War, Peace & Pigeon poop…

Well, a recent holiday to Cappadocia in Turkey was more enlightening than any other trip of mine. During a hiking tour we passed a place called Pigeon Valley. What I heard from the guide was some serious trivia. Pigeons were revered for their poop. He went on to explain Pigeon poop burglary was so rampant that guards were employed to secure pigeon poop. I hadn’t heard this before. Thought it was one of those fast ones the tourist guide was pulling on me. Back in the room after some ‘research’ I realised what he said was indeed true. Roman soldiers in the past used to guard them to mine them later. Apparently pigeon poop is rich in Ammonium Nitrate and could be put to some real lethal use and was commonly used as gun powder. Trigger happy could well be poop happy.

Just the thought of pigeons suffering from dissociative identity disorder was scary, the symbol of peace, the messenger of information and the war monger within were the multiple personifications of the humble pigeon. The sad part was, their fairer cousins, the doves were not as scandalous as them. Wonder if the ammonium nitrate concentration level in the dove poop varies from that of the pigeon's. Would like to be enlightened on this by someone who knows about this. However, I intend not to move away from flight path of a pigeon anymore, instead try and catch all the poop I can and mine them later on. Sad to know that I had wiped it off my head and shoulders without knowing their worth all these years.

I know this wasn’t one of those blogs to be read at breakfast,lunch or the dinner table, depending on the time zone you are in. But as they say shit happens and if it is from the pigeon, go ahead and have a 'blast' this weekend!!!

Going Green against all odds !!!!

A Russo-Chettinad cuisine...

What else would you name the collaboration that went into the making of an Aachi-Kozhi-Stroganoff …this is one of the dishes I had at a small joint overlooking the Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar during my last visit to Chennai.
One can trace the origins of Stroganoff to the Stroganov family of Russia supposedly the pioneers of this dish, a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served with sour cream…now comes the most interesting twist…a chettinadan maternal twist… prefix Stroganoff with Aachi, (the Chettinadan mother) and hit the desi psyche hard with the motherly/home cooked food funda …and add generous helpings of spice to turn the sour cream in sautéed beef, in our case chicken strips, to a spicy one …and u have a Aachi Kozhi(Chicken)Stroganoff. A truly multinational dish atleast as far as the name goes…and ironically this sounds similar to the other famous Russian import the AK 47 just that, in this case it is AK (Aachi Kozhi) Stroganoff…I’m not pulling a fast one on u guys … u can check out a pic of the menu shot with my phone a la paparazzi style. Apologies for the poor clarity…

The Chennai I kno(e)w

Hi folks, back frm a 3 week vacation to Chennai, couldn’t keep the blog going due to various reasons namely connectivity, lack of time etc etc and I realised I was yet to become a blogaholic at least one holic I am yet to become….rather than boring u with You-know-what-I-did-this-summer types I thought I’ll put down some snippets on my trip. Some sights and sounds and my experiences this summer. I was caught quoting , ‘when I was younger’ and ‘in those days’ more often than required...signs of ageing I suppose or is it that, the changes are happening faster back home??? The gen next looked beyond reach and repair…

Nikes, MP3’s and Kancheepuram Sarees!!!

If I asked u to pick the odd one out, u wld hit Kancheepuram sarees immediately, well unfortunately I realised that it was not. Gud ol mamis of Besant Nagar where burning their calories to keep their Chol and Diab levels in check by walking up and down the beach, but were doing it in real style…with the right tools one should say. Proper branded walking shoes, MP3’s tucked away in their ‘madisars’ listening probably to Suprabatham or Thyagaraja Keerthanais, I guess Im wrong here, it might have even been Sweet Child of Mine by Guns ‘n Roses...The sweet child who probably sent her all this from the US…

The L’s and C’s of Real Estate in Chennai.

The real estate affordability in Chennai and me seem to be separated by just an alphabet when people were talking about L, my affordability was in the K’s, when I was finally ready for the L things have moved into the C’s, wish it was the roman numeral C unfortunately it is the C as in CRORES… so u see, by the time I try and make that elusive C before I retire, it wud have moved to CC that’s an hundred crores...God save me. However I wish to put down an interesting anecdote I heard from a real estate agent during one of my land hunts… I saw a huge area of land between Velachery and Medavakkam (2 places in Chennai for those not familiar with Chennai). There were lotta developments around this, but none on this. I was curious, the real estate agent revealed a trivia apparently familiar to the locals of the area. The land belonged to the Ettayappan family, Ettayappan was Veerapandi Kattaboman’s confidante who betrayed him and revealed his whereabouts to the Brits and incidentally this was part of the land gifted by the Brits to Ettayappan as betrayal fee to him. Hence this piece of land was branded a Traitors Land but I was told that there were a lot of JV’s signed to develop this land with the Ettayappan family. The real estate value in Chennai definitely overshadowed the curse of a traitors land! Readers to verify independently the authenticity of this info.

You better insure your homes or else…

As soon as I entered the ICICI bank in Chennai I was confronted with a notice almost every where I turned. It mentioned a Technical study conducted by Anna University and Geological Survey of India on the condition of the soil in and around the area I lived and confirmed the earth quake proneness of the area etc etc… scary stuff .. Right next to it was a table showing rate per lakh per month to insure your homes. Some marketing this…

Night life in Chennai…

A couple of friends and me decided to check out the night life in Chennai during this visit, and wanted to desperately check out Zaras a pub in the erstwhile Alwarpet area of Chennai. We were bounced from there since we were not wearing the right attire... can u imagine a dress code in Chennai for simply having a beer???
Dressed for the occasion & venue we once again ventured into Zaras on a Sat night and we were bounced again, Reason: no reservations and moreover we were single men looking for a drink. Just before this while I was waiting for my friend I realised I might be a lil outta place for this pub, cos the majority of people entering were all women/girls hardly past their teens with a ciggi in one hand and the other wrapped around the designer briefs poping out of the low waist jeans of their funny looking partners who had equally funny looking hairdos and tufts of hair on the face which I presumed were beards. Here I was, a father of 2 daughters contemplating an hour back to return to Chennai for good to inculcate gud ol Chennai values in my daughters was giving my thought a second chance.
Soon after my friend arrived we hit another pub in town, Bikes and Barrels, since we were stags we were guided to another level from were we could see the couples and single women thro a NET, yeah man a net…a level below us. The place was not definitely worth our presence (or atleast that’s how we consoled ourselves). Since kids half our age were happily drinking beer at Rs270 a bottle with utter disdain….while my friend a Senior level executive in an MNC and me a NRI were finding it a lil too expensive to hang around for a second drink…. some consumerism this…My friend & I finally ended up at a club in which my friend was a member and we realised that this is why one should have a membership in clubs after 35

The Hindu’s finally got competition…

On the drive from the airport I found a series of signboards advertising THE HINDU, a newspaper I grew up reading and the one paper which was simply a generic in this city when it came to newspapers, the Indian Express was a distant second, The adverts were obvious signs of the usually laid back The Hindu being elbowed by the new kids on the bloc The Times of India Chennai edition, Deccan Herald and the revamped and new look New Indian Express. I was told The Hindu even fell prey to the price war and had reduced their prices…I did check out the others but my heart rules over my mind and still beats for The Hindu...though clearly the gen next prefer the new comers…

From the land of Dish Dash to Desh

So Im off on my vacation and can you believe it, Im actually blogging sitting at the airport...ah ah tech savvy me huh... Ive always scorned and given cold looks at people working on their laptops in airports. Always wondered if pple are that busy that things cant wait.. and I thought to myself well Ive probably not reached that stage in my professional life .. but here Iam putting on a serious face and keying away happily. I bet the passers by are thinking exactly wht I used to...

Its after a very long time Im travelling alone to desh... Im travelling light... and right in front of me at the check-in counter, I see the all familiar sight, a husband & wife having a I-told-u-so conversation, since obviously the baggage had exceeded the magical figure of 40 + 40 + 10 Hand + 5 Leg allowances.. and here I was with a proud been-there... done-that look... Its a such a pleasure to travel light believe me.

If u rip open the baggages of any of the South India (read KERALA) bound flights u will definetly hit upon the following..Tang, Nido, Maggi Coconut Milk powder this one was always baffling to me, coconut milk powder to kerala, kinda Thirupathhikkey Laddu funda and invariably 9 outta 10 men wld pick up a Napolean brandy and a Wincarnis from the DUDY FREE....Actually I missed out the gud ol Kerala lungies ...the colorful ones which cld serve the purpose of flourescent reflector at night... absolute optical illusions these were.

Thats abt it for now... time to take off... lemme grab a cuppa cappaccino ...forget it I cant even spell it.. Ill have a tumbler of filter kapi...thats sounds better, Im headed to Chennai mate not Las Vegas...

Behind every forgetful man there is a nagging wife....

Its the last weekend before I travel to Chennai for my vacation... The last 40 odd days without the family around was terrible (to be read by everyone except my wife as rocking). Well, in fact she had prepared A To Do List before she left.

Things to Do

1 Nestle Water every Sunday
I kinda religiously followed this one. It was only Nestle water on Sunday’s, All other days it was J & B with soda, Fosters, Old Monk etc
2 Leah’s Open House - 27th or 28th June
A good opportunity to meet my daughter’s teacher without the wife around, to my bad luck this was cancelled.
3 Turn off the Gas
Wld have loved to. It wld hit the Qatari economy real bad.
4 Clear fridge of all the unused food items
Well actually cleared it of used and unused food Items. The fridge has been a revelation the past days; I just realized its too small, If one of the racks holds 330 ml Fosters the other doesn’t hold the 500ml Carlsberg’s. We need a bigger fridge.
5 Wash all dishes
Didn’t have to… ate out of the frying pan
6 Drain the water and wash the drip tray
See Note 5
7 Close all taps properly
Again carbon credits…or is it Hydrogen and Oxygen credits
8 Lock the bedrooms
Hum Tum ek Kamrey mey bund ho or chabi ko jaye.. Have actually lost the keys.
9 Water all the plants and keep them inside the room
More carbon credits please
10 Switch off all the electric mains (microwave, washing machine, computer etc…)
Even more carbon credits
11 Collect clothes from the drycleaners (if any)
Actually have rented out my clothes for some cash
12 Pay the telephone, electricity & water bills
You think I still can afford it????
13 Ensure the garbage is thrown and the garbage box in the kitchen is washed
Will know when the neighbors complain in a couple of days.
14 Pack your bag
Where’s the bag???

This could serve as a Rapidex guide for things to do before one travels on vacation.

Though shalt read the Terms and Conditions .....

Thou Shalt read the Terms and conditions and finer prints in any offer. Thats the 11th Commandment. I recently received a mailer titled ''Two Nights Break in Dubai at JW Marriot for 169$. I immediately started to rub my hands in joy and sang to myself oh what a getaway when the wife and kids are away....My joy was shortlived untill I read the terms and conditions at the very end in fine print grey coloured and a font size of 6..Ive pasted it below..read it to believe it.

Terms & Conditions
The offer includes two nights' accommodation for a couple at the JW Marriott Hotel Dubai. Flight and Travel arrangements, visas, food and other expenses, etc. are not included. Offer is subject to availability. This promotional offer is designed for married couples aged between 30 and 65 with a joint annual income in excess of $95,000. Attendance at a 90-minute presentation with your spouse about Marriott Vacation Club is mandatory to qualify for this offer. If you or your spouse or both of you choose not to attend the presentation, the full retail cost of $1000 will be payable. This offer is non transferable and is not valid in conjunction with any other promotion. This offer is not available to MVCI holiday owners, to individuals or their spouses who have previously taken advantage of this offer or to employees of Marriott International and its affiliated companies and their immediate family members. The offer price of $169 for two nights applies for travel between this dates; 01 July 2008 30 August 2008.

The Moral of the Story:
You need to be stinking rich to stay dirt cheap at the Marriot

A for Apple and I for I pod

I gotta a call from my six year old daughter who is vacationing in Chennai. She sounded excited.. she goes on ''papa u know whts an I pod, Uma acka's got it and shes got 82 songs on it'' and she goes on to belt out Chinna Chinna Vanna Kuyil.... and continues in one breath ''shes even got this song on it and u know she told me that if I cld get my Ipod she wld transfer the songs on a pendrive or on my Ipod''. The Middle class in me screams stop!!! u calling me at peak rate time but never had nerve to tell her that.
Well after that I sat down and had a glass of water, though the moment definetly warranted downing a couple of 18 Year old Chivas.. Well here I was dreaming that my daughter wld be out playing Hop Scotch blind folded and screaming in chaste tamizh 'rightaaa' 'rightaaa'. Allright I was dreaming. Well guess this will be the first of many Blogs from a Father to a Daughter. Im Still trying to figure out if my daughter has bitten the apple or the Apple has bitten her. Well whn I meet her Ill simply tell her that iam I-paadu (I sing) and belt out a few numbers myself...