What a Mess, English!

English is a funny language. It’s not my first, and it certainly won’t be my last, but English, my dearest, you are one hell of a mess.

Well, English, how many languages have you borrowed from? Can you even count the number of foreign words you now call yours? But hey, we know that you didn’t steal any of it — I would never throw that on you. I love you, trust me.

But I don’t like some of the words you own. Like, for instance, the word “mentee.” I always considered it like one of those informal terms that corporate people dished out — a lot, mind you — just to sound high-profile. But this morning, I read an article about the signs of a good editor (like anyone knows that!), and I came across this word.

Mentee.

Yuck. Try saying that word aloud and slow. “Mentee.” The aftermath of the long ‘tee’ and the resonating sound of the ‘men’ (oops!) is detestable.

Of course where there’s a “mentee” there’s also a “mentor.” This, however, I can live with. I even daresay that I like the round “or” sound. It gives me the image of something wholesome and complete.

But the best thing about you — English — is that you are so changeable.

Is it just me? Or isn’t “ambidextrous” lovable?

Ambidextrous is beautiful. And why wouldn’t it be, it’s a talent after all! It’s attractive too. But the word, “ambidextrous” is beautiful in itself. “Dexter” — that’s right, and “dextrous” — that’s neat. I’m “bi” — two in character or ability. “Ambidextrous” — so much depth in one word. Oh dear, English, how could you contain so much technicality and also host a word like “mentee”?

Again, mentee! How can I relate that to mental or mentality? Has it got anything to do with men or tee-shirts? Isn’t that a little male chauvinistic?

Perhaps I’m thinking too much. Perhaps I should just indulge in my ganache filled brownie.

Oh, how good that sounds!

Ganache! Every syllable rings of rich chocolate and butter and all things indulgent. And not to forget, French!

Oh English, I can’t describe the way you make me feel. The way you swirl in my mouth, and the way you make me sound — sometimes dextrous, sometimes ganache-like. But most times, you just make me sound meh!

The Dhabba Experience

I hadn’t heard of this restaurant before my team mates told me we were going here for a team treat.

A bit of digging told me there were 10 of the same restaurants and that they serve good seafood. A lover of prawns, I set my mind.

Even as we got in to the cab, I could feel my insides expanding with excitement. I was a little ashamed too, it was just food after all. But again, it’s food!

I was all ready; my phone was fully charged and so was I. As we got down from the cab, I started clicking pictures of the surrounding. I was going to write an impressive review- complete with photos and all.

It was a large extravagant area – for a restaurant. Felt like walking into a huge holiday resort in the making. There was a big play area for kids and even a separate section of the restaurant for pure vegetarians. Sadly though, it was too hot for a soul to enjoy the slides and rides.

We walked inside and my excitement settled a little – we were finally there. It was now all about food.

We took our seats – three tables of it and I began looking around. It is a Punjabi restaurant and to reinforce the mood were paintings of Punjabis – beautiful work by the way. The ambiance within the restaurant was perfect – almost empty. Which is unsurprising considering it’s somewhere in the middle of nowhere – on the highway. There were a couple of small groups, and they were quiet too. The lighting was mild – not that it needed much, it was in the middle of the day. And being so, it was so hot outside but so cool inside. The tables were of stone and with the air-conditioning set at 18 degrees, the atmosphere was welcoming.

The service people were a little less welcoming though. Can’t blame them too, they were probably shocked to see a group of 15 people thronging into their restaurant with no regard for, well, anything.

Anyway, without much ado, we ordered.

We began with hot and sour soup. I’m not much of a soup person, but I loved it.

They didn’t have many of what we hoped to have – like the tandoori momos for instance. I was looking too forward to tasting that. We ordered prawns salt and pepper, fish fingers, mutton something and a couple of chicken somethings for starters.

None of them was spicy enough for me, but the taste was good. Prawns salt and pepper was a bit too salty with too little pepper, but I’d surely recommend this place anytime.

Moving on to main course, the biriyani was dry, I heard. I didn’t try the biriyani but the taste was good – judging from the way my team mates devoured. Another friend mentioned that the fried rice was great too, but I’d vouch for something else. My love for the greens tempted me to order pudhina (mint) paratha, and it surprised me, as always. But thankfully, it did not disappoint. It didn’t look too appealing; my team mates’ eyes widened at the sight of it – not to mention that my jaw dropped. I recovered soon enough though.

It tasted good – the pudhina powder added a little bitterness, just the way I like it. To accompany the paratha, I had ordered prawns chettinad masala and a chicken dish – I forgot the exact name.

The menu was so extensive and the names of the dishes were difficult to remember. The best thing though was that the taste was worth remembering.

At the end of it all, I decided to top it up with lime soda. Because I suddenly remembered that I had been suffering from an upset stomach for a couple of days. Just the day before I survived on liquid salts.

Coming back to the lime soda, it was too salty for me – pungent. But it did do its duty; I digested it all without much trouble.

Anyway, my colleagues ordered a variety of ice cream, gulab jamun, milk shakes and funnily enough – carrot halwa.

Ha, that carrot halwa! Not to taste; reminded me of sweet paan.

With an unmistakable burp, our treat ended and we walked out, satisfied and satiated.

After a few minutes of idling and selfie taking, we re-boarded our cab and came back to office – only to look forward to going home.

P.S: My very first restaurant review. Any thoughts, folks?

Experiencing Indo Soul

The previous piece I wrote about Indo music, was about Karthick Iyer’s single. After all the mixed feelings that song had on me, I got hold of the rest of the album. My first impression wasn’t at all that great. Which is a great sign. I’m not easily impressed; it took me over three months to fall in love with my favourite musician’s latest album (now though, I can’t get enough.)

Boundless
Boundless is a boundless musical blend of the miruthangam and some devilish strings. It’s a small song; just two and a half minutes. But throughout, you’ll experience so many emotions go back and forth. I didn’t hate this song, but it didn’t awe me either. In fact, with the strange beginning, I thought my audio was faulty; it didn’t seem appropriate to begin a song with a music that painfully reminds you of this.

After the initial shock however, the music gradually pulls you into the song. Not to mention the artsy crescendo. Out of the blue, the miruthangam rises and suddenly from nowhere come the strings to blend in so well that you can actually feel the pull. And the repetitive beat that starts at 1.50, and lasts for a few seconds — wow. I don’t like lengthy musicals — except in extremely rare circumstances. And I’m certain that I wouldn’t have liked this song one bit if it had lasted any longer. This song just proves that you don’t need much time if you know how exactly you want your audience to feel.

Clown Junket
I can’t say it enough, but I am a string lover. The guitar and the violin are one thing, but the bass adds another dimension altogether. Though it’s a part of the violin family, both the cello and the bass are much deeper than the violin and viola. And that’s the magic of this song. It’s a beautiful song, but the first two minutes were too slow. You’re left to wondering what exactly is happening. It might put you off, unless of course, you decide to listen through. Once you wait for the second half, you wouldn’t regret it, I’m sure.

The introducing of the violin into a well set tune was beautiful. The violin just waltzed into the mass that was bass, and fit right in. And the touches of miruthangam here and there – perfect accompaniment to the classical tune. Every time I hear it, it feels a little odd that the violin should blend classical and western, but I’m getting used to the idea — and I’m starting to like it too.

Mid air
No beating around the bush — this song just gets right into business. And I like that. Perhaps to make up for the slow songs in the album — nevertheless, it’s gets off to high start and maintains the energy throughout. Just listening to this song, I can picture it bringing modernity to our traditional society. I love the fact that the bass and the miruthangam get a lot to say along with the violin and guitar. The guitar interlude – brilliantly brings in a little western touch to the classicism.

This is a great song with an amazing blend of both worlds. It’s a bit long though — it would’ve been more powerful had it been a little shorter. This song reminds me of old television advertisements — can’t pinpoint which exactly though. Weirdly though, this song made me nostalgic.

A Saranga Convergence
Love the beginning — great slow start of the violin. The first 30 seconds were awesome, but then he let it slide a bit. He brought it back at 1.40 though – with powerful strings and strong miruthangam. Loved the transition at around 2.40 where the drums take and hand it over to the guitar, and then coming back to the bass. And then the vocal just blooms out of nowhere. It was such an unexpected surprise — though it lasted a bit longer than I expected. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed the equal distribution of instruments in this song. Maybe because it’s a lengthy piece, but it wasn’t tiring — just a lot of smoothness, one or two glitches here and there, but overall, nice to listen.

Loved the ending as well — smooth. Gave me the mental picture of a cherry sliding off a melting ice-cream cone. ;)

Rejoicing in Raguvamsa
First 50 seconds – pure classical treat, and an incredible transition to the percussion — loved every bit of this song. Beautiful bass solo at 2.40, and nice takeover of the miruthangam assisted by some classy percussion. And yet another beautiful ending. Karthick has found himself a versatile team; three strings, a classic miruthangam and a totally western electric guitar.

Combined, these instruments do such a great job to captivate the listener. And the team’s done it so well. There’s so much room to experiment, to succeed and to make mistakes as well. This is a great album to listen and to keep. It’s not the perfect collection of songs; there are some parts I could live without, and some I couldn’t. Team Karthick Iyer Live knows their audience, and they’re not trying to please everyone. And that’s the way to go.

Giving Thanks… Or Something like That

I’ve been a little behind the times lately; I almost missed to accept the Versatile Blogger award. Ha, will happen never again!

It’s all thanks to Cel who nominated me for this award. Sorry, I didn’t do this sooner Cel, and I will take that challenge as well. Just give me some time ;)

So another award! I just realized how great it feels to be recognized as a part of the blogosphere; sometimes I can’t help but feel like just a negligible speck in such a vast space.

Anyhow, the rules:

Thank the person who gave you this award – Yup, done that.
Include a link to their blog – that too.
Nominate 15 deserving bloggers you discovered recently for the Versatile Blogger Award — you might include a link to this site – 15, huh?
Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself – get ready Cel!

Me:

I love coffee, but I drink tea as much as coffee. That makes me a double addict!
I almost always eat healthy – and often top it with a piece (or two) of chocolate.
I don’t like pizza – I can take a piece or two, but certainly not more than that. And I’m not a fan of cheese either. Yes, you read right.
I love road trips. And I hate having to reach a destination; I’d rather keep going.
I so badly want to go on a solo trip, but my sense of direction is pathetic and sadly my parents know that.
I just recently realized how much it hurts to hold a DSLR for long at a stretch.
I love trekking.

So, there you have it! Hope it’s random enough.

I nominate:

Catherine – Leaf and Twig – Have you ever felt like hitting that Like button a thousand times? That’s how I feel about Catherine’s work. It’s pity she’s disabled Likes. But I enjoy every post; she never ceases to thrill.
Lucas – Through Open Lens – It’s always great to see the world through someone else’s point of view. And with someone like Lucas, you also get to enjoy a funny one-liner and an interesting fact. Classy!
Meisaan – Curving toward the center – Home to some of the best haiku I’ve ever read! And she picks the greatest accompaniment photos!
Quail – Butterfly Sand – A friendly voice in the neighborhood. From shady quips and daily quips to poetry and short stories, she’s like the fun aunt whose advice I’d really listen to.
Sue – WordsVisual – Sue’s up to some great photography and poetry. That’s one killer of a combination; you wouldn’t want to miss that.

I’m a known rule-breaker, so there goes the ‘nominate 15 bloggers’ rule. I follow plenty of awesome bloggers – you know who you are, and you’re all awesome. Unfortunately, most of you don’t accept awards.

Anyway, it’s been great fun blogging with you guys. Stick around, and let’s keep sharing stories.

Have a great weekend y’all. Cheers.

Collecting Experiences… And Capturing Moments

They say you should collect experiences more than things. And that’s what I’ve been up to the past week. I went on a holiday to the hill country with my family. And it was filled with experiences that make me crave more.

I will surely write about the trip and my mentality there; we sure had some lovely companions at our hotel. See for yourself.

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