Meena's Space

Happy B'day Lion!!

Dearest Pravinaa,

Many Many happy returns of the day! What better time than now to tell you how special you indeed are.....

The best thing I love about you is the independence you give me.....The freedom to be what I want to be with no strings attached! Be it the freedom to cut my hair .... yeah tht means somethinggg BIG for me to picking me up from oddest of places to oddest of times (which translates to driving 15 KM to pick me up to go back to the place from where he started), to n but of course the yummiest of yummiest food u make :)

N not to forget your trademark one-liners n the 'Peter-Pan' in you...The kid in in you who refuses to grow up! (Sample this to relate to wht am speaking.....I happened to address him as "Man of the house"...yeah yeah must hv been to get some stupid thing done....n the instant reply he gives is "Ho no there is no man in this house"...Flabbergasted??? Well even I was n he replies in his typical goofy style "Am the BOY of the house not the man"!!!!). N of course the 'peter Pan' u hv in ur face when u lie or hv goofed up on something....

N yeap this year is all the more special considering we are starting a new phase in our lives as we enter our new home....... Here is hoping that this year holds many pleasant surprises n happiness for us!!!

~~~Meena

PS: For the uninitiated Pravinaaa is my hubbs.....N the name Lion is inferred but of course from his sun-sign. N the lines within bracket is for the you reader's benefit!!

The story of a 'T(ee)'!!

Ha I know whts running in your mind..."ooph!!! Are u in dearth of subject

that u write a blog on T-shirt .....Come on Get a Life"!! Now before u make such unfair comments please read on......

No No No.....The post is indeed abt one of the many 'T' of my hubbs(for those who ha after reading above few lines must hv mustered some hope) n here is the pic on the 'T'...Not v impressed.....all tht I can say is read on.......... !

Hmm lemme start this one with a v interesting observation.....At our home my wardrobe is much smaller than hubbs.....I know, I know this is heights of injustice......N i deserve to take much more than a bow here...How abt a round of shopping...wht say???

Hmm so back to our subject, this T-shirt was picked up on one of our jobless weekends when we decided to go shopping.....picked up from one of these page 3 kind of exhibitions...Ho yeah there are 2 kinds of exhibitions...One visited by me kind of aam janataa n the other are the exclusive page 3 kinds!! N how do u pick out a Page3 exhibitions....v v simple!! One its location - either in a swanky 5-Star place which is ofcourse not frequented by aam-jantaas or its in a remote location accessible to only the chauffeur driven kinds n now for anothe

r hint .....U r bound to find people in 'funny' attires(Note the operational word is 'Funny' not Beautiful' or 'Flimsy') ofcourse the best of all hints...the 'price'!! Now having done this unrequited abusing let me tell you a few good things about this one we attended ~~ We got to see a few non-run-of-mill stuff (check this pic of a ash-tray we picked up from there...funky hey) and the best of all...we were treated to a odissi dance recital.....The grace of few ladies who must be in late 50's has to be seen to be believed!! Time 4 another confession.....I hv two left legs n cant dance for my life :(

Hmm now after all these diversions lets get back into our subject.......Here is this pic of the 'T' in discussion...BTW let me a confession...we(ho yeah i seem to be rubbing off on my hubbs too) picked this up thinking the pic is of buddha......N to imagine my hubbs(who is with all modesty v well read n knows the oddest of the things) too goofed up on it!!N so we go about convincing everybody .......all this untill he decides to wear this to office...BTW his office attire deserves a blog in itself.....Just to give u a sample.....U'll u c him attending a board meeting with a 'Hawaii' kinda shirt!

But courtesy my hubb's colleague we were enlightened abt this pic !! The pic is of Mahaveer Jain and each line is a mantra collectively called "Maha Namokar Mantra"written in 'Prakrit' language ! N to say I was touched, delighted is an understatement!! N for english speaking -writing here is the translation....try matching lines below to the pic!!

Namo Arihantaram

Namo Siddharam

Namo Airiaram

Namo Uvajhayaram

Namo Loe Savvasahuram

Aiso Panch Namokaro

Savva Paavpadasado

Manglaran Ch Savvesim

Padvam Havai Mangalam

PS: Caption on yet another 'T' of my hubbs ~~ "Never argue with an idiot, they will pull you down to their level and beat you with experience"

Koshy's koshis kijiye

Koshy's needs no introduction for any true blue Banglorean. N for rest of the janata here is Koshy's for you...Wind back your memories to say a decade or two. How did the hotels then look like...More like current day Udupi hotels........Rows of straight backed chair n tables laid with the sole purpose of 100% space utilization.......with no concessions for comfort or aesthetics!! Add staid, plain looking walls n waiters dressed for the Raj era and we have just described the most happening n buzzing joint in Bangalore!!

Surprise huh?? So what makes this the hottest place? Food?? Well I wouldnt think so.....you hv 'n' no of other joints in city serving better value-for-money food!!

So whats the magic tht makes this place click?? Some (Like our dearest friend Mr.Binoy) believes tht its just over-hyped!! But well I dont think so...I hv been there twice n theres

something abt this place tht drags you there! N if u ask me why.....the answer lies in in its magic to attract all kinds of junta - arty, intellectual, Page 3, tech junkies n the typical middle class!!! No other joint in the city will u c this mix-n-match of people.......restaurants usually tend to fall into two categories ~~ One where u go n hv a relaxed three course meal(the only catch being the wallet factor) n the other value-for-food joints generously peppered around the city!

But not at Koshy's ~~ Here u literally c the chapraasi rubbing shoulders with the page 3's!! Go on a evening when u hv nothing much to do n just observe the people around n trust me you wouldnt be disappointed! On one side you'll find a prim n proper elderly couple while on the very next chair you would fine a couple of 'stoned' teens n on the next you'll find a group of the 'Intellectual-NGO types' having a heated debate on the problems of the world n ofcourse in some corner you'll find somebody wearing a bemused expression lapping up all the happenings around :).

So next time you're in a mood for 'people watching' you know where to head to!!

ps: A few suggestions if u r heading to Koshy's ~~do not miss the photographs that adorn the wall....You'll get to c a few rare photographers of Good-old Bangalore! N dont forget to take along somebody who is from the inner circles of academic-NGO world n you can treat yourself to a live commendatory of the secret lives of people you'll meet at Koshy's!

A flavorable Memory

Confusing title hey?? Ok go on n read the next line below n u are all set to go:

We (Me n my hubbs of course) found this quaint, small, new eatery in Koramangala called '64 Flavours' n when we landed there(a little more than 3 weeks now) it was just 5 days old...so yeap we were treated like royalty! The place has this cool chic look abt it........stylish, minimal, contemporary!! (I loved their bathrooms) A brief deco on the place....I was given a lot of gyaan by their manager, so may as well pass it along! Place is run by 2 IT professionals with an aim to promote local music, art n food(they have these cool paintings by few local unknown artists)! N the significance of '64' in the name ~~ Well the year 64(1964) was significant in world of Rock Music plus the plot no of this place is 64 (anti -Climax hey)!!

Now to the crux of the place ~~ the food of course!! You are given a complimentary welcome drink which is supposedly an exotic concoction of their bartender......well if u ask my opinion it wasn't anything to write home abt......But my taste buds cant be trusted in all cases! We started with order

ing a bottle of the favourite 'Corona' for my hubbs n a 'Bartender Spl' Cocktail' for me. But hey did I get lucky....... The bartender was supposedly waiting to show off his cocktail-mocktail skills an to be fair he did a very good job at it! N to nibble along, had ordered 'Mutton Dukkah' (simply translates to grilled mutton.......Ok may be am doing a gross gastronomic injustice here but well that is how it tasted) ...n the portion served was just sufficient enuf to nibble!! But Ofcourse they were exactly on mark as far as its effect on mouth n senses(eyes including) is considered!

N then the main course.....we decided to share a plate of 'Prawns Mango Salsa' (Rice served with Prawns n a bowl of something like mango-chutney to go along with)...... N man were they yummy! Proof needed?? My hubbs loved the prawns...n this is saying something considering he just about tolerates sea food!

Hmm N didnt I mention something abt me getting lucky~~ well at the end of all this, the bartender brings along another concoction of his ~~ A strawberry with Basil leaf. The drink so well made tht each sip bought out the fine lingering taste n smell of Basil n man did I love it!!

All that was missing to make the experience complete is but ofcourse my favourite dessert section!! But I was in for a big disappointment as they havn't yet started dishing out dessert...their funda being they'll start on it once they are confident of doing a good (or make it lip-smacking) job there! Fair enuf...but v v unfair to me I tell you! (But considering I am not someone who would put up with such injustice in my life, ensured tht my hubbs treated me to a Corner House Ice cream )

So to sum it all up: a purrfect goal for ambiance, decor, music. A can-do-better goalie as far as food is concerned ~ cocktails n main course is purrfect goal but the starters portion can be bit more generous n ofcourse eating out is never complete without desserts. N to the big question of the wallet factor~~ well we were the early birds so with the inaugural discount the bill came upto 800 odd rupees!!

So in case u r in this part of town n waana chk out something new, drop into 64 Flavours for a A flavorable Memory!!

~~Happy eating~~

Another weekend passes by....

So there comes to end another weekend........last few weekends seem to be falling under a completely different bracket! While the weekends till last year would start as early as friday afternoon......googling to find the next dest'n around B'lore to be explore, a 2nd show and hitting the road on saturday! A constant fix on our bed-side table during those days were 'Times Good Food Guide', '52 Weekend get-aways from Bangalore" :). So much so that the weekends would be more straining than the weekdays......while my friends at work would be fresh n full of energy (if not excited) on monday morn I would be ready to hit the bed!! My energy then had a different curve low on monday and slowly raising till it hits the peak on a friday...he he he!! N not to mention the liberal dose of vacations tht were thrown in once in 2-3 months!! Actually we would hv been the perfect ambasadors for 'Alto'..."Next is what"(which incidentally is wht we own) n the perfect reviewers for Good Food Guide', '52 Weekend get-aways from Bangalore" :)
But surprisingly the last few weekends were different.......caught up on a 2nd show last week after ages!!! Its more about catching upon some movie on TV over a glass of wine(n a whisky\beer for my hubbs) and of course spring cleaning the house....U C we hv no maid now (Yeah guys u heard it right....me doing the household cleaning, sweeping all by myself...of course due credit given to my hubbs!!!) n the outing is limited to say a visit to shop to stock up groceries or at the max a visit to Brigade road!!! Yeap its relaxing in a way n am 'ready~ to~ go' on mondays!! N talking of 'Times Good Food Guide', '52 Weekend get-aways from Bangalore"...well gotta hunt for those books!

So whats happening? We getting matured n settling down or is it the wallet!! I hope not!! Me craving for one of those relaxing vacations where its just both of us far away from here.........

I know another of my 'Life is not so rosy Blogs' :(

The Last few weeks.....

Hey all me back after a long hiatus....did anybody miss me? well I seriously doubt that....but yeah I did miss my quota of creative juice outflow (he he !!).....so here comes a roll call of whats been up last few months!!!

A new job...Yeap guys I did manage to jump after 5 good years in good old Satyam...Yeah I know this is indeed an anti-climax after my loyalty blog...but well!! N yeap the added bonus was not just the extra money (not really big considering the peanuts I was being paid :( ) but was supposedly landing in my dream job !! So after 2 months do I still think its a dream job?? Well the grass is always greener on the other side :)

My B'day...sob sob am getting older :( :(. But yeap it meant a cosy dinner in a terrace top restaurant n my first set of Benneton pant n shirt!! N yeap the cutest surprise B'day night by Sabs-Bins!! N yeah the surprise included them dozing before its 12 n me pouncing upon them to wake up the lazy bones up for the cake cutting session :-D.

A visit by my little niece n my veliamma.....the memories tht she brings along makes me real nostalgic! The good old childhood days....the long summer vacations, the big circle of cousins circling around ammama as she cuts a jackfruit, the taste of jelebi where you are given a bigger share at the expense of other cousins cause you love jelebis and they love u !! Well now-a-days the pay packs r so high tht the concept of sharing is kinda fading away!! At times makes me feel that as we grow rich we loose out on the small joys of life!!

N the biggest of all....we zeroed in a house to buy!! Yeap guys after one year of futile search all it took is a matter of minutes for us to decide the house after we see it.....surprising considering it doesnt match up to the big list we had drawn up!! Hopefully the next few months will fly off in doing up our home :)

Well well so doesn't this sound like a exciting phase in life...with things brimming over??? Not really...there is something lurking at the back of my mind! N as with other things looks like its gonna be a long fight before I lay this demon to rest...sob sob again :(

I know this blog sounds so different from my usual life is a big party post !! But don't u worry am soon gonna be back with my Life-is-a-bed of-roses post!!

Happy B'day Mona Lisa!!

An unbelievable combo of today’s time….A perfect mix of modern woman and a shy heroine from the yeastier years..I know I know that is an heady mix! Want proof? Ok sample this….Madam can come up with solutions for most mind boggling DBA problems (Ha ha wondering what DBA is…..well u should be one of those techie nerds to understand it) but the moment topic diverts away from work n the opp party happens to be from male species then god save them!!! They would have to count starts to get mono-syllabic answers from your highness! A person who has travelled across seas but refuses to step out of her salwar kameez....... Hey don’t u know Western clothes make u look glamorous n madam is in this constant struggle to deglamorize herself(I know a complete contrast to me) to have some control over her ever expanding fan list :-p. N for all those fans out there I just have a word of advice…She is ‘mona Lisa’…..beautiful, sweet n everything else but completely out of your reach cause guys madam has found(ages ago) her prince charming…so wake up, get a life n stop bothering our ‘mona Lisa’.
Here is to you my sweet, ever accommodating, silent, beautiful, intelligent friend…Happy Birthday! Here is wishing you years of happiness with your prince charming and may this year see you entering into wedlock with him!!!! N hey u Mr.rince Charming u a real lucky dude man…So be the prince n sweep your queen away!!

PS: You must have realized tht then name of ‘Mona Lisa is not made public here. The reason ?? Cause aren’t the stars supposed to have a degree of anonymity associated with them…U c it adds to their charm! n ofocurse to save my skin too

Happy Anniversary Sabs-Bins!!

Happy Anniv Sabi - Binoy...Ho yeah the same couple who keep popping in into all my posts! Well this time they arent really popping in as this is dedicated to them on their anniversary!

Grrrr....I hv spent last 30 mins trying to write a post befitting the occasion but being poetic or singing praises is just not my cup of tea...n the hubbs of mine refuses to help!! So here is something straight from my heart.....You guys are special, a gr8 n rocking pair!

Lemme first give u a brief dekko of this couple! Sabs comes from what I call a 'English Literate' family i.e a place where they eat, drink sleep english literature n for whom religion is a matter of personal belief! No church going, no religious afflictions whatever! Now contrast this with Bins who comes from a from a orthodox Malyalee achaayan (read Christan) family (well didn't our hero almost go on to become a priest ...Sabi Thank ur stars tht he decided to opt out!) who were into farming, rubber tapping n such!!! N now their personalities...our heroine steps in straight out of english classics.... a wee bit dreamy, (v v v v) idealistic, impractical, romantic, exuberant, nomadic ....you get the flow hey! N our hero........A seemingly rooted practical, level headed gentleman but as Sabi says n which I can vouch for a big kiddo inside

A great divide hey?? It has never ceased to surprise me as to how these two completely contrasting souls have come in seamlessly together!! A couple who perfectly compliment each other!

Here is wishing you guys many more haapy anniverseries together! You guys really rock!!

Edited to change the pic taken on their anniv. Dont miss the boyish grin on Bin's face(remeber the kiddo in him) !!

PS: The anniv was yesterday. The post comes in a day late...blame my office for it!

Happy Pink Chaddi Day!!

Valentine's day is here and along comes feelings of love n ofcourse coochi cooing......Thou the twist is my mind is filled with work work n loadds of it :( The color I n am sure many in the female species associate this day is ofcourse the very feminine pink!

But hey am in a generous mood this time!! Anybody up for a dose of pinks?? How abt starting this noble deed with a noble cause?? Hey Ram Sena here is my Valentines day gift to you!!

Read more abt the Pink chaddi Campaign here!

On a happier note this is our third valentine together!! N I ofcourse have my wishlist (as Sabi calls them) ready and the cajoling ritual of my hubbs too is in process :) Will post details of same post Valentine!!

So here is wishing all you guys out there a gr8 valentines day n dont forget to generously denotae pink chaddis to dearest Ram Sena!!

PS: The pic in the post is no creative outlet of me!!! Its the logo of the Pink chaddi Campaign!