Stuck in a maze and looks like I'm not really doing a good job of finding the way out. Clearly, there must be a way out. Maybe, there is an algorithm out there somewhere to simplify all this. Yes. All I need to do is shoot a few yes/no- type questions and hook it up with an if-then-else condition and voila! The answer is right there, staring at my face. How delightful! Oh hold on. Just realised I don't know what the questions are! When Deep Thought did something similar, it seemed like a truly LOL moment. Damn it. Life could be such a nasty bitch sometimes.
Dec 25, 2009
Jul 6, 2009
Mix 'n Match.Sometimes Unmatch.
I've discovered a recent pastime of mine- trying out all possible combinations, when it comes to fruit juices, more popularly referred to as mocktails. But these are not the regular combos that you can find right away in the menu or on the card outside the juice stall or anything. These are too ingenious to be confined in them.
Some of them sound normal and taste normal while some sound normal but taste really weird (read sad). There is this another class of combos, which sound weird but taste good and there is this last class, where it sounds and tastes weird as well.
One of my favourites is a combination of orange and carrot juice, with the proportion of orange being higher. The citric orange with a great flavour gets better with the slight bitterness of the carrot juice. Ideal ratio- 1.5:1 ratio of orange to carrot tastes heavenly. Another kick-ass weird combo is mango and musk melon. Strange as it may sound, it actually tastes really good. Call it the speciality of the king of fruits or the simplicity of the melon family, when they are brought together, they give out a simply rich flavour and taste. The mango juice, being smooth and pulpy mixes well with the coarse and thick musk melon and the result is a great pulpy, grainy mocktail. Drink it extra cold and you'll know what I'm talking about. Ideal ratio- mango to musk melon 2:1.
Surprisingly, a melon-melon combination actually tastes unpalatable. When I made my friends taste a water melon-musk melon combo, they thankfully refrained themselves from spitting on me for the sake of decency in public. Even if they had, they would have been justified in doing so. One more combination which was a little short of a disaster was water melon-chikku-sweet lime. None of us knew whether we should spit out the juice first and then throw up or vice versa. The faint pungent flavour exclusive to chikku created havoc when it mixed(rather, tried mixing) with the uncomplicated melon and sweet lime. This, I might confess, was pathetic. But there is one combination that me and my friends tried back in college and till date (fortunately), I haven't tasted anything worse in my life. It was a sickly mixture of vanilla milkshake, black currant ice-cream, orange fizz and tomato ketchup. What on earth made us do that? Well, if we had been rational enough to think about it, we would never have done it in the first place!
But an honestly great combination that I've hit upon in my experiments is that of mango-black jamun (naval pazham, as we call it in tamil). A truly brilliant pairing with the jamun lending a sharp and tangy flavour to the magical mango and the taste hits you right away leaving your taste buds asking for more. This one mixes and matches. Ideal ratio- mango to black jamun 2:1. Whip it up with a little vanilla ice-cream and you could be screaming for more.
But the best part is, I've observed one commonality whenever I order any of these. A strange, really strange, look from the guy serving (rather cautiously) the juice to me. And his look would always suggest two things- either he is going to barf or he thinks I will. Neither of it has happened yet. So I think my experiments aren't all that bad ;)
P.S: Do all this mix 'n match with some style, however gross the combination might turn out to be. That way, you would still end up looking cool even after a soul-sucking disaster.
P.P.S: Do not get back to me asking for suggestions for cocktail. I'm a nice girl from decent family.
P.P.P.S: One fine day, if you end up trying out any of the above combinations in any high-brow juice shop or anywhere, you know whom to think/thank!
Some of them sound normal and taste normal while some sound normal but taste really weird (read sad). There is this another class of combos, which sound weird but taste good and there is this last class, where it sounds and tastes weird as well.
One of my favourites is a combination of orange and carrot juice, with the proportion of orange being higher. The citric orange with a great flavour gets better with the slight bitterness of the carrot juice. Ideal ratio- 1.5:1 ratio of orange to carrot tastes heavenly. Another kick-ass weird combo is mango and musk melon. Strange as it may sound, it actually tastes really good. Call it the speciality of the king of fruits or the simplicity of the melon family, when they are brought together, they give out a simply rich flavour and taste. The mango juice, being smooth and pulpy mixes well with the coarse and thick musk melon and the result is a great pulpy, grainy mocktail. Drink it extra cold and you'll know what I'm talking about. Ideal ratio- mango to musk melon 2:1.
Surprisingly, a melon-melon combination actually tastes unpalatable. When I made my friends taste a water melon-musk melon combo, they thankfully refrained themselves from spitting on me for the sake of decency in public. Even if they had, they would have been justified in doing so. One more combination which was a little short of a disaster was water melon-chikku-sweet lime. None of us knew whether we should spit out the juice first and then throw up or vice versa. The faint pungent flavour exclusive to chikku created havoc when it mixed(rather, tried mixing) with the uncomplicated melon and sweet lime. This, I might confess, was pathetic. But there is one combination that me and my friends tried back in college and till date (fortunately), I haven't tasted anything worse in my life. It was a sickly mixture of vanilla milkshake, black currant ice-cream, orange fizz and tomato ketchup. What on earth made us do that? Well, if we had been rational enough to think about it, we would never have done it in the first place!
But an honestly great combination that I've hit upon in my experiments is that of mango-black jamun (naval pazham, as we call it in tamil). A truly brilliant pairing with the jamun lending a sharp and tangy flavour to the magical mango and the taste hits you right away leaving your taste buds asking for more. This one mixes and matches. Ideal ratio- mango to black jamun 2:1. Whip it up with a little vanilla ice-cream and you could be screaming for more.
But the best part is, I've observed one commonality whenever I order any of these. A strange, really strange, look from the guy serving (rather cautiously) the juice to me. And his look would always suggest two things- either he is going to barf or he thinks I will. Neither of it has happened yet. So I think my experiments aren't all that bad ;)
P.S: Do all this mix 'n match with some style, however gross the combination might turn out to be. That way, you would still end up looking cool even after a soul-sucking disaster.
P.P.S: Do not get back to me asking for suggestions for cocktail. I'm a nice girl from decent family.
P.P.P.S: One fine day, if you end up trying out any of the above combinations in any high-brow juice shop or anywhere, you know whom to think/thank!
May 19, 2009
Its the heat talking
Incessant heat
which I can't beat;
not so sweet
hardly a treat
A terrible time to walk on the street
something I wouldn't greet
forgotten, is the pleasure to walk bare feet
now considered not-so-discreet
Beads of sweat crawling all over me
when can I break free?
Wish I could go and ski
without paying a fee
There aren't much trees in sight
Come to think of it, that gives me a fright
As if I've seen a ghost in the dark night
because the future doen't seem too bright
Lamenting, this may sound,
making one think if I'm a wild hound
on the loose, with nothing but sound
which isn't to be bound
After all, one swallow doesn't make a summer
which, methinks, is a complete bummer;
for, with the energy like a rock-band drummer
one can make a change that others would remember
Alas, here too, there is a catch
for, any change is resisted by pulling a latch
so tight that one's dream would never hatch
leaving nothing for the giver, but a dark patch
Learning to see the single ray of hope against the flood of light
might give us a little treat to the sight
which requires a great deal of courage and might
to be able to even think beyond just the night.
which I can't beat;
not so sweet
hardly a treat
A terrible time to walk on the street
something I wouldn't greet
forgotten, is the pleasure to walk bare feet
now considered not-so-discreet
Beads of sweat crawling all over me
when can I break free?
Wish I could go and ski
without paying a fee
There aren't much trees in sight
Come to think of it, that gives me a fright
As if I've seen a ghost in the dark night
because the future doen't seem too bright
Lamenting, this may sound,
making one think if I'm a wild hound
on the loose, with nothing but sound
which isn't to be bound
After all, one swallow doesn't make a summer
which, methinks, is a complete bummer;
for, with the energy like a rock-band drummer
one can make a change that others would remember
Alas, here too, there is a catch
for, any change is resisted by pulling a latch
so tight that one's dream would never hatch
leaving nothing for the giver, but a dark patch
Learning to see the single ray of hope against the flood of light
might give us a little treat to the sight
which requires a great deal of courage and might
to be able to even think beyond just the night.
Apr 8, 2009
G FOR GRADUATE
Things change. Things grow. So do people.
Three years back, I was the person who just couldn't stop complaining about my college, the role it played as an educational institution. Ours was a strictly Money-Only-Policy college. But as the years passed by, they changed their principle to more-and-more-money-only-policy. Students were made to shell out money at all points of time and at every opportunity possible. You want to participate in your own culturals, pay an entry fee. You want to register yourself for on-campus placements, be ready to blow up half a grand (note: non-refundable, even if u don't get placed). You want a farewell, contribute money. You want a Convocation ceremony to be conducted, just pay up. Don't you know the rules by now? Their creativity, when it came to minting money from us, ran at 120hp!
By the end of 1st year, I thought "Well, the only thing that still keeps me sane in this institution dedicated for insanity is the social life I've managed to forge. Probably that is worthy enough to pull through another couple of years".
And thus I entered my 2nd year of college. By now, I was enjoying life at a full blast. I no longer cared for what the institution was upto and how it came up with every possible way of dampening our interests, academic and otherwise. I owe my power of tolerance to all the active members of my social life, whom I choose to call my friends. Now this got me thinking "Hey. It isn't as bad as I thought it to be. Probably I should keep a more open mind and try seeing the silver lining".
Enter final year. Enjoy maadi doesn't even begin to describe that one year of college! With probably the maximum bunks recorded in history,participating in countless inter/intra college culturals and having full attendance there, kicking ass whenever any of the management members tried to add special fx to the already ruined lives of ours, exploring the city to the fullest extent by all modes of transport and at every possible time of the day including the ungodly hours, having and giving completely memorable and unforgettable(even if you are a victim of amnesia) birthdays, with of course, music and food forming an integral part of all these!
By the end of it, it all became clear to me. A college, however bad as an institution it might be, is worth the time we spend there, if not for anything,atleast the social part of it. The rush that one gets in experimenting with life, the unadulterated pleasure in meeting people that it makes us go hug everyone around crazily, learning valuable lessons of crisis-management (with every lecturer dumping us in a ditch with the countless assignments and projects, this skill has become a second-habit to me now) and a lot more.
The Graduates.
I've finally graduated. The sheer pride and happiness that I carry with me right now has managed to push, rather toss aside every thing, every aspect and every person that made me hate college. Well, its worth all the time I spent in this thankless institution. I still haven't, and never will, stop bitching about my college. But when someone other than a fellow hell-mate does the same, I just rise up to the occasion and defend my ex-hell-hole with all due pride and passion.
Three years back, I was the person who just couldn't stop complaining about my college, the role it played as an educational institution. Ours was a strictly Money-Only-Policy college. But as the years passed by, they changed their principle to more-and-more-money-only-policy. Students were made to shell out money at all points of time and at every opportunity possible. You want to participate in your own culturals, pay an entry fee. You want to register yourself for on-campus placements, be ready to blow up half a grand (note: non-refundable, even if u don't get placed). You want a farewell, contribute money. You want a Convocation ceremony to be conducted, just pay up. Don't you know the rules by now? Their creativity, when it came to minting money from us, ran at 120hp!
By the end of 1st year, I thought "Well, the only thing that still keeps me sane in this institution dedicated for insanity is the social life I've managed to forge. Probably that is worthy enough to pull through another couple of years".
And thus I entered my 2nd year of college. By now, I was enjoying life at a full blast. I no longer cared for what the institution was upto and how it came up with every possible way of dampening our interests, academic and otherwise. I owe my power of tolerance to all the active members of my social life, whom I choose to call my friends. Now this got me thinking "Hey. It isn't as bad as I thought it to be. Probably I should keep a more open mind and try seeing the silver lining".
Enter final year. Enjoy maadi doesn't even begin to describe that one year of college! With probably the maximum bunks recorded in history,participating in countless inter/intra college culturals and having full attendance there, kicking ass whenever any of the management members tried to add special fx to the already ruined lives of ours, exploring the city to the fullest extent by all modes of transport and at every possible time of the day including the ungodly hours, having and giving completely memorable and unforgettable(even if you are a victim of amnesia) birthdays, with of course, music and food forming an integral part of all these!
By the end of it, it all became clear to me. A college, however bad as an institution it might be, is worth the time we spend there, if not for anything,atleast the social part of it. The rush that one gets in experimenting with life, the unadulterated pleasure in meeting people that it makes us go hug everyone around crazily, learning valuable lessons of crisis-management (with every lecturer dumping us in a ditch with the countless assignments and projects, this skill has become a second-habit to me now) and a lot more.
The Graduates.I've finally graduated. The sheer pride and happiness that I carry with me right now has managed to push, rather toss aside every thing, every aspect and every person that made me hate college. Well, its worth all the time I spent in this thankless institution. I still haven't, and never will, stop bitching about my college. But when someone other than a fellow hell-mate does the same, I just rise up to the occasion and defend my ex-hell-hole with all due pride and passion.
Mar 30, 2009
THE GUILTY PLEASURE OF YAWNING
I recently discovered that the stronger you try to resist a yawn, the longer you end up yawning.
I've lately been affected by these continuous bouts of yawning. I wake up with a yawn, yawn once i'm outta bath and continue to do so while having breakfast and reading the newspaper. By this time, my comfort level with yawning reaches an amazing level that I keep yawning for the sheer pleasure of it- "stretch-close-stretch-close-stretch....". Its an involuntary muscle movement which I voluntarily, wilfully and joyfully let conquer me.
In the last few days, it has become almost an addiction, so much, that I keep yawning at work. Needless to say, I become an easily kalaachufyable target, providing everyone their quota of daily humor. A kutti sample of my plight at the hands of my colleagues(cg):
Cg1: Pa! Evlo perisa kottavi vidara paaru!
Cg2: Aamam da... Krishna Paramathma madhiri- vaaya thirandha ulagame theriyum.
Cg1: Cha appadi illa da. Konjam utthu paartha Krishna Paramathmave therivaru!
*laughs and claps all around*
Scientific studies tell us that a person yawns because of tiredness, subtly(!) hinting disinterest or the brain's way of telling that it needs some rest or the heart trying to pump oxygen in the blood flowing to the brain. It is fairly obvious that wherever there is a scientific perspective involved, religion and/or superstition closely follow. Yawns aren't free of these either. The Greeks believed in closing their mouth and yawning because otherwise, the soul would escape the body! Truly interesting! But I deeply and passionately feel that the essence of yawning is spoilt once we try to over-analyse the cause/reason for it(Note: A simple analysis is always enjoyable. Its when the over-analysing phase begins, it becomes annoying!). On the other hand, its a devilishly great time-pass to analyse the effects of it.
I feel so content with a wholesome yawn. A wholesome yawn, me thinks, is when we stretch our mouth so widely and yawn for atleast half a minute, that our eyes almost start watering. Ah! The eternal bliss of a yawn!
A yawn is best felt, all the more, when in group. Try noticing how happy you feel when you trigger a chain of yawns among your friends or become the victim, albeit a wilful one, of a contagious yawn.
All humans enjoy a guilty pleasure/s. And, one of mine is yawning :)
P.S: For all those who haven't sat through any boring lectures/ seminars at school/college/with parents, you just had a little preview of it.
I've lately been affected by these continuous bouts of yawning. I wake up with a yawn, yawn once i'm outta bath and continue to do so while having breakfast and reading the newspaper. By this time, my comfort level with yawning reaches an amazing level that I keep yawning for the sheer pleasure of it- "stretch-close-stretch-close-stretch....". Its an involuntary muscle movement which I voluntarily, wilfully and joyfully let conquer me.
In the last few days, it has become almost an addiction, so much, that I keep yawning at work. Needless to say, I become an easily kalaachufyable target, providing everyone their quota of daily humor. A kutti sample of my plight at the hands of my colleagues(cg):
Cg1: Pa! Evlo perisa kottavi vidara paaru!
Cg2: Aamam da... Krishna Paramathma madhiri- vaaya thirandha ulagame theriyum.
Cg1: Cha appadi illa da. Konjam utthu paartha Krishna Paramathmave therivaru!
*laughs and claps all around*
Scientific studies tell us that a person yawns because of tiredness, subtly(!) hinting disinterest or the brain's way of telling that it needs some rest or the heart trying to pump oxygen in the blood flowing to the brain. It is fairly obvious that wherever there is a scientific perspective involved, religion and/or superstition closely follow. Yawns aren't free of these either. The Greeks believed in closing their mouth and yawning because otherwise, the soul would escape the body! Truly interesting! But I deeply and passionately feel that the essence of yawning is spoilt once we try to over-analyse the cause/reason for it(Note: A simple analysis is always enjoyable. Its when the over-analysing phase begins, it becomes annoying!). On the other hand, its a devilishly great time-pass to analyse the effects of it.
I feel so content with a wholesome yawn. A wholesome yawn, me thinks, is when we stretch our mouth so widely and yawn for atleast half a minute, that our eyes almost start watering. Ah! The eternal bliss of a yawn!
A yawn is best felt, all the more, when in group. Try noticing how happy you feel when you trigger a chain of yawns among your friends or become the victim, albeit a wilful one, of a contagious yawn.
All humans enjoy a guilty pleasure/s. And, one of mine is yawning :)
P.S: For all those who haven't sat through any boring lectures/ seminars at school/college/with parents, you just had a little preview of it.
Mar 18, 2009
Moolai Kasakkals
Full-throated laugther. The bloody blood sucking bitches, more commonly known as mosquitoes. The monotony of a singular social life. The unfathomable depth of the bored state. A heart so heavy of hope that it makes me grin for no reason. The pure pleasure of not needing to explain the reason for the things one does... So many thoughts cramming my head and yet I can't think on what to write.
So what is that supposed to suggest? A full-head, so full that one can't identify and articulate each thought, is actually empty? Or an empty head, so gaali that you can actually hear the blood rushing between your ears, makes one believe that its too full? Well, I can't really figure it out. Hey! But they say mathematics makes complex things simple. So I can probably try establishing the above relativity (!) theory by breaking it down into a simple formula:
All things remaining normal,
So what is that supposed to suggest? A full-head, so full that one can't identify and articulate each thought, is actually empty? Or an empty head, so gaali that you can actually hear the blood rushing between your ears, makes one believe that its too full? Well, I can't really figure it out. Hey! But they say mathematics makes complex things simple. So I can probably try establishing the above relativity (!) theory by breaking it down into a simple formula:
All things remaining normal,
e(H)= i f(H)
wherein;
e= empty
H= head
i= imaginary
f= full
e= empty
H= head
i= imaginary
f= full
So, the above formula should read: " an empty head means that one has an imaginary feeling of the same being full".
Got it? My heart would be imploding if you'd answered in the affirmative because my blah-meter is ticking away to glory at this farce that I call formula.
Well, better things caught my attention than mere algebra at maths classes!
Bah! Its such a bore to even proof-read this thing. So back to where I started. ....
A blank. Yeah. Thats what it is. So, now, is my head full or empty? .........
Got it? My heart would be imploding if you'd answered in the affirmative because my blah-meter is ticking away to glory at this farce that I call formula.
Well, better things caught my attention than mere algebra at maths classes!
Bah! Its such a bore to even proof-read this thing. So back to where I started. ....
A blank. Yeah. Thats what it is. So, now, is my head full or empty? .........
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