Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Busy busy busieeeeeeey!!!!

Alright people! I thought I'd have some free time even after joining M.Sc. But I was soooo wrong!

Sigh... I'll have much to learn! And not enough time! *sob sob* This is just to let all those people know I'm a bit tied down at the moment. But worry not! I will come back! :D

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Mom's surgery dates are fixed!

Remember my mom and her tryst with the ground (read: she fell down and broke her back)?

Well.... it's official now. She'll have her surgery on 8th August 2008.
Wait... that's when the Beijing Olympics starts! Ooookay! Way to go Mom! ;D

I mean come on! How many people can say they had their operation on 08/08/08? I mean... it would mean the same the world over... mm/dd/yy.... dd/mm/yy/....yy/mm/dd... you get the picture!

Sienna Miller wears a scrunchie!!! *GASP* Biiiig Deal!

Yeah well... I just don't get it! I positively do not get it people!

Sienna Miller was spotted wearing a scrunchie. And suddenly the whole of the fashion Industry is after her asking her to take it off. I want to ask... what's so bad with wearing a scrunchie? I mean... it serves its purpose... it's comfortable, keeps hair out of the way and well... it isn't exactly a hazard to health! So tell me, what's so wrong wearing one of these things?

Makes me wonder again. What exactly is fashion anyway?
There are so many people out there who aren't glued to Vogue or Elle (some people would rather feed themselves with the money it requires to purchase these magazines... I would!) and they don't care whether *he* was wearing speedos with rhinestones underneath his tuxedo or if *She* was caught wearing a scruchie!

I've enough hair ties to last me another ten thousand years and well... I can't say no to a good scrunchie. So, I seriously don't see what's the big deal about!

*sigh* I guess these silly rules about what to wear and flaming celebrities who do faux pas will not exactly stop. But seriously... I feel sorry for them! If someone told me that they'd burn my scrunchie down, I'd probably accompany the person to the hospital to have my fist removed from his nose!

Again Ms. Miller... I sympathise with you... and well.... power to you for wearing what you want to wear!

(P.S. There's a link within that page that slams that poor lady(read: Ms. Miller) for reusing her scarf... Riiiight. Now people can't even reuse their clothes huh? She may be rich... but atleast she's not being stupid! Oy vey! Is it just me or did we just lose sanity to the aliens?)

(P.P.S. And I don't wanna hear people slamming me down for this post people! I'm not a Miller fan here. And I would've said the same thing no matter who the celebrity was. So, peace! =D)

Maggie Vs. Top Ramen...???

Does it seem silly to be comparing two brands of instant (not quite) noodles? Well... when you're all alone at home with nothing but these things for company and your stomach's giving out sounds like something sinister is about to burst out of you, I assure you my dear reader, it will be the sanest thing you do.

Mom had to go to the doctor on that day. And Dad HAD to make just enough food in the afternoon to last us for lunch. And I just HAD to be left alone in the evening with not a grain of cooked rice at sight! (They say I might worsen my mother's condition! *GASP* That's too cruel! Oh well... I might)

And so, after having stared at the ceiling for a good half an hour and having finished watching the First season of Bleach in another hour or so aaaaaaand having listened to the neighbour's grinder grind for yet another five minutes, I decided...I had had enough! I shall NOT starve anymore.

And so, mustering my spirits, I marched to the kitchen. There was nothing there except a lone onion and a pack of Maggie Instant Noodles. For the life in me, I cannot comprehend why they call it 'Instant' Noodles. It takes well nigh twenty minutes to make the darn thing edible! And NO! It takes more than the '2 minutes' that the adverts proclaim it takes!

And since I lacked the culinary expertise of the pretty and saree-clad 'mummies' in those advertisements, I had to improvise.

Now, this is not the first time I'm handling these things. There was once a time (read: summer vacation coupled with a working mom and a lazy grandmother) when I had lived on these things. So, though my cooking wouldn't exactly floor professional chefs, I'm sure I won't be sending anyone to their graves with my cooking!

Suddenly, as I open the container that contains these packs, I realize one thing. They're not the usual ones that I use.

Well... if you're curious, I use Top Ramen. And the ones that I had were Maggie. I thought there wouldn't be much of a difference in these brands. But I couldn't be farther from the fact.

By the time I had prepared the Maggie Noodles, I had burnt the lone onion, I had split enough oil to cause concern for the orthopedic departments in the city hospitals and I had also succeeded in turning my kitchen into some place that looks like those dream scenes from the movies of the late 1980s.

And the reason?
I had opened the taste maker that comes with the noodles and there was enough 'flavour' in it to send me into a coughing fit for a whole five minutes!

Now, any person who's never seen these taste makers will wonder... what in the holy name of Renji Abarai's Zabimaru's baboon hiney is she talking about?

Well... as you'll know, Indians aren't a very adjusting lot. They wish to bring a little bit of their 'thing' into everything they do... everywhere they go. And since the authentic noodles of the Far East will probably cause any Indian worth his curries reach out for the salt and pepper shakers by the dozen at one go, the manufacturers spike the taste of these food items to suit the Indian Palette.

This is one reason why 'Chinese' in India is not exactly 'Chinese' in China. (And just to get things right... I love Japanese food... the bland saltiness some of their dishes have really keep me going!)

And all of this brings me to the point in contention. Maggie or Top Ramen?

These are a few reasons why I prefer Top Ramen...

  • The Noodles that come in the Top Ramen packs are a bit stronger. If I were to put them in hot water, they will not break at the slightest nudge and so... by the time the preparation's complete, I can slurp all I want!

  • The taste maker of Top Ramen is blander. (read: it does not make you worry cough for a very very long time) And furthermore... it tastes more like Ramen would! That bland saltiness with a hint of spices?

  • The noodles of Top Ramen don't exactly absorb all the residual water in the pan on cooling. This means many things... one... there is a little amount of the broth with the noodles and that ensures greater flavour moderation. Two... I don't have to move Heaven and Earth to clean the dishes! Broth = lubrication = fewer leftovers stuck in the pan! And I'm averse to do house chores!

  • The Maggie noodles when cooked, taste like Mom's Puli saadham (tamarind rice - a south Indian dish) with the rice replaced with longish strips of dough. And well... if I want Puli Saadam... I'll buy Puli Saadam. When I take a pack of Maggie Noodles, I want Noodles. *sigh* Not a hard thing to comprehend ne?

  • I know this isn't exactly legitimate enough... but Top Ramen belongs to Nissin which is a Japanese company. (yeah! yeah! I know... not fair... blah! blah! blah! Done complaining? Go fish now!)

So, as I sit in front of the computer, my badly 'Indianised' Noodles at hand, and Bleach Season 2 running in full speed, I can only sniffle a little... Why can't I have proper ramen for once?

Dirge for ragged bonds

The days after my surgery... I've found that there were many changes in the world around me. I could see more clearly... I didn't need those heavy glasses. But what I didn't expect to see were the true colours of some of them who claimed to be good friends.

Not one call from those who I thought would call me when they'll come to know. But there were a few calls from people that I thought wouldn't. They were relatively newer acquaintances.

I don't say I hardly expected this. But well... I wouldn't have thought much of it had it not been for one of my friends who recently rang me up and promptly informed me that she wanted some favour... Well, that figures!

Hmmm... strangely, I don't feel depressed or sad. And I should say 'Dirge' is too morose a term for explaining this. But Dirge is a very respectable way of sending something away ne?

And that is exactly what I intend to do... Send away these ragged bonds of friendship to rest in peace. May they never be disturbed again!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

BLEACH!!!!!

Yes! Yes!! YES!!!!! I've finally read Bleach! And I should say.... WOW! THAT'S JUST AWESOME!

Ahem... I am raving about the world famous Japanese Manga series 'Bleach' by Kubo Taito. And if anyone's wondering what it's about, it's about a teenage boy who stumbles upon a secret world and suddenly... he finds himself responsible for some really serious turn of events. The summary sounds a little cliched doesn't it? Well... so did I. But boy! Was I wrong!

I thought Bleach wouldn't be that different from DragonBallz... I have nothing against DragonBallz. But I somehow feel that it has too many 'guyish' things. Bleach has its fair share of fights (and awesome ones at that), but Taito-san has given just as much importance on building complex psyches for his characters. And its interesting to note that here, not everything that 'looks' evil is actually so. And not everything that looks 'nice and harmless' is what it seems.

And furthermore! There isn't much what you'd call 'mush' in it! It focuses more on Friendship and I've been dying for a series that's like Bleach! It's not completely 'Shonen' (guy stuff) or 'shoujo' (girly stuff)! Strikes a really nice balance between the two!
いゝです,帯人-さん
!

Right now, I'm going through the anime episodes of the series. And Hmm... not bad at all! No wonder Bleach is the second most famous anime (Darn that Naruto!).

You can get free online episodes of Bleach HERE.
And the Manga can be read (scanslation) HERE.

I hope you guys enjoy Bleach! I sure did!

Back with a Bang! (quite literally)

Hi folks! I'm back! Did you guys miss me??? Hmm... I choose not to hear the answer! BWAHAHAHA!

And now, to explain why I was missing for ever so long (er... how long has it been... I don't remember! ;D)

I had my glasses removed. And the post operative procedures (read: rabid Doctor with a very sharp eye for indiscipline) forbade me from even thinking about being in front of the system! But now that my eye's beginning to heal really well, I am back with a bang!

And while I've been busy facing the evil Laser rays, Mom has gone and broken her back. *sigh* people these days!

It's a well known fact that my mother is in the process of evolving and so, she finds it redundant to place her entire foot down when she walks. Our servant maid thinks "madam" is flying on air. And well... friction (or lack of it) and gravity finally caught up with her and right now, she's wincing every time she laughs (and me being around, that's bound to happen every second minute) and watching TV from the comforts of the bed.

I should say it must be pretty painful for the poor lass. And here I thought, I'd be the invalid around whom people will flock and fall over themselves in their earnestness to take care of me! Damn! And since I wasn't exactly capable of service (I had my cornea burnt, excuse me!), it was all up to Dad to feed us both. And I should say... he's doing a pretty good job at that! He's gotten even better than Mom!

We've consulted with a really famous and competent Orthopedic surgeon about Mom and it seems like she's had a 'burst' fracture in her spine. (Way to go, Mom!) She literally 'sat' on her hiney when she fell. And I'm wondering... she's a little on the plump side. And even with all her 'blubber', she managed to get a chink in her spine. If it had been me, I'd probably be in an ICU (Intensive care Unit) right now. And a LASIK surgery wouldn't even be as serious as the surgery I'll need to put my shattered spine back in place! Ouchies! And I'm having serious 'phantom' pains whenever I hear people talk about surgery! It's weird. I can watch a gory accident without batting an eyelash. But 'talk' about it... erm.... it makes me queasy!

Okay!FOr now, we can only hope things go smoothly for Mom.
That's it for now! Oh... about my surgery... later! ;D