Cookies!

I have been trying my baking skills with my new LG MW/Grill/Convection Oven. Baking is soooo inviting, not just eating... even the cooking part of it.. So much that Hari donned the apron and started off baking his vanilla cake!! The cake was awesome and I could not click it, for we just devoured it right out of the oven. I tried baking butter cookies today and I found time to snap the last piece left :)

Too bad I cannot paste the aroma along with the pic here.

Movie Marathon past week:



Virudhagiri -  Muzhu neela nagaichuvai padam! Gaptain speaks English, appeals for votes from the LGBT societies of Tamil Nadu and fights for student rights in Australia. It's a welcome relief that he doesn't dance in Scottish highlands or in the Swiss Alps, with a fair maiden the age of his grand-daughter.

Chikku Bukku- Ayyyoooooooo! Ezhavu! What charm does Tamil audience see in 'bubbly-bubbly' heroines?

Manmadhan Ambu- I liked it, even though Hari found it irritating.
What's with Kamal and losing a young wife? Vettayaadu Vilayadu, Mahanadhi, Kaakhi sattai, Hey Ram, MMA, Vetri Vizha, Vikram... Wikied and the list goes on and on... And it alsos mocks at me for not having watched a few films! If I aspire to do justice when I claim 'I am Deepa, Ph. D in Tamil Cinema', I need to watch them all. Also, I want to watch 'Thirakatha', a Malayalam movie said to be inspired by the relationship between Srividya and Kamal Haasan.

Mochi's is on sale. Flat 50 percent off on stock that is proving expensive to be storing any longer. Was able to find one pair among the maaasss of useless stock. For a dream price of 445 bucks! :)

Marks and Spencer boasts of a sale upto 70 percent off. Formal shirts and Jeans at less than 1000 bucks... Very surprisingly, Hari accompanied me and actually picked up something for himself at the sale! A pair of Am-I-really-wearing-anything Jeans! Too bad M&S, Chennai does not have much kitchenware yet.

Part Time Instructor, Full Time Shopper

Allopathy, homeopathy and telepathy never work on me, I swear by retail therapy. The last couple of years, I haven't done much else- I have swiped my cards at every place worth a visit! And I have haggled for a bargain with every vendor who doesn't have a card reading terminal. In fact, I chose to study German over French because Goethe Institute, Max Mueller Bhavan is situated in the shopping district of Chennai- on Khader Nawaz Khan Road and Alliance Francais has no such feature to boast about. Now that I have taken up a job that pays me for my own shopping, Hari can heave a sigh of relief! Anyway, I have decided to blog about interesting buys henceforth.

Betty Crocker's Pancake mix- If you loooove pancakes in the morning, with honey oozing from it, you gotta try this! I tried BC's Pancake mix Complete with plain water as the instructions said but felt it's loads better with milk and beaten egg. While we are at it, I swear by honey from Auroville, though the price is anything but sweet- at around 600 bucks a litre. It comes with pollen visible to the naked eye, apparently pollen is very nutritious!

While most tourist shoppers throng the fashion districts of London, good old me fell in love with Tesco, their largest supermarket chain. I came back with boxes of breakfast cereal, Sainsbury's fruit preserves, Guocomole dip and such stuff! I also got fitted sheets (6 GBP) and a weighing scale ( 2.99 GBP) from IKEA. I love IKEA prices, I sooooo wanted to get their kitchen stuff but Hari would have disowned me then and there if I had added to the baggage. Not that I did not visit the fashion districts at all... Clarks, London wooed me with its shoes and I got a sexy pair! I am yet to visit Star Bazaar in Ampa Skywalk mall- Tata and Tesco's joint venture.

I finally have the guts to admit that I am old! OOOOLD. I try to walk to keep shape and I stick to the least traffic ridden places in KK Nagar. And these places are full of young teens romancing around with their highschool sweethearts... after concocting stories about special classes and late tuition classes to folks at home. I am greatly annoyed for some reason! A classic sign of aging, along with crow's feet and laughlines! Anyway, coming back to me admitting that I am old, I am sticking to Cottonworld Corp, for their trousers, Jeans and the like are soooooo comfy. If you want comfort, more than style, head for CWC. I hate it that when I ask any retail outlet for 'Jeans, size 36', they give me a stare and direct me to the mens' section! I tried like 6 permutaions and combinations of cut and style and size in Wills Lifestyle and came out with ONE courtesy buy- a button up shirt for an obscene amount of money ( and it doesn't fit either). Got it just to make sure the store assistant doesn't strangle me with a belt for leaving empty handed after having tested his patience soooo long. And then I headed to CWC and Hari's credit card will speak for months to come about my splurge!

Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan on the cards... Suriya shouldn't think twice about playing the role of Vandhiya Thevan! I am very interested in knowing who plays Poonkuzhali. Watched Manmadhan Ambu last weekend - I loved it while Hari thought otherwise. Maddy has played his role awesomely- rich spoilt mamma's boy. I could relate with Sangeetha's role, I admit! Seeing the movie, I badly want to revisit Paris, Venice and Rome. And Splendida, here I come!

The Book Tag

Cut, copied and pasted from my FB note:

The Channel One gang tagged me and I enter the scene a month later :)

1. Favorite childhood book? Enid Blyton. I still have Blyton’s works on my comp. Famous Five, Five Find Outers... Hitchcock’s Three Investigators, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.. Of course, there was Tinkle and later (even today, that is) Archies! I started reading Ananda Vikatan from primary school... can still recall some really good Sujatha stories from the Vikatan of yester years..

2. What are you reading right now? Reading HP 1-7 after watching the latest movie twice.

3. Bad book habit? Raving insomniac, lethargy an lack of exercise thanks to remaining in the same place for 7-8 hours at a stretch...Got caught a million times when in school and college for sneak-reading beneath the desk when the teacher was teaching in front of the class! :D

4. Do you have an e-reader? Nope, not yet. Hari, are you listening to that??? And I am reminding him my birthday is coming up next month!

5. Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once? I can alternate between a Tamil book and an English book, but never read 2 books in the same language at the same time. Currently racing through HP 1-7 and reading Sujatha’s Thanga Mudicchu.

6. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? I do come to know of recommendations from other bloggers and maybe I have taken up one or two of such suggestions.

7. Least favorite book you read this year (so far)? Vittal Rajan’s ‘Holmes of the Raj’. Such a letdown! Holmes does not deserve this.

8. Favorite book you’ve read this year? Archer’s latest collection of short stories, Thereby hangs a tale, Yuganta

9. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Never. Not too adventurous when in comes to reading.

10. What is your reading comfort zone? Fiction. Currently introduced to intellectual stuff, thanks to Hari who cannot read fiction at all!!

11. Can you read on the bus? Of course, what else have I done all those days travelling from KK Nagar to TCO and back.

12. Favorite place to read? The bed, couch, bro’s colossal bean bag, bus, car... I have even read books, seated on the ROAD as a kid waiting for my school bus/auto! Was not too fond of cycling for this reason!

13. What is your policy on book lending? I don’t mind lending, but only if I trust them to be book lovers.

14. Do you ever dog-ear books? Nope. Sacrilege, that is. Again, I covet bro’s book marks- Claude Monet’s impressionist miniatures.
15. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? Sacrilege again. Not if it is Physics, Chem, Computer Science though! :)

16. Not even with text books? He he, my old text books were full of scribbled pages- I’d start writing something completely unconnected to the subject and then continue the writing in graph sheets, the last pages of record notebooks, exam question papers.. . I would always be the first in class to finish writing an exam (therinjaa daane ezhudharthukku) and would then start scribbling some note in the question paper.

17. What is your favorite language to read in? Tamil.

18. What makes you love a book? Cannot quite place it, but I like good narration and simple language. Substance is secondary.

19. What will inspire you to recommend a book? Again, I can’t quite place it. And I suggest books to others only if I feel they have a liking for it. For instance, I can never imagine Hari reading what I usually like or listen to! But he’d be thrilled to bits if I gift him a book on evolution.

20. Favorite genre? Crime, Mystery, thriller, Historical fiction, Alternate history, Romance, Religions, Civilization
21. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?) Mythology, theology, Atheism, flauntable Intellectual stuff like Bertrand Russell...
22. Favorite biography? I keep away from biographies!
23. Have you ever read a self-help book? Endured Robin Sharma’s ‘the monk who sold his ferrari’ and Coelho’s ‘the alchemist. And then decided against self inflicted torture.

24. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? I don’t look for inspiration in books. I read because I love reading more than anything. Period.

25. Favorite reading snack? Small biscuits, kadalai mittaai, mom’s Diwali bakshanam, Tropicana Orange! I do of course love reading in the bath, whenever I stay in a very nice hotel room. And I wish I had a glass of Chianti, aromatic candles and soft music to go with it! :D

26. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. Pirivom Sandhippom, I agree with Madhan here. Commissioner-ukku kadidham was another let down.

27. How often do you agree with critics about a book? I don’t really bother reading literary criticism.

28. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? That comes to me naturally :D

29. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? Is Bengali considered foreign??? I’d love to read Professor Shonko’s stories

31. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? Mein Kampf, Atlas Shrugged

32. Favorite Poet? Subramaniya Bharathi

33. Favorite fictional character? Huuuuge list- Vallavarayan Vandhiyathevan and Poonkuzhali from Ponniyin Selvan, Vasanth from Ganesh- Vasanth, Jean Louie ‘Scout’ Finch and Atticus Finch from ‘To kill a mockingbird’, Gail Wynand from ‘Fountainhead’, Luna Lovegood from HP, loads of Sujatha’s heroines....

34. Favorite fictional villain? Nandini, Naganandhi, Tom Morvolo Riddle, Hannibal Lecter. Can I add Vijayan’s role from Uthiri Pookkal?

35. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? Light reading- like Archer.

36. The longest I’ve gone without reading. Depends... If I am emotionally disturbed, I cannot read at all. This mental block and reading hiatus can even last months.

37. Name a book that you could/would not finish. Loads of books too serious for my liking. Atlas Shrugged, for one.

38. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? Food, TV, husband. Necessarily in that order.

39. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? To Kill a mockingbird , Silence of the Lambs, HP series

40. Most disappointing film adaptation? Harry Potter part 3.

41. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? Hari and his credit card are painfully aware of such facts!

42. How often do you skim a book before reading it? I read the cover and then race from page 1 to last. I can’t skim.

43. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through? Boredom, of course! And distractions mentioned above.

44. Do you like to keep your books organized? Not at all. You will find a dozen books on my bed. All over the couch, chairs, car, my bag...
45. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? I like keeping them

46. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? That again is a huuuge list. Let’s start with Java!

47. Name a book that made you angry? Pirivom Sandhippom

48. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? Harry Potter!

49. A book that you expected to like but didn’t? Holmes of the Raj

50. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading? Archie comics

Potternama

And I have watched Harry Potter and the deathly hallows- Part 1. Not once but twice. Intend watching it again. Loved the movie. I'd say this installment displaces HP-4(Goblet of fire) from the top slot of my list of favourites.
The effects are bloody awesome. Snape enters Malfoy Manor with elan- a swift cloud of smoke materialising into Snape's form, joining the Death Eaters and their supremo. The chaotic journey to the Burrow through the streets of London, dark skies, Hedwig's final descent to the ground... The list goes on. The apparation scenes reminds one of 'Jumper'. When Voldemort curses Charity Burbage to death, a tear stands frozen midway down. Snape's expression is priceless in that scene. Snape reminds me of Karna in the Mahabharat now!
Though the movie tends not to stay loyal to the book, I should say, the story has been handled brilliantly. The notable deviations from the original story are: Voldemort identifies the real Harry (during the journey from Privet Drive to the Burrow) with Hedwig trying to protect him, whereas in the book he's identified by his signature spell when he should have gone for the kill. Peter Pettigrew does not die after the Malfoy manor scene. How could David Yates have omitted  Professor Dumbledore's story- his youth, family history, his involvement with Gellert Grindelwald, I don't understand. Should I expect the Dumbledores' story when the trio meet Aberforth in the next book?

Daniel Radcliffe looks edible!!!! The dance scene with Harry and Hermoine was pure masala though it looked cute. Sigh, what would I give for a dance with Dan Radcliffe!

I made the mistake of taking Hari along and he doesn't read HP (and yet I married him, sigh ;D ). I should say those who have not read the series do not understand anything. All he enjoyed was Emma Watson! The excellent effects and such stuff are lost on them. Hari could not understand Bathilda Bagshot and Harry Potter not talking in front of Hermoine, their conversation in Parseltongue and many such details.

Bellatrix Lestrange's eccentric tortuous self is portrayed very well. The animated story of the three brothers is excellent. Reminds me of the anime depiction of O-Ren's childhood in Kill Bill. This children's tale from Harry Potter is even better!

The gravestone epitaph of Lily and James Potter reads ' The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death'. Loyal to the book! Too bad, Dobby's epitaph is not shown- Here lies Dobby, a free elf.

Spaghetti, Indian style. The curious case of Deepa in the kitchen.

Last thing I thought I'd write was a recipe. But the past fortnight, I have been cooking almost every meal I eat- in my standards, a fortnight is huuuuge, I tell you. I can almost hear myself say 'This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship- between me and the kitchen'. A month in London does that to you, I guess! Yesterday, I made this freaking awesome spaghetti with let's call it Indian style arrabiata sauce.

Ingredients: (to serve one)
Some good Italian sounding brand of spaghetti

Tomato: 2 
Onion: 1
Garlic- 4
Green chilli/ Green chilli sauce- add according to your spice levels
Bay Leaf
Saunf
Cumin seeds
Cinnamon
Clove
Garam Masala powder
Parsley
Coriander
Salt
Oil - acc. to your health consciousness levels
If you do not mind spending a fortune for a bottle of olive oil, then grab that from the supermarket shelf and use that. Cheapskate me used good ol' Sundrop. Am not gourmet enough to tell extra virgin olive oil from Sunflower or Chianti from supermarket stuff!

Method:
Heat a spoon of oil (make it a large spoon, actually) and add to it a spoon of cumin seeds, a clove, half an inch of cinnamon stick (select paper thin cinnamon scales, if you want to avoid biting into the hard bark in the middle of your Italian-Indian fine dining experience), a li'l bay leaf, some saunf,a few drops of green chilli sauce or one fresh green chilli, 4 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped. Let it all brown a little and then add a spoon of garam masala. After a minute, add finely chopped onion and saute. Chop the onions as finely as possible, it cooks fast and your sauce will have a paste like consistency if you do that. Let the onions brown, you can add one more spoon of oil, if your weighing scale doesn't make you break into a sweat. So, once the onion is nicely cooked, add the chopped tomatoes. I added some puree in addition to the tomatoes, puree makes the sauce look a lot more cohesive, I feel. When the tomatoes are half done, use a masher to crush the misture and add half a ladle of water to it ( strictly not more than half a ladle) and put a lid on top of it. Let the whole mixture cook well and once you are convinced it looks like the sauce that usually accompanies spaghetti, you can remove it from flame. You can salt it as you wish. A friend tells me you can avoid the mixture spluttering all along and dirtying the gas stove surface, if you add salt last.

Now for the spaghetti: Add a spoon of oil to water (to get neat, un-sticky, individual strips of spaghetti and not an unrecognisable gooey mass of white), enough water to take in atleast 3/4ths length of the spaghetti sticks, bring it to a boil. You can add a little salt to this water if you wish. When the water boils, immerse spaghetti into it. Cook spaghetti for the time specified in the package it comes in. Like me, if you don't believe in instructions, take one rod of spaghetti periodically, eat it and then decide when it's cooked.
Once you are convinced the spaghetti is done, empty it along with the water into a colander and immediately, immerse the colander in cold water. The cold water will prevent spaghetti from sticking to one other.
Just leave it for a couple of minutes until all excess water is drained. Place the spagghetti in a plate, add the sauce, garnish with parsley and coriander and enjoy the dish!

P.S: If you have left over oregano or Italian seasoning from pizza deliveries, stocked up in some remote corner of the fridge, use that too, to garnish.

P.P.S: I cannot imagine having a meal without vegetables. Hence I added to my spaghetti (on top of the sauce), some stir fried and then boiled carrots and green peas. Turned out great, I shd say!

The Bad, worse and the Best!!

I am done watching J Mahendran's classic 'Udhiri Pookkal' and I cannot help but applaud at Mahendran's milestone film. Vijayan's role as Sundaravadivel, the antagonist is one among few roles that will go down in Tamil film history as most memorable. Tamil filmdom has almost always stereotyped its villains-

Narai mudi Kaaman, the middle aged village headman with a wandering eye, feasting on every nubile girl he finds(in all padhinettu pattis);
the illiterate rural ruffian who wears the arivaal with panache, who happens to be the heroine's murai maaman;
the young, long haired blood thirsty villain of the Gautam Menon movies, swearing in English and Hindi;
the gun toting, Jeans and sneaker clad hitmen that frequent nightclubs and bars;
the corrupt politician/money launderer/smuggler living in palatial bungalows where he has skimpily clad girls run errands for him or dance in front of him.

The list goes on, but I swear I can come up with all possible kinds of Tamil villains given 24 hours. Not a second more. Sundaravadivel of Udhiri Pookkal doesn't fall into any of these categories. Hardly do you see him lose his cool, he is a family man with 2 kids running a school in a remote village. Yet his negativity is obvious. His conversation is clipped, to the point and crisp. You register each word instantly. He doesn't have a bunch of hooligans who will bid to his every whim and fancy, he runs as fast as he can, to find refuge, when the Panchayat results in a riot and the people want to wring his neck. His conversation with charu Haasan, his father in law and Haasan's caustic replies are a treat to watch. Where the average villain would have forced his wife to stay indoors after she decides to go, he lets her go and realizes he's helpless. His dialogue delivery after he assaults his sister in law sexually, is stunning.

And the final scene, where the villagers ambush him, he's classy! Hats off to Mahendran-  there's no compare! No wonder he won such critical acclaim for Udhiri Pookkal. And the actor has done justice to the role.

I have always been fascinated more with antagonists than with the protagonist in many a book/movie.

Nandini from Ponniyin Selvan, if you are willing to classify her as THE negative role in Ponniyin selvan, is the mother of all antagonists. I'd do no justice to the lady in a blog post, all ye, who can read Tamil, should read Ponniyin Selvan. It's an anubhavam, an experience that I cherish most. And Nandini is one of the foremost reasons it's my favourite most book. Kalki's characterisation of negative roles has impressed me- Nandini is the epitome of beauty, she can seduce anyone worth a gram of testosterone, she can challenge the most intellectual minds in the country, she is an enigma who manages to thwart everyone away from guesssing her true pursuit. She marries the aging Pazhuvettararayar and brings the whole kingdom under her thumb while you still grapple on whether you worship her or loathe her. She is the former love interest of the crown prince Aditya Karikalan who killed her father/lover- the Pandya king and hence she vows to decimate the Chola lineage. She manipulates every single man she meets and achieves what she wants, out of them. The story had it been written from the Pandya perspective, would have portrayed Nandini as the only protagonist.

Naganandhi from Kalki's Sivagamiyin Sabadham is yet another villain who impresses me. He's the brilliant architect of the Vatapi kingdom, like Chanakya being the brain of the Chandra Gupta kingdom. his war tactics are exemplary. He spies for the king, formulates war plans and administration. Pulikesi, his twin is crowned King of Vatapi while real power lies with Naga Nandhi- the wandering Buddhist monk. He is enigma personified; has enough venom flowing through his body to scare other venomous snakes away from him. He cannot be poisoned, for he has more potent poison in his body. He has a body of steel, his IQ is that of a super genius and his heart- he's lost it to Sivagami - the only flaw in him, for he is a Buddha Bhikshu and has vowed to a life of celibacy. His knowledge of arts and appreciation of aesthetics, his intellect and manipulative skills are mind boggling. Kalki Krishnamurthy shapes his antagonists uniquely. But Parthiban Kanavu, the sequel was a major let down, because he portrayed Naganandhi as an average mortal! Sheer injustice to what he had built in the prequel.

Dr Hannibal Lecter, the cannibalistic psychiatrist from 'The Silence of the Lambs' and its sequels/prequels is next on the list. Every piece of conversation between him and Clarice Starling is captivating. And the eventual relationship between an FBI agent and a cannibalistic serial killer.. well, you gotta read it to appreciate it!!

Other antagonists I have found memorable are:
Joker from the Batman series
The handsome Michael Corleone from The Godfather

Q n A

I wrote this aeons back.. around one and a half years back, when I was with Cognizant. Haven't been in a good mood all day and I dug this up...

The night sky outside welcomed me with its promise of fresh air; the room freshener inside was beginning to lose its initial intoxication it had on my senses. Notes from the Mandolin failed to interest me. The mental void inside me was jolted slightly by the cold metal doorknob. Momentary though. The moonless, pitch black sky with its million miniscule stars seemed to invite me with open hands. I felt in place among them, unlike amidst the myriad of Kancheevaram silks, Mysore silk crepes and lehengas sashaying across inside the wedding hall.


I wasn’t exactly claustrophobic but it did feel strange to be among a bunch of uncles, aunts, cousins and relatives who I meet once in an eon; during weddings when they realize that they once had a brother/cousin/nephew who left behind a family. That warrants an invitation sent across to mum. And that’s how I happened to be there. In the middle of nowhere, I told myself. A family that I didn’t know much about- except their names, a family that I could not associate myself with, except for the coffee brown complexion that I had acquired from dad. My own family, my very own roots. Strangers, people whose houses I’d not walk straight into and open their refrigerators for a raid.

I looked at those brown hands of mine- holding the metal railing… Dad’s brown skin… I don’t quite know for sure. It’s only hearsay. And a few photographs that lie in the cupboard back home. His passport, his driving license, his bank pass books, degree certificates… Newspaper clippings of articles that interested him. And I know nothing much else. Nothing that really matters.

I failed to notice the doorknob turn again and I was not quite happy to share the space with a newcomer. My solitude, it is my own sky today… My solace from the madding crowd. From people with whom I share 50 percent common gene.

‘I was your Dad’s classmate‘he said and continued ‘Throughout school’

I looked into his face expecting him to continue, for I didn’t quite know what to say. I had a million questions to ask. Like Amudha in Kannathil Mutthamittaal, when she meets her mom. But then, KM was a movie, Amudha was a kid. Not a 23 year old who’s expected to act her age. Besides, the screenplay was predefined in her case. I didn’t have the bound notebook with ‘Ten Questions to be asked if I come across Dad’s classmate’. I sometimes wish I had done that.

‘Oh… That’s great, so you REALLY knew him?’ I asked. Stupid question, I know. You needn’t tell me that. But what else do I say, when confronted by a stranger who knows lots of facts I’m dying to know.

Was he capitalist? Or socialist… Did he bunk classes? What movies did he watch? What books did he like? Did he read much at all? Rajni or Kamal? Sivaji or MGR?

Was he a back bencher like me? Studious geek or the cool dude? Did he ever flunk in a test? What did he do with his first salary? Did he play street cricket? Did he bowl or bat… who was his favorite sportsperson?

Did he have a crush on the Maths lecturer like I did in college? Would he have laughed over it if I had told him I had a crush on the lecturer… Or would he have blown over the top for that… Was he a teetotaler? Did he have a college sweetheart? Or was he the one who’s never made a fool out of himself…

Would he have been depressed on knowing that I was no good in CAT? That I was nowhere near the over achieving cousins? Would he have been happy to know that? Would he have accepted the fact nevertheless? What could a red mark in my report card have meant? Grounded weeklong? Advice? Or would he have signed it rightaway like Amma…

Appa, who was he? Remains a mystery to me. All these years and the years to come.

Questions, questions and questions… I asked none of them though… I don’t know what my eyes convened. Eagerness, inhibition, apprehension, hesitation… altogether?

He looked at me once, said ‘He was a good man’. He retraced his steps, reopened the doorknob, this time I didn’t miss the distinct sound of the turning knob… and he went back inside the hall.

My questions… I’ll take them to my grave, unanswered. Unlike Amudha.