The homecoming..

Read this awesome article and just had to share it.. Its quite long, but written exceptionally well.. am sure a lot of us will relate to it.. :-)

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/papers/Return_to_India.pdf

Cheeni kum?! :-)

Image taken from : http://www.farrisliterary.com/Cookbook_CoverII.jpg

Recipe books! Whenever I see one, I groan.

Believe me, I hate cooking, be it boiling water or preparing a full course meal.

Many of them say that recipe books are the best thing that couldn't happened to people like me.. but then, i find them so wrong.. The problem is not that I cant cook, but just that I'm too lazy
to be stuck in the kitchen cooking up delicacies to reach people's hearts through their stomachs! ;-)

And talk about recipe books..

Exact measures never ever seem to work! oh come on... moms never go by them and yet how great their preparations turn out to be..
Just incomparable! And what's amazing is how they always know how much of sugar to add to the jamun, "a little more than 2 cups.."

"Don't worry! once the dish gets boiled, the quantity will reduce by itself.."

Or how just another pinch of salt would make the most delicious of pulaos..

or even how half a second extra boiling can make the rice semi solid..

I've never seen mom follow the instructions in any cookbook... the '2 teaspoons of butter' always becomes 'half of this little cup.. 2 spoons will be too less', all this while I just look on in wonder!!!

Hmmm..!! guess the only way I can reach that state of 'Perfection' is by spending hours and hours in the kitchen, burning my fingers and a few err.. dishes too! ;-)

Well.. That's my outlook on cooking and recipe books.. Anyways, On another note.. here's wishing all of you a great year 2009.. May this be a fulfilling year for you and may all your dreams come true.. :-)

Giftooo giftu...!

Gone are those days when people were anxious to know what gifts they got. Nowadays its all about hoping that the unwanted gifts don't exceed the storage space at your home.
There are 3 broad categories when it comes to gift 'items':
* Innovative types : Only 5% belong to this category. They know your tastes, they know how usable it is to you, they know that the chances of someone else gifting the same item are slim.
* Ganesha types : If I were Lord Shiva or Vishnu, I would have cursed the entire humanity for how I am ignored when it comes to gift items. A typical conversation of a couple goes about like this:
Husband: We have to go to that wedding in the evening.
Wife: What gift shall we buy?
Husband: Some Ganesha gift item of course.
Wife: (smiling) Of course! (What else?)
65% of the people fall under this category. Ganesha has got great range, he comes in all forms - from the most artistic to highly innovative to funny to absolutely ridiculous. My friend has a collection of over 150 Ganeshas - dancing, playing music, sitting, standing, sleeping, programming - you name it, we have it. So every time someone gives a Ganesha, its mostly the one you already have. Or even worse, you get two pieces of the same variety on the same day.
I love you Ganesha, but bring on the Hanumans, Ayyappas, and Gajalakshmis please!
* Clock types : No occasion is complete without a few unusable clocks being gifted. 40% of the people fall under this category as well.
I am seriously planning to have one of living room walls as a "clock wall" and hang all the clocks that we got, each one set to the time zone of a different country.
Those of you who must be wondering why the percentages are not adding up properly, Its just that I'm weak in maths and also 10% of the people actually gift clocks with Ganesha on them! ;-)
And by the way, If you are not the innovative types when it comes to gifts, better stick to giving cash. You will be really appreciated.
There are many varieties in the cash givers as well and each one may belong to one of more of these categories:
* Anonymous : There will always be a few who do not write their names on the gift covers. May be because they are the "i-don't-want-to-be-discovered-of-giving-so-less" type. The rest belong to the very old thinking that even writing their names on the covers amounts to showing off.
* Cover less Anonymous : Among the gift covers, you will at least find a note given by someone who just slipped it into your hands while offering a handshake. May be these are the ones who paid an unexpected visit, had no gift cover, at the same time did not
wish to go gift less.
* The Plus One Rupee types : They will never ever give you money without a one rupee coin along with the gift amount. One logic I have heard from them is that "plus one" means continual growth. The gift value only has to be 51, 101 and so on.
The funny thing about this is, may be 50 years ago one rupee was still a decent gift amount, now to think of it.. whats the value of a rupee anyways..

So, what have your observations been when it comes to giving and receiving gifts? :-)

Law can be so dumb??!

Came across this list on a forwarded message and was totally amused ! Made some additions to this list ( authentic, of course, I double checked online) and sharing it here. Read on:
England
* A Member of Parliament must not enter the House of Commons wearing a full suit of armour.
* Committing suicide is classified as a capital crime – punishable by death. (Duhh...)
* Sticking a postage stamp, bearing the Queens portrait, upside down on an envelope is an act of treason.
France:
* It is illegal to kiss on railways. (Is it acceptable everywhere else?)
* Pigs must not be called Napoleon.
Italy:
* A man may be imprisoned for wearing a skirt. ( uh ho. No prob.. Just skip on to Scotland!)
Singapore:
* A person convicted of littering three times, will have to clean the streets on Sundays wearing a sign saying "I am a litter lout."
South Korea:
* Traffic police are required to report all bribes that they receive from motorists. ( report the bribe and then slip it into the pocket? ;))
Victoria:
* In Victoria only licensed electricians may change a light bulb.
* In Victoria it is illegal to wear pink pants after midday on a Sunday. (Who would want to wear pink pants anyways?)
Alabama:
* Driving a vehicle while blindfolded is prohibited.
Arkansas:
* It is forbidden for a man to beat his wife more than once a month (Once a month is justified?? Huh)
New York:
* A man greeting another by “placing the end of his thumb against the tip of his nose and wiggling the extended fingers of that hand." Will be arrested for disorderly conduct. :-)

A Five word Post!

* Working from home seems good.

* I love waking up late.

* Babban treats for Sachin's century! ;)

* Sometimes uncertainities can be killing.

* Switzerland is my dream country.

* Will i visit Switzerland someday? :)

* Bugged with browsing TV channels.

* I miss the girl talk.

* Its such a lazy day.

* I'm dreaming too much nowadays.

* Five word writing is cool.

This seems very interesting.. why not u guys try it out too.. :)

Thought for today!

There was a time when I thought hardwork and dedication at any cost were my life’s principles.
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This was before I met money! ;-)

Periyavaa sonna Perumal sonna maadhiri..

Okie for all those non tamizh speaking folks out there, this post would be like watching a French movie with subtitles.. ;-) Anyways, what does the title mean ? It goes like this.. “When elders give you an advice, its as though GOD himself is doing it.” (Alright mom, I know the translation is pathetic! )

Here's a list of things that my mom, Patti and others told us when we were kids and they continue to do it even now..

• You are not supposed to cut your nails after 6 in the evening.
• When someone sneezes when you are about to leave your house, you have to sit down and drink a glass of water (Now don’t ask me why)
• When you see a cat cross the road , you are supposed to stop right there for a second and then start walking again.
• You should not whistle during the night. It seems whistling during the night invites thieves.. (Yeah right!)
• You are not supposed to lie down or sleep during the 'velakku aethara neram' (roughly translates to 'The time when lamp is lit in front of god')
• You shouldn't sit on a pillow. Thalagani maela okkaandha kandan varum. (Now you know the reason behind the recession in America!)

The list is just endless.. Though we all know these things made no sense, we still followed it being scared of the consequences or not wanting to hurt their sentiments. We followed every rule because Periyavaa Sonna Perumal Sonna Maadhiri.. :-)