Greatest Achievement!

Almost skipped this in the previous post. But judging by my capabilities in Nov 2006 as seen here, my greatest achievement this year has got to be making chapatis from scratch !

As trivial as it may sound, I think this activity requires multiple skills and I have achieved a graduate, if not a Master's stage in the same :)

Needless to say, the nutritional benefits of this staple are many. And, as the 'end of the year' news suggests, it causes less "global warming" than rice as well; apart from rice being starch-rich, which is of more concern right now!

Wrapping up...

Reminiscing over the past 363 days...

Beginning with the excitement and frenzy of the never-ending wedding preparations to the beautiful and rich ceremony- the Bengali way. Not to mention the best wedding food ever! Sadly being our wedding, we were the last to actually savour it.

Our wedding highlight was of course a then-toothless beautiful smile- Sinja. ADORABLE. The moment I saw her first I realised how tiny she was, contrary to her blown up image on Skype, though many times cuter!

First visit to Bangkok: A vision and a will for an international city come to life in South-East Asia. Of course a skywalk from the metro takes you straight into a mall, making it very clear- SHOP, SHOP, SHOP! The giant of an airport, with more shopping, leaves you in awe- though planning and efficiency can be 100 times better for the space that it occupies.

Phi Phi: Memorable and cherished not just coz of the nature of the holiday, but also the high standards for a medium scale resort on a remote island. Phi Phi Leh remains the most picturesque Sea destination I've personally seen- Bangkok and Phi Phi definitely beckon...much later though.

Calcutta: 5th visit and 1st long stay. Enticing, charming, heart-breaking. Artful and Old-world, sadly not an ideal professional base for now. Home calls and we are more than ready for a visit anytime!

Bombay! : Home!: Work brought us here and we are glad. The Love/ Hate relationship continues with her. Though have come to realise how and why this and only this can be the financial and commercial capital of India- for good and for bad.

Our own place, thankfully within the island city as of now and, hope the real estate prices favour us for the next as well.

Basant Utsav@ Shantiniketan: Marking the beginning of spring has never been so colorful, warm and culturally abuzz. Allow the university town of Shantiniketan to wind you back decades with its earthy and authentic charm.

Swa: Just begun, hope to stay afloat and advance!

Weight Loss: The love affair continues with the gym and it's dietician! " Maithili!...Where are you? Haven't seen you for a month again!!.." I think she has been the most haunting person for this year.

Friends: Geographical boundaries changed yet again, bonds thankfully remained same. As much as great loves are touted, great friends are as difficult to find!

Kailash Temple at Ellora : Was too young to understand this architectural marvel when seen first. In awe, the second time. This and Adalaj remain my favourite monuments- The sense of space is awe-inspiring: Complex yet simple, Ornate and still not ostentatious.

Movies: Inglorius Bastards tops my list for this year- Slick, sharp, stylish in every sense! Love Aaj Kal was an overall favourite for it's fresh approach and simplicity. Julie and Julia was one of the most charming movies. Dev D turned every convention on it's head and presented the vanquished Devdas in a new hot pink light. Ranbir kapoor proved to be a revelation and rounded off the year with the plain, simple and heart-warmingly earnest Rocket Singh. Though many say this was a dismal financial year at the movies, I think it was a year in which many first steps were taken in interesting new directions which will only flourish in the future.

Eating out: Nothing's impressed as much as Afraa, Calcutta, in all it's formats. Superior standards in service and food, ideals soon vanishing in the ever-popping new restaurants. Worst experience this year being Salt water cafe, Bandra: Allergies + Meagre portions + Badly cooked mediocre tasting fare= No Thank you!

Events: Chandrayan and it's little discovery on the moon- though no follow-ups to that amongst all the inconclusive news rubbish of the year.

Turn of the decade: Marked by Twitter, making quite a few headlines by making headlines on it; it marks a very interesting direction. Boundaries broken, it has lent a new transparency. SMS to Twitter, communication mediums have evolved through this decade- What's next?

Enjoyable...

3 idiots starts on a silly exaggerated note and leaps into a fun, enjoyable ride for the next 3 hours. As the film winds through the life at the cut-throat engineering college, there are portions that seem contrived for more drama and dialogue. However, it never loses touch or deviates entirely from the story.

It is heart-warming at times, funny and palpable the next. It is a joy-ride with little exaggerated bumps for maximum effect and it works!

Kareena Kapoor surprisingly fits well and is pleasant, contrary to the trailers, sort of remotely sticking to her glamazon image, which I personally like. Boman Irani gets away from his oft- repetitive self and is perfect. Sharman Joshi out of the 3, is the most underrated and is great at playing goofball to heart-breaking.

A good film, with the essence of 5point someone in the right place. Fun all the way, probing the system, conventions and self at times and ending on a fun and highly picturesque note.

The Tragic Vane Post...

To actually not shop for the longest time and to finally find a pair of shoes just right, to also have the adequate funds for the indulgence and only not to have my size in that particular size- TRAGIC!

The new Idiot Box!

Idle Sunday, surfing through the multitude of TV channels with multiple of 'bad to worst' programmes to watch, turning the TV off , I move back yet again to the new Idiot Box- FB!

Rocket Singh

Slightly slow but never dull, Rocket Singh is an earnest film. The film reflects the clear intentions of it's writer and director and their conviction in making this hugely simple film about a simple, clear-hearted yet ambitious person.

Idealistic and honest, with socialist undertones without preaching about it in anyway, it is a hopeful movie that leaves you with an optimistic air- Worth a watch

Calcutta Food Diary

Food is an area, where Calcutta may not have too much competition.

A must-have food/ eating experience list, most of it only available in Calcutta AND the best in the country :

1. Devilled crab in the era gone-by@Mocambo.

2. Sipping Cappuccino with a side of Cinnamon roll ,anytime @ the classic- Flury's

3. Thin Crust Pizza @ Afraa deli, though many may argue it is Fire'n' Ice, but they may have never tried Afraa- It is the best I have ever eaten.

4. Pucchka @Kankurgacchi or any old, traditional Bong pucchka guy.

5. The very Indian Momos and Masala Thumbs up @ Goutam's.

6. The Overwhelming Chicken Pavlograd @ Mocambo: A wonderful and sumptuous version of an A La Kiev.

7. Chicken Envelopes@ Kookie Jar: They melt in the mouth.

8. A truly fine dining experience @ Afraa: All hotels can take notes from it's superlative service and standards.

9. A chic afternoon spent at the Street Cafe' @ The Park on Park street.

10. A special place: Dining on the Hooghly between the two magnificently colossal Bridges @Floatel, ideally preceded or followed by a ferry ride under both- BLISS!

Bengal Ambuja- Impressive!

Traveling to Calcutta always feels like traveling back in time. Along with trams, early colonial architecture and post comprising of an array of architectural styles, it truly is a treasure. Of course, no one seems to value it or importantly maintain it.

It is the only metro in the east, itself less exposed and thus the many drawbacks as well. But strangely, what it does well, it really, really does well. Eating out in Calcutta is a pleasure and almost disappointment-free. Be it the grand old classics, the new-bees and even street-sides.

As I depart from Calcutta airport, it is as irritating as usual-complete chaos. It a always a big spoiler at the end and I have only expletives for this one. As I finally hover above and think of progress here: there they are! City centre2-New town and City Centre 1, easily recognizable due to their clean layouts.

And strangely, here in the land of slow progress, lies the best post-independent architecture, the best in recent times. All thanks to one group- Bengal Ambuja. Having visited 3 Hospitality properties and 1 residential- they are the best I have been to in their category.

In a time of the obvious malls, City Centre broke convention and now with City Centre 2, they have re-invented again. Udita- a residential complex can be a valuable lesson to all the Hiranandanis, Lokhandwalas, DLF's, in what a well planned, luxurious complex actually means.

Hope in this case the rest of the country catches up with Bengal Ambuja's sensibilites...

Funniest error!

It happened the 4th time over today. Same person, same place, same misinterpretation of the name!

" Prince of Whales Museum, Mumbai!!!!!! "

... I think I should inform the said person at least now! ;)

Pseudo cool!

The promos have been bombarded on TV beyond the point of tolerance. Finally it releases and rids us off the torture on TV. Came across an apt and interesting review which I'm sure is true of this unseen film...

R A D I O !

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