Need to start blogging a lot more. Will do. Will be back!

Sinful indulgence amidst serene environs - At Huckleberry, Indiranagar

Sunday afternoons usually bring with it trepidation of having to report back to work on Monday and I am no different. And this sinking feeling starts after lunch. So the best way to beat it is to have a nice, long and relaxing lunch. So this Sunday, I made my way to Huckleberry, the new neighborhood joint in Indiranagar.

Within two minutes of arriving, I noticed a strange whining noise; a heart-rending voice that said, “Help”. I looked around but couldn’t find the source. And then it slowly dawned upon me. It was me. I was hungry. And I smelt food; the mouth watering type.

Ambience – It is evident that the couple who run the place have put a lot of thought, sleepless nights and gargantuan efforts into making this place the way it looks. Colourful and cute chairs depicting a wide variety of interesting things and characters. If you do have time on your hands, check out each and every chair at the place (as long as you don’t have to ask people to stand up to get a peek). Very interesting work!

Soups and Starters - I ordered the seafood soup and I was thrilled with the result. The rosemary and dash of freshly ground pepper lent the soup the right fragrance and flavour and hit the right notes. For starters, we ordered the basil chicken and potato wedges. I can’t comment about the wedges since I was busy with the chicken. The meat was done just right and melted in your mouth.

Drinks - Though I stuck to a Coke, I heard my wife go gaga over the Basil Lemon drink. I am no oenophile and didn’t try the wine on offer. But they have a well-stocked wine cellar.

Mains - For the mains, we ordered the shrimp pizza with jalapeno topping, a mushroom pizza with peppers and a black pepper fettuccini (Chicken). Now was that a brinjal in that pasta??? It was lovely. It was better than the chicken in the pasta. I generally do not prefer brinjals in my diet but this was good. A must try!

The thin-crust wood fired pizzas were good. Some of the best pizza I have had in a while. And I do eat a lot of pizza. Asking for the jalapeno topping proved to be a master stroke since it complemented the shrimps beautifully.

Desserts – This is what I have been waiting for. The desserts on offer! We ordered the Huckleberry Special Cinnamon Pudding and the White Chocolate Mousse with Lemon Sauce. The pudding was good but what took the cake (what an oxymoron). Ok, let’s try this again. What took the mousse was… O’ blimey….THE WHITE CHOC MOUSSE. It was a winner and everyone at the table agreed. It was fluffy and thick and creamy… just the way I like it.

Price and Service – Prices are not too demanding on the wallet and the service was warm.

A couple of hours of bliss and food and…. And what??? Nothing else. Just food and bliss… Monday, here I come.

Jammy! Take A Bow!!!

Today, on the 16th of September 2011, a gentleman (wearing the India blue for the last time) will walk into the horizon, head held high. A man who defined technique in the world of cricket??? Hell, NO! Built an actual WALL between the sticks.

A man from Bangalore who lost media headlines to a precocious talent from Mumbai; to the best guy on the offside after God from Kolkata and to a very very special guy from Hyderabad. But who went about his business with the same grit and tenacity that has come to define his style.

RAHUL DRAVID - A gentleman, A stalwart, a legend. You made us believe that WE CAN in Australia, and in NZ and in SA. We will miss you. Jammy, take a bow. The world is at your feet.

My Wailing Travail!!!

There are many stories about Rakesh Menon. Some say he is a decent man. Others say there is no good in him at all. But I once spent 3 days on the road with him, in the monsoon of 2011. This is our story.

I was mighty pleased when one day I received a mail from Reshmi Aunty about a weekend sojourn away from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore. You can imagine how much it meant to me since my getaways have been limited to LBS Nagar and Cradle. So anyways, while children of sizes get to raise flags at their schools on Independence Day, I get an opportunity to raise a toast with my dad and his friends. Nice! The benefits of being born to a tippler!

To cut a long story short, Reshmi Aunty and Das Mama could not make it since Das Mama preferred to have scotch (all the way from the US of A) than Blender’s Pride. And Veena Cheriyamma and co did not make the cut since Pradeep Valiyachan was worried how the proposed dual pricing on diesel will affect his Vento. Hey, one Cheriyamma and Valiyachan in the same family. Funny family, dude!

Neha aunty who is always behind kochacha's back to go for trips conveniently left for kozhikode to remove a tooth. But now she looks as if she planted a few more inside. Phew! life is unfair.

Date - August 13th 2011
Time – 0600 hrs

I can barely open my eyes and I notice a flurry of activity in my house. My mom’s busy packing and I see dad stepping out of the bathroom. He calls out to my mom and says, “Let’s pack him”. Really!!! Is that the best they can say? Pack me! What am I? A stuffed toy? Anyways, the big day is here. And I am not going to let my dad’s lack of vocabulary affect my preparation. I remain focussed. Dravid should pick up a couple of tips from me. I tell you, “He’s no more the Wall. Sreesanth is. He is always busy driving people up the wall”. Anyways, let matters that do not concern me be put to rest.

“No mom. Not that smelly cap again. It does not keep me warm. The smell just puts me to sleep. NO!!!” After an initial struggle, I finally relent. “Oh c’mon, get it done with”.

We leave home, pick up Jayesh uncle who is waiting with the rest of the folks and set our sights on the road ahead. I have always believed that there were two types of people. One, who drinks and pukes since they can’t stomach it and secondly, people who drink; are content and go to bed. And then there is the 3rd type. Jayesh uncle! Types who give the Energizer bunny a complex; guys who can go on drinking; wake up in the morning and then get back to drinking!

So off we go! My dad’s doing a good job. He seems more at ease today. You should sit through one of our Cradle trips to know what I mean.

We meet Prasad uncle and family on Kanakapura Road and head out to Wayanad. We stop by at a coffee bar on Hunsur Road. We drink coffee. What else? Though Jayesh uncle seemed a tad upset when the B.A.R (BEER) did not serve alcohol!

Next stop was the Nagarhole National Park. Whoa! I have heard stories from Prasad uncle about the numerous tigers he has seen on the way to Wayanad. I am so excited!
After 45 minutes, we come out of the National Park. Tigers! Nah, in between cursing Prasad uncle under my breath and staring out of the window to sight the wonder creatures, I saw deers. Deers!!! What the heck? What was this guy thinking when he said tiger sightings. And to add to the misery, Elu mama jokes about how the deers would have gone partying since it is a Saturday. Really Elu mama! Is that the best you can come up with? You think you are gonna give Stallone competition? I dare you. I challenge you. One round in the ring and I am gonna knock you out cold. I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, man. Bring it on.

At three in the afternoon, we finally reach Wayanad. Everyone’s famished and we decide to stop for lunch. While my dad and the rest lick their fingers dry on beef curry, I get Cerelac. What are these guys thinking? You don’t grow up on Cerelac and Complan. You will always remain a ‘BOY’ and ‘GIRL’ if you have Complan. I need meat. The red kind, with the occasional white variety. But I soon realize that I am fighting a losing battle and give up.

We reach Prasad uncle’s house; freshen up and decide to go for a walk. Whoa! I am sure glad I didn’t miss this part of the trip. You should have seen Kochacha. He walks like he’s on stilts. And the help he gets comes from Jayesh uncle. It was like watching Laurel and Hardy walking on thin ice.

We are back and everyone takes turns to hit the shower. And then Konda mama walks in. And… and… and… does not walk out. We are worried. An increasingly frustrating hour passes by. And he is still not out. We forget all about him when Jayesh uncle rings the bell. Yipee! It’s time to get tipsy. While the rest of the guys sip on their whiskey, I wait with bated breath. Kochacha is drinking rum. I always knew he was labour class. My mom comes out of the kitchen with a bottle; holding it behind her. I rub my hands in glee. Finally, I get to drink liquor. And then, slowly, she moves the bottle and holds it against the light. And lo! I see it. It is….. white… Wait a minute… White??? Could it be toddy?

“Paal kudikante chandam”, says my mom in her sweetest tone. The whole world comes crashing down on me. I didn’t wait for a whole month to drink milk. I don’t want milk. I have had enough milk to last me a lifetime. STOP! I don’t want to broach this topic again. I will move on to something else.

As you can probably understand, the night didn’t end too well for me. First day of the season and we draw to Newcastle. Brilliant! Anyways, I can hear everyone talking about calling it a night. So I guess, I will too! And yeah, in case you were wondering… Konda mama came out of the bathroom a little later. He complained about how all bathrooms are the same.

The next day, we set off to… actually I don’t know. Let’s just call this part of the trip as ‘Say Smile”. Coz that’s all we did. We just went to places and took pictures. Guys, just buy a postcard the next time around.

After lunch, we head off to the resort. The roads start winding and the air is a lot crisper now. We cut a corner and then we see it. WTF!!! You must be joking. That’s not a road. And to make matters worse, we have the Stilts Kochacha behind the wheel. From the back seat, I can just about see Prasad uncle set the Vento in motion uphill. Okay. Okay! This is not the time to panic. Let’s try and look at things more positively. What’s the worst that could happen? Kozhikalan Menon might just cut the engine off again and we might just reach Bangalore, express delivery. Hmm… Take a deep breath!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Up we go and I can see Kochacha sweating. A few sharp turns and we are behind the Vento now. Oops, Prasad uncle showed once again that he knows nothing about Wayanad. We just missed the place and came straight up. The road down was better and we finally found the place.
Nice! That was my first impression of the place. My cottage was right on the edge of the cliff. Apart from the fact that it might just collapse and roll down the cliff, everything else seemed safe. Another round of drinks and like I mentioned earlier, I will not go into what I drank.

After a quick dinner inside a cave… yes, you heard it right. Inside a cave! We hit the sack and was fast asleep.

Next morning, we had a quick breakfast and set about on our way to Bangalore. We dropped Paapu uncle on our way. He was off to Mysore to me his girl. Oh yeah, we have another trip to Wayanad in the offing.

My dad is driving like a pro now. “Whoa! That was a close one. Hold it right there, Mister. Just because you seem to be confident, it does not mean you drive like a maniac”.

We stopped at Kanakapura for coffee and then bid goodbye to Prasad uncle and family. Pushpa aunty is nice. I really think so. She keeps that big mouth husband of hers under control. Esha is fab. I can already see the next group coming of age. Akshita chechi, Esha chechi, Sid and I will make a good group. What say?

Anyways, we finally reach Bangalore. And everyone goes back to their lives.

When people ask me if Rakesh Menon is a good man, or if there is just no good in him at all, I always give the same answer. I just tell them... he is my father.

In Arsene We Trust!

Arsene Charles Ernest Wenger. The Professor took charge of the Arsenal club in 1996.

Culture Transformation! Social Acceptance! Is it too big an ask?

The Present Day

Culture! Company Culture! Words that mean different things to different people. Culture shock, did someone say?

Yes, it is an important and rather imperative factor that defines a company. So the question is, does a new employee adjust to the cross-cultural symbiosis of a company that he has recently joined? Yes, it is possible that the person can adapt to the new environment. But what if he does not like the culture? Detests every minute that he spends in that company? Or even worse, has to drag himself every morning to go to work.

What if this were to happen to me?

Acceptance! Is it actually about me accepting and adapting to the new surroundings or is it about me being accepted by my new colleagues? People I have only recently been acquainted with? Would I wish that I was with my previous colleagues; folks I have been with for years. People who are no more colleagues but friends. Friends, I can share everything with; my joys and sorrows; my highs and lows; my relationships and break ups! And here, I am stuck with people I can't connect with. People who seem to get along famously but a group where I stick out like a sore thumb.

Questions! Doubts! Did I make the right decision? Was it stupid on my part to have accepted this offer without giving it much thought? Trepidation, remorse, anxiety pangs.... I want to try, I tell myself. I have made a decision and I want to try and be here. Be with people I will have difficulty adjusting to. But can I? Will I succeed? I don't know....

But tell me, is it so bad? My team ain't bad. The people around ain't that bad either. But do they accept me?

Has life come a full circle? Life when I joined my first company. I was with strangers then too. But they are friends today. Friends for Life. Was it easy then? I don't know. Rather, I can't remember.

Should I need to try harder? Possibly yes. But why just me? Why can't they take the first step? I don't know. I am confused.

Life will never be the same again. Life ain't great right now.

Forward to the year 2010

I am happy. Work's gratifying. It's fun to go to work. I have made friends. People whose sight I thought I detested.

Life is tough; not a bed of roses (cliched). But I chose the road less taken. I chose to make a difference. I chose to try and I succeeded. I chose to stay here and fight it out.

I made the right decision. Or did I? Wink wink...

Disclaimer - Characters and incidents, if any appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

It's not the same anymore! Or Have I changed?

It's Christmas! Adding the finishing touches to the Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, playing Secret Santa, last minute shopping... The excitement is visible on the streets. everyone's got a spring in their step.

Being young all over again, lingering memories of childhood Christmas celebrations, umpteen X'Mas special cartoons, new clothes, delicious plum cakes and wine, lunch with the family....

But it has changed. Things seem different now. It is not the same anymore. Or have I changed? Or has the world around me changed?

I miss the spirit! There is a lack of fervor, of passion, of wanting to snuggle into bed waiting for Santa to come visiting through the chimney (I don't have a chimney. I can leave the door open though and make it a little easier for him).

Today, Christmas is just another holiday. Of a small break in between going through our lives, busy or otherwise.