Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Day gone by
Seems joblessness can make some good things happen to you...suddenly i feel like blogging daily. And that would mean that the daily stuff ought to be put out here.
After having some roaring time during the preparations for Expressions 2011 (in which Infosys Pune team ended up being the first runner up...:)) its back to the routine of work and home. To add a zing to life (and put a stop on the flab thats started showing up on my belly), me has started a diet session - no fried food, no rice, only fruits for lunch. Proper breakfast and dinner. And lots of stomach crunches.
I am feeling great now, since the reduced quantum of food intake has helped my ailing stomach to take a break - things are really fine now in the morning and i wake up fresh...:)
Ok, let me share a recipe with you. A very simple dish i like to call Alu Mutter Baingani. I made this by chance yesterday. Actually some of my alu mutter from day before was still there; i tried making baingan ka bharta and threw in the alu mutter and voila! a new superbly tasty dish is here for you.
Serves 2 people who really like to eat sabji
Ingredients
2 fairly large potatoes
2 cups green peas
1 large brinjal
2 medium sized onions (chopped finely)
1 large tomato (chopped medium sized)
Spices(Turmeric, asafoetida, coriander powder, kitchen king masala, garam masala,red chilli powder) to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
For tempering
4tbsp oil
2tsp mustard seeds
1tsp jeera
1tsp green chillies(chopped)
2tsp Ginger-garlic paste
Procedure.
1. Par(half) cook the potatoes and the green peas in water, i wont tell you how...:P
2. Roast the brinjal on the stove, just like how we do for bharta. Try to cook it a little less than bharta standard, so that we can have pieces of it in the sabji. Cut it into small pieces and keep aside.
3. In a pan, add the oil; on heating, add the mustard and the jeera. When they are about to sputter, add the green chillies and the gg paste. Saute well.
4. Now add the onions and cook till tender and when they start showing signs of browning.
5. Now add the tomato and cook till you feel the things have started mixing up.
6. When this happens, add all the spices mentioned, as per your taste, and cook till you feel that the spices have been fairly roasted (dont worry, the tomato wont let them burn)
7. Now add the potatoes(chopped) and the green peas and saute well, add 3 tbsp of water, cover it and let it simmer on low flame,for about 5 mins.
8. Now add the brinjal, mix well, add salt to taste and saute the whole thing on high flame.
9. Taste it once so that you know the spices have blended well and are in proper proportion, as per your liking.
10. Once done, add coriander leaves, saute for a while, and turn off the gas.
11. Serve hot...:)
I hope some of you try it...neways i have put this one on record so that i can enjoy it in the future
After having some roaring time during the preparations for Expressions 2011 (in which Infosys Pune team ended up being the first runner up...:)) its back to the routine of work and home. To add a zing to life (and put a stop on the flab thats started showing up on my belly), me has started a diet session - no fried food, no rice, only fruits for lunch. Proper breakfast and dinner. And lots of stomach crunches.
I am feeling great now, since the reduced quantum of food intake has helped my ailing stomach to take a break - things are really fine now in the morning and i wake up fresh...:)
Ok, let me share a recipe with you. A very simple dish i like to call Alu Mutter Baingani. I made this by chance yesterday. Actually some of my alu mutter from day before was still there; i tried making baingan ka bharta and threw in the alu mutter and voila! a new superbly tasty dish is here for you.
Serves 2 people who really like to eat sabji
Ingredients
2 fairly large potatoes
2 cups green peas
1 large brinjal
2 medium sized onions (chopped finely)
1 large tomato (chopped medium sized)
Spices(Turmeric, asafoetida, coriander powder, kitchen king masala, garam masala,red chilli powder) to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
For tempering
4tbsp oil
2tsp mustard seeds
1tsp jeera
1tsp green chillies(chopped)
2tsp Ginger-garlic paste
Procedure.
1. Par(half) cook the potatoes and the green peas in water, i wont tell you how...:P
2. Roast the brinjal on the stove, just like how we do for bharta. Try to cook it a little less than bharta standard, so that we can have pieces of it in the sabji. Cut it into small pieces and keep aside.
3. In a pan, add the oil; on heating, add the mustard and the jeera. When they are about to sputter, add the green chillies and the gg paste. Saute well.
4. Now add the onions and cook till tender and when they start showing signs of browning.
5. Now add the tomato and cook till you feel the things have started mixing up.
6. When this happens, add all the spices mentioned, as per your taste, and cook till you feel that the spices have been fairly roasted (dont worry, the tomato wont let them burn)
7. Now add the potatoes(chopped) and the green peas and saute well, add 3 tbsp of water, cover it and let it simmer on low flame,for about 5 mins.
8. Now add the brinjal, mix well, add salt to taste and saute the whole thing on high flame.
9. Taste it once so that you know the spices have blended well and are in proper proportion, as per your liking.
10. Once done, add coriander leaves, saute for a while, and turn off the gas.
11. Serve hot...:)
I hope some of you try it...neways i have put this one on record so that i can enjoy it in the future
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
On Adventure
They say you need to have adventure in your genes to have a liking for it; that explains why i was never adventurous since none of my parents are, and i was always brought up under the impression that adventures are always silly, and may cost you a lot.
Then i came across examples of some great people of this world, who had to lead an adventurous life since the circumstances called for them, and achieved greatness. The more i read, the more it became clear that living itself is an adventure and when there is always a risk even while walking on a so called safe footpath, whats wrong in seeking out some thrills?
I came across another form of adventure - the more popular one. People say that 'doing this gives me the thrill'; that 'standing on the edge of an abyss or a slippery stone on the sea makes me feel great about myself'. My mind never agreed to this, since i knew that when there's danger of losing ones life while enjoying certain things, better be a member of the moderate class.
Let me relate an incident. My project team had gone for a trip to harihareshwar and there was a point, which people are supposed to visit for sacred reasons. As usual, most of us go there for other things - photography, shouting, cuddling etc. What made it glorious was that there was the sea shore at a stone's throw, and was pretty deep and raging. There was a point where the stone turned slippery and this is where most of my colleagues wanted to go, stand and have their share of thrill.
The people who had been staying around for a very long time warned them not to go, but my colleagues considered them a nuisance and did what they knew best - following their whims; 'life's too short to listen to the whinings of cowardly idiots who have nothing to do but sermonise, isnt it?'
Poor localites - their intentions were noble but what they received was ingratitude. Seems they were too naiive to understand that these folks(my colleagues) belonged to a class of individuals who consider that they are the masters of their own lives and live by the principle that "I am gonna die here, then so be it. Who the hell are u to tell me how i should live my life - its mine and mine alone, and i may just throw it to the dogs while seeking what i want."
On enquiring with the localites (they had all my understanding), they said that they had witnessed almost 56 such cases of accidental deaths and simply wanted to warn us, since its definitely a bad event and a more importantly a pain in the ass if someone dies there - we all know how investigations take place in our Country.
Today, i was speaking about this with a dear friend of mine and her argument was similar to that of my adventurous colleagues. It was then that i realised that i need to think about what makes adventure good or worth taking.
The noble souls who dignified adventure, did it for a noble cause. The intentions are always important, and at time extreme outcomes too can be risked - the intention must worth dying for. But how many of us think about the worthiness of intentions? Between getting a simple thrill, and trying to save a life or your own Motherland, tell me which is more justified as a reason for a life-threatening adventure?
Nothing against the people who like fatal thrills, just that a polite request to all such folks - please dont justify it - if you are ready to bet your life, better try it for something that deserves your life. A sheer thrill of a moment, if thats your reason, then you need to rethink your sanity. Its a different matter if you just dont care - to hell with you and your life, people die like ants daily and if u go up, not much difference to this World its gonna make.
You say you dont fear death, but i can see fear in your eyes whenever you take one single step - the fear of failure, the fear of rejection, the fear of the unknown. Clear these off first, be men and then talk of things like this. You will be then prepared to throw away this life.
I am still afraid of death, for i feel its too precious for a momentary thrill.
I realise the pains that numerous people have taken to get me where i am, and am aware of the pains that i may cause by one act of negligence.
I am not so selfish and senseless to risk this precious gift for a moment of adventurous ecstacy.
I would rather work on becoming courageous and then throw it away for a reason that shall make me rest in peace even if my end is not peaceful and beautiful - it would definitely be dignified, with no chance for the world to call me a silly fool who died for no good reason.
Not that i care too much for what the world says, but would love to create great examples in this world, which would eventually be better coz of them, and that is definitely a duty for me.
One thing is certain that i am slowly realising that what our elders say is always true. Now thats another thing that we need to be experimental, but lets keep one thing in mind, that when its the matter of life and death, let the cause for the adventure better be a deserving one...:)
Then i came across examples of some great people of this world, who had to lead an adventurous life since the circumstances called for them, and achieved greatness. The more i read, the more it became clear that living itself is an adventure and when there is always a risk even while walking on a so called safe footpath, whats wrong in seeking out some thrills?
I came across another form of adventure - the more popular one. People say that 'doing this gives me the thrill'; that 'standing on the edge of an abyss or a slippery stone on the sea makes me feel great about myself'. My mind never agreed to this, since i knew that when there's danger of losing ones life while enjoying certain things, better be a member of the moderate class.
Let me relate an incident. My project team had gone for a trip to harihareshwar and there was a point, which people are supposed to visit for sacred reasons. As usual, most of us go there for other things - photography, shouting, cuddling etc. What made it glorious was that there was the sea shore at a stone's throw, and was pretty deep and raging. There was a point where the stone turned slippery and this is where most of my colleagues wanted to go, stand and have their share of thrill.
The people who had been staying around for a very long time warned them not to go, but my colleagues considered them a nuisance and did what they knew best - following their whims; 'life's too short to listen to the whinings of cowardly idiots who have nothing to do but sermonise, isnt it?'
Poor localites - their intentions were noble but what they received was ingratitude. Seems they were too naiive to understand that these folks(my colleagues) belonged to a class of individuals who consider that they are the masters of their own lives and live by the principle that "I am gonna die here, then so be it. Who the hell are u to tell me how i should live my life - its mine and mine alone, and i may just throw it to the dogs while seeking what i want."
On enquiring with the localites (they had all my understanding), they said that they had witnessed almost 56 such cases of accidental deaths and simply wanted to warn us, since its definitely a bad event and a more importantly a pain in the ass if someone dies there - we all know how investigations take place in our Country.
Today, i was speaking about this with a dear friend of mine and her argument was similar to that of my adventurous colleagues. It was then that i realised that i need to think about what makes adventure good or worth taking.
The noble souls who dignified adventure, did it for a noble cause. The intentions are always important, and at time extreme outcomes too can be risked - the intention must worth dying for. But how many of us think about the worthiness of intentions? Between getting a simple thrill, and trying to save a life or your own Motherland, tell me which is more justified as a reason for a life-threatening adventure?
Nothing against the people who like fatal thrills, just that a polite request to all such folks - please dont justify it - if you are ready to bet your life, better try it for something that deserves your life. A sheer thrill of a moment, if thats your reason, then you need to rethink your sanity. Its a different matter if you just dont care - to hell with you and your life, people die like ants daily and if u go up, not much difference to this World its gonna make.
You say you dont fear death, but i can see fear in your eyes whenever you take one single step - the fear of failure, the fear of rejection, the fear of the unknown. Clear these off first, be men and then talk of things like this. You will be then prepared to throw away this life.
I am still afraid of death, for i feel its too precious for a momentary thrill.
I realise the pains that numerous people have taken to get me where i am, and am aware of the pains that i may cause by one act of negligence.
I am not so selfish and senseless to risk this precious gift for a moment of adventurous ecstacy.
I would rather work on becoming courageous and then throw it away for a reason that shall make me rest in peace even if my end is not peaceful and beautiful - it would definitely be dignified, with no chance for the world to call me a silly fool who died for no good reason.
Not that i care too much for what the world says, but would love to create great examples in this world, which would eventually be better coz of them, and that is definitely a duty for me.
One thing is certain that i am slowly realising that what our elders say is always true. Now thats another thing that we need to be experimental, but lets keep one thing in mind, that when its the matter of life and death, let the cause for the adventure better be a deserving one...:)
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