6th February 2012

Carbs for breakfast

You shouldn't focus so much on saving money for the future that you are not able to enjoy your present. Similarly one shouldn't focus so much on a healthy diet that the whole fun is taken out of eating. With that spirit, here is a breakfast rich is carbs. This is baked potato, part of which are taken out, mashed, mixed with yogurt, onion, tomatoes and spices and added back to the jackets. The grave had corn, capsicum and mushrooms. As for taste, I have already mentioned one needs things that keep the fun in eating.

27th January 2012

Driving past India Gate

I have always wanted to take pictures of the India Gate at night but whenever I was there in the night, I didn't have a camera with me, when I had a camera, I didn't have a tripod. Finally I went there on Republic Day with both - a camera and a tripod. It was too crowded but I am not complaining. I wanted to take pictures of the president house as well and even managed to climb on a platform made for republic day but there were too many people moving up and down and the platform was always shaking so all the images have a blur. I am thinking of going back there before they take down the lights.

26th January 2012

The patriotic obligation

Happy Republic Day. While you enjoy your holiday, let me give you something to think about, even on the 63rd republic day, why do we go to India Gate to pay our respect to dead soldiers? Soldiers who died fighting for the British monarchy in lands far away from India. Although I have utmost respect for them but to celebrate the day when we became a republic won't it be better if we pay our respect to the people who died to give us the freedom we have, the people who died to protect the freedom we have, in wars since 1948?

25th January 2012

Rice noodles

Being a vegetarian has its advantages and disadvantages. Apart from the usual, one advantage I saw was during my stay in Australia. In most restaurants my choices were limited so while my friends were trying to understand what dishes are served, I was ready to pace my order. I faced the disadvantage as well in Melbourne when I was visiting a Thai friend's home with other friends from our class. His mom had cooked great Thai food for us but unfortunately there was nothing veg. She was surprised beyond belief that I was not only a vegetarian but a vegetarian who doesn't even eat chicken, fish and eggs. It was very kind of her to cook rice vermicelli with some veggies or I would be sitting there sipping water and eating chips.

19th January 2012

Compass

Apart from taking time to figure out which direction is which, I am bad with directions generally. If I have to go somewhere, I can take directions from someone and just be there. When someone is giving me directions, after a couple of turns, everything gets muddled up. In most cases, I have to stop a few times, ask people for directions. The good thing is that now I can tell in a fraction of a second if the person giving me directions knows the directions himself or not.

The other alternative can be a GPS. The problem with GPS phones is they are painfully slow and update your location long after you have missed your turn. They can also give you directions where the roads are no longer open.

16th January 2012

Suspect is heading north-west

"Suspect is heading north-west. He is armed and considered extremely dangerous." This is the kind of statement on police radio is Hollywood action movies and it has always made me think "Man! Are they good with their directions or what" I mean a cop is running constantly changing directions and while doing that he is able to figure out where is north and where is south. As far as I am concerned, I have to pause, think "The sun rise from there which means that is east, that is west and that would make it... north." This is a calculation I have to mentally do when I am standing in my own yard. If I am outside somewhere, it is practically impossible for me to figure it out...unless I have a compass.

13th January 2012

Aren’t I the most handsome of the lot?

"I most certainly am." Smiling puppets with bobbing heads at a stall in Dilli Haat during the Dastkaar mela.

10th January 2012

Full house

“Wow! yours is one large group. What are you doing here in Dilli haat.”

“We left home to visit the Auto Expo but it was way too crowded for comfort so we decided to come here instead.”

5th January 2012

Looking for directions

I most certainly am.

3rd January 2012

On a cold winter day...

...nothing better to warm you up than a little exercise. Manu is getting ready to go for cycling with me in morning. Actually he goes on his bike and I go for a walk. We do this on holidays and I hope Manu will realize the virtues of an active life before he sees the effects of physical inactivity.

2nd January 2012

Waiting to shine

This is how most things start, with a promise, with a potential to do shine. This is a yellow dahlia waiting to bloom. I hope the year 2012 is also like this flower, waiting to shine.

1st January 2012

Happy New Year

It is the first post of the year so it has to be an image taken this year only. Fresh out of the camera this is an image of a dahlia from my garden. Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR. Although it is a good think to live each day as if it the last day of your life, don't for a minute believe the people who tell you the world will end this year.