When I was buying my IPod, my friend asked me what message I wanted to engrave on it. After much soul searching and google-searching, I found the only one I'd want to be carved on stone (or IPod) ...
"We are such stuff
As dreams are made on..."
The rest of it's something else too:
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Is there anything sexier than having your man cook for you?
To watch those big macho men take a skillet and a pan and just immerse themselves in a creation designed to impress you? A dash of this and that...no set recipe planned ahead. Raid the kitchen for what's available and just intuitively select those your darling will fall for...fall in love with you all over again.
Once, I came back from a really long day at a workshop after 2 hours of travelling to find a delicious pasta boiling on the stove for me. My man bent over the stove trying to find the right balance of spice and tanginess, adjusting one with the other, tearing off coriander leaves and tenderly dropping them over the dish. Making me a hearty dinner...
You dont need to walk down the aisle again to reaffirm your vows and bonds. All you need is one to slip into an apron and the other to make sensuous 'yummy' sounds. And the rest shall fall into place...
Once, I came back from a really long day at a workshop after 2 hours of travelling to find a delicious pasta boiling on the stove for me. My man bent over the stove trying to find the right balance of spice and tanginess, adjusting one with the other, tearing off coriander leaves and tenderly dropping them over the dish. Making me a hearty dinner...
You dont need to walk down the aisle again to reaffirm your vows and bonds. All you need is one to slip into an apron and the other to make sensuous 'yummy' sounds. And the rest shall fall into place...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Cocktail Kings!
Last Friday night was a rare one; cocktails flowed like water and I even got one free after we sampled about...hmmm...4 each?
Cosmopolitan - Very, very yummily made
Tequila Sunrise - O.K. (I've had better)
Chocolatini - yummmmm....in a Bailey's cream kind of silky satiny yummy
North Side Special - a rum cocktail...nothing all that rum about it, it was exceptional!
I got to choose another drink (free!) and got myself a Cosmo again because I fell in love with it. We had all of these against the backdrop of grilled and skewered Arabic delicacies - Chicken mussakkan roll, barbequed chicken and a mezze platter (isnt that Lebanese?). We were pleasantly swimming and gliding across mental seas and skies after which we skipped the waiter's offer of a sizzling chocolate brownie (a feat in itself) and instead glided over to a Baskin Robbins for a choco mousse icecream.
To sum it up: a wonderful Friday night! We (Hubby and I) have both expressed a secret wish to go all around Mumbai and sample cocktails for a living. And perhaps, rate them on our blog!
Cosmopolitan - Very, very yummily made
Tequila Sunrise - O.K. (I've had better)
Chocolatini - yummmmm....in a Bailey's cream kind of silky satiny yummy
North Side Special - a rum cocktail...nothing all that rum about it, it was exceptional!
I got to choose another drink (free!) and got myself a Cosmo again because I fell in love with it. We had all of these against the backdrop of grilled and skewered Arabic delicacies - Chicken mussakkan roll, barbequed chicken and a mezze platter (isnt that Lebanese?). We were pleasantly swimming and gliding across mental seas and skies after which we skipped the waiter's offer of a sizzling chocolate brownie (a feat in itself) and instead glided over to a Baskin Robbins for a choco mousse icecream.
To sum it up: a wonderful Friday night! We (Hubby and I) have both expressed a secret wish to go all around Mumbai and sample cocktails for a living. And perhaps, rate them on our blog!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Walk down foodie lane...
Maria's Top Ten Comfort Food list inspired me to bring out my own favourite foods and list them (no order of preference here).
The Devil's List of Favourite Comfort Foods
1. Barbequed Prawn Pizza - I have never not felt like eating this one...just the thought of having this mouth-watering, cheesy, tangy pizza can comfort me. I went to Pop Tate's last month and ordered it only to find that they've discontinued it and we had to make do with Bbqd Chicken Pizza which was sadly lacking in everything including some good old tiny but succulent prawns.
2. Egg Mc Muffin with Smoked Salami - I was floored by the taste of smoky salami (perfectly done) laid on a bed of fried egg. Cheese on top, which I could have done without. I had one of these and one and a half Sausage Mc Muffin (which was great but not as lovely as this one) and well...we went without lunch that day.
3. Pasta (Mushroom Alfredo, Lasagna, Chicken mince...you name it, I want it!) - Even having a few strands of pasta in soup (almost any soup) makes it a more enjoyable experience for me. Even a simple white sauce (nothing but cream and flour and onions and garlic) makes pasta more divine than anything...except the top two comfort foods.
4. Chicken biryani - You dont need anything else other than a thick curd raita to accompany this one pot meal. Tender marinated chicken cooked with long grain rice and topped with caramelized onions...a feast of spices and flavors; a soft aroma beckons even those who claim to be on a diet. This is frankly all you'll ever need...ever!... with a nice glass of wine.
5. Kheema with Egg - Mutton/Chicken mince cooked in onions, peas and spices with a beaten egg poured over and cooked with the mixture at the end... a treat any time, anywhere! Eaten with soft, baked pao (Indian bread), a wedge of lemon and onion rings (not fried).
6. Egg or Flat Noodles/Fried Rice - Just cannot decide between the two; usually if the person accompanying me for lunch doesnt like noodles, we end up ordering rice. Love both equally...especially when tossed with a few meats and bite-sized pieces of fried egg/omelette.
7. Dim Sums - How can I ever forget these glorious little packages of heaven? I can eat them no matter what...which season I'm in, what mood I'm in. Dim sums always excite me even though they're reduced to choosing from chicken/fish fillings rather than pork, mutton, beef, crab...I think I only miss pork more. Although I wish I could visit China White again...that was the only restaurant where we could really enjoy our dim sums...lotus leaf wrapped ones in sticky rice especially!
8. Chocolate cake in custard - This is my most loved but forgotten dessert over time... growing up, I'd make custard only to have it this way. Now, I suspect no one other than yours truly will enjoy this. Sadly, I am tempted to but avoid getting desserts home so making it will definitely invoke a round of binging (especially as no one else at home wants the firm and soggy combination).
9. Sausages - any kind, grilled or fried or boiled...I love them all. The best ones I've had are the cheese and onion chicken sausages.
10. Hot Chocolate Cake/Fudge Brownie with Vanilla Ice cream - I love this combination especially if there's dark chocolate cream on the cake or brownie. I hate the sizzling brownie thing they serve in almost all restaurants in Bombay...where the brownie sizzles on an iron platter heated for the purpose and topped with ice cream with chocolate sauce poured over the combination for smoke effect. Why bother with that when you can just have a microwaved or oven-warmed brownie/chocolate cake with a scoop or two of deliciously cold vanilla ice cream melting over it as you try and salvage every spoonful?
This is it as far as I can think. I'm sure to wake up in the middle of the night with a few more items but till then... this is it!
I sure would love to know everyone's top ten or at least top five favourite comfort foods.
The Devil's List of Favourite Comfort Foods
1. Barbequed Prawn Pizza - I have never not felt like eating this one...just the thought of having this mouth-watering, cheesy, tangy pizza can comfort me. I went to Pop Tate's last month and ordered it only to find that they've discontinued it and we had to make do with Bbqd Chicken Pizza which was sadly lacking in everything including some good old tiny but succulent prawns.
2. Egg Mc Muffin with Smoked Salami - I was floored by the taste of smoky salami (perfectly done) laid on a bed of fried egg. Cheese on top, which I could have done without. I had one of these and one and a half Sausage Mc Muffin (which was great but not as lovely as this one) and well...we went without lunch that day.
3. Pasta (Mushroom Alfredo, Lasagna, Chicken mince...you name it, I want it!) - Even having a few strands of pasta in soup (almost any soup) makes it a more enjoyable experience for me. Even a simple white sauce (nothing but cream and flour and onions and garlic) makes pasta more divine than anything...except the top two comfort foods.
4. Chicken biryani - You dont need anything else other than a thick curd raita to accompany this one pot meal. Tender marinated chicken cooked with long grain rice and topped with caramelized onions...a feast of spices and flavors; a soft aroma beckons even those who claim to be on a diet. This is frankly all you'll ever need...ever!... with a nice glass of wine.
5. Kheema with Egg - Mutton/Chicken mince cooked in onions, peas and spices with a beaten egg poured over and cooked with the mixture at the end... a treat any time, anywhere! Eaten with soft, baked pao (Indian bread), a wedge of lemon and onion rings (not fried).
6. Egg or Flat Noodles/Fried Rice - Just cannot decide between the two; usually if the person accompanying me for lunch doesnt like noodles, we end up ordering rice. Love both equally...especially when tossed with a few meats and bite-sized pieces of fried egg/omelette.
7. Dim Sums - How can I ever forget these glorious little packages of heaven? I can eat them no matter what...which season I'm in, what mood I'm in. Dim sums always excite me even though they're reduced to choosing from chicken/fish fillings rather than pork, mutton, beef, crab...I think I only miss pork more. Although I wish I could visit China White again...that was the only restaurant where we could really enjoy our dim sums...lotus leaf wrapped ones in sticky rice especially!
8. Chocolate cake in custard - This is my most loved but forgotten dessert over time... growing up, I'd make custard only to have it this way. Now, I suspect no one other than yours truly will enjoy this. Sadly, I am tempted to but avoid getting desserts home so making it will definitely invoke a round of binging (especially as no one else at home wants the firm and soggy combination).
9. Sausages - any kind, grilled or fried or boiled...I love them all. The best ones I've had are the cheese and onion chicken sausages.
10. Hot Chocolate Cake/Fudge Brownie with Vanilla Ice cream - I love this combination especially if there's dark chocolate cream on the cake or brownie. I hate the sizzling brownie thing they serve in almost all restaurants in Bombay...where the brownie sizzles on an iron platter heated for the purpose and topped with ice cream with chocolate sauce poured over the combination for smoke effect. Why bother with that when you can just have a microwaved or oven-warmed brownie/chocolate cake with a scoop or two of deliciously cold vanilla ice cream melting over it as you try and salvage every spoonful?
This is it as far as I can think. I'm sure to wake up in the middle of the night with a few more items but till then... this is it!
I sure would love to know everyone's top ten or at least top five favourite comfort foods.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Holiday...
What can be better than looking forward to the rains all cozied up at home with four unread books?
1. Sushi for Beginners
2. Rachel's Holiday
3. The British Museum Is Falling Down
4. Victoria Line, Central Line
Work hasnt arrived yet. I have pending personal tasks piling up helplessly...and yet, I'm feeling on the absolute top of the world. High!
1. Sushi for Beginners
2. Rachel's Holiday
3. The British Museum Is Falling Down
4. Victoria Line, Central Line
Work hasnt arrived yet. I have pending personal tasks piling up helplessly...and yet, I'm feeling on the absolute top of the world. High!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
We've been waiting for you
The rain pattered down on Friday night - it was late when I finally put the book away and switched off the light to open the curtains and look down to a gleaming, wet street and a muted patter of raindrops on every metal awning in the neighbourhood. Saturday and Sunday were blissfully rainy...we had a long drive to look forward to and a visit home to my mother's. As we sped away to our destination, the rain clouds followed us and darkened the evening earlier than the usual summery time of 7:30 pm. Sunday was wonderfully wet and it gladdened us to be out in the rain - a hot fish lunch followed by a trip to the movie theater for the much-awaited Angels and Demons.
The movie was wonderful...I liked it better than the Da Vinci Code in terms of action and a tight script. Not one second had me rolling my eyes and hoping for something else. Even Tom Hanks was more convincing as Robert Langdon this time although he wouldnt have been my first choice for the role. Every film this actor makes is nothing short of amazing. Watching the movie made me realise the importance of watching cinema on the big screen and I was glad to not have missed it. The entire team of actors was brilliantly cast - the Pope's chamberlain, scientists, police, security team... not one actor looked like he only just came in to play a role. The scenes within the Vatican city, the beautiful churches and architecture of ancient buildings, the suspense and the ruthlessness with which each threat was carried out were all prime reasons to go and watch the movie (earlier panned by critics as one of the weakest cinematic offerings of Hollywood).
All in all a good weekend with great food. The skies are alternately sunny or gloomy. We hope for more rain soon, even a light drizzle just to assure us that it wasnt a one time miracle; that our fields will get the nourishment they need and the people will get a much needed respite from the harsh sun.
The movie was wonderful...I liked it better than the Da Vinci Code in terms of action and a tight script. Not one second had me rolling my eyes and hoping for something else. Even Tom Hanks was more convincing as Robert Langdon this time although he wouldnt have been my first choice for the role. Every film this actor makes is nothing short of amazing. Watching the movie made me realise the importance of watching cinema on the big screen and I was glad to not have missed it. The entire team of actors was brilliantly cast - the Pope's chamberlain, scientists, police, security team... not one actor looked like he only just came in to play a role. The scenes within the Vatican city, the beautiful churches and architecture of ancient buildings, the suspense and the ruthlessness with which each threat was carried out were all prime reasons to go and watch the movie (earlier panned by critics as one of the weakest cinematic offerings of Hollywood).
All in all a good weekend with great food. The skies are alternately sunny or gloomy. We hope for more rain soon, even a light drizzle just to assure us that it wasnt a one time miracle; that our fields will get the nourishment they need and the people will get a much needed respite from the harsh sun.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Are we there yet?
MRF Tyres has postponed its Rain Day indefinitely. So much for the meteorologists who predicted that the skies will tip over liquid manna over parched fields some two weeks ago.
I was depressed a few weeks ago over the pointlessness of my life. A year and a half ago, I was over-stressed and knew I wanted to do something else. Forget about keeping my promise to myself, I have fallen back into a rut that I keep trying to crawl out of. An astrologer once told my mother that all my ideas are confined within my head and that's one of my major obstacles. He hadnt even seen me. And he was right. I tried to prove him wrong but I keep sliding back.
Watching a few videos of the Golden Girls between work schedules cheered me up but gloom stands just around the corner and predictably, every few weeks, I plunge into it headlong.
I want the rain to bring a change of scene outside my window but dont react to the nagging need for change within me. I want clear signposts to show me which way I'm headed... losing the point of the whole journey. I used to take steps towards what I wanted and now, am slacking off and letting go a whole lot more.
I dont know how long it's been since I wrote...there are dusty cobwebs around my mind's eye that are being tossed about as I write. I read more blogs now than I have for all the weeks before today. Feels good to find one's fingers tapping away as the mind dictates. I know that I'm picking myself up from the dumps. I just need this post to remind me to do that every time I slack off.
I'll pray for it to rain... without sitting at my window and glaring at the sun.
I was depressed a few weeks ago over the pointlessness of my life. A year and a half ago, I was over-stressed and knew I wanted to do something else. Forget about keeping my promise to myself, I have fallen back into a rut that I keep trying to crawl out of. An astrologer once told my mother that all my ideas are confined within my head and that's one of my major obstacles. He hadnt even seen me. And he was right. I tried to prove him wrong but I keep sliding back.
Watching a few videos of the Golden Girls between work schedules cheered me up but gloom stands just around the corner and predictably, every few weeks, I plunge into it headlong.
I want the rain to bring a change of scene outside my window but dont react to the nagging need for change within me. I want clear signposts to show me which way I'm headed... losing the point of the whole journey. I used to take steps towards what I wanted and now, am slacking off and letting go a whole lot more.
I dont know how long it's been since I wrote...there are dusty cobwebs around my mind's eye that are being tossed about as I write. I read more blogs now than I have for all the weeks before today. Feels good to find one's fingers tapping away as the mind dictates. I know that I'm picking myself up from the dumps. I just need this post to remind me to do that every time I slack off.
I'll pray for it to rain... without sitting at my window and glaring at the sun.
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