Checkpoint

26th January.

A significant day for me and for a billion Indians.

Today marks 60 years as a Republic and 6 years of marriage.

And the first writer's block I have had since I started blogging.

My eyes burn and head aches as I offer this inept post as an ode to the day.

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Star-crossed

They sat on the hard ground, shoulders touching , arms hugging the knees and calves bumping shyly ..slyly.Facing the waters growing darker as the city lights fell in place one by one joining the neon dance. Each a bright speck on the dark canvass lapping at their heels.

The breeze carried the distant sounds of the music from the band playing in the park behind. Around them zoomed kids on skates and dogs on a brisk walk trailed by their owners . But the sights were unseen and the sounds unheard as they sat enveloped in intimate silence. Silence broken occasionally to share a dream never told before, a regret never confessed before. Minutes and hours slipped by unknown and unheeded. The moments binding them irrevocably. Strings that would strangle the heart for ever after.

They held hands, fingers intertwined and tracing imaginary patters on the soft skin.

A couple of hours pass. Was it really that long?

They get up - mind and heart growing heavy with a familiar tightness. He looks on as she leaves with slow steps and shining eyes. She looks back a second too late. He has turned back in a deliberate retreat into the darkness.

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Dinner tonight!

So I am not a food blogger. And not really a whizz in the kitchen . On my best day I can maybe rustle up a couple of things that can make people hum appreciatively.

But an over dosage of Jamie Oliver and Nigella has me experimenting much more than I should.

And trial and error made me hit on this deliciously simple plate of grilled veggies.

Roughly chop pumpkins brinjals sweet potatoes , apricots and rub a mix of pepper , olive oil , salt and any other spices you care for. Toss on a pan, cover with silver foil and come back to it after an episode of sex and the city.

Slip off the foil and tumble the grilled fare onto a plate.

Now , there is likely to be some grilled burnt bits stuck to the pan. Splash in water , few caps full of wine, a stock cube , some butter and mustard. I had some left-over chicken pieces in the fridge (thats the ghostly white stuff in the picture) .

Add that to the sauce and heat some more.

Pour all over the vegetables and that is what's for dinner tonight.

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Growing yellow and mellow

When I was a little girl my parents used to drop me off for guitar classes twice a week. The class used to go on for a couple of hours by the end of which my father would be waiting outside for me.

The room had glass doors so towards the end of the session I used to start watching out for Dadu. Once in a while he used to be late and each time that happened tears used to well up in my eyes and stream silently down even as I continued practicing the scales.

And on some days, I’d keep crying silently even after he had arrived and was standing outside the door chatting with my teacher. I was such a silly five year old !

Today , as I waited on and on for a phone call fighting back the tears, it felt much the same way. And finally when the call never came and I dashed into the restroom to shield my shame I realized I was behaving like that child again. The child that kept crying until someone comforted her. And here is the lesson that I keep forgetting. Back then, not once did Dadu fail to show up. But once you are grown-up, you have only yourself to count on.
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Tall Claims

I am no longer going to be able to say that I have seen the world's tallest building. Or ridden in the fastest lift. Few years back I was swept up the 300 odd meters of Taipei 101 to sweeping views of the cityscape. (Not that I do) But I could have bragged about it until yesterday.

Yesterday, when the magnificent 828 m Burj Dubai was inaugurated. And with this new tower (renamed Burj Khalifa today) comes a whole new set of records.

Tallest, most floors, highest swimming pool and so on... I am not going to spend more time glorifying it. Enough is being said and written and googled. The official website is seeing so many hits; the page is not even accessible any more.

Well, so what if they built a taller building. I'll still have these under my belt.
World largest fountain (Suntec Singapore. Yes that huge ring with holes is the fountain)
Southernmost tip of Asia (Sentosa. Errm.. Atlas anyone? )
Worlds largest man-made waterfall ( ha-ha you guessed it, Sgp again!)

Aww..that's so cute.

Have you seen today's Google banner? It is a graceful branch drooping over the "Google" laden heavy with cherries. And after the page loads, a cherry drops off and falls to the bottom of the screen.

When I saw it I could not resist a smile. Don't you love the itty-bitty scraps of sunshine that’s hit you out of nowhere and brighten your day.

Like the amul butter ads on huge billboards that you spot driving by. They always have something naughty and relevant to say, don't they? So when Sreesanth gets slapped, you can be sure the butter people will have a joke up their sleeve - and wickedly you watch out for it.

Just like you watch out for the couch gag on Simpsons' opening sequence. Now I personally don’t quite like the MTV brand clips, but I am sure even they have a following.

So thanks to a creative imaginative mind huddled somewhere over a computer screen pixel counting, my day becomes just a bit better.

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Outting the Das

Last week I went to see a stand-up act by Vir Das , imaginatively titled - Who let the Das out.

Upsides - I really like his diction. And his accent. It’s a good polished Indian-accented English. No fake r's rolling there.

Downsides- Well some of the jokes just seemed endless. There was this bit where he says the sari is just piece of garment to make things difficult for the groom. It was a good laugh. But he just droned on and droned on about it.

And some of the naughty jokes were falling short of humour. There was this really promising piece about cat and dogs. It starts with how a cat acts haughty and squints at you when you walk in late into the house. And how a dog jumps all over , tail wagging, going "Dude, where the hell have you been? I was waiting all day for you!"

Now , Vir Das doing the dog impersonation was adorable. I was almost going to fondle his ears! But right then, he goes for the dog-at-the-crotch jig. Ugh! So un-original. I just wish he had stuck with the dog and the cat theme. That was clean good fun! And I am no prude.

But, overall it was a thumbs-up. I hope more desi stand-up artists make it to Singapore and I can take a break from Russell peters on you tube.

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