The lemon juice near my place. Every evening as I get home I try to get either coconut water or a glass of lemon juice. The juice vendors - lemon, sugarcane etc - try to up their profit margin by adding ice to the juice one way or another. Either crushed ice to fill up the glass, or ice being left to melt in the juice receptacle which dilutes the juice. This is an acceptable level of theft which I don't normally make a big deal about. But last night the juice tasted really watery. I got pissed off and start yelling at the vendor. Even before I could finish my rant, the guy simply says, "Shall I make a fresh glass for you?" That I was not expecting. I felt bad immediately and tried to wave him off but he just took the glass out of my hand and poured the juice out and squeezed me a fresh glass. Like I mentioned before, this is hardly the first time a vendor behaved in an honest manner when he could easily have been a bastard about the whole thing. I hate to say this, but I don't think the situation would have been that smooth in Hyderabad. Pune, my biggest compliment to you yet, your citizens are better humans than Hyderabadis.
I'll even go one step further. I keep hearing comments on how Pune autos are atrocious and tend to fleece you. Well, I would take the worst auto driver in Pune and rather pay him to run his auto over me than pay a Chennai auto driver to transport me. I think of some terrorists whose lives I'd save before I saved the life of a Chennai auto driver. So, yes, no matter how bad people might think auto drivers in Pune are, they're all saints compared to their counterparts in Chennai.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The lifestyle catches up, I think
I knew there would be a breaking point when all the junk eating would hit me. And I think that's what happened today. Yesterday during the evening I ate some spicy roasted and seasoned peanuts from a roadside vendor. Didn't seem too bad while I was eating them. Dinner was preceded by some roadside lemon juice and I went to bed feeling fine. Got particularly hungry in the morning and since I didn't have any bananas in the apt (my usual breakfast) I decided to stop by a small restaurant and get a masala dosa.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep because I was too excited about the election. Maybe it was the dosa or the peanuts. Right around 10am I started feeling sick. Stomach ache, aching of the joints and an overwhelming need to just lie down for about 10 hours! I had to skip lunch and find a low traffic corner of the office to sleep. I seriously considered going into an unoccupied office and just sleeping under the table, a la George Costanza. But in the end I just pretended to be reading a journal and nodding off, which seems to be an acceptable offense at work. After a couple of hours of this "accidentally falling asleep" I recovered enough to walk around the office.
I did feel bad but honestly, I would have just loved to have gone home after taking a half day off but I can't do that because of some crap at work. And also, I am travelling to Hyd tonight and don't want to be sick during the journey.
Lesson learned, I suppose. Cut down on the junk food. On the bright side I found out where I can get protein powder here and will be getting on that soon.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep because I was too excited about the election. Maybe it was the dosa or the peanuts. Right around 10am I started feeling sick. Stomach ache, aching of the joints and an overwhelming need to just lie down for about 10 hours! I had to skip lunch and find a low traffic corner of the office to sleep. I seriously considered going into an unoccupied office and just sleeping under the table, a la George Costanza. But in the end I just pretended to be reading a journal and nodding off, which seems to be an acceptable offense at work. After a couple of hours of this "accidentally falling asleep" I recovered enough to walk around the office.
I did feel bad but honestly, I would have just loved to have gone home after taking a half day off but I can't do that because of some crap at work. And also, I am travelling to Hyd tonight and don't want to be sick during the journey.
Lesson learned, I suppose. Cut down on the junk food. On the bright side I found out where I can get protein powder here and will be getting on that soon.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Jhumpa Lahiri at the coffee shop
This weekend when I went to the coffee shop with my friend, I took a copy of "Unaccustomed Earth" with me. It was a pirated copy I'd picked up on the side of the road. I had decided that I was going to do some shopping for some paperbacks and DVDs to keep me entertained during the weekends and there are a lot of places to do this type of shopping. I found the entire Rocky anthology on a DVD and a bunch of Telugu movies as well. I was going to buy "White Tiger" too but I have decided I'm going to hate on it till someone tells me otherwise. I did buy Lahiri's book though since I've been meaning to buy it for some time now.
The book was supposed to be an excuse to sit there while I did some people watching. But as I started reading it, I was completely swept up by the writing. She's really got a way with words. I couldn't take my eyes off the book for an hour and was basically in a trance. Great book, highly recommended.
The book was supposed to be an excuse to sit there while I did some people watching. But as I started reading it, I was completely swept up by the writing. She's really got a way with words. I couldn't take my eyes off the book for an hour and was basically in a trance. Great book, highly recommended.
The shortcut that wasn't: Evidence of a lack of civilization
Well that was a nice honeymoon while it lasted!
You know those days on a college campus during the summer, or better yet, between semesters when not everyone's on campus? How incredible it feels for those few days? You get parking quite easily. No lines at the food court. No flooding of the streets on the hour. Well, we got to experience that this past week on a grander scale. A bunch of Punekars had gone home for Diwali (which probably means they weren't Punekars to being with) and that brought a bunch of unexpected (for me) benefits. The parking lot at work was less than half full, the restaurants around work had no waiting and the roads to work were empty. Sadly I'd gotten really used to the last part and took it for granted. So when I saw the traffic backed up in front of my office in the evening, it was a rude shock.
I had my shortcut that avoided the big roads, so I didn't mind at first. My shortcut avoids the main roads and is a little longer but faster. But right as I got to the last big traffic light in the downtown-type area, I realized there was a power cut there. And that meant no power for the traffic lights either. In the US when the traffic lights go out, people behave like at a four-way stop sign. But here it was quickly deteriorated into a right of the might. An auto had got stuck in the intersection and everyone has locked themselves into a right pattern all around it. And it was tight - I could have gotten off my two-wheeler without its kickstand and it wouldn't have fallen to the ground. People were just going crazy! Honking, shouting. No one would step back to allow the other person to leave. Everyone wanted to get theirs first. It was a glimpse of what was hinted at in Nightfall.
After 15 minutes of waiting I decided to get creative and got on the wrong side of the road. Big mistake. Normally this is standard practice and the oncoming traffic accepts and forgives your transgression. But here, since the traffic was tight everywhere, the small shoulder on the side of the road has disappeared. I had to wait while people ahead of me, facing me, ultimately got frustrated and gave way. And then I'd move on the next guy who wouldn't budge and stare him down. This went on for a long time. I turned off my engine and kept pushing Sasha through the traffic. I just couldn't switch over to the correct side of the road because of the divider in the middle. A bunch of about 14 scooters has decided to follow by example and were trailing me. Some picked up their motorcycles on to the sidewalk and started driving on that. I eventually got stuck between a car and the sidewalk and after realizing I could easily start denting his car, the driver moved out. Finally after another 20 minutes of pushing, I found a gap in the divider and made it through.
Lesson learned. It's just not worth it being stuck in traffic like that.
You know those days on a college campus during the summer, or better yet, between semesters when not everyone's on campus? How incredible it feels for those few days? You get parking quite easily. No lines at the food court. No flooding of the streets on the hour. Well, we got to experience that this past week on a grander scale. A bunch of Punekars had gone home for Diwali (which probably means they weren't Punekars to being with) and that brought a bunch of unexpected (for me) benefits. The parking lot at work was less than half full, the restaurants around work had no waiting and the roads to work were empty. Sadly I'd gotten really used to the last part and took it for granted. So when I saw the traffic backed up in front of my office in the evening, it was a rude shock.
I had my shortcut that avoided the big roads, so I didn't mind at first. My shortcut avoids the main roads and is a little longer but faster. But right as I got to the last big traffic light in the downtown-type area, I realized there was a power cut there. And that meant no power for the traffic lights either. In the US when the traffic lights go out, people behave like at a four-way stop sign. But here it was quickly deteriorated into a right of the might. An auto had got stuck in the intersection and everyone has locked themselves into a right pattern all around it. And it was tight - I could have gotten off my two-wheeler without its kickstand and it wouldn't have fallen to the ground. People were just going crazy! Honking, shouting. No one would step back to allow the other person to leave. Everyone wanted to get theirs first. It was a glimpse of what was hinted at in Nightfall.
After 15 minutes of waiting I decided to get creative and got on the wrong side of the road. Big mistake. Normally this is standard practice and the oncoming traffic accepts and forgives your transgression. But here, since the traffic was tight everywhere, the small shoulder on the side of the road has disappeared. I had to wait while people ahead of me, facing me, ultimately got frustrated and gave way. And then I'd move on the next guy who wouldn't budge and stare him down. This went on for a long time. I turned off my engine and kept pushing Sasha through the traffic. I just couldn't switch over to the correct side of the road because of the divider in the middle. A bunch of about 14 scooters has decided to follow by example and were trailing me. Some picked up their motorcycles on to the sidewalk and started driving on that. I eventually got stuck between a car and the sidewalk and after realizing I could easily start denting his car, the driver moved out. Finally after another 20 minutes of pushing, I found a gap in the divider and made it through.
Lesson learned. It's just not worth it being stuck in traffic like that.
Monday, November 3, 2008
I don't know how to feel right now
Guys,
There's a Simpsons episode where Lisa (as Joan of Arc) joins the French army which had been using humans in their catapults on the English walls. She announces herself and tells them that she'll modernize the army with ideas like using bigger, stronger people in the catapults. Or stones. As everyone celebrates this idea, the guy who'd been flung at the English walls till then says to himself (in a gay French accent no less) "I don't know how to feel right now." Yep, that's me.
I wake up and see notes from everyone telling me about the Iverson trade to the Pistons, asking me how I feel. "It must have been terrible Jack, must have been terrible. Well it bloody is now!" This is horrible. What next, watching Manning play on the Patriots? Colt McCoy on the Sooners? M.S. Dhoni and Sehwag go to play for Team Australia? I'm glad I'm not near a TV where I will be forced to watch AI play in the hellhole they call a Palace, among hooligans they call fans, wearing those ugly White and Red rags they call a uniform. For what it's worth, I have a lot of respect and admiration for the Pistons as a team and as individuals. But yeah, that is not enough to make watching those games any easier. And to think I was considering getting a basketball package over here!
Most of you might not know this but right before AI's MVP season, he almost got traded to the Pistons. The trade fell through at the last minute. That ended up firing up AI and he took his team to the Finals. All this was before I started following basketball. What I'm wondering is if that trade had happened, and AI had been playing for Detriot as I started watching the NBA, how different might everything have been. Most significantly, would AI have won a ring or two by now?
This has been a weird week of mornings so far. On Sunday morning (my time) the Longhorns lost in a heartbreaking fashion to a gimmicky coach. On Monday morning the Colts won over the Patriots, always sweet. On Tuesday morning my favorite basketball player of all time gets traded to the team I've hated with a passion more than any other team. Wednesday morning I'll be watching the election coverage, I wonder what that means.
Kalyan
There's a Simpsons episode where Lisa (as Joan of Arc) joins the French army which had been using humans in their catapults on the English walls. She announces herself and tells them that she'll modernize the army with ideas like using bigger, stronger people in the catapults. Or stones. As everyone celebrates this idea, the guy who'd been flung at the English walls till then says to himself (in a gay French accent no less) "I don't know how to feel right now." Yep, that's me.
I wake up and see notes from everyone telling me about the Iverson trade to the Pistons, asking me how I feel. "It must have been terrible Jack, must have been terrible. Well it bloody is now!" This is horrible. What next, watching Manning play on the Patriots? Colt McCoy on the Sooners? M.S. Dhoni and Sehwag go to play for Team Australia? I'm glad I'm not near a TV where I will be forced to watch AI play in the hellhole they call a Palace, among hooligans they call fans, wearing those ugly White and Red rags they call a uniform. For what it's worth, I have a lot of respect and admiration for the Pistons as a team and as individuals. But yeah, that is not enough to make watching those games any easier. And to think I was considering getting a basketball package over here!
Most of you might not know this but right before AI's MVP season, he almost got traded to the Pistons. The trade fell through at the last minute. That ended up firing up AI and he took his team to the Finals. All this was before I started following basketball. What I'm wondering is if that trade had happened, and AI had been playing for Detriot as I started watching the NBA, how different might everything have been. Most significantly, would AI have won a ring or two by now?
This has been a weird week of mornings so far. On Sunday morning (my time) the Longhorns lost in a heartbreaking fashion to a gimmicky coach. On Monday morning the Colts won over the Patriots, always sweet. On Tuesday morning my favorite basketball player of all time gets traded to the team I've hated with a passion more than any other team. Wednesday morning I'll be watching the election coverage, I wonder what that means.
Kalyan
The fruits - yummm
One thing I knew before coming here was that I'd be eating a lot more fruit and drink a lot more fruit juice. Atleast, I hoped that would be the way. I'm happy to say it's come true.
Coconut water might not be classified as fruit juice but it's the best. There's a stand on my way home and I try to have atleast 3 every week. And right next to it is an lemon juice stand. They add a certain spice after getting the juice out that gives it a different kind of kick. It's delicious. I even had sugarcane juice once but it's relatively rare. I have to go into the city to find that.
As for the fruits, there's the seetaphal that I'm still waiting for to hit its peak - cheap but great tasting ones. There's a stand near work where the guy sells pineapple slices for a rupee each. Sliced not too thin or thick, and seasoned with a mixture of salt and some sort of chaat masala, these taste great. Then there's the guava, again, cut into quaters and seasoned. I buy three bananas every few days and have one every morning for breakfast. Why three? Because they sell them by the dozen (Rs. 20) and if I buy any more than three they'll go bad by the time I finish them. When I pass by fruit stalls these days, I'm beginning to notice the papayas. They look so red and ripe! I might start buying those too. Except, since I don't have a fridge, I might have to eat them in one sitting. No complaints from me.
Best of all? Mango season hasn't started yet. Am I going to give myself a stomachache by jumping on the Mango bandwagon before it even hits its peak? YESSSSS!
Coconut water might not be classified as fruit juice but it's the best. There's a stand on my way home and I try to have atleast 3 every week. And right next to it is an lemon juice stand. They add a certain spice after getting the juice out that gives it a different kind of kick. It's delicious. I even had sugarcane juice once but it's relatively rare. I have to go into the city to find that.
As for the fruits, there's the seetaphal that I'm still waiting for to hit its peak - cheap but great tasting ones. There's a stand near work where the guy sells pineapple slices for a rupee each. Sliced not too thin or thick, and seasoned with a mixture of salt and some sort of chaat masala, these taste great. Then there's the guava, again, cut into quaters and seasoned. I buy three bananas every few days and have one every morning for breakfast. Why three? Because they sell them by the dozen (Rs. 20) and if I buy any more than three they'll go bad by the time I finish them. When I pass by fruit stalls these days, I'm beginning to notice the papayas. They look so red and ripe! I might start buying those too. Except, since I don't have a fridge, I might have to eat them in one sitting. No complaints from me.
Best of all? Mango season hasn't started yet. Am I going to give myself a stomachache by jumping on the Mango bandwagon before it even hits its peak? YESSSSS!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Things that ticked me off all Sunday long
It started with the UT football game. UT was down in the fourth quarter but after a terrific drive, took the lead. Tech started driving and I knew they needed just a field goal to take the lead. I remembered that their kicker was basically a walk-on. I was praying for the sweet story of the pressure finally getting to him and UT winning. But they threw for the TD and boom went the dynamite. That set the tone.
India was playing for the draw in the cricket match. It was kinda sad to see the team that accused Australia of playing defensively, go into a shell. And then ramp up the tension by losing a few wickets. Eventually they managed the draw but it wasn't a good ending. Kumble retired and count me among those that aren't that sad about it. Perhaps the way he went out is sad - the injury making the choice for him, in a series where he was highly ineffective for a long time. Another bummer.
And then I got into a flame war with this guy on Wikipedia. He insisted on removing an addition that I made which pointed out that Biwi No. 1 is a remake of Sati Leelavathi. Got me all riled up about idiots with blinders, perhaps based on regional pride. (Look idiot, your whole industry sucks and can't even remake a good comedy, so deal with it!) Got me so pissed off that when later that evening I was watching 7/G Brindavan Colony on TV, a movie in which I've always hated the lead character, now I was rooting for him against the North Indian boyfriend of the heroine. Urgh!
I turned on my computer to watch some movies or play some games and it hung. That scared me more than pissed me off. (Today morning it was working fine.)
When my mom called me during the night she commented on how I used to be much funnier when I was in the US but now I'm very sober. I felt bad and I told her all my problems from the day and about how even though they are trivial, they got me in a bad mood. She laughed at the silliness and I got back some of my funny cred along with some respite from the annoyances.
India was playing for the draw in the cricket match. It was kinda sad to see the team that accused Australia of playing defensively, go into a shell. And then ramp up the tension by losing a few wickets. Eventually they managed the draw but it wasn't a good ending. Kumble retired and count me among those that aren't that sad about it. Perhaps the way he went out is sad - the injury making the choice for him, in a series where he was highly ineffective for a long time. Another bummer.
And then I got into a flame war with this guy on Wikipedia. He insisted on removing an addition that I made which pointed out that Biwi No. 1 is a remake of Sati Leelavathi. Got me all riled up about idiots with blinders, perhaps based on regional pride. (Look idiot, your whole industry sucks and can't even remake a good comedy, so deal with it!) Got me so pissed off that when later that evening I was watching 7/G Brindavan Colony on TV, a movie in which I've always hated the lead character, now I was rooting for him against the North Indian boyfriend of the heroine. Urgh!
I turned on my computer to watch some movies or play some games and it hung. That scared me more than pissed me off. (Today morning it was working fine.)
When my mom called me during the night she commented on how I used to be much funnier when I was in the US but now I'm very sober. I felt bad and I told her all my problems from the day and about how even though they are trivial, they got me in a bad mood. She laughed at the silliness and I got back some of my funny cred along with some respite from the annoyances.
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