30 and still going strong

My In-laws have completed 30 years of marriage. Now, thats really quite an achievement. I just about finished one year and I can understand how tough the going is ;) - Just kidding.

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Thats the reason mom is probably one of the best cooks in mumbai - south indian - pallakad style.

News News News - if there is a walking newsman - thats dad for you. You can talk about pretty much any topic and he would be able to pass on some info - which you didnt know.

I wish you the very best in future as well. Hope you have a 'gala' day today!

Congratulations from your son.

Satish.

My mom is younger by a year!

Hi mom.

Wishing you a very special birthday.

You have just grown a year younger.

I remember the days in Brindavan when things were really hectic for you, cooking good food and then rushing to work et all.

also the other funny incident i remember very clearly is - at times - we would forget to wash my school shirt/trouser.. and after i take a bath.. we would be looking for the school dress and it would come to the fore that we had forgotten washing it.

then we would have a mini discussion about all the options we have and then take a quick decision of what to do.

that was really cool.

brindavan home was very small! all the issues we faced together.. all the complexities we handled quite easily. i think we really had a great time there.

learning was part of the agenda every day.

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as we move along and get into a new year, I wish that you grow wiser and stronger, both in heart and mind.

Every phase in life will pass on. Now you are all set to enter the grandmother phase. God Bless!

your son. your dear son.

Satish.

Pyara Ek Ghar

i miss you sri. i think i miss you all. i am just hoping to be back soon and we have a good time with the new family members :)

yeah you look totally bloated. thats fine. you look happy. thats what matters at the end of the day!

I will call you this saturday. Pray well to God. Thats the most important thing. It will help in better blood circulation and improve your child's ability to talk to you.

I am looking forward to May. So any preferences - boy or gal? Whats everyone saying??
Do update.

Here spring is setting in. So getting warmer. sometimes hotter. Life is pretty ok otherwise. Managing food very well - according to what suj/mom used to tell about me - lazy and all.

Yesterday I made rice, sambhar, karna kezhangu fry and urlakezhangu bodimas. it all came out pretty well. had a hearty meal!!

SKY connection has come .. so pretty much watching all news/sports.

india lost very badly.. dont want to comment further!

so hows life othewise in pondicherry?

say hi to rithu and rithu parents. i havent been able to get through to amith.. always goes to voicemail. i think he is pretty busy.

ok... rest later on.

Satish.

And then i was all forgotten.

my time these days is all between work and cooking. cooking presents an interesting challenge for me each day.

just like a producer who makes a masala movie with a lot of cashable actors, each day- my sambhar or curry has a lot of infallible characters - carrots/cabbage starrer with side actors including masala curry/dal curry/hot curry etc.

work wise - last week was hectic. this week is also the same. hopefully should be ok.

a couple of guys have noticed that i really strain my eyes while working and reading.

i need to get out of that habit. or maybe i need to wear glasses.. who knows ;)?

saw sri pictures.. really she looks very different and mature. my mom was right abt that.

mumbai ppl - please start planning for my trip there.. i am really particular about the food menu this time.. i will make sure that i get to eat what i want and i get to parcel as well!!

i am really looking forward to that trip in june.. lets see how far june is!

time flies here.. its work work work and work! dont know when the week started and when it ended.. so time will pass soon!

so whats happening in mumbai.. no one is replying back except suja ofcourse. seems like everyone is busy - or maybe out of sight : out of mind!

anyway relatives.. hi!! please do drop in a note now and then! - whats happening on rajshri marriage? any updates? how are things going on for the rest of you all there?

where is lazy gal gitli?? where is the hyderbadi sangdu? gurgaon (spelling mistake) sanju - rambo rajesh?

absolutely no idea where you are all. hope you are all doing good.

ok.. take care for now..

satish.
p.s: had a hair cut this saturday.. looking better - i would say.

long time no blog

not having touched the blog for a couple of days now.. its getting a bit important to note whats been happening of late at my end.

got a dvd player from my house owner.. watched asterix cd and heard some tamil songs. this was during the weekend.

also did some vegetable shopping... got some spring onion and some yam among other vegetable items.

then in the afternoon made some moong dal in the cooker. it came out really well.

also the mixed sambhar - cabbage/carrot/ladies finger/brinjal - again in the cooker..

it also came out very well.

it seems like i am saying only mostly about my cooking. i will find some more intersteing topics to blog.. need to think!

was looking for a cricket club to play.. its a bit costly here.. lets see if we can find some good deal in a club.

tomm i am going to stanlow.. thats a couple of hours journey by train one way.. may take my digicam. this is my second trip there..

need to get up early and catch the 7:13 train in the morning.

so no blogs tomm.. london weather is becoming better.. not that cold.. though winter is officially on.

thats it for now.. have to get going.

satish.

Looking for something new and interesting

another weekend has come.. hard work during the week.. looking forward to the two days to take some time off.

today i came to office to wind up some pending work. tomm.. i need to check out something interesting to keep the day going.

cooking wise.. alls fine. need to improve on dal.. yesterday.... did some moong dal curry...came out ok.

havent yet got the phone connection at home.. need to get it done.. and also a bank acct. need to locate a cricket club nearby my home.. dont know how to get this breakthrough!

lets see how things fall in place.

hope alls fine in india. no one bothers to reply on my blog.

satish.

The Mathematics involved in cooking

Its always been ratios and numbers all along. How many teaspoons of salt? how many for this curry powder .. and that one?

How many cups of water is required for one cup of rice..

its all these numbers and ratios which eventually result in a well cooked meal.

ofcourse, you need all the ingredients to make the meal.

last nite, i almost got it right.. made vendakai/kathirikai sambhar.. came out well.. added tamarind water and also less haldi than what i used to put earlier.

so it all added up in the right ratios and numbers.. voila. last night meal was good!

satish.

Sambhar of a new grade!

last nite.. managed to go this sri lankan shop near my home.. picked up some very critical powder items - dhaniya powder, turmeric powder.. etc..

and also got some brinjal.

the sambhar took pretty less time to make and with all the powders added, it was really good!

i really relished the sambhar last nite.. also bought some ponni rice and some dal.

so hopefully this weekend., there will be a good feast in my place

yesterday morning.. it was also snowing a bit.. so that was a really different experience.. sort of enjoyed it!!

satish.

New Home New Experience

Managed to move to a new home yesterday afternoon. its a good feeling after all.. finally getting into the first stage of working in a new country.#

and also yeah.. i also started off with some cooking. man that was some experience.. its not to say that i dont know cooking.. but its definitely like - i have forgotten a lot.

started off to make some rice, sambhar, dal and then some chappatis.

chappatis - ofcourse were just ready made and only had to heat them - believe it or not, they came out really well !!!! :)))

rice - basmati - added extra water.. so more of kuzhu sadham.

sambhar - added thoor dal.. which ultimately become thick and the avarakkai i had cut - didnt boil completely and was more raw than anything.. felt like a pre-historic man!

so had some chappati with dal - which was yummy and has some very little rice with so called sambhar - and some curd.. all somewhere at midnight.

but out of it all - one good thing - which my family would be happy to hear - i am attempting to eat healthy home cooked food - though its not entirely landing up in that shape!!


satish.

eating murukku

just had some asthalin.. feeling much better. - i normally dont have medicine.. but if it does become necessary - then i do take.

murukku tastes yummy - thanks to my parents who got it for me from pondicherry.

it was actually a very good gesture for them to come to bangalore to see me off.

hearing chinna chinna asai song from roja now.. i remember the first time i heard this song was when i was in my 9th standard.. that was also the time when i was trying hard to prove to myself that i could get the first rank in my class.

it was really 5 through 10 all the time.. this time i wanted it to be special.. i really planned it out like anything.. kept on focusing on my writing speed..

i always knew that writing speed was the key to success in exams.. so wrote and wrote and wrote.. be it a maths problem or a chemistry equation.. i wrote until i could say it upside down.

then in my 1st midterm - i did exceedingly well.

so i knew i was in the right track. now my main target was my quaterly exams. it was the key for me at that age.. how sincere and focused i used to be then!

those days - i used to keep motivating myself - amidst all the issues i was in - wanting to prove something to myself.. something which would give me satisfaction.

well.. the day the marks were out - i really could thank God for the results.. i scored 823/1000 - a total which was the top most not only in A section but also inthe other 5 sections.

infact no one even touched 800. the next highest was in the 780's.

that day i bought a cassette of Roja.. Lahari company .... I hadnt heard Roja at all till that day - I had promised myself that only after getting the first rank - I would hear Roja....!

I somehow had a huge interest in music.. could focus on studies while listening to music.. music was always the big source of inspiration in my life - all along. especially ARRehman!

I had bought each and every one of his cassettes since Roja - I sort of related him to my first big success in life - my first rank in 9th standard.

That year - I got the proficiency award in my school annual day - my parents didnt come for the annual day.. so i was all alone relishing my success.. but didnt really know whom to share it with!

whatever they had done for me - i am really grateful!

had very good friends in premjit and nallam and kaushik and kapil. every one of us was very mature and we really helped each other when the other was in any kind of problem!

struggled a lot in that phase of my life.. but somehow i never gave up!

- another happy moment was when i acted in the school plays.. i never really was an outspoken person in school.. never really came out in the open to do things like drama.

but my school teacher Mr. Subramanian - he was the one who really wanted me to get in. Those drama rehearsal days were all full of fun. Though initially shy, I was able to make it and did a good show - in my school annual day.

i played the role of the "devil" and kapil was the "imp". it was one funny play. anoop was the peasant. had a good role with minimum makeup :)

no one came to watch the annual day - from my end. that was just how it was! - i was all alone doing things and enjoying them quite alone.

i had done two dramas in school in fact!

--

just had some sambhar rice with murukku.. feeling much better now. need to take some rest and start off tomm to look for houses.

satish.

Its winter in London

Landed last week on Sunday. Didnt really expect that it would be this cold. Thought would be able to manage..... having seen winters with minus degrees in pilani.

but then this was to be something totally different and difficult as well.

the hotel where i am staying is literally in the center of london.. its a good one.. but there is wonderful background noise of the heater which really irritates me!

so i sleep with the lights on.. i think i am used to thinking that when the lights are switched off, there must be complete silence.

anyway!

work has started off well.. nothing really tough so far.. but the ball has started rolling and it wouldnt be late when I am really tied up day in day out.

colleagues are all helpful. so nothing much to worry.

missing home and the good food - thanks to my mom!! here only lunch is something substantial.. rest all is for namesake. health wise - i am having some dry cough for the past two days.. havent told anyone... for they would be unduly worrying.

rest all is fine. started looking for a home.... nothing materialised as such.. hopefully this weekend something should come through.

havent spoken to my parents after i reached here... i think they must be really worried about me.

havent unpacked much of the stuff.. its all tucked in safely in the luggage.

ok... shall continue after having some murukku,

satish.

Hi !

As I am typing my first online diary - called a blog by most others, just want you to know what you can expect from here..

1) something about middleware technologies
2) some philosophies of life
3) personal info
4) anything more which interests me .. ofcourse..

Satish.