Jalebiiii

Yes I made these. And they tasted as good as they look, at least as per me who was having them after more than a year. Though I have a sweet tooth for all “mithai” but Jalebi is my all time favorite. My sweet memories of Jalebi’s date back to my mom’s home where we all used to go in the summer vacations. My granny would get up early and walk down to the market to get these freshly made in front of her eyes. The shopkeeper would pack these in a wooden basket and by the time we kids got up its smell was all around the kitchen. All of us would sit around her, each with a bowl full of hot saffron milk and then she would dip Jalebi’s in our bowls. She is gone now and that special treatment too but that taste is still missed by all of us.

For a long time my favorite advertisement on TV used to be - the Jalebi ad of “Dhara Oil” – any bells ringing!! I used to love the expression on that kids face when he would say Jalebiiiiiii….. if you still don’t remember watch it again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk8Z0WbSWV0&feature=related Courtesy - you tube.

Back at my home, I share this sweet tooth characteristic with my Dad so always had a good company to have the yummy Jalebi’s. Rest all in the family would just taste them and not relish as we both did. My frequency of eating Jalebi’s increased when I went to hostel. Not that these were tastier or better made there but I missed them more in the hostel. So each time I was back, Dad would bring these without me even asking for it. At times I would accompany him to the shop as I enjoy watching the way they are made. Its the first sweet made in the shops and crazy people like me do get up early even on weekends to savor them hot & crispy. In my hometown it is considered as a rich breakfast, served to guests and in family get togethers, especially in the chilling winters. So each time an out of town guest or a distant relative came it would be a treat for me too... :)

My Jalebi attraction continued when I started working in Pune. There was a shop near my flat, where nice Jalebi’s were made. My friends would take the nearby natural’s ice-cream and I would grab the Jalebi’s always.

When I first came to US, a friend asked my favorite sweet – pop came the answer “Jalebi” but this joy was gone the moment I tasted it. They were the worst I had ever had! and I never dared to try them again fearing I might forget the original mouth watering taste. But missed them each time I saw these in the shops. All my Jalebi memories were refreshed a few days back after watching Delhi-6. Now I wanted to have these more but still won’t be able to eat the crap stuff available in the Indian Sweet Stores here. So finally, I decided to try it myself. Got up lazily on a saturday to make breakfast(bread+omlette) but then the Jalebi idea came again, with all the zeal to make an effort this time and here I began. The biggest issue was I don’t have a Jalebi maker to get that spiral shape. First option came to my mind was to use a cloth with a hole, I have seen shopkeepers doing that in India - but this didn’t work well for me. Next option – Make a cone of plastic sheet, difficult but I remembered the output and gave it a try :). And it worked fine or should say I made it work fine. The result is what you see in the snap above. So this weekend I did have a rich breakfast mmmmm…….

"Lost"

It’s been almost four yrs that I am working in this so called “Corporate World” but have never felt so helpless. I remember someone had told me in my initial few months that in professional life there are no friends; I was never convinced by this statement. Later on I concluded that I was correct because it was here that I got the best of friends, had loads of fun and above all learnt a lot. All those people are no longer around me, they are scattered all over but just not near me. So now I am in an alien world, where I just know the correct names of the people around me and I guess that’s all!!

From past few days I am getting more and more lost and misplaced in this crowd. Can’t judge who’s genuine and who’s fake. Don’t know what to speak and what not to in front of each of them. Seems like everyone around is wearing a beautiful mask so then how am I supposed to judge whose the smiling devil here!!. I believe they all might have been straight some day and some or the other experience made them this way, but I am still in no mood to compromise. So having a literally rocking time these days :)

For more than two decades I was taught – to be polite and a good listener to your elders; actions speak louder than words so do your work; always put in your 100% and never step on anyone else to move ahead. And now on the contrary I am being taught - the baby who cries the most gets the most, so yell; project your work even if it’s meaningless; never trust anyone and stab one another whenever you get a chance.

I guess I learnt the former lesson too hard so overwriting is difficult and as a result I am confused, irritated and definitely lost! And all this is visible in my behavior because I still haven’t learnt the art of pretending :(.

Perception.....

Right from the moment I had seen a glimpse of this movie, I wanted to see it. Finally yesterday we planned for today as it won’t be in the theatres from this Friday. I read no reviews even after two weeks of its release and avoided the expert opinion of almost everyone around me, they had hated the movie and tagged it as "Crap". Seriously some of them are so much into there negativity shell that now I am deaf when they open their mouth. In their words "all movies can be either of these types - irritating, frustrating, ok or time pass. Somehow I can never be satisfied with this categorization and perhaps don’t even want to :)

So I start my day to finish off the work by 4:30pm to head for the 5:15 show. Outlook opens and here comes a meeting invite to lead a requirement elicitation session scheduled from 4-5pm today!! Still hopeful I plan the runaway to the theatre straight from the meeting room. Packed my stuff... gave to a friend in advance...asked them to start from their desks when I give them a missed call and pick me up from right outside the office building ( in order to save 10 mins of the parking lot walk). With everything set I enter the conference room to find no one there!! Oops everyone is late, why today??? We finally start and continue till 5:15pm :(. Last 20 mins for me were like oh god please stop stop stop !!! But we went on and on........ So change of plan again, we will go for a later show today itself.

Finally in the theatre but directed to a wrong room..... sat and a few mins later realized that we are not watching any trailer, its altogether a different movie :) . I peeped into each screen to find the correct one at last. With zero expectations and just the three of us in the theatre we started watching the movie.

Disclaimer: Before I explain my perspective I would state this is totally as per my perception and not any expert verdict, so everyone is free to disagree.
By intermission my colleagues were all fed up and they started complaining , of these the best one was "Is this a movie or a daily sequence of events, what is this story all about??” Being asked again and again I opened my mouth - "I am not judging the whole movie but just enjoying the bits & pieces of these everyday activities". Yes a realistic movie which I could relate to in a lot of things - the red chili pickle which mom makes (in US you don’t even get to see these fresh red chilies), the neighbors getting overjoyed when a kid returns hometown, the namaz when everyone bows in gratitude to Allah, the saffron milk served in Jagran. In my granny's place, there are a few temples and a mosque near our house. We all used to sleep on terrace, hearing prayer jingles all night, counting stars and enjoying pillow fights till a final scream from Dad. Early morning the mosque prayer used to wake us. I miss the ash smell of wood coming from the mud stove and my granny sitting besides it. We all kids, along with my Dad used to sit in a semicircle around her and have breakfast. She always had a content smile while serving us. The background music used to be peacocks, pigeons and koel hummings.

Oops I am getting off track so right back to the movie – I liked the prayer that was sung, the good old Indian bargaining style (my mom does it this way with the shopkeeper– neither yours nor mine, lets settle in between :) ), the hot & crisp jalebis, the beautiful Taj (I’ll go here again on my next trip to India), the crazy kite flying sessions when the whole neighborhood gets together on terrace, the yummy pani puris and the cycle rickshaw ride - till date I enjoy this a lot in the walled city market of my hometown. Moreover the liveliness, crowds, congested streets and some or the other activity going on in each and every corner made me nostalgic.

Each time the Ram Leela session came on screen I could sense the crap feeling of my colleagues around but here also I liked the special effects and the way director had linked the screenplay dialogues to real life. Last but not the least was the 'black monkey saga'. This was actually a moral science lesson which we all had crammed theoretically but don’t realize when we are doing the same - Save oneself first, demean the weak, the person not available/invisible is always the culprit, follow the rat race blindly etc etc…

When the hero dies, I was cursing you Shanks and literally intended to come over at your place & hit you because this was what you had told me. Somehow I need a happy ending in the movie :) and yes the heroine looked good.

Here and there were some good dialogues too and my favorite is:

Zarre Zarre Mein Usi Ka Noor Hai
Jhak Khud Mein Woh Na Tujhse Door Hai
Ishq Hai Usse To Sab Se Ishq Kar
Is Ibadat Ka Yehi Dastoor Hai
Is Mein Us Mein Aur Us Mein Hai Wohi
Yaar Mera Har Taraf Bharpur Hai…..

And the best song was Rehna tu. I heard this song many times before and visualized it to be a romantic song but it was a patriotic sentimental number pictured in a beautiful way –a hustling bustling city, sleeping quietly in the night to take a break,rest and gather energy to stand back again the next day.

By now everyone might have thought that I can go on and on like this with more praises so I’ll pen down for now and categorize it as a "Feel Good Movie” in my list :) and hats off to the director for beautifully presenting these bits & pieces . Just to add – Thank you Dad for giving me this perception to find the best in everything, appreciate the good stuff and ignore the crap !!

Whats your name ??

Ahaa, another activity that I enjoy!!. I have always been fascinated by the great names especially the nicknames that we get to hear everyday of all the people around us. Sometimes they are weird and funny but at times sweet. It all starts with our parents and we don't have any choice with that, they will call us with any just like that name which might not have any meaning at all and then are our peers who will tease on those funny names. If you are fortunate enough to have a nice name then you will be definitely renamed with a screwed up version during your schooling/college/office. But each one of us will definitely have one; I myself have about a dozen in my kitty.

When I was a kid I believed if you are born as a twin then you need to have almost the same name with just a single letter different or the second child should have a rhyming name with the elder sibling. I can cite a whole lot of examples on this - Dimple:Simple, Himani: Himanshu, Ankit:Ankita, Neha:Nehal, Akhil:Nikhil, Ajay:Vijay, Deepak:Deepika, Manish:Manisha etc etc.. Sometimes during intro sessions in family get-togethers I used to promptly interfere in between and guess the second child's name. At times I was correct and at other times would get a you crook look !! Even when my brother was born he was first called with my rhyming nickname and I was furious, had to shout on top of my voice to that aunt of my Dad to dare not say that again, thankfully she didn't. But spoilt his name many times from Ladoo to Kicky and I am still doing it ;)

But my favorite till date remains "Kut Kut", yes each time I used to tell about it to someone they would say why kut kut and not biscuit :). I still don't know how he got his name and neither has this sweetheart kut kut been able to solve the mystery, though he told me not to call him by this name anymore on public forum ;) (He is a 6ft+ guy now). Another one is my sister's nickname - tutul. I know the story behind this name. When she was born my Dad was reading a novel which had this character called 'tutul'. Now each time someone asked we used to repeat the name twice or thrice and then spell it even after that people couldn't say it. I learned a trick some years later to teach her name’s pronunciation to people --> 2 + (toolbox -box) = 2tool :) I love this name too and that is why never added didi to it...

Another advantage of nicknaming is when you have to do back biting :). I and my friends keep some secret names then gossip, making them completely unaware that these people themselves are being talked about and it has been a lot of fun. By the way we use to change these secret names frequently with new ones to remove any traces of doubt. Shanks hope you got it !!

The motivation to write this post came from a colleague of mine whom I casually asked the other day - "I was thinking of giving you a nick name and she promptly said you can call me aaloo !!" I bursted laughing. She is so used to getting that name from people that now she has started suggesting it herself!! I was giggling for a long time after this.

The Invisible Girl !!

Yesterday was just another bad day for me, actually nothing bad happened but its one of those days when I miss home a lot, think about all the crap going around and crib :). During this cribbing session a friend of mine was trying to lift my spirits and suggested lets make the people who bother you invisible. And since I have to always think the opposite so pop came the reply "why them and not me, I should be invisible and have all fun". My friend imagined me banging every one's head starting alphabetically (I literally imagined this wow what a power :)). All types of crazy ideas started coming to my mind and the evil wheels in me started churning quickly. I entered my favorite zone - dreaming. Wow what a bliss, I can make all these people go mad jumping down here and there and enjoy the free show ;) It reminds me of a poem we read in nursery -"The Topsy Turvy Land", i enjoyed that a lot but had to cram it for an elocution contest.

OK so here I go on with my crazy imagination. Pour a big jar of hot coffee on the most blank person I have ever met till date, I don't know how can somebody be so dumb all the time and I cant tolerate him a second. Next would be the handsome hunk(though only he thinks so :) ) - give him an electric shock so that he can atleast stand straight (seriously each time I see him I remember a movie dialogue - were you born in a train !!). Next would be the non stoppable chatter box, this guy goes on and on and speaks just for the sake of speaking, for god sake we all know you can speak but its enuf. I will put quick fix on his mouth and enjoy the muteness :). We have this person in office who should be given the shabbiest hair award, every morning the hairdo is a scene to watch. After a recent haircut it has become more awful. I too wish to give this person another weird hair cut though I have never done this before :). Now comes the turn of our updates expert, who just enjoys giving updates(by emails) on each and every thing, I guess his outlook's out going service should be blocked. I can imagine his hell broke down frustrated face. Next would be the beer bottle / sleepy guy, i would take his sleeping snap and send that to his manager who will come and jump on his head. There is another person who always tries to be in every one's good books. Man the way he behaves in front of client is too funny, at times it has been very difficult for me to control my giggles. I would play his regional language songs on top volume in his room, and let the whole floor have fun. I am sure the decepticons (another bunch of ....) will start dancing.

Another hot point in my office is the coffee area, the K4 gang is always seen there. The coffee machine should not work only for them and then their great fundas will start.

Hmmm, I wish all this would have been a reality but its not :( and my dream is over, the reminder on laptop is blinking got to go for a client meeting.

Shopping spree...

Yet another shopping trip. Being a girl, I believe its my birthright to shop at any chance that I get :) and I never miss that. The outcome would be buying loads of unnecessary things which are actually not required at all but who cares! Like all good things this also comes with its disadvantages and specially for a lazy bones person like me - man why the hell do we have so huge malls !! Till date I have never visited all the stores in a mall, just don't have that much energy and another bad thing of US malls is you don't get our regular indian snacks while shopping - the chaat and the masala corn... i miss these a lot.

But I had two different experiences this time which I would like to share. There was a crowded store with me standing in a long billing queue behind a beautiful lady. Now here comes another old lady running with a hell broke down look on her face. She frowns and is all tensed up with an SMS that she has received just now. With all the drama going on right in front me, now my ears were all curious to know the matter. As per my understanding their concern was - the youngest daughter of the family just now got married and has sent a message - Just Married !!. After 5 mins or less of discussion they became normal. Oops this can definitely happen in US only, had it been in India there would have been a hell lot of melodrama with everyone around sympathizing and the family will remain in shock for their entire lifetime. The gossip talks will go on and on, with each person adding their own seasoning to it.

Another sweet incident that happened was while I was searching for my size (its always difficult task to do this) in a store. I saw a very old couple standing besides me. The lady was blind, holding a stick in one hand and the man's hand in other. She asked if she could touch what he is taking for her. He gave her the shirt, she starting feeling the fabric and asked "what color is it? ". The man replied - "there's blue , black and red, but dear we'll buy whatever you like." Prompt came a soft reply "I prefer blue" and a there came a beautiful content smile on her face which was contagious to me too...

Another Long weekend....

Here comes another longggg weekend- this time its the "Columbus Day". Its been almost two years since I am living in states and for me long weekends have always been very exhaustive , either I am running around catching flights and then sight seeing else be at home planing parties and cooking the whole day for everyone. But this time I just want to sit at home and relax.. enjoy the beautiful fall weather, read a novel (will be starting the kite runner tonite) with a warm ginger tea cup and maybe a movie after that. Yes this remains my ideal holiday plan as usual. And moreover imagine getting up daily in the morning at my leisure and no office..yippee. But this time I did made a long to do list...which is so big that I dont want to look at it now :)

Its real easy to make this comfortable plan but the people around you won't let you reach there like a cake walk. Everyone has to ask about each others plans and showoff . As if, its a competition my destination is better than yours !! During lunch today, it seemed everyone had a single question on their faces - what plans for the weekend?? not going anywhere? so sad..poor u, join us, we are going to the mountains, booked a cabin and then you have to listen to their excellent planning and all the fun which they think they might have. Its not that I dont like visting new places or if i am a loner but I admit I am lazy bones and just cant go anywhere just for the sake of going. I enjoy with my kind of people and once in a while do like to break the routine. People will sympathize as if hell broke down on me and with a fake smile I need to respond and give some excuses while the other notorious half of me has switched to thinking which movie shall I watch or i'll order pizza for dinner ;)

Sometimes i do give in to these people, but this time I am going to stick to my current plan, come what may !! , though I have to bear the consequences as the same story will be repeated once they all are back on Monday :(