume for me to wear. My body build being slim, dhoti is difficult to fit in my waist. For getting into the temple, I somehow managed to wear it, but it was in a reverse procedure I guess. While entering the outer gate I was stopped and told that I will not be allowed into the temple. I had just reached and was not even near the main temple gate.(over there, men have to remove shirts as well). I was shocked and asked for an explanation, I was told that the dhoti procedure is the reason. Some section of people in Muslim community too wear dhoti the same way and that’s why I was stopped, making the security personnel think that I was a Muslim.

I then told him the real reason for the dhoti’s reverse procedure and had to remove my shirt – not to show my might, but to show him that I am eligible to enter the temple according to their rules and so called restrictions. I was wearing the sacred thread around. Wearing it in the right position is the only thing I know hailing from the community of sacred threads.

Whatsoever, God is equal to everyone. I don’t understand why some people don’t understand the truth and discriminate devotees. The Church and Mosque were very much considerate in receiving me for worship that too at time when I was preparing myself for Sabarimala during the karthigai season. I cant forget the humane in those who thought me the Bible when I asked for it and the procedure to worship in mosque.

We still fear to adopt changes though we know the truth before our eyes. We all need to have open Hearts and open Minds rather than opening trousers and shirts to worship God!

Chennai 600063, Enga Area!

You are always Welcome to Live a peaceful life here...

A decade and a half back when we stepped into our new house, there was nothing around. During rains, our house will look like an island surrounded by water. We need to pass on through knee deep water to get on to the main road. On the way there would be no street lights and it would be shit scary while passing through at dark times. That was the period, people started to settle down in Chennai 600063. Its located at the hill side, along the NH 45 route. Mostly people who were living in the area were working in Standard Motors which would be just a few yards away from their home.

Now, not only this particular place, but also the nearby places like Tambaram, Chrompet and Pallavaram are in a flourishing phase. Commercially as well as for living purposes the real estate in these places are on a high. The developments and lifestyle in these places have also geared up for an up gradation. Marketers, both retail and corporate are pitching in hardly in these places. I was amazed to see international brands like Honda, Shell, Samsung, Sony set up direct showrooms. Also the retail brands like Anjappar, Naiduhall, Bharat Petroleum are present.

In focus, a township is under construction in Chennai 600063 with multiplexes, IT park and hotels. A small hill which is open to public is a Walker’s Paradise in this place. Fresh air from the surrounding forests, roaring lion sound on a few occasions from the adjacent lion safari, neat path for walking, aerial view of the place are affairs that make the place a walkers paradise early in the morning. Will you like to hear a lion or crow/cock early in the morning!? I like to hear a lion roar early in the morning when I wake up. But, what I could do now is only hear it electronically, not live!!

A few kms further down south are another two townships under construction and further down a few kms from there is the Mahindra City. Diagonally north to Chennai 600063 is the place where the new airport is planned and diagonally south is the site for satellite town.

Altogether, the whole area is the next place to live for those who are tired with the current crowded places like Adyar, Kottur, Kotturpuram, Mylapore, Alwarpet, Anna Nagar and so on. I believe the next craze of city life will be the stretch in between the present Airport and Chengalpet. That’s going to be the next hub for both marketers and consumers.