ROTFL...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCljFYn3zTY
Friday, July 11, 2008
Monday, July 07, 2008
Recession 101
Michael Lewis(author of Liar's poker) writes on the ethical standards of Wall St
Deep-fried in contempt, but a realistic take nevertheless...
Deep-fried in contempt, but a realistic take nevertheless...
Food on Cunningham Road
Due to immense public demand ( public = my ex-colleagues at Amazon ), I am posting an insider's guide to fine dining in and around Cunningham Rd.
The eateries covered are in descending order of my preference, but there are so few places in this area, it really doesnt matter...
1. Ramana's - A great place in the Standard Chartered building on Cunningham Rd. Mellow ambience and mildly spicy veggie north-indian food that is easy on the tummy. The tariffs are quite reasonable for the location, and the service is pretty good. A place that you can visit daily without ruining your tummy or burning a hole in the pocket.
2. Masala House - A cosy little place tucked away in an unobtrusive location on Cunningham Rd, opposite MSIL. This is a slightly upscale place, and has a bar too. They have an interesting menu of veggie & non-veggie Indian food with some unconventional options. (I would recommend the sesame-fried babycorn appetizer) My non-veggie friends say that the place serves some good seafood too. The tariffs are quite high and the service is... well... dont go there if you are in a hurry !
I personally enjoy their paranthas and the sinful,heavenly Methi Malai Mutter...
3. InfiniTea - On Cunningham Rd, opposite Sigma Mall.
This is not really a lunch-lunch place, but does serve some interesting rice/pasta options. These can be combined with a variety of teas ( hot/cold/flavored ), to provide a light lunch-alternative. A note of warning - cheese seems to be the chef's favorite ingredient for most of the dishes.
4. Fresco's - On Cunningham Rd, close to Indian Express junction.
This again is not really a lunch-lunch place. The place does have more options than InfiniTea though; mostly continental. And they make a good Spanish Omelette.
5. Miller's 46 - At #46, Miller's Rd
A steak & sizzler joint. Good ambience, decent sizzlers, appropriate serving size for a lunch, and attached bar. Not many veggie options though. But worth a visit for the Corona Beer, and the gratis bread & butter. :)
6. Chalukya Hotel - High Grounds
One of the landmarks of the city, and not surprisingly, the place is chock-a-bloc at lunchtime. Serves a very respectable south-indian lunch buffet, which doesnt have too many options, but is quite wholesome. You can go a-la-carte too, though I've never tried that.
7. Moti Mahal, Sigma Mall
Very good Mughlai food, albeit at a ridiculously high price.
8. Oriental Spice, Infantry Road
Serves a decent Chinese buffet. But not very exciting, if you are a veggie.
9. Pizza Hut/ Domino's - On Cunningham Rd
Well... if pizza is what you want, you can get it here.
9a. Chandrika - Cunningham Rd
Basically a south-indian snack/coffee place, but he does serve the stereotypical north-indian thali. I reserve my comments on the quality of the food, and am covering this place only due to death threats received from certain quarters.
10. Food court, Sigma Mall
An assortment of places serving different cuisines. Most options are mediocre in taste, and mostly of the oily/greasy variety. Avoidable unless inevitable.
11. McDonald's, Sigma Mall
If burgers/pepsi/fries is what your heart wants...
12. Aura - Cunningham Rd
A nice place serving a good north-indian lunch buffet for 150 bucks. The place has shut shop now, but I thought it deserves an honourable mention...
Well, thats about it for the Cunningham Rd area.... If I have missed something, please do let me know...
Also, would really love to hear your opinions on the places covered !
The eateries covered are in descending order of my preference, but there are so few places in this area, it really doesnt matter...
1. Ramana's - A great place in the Standard Chartered building on Cunningham Rd. Mellow ambience and mildly spicy veggie north-indian food that is easy on the tummy. The tariffs are quite reasonable for the location, and the service is pretty good. A place that you can visit daily without ruining your tummy or burning a hole in the pocket.
2. Masala House - A cosy little place tucked away in an unobtrusive location on Cunningham Rd, opposite MSIL. This is a slightly upscale place, and has a bar too. They have an interesting menu of veggie & non-veggie Indian food with some unconventional options. (I would recommend the sesame-fried babycorn appetizer) My non-veggie friends say that the place serves some good seafood too. The tariffs are quite high and the service is... well... dont go there if you are in a hurry !
I personally enjoy their paranthas and the sinful,heavenly Methi Malai Mutter...
3. InfiniTea - On Cunningham Rd, opposite Sigma Mall.
This is not really a lunch-lunch place, but does serve some interesting rice/pasta options. These can be combined with a variety of teas ( hot/cold/flavored ), to provide a light lunch-alternative. A note of warning - cheese seems to be the chef's favorite ingredient for most of the dishes.
4. Fresco's - On Cunningham Rd, close to Indian Express junction.
This again is not really a lunch-lunch place. The place does have more options than InfiniTea though; mostly continental. And they make a good Spanish Omelette.
5. Miller's 46 - At #46, Miller's Rd
A steak & sizzler joint. Good ambience, decent sizzlers, appropriate serving size for a lunch, and attached bar. Not many veggie options though. But worth a visit for the Corona Beer, and the gratis bread & butter. :)
6. Chalukya Hotel - High Grounds
One of the landmarks of the city, and not surprisingly, the place is chock-a-bloc at lunchtime. Serves a very respectable south-indian lunch buffet, which doesnt have too many options, but is quite wholesome. You can go a-la-carte too, though I've never tried that.
7. Moti Mahal, Sigma Mall
Very good Mughlai food, albeit at a ridiculously high price.
8. Oriental Spice, Infantry Road
Serves a decent Chinese buffet. But not very exciting, if you are a veggie.
9. Pizza Hut/ Domino's - On Cunningham Rd
Well... if pizza is what you want, you can get it here.
9a. Chandrika - Cunningham Rd
Basically a south-indian snack/coffee place, but he does serve the stereotypical north-indian thali. I reserve my comments on the quality of the food, and am covering this place only due to death threats received from certain quarters.
10. Food court, Sigma Mall
An assortment of places serving different cuisines. Most options are mediocre in taste, and mostly of the oily/greasy variety. Avoidable unless inevitable.
11. McDonald's, Sigma Mall
If burgers/pepsi/fries is what your heart wants...
12. Aura - Cunningham Rd
A nice place serving a good north-indian lunch buffet for 150 bucks. The place has shut shop now, but I thought it deserves an honourable mention...
Well, thats about it for the Cunningham Rd area.... If I have missed something, please do let me know...
Also, would really love to hear your opinions on the places covered !
Ads...
Started thinking about some of the ads from the past, and found a few of them...
The iconic black coffee ad. Talk about mindshare and brand recall !
Another cute one - Bru Coffee, capturing the quintessential south-indian psyche to a nicety...
A recent one, really cute and very retro - Tanishq.
There was this Yamaha ad, which was aired for a very brief while. The ad didnt strike any chord with the audience, but the song was great.
...and my personal favorite, the Hamara Bajaj ad.
I get goosebumps everytime this jingle is played. Wonder if its the ad, or just a sign that I am getting old...
The iconic black coffee ad. Talk about mindshare and brand recall !
Another cute one - Bru Coffee, capturing the quintessential south-indian psyche to a nicety...
A recent one, really cute and very retro - Tanishq.
There was this Yamaha ad, which was aired for a very brief while. The ad didnt strike any chord with the audience, but the song was great.
...and my personal favorite, the Hamara Bajaj ad.
I get goosebumps everytime this jingle is played. Wonder if its the ad, or just a sign that I am getting old...
Sunday, July 06, 2008
The Science of Scotch
Here's something to lift your spirits....
http://nyas.cachefly.net/scotch.mp3
And more...
http://www.thescotchblog.com/2006/02/into_the_wood.html
http://nyas.cachefly.net/scotch.mp3
And more...
http://www.thescotchblog.com/2006/02/into_the_wood.html
Saturday, July 05, 2008
The ubiquitous liftman
I find it very annoying when I enter an elevator in a public building, and find a lift operator within. I just don't understand the value that this individual adds to the situation. How hard is it to lift up a finger and push a button ? Instead, one is now compelled to have a conversation(albeit brief) with a person, who invariably looks extremely bored. ( can you really blame him ? )
An American friend and me went to a restaurant today, and seeing a lift operator there, we got to talking about this situation. Apparently, this is something rare in the US, and my friend was aghast that someone would actually choose this as a profession. The conversation veered to other things, but this got me thinking on the way back home...
Why does a business establishment hire a lift operator ? And why does a person choose to be a lift operator?
The second Q is probably easier to answer; most parts of India are still not "shining", and this is as good a job as many others for the man to put food on his family's table. ( I know for a fact that the lift operator at my previous office gets around Rs 4000/pm for his efforts, and he must be struggling to make ends meet in Bangalore. )
But, I wonder why an organization would feel the need to hire a lift operator...
To me, it can only be because they feel it is beneath their employees' dignity to operate an elevator for themselves. (not sure if the employees concur on this; most of my acquaintances share my view on the situation.)
This, combined with the fact that it costs next to nothing to hire a lift operator, reflects poorly on the state of our nation.
In my mind, India would be a step closer to "shining" when I no longer see any lift operators around. To me, it would indicate two things :
1. Each one of us doesnt believe it is beneath his/her dignity to perform simple tasks such as operating an elevator.
2. There are so many better employment opportunities available, that nobody wants to be a lift operator.
An American friend and me went to a restaurant today, and seeing a lift operator there, we got to talking about this situation. Apparently, this is something rare in the US, and my friend was aghast that someone would actually choose this as a profession. The conversation veered to other things, but this got me thinking on the way back home...
Why does a business establishment hire a lift operator ? And why does a person choose to be a lift operator?
The second Q is probably easier to answer; most parts of India are still not "shining", and this is as good a job as many others for the man to put food on his family's table. ( I know for a fact that the lift operator at my previous office gets around Rs 4000/pm for his efforts, and he must be struggling to make ends meet in Bangalore. )
But, I wonder why an organization would feel the need to hire a lift operator...
To me, it can only be because they feel it is beneath their employees' dignity to operate an elevator for themselves. (not sure if the employees concur on this; most of my acquaintances share my view on the situation.)
This, combined with the fact that it costs next to nothing to hire a lift operator, reflects poorly on the state of our nation.
In my mind, India would be a step closer to "shining" when I no longer see any lift operators around. To me, it would indicate two things :
1. Each one of us doesnt believe it is beneath his/her dignity to perform simple tasks such as operating an elevator.
2. There are so many better employment opportunities available, that nobody wants to be a lift operator.
Friday, July 04, 2008
I miss my bike !
I really do... I never should have parted with my 2000-model Suzuki Fiero 150cc ride...
I cant help reminiscing about all those long rides that we used to go on, mostly in the middle of the night, when the world was sleeping... And you always treated me well; had only 3 serious falls and just one near-death moment !
But we had to move on... u understand right?
The big bad guv-ment wants me to wear a helmet... And the ride wouldnt be as enjoyable with protection, u know that, right ?
Anyway, thanks for the memories and hope you are doing good with your new ride... For me, there probably never will be another one after you... The car's not as exciting, but she cares more about me...
I cant help reminiscing about all those long rides that we used to go on, mostly in the middle of the night, when the world was sleeping... And you always treated me well; had only 3 serious falls and just one near-death moment !
But we had to move on... u understand right?
The big bad guv-ment wants me to wear a helmet... And the ride wouldnt be as enjoyable with protection, u know that, right ?
Anyway, thanks for the memories and hope you are doing good with your new ride... For me, there probably never will be another one after you... The car's not as exciting, but she cares more about me...
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