Friday, December 22, 2006
Not knowing even simpel enlgees?
"Complete Satisfaction. What you what, is what we have"
So smart, no? They know what we what !!
I can forgive an astrologer on a roadside platform whose hand painted placard advices you to "Be Heppy, Dont waary. Com hear to Anguri baba, for tottal peas of mind"
But Big Bazaar of Pantaloon Retail, shame on you!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Haan, mere baap ka road hai!
The Paradoxical Timer Law: If the timer at the signal says 132 but the light glows green, let that not confuse you. Nothing is wrong. The timer has nothing, repeat, Nothing to do with the signal change. They have installed it for people who cannot count backwards.
The Squeeze Law: If the gap between the sand lorry and the call center van ahead of you = (width of your car) + 4.2 millimetres, go right ahead and squeeze your car between the two vehicles. Grin widely at your achievement, this has saved you approximately 8 microseconds in reaching your desination.
Note: If your rear view mirrors are not already broken, they will break today, but what the heck, we don't use them anyway.
The Signal Law: If the light is red, look around everywhere. If there is no cop in sight, zip through. If the light is orange, you did not see it..zip! If the light is green...oh, how boring!
Law of Preemptive Screaming: Say you overtake another vehicle from the left and realize you might have incurred the wrath of the other driver, lower your windows and scream abuses at the poor soul before he gets a chance to do so.
Beat the Boredom: Stuck in a traffic jam? Never mind - take it in your stride. Cos you can get shopping done while seated in your car!! You can buy earbuds, laundry bags (in flourescent colours..yaay!), plastic moustaches, earbuds, mobile phone covers, washcloths, earbuds, sunglasses,dusters,earbuds... Hey that's almost my entire shopping list for the week!
Find your space Law: If there is slow moving traffic on your side of the road, feel free to use the other side. If there is a barricade (which moron came up with the idea of barricades?) , use the pavement. If it becomes necessary, use the Preemptive Screaming Law on the pedestrians.
Flyover construction Area Law: WHAT?! Don't even think about it...avoid it like the plague!
And get this bumper sticker done in 7 languages: "Yes, it is my father's road!"
Thursday, November 16, 2006
blog-on-the-street
(and that includes myself at times!)
Check out this community blog where you can blog easily by sending an SMS! This is part of a project called StandingOnFish, the mission of which is simple: Having fun on the streets of Bangalore :)
The community "blog-on-the-street" is an attempt at encouraging art in the written form - be it poems, articles, thoughts, or whatever you feel like penning down.
For more on the project check out www.SOFTact.blogspot.com - very interesting!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Charity begins..at iVolunteer
Everyday we come across a number of NGOs, orphanages, schools etc that are in need of volunteers. There are scores of people who are willing to volunteer but do not know whom to approach, or where they can find the right opportunity that is in line with their interests and schedules. iVolunteer is an agency that brings the two parties together. It connects volunteers with opportunities in India as well as abroad. To enroll as a Volunteer, you need to fill out a 'Volunteer Relationship Form' and let them know what kind of volunteering opportunity would interest/benefit you. iVolunteer will guide you in finding just the right organization to volunteer for.
So volunteering opportunities in Bangalore are now just a click away!
********
Thanks to D for letting me know about iVolunteer. Met her over the weekend, and she was just back from a visit to BOSCO - "Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota" (registered with iVolunteer), a project dedicated to the upliftment of street kids. D had been to their Chamrajpet facility, where the kids are engaged in making curios, candlestands, jute bags with embroidered motifs, greeting cards, business cards, notebooks, furniture etc.


You can help BOSCO by volunteering, getting sponsors for Bosco meals, or even take a child to a resort, spend a day with him/her and help bring a smile to the innocent face!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Rajyothsava Special
You make a collage! :-)
Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the BANGALORE COLLAGE!
(click on it for a bigger view)
Oh yeah - Today, November 1st, is Karnataka Rajyothsava Day - the day that the state came into being. Karnataka was formed on 1st November 1956 when the Government of India decided to form linguistic states.
So here's wishing Karnataka a very Happy Birthday!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Olive Beach
"Wood Street mam. On Richmond road, take the last right turn before Shoolay circle "
A friend of mine has been raving about this restaurant called "Olive Beach" that he had been to, and I was eager to try it. Olive happens to be one of the renowned brands of restaurants in the country. This one I hear, is co-owned by singer Sagarika. So we went there last saturday night.
Now picture this: A candle-lit courtyard. White sand and pebbles. A large, circular, rustic mirror on the wall. Cherry trees. Cozy tables, cushioned chairs & couches that look ohh-so-inviting. Relaxing jazz playing in the background.
Ok, you can come down to earth now. That was a preview of Olive's courtyard. It was love at first sight! You gotta see it to believe it!
If you choose to sit inside, the decor is no less impressive. The color choice is elegant - mostly white and blue. Most of the light is from candles. The electrical lights are inconspicuous and are placed at the strategic spots. Fat candles and jars placed on pseudo window sills give the place an exotic feel. Low, long benches serve as bar stools at the bar where an eager-to-please bartender dishes out a range of aperitifs, cocktails and mocktails.
The menu looked interesting, especially the appetizers. Olive's signature appetizer Mezzanine sounded promising, so we ordered that, along with a couple of drinks.
Just as I was preparing myself a traditional olive oil & crushed pepper dip, the appetizer arrived. A neat row of nine ceramic cups on a long wooden platter, each cup containing a dip. The plate of bread and crisps that comes with the dips is rather scrimpy. But not to worry - a bread basket with an assortment of breads is complimentary and goes very well with the dips. Every dip is unique: baba ganoush (eggplant), cilantro, sundried tomatoes, sweet red chilli, chickpea, black bean,tzatziki, butter and hummus. Delicious! We devoured it in minutes. Needless to say, my olive oil dip lay untouched :)
For the main course there was a choice of Mediterranean entrees, home-made pastas (which the waiter mentioned was a favorite), Grills with a wide choice of sides, and pizzas. We tried the Verdure gratinate (Grilled marinated vegetables with parmesan) and Gnocchi Formaggi. The veggies was way too cheesy I thought. The Gnocchi was just perfect. The portions are not too large, but then considering the amount of bread n dips we had eaten, we were glad they did not serve too much.
For dessert, ordered the Chocolate mousse. Expected a divine treat, but naah, I've had better. Probably I should have picked Olive's signature Chocolate Fondant. My bad.
And now the wallet factor. What do you expect? Ofcourse it's expensive :)
A couple of cocktails, an appetizer, two entrees and a dessert left us poorer by Rs.2600. But look at it this way - you're paying for experiencing a southern European beach sitting right here in Bangalore!
PS: If the last argument doesn’t convince you, go there atleast for the appetizers. They come with enigma's moneyback guarantee!*
* Terms and conditions apply ;-)
Monday, October 16, 2006
Seriously Speaking
I have listened to Chambers speak, and must say, the man's more than astonishing!
Have you ever listened to a great speaker like Chambers and wished you too could deliver such a flawless speech? Ever wondered what makes them so charismatic and confident? Were they born with it?
Well, I guess you do have to be born with some traits (blame the DNA?) But there are other skills you can actually develop - but how? There are probably scores of ways, but for starters, you could try Toastmasters!
Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization committed to helping people improve their communication skills. Their website has all the details you need, so I won't talk abt it here. Namma Bengaluru has its very own Toastmasters club. The club meets every Friday evening.
TM club meetings follow a typical pattern - a couple of prepared speeches, and a few impromptu speeches (what they call Table Topics), followed by evaluations. Your first speech is called the ice-breaker. For every speech that you deliver, there are certain key points that you focus on improvising. After 10 speeches, you'll be awarded with the title "Competent Toast Master". You can then go on to scale greater heights - like Advanced Toast Master and then Distinguished Toast Master.
There are several companies in Bangalore like Infosys, Cisco that have their own Toastmasters clubs (which are inturn a member of ToastMasters International) and are encouraging employees to participate in the club activities. They even organize inter-club contests and stuff like that.
Interesting, right? Apparently, these guys do mean serious business!
Friday, October 13, 2006
Blogalooru?
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Enjoy maadi!
Kannada is no exception. And I personally find Kanglish (Kannada + English) pretty cute :) So here's a small crash course on Kanglish. It's easy! You just have to remember three things:
1. Append every question with an "aa".
For eg. "Tomorrow holidayaa?", "You're comingaa? When? Nowaa?"
2. Append every noun with a "u". The very first words I learnt in Kannada were: Leftu, Rightu, Straightu. (to give directions to the auto wallah ;) Can also be added for words like Boss-u , address-u, market-u, gate-u, blog-u, job-u, shirt-u, bike-u....ok ok, I know you get the point-u!
3. To every english verb, add the word "maadi" - it means "do", and is nothing but a dummy verb. For eg. Call maadi, work maadi, talk maadi, adjust maadi.
And ofcourse, the ever popular, versatile phrase, the King of Kanglish : "ENJOY MAADI" !
Not only do you say it when you want to wish someone a good time, but also to end a conversation (instead of "Take care" or "have a good one") or maybe sign off an email :) There was a time when I was so addicted to this phrase, that I'd use it a dozen times in a day :D
End of lesson!
What ri, finished readingaa? Now comment maadi ;)
Drama in October
Like always, there are plays in Kannada,English, Hindi, Bengali and Marathi. You can choose from some of the best productions by professional theater groups. Check out the synopsis of the featured plays:
Flowers (Girish Karnad's...am looking forward to this one!)
Makadchya Hati Champagne
K. L. Saigal
Kanase Kanasu
Cotton 56, Polyester 84
Numbers in the Dark
Bankubabur Bandhu & Samudrer Mouna
Jameela Bai Kalaali
There are also platform performances by college teams and corporates - entry free. The fest is on from 8th to 15th October. More details at Ranga Shankara's website.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Chai, chai, chai garam chai!

What comes after cake? Ofcourse, it's Tea!
Amidst the zillions of "Cafe Coffee Day"s and "Barista"s, there are a few "Tea bars" in the city trying to cater to the tea lovers.
Here are among the best: My Tea House at BSK 3rd Stage, Infinitea on Cunningham Road and Cha bar at the Leela, all of them brewing a wide selection of Indian and International teas.
My Tea House is a pleasant joint on 100 feet ring road, BSK. My favorite combo is a pot of hot Arabic tea and samosas , followed by another pot of Ginger tea. Aaah! If you are an early riser, don't miss the Happy hours!
Infinitea is a quaint li'l place on the ever busy Cunningham road. They've got some exotic sounding teas on the menu, like the Enigma on the rocks, Avongrove Stupa, Tanwan Rose, Wild Balsam Pear and the familiar Masala Chai.
Hidden inside the Oxford Book Store at the Leela Palace is The Cha Bar. Needless to say, swanky and vibrant. And surprisingly reasonably priced! If you're adventurous, you should try their Fruit Tea.
Am currently on the lookout for more Teabars in the city..
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Cake a Walk to this place
Name of eatery: Cake Walk.
Category: Cakes, pastries, pies, quiches and the likes.
Location: 100 feet road, Indira Nagar. A hop, skip and jump from CMH road junction.
The first time I noticed this place, I was intrigued, cos there was (is?) this cake shop called Cake Walk in Chennai (Montieth Road near Cisons plaza) that used to be my favourite haunt when I lived there. So the first thing I do is walk into the 100 feet road joint and ask them if they are the branch of the Montieth Rd cake shop.. and turns out it is!!Was almost as thrilled as one would be on meeting an old friend :)
If you have a sweet tooth, this place is a must-visit. Their cakes are the softest in the world (yup I've tasted ALL the cakes in the world :-p) - baked to perfection, topped with a generous layer of not-too-sweet cream that melts in your mouth, and decorated with cherries, nuts, slices of fruit or chocolate chips.
My favorite is the "Fantasy" section - Sinful slices cut out from a dome shaped cake - in Strawberry, Pineapple, Orange and Butterscotch flavours...sluurrp! Believe me, with every bite into the layers of cake and cream, you'd find yourself grinning wider and wider with joy :)
They also have a decent spread of bakery stuff like breads, cookies, quiches, pies, rolls etc. and an assortment of "home made" (whose home, I wonder?) chocolates in interesting shapes. The seating is mostly open air , a perfect joint for a get together with friends on a perfect Bangalore evening!
The next time you eat out at 100 feet road, drop in at Cake Walk for dessert, and let me know how you liked it!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Carpooling is here
If you live in Bangalore and drive to work, I am sure you are thoroughly annoyed with the ridiculous traffic conditions and the endless hours of driving. The situation has sunk into such dire straits that a group of Bangaloreans have considered it appropriate to take it upon themselves to provide some respite to the commuters. They've come up with the concept of car pooling in Bangalore. They call it "Commute Easy".
Carpooling is simply the use of a shared car, mostly by people who commute to work. You typically carpool with people whose home and workplace are in the vicinity of your home and workplace. You take turns in using your cars, share costs, help reducing pollution, do your bit to ease the traffic..and oh..you also make some friends and kill the boredom while traveling, in case you are tired of the constant chatter by Sunaina Lal ;)
You can register yourself at the Commute Easy website at http://www.commuteeasy.com , find a route, join a pool, create a pool etc. I've been noticing that the website is adding around 50 new members everyday..not bad at all! They also have a blog at http://commuteeasy.blogspot.com where you can find people to carpool with. Apparently Commute Easy is not the first carpool initiative in Bangalore. Several people have tried this concept in several ways. For instance a yahoo group http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/carpool-bangalore has been around for quite sometime now, and has quite a few members.
The folks at Commute Easy believe that "pooling has a lot of benefits to offer in a city like Bangalore and if the pooling buzz catches on, this could be the beginning of a new way of traveling in metros"
It sure could be, let's wait and watch!
Monday, September 18, 2006
Bangalore Baloney!
Welcome to my new blog that's all about living in and loving the city of Bangalore!
This blog is in honour of my unconditional love for this spirited city. Will try to bring you tidbits of Namma Bengaluru - on what's up, what's new, what's hot, what's not , yada yada yada.
Thanks for stopping by... and do drop in later!
