Winter is here!

The sun’s in a hurry these days
There’s barely time for leisurely hellos
And warm, gentle good byes

The mittens are out, and so are
All the snuggly woolens forced to
Wake up from their long slumber.

Evening tea with warm brownies
And wine with roasted peanuts n cashews
Preferably, over cozy bonfires…

The leaves have begun to fall
And the birds are migrating
Summer clothes shall soon hibernate

Foggy breaths and the festive cheer
Early Christmas lights and decorations galore
Yep, looks like Winter is finally here!

NYC: Up, Close, and Personal

A red eye flight from Phoenix ensured we woke up in the morning to the city that never sleeps – Wading through the jam-packed gates of JFK, and trying to steal a keen look at the price list for boot polishing (10 USD for a deluxe one, just in case you are interested), we hopped onto the air train and reached the local subway station.

While we were buying our metro cards, I thought I was transported back to a local UP roadways bus adda (bust station) in India – a very old, cheesy bollywood number was playing in one of the trillion small shops owned by Indians in NYC (I even noted down the lyrics, click here for the song :P)

The ride in the local metro to our hotel in downtown Manhattan was as we had been forewarned – At 6:30 AM, people were out there already in commute - as we approached our destination we were crammed to a one-leg room space – so it was actually delightful to ascend the stinky and dirty subway pass and “arise” to the heart of the big apple. Yes, New York sub way stations, streets and roads are not only always crowded but very very filthy. Another thing, I must warn you – be it the airport or any tourist attraction – NYC is the city with the dirtiest toilets. Sorry, for the gory details, but you need to know this, don’t you?

And then commenced, what my husband quite endearingly (;)) refers to as tourist hell. Armed with a long laundry list of must-do’s, New York City Passes and a hop on – hop off bus tour package, I dragged Vish mercilessly for three days around the city from 7:30 AM to 11:00 PM, till, according to him, we ran out of all the hell holes). Aah, the satisfaction of having EVERYTHING on my list checked off! What all was on my list? Just search for Things to Do in NYC, and pretty much everything that pops up in the results was there – tadaah :D!!!

Here are the highlights of our NYC experience…

The Manhattan skyline is gorgeous from any view – you don’t have to go to Empire State and Rockefeller - we did both and did not find it worth the money, the long queues and the airport-like security). Instead, you HAVE to walk down the Brooklyn Bridge and get the most awesome views of the Manhattan Bridge and the skyline – this along with a night tour of Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge is a MUST.

The Statue of Liberty is a must-do. Many will tell you it’s overrated but you have to take the ferry around the island and see this French gift first-hand – and up-close.

The neon and the glamour of Times Square is quite a disappointment - apparently the most visited place in the world is just an overly crowded space with skyscrapers all around you – take a walk around – the Broadway theater district is so culturally rich – catch a musical there. The Bryant Park with its beer garden, small shops and a lot of food options is a much more enjoyable and cozy place to relax and soak the city in. 

The financial district, complete with the raging bull, NYSE and the Occupy Wall Street protests was an interesting experience too. 

All those top honchos in tuxedos walking out at lunch time and eating from the zillions of street food stalls gives you a fascinating insight into the life of a New Yorker – Being vegetarians we could not indulge wholeheartedly in the street food revelry all around us – however, we did binge on the so many kinds of pretzels, falafels – and American pizzas! 

The gourmet scene is the best ever – what with all the little worlds that have come together – little India, little Italy, little China, little Korea, little Africa – this is NYC for you – a potpourri of countries, cultures, peoples and even religions. 

Apparently, every religion in this world is practiced in New York City – you have hindu temples, gurudwaras, mosques, synagogues, churches, Buddhist temples among many others.

What you definitely need to do in the city is, leave the concrete, wax and the up-scale snobbish neighborhoods behind, and head straight to Central Park – a man-made park but a wonder in every right – This two and a half mile majestic garden in the heart of the city cannot disappoint you. We spent a few hours every single day that we were in New York strolling here. With the fall colors thrown in, this was the most enjoyable and breathtaking part of our trip.

I could go on and on, but would rather stop on this scenic note, BUT the next time you are planning a trip to NYC, you know who to contact :D.

Tom and Jerry: Just a cat and mouse game?

These two eternal iconic enemies need no introduction! Yes, I have enjoyed the Tom and Jerry cartoon series for as long as I can remember. Lately, these two have been my constant companions when I am on the treadmill in the gym (yeah yeah, didn’t I tell you I have been meaning to bounce off the calories that keep finding way to my kitchen – somehow the Cartoon Network schedule and my routine fits in perfectly well. 

You can call it lack of having anything better to do or an over imaginative mind -  however, in the last fortnight I seem to be noticing aspects – relationships, stereotypes, political impropriety – in the cartoon series that I have never consciously been aware of earlier. And since I have been spending a good number of waking hours doing so much thinking, I thought I might as well spoil the fun for you guys too…

Gender stereotyping and the lack of it…

Tom and Jerry are obviously two male names. Isn’t Tom the epitome of the confused male – brash, unthinking, more use of brawn than the brain?

Isn’t Jerry the witty guy who often wins against Tom inspite of his little size because he is more intelligent? What about the episodes where he cross dresses and flutters his eye lashes – he is effeminate but endearingly so – yet he is not convincingly homosexual because he is inevitably attracted to the female mice ! Metrosexual, perhaps :D?

So while a good many socially rendered gender stereotypes are evidently flouted in the character portrayals of Tom and Jerry, there is a considerable allegiance to “the norm” in the depiction of most other supporting cast.

Racism

There are not so subtle hints at racism too – the maid is shown as poor and “black”; and there are a lot of blackface gags that drip of racial slur. 

I guess the time period during which the cartoon series evolved, did not have this acute awareness of what is classified as being racist and what is not, that we have today.

Meaningless violence – Sadism

The more I re-watch Tom and Jerry, the more irked I am by this aspect. Comedic fights are funny only if you are thick skinned and insensitive

. 

The fantasy violence is bone chilling – slicing and cutting, chopping off body parts, mangling, explosives – none of which would qualify as innocent slapstick humor – hardly deserving the TV-Y (All ages 0 and older) certificate it got from the censor board initially – The current TV-G (General Audience) rating is much more appropriate. Like so many other programs on Cartoon Network, this one too doesn’t seem very appropriate for kids.

The sadistic pleasure exhibited by Tom and Jerry towards each other, the meanness quotient, and the levels of aggression and goriness, even if only comical, is highly disturbing. 

Relationship dynamics

This is the most interesting aspect of the Tom and Jerry series – their love-hate relationship, to put it very simplistically.

Ofcourse you know, the “chase” is pointless. Tom never ever intends to eat up Jerry, even if he happens to catch him. Infact, if either of them crosses a certain line, they are seen nursing each other! Then why the hyper violent chase? The meaningless irony of so many frivolous ambitions in life?

And, have you noticed, only these two are allowed to hate each other. They unite against a common enemy or if the other is in mortal danger.  A third person – not even a love interest is allowed in between. There is jealousy and there is a strong need to keep this bond intact and exclusive. No, I don’t want to go back to the gay debate :P. 

Another worthy observation would be that the relationship is very physical. There is hardly any real conversation between Tom and Jerry – you could mute your TV and understand every single thing that’s going on.

So, what does this convoluted relationship stand for? It is definitely not purely feline-murine, not that of innocent friendship, not one of eternal love – so you really cannot categorize the relationship – Is it then a kind of theatrical comment on the angst ridden, insignificant and futile relationships that we share at some point or the other – or at how callous and reckless we can be in our own relationships?

What is this cat and mouse game?

[Image source (for all images used): Google Images]

Tricking and Treating!

So, my culinary skills have not been much to boast about. However over the years, I swear I have been getting undeniably better (Here's an earlier post on how I have been faring :)). I have up my sleeve a few sure shot hits that can be unfolded without any mitigation strategies in place, and thank god for that!

With all the time in hand that I now seem to have, I have decided to further upgrade my competency - and therefore, the past fortnight has seen me battling it out in a not-so-familiar realm - la cuisine! I have tried to go beyond my comfort zone, experiment - and all this with quite a bit of success, and so here is the brag post :D.

I learnt two very important lessons that I will take to my deathbed (oops, that came out a little over dramatic but never mind) - One, for most recipes - especially Indian ones, you need to know basic tricks and tips - so google or ask expert friends if you are stuck. Second, for every meal that you experiment, have a quick roll back option or one safe net menu item available - always!

Here go the stories of my conquests and forfeits...

Everyday Experiments

Chhola Bhatura

I am quite a pro at making chholas (chick peas/garbanzo beans) - This time around, the advancement was the tea bags I used while boiling the chholas to give it a nice dark color; and for the gravy, I roasted the dry spices (cinnamon, cloves, cumin, red chilli, cardamom) and then used the powder - the result was expectedly delicious.

I had never attempted bhaturas (a kind of Indian bread) ever before. I used the instant bhatura recipe here, and voila it was a super success (call it beginner's luck, if you will)! I did not have baking soda on me, and on a friend's advice I used Eno instead. The trick is to use eno equal to one and a half times the amount of baking soda prescribed in the recipe. 

Dahi Rajma

This scrumptious recipe was a chance discovery as I googled the search phrase 'rajma (kidney beans) recipe without tomatoes' (you guessed it right, I had run out of tomatoes and had the beans already soaked over night. Followed the recipe to the T and loved the creamy texture the dahi (yogurt) gives to the gravy.

Diwali Delicacies

I had never tried making Indian sweets/deserts apart from kheers and payasams (which I must tell you I do a fine job with). This time, I kept a very safe main course menu - puris with matar paneer (cottage cheese and peas) and fried arbi (colocasia) and decided to attempt gulab jamuns and rava ladoos.

Gulab Jamuns

Ofcourse I used the popular Gits mix - it is quite an effort in itself and I consider that as cooking from scratch :D. I thought I did everything right - used milk to knead the flour instead of water, added saffron and cardamom to the sugar syrup - but when I soaked the fried jamuns in the sugar syrup - lo, behold they multiplied in size. Couldn;t they have given the diameter of which the flour balls should be :(. Vish exclaimed at the sight, "yeh gulab jamun hai yaa gulab jamun ka baap!" (loosely translated as - are these gulab jamuns or their dads - taking a dig at the humongous size). Anyways, though they were a little softer than ideal, I swear they tasted yummy. Here's the pic of the baaps...

Rava (Semolina/Suji) Ladoo

This was an almost-disaster. And I don't want to be the bad work woman who blames her tools - but I think the recipe I followed was flawed - here it is. It seemed so simplistic but the mixture was too wet to qualify for a ladoo - i tried my best to dry it out but with little success - so my ladoos were midway between halwa and a proper ladoo :(. I was shocked when Vish said he loves them and he proved it by finsihing most of the lot all by himself  :) :). (P.S. Tips and links to better recipes would be appreciated).

Halloween Specials

Considering the festival inspired the blog title, I owe some allegiance to it, don't I? To get into the spirit, we bought the little fella up there (the first pic in this post) and painted it a little :).

I made pumpkin rice (recipe) and pumpkin raita (recipe) - both were a super hit and super easy to make. Considering the nutrition factor, I plan to do these more often! (Except that I cut myself twice trying to slice the raw pumpkin - next time I around  I plan to bake it before cutting - to make it easier on my fingers :()

And then comes my favorite part - Halloween Style Cup Cakes. I enjoy baking for one simple reason that if you measure and follow the step-by-step procedure - you can never go wrong - atleast not in the simple recipes - unlike Indian cooking that requires a considerable amount of adept skill. 

I made chocolate cup cakes with butter cream frosting following the recipe here. (The only minor variation being the color of the frosting in-keeping with the occasion.

Here are my cupcakes fresh from the oven...

And here they are, complete with all the festive regalia...

Wow, this has been a very long post - and if you are with me till now, kudos :). And wait, before you chide me on all the calories, apart from the desserts, I try to keep the food low on oil and fat but nevertheless, I can already feel the need to hit it at the gym MORE regularly.

Happy Tricking and Treating!

Editor's Choice @ Blogjunta.com

Got this mail in my inbox today:

"Dear  Yuvika,

We the Team BlogJunta are pleased to inform you that one of your posts has been selected as one of the picks for BlogJunta Editor's Choice. Congratulations! 

We enjoyed reading your posts and are sure everyone who reads it will love them too. Keep dishing out such wonderful posts and we'll keep picking your posts for Editor's choice..."

I clicked the link and noticed that a number of posts had made their way to the Editor's Choice - However, that does not diminish my delight - awards are awards, after all. Thank you blogjunta.com and congratulations to all fellow bloggers!

The post that was picked was my latest one: Sleepless (:D) in Seattle.

So the badge that comes with the recognition is as follows, and shall now be proudly displayed on my side bar.

What an encouraging start to the day! Cheers!

Sleepless (:D) in Seattle

(P.S. Don't snicker at the done to death, highly 'filmy' title - humor me pls :))

Spent a weekend at the emerald city of Seattle. A very welcomed change from the tough, arid topography of Arizona. As the plane descended over Seattle, the sight of green pines and cedars across the low lying hills made a picturesque sight.

In keeping with its notorious reputation of being cold and wet, we were greeted by light rains at 9 degrees (C). All through the two days, the clouds bullied the sun into submission, every time it peeked in, daring to play hide and seek. It is no surprise then that the Twilight series is set in the state of Washington (Forks). Though Forks did not form a part of our short itinerary, I was constantly in the look out for speeding (good looking) vampires and the likes, much to my disappointment...

We did the standard touristy stuff - the famous Space Needle, Seattle Center, Downtown, Pike Market, Experience Music Project (Paul Allen's museum), the waterfront, and ofcourse the tourists-must-do duck ride - which takes you on land and on water, with the guide giving you a lot of information on the history and geography of the place. 

The Lake Union boasts of a number of boat houses and floating houses that could cost you anything above a million dollars, if you wished to buy. Any one leaving an inheritance behind, please remember me and this wish of mine. Would love to have a beautifully done up boathouse, with elegant furniture - wake up in the morning to the gentle lapping of the water - bliss! One of my dream holiday homes :P.

A non-caffeine person like me showed little delight at the first ever Starbucks. Infact, I find it embarrassing to enter a Starbucks - not a person to enjoy coffees or teas or lattes, I end up ordering a hot chocolate, which shows up on their kids' menu :(. But if you are a coffee person, Seattle would be heaven for you - there's a Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee and Tully's outlet almost everywhere!

What made our trip even more scenic and memorable was the changing color of leaves thanks to the onset of fall (my love for the fall eulogized here).

Here are some pics from the city...

Aerial view of Seattle downtown 

Seattle harbor 

At the Experience Music Project (the image is 90 degrees inverted) 

The Space Needle

The Pike Market

The lovely autumn hues

The boathouses you would want to buy me

Fremont bridge as viewed from the Seattle waterfront 

The Desert Beckons...

Relocated to Phoenix/Arizona for the time being. Wrote a bit about the desert experience in my post here. However, visiting a place as a tourist and trying to make it a home involve two very very different perspectives, is what I have come to learn in the last couple of days...

Though the weariness of the unfairly long journey from India to the far west and the eternal battle with jet lag continue to make my days hazy still, I have begun to get a general sense of what I am going to like about this place and what not...

What is definitely a thumbs up...

The proximity to so many tourist destinations - doable drives, one-day trips, weekend getaways - I see them all coming. Even though I have had an overdose of California, the neighboring states of Colorado, Nevada and Utah seem very inviting - Arizona itself boasts of the many canyons, hiking strips and what else to do with 12 months of sunshine!

And what is going to be a constant "cribbing" point...

12 months of sunshine - searingly hot summers and luke warm winters :(. If you have known me well enough or have been following this blog long enough, you know I am not a Vitamin D person. But oh well! The consolation factor is thankfully there is no oppressive humidity. The atmosphere is rather dry, which works well with me - not taking into consideration the constant dusting I will have to do around the house. (I had forgotten the word "dusting" when we stayed in Chicago - one never heard of "dust" in an American city, no? :D)

...So much for the first impressions, let's see how we fare now....

Remembering the Ghazal Maestro...

Jagjit Singh passes away today - ending with him is an era of ghazal music. 

To most people, the name Jagjit Singh has been synonymous with ghazals - his melodious renditions in his very trademark unique voice have given poetry and shayari a distinct space in the music world.

May his soul rest in peace.

The following are my most favorite ghazal numbers by the legend...

Tumko dekha to yeh khayal aaya...
Zindagi dhoop tum ghana saaya...

Yeh daulat bhi le lo, yeh shaurat bhi le lo...
...woh kaagaz ki kashti, woh baarish ka paani...

Hosh waalon ko khabar kya, bekhudi kya cheez hai...
Ishq kijiye phir samajhiye...zindagi kya cheez hai...

Badhi naazuk hai yeh manzil...

Mohabbat ka safar hai...

Tum itna jo muskara ho...

Woh kya gham hai jo chhupa rahe ho...

Koi yeh kaise bataaye ki woh tanha hai kyun hai...
Woh jo apna that wohi aur kisi ka kyun hai...

Chitti naa koi sandes...
jaane woh kaunsa des...jahaan tum chale gaye...

Koi fariyaad tere dil mein dabi ho jaise...
Tune aankhon se koi baat kahi ho jaise...

A mini retreat…

Spent the last weekend (add two more days to that) at Bhimtal – being from Uttaranchal, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that our family’s favorite vacation spot is always somewhere in the himalayan hills. (You could also read this post I did a while back). 

Bhimtal was beautiful. The verdant greens, the pine forests on hills surrounding the so many “taals” (lakes), the placid waters, the serene ambiance – sheer bliss and complete therapy for the dust laden, hurried city souls. 

I am in awe of the leisurely paced life in the hill towns of Uttaranchal. Yes, there are infrastructural issues and a lot of everyday hardships that we “tourists” tend to brush under the carpet so as to not taint our idyllic version of the landscape, but the charm of kumaon is undeniable. The clean air, the fresh dew, the rejuvenating sights and sounds – all make you forget the filth and grime that lurks a couple of hours away.

This time the highlight was our boating experience at “saat taal”. Since October is considered an off-peak season, there was hardly any sign of human life around – and that itself was very soothing for the eyes and heartening for the spirits. We hired a pedal boat and pedaled the entire length and breadth of the lake, which was spread out in all its glory only for us. We soaked in the calm of the silently rippling waters and the gentle sway of the wind, wishing that these moments would last forever…

Till we meet again!

I am out of Chennai starting Oct 1. Don’t ask me if this is a permanent move or how long I’ll be away. Frankly speaking, no clue! One thing that I am sure of is that nothing is permanent – so all those happy that Chennai will be a quieter and saner place in my absence, beware – you never know when you’ll have to eat your words. Meanwhile, keep glued (I so wish :)) to this space to know what I am doing with my life…

Chennai – A two and a half years of love and hate – and now that I look back, more love! 

For every aspect that I have disliked about Chennai – I have been blessed with a hundred reasons to like it. I have blogged, tweeted, facebook’ed a lot about what irks me about Chennai – the language problem, the infrastructure, the weather, the traffic jams, the early morning crackers on diwali etc etc. But you know what, I have thoroughly enjoyed my life in Chennai – and I do not say this to sound politically correct – I have just been exceptionally lucky to have met the right people at the right time!

Apart from the positive and pleasant home and family support (a special mention to my bro who painstakingly spent most weekends with me :)), the following have been my top 5 lifelines in Chennai:

• The work colleagues who are friends first: Like I said I was plain lucky to have met the right people! Considering my social life outside of those I know at work and family was zilch, I was fortunate to have struck the right chord with some like-minded people at work who were extremely compatible with my craziness!  Ofcourse, fortunately I don’t leave them behind – the bonds are deep enough to only grow stronger.

• Ericsson : For the professionally satisfaction and personal growth

• Autorickshaws: This three-wheeled wonder ensured that I reached wherever I wanted – whenever I wanted.  Rain or sunshine – the most dependable mode of transport in Chennai (Yes, you spend all your energies haggling for the price and still end up paying much more than required – but oh well!)

• Food: Eating out in Chennai is quite cheap compared to most metros. From the Murugun’s and Saravana Bhavan to the Italian and Chinese specialty restaurants to the five star buffets – Chennai can gratify any palate!

• Shopping: Now this is a lifeline for any girl in any city. Chennai offers a range of shopping experience from Pondy Bazaar to Khader Nawaaz Khan Road to Spencer’s, City Center and Express Avenue, and if you have the visa (or mastercard) power, nothing can keep you down and low!

So here’s a toast to the good times, we will meet again because it is not only a very small world but a round one too! Cheers!