Two incidents that got me thinking....

That was one long break from this blog. I have been toying with shutting this blog down, but I get this niggling voice that says, oh this I should blog about and all...

Heard of rodent problem? How about the massive traffic, food, or even cockroach problem? Well, this one coffee shop in Pune I had been to faces what they call the 'police problem'. Nestled in the middle of buildings housing BPOs, the 11/12pm deadline mean they lose out on their main customers - BPO employees looking for a caffeine shot to boost up energy levels. Why not build it inside one of the buildings, I asked. Restricts clients only to that one building - this way there are walk in clients as well (like me). Plus, most of the BPOs have coffee shops or kiosks in their cafeteria. The BPO employees come to this cafe for meeting up with different people too. Hmm... Whatever the reason, they switch off the lights if a police van approaches. And the event the police do prod them to shut down, am sure money changes hands. Yes, I can see the problem. Its our Indian 'chalta hai' lets-make-this-one-occasion-an-exception attitude. We are all more than happy to bend, bypass and break rules. And who is to blame? The people whose duty it is to safeguard the rules! [How, and if, they perform this duty is a different part altogether] Police problem, indeed!!

Oh and a shout out and a big thanks for the kind lady at Pink Attire, Pune. Well, get this. Outside the venue of a formal do, in a part of the city you know nothing about, dressed in your dressy best. Not the best time for the person in charge of getting the gift to start muttering about gift wrapping - especially when there are no gift or stationary stores in sight. The lady at Pink Attire, puts her conversation with her client on hold and graciously gives us a swatch cloth to be used for wrapping a gift when we barge into her shop and explain our fix!! Any old cloth swatch would have done, but she eyes our gift, and asks her masterji to get a gold tissue cloth swatch. She could have simply shooed us away, and regaled her clients about the 'weird people problem' that she faces. Class? Manners? Nah, just attitude!

Anyway, check this tutorial for cloth/fabric gift wrapping.

[Image from: White Apricot ]

Overdosing, cravings and what have yous

Feeling like OD-ing on sleep right now. Yesterday, it was chocolate (thanks to a gift hamper by these generous people, but more about that later). Over the weekend it was eating all kinds of sinful food.
Hmm... I wonder if one can OD on awesome holidays. Imagine that!! That will take care of my cravings for these three days!
What do you wish to OD on today?

A modern-day love story...

Foreword
I have been meaning to write this for a long time. Being a subject so close to my heart, I don't think I am in a mood of studied writing. Be warned - lots gushing and mushy stuff ahead.

For
Hubby, sis and papa.
For making this love story possible.

Prologue
She sighed as she beheld the one she craved. Yearned for. One day... one day..

Chapter One and Only
It all began over a couple of years ago, when I got my iPhone as a birthday gift. A birthday gift that I insisted upon. And boy, am I glad I did. Back then, it was my Apple-adulation that was the main reason for craving it; right alongside the look-its-so-sexy and ooh-so-shiny. Yep, back then it was lust. Just basic lust. Then....

Then I got my paws on it, and started trawling the web and finding all about apps - free and more, SSH, themes, utilities. And the games. Once I started, I was hooked. I spent hours searching for app sources that I could add to my Installer. And then I discovered the mail facility. It was then that I truly fell in love. Soon, my GPRS bill was more than my phone call bill. But....

But it was tough trying to turn my nose up almost everyday on people (friends and colleagues) who were either just out to get me or diss the iPhone. Every story has villains - temporary ones or otherwise. But my love triumphed and held true. And then, one day...

One day my husband, S, told me about 2.1. And that I should upgrade. And all the people on the communities I had become a part of soon were saying the same thing. So... Took a deep breath and a backup. And upgraded my lovely to 2.1. And downgraded it back again the very next weekend. It slowed my love's reflexes. And she needed to sleep and recharge herself almost everyday!! And then there were those spells - she would just blank out all of a sudden. It was a trying time. It hurt me to see her so. So back to 1.1.3 it was. And then...

And then, soon, 3.0 was out! It had copy paste - global!! One weapon less in the iPhone-detractors' arsenal. It was fast. It worked on 2g as well. Landscape keyboard for messaging and more!! Another weapon gone. And it had global search. But my earlier experience advised caution. And so I waited, regularly checking out forums and message boards for any problem or glitch that I might encounter. And a couple of weeks ago, I (ok, fine, the hubby [I really can't bring myself to do such a severe operation on my love, you understand]) upgraded it to 3.0. And went into a app finding and downloading tizzy. And....

And they lived happily ever after.

Epilogue
All this while I have yet to find the perfect theme (am currently on buuf2). Any help, suggestions are welcome. If I find more, well, who knows, I might just write up a sequel to this....

Revisiting....

... old, well-loved books. Enjoyable, never-will-be-bored movies. Eateries/haunts where something new and delicious is always waiting to be discovered.
Why do I find myself reaching for a Nora Roberts or JRR Tolkien? Of late, where is this willingness to re-watch Star Wars, Transformers, Sex and the City, and many more cropping up from? Why when hubby wants to try out some new place, the first thing that pops in my mind is why not Out of the Blue, Cafe Basilico or Moshe's??
Do I need some comfort and soothing for unknown reasons? Or am I sub-consciously gearing up for change??

Bombai nagariya....

It has been a unique experience living in Mumbai (not that I am moving out, yet). It just struck me today that a lot of things that used to strike me as weird or convoluted actually make sense to me and some I can even relate to. Blame it on the dichotomy that living in Mumbai is. So, I compiled a list. Care to add to this?

Prior to Mumbai I never:

• felt the need for a locker in office. I fought to get one once I joined here. You do need a place to stash your just-in-case clothes for a sleepover at someone’s in the event of a riot/flood/rain/train strike/what-have-yous.
  
• wore flip-flops/sturdy shoes to office only to switch into my heels the minute I opened my locker. One twisted ankle and dozens of ladies scoring my feet with their heels have made me give up my heels on my way to and fro from office. That and the state of my both feet and high heels after a week of daily abuse on Mumbai streets and trains.
  
• understood the dark portends of 'too much rain'.
  
• realized how lucky I was to have two days off as the weekend.
  
• knew the existence and, indeed, the need of weekend getaways.
  
• realized how easy it is to take for granted the impromptu meet-ups with friends - you know, the 'hello-are-you-doing-nothing-right-now-too-?-then-lets-meet-up kind. It makes such a difference when say, friend lives in Mulund, you in Andheri and the place that you both really check out is in South Bombay.
  
• felt like a tiny, insignificant spec in the mind-boggling human mass that inhabits the earth.
  
• understood the grit it takes to wake up every morning, make the 2 hour commute to work, slog, commute back home in 2 hours, eat, watch telly for half an hour, sleep and get up to do this ad infinitum all the while fighting for a toehold on the train that takes you to the tiny box that you call office and back.
  
• lived in a city that is so awake all the time! Bangalore was a snooze fest. Pune was awesome but nowadays is only marginally better than Bangalore. In Mumbai, however, I don't get weirded out traveling alone even at 11. There are traffic jams here at 11 at night, for God's sake!
  
• understood the true meaning of customer service. Pune has its siestas, Bangalore its I-don't-need-your-business-but-since-you-are-in-my-shop-what-the-heck-ness, and Mumbai its home-delivery boys even for a humble kiraana shop which is open till 10. Even the fruit and vegetable vendors shut shop only after 11. I realize this is due the late hours the residents have to keep, but, seriously!!
  
• seen class differences blur like they do in Mumbai when it pours.
  
• seen total strangers bond over cheap baubles or an irate commuter like they do on Mumbai local trains.
  
• understood what a difference it makes to take a local train 3 minutes later than the usual one.
  
• realized how the mounds of garbage and filth that one passes by everyday, slowly become invisible.
  
• could comprehend how the can't-afford-to-stop-to-get-involved attitude lasts most of the year and suddenly transitions into helping hands during the monsoon.
  
• sympathized with Bombayites who complained that they found other cities boring. Am hoping that this 'boring/itchy' phase lasts only a short time when I move out of here.
  
• realized that people actually meant it when they said they were jealous of my one person cubicle. Ironically, I still have a one person cubicle. Yep, in Mumbai.
  
• could come to terms with how anyone could justify that changing trains, taking the foot-over (train tracks) bridges and catching the bus on the run is exercise.
  
• realized that when they claim to love of Mumbai in spite of everything they do/face, Mumbaikars mean it.

PS: My dream city (the city I want to settle down in) still remains Pune. It’s the city where I spent the first few heady years after college. Sigh. But, won’t embellish on Pune in this post; this one is about Mumbai.

Pic source.

Lifestyle change?

College. With little pocket money. Trying to stretch it to cover petrol, outings, food, dates, birthday gifts, movies, accessories, CDs and more. And trying to save some of it. Money seemed so important back then. Used to hand it out miserly.
Working now. Earning. Trying to stretch it to cover rent, petrol, groceries, shopping bills, credit card bills, insurance payments, beauty parlor payments, movies, Internet costs, maid costs... blah blah. And THEN trying to save some. Money is still important. Its just that now, I spend it like water. Lifestyle change? More like a mindset change.
Does it suddenly hit you, on some days, the enormous change that time has wrought on your spending habits? For me, its when I visit my mom or my in-laws. They still live like they used to - spending wisely. Somehow, between college and now, I have gone from spending miserly to lavishly without stopping for a second at wisely. Have decided to find out where it is, and stay there.
The problem, of course, is the return journey to miserly. Its uphill, you know! So when you are not concentrating hard (like when your concentration breaks coz you just spotted those Aldo or Charles and Keith heels at half off or a Mango or Van Heusen sale), you just sort of lose grip and slide back to lavishly . Still trying to find wisely. Do let me know if and how you found it, especially if you are living there.

The Indian TV reality arena

Take a look at this. Originality - where art thou?

Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao - I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!
Rakhi Ka Svayamvar - Who wants to marry a millionaire
Sach ka saamna - Moment of truth
Dance India Dance - So you think you can dance
Indian Idol - Pop Idol/American Idol
Bigg boss - Big Brother
Biggest Loser Jeetega - The Biggest Loser
Jhalak Dikhlaja - Dancing with the stars
India's got talent - America's got talent
Kaun Banega Crorepati - Who wants to be a Millionaire?
Bakra - Candid Camera, Punk’d
Khulja Sim Sim - Let's make a deal
Kismey Kitnaa Hain Dum - Night fever
Fear Factor
Kya Aap Paancchvi Pass Se Tez Hain - Are you smarter than a 5th grader?
Kam Ya Zyaada - More or Less
Naya Roop Nayi Zindagi - Extreme Makeover
Poker Face - Poker Face
Deal Ya No Deal - Deal or No Deal.
Mastermind India - Mastermind

Don't get me started on the Sa Re Ga Ma, Roadies, Nach Baliye, Laughter challenge wannabes (I loved these three, btw). At one point there were as many as 3 variations each of the Nach Baliye and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge formats airing. I have already posted about the Doordarshan days, so will not get into that.
Is it just me, or there is nothing fresh and Indian on the reality scene? I know it is easier to bank on the tried and tested show formats from other parts of the world, but seriously, is there a paucity of new ideas or all the ideas exhausted (ya, right. that would be the end of the world).
I would rather watch Survivor, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, Project Runway and Top Chef - and sometimes even Beauty and the Geek - than any of the current crop of Indian ones. I think only the most offensive, controversial and voyeuristic ones have been copied/remade. Oh, and lets not get into the discussion of IF reality is entertaining - it most certainly is. In all kinds of way: fun, sleazy, voyeuristic etc. That is not my point.
Wouldn't you like to see a desi version of The Amazing Race or While You Were Out or Guide to Style? But going by the trend, I guess we should expect something more on the lines of Temptation Island.
What do you guys say? Any super, original (I hate this overused, over-abused word in this context) ideas for a fun new show?

Btw, did I miss any (or get any wrong) in the list above?

Tea Centre, Churchgate

Three awesome weekends in a row.. How often does that happen?

Me and S discovered the Tea Centre near Churchgate recently. We used to walk past it when it was undergoing renovations and the tea-lover that I am, I used to sigh and say that once it opens, I am going to be spending a lot of time there. The reviews on burrp! were all positive too as were Gaurav, Lulu and the knife. Woke up a couple of weekend ago and decided that the weather was too beautiful, and me too lazy, to make breakfast and off we went to Tea Centre.
The incredible variety of teas on offer made choosing what to get, time-consuming - so decided to get the three we really wanted to taste. S stuck to Indian for breakfast and had the poha and upma, which were both good. My masala omlet, however, done more in Spanish style than Indian, lacked masala(!). The teas were superior though. The Banana Caramel and Hot Buttered Apple ones are liquid desserts - novel and lovely!!


Do try the scones - served with cream and jam - they are dry, crumbly and surprisingly filling. The best part about this place is that everything is freshly made (except the bread of course). So, the scones take anything around 15 minutes to turn up.
The service is slow, the ambiance has a old-club feel and the bells to summon the waiters are quaint.
I liked the place, and have fallen in love with the teas on offer here.