Necessity is the mother of invention ! - Part 1

Date : October 12,2007. 6:30 pm

Place:On the way back to my home in my office car.


I was traveling back home observing Chennai’s traffic at dusk after a terrific Friday at office.Sundar,sitting near me wanted to break the silence.Next few moments passed on with usual enquiries about work,office, managers,discussions on the
Speed limit while driving...blah...blahs...

Next came the standard question any IT'ian would face since his first weekend of his first job..."what is the plan for the next two days...?".. I replied "No plans for Saturday. On Sunday got to supervise and transport a TV and a showcase that I had purchased from my friend's place."... After a few seconds of silence... Sundar asked...”So you will be joining someone in this transit...?"

Me-"My parents have gone to my native for a week...I have to do this On my own..."...I don’t know what made my friend to stop questioning me further...!


Date: October 13, 2007, 8:30 pm

Place: Royal Shoppe, Velachery

Picked the collection basket and started hunting the items which included edible stuffs that I might need for next day.A 500g Maggi Masala,A Nestle curd tin,Unibic Butter cookies,Dosa Batter...Cooking is my passion and when I have to do it alone for me it becomes a time pass too...

Having collected all the items in my list,I proceeded to the billing section. The biller is not new to me. I know him for 2 years.He made the usual good will enquiries.

After the purchase, asked him " Will I get a mini truck along with two load men...I have to transit goods from kodambakkam to velachery..."...Thank God!. He did gave a reply without pausing even for a second about the possibility of a lady involving herself in a transit work."There are trucks available in the bye-pass road next to Rexx fashions...If you tell the driver about the strength of load he would arrange for the load men accordingly..." Yes...Happy to know that..But it was already 8:30 at night...Even if I took another half an hour to reach that place, It was critical for me at that hour to find a suitable truck...negotiate the fare...fix the time for transit...I decided not to do that at that unearthly hour and walked back home...

While I was climbing the steps in my apartments to reach the first floor...An idea flashed...Walked back again to the gate and searched if the security guard is found...A hexagenerian ...He does his role perfectly...From my observations on his work I feel it is is more than what he is supposed to...Right from gate keeping till paying eb/telephone bills for the residents...He came forward when he noticed me...

I recited my requirement...whew!! Got the information that there is a mini-truck which is owned by a supplier who sells mineral water cans to the residents of my apartments...He said he could call upon the guy to discuss further about the time and cost of transit...

In another 1 hour I finished my dinner and sat in the sofa closing the eyes with cogitations ..."Am I doing anything beyond my prepatent...will it work out?...Will I be able to do it myself...?"A similar one-hundred 'If-nots??' did a role-play in my thought process...

The perception of my dad's not-so-ok reply when I discussed about this triggered a second thought about the whole plan...But it was a remonstrance to my wherewithal…

'Ding Dong...'...The tocsin nudged me out and when I opened the door I found the security guard along with the truck owner/driver...I told him about the specifications of the goods...He nodded his head positively and the time to start from my place was fixed to be exactly 9:00 am the next day...He agreed to bring two load men to unload and load the goods...It was implicit that I would be traveling along in the truck....While I was about to discuss the cost, the truck owner hesitantly told that it might cost a little more as we would need to pay the load men...My instant reply was "I should'nt see a single scratch in the goods...Careful handling is important...Don’t worry about the cost...".

Date: October 14, 2007, 9:00 am

Place: My Apartments.

All set ready for an invited adventure...The mini-truck along with the driver and two load men (Must be in the age group of 20-21 years arrived at sharp 8:55...I started locking all the leeway doors inside my house...Now it is the turn for the main flush door and grill gate...

With the main key I locked the door...'Done'...I thought...But what is this?...Iam unable to take the key out of the lock...It is locked fine...But I need the keys with me...My God! This is not the first time I face this problem of key strucking...This must be the third or fourth time this troubling me...Especially when Iam alone...!!Have I got any 'Always manage yourself..!' written in my life...I should admit that this kind of handling problem myself has pushed me up most of the times also pulled me down certain times...OR am I witnessing a practical application of Murphy’s law?

Murphy's law is something which says "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way".....Wont an inverse of this law which is something like “Whatever can go right will go right at the worst possible time, in a best possible way”…..will work for me….I don’t think any such inverse law exists!

All these 24 years of living has taught me some maxims of life...One such is "Execute what you want without excuses..."

"Enna ma yedahvathu help venumaa?..."...Hearing this I stopped my attempt to pull the key out for a moment...It was the father of my neighbor who resides in the second floor...He was passing my floor downstairs for the weekly car cleansing...Should I tell a Yes or No?...My palm had already turned pink out of the thrust that I had applied...By this time the security guard and the driver arrived wondering the reason for me not coming down to board the truck...Also he understood what was going on...He asked me for a lubricant that would make the process of pulling the key out easier...I cannot get in to my home to fetch it since the door is locked...My neighbour went back to his home and got the lubricant can...After applying the lubricant to the lock, all three of us tried one round of pulling the key out...And yes it came out in the fourth attempt....I thanked my neighbour and walked down...Load men seated back I Got in the front seat of the truck...Having traveled in all means of transport right from Bi-cycle till Boeing ,I never dreamt that I would get a chance to travel sitting in the front seat of a load truck! Here on I pridely take the ownership of this journey...I tapped my feet..!

Journey continues...

'Brass Tacks' of life

A little nitty-gritty for everyone who... is single,engaged,married, has kids, expecting kids, successful, jobless, happy, unhappy or simply looking for the betterment of the inner soul!

A professor stood before his Philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They all agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. Again, they agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous - - yes, there's no room for anything else...

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour the entire contents in! to the jar. The students, surprised and astonished, laughed loudly."Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - - your family, your partner, your health, - - your children, your friends, your favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."The pebbles are the other things that matter like - - your job, - - your house, - - your car.The sand then is everything else - - the small stuff."

"If you put the sand (The small stuff) into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. Play another 18 holes of golf.There will always be time to go to work. To clean the house. To give a dinner party and fix the disposal."

"Take care of the golf balls first, they are the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked", he said ,"It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, There's always room for a couple of beers !!!!!!!!! "

Disclaimer:This blog was not written with the intention to promote the misuse of alcohol.Any reference to any liquor is purely coincidental.

Marilyn Monroe of Indian film

There have always been Indian films with more artistic aims and more sophisticated stories, both inside and outside the Bollywood tradition.The well acclaimed "Hero Worship had been a major gizmo for carving the political fate of states in India.

Stardom in the entertainment industry is very fickle, and Bollywood is no exception. The popularityof the stars can rise and fall rapidly. Directors compete to hire the most popular stars of the day, who are believed to guarantee the success of a movie.

I had been a watcher of Hindi movies though I dont speak/write the language.Though learning Hindi would help to enjoy the movie better it is NOT a must requirement when it comes to entertainment.

When Iam asked about my favourite Indian actors/actress my reply had always been a star from bollywood.Well...Iam not trying to insist that stars from south dont deserve it.That would be a unfair remark against legends like Sivaji Ganesan and kamalhassan who had/have an interminable thirst in their profession.When it comes to the representation of Indian Films as a wholeI would say that hindi films has got an Indian touch to it,be it the handsome /pretty looks of actors/actress,Scripts woven with musicals, catchy dances,melodramatic lyrics,family values,sync sound (Sound recorded on the location.The trend of recording in the studio was bucked in 2001 with the fim Lagaan in which producer-star Aamir Khan insisted that the sound be done on location.)

Madhubala is my favourite acterss.Popularly known as 'Marilyn Monroe' of Indian film is my favourite Indian actress.Her breathtaking beauty and performance in the 1960 blockbuster Mughal-e-Azam is simply mind-blowing.A warm and cheerful person by nature.She had undergone tremendous sufferings in her personal life.As sole support of her family, she accepted work in any film, causing her credibility as a dramatic actress to be seriously compromised.Madhubala's health conditions went worse required with long and grueling shooting schedules that made heavy physical demands on her.When nervous she suffered from uncontrolled outbursts of giggles and laughter which sometimes antagonised co-stars and directors.

In 1960, Madhubala sought treatment in London as her condition deteriorated. Complicated heart surgery was in its infancy and offered her some hope of a cure. After an examination the doctors there refused to operate, convinced her chances of surviving the procedure were minimal. Their advice was that she should rest and avoid overexertion, and predicted that she could live for another year. Knowing her death was imminent, Madhubala returned to India, but defied the predictions by living for another 9 years.

Madhubala finally succumbed to her illness and died on February 23rd, 1969, within days of her 36th birthday. In her short life, Madhubala made over 70 films. Her status and popularity has steadily grown until it has reachedawsome proportions today. She is often compared with Marilyn Monroe and has a similar position in Indian film history.

(PLEASE NOTE: This blog was written after research on Madhubala from Factual sources)

Freehand Micky :)

This was the freehand drawing that I painted using MS paint...

Thanks to Microsoft...It helped me to forget myself where

I sit and what I do for few minutes....

Delectable delite !

J - I - L - E -B -I......... "Celebration Sweet of India ".

India's most popular true classic. Once you start, can't leave them alone. Sticky & Crispy sweet you crave for. It is a hot favourite on any special occasion be it a birthday, wedding or festival. Jilebis though mostly eaten by themselves, can also be soaked in warm milk.

Pronounced Juhlaybee or Jeelaybee it is a delicious dessert. Jilebis are orange yellow in color and are about 3 inches in diameter. They are essentially deep fried batter in a coiled form soaked in sugar syrup.

This sweet is my sweetheart's favourite and of course mine too... :))

Ingredients:

2 cups All purpose flour (maida)

1 1/2 tbsp fine grained semolina or rice flour

1/4th tsp baking powder2 tbsp curd (plain yogurt)

1 1/4th cups warm water1/2 tsp saffron threads

Slowly dry-roasted and powdered 3 cups sugar

2 2/3rd cups water

1/2 tsp green cardamom seeds powder

11 /2 tbsp kewra water or rose water

Ghee or vegetable oil for frying.

How to make jilebi:

Mix the flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd and 3/4th cup of the water in a bowl (preferably a ceramic bowl).

Mix well with a whisk.

Mix well and then add remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron powder, and whisk until smooth.

Set aside for about 2 hours to ferment.

Whisk thoroughly before use.

Prepare one string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water.

Just before the syrup is ready add saffron and cardamom powder.

Heat oil in a kadhai.

Pour the batter in a steady stream ( or coconut shell with a hole) into the kadhai to form coils. Make a few at a time. Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown. Remove from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.

Appetizing ,enticing,dainty sweet is ready for you to taste!

Circadian rythm of my choice

“The feeling of sleepiness when you are not in bed, and can't get there, is the bittermost feeling in the world" -Edgar Watson Howe

5 Things I wish for

1) Get up when I want to.
2) Get ready at my own speed.
3) Practise my passion which includes glass painting, cooking,music...'n' other activities.
4) Spend my sundowns at home.
5) Beddy-bye without pressure.


5 Things that I undergo everyday

1) Get up with the thought of catching my office cab.
2) Get ready with the intention of reaching office at sharp 8.
3) Sit before my system mechanically and code a machine language which challenges my logics rather than my creativity.
4) Disburse my congenial eventides with a client who sits in another continent.
5) Sleep with chimeras that constitute post-release issues in my recent software suite .

Iam a chronic late riser right from my school days.Getting up early at 5:30 regularly is something that I had never practised or never wanted to.Late rising in my dictionary refers to getting up from bed anytime after 7:30 am.

For the past three years I wake up with the morning crabiness.Travel in the middle of ungodly noises and reach office. Open my mail box with prayers so that I see mails with not-so-bad remarks from clients.Follow flexible lunch slots that always has less priority compared to work slots.Incorrigible coffee from vending machines that denigrate my liking for it.Wind up my work with my eyelids begging for rest.

Iam not going to get into the valid reasons that necessiates an IT professional to stick on to a fussy daily routine.Personally, I wish God grants me a boon to compose my 24 hour cycle according to circadian rhythm of my choice.

"Are you a doctor...?"

"Your face, my thane, is as a book where Men may read strange matters."
--William Shakespeare in “Macbeth”.

Human beings possess three bodies. First, there is the physical body, which you can see and is tangible. It is solid and has a shape, a color and a texture. The second and third bodies are the mental and the spiritual which are intangible and merge with the physical body. Our true nature begins to take on a physical form in our face. It is where our emotions and our state of health are first revealed.

With this prolouge...
I was dazed when I was asked "Are you a doctor?" by two people whom I have never met before in the past two days.One who asked me was a patient when I visited the doctor for my ailment (Funny!).Another was an infy girl who travelled with me in the train.

Well...Iam not sure if my face reflected the looks of a physician.Anyway it was one incident that made me think about face reading toady.

Diva of Fashion !

I recently came across this chinese proverb "Three-tenths of a woman's good looks are due to nature, seven-tenths to dress;" It has long, however, been a familiar adage in most countries that "fine feathers make fine birds".

I got a chance to visit 'WestSide' at Spencer Plaza this weekend.Buying a thermal wear and t-shirts for the forthcoming Coorg trip was the objective of my visit.It hardly took 15 - 20 mins to choose two cotton t-shirts,one in black another in pink color for the tracks that I had chosen to wear for the trekking.Also found a pale blue jerkin that would match my shoes (Believe me... matching colors give a composed outlook).

As it is the case always , I was just giving a look at the 'Mix and Match' section of the outlet.
('Mix and Match' section is a place where you can find lots of kurtas and salwars that can be picked and matched with pants.Its your matching skills that matters a lot !!)

Alvo !! I found the patiala type of salwars in group of colors.Purchased a black-red combo.This supersoft lightweight cotton is a breeze to wear.Shimmering gold paisleys enliven the black cotton adding an extra exotic appeal to this simple salwar type pants.

Its is very similar to salwar except that a patiala salwar has 3-4 pleats sewn into the sides of each salwar leg.These pleats run vertically from the top and are sewn into the hem at the ankle.The patiala is a very attractive version of the traditional salwar.

Patiala salwar kameez has got some special historical background.Patiala is a place in punjab in North India.The king of patiala used to wear baggy type salwar with long loose kameez with full sleeves.This has been reformed to this modern ethnic wear.

My selection won appreciation among girls at office.One of my team mate has planned to visit Spencer's today to buy one such attire.

The woman of today would like to choose an outfit which is Elegant, Feminine, Rooted in tradition,Seductive,Exotic,an Icon of class, Charming,Diva of fashion...

Yummy yummy yum !!

I-C-E C-R-E-A-M ...........

This is supposed to be a delightful dessert for all age groups…

Some of the flavours that I know Vanilla, Chocolate, Butter Pecan, Strawberry, Neapolitan, Chocolate Chip,French Vanilla, Cookies & Cream, Vanilla Fudge Ripple, Praline Pecan,Cherry, Chocolate Almond, Coffee,Rocky Road, Chocolate Marshmallow
In terms of specific ingredients, the recipe for ice cream is simple. But in scientific terms, it's complicated stuff. Ice cream is a colloid, a type of emulsion. An emulsion is a combination of two substances that don't normally mix together. Instead, one of the substances is dispersed throughout the other. In ice cream, molecules of fat are suspended in a water-sugar-ice structure along with air bubbles. The presence of air means that ice cream is also technically a foam.

In addition to milk fat, non-fat milk solids, sugar, and air, ice cream also contains stabilizers and emulsifiers. Stabilizers help hold the air bubble structure together and give the ice cream a better texture. Although gelatin was originally used as a stabilizer, xanthan gum, guar gum, and other compounds are used today. Emulsifiers keep the ice cream smooth and aid the distribution of the fat molecules throughout the colloid. Egg yolks were once used, but ice cream manufacturers now tend to use other chemical compounds. These stabilizers and emulsifiers make up a very small proportion (less than one percent) of the ice cream. - Taken from HowStuffWorks.com

The history of ice cream…

Once upon a time, hundreds of years ago, Charles I of England hosted a sumptuous state banquet for many of his friends and family. The meal, consisting of many delicacies of the day, had been simply superb but the "coup de grace" was yet to come. After much preparation, the King's french chef had concocted an apparently new dish. It was cold and resembled fresh- fallen snow but was much creamier and sweeter than any other after- dinner dessert. The guests were delighted, as was Charles, who summoned the cook and asked him not to divulge the recipe for his frozen cream. The King wanted the delicacy to be served only at the Royal table and offered the cook 500 pounds a year to keep it that way. Sometime later, however, poor Charles fell into disfavour with his people and was beheaded in 1649. But by that time, the secret of the frozen cream remained a secret no more. The cook, named DeMirco, had not kept his promise.

This story is just one of many of the fascinating tales which surround the evolution of our country's most popular dessert, ice cream. It is likely that ice cream was not invented, but rather came to be over years of similar efforts. Indeed, the Roman Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar is said to have sent slaves to the mountains to bring snow and ice to cool and freeze the fruit drinks he was so fond of. Centuries later, the Italian Marco Polo returned from his famous journey to the Far East with a recipe for making water ices resembling modern day sherbets.

Here goes the story...

Long long ago....so long ago....there lived a king who ruled an empire.He had a severe threat of attack from his foe who ruled another empire.

The king and his minister were called to the enemy territory for a talk of Peace.The enemy promised to withdraw his armed adversaries if the king helped him to marry his lady love.The king accepted this deal and asked him what the problem was.

The challenger told that his lady love was ready to marry him only if he answers her question and the question placed in front of him was "WHAT MAKES A WOMAN HAPPY...?".

The king and his minister got astonished.They were not able to give their challenger an apt reply , but still hoping to give him a suitable answer they started to travel back to their country.

On the way back they had to cross a forest and already it was a damn dark.
After walking a few miles,a specter appeared in front them.

The disturbing figure threatened to kill them if they dont take her along with them.
The minister who was very loyal to the king placed a deal in front of the specter.He accepted to marry the specter and take her along with him if the specter helps him to find a reply for the question "WHAT MAKES A WOMAN HAPPY...."?.

The specter started laughing and told to the minister that the answer was quite simple and she knows it.But again, even if the minister marries her he would have to choose one of the below options:

• The specter would remain a beautiful lady during the day time and a specter during the night time.
• The other option was she would remain a specter during the day time and beautiful lady during the night time.

The minister was stunned for a while.

He was ready to accept the specter as such in any form.Moreover safeguarding his kingdom was more important to him than anything else.

He told the specter "I give you the freedom to decide your options....I would love you in any form....Its up to you to decide....All I need is to save my boss....I need the answer for the question....What can make a woman feel happy?....".

The specter felt so happy "Iam impressed with your reply....Looking at your loyalty towards your boss I feel lucky to be yours....Above all I love you for having given me the freedom to decide....I have decided to remain beautiful always....I feel very happy now....I feel very happy....Guess you got the reply for your question too...."

The minister and the king were happy that they were able to get the answer for their challenger's question.They gave the answer and saved their kingdom.The minister married the specter,who was not a specter anymore.

The story ends here.

"Freedom to decide" - A woman's bliss.

She desires to decide...This exalts a woman...

According to choice theory for all practical purposes we choose everything we do including the misery we feel...

A woman would like to take more effective control and make better choices...It is a way how we actually function...How we combine what is written in our genes with what we learn as we live our lives...

The seed of almost all our unhappiness are planted early in our lives when we begin to encounter people who have discovered not only what is right for them -but also,unfortunately ,what is right for us.

Armed with the discovery and following a destructive tradition that has dominated our thinking for thousands of years,we are forced to do what they kow is right.

Besides survival which depends a lot on our physiology,we are genetically programmed to try to satisfy four psychological needs love & belonging , power , freedom and fun.

Here, the third need 'freedom' or to be more specific 'freedom to decide' -This makes a woman's life an elysian journey.

A woman's desire

"Woman psychology"....
Well,I dont have an expertise on that.Being a woman,I have realised to some extent that we do think, behave alike in certain aspects.

Frank Sinatra in his book The Way You Wear Your Hat says...
"I'm supposed to have a Ph.D. on the subject of women. But the truth is I've flunked more often than not. I'm very fond of women; I admire them. But, like all men,I don't understand them"

As far as Iam concerned ,I strongly believe that there cannot be any time frame to understand someone completely . Be it a Man/Woman.It all depends on how soon/frequently we get an opportunity to know them better.

But what can make a woman feel to be at the top of the world...
Some thing that makes her feel chill and happy...

Wealth ?.. No
Good Husband ?.. Yes ,to some extent
Good Children?.. Yes ,to some extent

Fine..But to full extent...?

Keep thinking...

Will give you a story as an answer for this in my next post :-)