Award Time

I was apprehensive about the subject choice for my 100th post when BlogwatiG  decided to come to my rescue,unannounced ! To say that I was pleasantly surprised will be an understatement of the year! I have been wandering in this blogworld since a few years albeit regularly irregular in my contribution. Have still not learnt the ropes but I love writing and that brings me back in this space again and yet again. I read more than I write but I intend to bring both to equal footing soon. Thank you for wishing me good luck just for that...oh you haven't ? Then please do .

Thank you BlogwatiG for nominating me for Leibster Blog award .Now Leibster in German means sweetheart ,so thank you again ,makes me fell all loved .If you have not met BlogwatiG ,you can meet her here.

                                                         

                                                                   image curtesy Sandyspeak              

Rules -

--If tagged or nominated,you have to post eleven facts about yoursef.

--Then you answer eleven questions the tagger has asked you and you post eleven questions for people you are going to tag.

--Tag eleven blogggers (with no more than 200 followers )

--Tell people that they have been tagged.

--No tagging back. 

 My take on myself..

                                                                                             
1.Smiles are beautiful ..When not restoring smiles clinically as a dentist, I like to see smiles all around me.
2. I still feel as though I am fresh out of college,in spite of my mirror telling me otherwise.
3. I have strong shoulders which close friends feel free to cry on.
4. I can be a good listener if you can hold my attention.If you fail to do so, my mind leaves my body and its only my gaze that you are talking to.
5. I am still scared of my mom .
6. I have hyperactive tear glands ,can shed copious tears at the drop of a hat. I am capable  of crying while watching a Salman Khan movie too......Lo Bolo !
7. Can not survive without reading books.Print fascinates me.
8. Non-Diabetic but unable to digest too much human sweetness of behaviour.Can see right through it.
9. I am very bad when it comes to matching faces with their names. The twain rarely meets as a perfect match in my brain but I can still talk for hours .
10. I am jinxed when it comes to hiring Rickshaws...I hide behind something and let  my kids,building watchman or anyone else on the street for that matter, do that job for me.
11. I plan to learn at least three forms of  dancing after my retirement.My knees have promised to behave.Then some day I can be found dancing or  reading or writing somewhere in the mountainside in my little cottage.


Answers to questions that BlogwatiG asked -

1. Do you think a 3am friend is a myth?
    Not at all ! I am privileged to have both , imaginary and real !
2.What would you rather be ? A celebrity or the Prime Minister of the country ?
   A celebrity without a doubt. I love attention and our prime minister  does not get any (of the right kind) .
3. What is that one thing that you would like the older generation to imbibe from the younger?
   Do not beat around the bush..come straight to the point for God's sake ! Adaptability, on a serious note.
4.What is that one quality that you would want the older generation to pass on as a legacy to the younger generation?
   Let experience teach ..mere words don't preach.
5.What is your take on beauty contests ? 
  A thing of beauty now, is Silicon for ever. Overrated.
6.If there was one thing you could do to make a difference what would you do?
   Invent a cost effective ,environment friendly, non-exhaustive fuel.
7.What has been your electricity consumption for the last month ? Is it going to change for the better?
  Erm..considering my two descendants who hit the AC button as a reflex action as soon as they enter their      room and.....umm..the fact that Reliance has khunnas against Juhu residents ...ok I quit explaining  ,INR  11000 .I keep trying  to reduce  , I promise to try harder.
8.Who is the one person that inspires you?
  My Badi Buaji  (aunt) is my main source of inspiration.Cancer struck,till her last breath she spread   compassion .Selfless ,sans any expectations..she only gave love. The mould was broken as she left this world.
9.Did you ever go back to school and meet your teachers?Why? 
   Have gone back to school and college both  and more than once ,to meet my mentors and guides.Two ladies,adverse circumstances,tough taskmasters ,dedicated to work, committed to their students' welfare and full of love.
10.What colours would you paint with, if you had just two to choose from?
  Black and White without a doubt.This way I get to paint the town red with my own shades of grey.
11.One line to describe Blogwati G 
   I do not need a line,I am a woman of few words...
     ' Electric piya'   is my description of BlogwatiG



My questions for the lovely people I tagged--

1.Name one situation that you feel you just can not handle.
2.Impulsive or calculative, what would you choose to be in life ?
3.Is it easy for you to accept your mistake in public and not feel embarrassed ?
4.Do your actions differ in a lift if you suddenly realize the presence of a camera inside?
5.How many times in a month do you feel like not having a bath ? What else do you do for water conservation ?
6.What is your personality type-'jumping in the fray' or ' steer clear' when it comes to controversies ?
7 Do you think,harmless lies oft spoken,are just that..? Harmless ?
8.What will make you feel more insecure, receding hairline or ballooning midsection ? Why ?
9.Three things you would like to acquire before you die (materialistic please ).
10.Do you believe in passing on gifted stuff or would you rather hold on to it even if you are never going to use it.
11.What irks you the most in people?



I tag the following very good people because I read them regularly and love their craft .Some of them may not be aware that I read them and some have been reading my ramblings and have been more than kind to comment .Thank you guys for enriching my life .


Raj of beautiful mind

Journomuse

Fat chick goes slim

Sunita kurup

Rahul

kavis musings

Godyears

Fashionopolis

Friends Kitchen

Tomatoblog

lazypinapple

Please comment below and leave a link of your post .Thank you and have fun...

Nokia Apptasting Indiblogger meet at Taj Land End

Most awaited event of this month for Mumbai bloggers was the Nokia Apptasting Indiblogger meet  held on Sunday ,the 19th of August 2012 at the Taj Lands End Hotel Bandra.

                                                                              
Atmosphere was charged as I entered the hall at the Taj. Registration done,I proceeded to the table where all my fellow Indiblogeshwaries were seated. Dressed in various shades of Red and Pink,we were eager to have a good time. Soon enough, Anup , Vineet and the five years young Indiblogger team made us hug each other and kiss our phones and scream hurr.. hurr... hurr . Soon there was no more  ice left to break and we settled down asking for more.

                                                                                                                         
Hosts Rajeev Makhni of Gadget Guru fame and Vikas Khanna ,the famous Michelin star chef of Masterchef India fame took over the reigns. A quick round of introductions of bloggers followed and then the hosts called upon two important people on stage.

                                                                       
The lady in Blue ,Poonam from Nokia made herself a part of the proceedings . She could have had her epic moment of becoming Katrina or Malaika if she had agreed to dance to an item song . Egged on by Rajeev they even played the song but Poonam didn't say 'aaja nach le' . Next person to be introduced from the Nokia camp was Simran. Now,Simran has become a household name since DDLJ,so when Rajiv Makhni called out this name and a cool dude with a cute smile walked up, many hearts were shattered. Simran was made to sit on a stool by Bauji of the evening Rajeev Makhni to get his handsome face morphed beyond recognition.An epic ' Ham aapke hain kaun ' moment was reached as Simran acquired  bee stung lips a la Madam Jolie ! I am sure Nokia will have a fan in my son who has a picture gallery full of morphed and ghastly images of himself.

                                                                         
Speaking of images,the Nokia pure view was put to use and Rajeev demonstrated how the best of individual images from several clicks can be clubbed together to create one single group photograph.This Group photo app was one cool thing that needs to be acquired by me asap,since my eyes refuse to stay open as soon as any camera says 'click' to me in my face. Now that rare shot of mine with open eyes can be saved as a face saver. Friends must be happy.

Since people started drinking early in the evening, another app to measure the level of alcohol in the system was expected and we were not disappointed.Nokia has such an app.which measures level of permissible alcohol. Our tech- guru spotted one guy in the audience who was declared drunk unfit to drive in front of  a very sober audience. Breathalysers ki aisi taisi ,our traffic Pandus can be handed a Nokia loaded with this app.Nokia are you listening?  

                                                             
Nokia city lens was one useful app demonstrated by Rajeev. It helps locate nearest locations of importance in your city as you turn the phone in a particular direction.Without GPS,I thought it was amazing! To know more have a look  here.

For foodies, a food spotting app that spots the nearest eatery complete with menu et al is available at a click Vino app helps them pair their favourite food with the choice of wine.

The apptasting session kept us glued to our seats .No technical jargon thankfully for us.The best part of the apptasting was the tongue in cheek humour displayed by a very witty Rajeev .Corners  of my mouth never left my ears all through the evening.Ek ek ko bade hi pyar se mara sirjee! I specially loved the quiz with four enthusiastic teams and two quiz masters , Vikas Khanna and Rajeev Makhni . Rajeev sympathised with the contestants for jumping into the fray.What I observed was this young team called Banno ki Sahelis who in spite of many wondering as to why they were there,were completely unapologetic about it.They were there to have a good time and they did just that and surprise surprise..won the game.They laughed ,danced,fumbled,answered without the fear of failure and won the game and my heart for sure.Congratulations  girls! The guys looked like they were appearing for a campus selection interview. Utter confusion prevailed as techie answered a foodie question and foodie took a shot at a techie question.Rajeev  left no stone unturned in pulling poor Vikas's legs as he passed a true and false question to the next contestant.

                                                                       
Vikas, as endearing as ever,remained rooted to the desi mitti , providing many 'aww cho chweet' moments to the already awestruck girls. Both guests were seen mingling with the bloggers much after the stage event drew a close and patiently posed for photographs with the amateurs

Hunger pangs were satisfied by a very scrumptious ,aesthetically laid out spread in the lobby. Bloggers mingled over Dal Makhni and Kheer.

Without looming large, Nokia had an impressive presence at the event.Quiet,expressive and to the point.I liked that, unlike many other corporate events where entertainment and interaction is practically non existent .

                                                               
Must appreciate behind the curtain efforts put in by the Indibloggers team .I love to see the gentle, smiling faces of a very capable team welcoming and saying goodbyes. All I can say is I am a proud Indiblogger.

                                                                       
Congratulations guys and thank you for a lovely evening.

Four Seasons Wine and Food Pairing Event

                                              
Beautiful setting by the beach,friends for company,scrumptious spread and that perfect liquid paired with all of the above..what more could I have asked for on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Organised by Ginger-claps for UB groups' Four seasons wines,the event was a small, interactive affair hosted by Novotel.

                                                      

Ashu,from Ginger Claps informed me that it was all about pairing food and wine together .That was enough to arouse my interest in the event.Novotel provided that perfect setting by the sea . Event started a bit late but once it started rolling,it got better and better.The appetizers  looked inviting and tasted even better.The appetizers were paired with a glass of Rose wine.A round of starters,raised toasts and lively conversation set the room buzzing with excitement.                           

Without much fanfare,Mr.Abhay Kewadkar, chief winemaker and expert took over the reigns of the event as we travelled with him to faraway vineyards to soak in the pleasures of growing,extracting,curing,preserving and storing wines.Keen as I was to learn more about wine pairing with food,this seemed like a perfect opportunity and I had no intentions of letting go of any of that.
I always felt rather uninformed when I was in the company of those who made a spectacle of wine appreciation each time they ordered their glass.There are two kinds of people accompanying them,one who joins the game of pretension and the other who watches in amusement or awe.I have always left the choice of drink to my guest whenever I entertain.

Mr Abhay opened his talk by saying there were no rules to be followed while  serving wines.I was pleasantly surprised to see a small sigh of relief escape the lips of many in the audience.He said it was perfectly alright to enjoy wine as any other beverage along with food without attaching too much importance to it.

                                                    

I had always heard of 'White goes with White and Red with Red' when it comes to wine and my knowledge began and ended at that.I wanted to know how one could pair wine with say coastal Maharashtrian food or spicy Kolhapury food ? I also wanted to know the difference between fine Indian cuisine in India and traditional regional cuisine and how well can it go with a glass of wine.Mr Abhay along with the dishy chef Ranvir obliged willingly and gave us all the answers we needed.It was only later that I found out that they have quite an informative website and if you need to know more about food and wine pairing visit here.

Next, we were part of a live,interactive cooking session with chef Ranvir at the two live stations .I tried my hand at making ravioli stuffed with Lamb mince while the other table fried veg cheese balls stuffed with Jalapeno and sun dried tomatoes served on a bed of Spinach.                        Piping hot food washed downed in minutes ,we soaked in some more as the host talked about his experiences in wine making.It was thrilling to know that Mr Abhay was working on  book dedicated to food and wine pairing and that our two bits could be a part of the process.
                                   
The leisurely afternoon was stretched further as main course was followed by exotic looking and even better tasting desserts .They came in tiny bits easy to pick and gobble down.

As the Sun changed its position in the Sky and the evening drew closer, I began summing up in my mind and felt there was this one small thing that would have made it easier for us to know the selection of Four Seasons Wines better.Select wines could have been kept together with accompanying basic information about them for comparison and appreciation.A guided tour of sorts would have been perfect for better understanding.

                                                  



Kudos to Ginger Claps for bringing it all together for bloggers .An afternoon that ended with coffee with friends mulling over the experience.

                                                         




PS-I for one, will wait eagerly for the above mentioned book to launch .

Ummeedein - उम्मीदें

सुनते  हैं उम्मीद  पर  दुनिया   कायम  है

वैसे,   उम्मीद  का  क्या   है .?..

कहीं भी लगा लीजिये , कमबख्त  लग  जाती  है

खैर तो  उसकी  नहीं  जिससे  ये   लगायी  जाती  है

अरे ! लगाने   से  पहले   पूछ   तो   लिया   होता,

 बेचारा , खरा   उतरा   तो   भला  हो  उसका ,

जो   निकला    नाउम्मीदा  तो   कहेंगे   ,

                                         निकम्मा   नाकारा   !


लगा   कर    खुद से  सिर्फ  उम्मीद

 खरे  उतरो     उन्हीं   पर   ही..

झांको   तो  अपना  गिरेबान  ही बहुत   है

उम्मीदें    तो  ऐसी  हों  ...

न   औरों  की   तुमसे    ना   तुम्हारी  किसी  से   हों .

~~शर्मिला~~

                       

  

Brothers in Arms..

A little walk the talk with my two brothers before Rakshabandhan.
I always wanted to ask you dear brothers :-
--What were you thinking before beating up a random guy who YOU thought in your head was following me on his bike? I was not being an ehsaanfaramosh when I did not appreciate your 'efforts' because I sincerely thought that  the poor guy must be speeding  on the road which did not belong to us ,in his hurry to reach somewhere important.As far as my speeding is concerned ,you are well aware of my aversion to use public toilets and my heading home speed has always been maximum. In other words,I was not speeding away from the poor soul,he did not even register,my only aim was to reach the loo asap.
--Were you aware of your size when you thought of confronting a guy who you thought used to stare at me? Thankfully the guy did not return the dent that your tiny 11year old fist caused him in his ribs .You just about managed to tickle him,pun intended. My embarrassment? The word did not exist in your limited primary school vocabulary so let us not come to that.
--I hope you understand now, that all those who glanced in my direction were not exactly Goondas.
Thank you for 'protecting' me  in the school Rickshaw.The stern looks on your little frames was enough to scare anyone and everyone harbouring any ideas regarding your big sister sitting in the middle.
--What made you break open the lock of my mystery box and secretly read my secret diary. Had I not destroyed the same in my volcanic anger,I could have been a strong contender for Booker or some such prize.Teen angst makes a good read you see! There can be no best-seller like a campus love story or secret conversations of gossip girls at a pyjama party. Your loss entirely, brothers -in-arms ..you lost your only chance to be famous brothers of a published author.
--Why did you ,without failing even once,redirect your ire against me whenever mom sent me over to untangle your wrestling limbs.I always ended up being at the bottom of the pile, completely at your mercy.I very sheepishly admit today that I loved being the reason for you to forget about  your own fight .That you thoroughly enjoyed my plight was wicked on your part but then..

                                                                          courtesy Google images             

                                                                  courtesy google images      


--MB ,why on earth did you learn the Railway timetable by heart ? Why did you cycle all the way to the station just to see the super fast Gitanjali Express hurtle past the platform? Why??
--PS, was there any day in your life,that made you less saintly than you have always been? Please own up.MB and I could never match up to your standards.
--Why would both of you be more interested in tagging along by my side every day .Old Peepul was on your side ,one look at its accommodating frame and I would give in.
Brothers in my arms,thus I had been ,
till better sense prevailed and
they sprouted wings.

I also have a  few confessions  in place in this space today -

--I apologise for making you run errands for me just because I was the big sister and I knew you could not refuse me out of love. However, if you think I am going to own up and say that yes, I did call you one day from the playground just to give me a glass of water,you are mistaken.Believe it or not, I DID NOT know that you were playing outside .Not my fault that you responded to my call while fielding near our gate. I am not even smiling while I write this,I swear!
--I am guilty of stealing Dusserie mangoes from your share and eating them up during Summers.I have been suitably punished -while you embraced fitness ,I still struggle to shake of those tyres.

I can go on and on but just one last thing on my mind has to be told now, lest I forget.
Remember,the photograph we clicked at a nearby studio on my 13th birthday? Dressed to kill in my new Yellow Maxi,I was so sure I could give Miss India some serious competition that day.  You could have shown some sensitivity towards a girl entering her teens,rather than contorting your faces  when the photographer cheerfully said ISSSMILEE!! I could never flaunt that photograph in school.Three  faces contorted beyond recognition in their vain efforts to control laughter, did not make a pretty picture.We could have simply laughed and saved mom and dad some money that day,don't you think?

I have sent my Rakhis in time this year to escape your wrath PS . MB, I will indulge in some harmless extortion when I see you that day.Be prepared !

School times - Of crushes and Rakhis

Anyone from a smaller city , who has been to a co-ed school, knows that a big part of girls and boys growing up together in the eighties, was spent wondering and speculating about who liked whom!! Very few had the guts to go up to each other and pour their hearts out. School desks and rounders  were the tools of communication in those days ,where eyes failed to cooperate.

                                                                          courtesy google images                  

Few  girls had their names engraved on the desks or had regular anonymous love letters delivered to them,duly  signed as 'guess who??' , 'your only admirer' or  'forever yours'. Boys I guess were more open ,at least with each other.. so they would make pairs according to the latest crush and tease each other while girls had to rely on their instincts  or sometimes on how a particular boy gazed dreamily at the girl to make a wild guess.  Many love stories took birth and died without actually coming alive.Some did not even see the pages of a personal diary somewhere . You see,we all belonged to 'cultured' families and liking someone was just not allowed. Dooor se aankhe sekte thhe!

The class monitors were the most notorious lot, especially boys.We had these reading sessions in our English class where girls and boys had to  read a paragraph ,alternately from the book .These were the revealing sessions where most girls would come to know about the boy they were being 'paired with'. It was quite simple actually,the boy in question would be followed by the girl while reading. The class monitor would call out the names in succession and we would sit with bated breaths as though our mid term results were being announced !Glances were exchanged ,giggles were stifled and the class would be  abuzz with varied forms of suppressed emotions and  expressions from boys and girls alike.

Sometimes there would be complications like we would pair a friend with who we thought she liked and the boys had another person lined up for that girl. Tease toh karna hi thha par kiske saath?! Major point to ponder in those days apart from studies and extra curricular activities.Very rare,senior couples were treated with awe and respect by juniors.Lunch time discussions revolved around the same topic .Those who got enough attention from the opposite sex, pretended that they did not care and those who were deprived of the attention either faked otherwise or played spoilsport in other students' lives by squealing to the teacher  or the concerned student's parents.

Kendriya Vidyalaya or Central school ,where I studied, celebrated most of the festivals .We enjoyed all except Rakshabandhan ! It was disastrous for a boy to have his only crush tie Rakhi to him in front of the whole class.Many would hide inside the restrooms but teachers took special care that none was spared the torture. Imagine carrying a bunch of Rakhis to tie each boy in the class and at times,even outside the class. Imagine the plight of those who did not wish to be tied that thread. This forced ritual was painful, but I admit, quite funny too, at the end of the day.Some girls used this as an opportunity to snub  boys who liked them .Poor guys would either try to hide behind each other or grin and bear it.

                                                                      Courtesy Google images                    

This is where I learnt about 'maana hua bhai 'or muhbola bhai or 'rakhi brother'.I always wondered ,why should a boy  be either a sainyaa or a bhaiyya? Why do we have to label a relationship? Why can't we be comfortable in just being friends? It was much later in degree college,that I made true friends who I never felt the need to label.Neither the ASP ( age,sex,personality ) factor nor the CCR (caste,creed,religion) factor mattered.
Bonds made that young, proved to be stronger ,time tested and they do not even require renewal at timely intervals.They do not have an expiry date.A remembrance,a tiny text, a call , excites the electrons enough to tease them out of their slumber and rekindle the fire.

 I do not know about others but when this connect happens, to hell with the dreaded  forties ...I always feel that I just came out of  college...abhi- abhi buss kuchch saal pehle hi...

Rakhi of course has a new symbolic meaning for me now,it symbolises siblings tying Rakhis to each other and  pledging support to each other through thick and thin.A day when sisters get Rakhis too  and brothers also receive gifts. A day to just get together and have fun with cousins and extended family,khaana-peena and lots of  masti .

Citibank Zomato Restaurant Guide 2012 ( Mumbai) - A Book Review.

                                          Image courtesy google images                    


As part of the Book reviews program ,I received Zomato restaurant guide 2012 . This handy guide for food lovers has been published by Hachette India for ten major Indian cities , namely, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi NCR,Pune,Bangalore,Ahmedabad,Jaipur, Chennai, Chandigarh , Hyderabad .


Zomato a website live since 2008,has proved to be a useful tool for food lovers all over.This book is another feather in their cap with its easy to refer layout .


The Zomato restaurant guide for Mumbai is what I received and I loved the feel of the book I was holding. It can easily be carried in my bag is what I thought .The listings are based on popular choice and restaurant reviews provided by food lovers like me. After the editor's note, there is a quick reference guide on how to use the book in selecting a restaurant .

                                                   
                                                    
 About 200 must visit restaurants are classified under various categories,for example,Asian and Oriental,Dining with kids ,Home delivery,Night life and clubs etc. One can choose the category of restaurant one desires to visit and then go on to the icon which states whether the place serves vegetarian or non vegetarian food,is a dine-in or a bar .Each listed restaurant information is provided next .The location,contact details,special features,and most importantly typical cost for meals is indicated alongside.


User ratings and reviews are  particularly useful in selecting a dining place. There is a QR code which can be scanned by one's smart phone to view the restaurant menu beforehand. Restaurants that provide special privileges to Citibank card holders are also indicated for the benefit of patrons.


The Mumbai guide lists  budget places,mid range eateries as well as notable restaurants. I loved going through the descriptions of popular places particularly because  ratings in the book matched mine. I even tried an Italian restaurant ,family in tow and I must say we all loved the experience.


What I missed in the book 
- I looked out for few good places which did not find a mention like Melting Pot Juhu ,a popular VFM restaurant or White in the suburbs,Saffron spice,Grillopolis to name a few  but then, it is not possible to include all and still keep the book small and handy.
- Area wise listing of restaurants 
- Valet parking information 
- A very important information about the restaurant catering to party needs or providing a party hall could have been included
-Also, small print of user reviews made reading a little difficult for me.


What I liked in the book
- The convenient packaging
- Look and feel 
- Beautiful photographs
- Categories like night life or street food which is so important for a city like      Mumbai
- The QR codes ,a smart way to scan the menu of the restaurant beforehand.
- The user ratings and reviews
- The classification and a separate  alphabetical listing of the restaurants.This will make the search for a restaurant easy for the user.




This book  is a commendable attempt at providing users a practical guide to restaurants across Mumbai. I am happy to say that Zomato guide 2012 pleases me as much as the zomato.com website.  


Publisher-Hachette India
Pages -200
Price - 199 (149 at Flipkart)


This review is part of  Book review Program by  Blogadda..