Dirty2mind

Foodie Courts for foodie ME..

2009-06-02T02:50:00.000-07:00

Arrival to Singapore
The smell had hooked my nostrils and was pulling my legs towards the origin. It had been only a few minutes since I had crossed the immigration desk at Changi international airport and this gigantically beautiful airport (being an ardent traveller in Indian railways, this seemed to have come out of blue) was dragging me here and there already, shooo. I managed to control my legs and navigate them to TCC(local brewers) and pacify the stomach cramps with a double shot of expresso. Am hungry

Before I describe the food hunt, let me tell a bit about the climatic conditions on the island country. Moving out of indoors you will realise within seconds that the equator just passes a few miles off its coast. Mecury had already had its effect on me and I was sweating like hell, my tee seemed to be the absorbant for of it all, messy...And (they say) I need to stay here for a couple of days, shucks I hate this weather.

Food Courts hunt:
Dropping my luggage off at the hotel room I sprinted out to the reception desk to gather directions to the nearest restuarant or a place to hog (it had been over 20 hours since I was on liquid diet). My stomach plight was heard and couple of steps away on the other side of the road was a food court. Few steps from the food court I could make out the deep fried chicken smell. Gurp!!! and after the delicious lunch , Burp!!!
(contents of food consumed is not disclosed, I would be presenting you the delicacies i had soon, in a new blog posting :D)

Wow, the 700 sq km country has food courts at almost every other step. The diversity of cuisines spread from the land of the rising sun to the largest democratic nation. Yes am not joking, each of the food courts have an Indian stall. So if a chow-mouw non-loving or non-experimental fella drops to this place from no where you can still get something to survive on :D. Unfortunately for the veggies the options are very much limited and I am on the roll being a non-veggie 'full time hog (er)'

Over fortunate enough for an 'EPICURE'(bhookha) like me these food courts are open 24 hours. Yipee, I won't die hungry , but for sure swell up over eating like pigs :))..

Gone in the wind....

2009-04-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Oh ain't my hair style awwweeesome!!

Been around an year that I had visited saloon for a hair cut, and as I walked my hair bounced against my shoulders. Many of you must be envying me. Yeah, that's what it is meant to do (apart from attracting the fairer sex, as proposed by one of my esteemed friends)

This is not the first time that I tried keeping long hair, but definitely the more painful one. What pain, its not physical one, its more than that and you will realise once you try it. Proven fact, you spend more time nurturing it with every possible well known product in the market (and believe me pulling out every single paisa in your wallet that could have been spent on something better, booze or food).

In the initial days, when I had grown it just a bit longer than the normal length, it used to feel awkward always, seemed like the bad hair day regularly (maano saar pe chidiya ka ghosla leke ghoom raha hoon). And to top it all, a tube of hair gel would get over in no time, uff. Never needed utter care to protect small things from losing, it was simple, just put it in the ghosla and no one could pull it off easily. Pros and cons of the tier mid of growing long hair :P.

I felt the shark bite-off the wallet from me, the occassion, i was at a well known hairdresser to get my ghosla relaxed a bit (not long after i had seen 'Rock-on' and was impressed by Farhan's hair-do). Who knew simple things like that came at such mountain like price. After spending couple of hours in front of the mirror being server coffee/tea or aerated drinks now and then, the small peice of paper courtesy the salon was actually to give me a minor heart-attack(bill dekhte hi tote udh gaye!!). It still give me goose-bumps realising the amount I spent there. (Kash aisa din dekhne se pehle main road side italian saloon ghoomne kyun nahi gaya, abhi bhi chubhta hai)

Make a note, if your family is strongly opposing your new hair-do, stay away from home. Atleast wear a helmet when you are relaxing sleeping in the morning hours at home. Coz if something happens you won't be able to save yourself and also not curse me for not have warned you.

Unfortunately, fate was waiting by my bedside one morning, when I visited home. From the time I had reached, it was 1 vs all affair. All sorts of reasons were given to me to get a hair cut done (thanks to my closed-ear-drums nothing went it). But i finally lost (I did not lose it, but my sound sleep,'ghode bech ke soona', pushed me down the slope). Some one had ran a pair of scissors on my whole year effort, leaving me with no option but to go down to the italian saloon to get a 'katori cut' done.

Am investigating who it was and clutching on to my 'Rock-on' hair do snaps still!!!

'Single Malt' at work, Experienced!!

2009-04-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

This country has facinated me again n again, this is not the first time I am visiting Scotland. An year ago, I was here with a group touring the highlands. This year gave a break away from the chilling ever low thermometric scaling place to enjoy the pleasant weather at the west coast of the country.

Believe me, if you do plan to visit the land of 'past supreme power of the world-England' do spare some time for the country just next to it. Even though its on the same islandic mass, the culture and environment of this place for sure will give you charismatic feeling, which is abscent in the England. let it be the weather or the people, everything seems so friendly and serene.

For ages, have read in the books and heard in the discussion of the so-called onshore returned fellas that you can figure out a scot from an english. To my amazement the difference itself was so much visible in the coaches, which this time was my mode of conveyance between the two places. When I left the origin station of Kings Cross/Pancreas the compartment seemed to me like a 'mourning place'. People dived into the books or deep sleep and it felt even crunching a waffer in the compartment would disturb everyone around.(I still like the hustle and bustle of the indian railways..). But the moment the train stopped over at the first station in scottish land, a catalytic reaction had had engulfed the location. High pitches of people talking, flirteous dialogues being exchanged between the opposite sexes or even spending a few pence on the mobile was 'miles away' from the way it had been an hour ago. Was it the same train or had I been teleported to some other compartment without my knowledge.

You won't even hear a word in hindi or any of the indian regional languages walking down miles of footpath in London(we need to walk a lot here..). But to my amazement, on the west coast of the neighbourhood, I had atleast scores of occassions where people greeted me 'Namaste' or 'Aap kaise ho'. To the limit, in a pub that too at few hours passed midnite, we(me and kamzz, my scottish friend) were greeted with 'namaste' by a couple of pub hoppering souls.

I could only relate the whole of the change in the persona of the Scots to the single malt. Seems like the ever circulating flow of the Scotch, in its purest form was playing the role.
'Aayee'(Scottish way of saying 'OK')!!! Time to give the etiquettes fellas a few scotch on-the-rocks, to get them too on the same track :P

GOD save Indian news channels(most of the lot)!!

2008-11-24T05:44:00.000-08:00

How long will the news channels run like these?

My regular day, consist of actually spending atleast an hour and half before the television set. So as it normally goes, I switch on the idiot box as soon as I enter my home and make myself comfortable on the bean bag that's placed right in the center of the drawing room. Click Click!! Breaking news 'Raja does what he does best- gets into a brawl' on one of the new channels. Now, some of you must be wondering who is 'Raja'. Don't worry I too was in the same dilemma till couple of seconds, and then they showed who Raja is. One of the contestants in 'Big Boss 2'. Why the hell are the news correspondents covering this news - was my next doubt. Though some of you might disagree at this point (am sorry folks if I have offended the die-hard fans of Big Boss). But to me it still remains a doubt, why is this being highlighted on the news channels. I move to some other 'News' (indian)channel, the breaking news remains the same.

Am I the only person who is bugged by this. The thought has indeed been haunting me for some time now, watching the so-called breaking new(s) being telecasted across most news channels (would spare some of the channels, thanks their correspondents). With the technology creeping into our day to day life and many news channels being born in the current market the scene has indeed changed. Breaking news is the same on most of the Indian news channels(hehehe...).No doubt, 'news' have really changes a lot. In breif, the change would be summed up like this....

- Correspondents being told to 'Sell rotten mangoes (any brand no matter) as Alphonso mangoes'

Come on! I would not only blame the TV channel editors/correspondents for these suffocating news. Some where we the viewers are also responsible for the degradation of the quality of the matter. It was not a long time ago, when we used to be asked by our parents/elders to switch to a specific channel, as it was the news hour. I don't remember news channels being boring during those days. Even remember put-forth some of my views amongst my friends about some news broadcasted (not really regularly though, its used to be just out of the blue, some time :-) ). Where are those days.

Another aspect of the media (not only television, lets bring newspaper also) covered news , if you notice though, is that only events with negatively (no positive impact atall) form 90% of the breaking news. Is it that no good things happen in our surroundings anymore.

No idea, but for sure things have changed and the news channels do need to scan the quality of news being covered by them. Its high time that the journalists and correspondents also start taking vows like doctors and policemen, refraining them from covering news that create no real sense in being broadcasted.

Huh, till then I can just refrain myself from watching such 'News Channels'!!!

Why give such a blog-page name!!

2008-11-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

Yeah I know you must be thinking, what a crappy name can a person give one own blogpage. And you find it right here.

It's very simple. I tried to figure out what actually was common in all the minds. Spiritual, emotional, and of course the so called 'Out of the league' thoughts. I preferred the out of the league one, the best possible option even though not that prominently resides in all the minds. Ponder over your thoughts to check yourself!!!
Yeah! there you go, even if its just 0.0001% on the out of the league scale - its still there. Though you have tried not to drag it a bit, or think upon it you have it.

So, that was the precise reason of the blog page 'name'.
I know at this very moment you must be thinking, give us a break. Let the things be where it is. But I suggest why not try and make good out of the worst after all 'Where there is will, there is way'. And Dirty, don't wory you will come over it.

Isle of sky, scotland

2008-07-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

This is the location described in the blog below...

Epicenter of merger of sea land n snow!!!

2008-07-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

How do you feel when you decide to go on a trip for 3 days with people whom you have really not met. Yes, that was the feeling creeping along the walls of my brain when i came out of my office to meet the gang of 14 with whom i was to spend the next couple of days at scotland.
Anyway the organization where we work had already played most of the ice-breaker part and in no time we were chit chatting on the bus, 8 hours from edinburg.... my visit to the first place outside india and apart from london where I am currently posted... anyways I won't get into the minute details of the place....

It was some 14 hours since we had left london, about to reach the bridge to cross over to Isle of Sky islands of Scotland.. and suddenly it started drizzling..on looking carefully it turned out to be snow-fall.. now you don't expect snow or even cold winds during this time down in India....
just out of curiosity to experience the climate we stopped over a small group of bag-pipers(TM of scotland)..
The view from this place was just something I had never imagined.. standing on the side of the road with snow fall around, I had a glimpse of the snow-capped mountains at one side and sea towards the other..
Did I ever imagine, this can also happen... the difference of any ocean or sea from the nearest snow mountains in the subcontinient is close to 5K, and here you see it standing from the road...
My experience was actually contradicting some of the scientific reasons that I had studied during my school days.. it has been altered.. though the road or the place we were standing was not at the sea level, still...

This experience actually companied me for most of the part of my journey forthe next few days... this resembled something that I had been thinking of at the start of my journey, different people, never met ..
at the end we too had grown close, something like the different physical components of the earth merging at a single location - Scotland

First Blog

2008-06-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Perspective Blogging was something I had been looking for, but at the end of the day I decided to start with normal blogs. Telling people my experiences at different outings.
Some of these outings might be quite old but are still fresh and I want to put them down somewhere to create some more space in the ever diminishing memory.
Hope folks who would be visiting the blog some time send me some feedbacks..
Some of the contents might be bit delicate so will type in all the blogs with pseudo-names, rather call out names which will not directly refer to the person atall.

Njoi the blogs