Advice is one of those things it is far more blessed to give than to receive

-- Carolyn Wells

Grey's Anatomy

The 9th season of Grey's Anatomy ended yesterday with the shot of Dr. Webber on the ground, seemingly electrocuted. To my knowledge, the 10th season hasn't yet started in the US. That means there is no way I can go to Wiki and see if he has really died. And that's agonizing.

I have come to love and respect Dr. Webber's character. He is like everyone's favorite uncle. Sure, the man has his flaws - who doesn't? But despite his great personal tragedy, he has always helped out his colleagues - be it on professional front or personal. Meredith has insulted, shunned and even ignored him at times but he has always treated her like his own daughter. He is kind, patient and very good at what he does. Anyone would want to have a boss like him. Hell, I would.

I will never forget one incident from one of the episodes. Dr. Bailey is heartbroken that her kid didn't turn back even once to look at her when she dropped him at the school on the first day. She is feeling abandoned - sort of an early onset of the Empty Nest Syndrome perhaps. 'He let go of my hand' she keeps saying, on the verge of crying. Dr. Webber listens patiently and when he thinks the timing is right he asks 'Do you know what happens when someone lets go of your hand?'. Bailey shakes her head. He says 'You get your hand back.' What he means by that is Bailey should be happy that she now has more time to do other things like surgery and research. With a single sentence, he teaches her to look at the brighter side of it. That's something only Dr. Webber can do.

So here's hoping that we see him back in his old form in the 10th season. Seattle Grace-Mercy West won't be the same without Dr. Webber!

Reality TV in ER in India

Speaking of Grey's Anatomy, we are soon going to have an opportunity to watch happenings in the ER of a private hospital in India. Check Reality TV in ER.

Alpino by Nestle

Sometimes I suspect that whatever chocolates were supposed to be invented by mankind have all been already invented. There is white chocolate (Yum!) , milk chocolate (Yum again!) and dark chocolate (Yikes!) with bits of nuts, fruits and good old caramel thrown in for good measure with different degrees of chewiness. What more can one do in it? So I wasn't too thrilled when I saw the ads for Nestle's Alpino. Surely, this cannot be the next best thing to happen to mankind after sliced bread.

I was right about that! It's a chocolate - plain and simple. Two bite sized pieces of it in each packet - wrapped like a Ferrero Rocher. And then there is a tiny plastic strip with a message - like the one in fortune cookies - in each one of them. The ones I ate (Yep, I ate 2 of them!) had the following messages:

There is more to life than love...
but not right now!

Who says you can't buy love?
The currency is chocolate!

I agree wholeheartedly but I am not happy about those plastic strips. They are not environment friendly, you know! Why leave a bitter taste with such sweet chocolates?

To buy Khakaras or not to buy Khakaras. After deliberating over this decision for five minutes I decided against buying it. When I turned, I was greeted by rows and rows of sweets. In addition to the usual suspects - Kaju Katli, Badami Halwa, Mahimi Halwa, Pedas, Motichur Laddoo, Besan Laddoo - there was a row of homemade chocolates. The last I had seen their kind was in shops in Ooty a couple of years back. I had bought some then - just out of curiosity and lived to regret it because I had found a human hair in one of them. Too homemade for my taste! I have vowed never to touch them again for the rest of my life. So I just glanced at them before going to the counter to pay for my purchases when small boards propped up against two of the varieties stopped me in my tracks - "Homemade Kitkat", read one of them. And "Homemade Oreo" read the other one.

I wish someone from Nestle and Mondelēz International visits this shop. The look on their faces would be priceless!

As a rule it is circumstances that make men

-- Napoleon Bonaparte

Happy Friendship Day

A Friend gives hope when life is low
A Friend is a place when you have nowhere to go
A Friend is honest, A Friend is true
A Friend is precious and that my friend is you

Happy Friendship Day!

Moshe's Cafe, High Street Phenix

Since Komala's downed their shutters, there is no place where you can have light food at High Street Phenix. So I was really at a loss when it came to having a light lunch before the weekend movie. I must have passed "Moshe's" countless number of times on my way to the 1st floor of Palladium. But I had never thought of eating there. We decided to give it a try this time around.

The Stir Fried Chicken Salad was definitely value for money. It contained sizable chunks of sesame seeds coated stir fried chicken with a healthy mix of veggies like bell peppers, caramelized onions and carrots. If you are looking for a really light chunk, one salad can be shared between 2 people.

We had to order Tuna Cucumber Sandwich because they didn't have the Hotdog. And we regretted doing so. The tuna had a strange smell and taste. The fries weren't crispy and the bowl of salad accompanying it didn't have enough mayonnaise to cover the large chunks of potatoes and onions in it. Overall, a big disappointment. We should have ordered a pasta instead.

So, all in all, I might give it one more try for pasta and pizza.

I have never quite understood why the national anthem is played in our theaters before the start of any movie. Every time, for one creepy moment at least, that gives me a weird feeling of staying in a state-controlled country. Of course, I must also admit that it does have its share of moments of pride and amusement at the same time - at least for me. I said "pride" because whatever its shortcomings, problems and downright inefficiencies, I am proud of my country and whatever it has achieved since independence. True, we could have done a lot better but we also could have done a lot worse. The fact that we didn't means that there must be some things that we are doing right. And I am sure if we keep that up and couple it with pulling up our performance in the rest we will get there sooner than later.

Oh, before this post starts sounding like a 15th August speech, I must clarify the "amusement" part of it. If you are sitting in the back portion of the cinema hall, you have a clear view of all the rows and their occupants. Most of them don't know what's to be done with their hands. Some hang them loose by their sides, some fold them in front of them and others keep alternating between the two positions.

Okay, now let me come to the real reason why I am writing about this. When I was in the cinema hall today, the screen showed 'Please stand for the National Anthem' as usual. As soon as all of us got up, a small kid showed up on the screen in place of the Tricolor. Just when I was about to put it down to the inefficiency of whosoever is responsible for these things, I realized that the getup of the kid looked familiar - she looked like Zhansi Ki Rani LakshmiBai - a prominent figure in India's freedom struggle. Soon more kids showed up on screen - dressed as GandhiJi, Netaji SubhashChandra bose and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The kids gathered on stage for their school's Annual Program and then started singing the national anthem as their parents soon joined in.

Though my all-time favorite is "Maa Tuze Salaam", I think this one was pretty neatly made and I would prefer it anytime over the one that just plays the song against the picture of the Tricolor the whole time.