I should be working. I can't bring myself to concentrate. So, I've been reading and reading. And found some gems. Here they are...
Need a laugh....check this out.
Feel an urge to throw up? This is for you. Or this.
Need more to keep you awake at night? Here's a thought that'll do the job.
Want your head to explode. Watch NDTV. Or CNN-IBN. Or any of the shrieking talking heads on the umpteen news channels available.
Haven't choked up enough in the last 4 days or so? Go read. In fact, I have this terrible urge to be in Poon right now. At this very moment. I don't quite know why. I just do.
I knew this would happen. Which is why I skipped the Thanksgiving party. People coming up to me and commiserating.And then wanting to know details. They're all mostly nice people. Just curious. But I'm not in the mood to indulge. Seriously.
Also, mostly I enjoy Maureen Dowd's bitchiness. But did she have to write an article of self-serving claptrap in the face of monumental tragedy?
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Something to think about
Love is a manufactured emotion. Unlike fear, anger, affection, the protective feeling you have towards your kids. Lust is a true emotion. And it lasts. Love does not. What remains is the feeling that you can't let someone down. And so you keep on going.
So I was informed today. Obviously this person is married.
I'm going to try to keep on believing that love is NOT a manufactured emotion. Since I'm single, I have the luxury of deluding myself until I find true love (or lust!) or a software engineer with a matching horoscope.
So I was informed today. Obviously this person is married.
I'm going to try to keep on believing that love is NOT a manufactured emotion. Since I'm single, I have the luxury of deluding myself until I find true love (or lust!) or a software engineer with a matching horoscope.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Mumbai carnage
I've been watching news coverage of the Mumbai attacks on CNN-IBN and NDTV alternately. What strikes me is this complete lack of any kind of responsibility in their journalism. Sreenivasan Jain points to a window in the Taj...says the police are focusing on that room. Barkha Dutt asks the camera man to pan to the building next to the Oberoi where snipers are taking up position. WTF! Terrorists watch cable TV too. And they carry cell phones. Seriously. The emphasis is on getting the story out. Nobody seems to care what you compromise in that process. Its shameful.
Also, they need to stop asking people who've just had near-death experiences how they feel. How do you THINK they feel? They've just escaped being shot at by terrorists carrying AK47. Have probably seen corpses lying around on Hotel lobbies. Their whole life probably flashed before their lives. Here's a news flash: Scared witless is how they're feeling. Morons.
BTW, American news channels don't necessarily do a better job. Larry King asked Christiane Amanpour why this attack was gaining so much attention...after all many more people had been killed in previous attacks in Mumbai. And he asked it in a kind of exasperated tone. Like he was upset he couldn't discuss Barack Obama's choice of private school for Malia and Sasha. Like they haven't done it to death already. Deal with it, Larry.
Update: So I wrote this last night and didn't post it. It is now morning, and it is possible that the terrorists were using the news feeds conveniently provided to them by our intrepid journos. Also, the sheer mindlessness of the reporting has now scaled new heights. Or new lows, if you will.
Rajdeep Sardesai has "experts" in the studio discussing the tragic events of last night. They include Adman Prahlad Kakkar and journalist Anil Dharkar. Kakkar gives his expert opinion on the deaths of Mumbai's top cops. Why did they go in without backup, he asks? They were the people who could have provided leadership in this situation, and now they're dead. So, of course he knows that these very smart, well-trained cops went in, in a defiant act of foolhardiness without backup so they could get themselves killed so there would be no top cops left to lead the operation. They sabotaged us. Traitors. Getting themselves killed in this foolish manner..fighting terrorists! Anil Dharkar comments on the casual manner in which Hemant Karkare put on his vest. Of course, Karkare did not know at that point to do the deed with right amount of seriousness. Because he didn't know he'd be killed a few hours later. And that the manner in which he donned his bullet proof vest would be a talking point. God save us from the foolishness of random armchair experts!
I wish someone would shoot LK Advani. Why the fuck does he have to travel to Mumbai, and of course, go straight to the Taj? Doddering fool. All he does is mouth platitudes anyway. And of course, the blame game begins. The incompetence of the government is talked about, while rescue operations are still underway. Could we leave the discussions of our inability to deal with terror strikes to after the attack is OVER?
Bloody fools.
Update1: NDTV is now calling it Mumbai's 9/11. Nice.
Update2: Only in India can you see random people gawking at a military operation with gunfire and all. A policeman struggles to keep curious onlookers back. And a reporter reporting the firing as it happens above her head from a chopper. And the camera panning to a shot of commandos landing on the roof of a building. Surreal. I'm beyond criticizing the journalism anymore. They have no concept of ethics and responsibility. But this is like a movie. A bad
Bruce Willis movie.
Oh God...the anchor now chooses to ask whether it is OK for people to stand around gawking at a live war with live gunfire and a live commando operation. How about your live stupidity? What if that cherubic looking girl reporting from that site was caught in the crossfire? How would you justify your thirst for a story..no matter how it comes? Bloodthirsty folk, these reporter types.
Update3: Rajdeep Sardesai comes on phone to say that the only reason they can beam these pictures is because the power to the occupied buildings has been cut off. So the terrorists have no idea whats going on. Genius. Terrorists don't own cell phones of course. Who believes this stuff?
Also, they need to stop asking people who've just had near-death experiences how they feel. How do you THINK they feel? They've just escaped being shot at by terrorists carrying AK47. Have probably seen corpses lying around on Hotel lobbies. Their whole life probably flashed before their lives. Here's a news flash: Scared witless is how they're feeling. Morons.
BTW, American news channels don't necessarily do a better job. Larry King asked Christiane Amanpour why this attack was gaining so much attention...after all many more people had been killed in previous attacks in Mumbai. And he asked it in a kind of exasperated tone. Like he was upset he couldn't discuss Barack Obama's choice of private school for Malia and Sasha. Like they haven't done it to death already. Deal with it, Larry.
Update: So I wrote this last night and didn't post it. It is now morning, and it is possible that the terrorists were using the news feeds conveniently provided to them by our intrepid journos. Also, the sheer mindlessness of the reporting has now scaled new heights. Or new lows, if you will.
Rajdeep Sardesai has "experts" in the studio discussing the tragic events of last night. They include Adman Prahlad Kakkar and journalist Anil Dharkar. Kakkar gives his expert opinion on the deaths of Mumbai's top cops. Why did they go in without backup, he asks? They were the people who could have provided leadership in this situation, and now they're dead. So, of course he knows that these very smart, well-trained cops went in, in a defiant act of foolhardiness without backup so they could get themselves killed so there would be no top cops left to lead the operation. They sabotaged us. Traitors. Getting themselves killed in this foolish manner..fighting terrorists! Anil Dharkar comments on the casual manner in which Hemant Karkare put on his vest. Of course, Karkare did not know at that point to do the deed with right amount of seriousness. Because he didn't know he'd be killed a few hours later. And that the manner in which he donned his bullet proof vest would be a talking point. God save us from the foolishness of random armchair experts!
I wish someone would shoot LK Advani. Why the fuck does he have to travel to Mumbai, and of course, go straight to the Taj? Doddering fool. All he does is mouth platitudes anyway. And of course, the blame game begins. The incompetence of the government is talked about, while rescue operations are still underway. Could we leave the discussions of our inability to deal with terror strikes to after the attack is OVER?
Bloody fools.
Update1: NDTV is now calling it Mumbai's 9/11. Nice.
Update2: Only in India can you see random people gawking at a military operation with gunfire and all. A policeman struggles to keep curious onlookers back. And a reporter reporting the firing as it happens above her head from a chopper. And the camera panning to a shot of commandos landing on the roof of a building. Surreal. I'm beyond criticizing the journalism anymore. They have no concept of ethics and responsibility. But this is like a movie. A bad
Bruce Willis movie.
Oh God...the anchor now chooses to ask whether it is OK for people to stand around gawking at a live war with live gunfire and a live commando operation. How about your live stupidity? What if that cherubic looking girl reporting from that site was caught in the crossfire? How would you justify your thirst for a story..no matter how it comes? Bloodthirsty folk, these reporter types.
Update3: Rajdeep Sardesai comes on phone to say that the only reason they can beam these pictures is because the power to the occupied buildings has been cut off. So the terrorists have no idea whats going on. Genius. Terrorists don't own cell phones of course. Who believes this stuff?
Update4: Day 3 is on...God..will this never end. I've stopped watching NDTV. I think Barkha Dutt has a giant gaping hole where the rest of us have a heart. Can she be more
insensitive?
insensitive?
Monday, November 24, 2008
Eggplant heaven!
Its freezing cold. I mean like my-toes-will-fall-off cold. The heating is finally up and running...it wasn't until yesterday. I have a new respect for electric space heaters. It literally saved my life the last 2 weeks or so. That and thick socks.
I've been craving baingan bharta for the last 10 days. So, I finally bought an eggplant and did the deed yesterday. BTW... the best baingan bharta I ever made. So, my experiments with baingan bharta have been iffy to say the least. The first time, I tried to smoke it on the gas, like my mom in India, and set off the smoke alarm. So, I got scared and threw it away before the cops arrived. I'd only been in the US 2 months at the time. It was a new and scary land. Where people arrested you for smoking an eggplant on the stove. So, I stashed the guilty eggplant in the trash and dumped it. Wiping the scene clean of evidence, so to speak. The next time (almost a year later) I tried to bake it in the oven wrapped in al foil. The result was OK...but not quite bharta-like. Then about 6 months ago, I took a friend's advice, and pressure cooked the eggplant. The result was gooey. It had the consistency of baingan bharta....but that flavor..that smoked flavor was lacking.
So yesterday, I smoked it on the stove again. It helped that it was not one of those giant eggplants the size of a conehead or anything. If anything, it was medium sized. I disconnected the smoke alarm. (yes, yes..illegal and dangerous, but whatever!) And smoked it till was burnt nicely. And voila. The most phenomenal baingan bharta ever.
Lessons learnt: 1). Size does matter..smaller the better.
2). The old way is the best way. There's a reason they smoke it on the stove. Because it works!
I've been craving baingan bharta for the last 10 days. So, I finally bought an eggplant and did the deed yesterday. BTW... the best baingan bharta I ever made. So, my experiments with baingan bharta have been iffy to say the least. The first time, I tried to smoke it on the gas, like my mom in India, and set off the smoke alarm. So, I got scared and threw it away before the cops arrived. I'd only been in the US 2 months at the time. It was a new and scary land. Where people arrested you for smoking an eggplant on the stove. So, I stashed the guilty eggplant in the trash and dumped it. Wiping the scene clean of evidence, so to speak. The next time (almost a year later) I tried to bake it in the oven wrapped in al foil. The result was OK...but not quite bharta-like. Then about 6 months ago, I took a friend's advice, and pressure cooked the eggplant. The result was gooey. It had the consistency of baingan bharta....but that flavor..that smoked flavor was lacking.
So yesterday, I smoked it on the stove again. It helped that it was not one of those giant eggplants the size of a conehead or anything. If anything, it was medium sized. I disconnected the smoke alarm. (yes, yes..illegal and dangerous, but whatever!) And smoked it till was burnt nicely. And voila. The most phenomenal baingan bharta ever.
Lessons learnt: 1). Size does matter..smaller the better.
2). The old way is the best way. There's a reason they smoke it on the stove. Because it works!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Of Dancing and Rain.....
I went to Boston Bhangra's annual dance competition last Saturday. My roommate is the bhangra fan. I just went along for kicks...and because I have not yet learnt to say no. I fully expected to :
a). get bored
b). develop a headache
Neither happened. It was a very cool competetion. The dancing was of the highest quality. I had a great time..the sheer energy of the dancers was unbelievable. A good time was had by all. Rounded off by a fantastic falafel sandwich at the best hole-in-the-wall falafel place in Cambridge. Its called Falafel Palace. And I highly recommend it. Best 5 bucks I ever spent.
Now for the gripes:
1). The acoustics sucked..I mean majorly, majorly sucked.
2). We had terrible seats...but thats because we were cheap. I will never ever try to save money on seats again. Also, people kept getting up and walking. Why? I mean...you'll sit in your seat at the fucking ballet. Why not just extend the same courtesy here. Grrr!
3). Why can't we find decent desi Emcees? They had 2 DJs who seemed to think walking with a swagger and talking of samosas is all it takes. I haven't been to a single desi event with decent emceeing. Do we, as a nation, suck at the ancient art of Emceeing? I think we do. Sadly. I think every desi MC should be made to watch Harsha Bhogle do his quiz show.
4). The girl seated behind me had the shriekiest voice ever...which she employed to good effect. Very often.
5). It rained and rained and rained. Since I was parked a 15 minute walk away...we were soaked. Try sitting in a crowded auditorium with wet socks. Not fun.
6). A very drunk, slightly psychopathic man yelled racial slurs at us as we walked back. But if you walk through Boston Commons late Saturday night..I think you're asking for atleast a coupla drunks. So, it didn't put a crimp in my evening. More like a slight twinge of annoyance. Like a mosquite bite.
On the whole..an evening well spent. And a special shout out to the all girls team from Vancouver. They didn't win anything. But they should've. They completely rocked!
a). get bored
b). develop a headache
Neither happened. It was a very cool competetion. The dancing was of the highest quality. I had a great time..the sheer energy of the dancers was unbelievable. A good time was had by all. Rounded off by a fantastic falafel sandwich at the best hole-in-the-wall falafel place in Cambridge. Its called Falafel Palace. And I highly recommend it. Best 5 bucks I ever spent.
Now for the gripes:
1). The acoustics sucked..I mean majorly, majorly sucked.
2). We had terrible seats...but thats because we were cheap. I will never ever try to save money on seats again. Also, people kept getting up and walking. Why? I mean...you'll sit in your seat at the fucking ballet. Why not just extend the same courtesy here. Grrr!
3). Why can't we find decent desi Emcees? They had 2 DJs who seemed to think walking with a swagger and talking of samosas is all it takes. I haven't been to a single desi event with decent emceeing. Do we, as a nation, suck at the ancient art of Emceeing? I think we do. Sadly. I think every desi MC should be made to watch Harsha Bhogle do his quiz show.
4). The girl seated behind me had the shriekiest voice ever...which she employed to good effect. Very often.
5). It rained and rained and rained. Since I was parked a 15 minute walk away...we were soaked. Try sitting in a crowded auditorium with wet socks. Not fun.
6). A very drunk, slightly psychopathic man yelled racial slurs at us as we walked back. But if you walk through Boston Commons late Saturday night..I think you're asking for atleast a coupla drunks. So, it didn't put a crimp in my evening. More like a slight twinge of annoyance. Like a mosquite bite.
On the whole..an evening well spent. And a special shout out to the all girls team from Vancouver. They didn't win anything. But they should've. They completely rocked!
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