Its Waffle Time

I have always had a soft corner in my heart for waffles. This was my favourite place in Bangalore for waffles. Ever since I shifted to Singapore, I had not eaten waffles. So, on my way back home today evening, I happened to chance upon a place selling waffle cakes. I promptly went and stood in the queue (Yes, there was queue for that too) to purchase one. The almost 10 min wait in the queue was totally worth it. They have about 10 different flavours with prices ranging from 1$ to 1.8$. They also let you mix and match flavours. I chose a Butter Maple syrup flavour which cost me 1.5$.

The waffles were round in shape (maybe about 7 inch in diameter) and much softer than the ones I have had in Bangalore. I could see the assistant preparing the waffle right in front of me. Once the waffle had roasted sufficiently, she picked it out of the mould and spread it on the table in front of her. She then proceeded to slather a generous helping of butter on the waffle followed by maple syrup. The waffle was then folded over in half, put in a small brown paper bag and handed over to me. As the waffle was quite hot, the butter started to melt and mixed with the maple syrup. I took a bite of the waffle cake and was it amazing or what!!! The taste of the mildly salted melting butter along with the sweetness of the maple syrup was so delicious. I had such a warm glow on my face during the entire time. I felt just like how a kid feels when he/she gets a lollipop and eats it while walking back home holding their father's hand :D

My goal now is to try out all the flavours on the menu. Definitely one flavour per week. Then I shall mix and match some flavours for the added taste.

Anyone wants to join ?

Quitting my first job

Quitting my previous job was such a wierd experience. That was my first job after college and I was at it for almost 4 years. It just feels so wierd to say 'ex-office', 'ex-colleagues', etc. When I came out of my office (oops... ex-office) building on the last day, that's when it actually struck me that I may never step foot inside that building again, never sit at my cubicle again, may never work with the set of people or never work in front of my office PC. Oh!! My Office PC!! I so miss that amazing, superfast and sleek piece of electronics! I so hope the PC at my new office is going be the similar or better :) It was quite a sentimental drive back home from office on that day.

There are so many things that I miss about my ex-job. In particular, I really miss the post lunch walk session with M, having coffee/tea on terrace and doing general yakkity-yak with H, playing the fool along with A, D and G, technical and time-pass discussions with my ex-team members N, C, S and Y. Oh! I am so gonna miss you people and the familiar and comfortable things.

Here's a toast for all the wonderful things that have happened in my life in the last four years after I joined my first job and more than that for meeting and interacting with all the amazing people during the course of those four years.

*clink*

Atithi Devo Bhava

Okay! For all of you who were wondering where I had vanished to, I was busy with loads of stuff. I have shifted my house, quit my job and also went for a trek in the Himalayas. Lots to blog about, but so little time to do so. Right now, I shall leave you guys with a guest post from Shub:

Dearest PizzaDude,

So, when you asked me to do a guest post the other day, I readily agreed, but had no clue what to write! Probably a month later I decided what I wanted to write about, well vague idea, and today I decided to type it down!

In exactly four days, you'll land in Singapore! To start a life that I know you've been dreaming of for a while now. The living on your own, cooking (what-looks-like) exotic stuff (if it doesn't end up in the sink :P), exploring new restaurants and cuisines - oh wait, you do that all the time - and the loads of time for yourself that you'll come to enjoy. I'm sure you'll cherish the experience - like I told you a few days back, I miss that feeling I had when I had just moved in here. You know, that slight anxiety, at how you're gonna cope, the general awe at everything around you*, the little spring in your step since you're gonna be living ON YOUR OWN for the first time, the overall novelty of the experience. You'll definitely love it. Soak in every minute of it.

And yes, we shall go to Bar None again and look for that cute waitress and you CAN say the ridiculously overenthusiastic "Oh HIIIIII!" again. :D This time of course, I'll look away and pretend like I don't know you. Actually that's favourable to you as well. You wouldn't want her to think you're taken or something would you?! Muahahaha!

I'm totally looking forward to try out the zillions of restaurants that are begging to be tried out here, go loafing around generally and yes some cheesecake too! And going looonnng walks after pigging out! Talking nonsense and laughing our heads off at jokes that don't remotely qualify as funny.

Here's to new experiences and good times! And to a great friendship! *Clink*

Love,
Shub

*Just don't start staring at pretty girls passing by while I'm taking a pic and trying to get you to look at the camera, okay? That's almost as bad as the Bar None type embarrassment! :p

Idhar Chala Mein Udhar Chala

Traveling around is one of the things that I love to do. Exploring new places, seeing different and lovely sights and eating new stuff is something which gives me an all time high! So, when I saw this tag on this post, I decided to tag myself :D

As per the tag, I have to list down three destinations from the list of the new wonders of the world that I would like to visit and also the ones that I have visited so far.

So, Here we go......

List of places among the Seven Wonders of the world that I have visited -

1. Taj Mahal, India


Visited the Taj, when I had gone for trek around Dalhousie about 1.5 years back. Also took photo sitting on the marble bench infront of the Taj. Apparently it is a very famous spot to take your picture with the Taj in the background. I was also very lucky to have seen the Taj just before and after the sunset. It was lovely!!

List of three places among the Seven Wonders of the world that I would like to visit -

1. Machu Pichu, Peru


As per wikipedia, this ancient and deserted city is referred to as the "The Lost City of the Incas". I would love to visit this place and check out the amazing architecture. The location and the breathtaking scenary around is tempting enough to plan a trip to this place.

2. Christ Redeemer, Brazil


The view from the top and Rio De Janerio are reasons enough. I don't think I have to elaborate on this.

Well, just interested in the above two for now.

Apart from these places, I would also love to visit these places -

1. Bora Bora


The white sandy beaches just look so inviting. I want to go there now! Total bliss. Just sitting on these beaches and sipping on some orange juice sounds so relaxing and refreshing.

2. New York City


Very curious about what the fuss is all about this city. Watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S, few episodes of Sex and the City, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna are reasons enough.

3. The Grand Canyon


I am an ardent admirer of nature and would love to visit these natural wonders known for their sheer size and landsape. In particular, I want to stand on the newly constructed Grand Canyon Skywalk and view the canyon.

4. Kenya


Aah! The thrill of visiting a wildlife sanctuary and where else but in the place where it all started - AFRICA!!!

5. Lakshadweep


Once again, the white sandy beaches. Plus it is much closer to home and a cheaper option than going to Bora Bora ;)

6. Greece


I have heard a lot about their culture and very curious to check the place out. Once again, the many secluded white sandy beaches are a huge attraction for me.

7. Switzerland

The Alps, the picturesque European countryside, the view from the train and Snow! Thank you very much Mr. Yash Chopra.

That's all I can think of right now. In return, I am tagging Pills (who, btw is one heck of a travel companion. We had a blast on our previous trip together), Amaunet and of course Shub!

Also, inviting applications for a travel-mate who is equally enthu about visiting all of the above places :D

Hee Hee

Got this in a forward.

I can so empathise with this guy!

This and That

My favourite food (Pizza) + My favourite show (F.R.I.E.N.D.S) + One of my favourite people (G) came together last evening. We had such a great time! It was just great to catch up with each other after a long time and do what we do best. Yes, Talk and Talk!

**************

People of marriageable age should take a good look at themselves before they have expectations about their prospective bride/groom. After all, appearances do matter in arranged marriages.

**************

I always get confused when I have to send a "bus card" of person A to person B through SMS. Do I first 'Select' Person A on my contacts list, go to 'Send Bus. card' and then key in the number of Person B or should I do it the other way around ? I have done it a couple of times before. But, each time I have to do it, I still get confused :-?

**************

Why on earth do they air toilet cleaner ads on TV during dinner time, when a majority of people like me are in front on the TV while having dinner ? All of them have this before-after theme. Who in their sane mind would want to look at a dirty commode ?? YUCK!!!!

Err...

I recently got this forward which has two pictures of complicated looking electrical wire connections and asking the readers to apply KCL and KVL to the seemingly very complicated network. These were the pictures of the entangled wires.

Err.. Is it wierd that I know how to solve it ? Actually, it is not as complicated as it looks. It is quite straight forward actually.

I am such a geek.

Answers - Eight Truths and a Lie

Okay, here is the answer and some details about the previous post of mine. I could have just given out the answer in the comment section of the previous post itself, but drawing some inspiration from Sayesha's post I thought let me go into the details :)

1. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a railway engine driver. I think the correct term for that profession is "Engineer". I did become an Engineer, but in a totally different domain.
This one is so very TRUE. I have always been fascinated by trains and been wanting to drive one since I was a kid. I just don't know how to make it happen. As far as I know, the railways have very strict rules about who all are allowed inside the cabin of a railway engine.

2. I am not very fond of my real name. I prefer having a common name than an uncommon name.
Again TRUE. I have always preferred having a common name. When I was a kid, it used to be so embarassing when I used to go to my friends houses and I had to repeat my name atleast twice before my friends parents could get what it was :( Yeah, I know that was a long time ago. The thought is still there though!

3. When I was 19 years old, I got rejected at a blood donation camp because I was quite below the eligible weight limit of 50 Kgs.
Very much TRUE. There was a blood donation camp at college when I was in the first year of engineering. I filled up the required form and went upto the doctor. He took some of my details and made me stand on the weighing machine. The scale read 46 Kgs (with me in a jeans and sports shoes). He immediately (in a loud voice) told me that I was not eligible as I was below the weight limit and made two huge cross marks on my sheet. Everyone around were staring and my friends were howling with laughter.

4. I think people who write with their left hand are quite cool.
TRUE. No logical reason for this.

5. When I was in high school, I thought that babies are conceived when the guy ties the mangalsutra around the girl's neck during the marriage.
FALSE. Lets just say that I was quite "educated" when I was in high school. It was friend of mine who thought the above when he was in school. I had laughed till my stomach hurt when I came to know about it.

6. I think cockroaches are extremely gross. Infact, they kind of freak me out.
TRUE. Roaches are one such tribe that I just cannot tolerate! Ask her.

7. I love spending time at the beach! Infact, my ideal house will be next to a beach, with my room balcony overlooking the ocean.
TRUE. I am a beach lover and would prefer going to a beach even in the middle of the scorching summer. There is nothig more calming then lyng on the beach with a cool drink in the hand and staring at the expanse of water while pondering about life and other stuff that matter. Or taking a nap :)

8. I am quite shy around strangers and it takes me sometime to get comfortable with them around.
TRUE. Some people who know me very well may find this hard to believe, but it is true. Try remembering the first couple of times you met me (in a group) and how quiet I was.

9. I have never been to any live concert inspite of so many of them happening in Bangalore.
TRUE. I am so embarassed to even say this. The thing is I don't follow English music very much. I am more of a bollywood banda! Its a pity that we dont have any bollywood stars performing in Bangalore. Shah Rukh Khan did perform here once but I was not able to attend it that time and I still have not forgiven myself for it!

Eight Truths and a Lie

Pixie has tagged me! I am supposed to make a list of 9 things about me which people are not very familiar with. Only 8 of them are true. The readers will have to guess which one is not true. So, here is my list -

1. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a railway engine driver. I think the correct term for that profession is "Engineer". I did become an Engineer, but in a totally different domain.

2. I am not very fond of my real name. I prefer having a common name than an uncommon name.

3. When I was 19 years old, I got rejected at a blood donation camp because I was quite below the eligible weight limit of 50 Kgs.

4. I think people who write with their left hand are quite cool.

5. When I was in high school, I thought that babies are conceived when the guy ties the mangalsutra around the girl's neck during the marriage.

6. I think cockroaches are extremely gross. Infact, they kind of freak me out.

7. I love spending time at the beach! Infact, my ideal house will be next to a beach, with my room balcony overlooking the ocean.

8. I am quite shy around strangers and it takes me sometime to get comfortable with them around.

9. I have never been to any live concert inspite of so many of them happening in Bangalore.

Go ahead, take a guess :)

I tag dannyboy!

Answering the Call

I was in the restroom at office, when I heard a cellphone ring. I started to wonder who this bloke was who carried his cellphone into a stall inside the loo. I did not have to wonder much, as he answered the phone call and I immediately recognized him by his voice.

How can someone talk on the phone while taking care of their "business" ? Answering both the nature and telephone call at the same time is so wierd. Imagine the reaction of the person on the other end of the line if he/she realises it! Yuck! If it were me at the other end, I would be completely grossed out and would disconnect the call immediately.

Now, don't tell me that there aren't any chances of the person on the other end of the line realizing it. If a cellphone can transmit voices, it can very well transmit other sounds too, duh! Thank God, that a cell phone cannot transmit smells!

Anisuthide Yaako Indu - Translation

A look at the hit counters on my blog made me realize the amount of people who are searching for a Kannada to English translation of the song "Anisuthide Yaako Indu" from the Kannada movie Mungaaru MaLe. So, here is an attempt to translate the song to English. But, I would like to mention that the essence of the original song is not there in the translated version.

This translation is specifically dedicated to that one particular soul who googled for "May I get the english translation of Anisuthide". Never before have I heard of anyone being so polite to a search engine :))

Anisuthide yaako indu, neenenay nannavaLendu
maayada lokadinda, nanagaagi bandavaLendu
Aaaha yentha madhuraa yaathane
kollu hudugi ommay nanna, haagay summanay

There is a feeling at this instant, which makes me wonder, whether are you the one for me ?
Are you the one, who has descended from the land of illusion just for me?
Oh! It is such a pleasurable sensation.
Come on girl, let me be in this feeling forever.

Suriyuva soneyu suuside ninnaday parimaLa
Inyaara kanasalu, neenu hoedaray taLamaLa
PoorNa chandira rajaa haakida ninneya mogavanu kanDa kshaNa
naa khydi neene seremanay
tappi nanna appiko ommay, haagay summanay
Anisuthide yaako indu........

This drizzle is dripping with your fragrance.
Your presence in someone else's dream makes me very restless
The full moon went on a holiday after setting sight on you face
Girl, I am the prisoner in the prison of your love
Give me a hug atleast once, just like that.

TutigaLa hoovali, aaDada maatina sihiyide
manasina puTadali kevala ninnaday sahi ide
haNeyali bareyada ninna hesara hrudayadi naane korediruvay
ninagunTe idara kalpanay ?
nanna hesara koogay ommay haagay summanay

There is the sweetness of the unspoken words on your soft lips
My mind/heart is filled with you
Although you are not in my destiny, I have carved your name in my heart/mind
Oh Girl, are you aware of this ?
Call out my name atleast once, Just like that!

Anisuthide yaako indu, neenene nannavaLendu
maayada lokadinda, nanagaagi bandavaLendu
aaaha yentha madhuraa yaathane
kollu hudugi omme nanna haagay summanay

There is a feeling at this instant, which makes me wonder whether are you the one for me ?
Are you the one who has descended from the land of illusion just for ?
Oh! It is such a pleasurable sensation.
Come on girl, let me be forever in this feeling.

As I mentioned before, the translated version does not have the essence of the original. You must know kannada to completely understand the essence and to feel the soul of this song. The best part about the song is its simplicity and straight from the heart feeling. Hats off to the lyricist, Jayanth Kaykani for coming up with this awesome song, the music director, Mano Murthy for composing the music and the playback singer, Sonu Nigam for rendering it in such a way that it conveys the emotion behind it extremely well!

Local Exotic Sweet

The title sounds contradictory, doesn't it ? But, by the end of the post you will understand.

I am talking about a sweet called as "GiNNu" in kannada. It is one among my favourite sweets and it is made from cow's milk. But, it cannot be made from milk that is got everyday. The milk has to be obtained from the cow just after it has given birth to a calf. Only the milk got in the first two/three milkings will be suitable to make GiNNu. I am not sure why, but I am guessing that it has got something to do with the consistency of the milk.

You can call it a local sweet because apparently not many people have heard about it. Many of my friends (from different parts of India) at work did not know that something of this sort existed. Hardly one or two among my friends knew about it. It can also be called as exotic as it is not available at any sweet shop because, the main ingredient is not readily available. Its not like a Gulab Jamun or a Jalebi that I can purchase and eat whenever I want. Infact, I have eaten it just twice in my entire life - the first time being about 14 years back and the second time being today. I had gone for the house warming ceremony of a colleague and it was served there. I was extremely surprised to see it there. I am still quite shocked as to how the catering agency managed to procure enough numbers of it to serve to around 50+ people.

Ginnu looks like a cream coloured jelly and has the same consistency but it is not translucent as a jelly generally is. It is made by mixing the milk with sugar and cooking it in a pressure cooker and then flavouring it with elaichi. I am guessing it can be made is some other ways too, but this is the only one I am aware of. It tastes very much like thickened sweetened milk and just melts in your mouth.

Do try it out, if you do get an oppourtunity. Regarding its availability, ask those people who have cows in their house. They might be able to provide you with the sweet. But do keep in mind that by using that milk for making a sweet, you are denying the newborn calf its food.

Not Again!

I saw the trailer/song of the movie Ta Ra Rum Pum on TV and realised that it is one more movie which is based in New York City. There was Kal Ho Na Ho, Jaaneman, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and now Ta Ra Rum Pum. What's with this "Big Apple" addiction that Bollywood had gotten into ? Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against NYC. Infact, it is one of the cities in the world that I want to visit desperately having heard and seen lots about it (thanks to Hollywood and American TV).

Btw, you should listen to the song "Hey Shona" from the same movie. I totally loved it :)

Cheese and its kind

There is a dog in our street (lets call her Cheese) and she has delivered a litter of puppies in our back yard. There are 7 of them and you should hear them trying to make some sound with their extremely feeble voices. They look so adorable and tiny. Infact, they cant even walk. All of them will be lying like a pile of stones against their mother's body. I tried to take a photo of them, but have not been able to get a good shot. They are all piled up in one corner behind a tree. Cheese is apparently very very comfortable with me and my family and is hardly bothered by our presence. It has become a daily ritual for me to give her bread and milk.

I have always wanted to have pets at home. My parents though are quite against it for two reasons -

1. Its not good to keep any animal bound or tied. They should be let free.
2. They will have do all the taking care part of it. I will be excited for a few days, but then due to other constraints like time and effort, I would soon lose interest.
   

I do agree with them now, but as kids it was a different story. No amount of reasoning could convince me or my brother. Then my mom got a super-duper idea and told us that its either the "Pet" or us. Promptly, my brother and I shut up and have not raised that topic ever since. But, to till this day I wish I could have a pet without feeling guilty that I am curbing its freedom. Infact, an ideal pet would be a baby elephant. Yes, you read it right, A BABY ELEPHANT!. Ever since I saw some on NGC, I want to have one around me and in my house. Oookay, you can stop laughing now :P

Btw, what do you guys think I should name the puppies ? Mozzarella, Riccotta, Feta, Parmesan, Gouda, Cottage, etc.. :))

VC, I Love You

I really do and I am saying so from the bottom of my heart. I am sure anyone who has used MSVC debugger will agree with me whole heartedly. It is such a pleasure using it. Makes work a lot simpler and faster. For someone who has been using a debugger to debug an embedded application or firmware, using VC is like a walk in the clouds!

Embers @ Nandana Grand

A very impromptu decision to go out for lunch led us to Embers @ Nandana Grand in Koramangala. The catch phrase of this restaurant is "Global Cuisine" and hence I was quite skeptical about how good the food is going to be. I generally feel that many of these multi-cuisine places tend to screw up some cuisines and have had many practical experiences as proof of this. It is much better at times to find a niche and stick to it. In other words, its not gonna suffice if you are "Jack of all trades". You need to be a master of at least one of them.

Coming back to the review, all the items turned out to be surprisingly quite good at the buffet lunch. They had a good spread comprising of Chinese, Italian (just one dish), North and South Indian dishes in this lunch buffet priced at Rs 149 + taxes. We started of with "Cream of Spinach" soup, which was quite well done and was served at the right consistency and temperature. This was followed by a generous helping of Babycorn manchurian (they called it Shanghai Babycorn). I totally loved the manchurian. The taste was just how I expect a manchurian to taste i.e., not too much of ginger-garlic-soy sauce masala.

There were three salads. One was the regular green salad. The second one was a mixed vegetable salad in a nice vinegar based dressing. The third one was a pineapple-paneer salad of which I ate only the pineapple :D I am somehow not a huge fan of Paneer. I prefer Cheese :D

For the main course, there was Penne in a vegetable and cream sauce and again it was the just the way I like my Pasta to be. Among the north-indian stuff, there were Aloo mutter and Dal fry. Both were very well done. There were two non-veg gravies also. Rotis were served directly at your table and were soft and warm. Among the rice items, there was Chicken Biryani, Vegetable Schezuan Fried rice, Plain rice along with Rasam and Curds. Accompaniments like papads were also present.

Dessert comprised of a yummy tasting carrot halwa and fruit salad. Needless to say, all the items on the menu were very well done. Of course, I cannot give first hand opinion of the non-veg dishes as I am a vegetarian, but my friend did say that the non-veg dishes were quite good too.

Should you go there? YES! A perfect place to take a foreign dignitary for lunch as the food was not very spicy and there was just the perfect amount of variety among the Indian fare.

PS: Almost forgot to mention. Another "My kinda restaurant".

(Don't) Picture This

Time : Around 6.30 am
Location : Somewhere enroute to Hyderabad
In : Train

I wake up to a beautiful morning with a nice breeze blowing in from the window. I think "Wow! It feels so nice to wake up early in the morning and watch the country side go by. Oh! Just in time for Sunrise. God knows when was the last time I saw the sun rise!! Hmmmm...."

Then, the inevitable happens. (Warning: Read ahead only at your risk) I see a half naked man in the fields doing err.... his business.

Ewwwwwwwwwww!!!! Why god Why ??????

PS: Had been on a trip to Hyderabad over the weekend. Post coming up if I am not feeling lazy to type :)

A familiar feeling

You think its been 3-4 years. Things would have changed. I would have moved on. Those feelings would have gone by now. But hey, What do you know ?!! When I saw her recently, all I could think of was "God! She is so Beautiful!". She still manages to make my heart beat faster. I just could not help but admire her.

I feel that everyone sub-consciously has a mental image of what their perfect woman/man should look like. Many might be aware of it and some may not be. When we actually meet someone who matches this image, the infatuation just happens. In my case, I dont think I will be able to get over it any time in the near future (I have had this infatuation from the past 7.5 years). I am not repenting or anything of that sort. I am very much aware of the practicalities of life and enjoying my life at present very much. But, each time I see her, she just takes my breath away!!

I so relate to this song right now -
Anisuthide Yaako Indu
Neenene Nannavalendu
Maayada lokadinda
Nanagaagi bandavalendu
Aahaa yentha madhuraa yaathane..

I dont want to translate the above lines to English as I dont think I will do a good job of the translation and it wont be able to capture the meaning of this song as intended. So, the readers of my blog who don't understand Kannada, Please Excuse :)

Indi Joe - 2

I had been to Indi Joe for lunch today and I came back feeling so satisfied. It never fails to satisfy my foodie brain. I am so thankful that this restaurant exists in Bangalore! Incase, you have not yet realized, it is among my favourite restaurant in Bangalore.

Mungaaru MaLe

Finally!!! A decent kannada movie with dignified kannada being spoken!

I had heard a lot about this movie and watched it on tuesday evening. Its a simple love story with just the right amount of characters. No extra characters in the movie for the purpose of comedy. The photography(or is it cinematography ?) is amazing! Very scenic locations, all within Karnataka. No songs or sequences being shot abroad. The best part of the movie for me was the way in which Kannada was spoken. It was so dignified and cultured. Generally, among the kannada movies being released of late, the style in which the language is spoken is so crass and pathetic. It actually hurts me to hear my language being spoken that way. In this aspect, this movie delighted me to the core. Would definitely love to watch the movie again to hear such nice kannada :)

Mungaaru MaLe means "pre-monsoon rains". The entire story takes place over a period of 8-9 days in the pre-monsoon season. Set mainly is Madikeri, the story revolves around Pritham (played by Ganesh) and his love for Nandini (played by Sanjana). It has just the right amount of emotional drama without being over dramatic/melodramatic.

The scenic locations and cinematography are the things to lookout for. Truly spectacular. The music is also very good. The songs and the lyrics are straight from the heart and describes the feelings very very well. Must hear songs are "Anisuthide Yaako Indu", "Onde Ondu Saari" and "Kunidu Kunidu Baare".

Go watch the movie if you are a ardent kannada movie fan. It is a breath of fresh air amongst the typical remakes and gangster movies.