tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85971892012-01-21T19:21:50.211+01:00(V):The art of blogging whats on my mindJayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.comBlogger7421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-71927835650511906782011-01-05T11:40:00.000+01:002011-01-05T11:40:55.222+01:00

Well... Happy New Year 2011 to one n all. Here's hoping that the new year brings joy, prosperity and good health to one n all. I am here after a month not just to apologize for the lack of updates but also to convey the fact that I am going to be vanishing off the blog for a few more months while I deal with the work that goes with the PhD territory. I shall, if possible, of course keep updating

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-19989941189242719452010-12-05T10:48:00.000+01:002010-12-05T10:48:39.197+01:00

Even though the month has just begun, I guess it isn't too early in the year to start recapping and reflecting on what has surely been a great year all over. And considering that I haven't come up with any smart ideas to blog about over the past few days, I think it's the perfect excuse to kick off December with a "Reflections on 2010" post. So here we go.. lets kick off with the good of course -

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-34592508123285194742010-11-30T14:33:00.000+01:002010-11-30T14:33:48.845+01:00

Whoa! 2 weeks and then some have passed since I last blogged! To be honest I am shocked! But then I do have 2 very plausible excuses - some thing that are very apparent to attribute the decline to. So here goes nothing - 1. PhD is time-consuming - Who knew?? But apparently being in the final year can have its toll on personal effects like the blog and such. I vow to bounce back soon! 2. Kindle!

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-71448579976051383732010-11-14T19:59:00.001+01:002010-11-14T19:59:53.926+01:00

As always here I am celebrating my birthday on MindBlogging with all of you! For everyone who wished me through every means possible – Email, Facebook, Orkut, GChat, and most of all phone calls, thanks a million! It did make my day further super-ultra-special! You know how I love getting wished and never shy away from reminding everyone who doesn’t want to be reminded either. But so be it! Happy

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-62154455701264203722010-11-12T11:55:00.000+01:002010-11-12T11:55:42.797+01:00

The story continues here. For new readers or for a quick refresher, start here - scroll to the bottom and work your way up) Chapter 2. Now. And he hadn’t. He trembled as he got up and used the wall for support as he walked towards their bedroom. Surely he was mistaken. Shalini wouldn’t do this. She wouldn’t be in there.  He willed her not to. He could hardly breathe as he reached the

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-33439497337008459122010-11-10T23:03:00.001+01:002010-11-10T23:03:17.907+01:00

I wish it were the popular musical/novel to which I was referring to. What I actually mean though is the immensely lousy weather that seems to have descended upon France and decided to wreak havoc in our happily mundane lives. It has rained like there’s no tomorrow over the entire week. And by that I don’t mean a convincing downpour. I mean an annoying in-between thing which is halfway between a

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-32348167967991362152010-11-10T22:27:00.001+01:002010-11-10T22:29:32.683+01:00

Has this ever happened to you? You make dosai/idli batter and once you’ve used it a few times for breakfast/lunch/dinner, you’re left with one last bit. An amount that won’t make another filling portion for everybody, is a waste to throw away and cannot be mixed with a new batch of batter. Typically I used to make the 1-2 last dosais and put them in the fridge only to certainly throw them away a

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-12779022210511233822010-11-10T08:12:00.000+01:002010-11-10T08:12:00.658+01:00

Ever had guests over and looked for some dessert to make.. something that’s easy yet tasty.. subtly sweet yet light… and definitely drool-worthy? Think carrot halwa! Okay, I admit.. shearing the carrots is the least part of the fun. But once you see past that hurdle, you have this really amazing Indian dessert that wows most people with it’s simplicity and okay – cheap shot… but Vitamin A points?

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-57759474696114160032010-11-09T11:44:00.001+01:002010-11-09T11:44:57.715+01:00

Anyone hailing from India surely loves veg./egg puffs! It was something available at every bakery in any street corner and perfect to quench the hunger pangs that struck with renewed fervor especially when one crossed by the bakery. That fresh-baked aroma and the convincing crunch of the puff made it an instant favourite with one and all. Fast-forward to France. Sure we have a Hot Breads at Paris

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-61771658795929620632010-11-09T09:57:00.000+01:002010-11-09T09:57:30.046+01:00

I don't remember when or where.. but someday I read that a person can never have more than 6 soul-close friends... that means no more than 6 people in anyone's lives knows everything about them - their deepest, darkest secrets, so to speak. And it set me thinking. And I literally counted off my fingers that I probably had 7 very close friends, but not everyone made it to the first tier amongst

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-78876358620017180892010-11-05T07:40:00.001+01:002010-11-05T17:44:23.819+01:00

Here's my Diwali gift to all of you.. the continuation of the story... If you haven't read the prologue, read it here. The story continues below... _______________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 1. Then. “Where’s the groom di? Yengayen onna ditch panitaara?” Priya teased Shalini as she dipped a piece of loose cotton in the lemon and sugar mix and

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-81859243079120760252010-11-04T10:04:00.001+01:002010-11-04T10:20:45.734+01:00

If you've been on MindBlogging long enough, you will know that I am about to direct you to a post that was written 4 years ago. And unsurprisingly though life has changed in many ways, my sentiments about this huge Indian festival of Diwali remain absolutely unchanged. Somehow Diwali is the one f'estival that we simply have to be back home. Nothing makes up for the atmosphere there... the food,

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-33403824309623765712010-10-30T19:27:00.000+02:002010-10-30T19:27:04.696+02:00

Has it ever happened to you? You don't need something but you go to a store and are tempted and end up buying something? It maybe something as inexpensive as junk jewelry for 2€ or something as extravagant as that faux fur coat (ok all the men substitute with watches or Xboxes or what not). But I am amused and extremely happy that I seem to have outgrown this phase. I went "shopping" with 3

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-6035396105443147472010-10-29T19:07:00.001+02:002010-10-29T19:35:51.434+02:00

Owing to popular demand (read on Facebook and GChat), I’ve decided it might be worth my while '(and yours once you see how easy and quick this recipe is) to post this recipe on the blog finally. So here’s another look at this one.   Vegetable biryani Ingredients For tempering   1. Mustard seeds (kadugu) 1 tsp 2. Cumin (jeera) 1

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-89472150270692861742010-10-28T11:12:00.000+02:002010-10-28T11:12:09.475+02:00

What's up with my freaking cold anyways? I swear there should be a way for these diseases to make demands to the people they infect, get whatever they want and then leave... something like a ransom situation. I swear.. just when I thought it was going away... it returned this morning and with a vengeance. Which is incredibly sad considering that the weather in Paris has improved dramatically this

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-46114569101923786322010-10-27T12:07:00.002+02:002010-11-05T17:45:11.345+01:00

This is a story I am working on. Needless to say, it's "copyrighted". :) _____________________________________________________________________________ Now. 6 :15pm. The steel-grey Maruti Suzuki Swift pulled into the parking space 1312A in the underground parking of the multiplex at Gandhi Nagar, Chennai.  Bharath killed the headlights and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel,

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-82728472718248907652010-10-26T22:29:00.001+02:002010-10-26T22:29:55.742+02:00

In honour of the husband’s birthday, I cooked. A lot. Here’s only a glimpse of 3 of the dishes. The starter… Baby corn crispies. The main course Vegetable dum biryani. The dessert  Hot and creamy – Carrot halwa. And there’s always room for cake! Presenting one of the best renderings of black forrest that I’ve had. Ever. Period. And before you all freak out that I bake it, I will go on

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-70033967798927384652010-10-25T08:11:00.002+02:002010-10-25T09:51:18.309+02:00

Maybe for me.. but surely for my computer! So I’ve been suffering from a terrible, relentless cold over the past week but that’s hardly worth any internet footage. But what is worth it is the fact that my computer contracted something over the weekend. Something that made it crawl like a learning baby, slowed it enough to alarm me and even went as far as disabling the battery. What was worse is

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-65369265963798618442010-10-24T12:51:00.001+02:002010-10-24T12:51:20.519+02:00

Have you ever done this? Watched something on TV because it’s there? Like some movie you’ve seen many times over. But just the fact that you have to brainlessly only watch it and didn’t have to choose to (for instance if you own the DVD of the very same movie) makes it appealing somehow. I’ve done this more times than I can count. Somehow the appeal of something that was unintendedly chosen for

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-78388603242804139972010-10-24T11:28:00.001+02:002010-10-24T11:28:45.790+02:00

I confess… for time immemorial, I’ve cribbed about how I don’t like idlis. Indeed, I followed on my brother’s and his friends’ adage of expanding IDLI as I-Don’t-Like-It. And as is usual in such cases, I am a big dosai fan. Which then evokes the surprise that now I not only like idlis, but I make them regularly too. But that is in keeping with the fact that I hated brinjals back in India but now

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-29051963703633393622010-10-21T19:33:00.001+02:002010-10-21T19:33:43.240+02:00

It’s comfort food. But a lot of people I know are turned off by assuming that there’s a lot of effort involved. That it takes too long. That its hard to roll. But guess what? Its none of that. Aloo parathas are a great variety of Indian bread and you can just as easily replace the aloo (potato) with any other filling of your choice (think onions, garlic, cabbage or cauliflower). Here’s a first

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-91293214598020083802010-10-19T12:53:00.002+02:002010-10-19T13:04:19.526+02:00

When does going to the loo in the middle of the night become an adventure? When you are extremely careful not to wake the sleeping husband. When the ancient wooden floors resonate creaks with every move. When the bathroom door makes it's typical whine as it eases open. When the light switch in the bathroom also sets off the exhaust fan. Ah so many parameters... which make the simple act of a

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-387072250527137202010-10-18T13:35:00.001+02:002010-10-18T13:35:35.750+02:00

Iconically Plaça Catalunya, Barcelona.

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-53790679541567670452010-10-18T13:28:00.001+02:002010-10-18T13:28:24.769+02:00

Ok so there were 2 recipes that were pledged to appear on MindBlogging. True to my word, here they are. “Pudhu Vidha kozhambu” Amma’s nomenclature. It literally means kozhambu made a new way. Don’t ask me why or how or where from. All I know is that she discovered this some place and once I tasted it, she shared the knowledge with me and now I share it with you. Here’s a shot though, in case

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-15948208210807515852010-10-17T22:20:00.002+02:002010-10-18T00:13:37.516+02:00

Ah so all of you’ve gathered from a couple of blog posts that I was indeed in Barcelona last week for a conference. And without dwelling too much on the actual purpose of visit (which went great by the way), I am going to talk about Barcelona. It’s easy to fall in love with the city, its sights, its restaurants, its architecture, its culture and its lifestyle. On the other hand I was forewarned

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-52617659553233683832010-10-17T13:33:00.001+02:002010-10-17T13:33:18.163+02:00

Happy Dussera or Vijayadasami to you all! And the main reason I am reviving the blog today is the belief amongst South Indians at least, that whatever you do on this day.. you will continue to do the rest of the year. Vijayadasami falls on the day after Saraswati Pooja (the day we are supposed to pray Saraswati- the Goddess of knowledge) and hence honor her by not studying anything. However the

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-44082615085796081512010-10-04T21:50:00.000+02:002010-10-04T21:50:10.868+02:00

So if you've even vaguely been following the news, you know that a variety of countries have issued a "security warning" for its citizens traveling to the Europe because of "intelligence" of possible "terror attacks". There. That's the exact language used and description given to us - the people who actually live in the Europe. And tell you what? It neither makes our life easy nor does it do

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-208506396564701952010-09-28T13:11:00.001+02:002010-09-28T13:11:57.363+02:00

What's up with this place anyway?! This year has been a disastrous summer... oh wait.. there was no summer. There were probably under 7 days in the entire past year that we've not had to wear some form of outer layer clothing. Be it a sweater, a cardigan or just a full-hand shirt.. something has had to cover us up over the past year for us to survive the temperatures here. This week is turning

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-81467826564852439992010-09-24T10:18:00.003+02:002010-09-24T10:27:48.058+02:00

Last night I made the unfortunate choice of making my mom's famous "pudhu vidha kozhambu" with chenai fry. The unfortunate part was not the kozhambu which turned out delicious, the recipe of which will follow sometime down the line in the blog. However the problem was more the chenai. Chenai or Suran or elephant yam is a popular vegetable in India and manifests itself in south Indian cooking as a

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-55350852671848672102010-09-23T13:38:00.001+02:002010-09-23T13:44:22.909+02:00

How I love surprising myself! Who knew one could “bake” idlis in a traditional oven? I for one didn’t. Haunted by the excess batter sitting in the fridge (in spite of making idlis 2 times and dosais – masal dosai included,  three times), I decided I was going to exhaust it or waste it trying. Fair enough? Now, since it turned out to be a pretty unexpectedly great-tasting treat, I am going to

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-39753111286144573512010-09-23T09:23:00.000+02:002010-09-23T09:23:43.497+02:00

Maybe my brother might be able to jog my memory as to this one, considering his memory is way superior to mine. How many of you have seen this cartoon where there's a bird that urges its master to punish their offenders by "boiling them in oil"?  Any way, if you think i've lost it trying to remember absurd yesteryear cartoons, I assure you not.  I was at another college in the suburbs of Paris to

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-68218007712326305072010-09-22T18:31:00.001+02:002010-09-22T18:32:44.015+02:00

Remember I bought an “analog” SLR? You don’t?? Where’ve you been? Read that post here. So like I mentioned there, I fed a black and white film roll to go all pristine with the shooting. And for the first one, I went through it really quickly and at the same time, experimented a whole whole lot. And so, turns out, out of 36 photos, I got only about 20 not to shake and remotely in focus. Since

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-3166857655751923542010-09-21T12:16:00.000+02:002010-09-21T12:16:56.337+02:00

As usual when I have some time on my hands and specifically in front of my computer, I tend to declutter my GMail Inbox. I don't know about you but even when Google has the storage counter ticking to increase every second, I have never had less than 65% of my Inbox full. And it disturbs me every time I see it. I mean how can one have 8000+ meaningful emails? Surely there was a lot of junk sitting

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-41625169458505126052010-09-20T19:06:00.001+02:002010-09-20T19:08:47.196+02:00

So I was on the RER today. Zoned out… aimlessly staring… watching the scenery go by.. Ipod on, you know. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young French lad slide into one of the aisle seats across and in front of me. As the scenery shifted, so did my eyes. Soon though, they darted back to the guy and I noticed him staring at an old lady, seated alone in a corner. She was fiddling with her bags

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-44612651458159150982010-09-20T10:00:00.000+02:002010-09-20T10:00:06.787+02:00

Of what? The rest of my life, of course! Ok ok... not everyone is that cliché about these things. In fact what I was referring to is that this is the first day I tried walking the 3.2 km from my house to the second-closest train station. The normally 8 minute bus ride took 28 minutes on foot. And I only saw 2 buses go by me. That apart I was able to benefit from the crisp early morning air and

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-73979450739307873582010-09-19T14:02:00.001+02:002010-09-19T14:02:08.377+02:00

I know what y’all are thinking. She’s got nothing to write… and so she just shares recipes (more like pictures) and keeps the blog ticking. Guilty as charged. However, these idlis were so delicious and yet so simple that it’s sinful if I don’t show-off. And so - Piping hot idlis, just off the cooker. As for the “recipe”, it’s the usual, soak-grind-ferment drill. I soaked a 1:3 ratio (1 urad

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-90578430762075140592010-09-18T11:00:00.001+02:002010-09-18T11:00:02.526+02:00

To my own greatest surprise, ever since getting back from India, I haven’t been reluctant to cook. Rather the past week has been filled with a wide variety of cooking exploits… ranging from good old dosai to exotic palak paneer. From sundakkai vathakozhambu (which was awesome by the way – recipe to follow) to theplas. However when I woke up today, I had a distinct craving for dhoklas. Those yummy

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-59473809361066671412010-09-15T20:11:00.001+02:002010-09-15T20:11:21.680+02:00

Being the collector that I am, when my Chinese intern asked me if he could bring me back something from his hometown I had no hesitation in requesting a shot glass. After all, who knew when I would go to China? Though I make it a point to collect shot glasses from locations I have been to, I made an exception in this case. It couldn’t hurt to have one from China, just in case. I forgot all about

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-60680558170081532332010-09-15T10:16:00.001+02:002010-09-15T11:01:13.727+02:00

Topping off on yesterday's discussion, I had a GChat talk with our SLR guru, SS. He pointed out to me that it was super irritating to him when someone approached him for taking a picture of them when he was busy setting up his own SLR to take a shot-of-the-year, so to speak. And however occupied he was, he couldn't say 'no' and be done with it. After some thought, I figured it wouldn't hurt

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-75924661156270595632010-09-14T11:05:00.001+02:002010-09-14T17:28:06.722+02:00

Doing a PhD often entails solo travel, be it for meetings, conferences or workshops. Worse, sometimes you're left to tour exotic locations all by yourself (especially if your husband can't make it with you). Even otherwise, I have come across a lot of people who aren't squeamish about traveling alone. But here's a common issue. When you travel alone, do you end up with more pictures of the place

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-76591447141156085812010-09-13T10:33:00.001+02:002010-09-13T10:41:31.250+02:00

You know when you're flying and there's a pressure drop in the airplane your ears snap shut? Normally when you forcefully yawn or swallow, you hear a pop and all's well. This time though, thanks to the flu, my ears were already partially blocked. And the plane seemed to wobble more on turbulence than actually fly for a good portion of the flight. Consequently my ears pinched shut. Like entirely.

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-39585788209532096622010-09-11T13:32:00.000+02:002010-09-11T13:32:46.124+02:00

First up my sincere apologies to all my readers for the perpetual vanishing act that I seemed to have mastered on this blog, what with the lack of updates. But at least for the last month I have a valid excuse. The whirlwind activity-packed trip to India of course! Of course there were a few sparse updates on MindBlogging that must've clued you in on that. But none further. However we just got

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-53715490478091597412010-08-26T14:10:00.001+02:002010-08-26T14:11:37.885+02:00

What India trip is complete without my fleeing a room in utter terror thanks to Mr Muchad? This time was no different. A different house... a different setting. S and I were just going to turn in for the night. I went to adjust the AC and I'd taken off my contacts. So you know what that means. I couldn't precisely see small things. Which means I couldn't see very clearly that the big, brown blob

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-33559637532503266352010-08-19T03:45:00.002+02:002010-09-14T17:11:33.492+02:00

The intoxicating smell of ghee wafts in the air as girls dressed in matching yellow saris attend to crisping jangiris on one pan and browning bondas on another. Surely, surely this is how heaven must smell. Yes, I was at one of the sites responsible for Adyar's fame - The Grand Sweets and Snacks. The sheer sight of all the mamas and mamis bustling around the counters trying to yell out their

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-18732022184333677032010-08-14T10:38:00.003+02:002010-09-14T17:13:46.157+02:00

Every trip to India is incomplete without an extremely nostalgic trip down memory lane and usually this is jump-started when I tend to clear down one of my many "shelves" back at home. Last evening was no different. In an innocuous corner of the house where I expected to unearth nothing, I found a pile of some of my oldest books instead. Apparently reading was a very early hobby for my brother

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-1892724436785530552010-08-14T10:20:00.000+02:002010-08-14T10:58:06.323+02:00

Nope, this isn't about the semi-new Prince of Persia movie that shares the second half of it's name with this blog's title. It's about how as time goes on and you reflect on some of the decisions that you've made before you can't believe you did them. Take your friendships for example. You're pretty darned fortunate if all the people you chose to be friends with and vice versa are still close

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-31108828987777841832010-08-09T08:57:00.001+02:002010-08-09T08:57:33.353+02:00

I wish this was some night-blooming jasmine I was talking about. However I am talking about those latent conditions in your body that are seemingly non-existent when you go to sleep at night.. yet when you wake up they almost seem like an integral part of you. Be it a pimple… an infection… a cold or a fever, symptoms seemingly aggravate overnight when your defenses are lowered and you’re sleeping

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-37311450645858518362010-07-31T16:36:00.005+02:002010-09-14T17:22:05.930+02:00

Who doesn’t like getting free stuff? No one I know of. Back in UC, the pizza parties were most notorious for the number of irrelevant people who turned up.. simply because of free food. Likewise, people turned up in un-shy numbers to any “free event”. Be it movie night, sandwich giveaways, some boring drone of a lecture (as long as there was free after-food) and what not. Other than that,

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-64707546018001860042010-07-25T10:31:00.001+02:002010-07-25T10:31:00.537+02:00

Oh the joy of stitching the panoramas! It all just feels right when they align and give you the wide-angle view of what the reality is when you don’t have the luxury of carrying your SLR, your wide-angle lens and the likes of it. And indeed, the point’n’shoot works well enough for this purpose. Here’s what I mean - The Olympia Stadion at Berlin, Germany Enjoy!

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-54527149805581573042010-07-23T22:00:00.001+02:002010-07-23T22:30:40.812+02:00

Gosh I had the best time in Berlin the whole of last week and even now as I’m reflecting on it it seems surreal that I spent an entire week there, an extra day completely unintended but totally not regretted too. For anyone considering a visit to the German capital, here are a few reasons why - 1. The sights.  Bradenburger Tor – Berlin’s most recognizable monument. 2. The people. For those

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-60028459240319119742010-07-11T10:32:00.000+02:002010-07-11T10:32:41.919+02:00

I just went back to MindBlogging and was shocked that after a third of July having passed, there was just one blog post and that too a pictorial one. Well I guess that goes to show how busy the days have been. Indeed with the cleanroom closing for summer and the days melding into evenings melding into football nights, there's hardly been any time to pause and breathe, to chill or seethe on the

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-79540615753469491902010-07-02T21:08:00.001+02:002010-07-02T21:13:00.726+02:00

Some of the best things in life can be free. And the city of lights is an everyday example. Some of the best sights it has to offer are absolutely free. Like this one.  La Tour Eiffel: The single most-visited paid monument in the world. Ah Paris! How I love this city and how I love showing its jewels off. With the sudden onset of intensive heat, all the monuments are shining in their

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-42626061165732279562010-06-28T11:42:00.003+02:002010-06-28T12:16:44.825+02:00

I am here to reflect once more how the grass is indeed greener on the other side. Forever it seemed like I complained that we wore sweaters or jackets in Paris for the past 8 months... and how the sun never seemed to shine in all it's splendor and what not. And the sun had it's revenge on us for my bad-mouthing. The temperatures soared to 30+°C and we sweated it out this weekend in Paris too..

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-33564446206837208542010-06-24T10:23:00.000+02:002010-06-24T10:23:57.498+02:00

You know that F.R.I.E.N.D.S episode where Chandler and Joey wager the girls that they can guess every item in Rachel's shopping bag because they know them so well? Well if you want a head-start on me, you've got to start with milk. And I'm not kidding. I don't know what it is with my Parisian obsession with milk. I like the milk in this country but that's no excuse to go scouting for different

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-64982295709511188082010-06-21T09:09:00.002+02:002010-06-21T09:13:36.535+02:00

This is about the fine line between sharing details and sharing too much details on social networks like Facebook and stuff. Recently I've marveled how some people have absolutely no qualms in posting stuff about themselves that may potentially harm anything from their professional opportunities to their personal relationships. On that note, here's a poll on where I stand in your opinion... &amp

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-65358031003751076672010-06-20T14:39:00.000+02:002010-06-20T14:39:48.335+02:00

Once more I am hardly going to dare to belittle my Appa's sacrifices and role in my life the way it's turned out by merely writing about it. Instead I am just going to pause here and thank God for having gifted me a father with whom I've succeeded in having a continuing close, extremely friend-life relationship. Neither my brother nor I could've hoped for anything better. Ever. Thank you Appa and

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-18813555605499819852010-06-20T12:43:00.002+02:002010-06-20T13:01:52.456+02:00

So here she is… the newest member of our growing Canon family – a simple film SLR camera. I’ve only just loaded new film into the camera and I got to say I love the “sound” of clicking. There’s nothing digital about it. It’s all mechanical. And it’s finally refreshing to be limited. With the film SLR, thanks to the manual settings, you really got to know what you’re doing. There are no second

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-29431915569228695582010-06-16T12:34:00.005+02:002010-06-16T12:49:10.515+02:00

Nope.. once again wrong. Not the Seinfeld writer's newer venture. This time it's photo-centric. About 6 months ago I wrote lamenting the fact that no one takes too many prints of digital photos anymore. Though its a serious advancement in technology and improvement in everything, we have allowed digital photography to cripple us on the basic level. You can read that post here. And so I took the

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-2408271140926319042010-06-14T11:23:00.000+02:002010-06-14T11:23:45.417+02:00

When I suddenly think back to some things that I tend to do, I realize that I have accepted certain things without question. These have been imbibed into me from when I was very little and though I probably don't know the premise of the evolved action, I haven't bothered to question it at all. For instance, the thottu-othifying - the practice of touching something with your fingers (typically of

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-87470966488827341122010-06-10T20:21:00.003+02:002010-06-10T20:25:46.787+02:00

So the other day I had time on my hands... Hence, dinner was served. Piping hot and all from scratch. Enough said. You’ve already gotten the channa recipe. And the samosas? Separate blog to follow.  Crispy hot samosas. Serve piping hot with ketchup/chutney. We’ve saved these to serve with channa as chaat. And here’s a shot of the full dish as served…  Served with freshly chopped onions and

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-44254756062362669152010-06-09T23:13:00.001+02:002010-06-09T23:13:05.718+02:00

As promised… courtesy the ‘S’ in our SLR… some pics from our visit to Quiberon, a coastal region in Bretagne, the North-west of France. And one more… Enjoy!

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-44810193096335625492010-06-07T12:27:00.001+02:002010-06-07T15:36:45.796+02:00

So going out to rent a car in France? Easy-peasy right? However, paperwork rules in this country and for all it's beautiful landscapes you'd better hope you can rent a car to enjoy it to the best possible extent. As we were going to Quiberon, this past weekend and we hoped to take in the coastal views and a lot more with the help of a rental car of course. So we waded down to the Hertz at the

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-31895920802892252082010-05-31T11:20:00.001+02:002010-06-01T14:03:10.735+02:00

PS: This blog is a reflection from the same situation I've been faced at many stages when I meet new people. Nothing happened recently to prompt it. Have you ever been faced with this situation? You're in a group of Indians predominantly speaking one regional language. And it happens to be your Mother tongue too. Yet, there are some people who assume you don't speak it well. While I've found that

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-65589812485821245692010-05-30T21:19:00.001+02:002010-05-31T12:36:47.861+02:00

So I was on a picnic to Vaux le Vicomte on a trip arranged by my college. Here's a panorama from the day trip. Hint: Click on the photo for a full image. Well the Château has a sad history but we had a great time being there. And the college treated us to a day of fun.. what lunch on a bateau, day at the Château and what not! The day played a bit of a spoilsport though.. it was raining in

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-37479516871823029022010-05-24T21:29:00.001+02:002010-05-24T21:44:34.897+02:00

I didn’t plan on this one. I actually wanted to make tofu ice cream but S discouraged me of the idea in such a manner that I was a bit apprehensive to try. And so? Tofu puris. Crispy soft tofu masala puris. Interested enough? You should be. Of all the 3 tofu dishes I’ve made over the past week, this was hands-down my favourite. It was crispy yet soft, flavorful yet subtle. The perfect dish to

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-87665913162761874102010-05-24T15:25:00.001+02:002010-05-24T15:28:08.868+02:00

You have to hand it over to the French. The most famous road in Paris, probably even the world, Champs Elysées, was turned into a garden. For 2 days. At a cost of 4.2 million euros. You can see the news item here. And it was a sight to behold - The Arc de Triomphe at the head of the world-famous Avenue de Champs Elysées. And boy, did the people turn out or what! I have never seen a rush like

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-48983481428691178012010-05-24T14:55:00.001+02:002010-05-24T15:01:40.118+02:00

Ah Paris has dived into summer, skipping Spring entirely. The temperatures are in the late 20s-early 30s, and believe me when I say that it is hot. Sure, a lot of you are wondering if I am not from Chennai, where I’ve faced only 3 seasons – hot, hotter and hottest. But there’s something about the Parisian air.. the humidity perhaps, the sheer intensity of summer is just as cold as the winter  is,

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-20055929809642329632010-05-22T13:11:00.001+02:002010-05-22T13:13:23.972+02:00

So it’s typical… you get up late on a Saturday morning. In a short while after a tea/coffee your stomach starts signaling to you that it’s about time to break its fast. But you are just not in the mood to make anything elaborate. And something like cereal or toast just seems boring. Bread upma is perfect for those days… minimal effort, mildly spiced, the perfect, warm, carb-fest to kick start

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-37041843161969583092010-05-21T16:42:00.000+02:002010-05-21T16:42:23.409+02:00

Everyone has been faced with stage-fright at some point or the other in their lives. It maybe something as simple as giving a presentation in front of your peers or something as life-changing as getting married. And very few people are very sure about the consequences. For instance, typically just before any presentation, my legs temporarily lose all feeling and my fingers are icy to touch. I

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-40681268702182223292010-05-20T20:16:00.004+02:002010-05-20T21:58:05.994+02:00

Didn’t I say there would be more tofu recipes following? So here it is, as promised – something different yet something reasonably healthy for what it is – tofu koftas. Here’s a first look - And if I say so myself, you’ve got to try this. So here goes - Ingredients for the kofta Quantity 1. Tofu 300g, finely mashed 2. Dry spices 1tsp of

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-77859295033406338542010-05-20T13:59:00.002+02:002010-05-21T10:42:57.550+02:00

We've all heard of  tourists being robbed (not at gunpoint or anything like that) when they were unaware of their belongings under various circumstances. It could be on a commuter train where the getaway was easy (read this) or in an extremely crowded tourist spot, like the Eiffel Tower on New Year's eve. And until my friend here in Paris, NN lost all her belongings at a beach in Spain, the

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-27270477000996605532010-05-19T18:52:00.006+02:002010-05-19T21:21:52.836+02:00

As vegetarians in France, we have to grab the olive branch to any decent ingredient out there, which is out of the ordinary. And tofu is definitely one of those ingredients we are going to pick up only outside of India. I mean when paneer is so vastly available, who’s going to pick tofu? Well, not me. But I chanced upon this really fresh, home-made tofu supplied to us by our cafeteria manager

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-77959703656289670262010-05-19T07:15:00.001+02:002010-05-19T07:15:43.877+02:00

Maybe most of you haven't had time to react to the proposal of change or the change itself on the blog. But it did work for me "hit-wise". 239 unique visitors yesterday! Yoo hoo.. Thanks and keep them coming!

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-11116467344802030012010-05-18T22:52:00.002+02:002010-05-19T13:47:23.870+02:00

Here goes nothing. Love it? Hate it? Indifferent? Give it sometime and let it grow on you. Thanks for the votes but I realized this was one of those things I wanted to do than consider it a burden. Here's hoping the template has nothing to do with why you visit MindBlogging. Keep coming!

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-19238353930779909582010-05-18T11:51:00.003+02:002010-06-16T12:46:06.798+02:00

Hello hello, Having reaped the benefits of renovating this blog layout after some hard work for over a year, I've decided it needs to change. And this time I am going to go very plain jane and probably very ordinary. But before I make the massive switch, I'd like to poll you all. <a href="http://www.blogpoll.com">Free Blog Poll</a&

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-7896242301120786492010-05-16T15:04:00.001+02:002010-05-16T15:05:12.805+02:00

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg isn’t “Grand” in the French sense (meaning big) at all. Rather it’s small, sweet and not over imposing at all. Makes it a simple destination for a weekend getaway. And that was just what it was… Here’s a postcard from the Chateâu of Viaden which boasted fabulous views of the valley below. Enjoy!

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-68392028438791500112010-05-13T10:30:00.003+02:002010-05-19T21:22:58.972+02:00

If you’re Indian, you’ve sure as hell had this delicious treat at any of the numerous chaat places strewn across our fabulous country or at one of the numerous Indian restaurants that fulfill our needs when we our out of the country. But if you’re not Indian, then you’ve missed out on something BIG if you’ve not had this yet. Ok, without further ado, presenting one of the titans of the Indian

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-79568238992620004542010-05-09T09:00:00.001+02:002010-05-09T09:00:19.983+02:00

In honour of Mother’s Day, no matter how recently we started celebrating it in the form of gifts, ecards or otherwise, I am not going to crib about how the gift giving industry has commercialized every relationship we’ve ever had with cards, gifts and a “day” to celebrate. But this being one of the most significant relationships of all for all the fortunate people in the world, it’s special. And

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-660108410728169432010-05-03T14:57:00.000+02:002010-05-03T14:57:04.398+02:00

While reverse psychology is potentially powerful, usually against kids or easy-to-change-their-minds adults, I've found it an impressive tool... against myself. Typically when I tell myself I can do something, I tend to slack at it and vice versa. And of course my theory is best tested against the joy of eating. You know how the moment you decide to go on a diet, there's an overpowering craving

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-71665389366488515972010-05-03T12:30:00.000+02:002010-05-03T12:48:19.166+02:00

Etiquette 101. Try to be polite as far as possible with people you meet on a regular basis. Well, you're probably thinking that it's more like common sense than etiquette.. but believe me, some people neither know the difference nor have any regard for them. As a generation that has to deal with a variety of people, from colleagues to family to friends to strangers, we have a wide variety of

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-69087530255525657592010-04-30T16:53:00.001+02:002010-04-30T16:54:09.473+02:00

And so the time has whooshed by. Who out there can believe that 4 whole months, an entire third of this year, 2010 has flown by at the pace that it has? I for one, can’t. With each passing month the ‘final’ year of the PhD gets more stressful.. but this is some form of weird ‘pain’ that I am enjoying. Maybe the possibility of finally starting to see the vague end of the tunnel, still far far away

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-16790256270691590892010-04-28T13:53:00.002+02:002010-04-28T13:55:50.271+02:00

I was watching this interview of Harsha Bhogle's at IIM-A. Before going further, I must admit that I haven't yet watched it fully. I only saw the first few minutes, the part where he brings up the question of what is more important to everyone... the journey or the destination? And it set me thinking... How do we view this almost chicken-n-egg-like question? Most people immediately tend to blurt

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-42882116103061362322010-04-28T10:10:00.002+02:002010-04-28T11:52:37.305+02:00

PS: This post needn't make sense to all.. this is for you, FGIL. How long does it take to sink in that something isn't working? No matter what parameters you tweak, what other attempts you make, to accept that that project/trial has officially met it's end? You'll say it depends on the magnitude. I will agree. However even after you realize that it's over, how long does it take to bounce back

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-48305941842358235302010-04-27T09:30:00.002+02:002010-04-27T09:41:59.575+02:00

I am an amazing multitasker, if I say so myself...  I can do a variety of things all at once, each involving a  different dominant faculty of life, if you know what I mean. But sometimes I wish I wasn't. Not just that I could give my undivided attention to one task and sort of know I've done it.. but more so that even though I've probably done it, I should remember that I have.  Take a typical

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-15246809847566797192010-04-26T10:42:00.001+02:002010-04-26T10:44:26.195+02:00

I had to blog about this... Having started out with lukewarm interest in the IPL, looking back I realize that it successfully occupied almost all of my weekends over the past 6 weeks. And it was surprisingly comforting to sit in front of the laptop/TV and watch a match that was so entertaining because of its short format.. you didn't have to endure the middle over drag, etc. For purists this

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-52378243397355674302010-04-25T13:28:00.003+02:002010-05-19T21:23:47.567+02:00

Ah well… as is becoming usual, I had the whole, wide bright Sunday to myself. And having made pizza last week and it having been a phenomenal success with the husband, I decided I would try a mini-version today for lunch. So bright and early, I went out to get the fresh ingredients to get me started..  But first, here’s a sneak peek at the finished product - So.. yumm yumm? Let’s get started!

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-85693689076806397312010-04-22T10:15:00.001+02:002010-04-22T10:15:38.874+02:00

I see that America has declared war on Iceland. Apparently they are accusing them of harbouring a “weapon of ash eruption”, courtesy, Ten of the best Iceland volcano jokes. If you've been remotely abreast with the latest news, you know by now that the Eyjafjallajokull volcano of Iceland erupted last week, and while it only spewed ash high up into the air and thankfully did nothing fatal to

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-24627620689217833372010-04-19T20:46:00.002+02:002010-05-19T21:24:25.548+02:00

I had a packet of frozen methi that wasn’t transforming into anything magical by itself.. and seeing it sit there long enough, meant, well that I had to be making something interesting with it. And the result, one of my favourite Mughalai dishes – Malai Methi Matar. Of course it has one “healthy” substitution for the authentic fatty ingredient. But if you like what you see below, you can read on.

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-9998629785867277042010-04-19T15:30:00.000+02:002010-04-19T15:30:00.382+02:00

Some people are by nature, quiet while some others like me have to express every opinion under the sun, relevant or not. However, I am living proof of the fact that this urge is directly proportional to interest in the matter and inversely to maturity. And it definitely wanes as time goes on. More than talking at opportune moments, what requires true skill and mastery is knowing when to shut up.

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-86136372669103069102010-04-19T12:00:00.001+02:002010-04-19T12:36:57.880+02:00

You know how you fondly reminisce the days of school, all those fun and carefree days and what not? But is there something you'd have liked to change (for the better or worse) from your experience there? I went to a school that was fabulously well-known for its academic prowess, so much so that the "IIT"-headed folk promptly joined us in Class XI and our school welcomed them with outstretched

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-5252156127616544972010-04-18T10:11:00.001+02:002010-04-18T10:11:20.024+02:00

Ah today was one of those weekend mornings… S gulped down a rapid breakfast and made his way to his cricket ground to usher in the start of the cricket season.. which means I’ll have quite a few days like these to myself to entertain myself as I deem appropriate. While I plan to usher in my own days of being a Parisian culture-monger, taking in hidden views and finding precious bistros (and

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-53316548514885853942010-04-10T21:03:00.000+02:002010-04-10T21:43:33.497+02:00

 Note: This post relates to significantly Asian, specifically Indian opinions and views. I donot presume to understand the workings of the "western" minds, especially in these matters. Also, try not to take me too seriously. Many people know they are racist.. yet others don't see it at all until something springs up on them and they have to express an opinion. And those who are racist realize

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-8497345526063417152010-04-10T10:21:00.001+02:002010-04-10T10:21:39.931+02:00

You know how some people feel very depressed to come back to an empty house? I kinda agree when you know it’s going to be empty forever types.. like if your significant other is out of town or something. But on the contrary I prefer having the house to myself for an hour or two before the husband comes. It gives me some time to kick off my heels, chill with some chai and get some lone time, watch

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-69458431755654203382010-04-08T18:40:00.002+02:002010-04-20T13:04:25.742+02:00

Sure the scientist in me had to surface :) Note: For those gliding by, please notice the beaker and then make the beaker-scientist relation :D.

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-1653734030550825572010-04-06T12:43:00.001+02:002010-04-06T15:41:30.419+02:00

It seems like no matter what, we find new and innovative ways of doing good old things... Look at reading books for example. I bet the forests are thanking us now that so many books are going entirely electronic. And with Kindles and Ipads alike vying for the top spot in  the ebook reading experience, things are poised to get as "real" as ever. But that's not what this post is about. Instead it's

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-55613156745770350292010-03-29T10:23:00.000+02:002010-03-29T10:23:43.485+02:00

I finally "experienced" pick-pocketing first hand. Just that it wasn't my pockets.. It was my rather large  and moderately "heavy" handbag. And it wasn't smooth, suave or subtle. Rather it was brusque and upfront and downright funny if you ask me. You hear tales about the smooth criminals... where the people swindled had absolutely no clue how their wallets vanished or how their cell phones

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-90060701885698646532010-03-24T11:49:00.003+01:002010-03-24T14:23:46.733+01:00

In the recent past, ever thought of "how to                                " and ended that thought with youtubing it? Now fill in the blank with just about anything... Here are some examples - 1. How to make palak paneer2. How to start swimming3. How to punch properly4. How to exercise more effectively5. How to sew buttonsIf you haven't, you are one of the lucky few who's still using some

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-55468660659963730842010-03-22T09:34:00.001+01:002010-03-22T09:34:56.101+01:00

We all have that one special one... something that made us feel special at first and then just got more and more comfortable as time wore on. Something almost perfect. And after as long as it has taken, even though you're not willing to let go, you have to face the fact that the other side has. It's over. I am talking about that love affair with that one favourite pair of jeans of course! :D

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-19170025383460224732010-03-20T16:42:00.001+01:002010-03-20T16:42:28.142+01:00

What do you do when someone calls you a term of endearment that you're not comfortable with or you think is inappropriate to your 'relationship'? Do you just call it... ignore it or let it happen a few times more before potentially over-reacting? Interesting thought isn't it? Do write back with your invaluable comments.

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597189.post-30747677814062094162010-03-18T13:29:00.000+01:002010-03-18T13:29:11.653+01:00

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes”- Mark Twain Liar liar pants on fire...if only it were that easy... like you mumbled that and the person's pants really would be on fire, something like a Harry Potter spell... problem solved. When we are little, we are taught the most simplistic definition of a lie - something which is not the truth.

Jayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17681823100044610529noreply@blogger.com2