There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting.
--Prince Gautama Siddharta
--Prince Gautama Siddharta
Friday, January 9, 2015
Ashish Book Center Exhibition
Where: Sunderbai Hall, Behind Income Tax Office, Opposite S.N.D.T. College, Churchgate
When: 8th January - 29 January
Timing: 9:30am - 8:15pm
When: 8th January - 29 January
Timing: 9:30am - 8:15pm
Spanish - Class XX
Whoa.....it was as if you get into water expecting it not to rise beyond chest-level, only to find that it is deep enough to sink a dozen of you stacked one on top of the other. I am talking about the usage of irregular verbs in Spanish. It started with 'Tener' and I expected such verbs to be an exception but it looks like they could be numerous enough to make the cut as 'the rule'.
So we have verbs changing o -> ue and e -> ie in all 3 forms - 'ar', 'er' and 'ir'. What's more you have a 3rd category in 'ir', verbs where e -> i! Fortunately, only 2 verbs fall into o -> ue group of 'ir' verbs
- dormir (to sleep) and morir (to die) and by the time we were done learning about all these, I seriously didn't know whether it would be better to sleep or to die :-)
The luxury of having only 2 verbs in the change group doesn't extend to other groups. When we asked the teacher, if the other groups contained only the verbs mentioned by her she replied (with a wicked grin, creo que) in the negative. One of us mustered enough courage to ask how we mere mortals could figure out if a verb is regular or irregular. 'You will have to remember' was the answer. I think my chances of being able to converse in Spanish just dropped by a mighty 20%. :-(
As if this wasn't enough, now it was the turn of the mighty 'Gustar' (to like) and 'Encantar' (to like a lot). Both can be used with an object or a verb. If used with an object, the conjugation changes as per the plurality of the object whereas a verb should be used without any conjugation. e.g. Gusta el chocolate vs. Gustan los chocolates. If you want to say 'like eating chocolates', it will be 'Gusta comer el chocolate/los chocolates'. There is no 'Gustan' if used with a verb.
I have 4 more classes' worth of knowledge to cram into my already over-crowded tiny brain. Hope I can do it :-)
So we have verbs changing o -> ue and e -> ie in all 3 forms - 'ar', 'er' and 'ir'. What's more you have a 3rd category in 'ir', verbs where e -> i! Fortunately, only 2 verbs fall into o -> ue group of 'ir' verbs
- dormir (to sleep) and morir (to die) and by the time we were done learning about all these, I seriously didn't know whether it would be better to sleep or to die :-)
The luxury of having only 2 verbs in the change group doesn't extend to other groups. When we asked the teacher, if the other groups contained only the verbs mentioned by her she replied (with a wicked grin, creo que) in the negative. One of us mustered enough courage to ask how we mere mortals could figure out if a verb is regular or irregular. 'You will have to remember' was the answer. I think my chances of being able to converse in Spanish just dropped by a mighty 20%. :-(
As if this wasn't enough, now it was the turn of the mighty 'Gustar' (to like) and 'Encantar' (to like a lot). Both can be used with an object or a verb. If used with an object, the conjugation changes as per the plurality of the object whereas a verb should be used without any conjugation. e.g. Gusta el chocolate vs. Gustan los chocolates. If you want to say 'like eating chocolates', it will be 'Gusta comer el chocolate/los chocolates'. There is no 'Gustan' if used with a verb.
I have 4 more classes' worth of knowledge to cram into my already over-crowded tiny brain. Hope I can do it :-)
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Plan your weekend
1. Folk Performing Arts Festival
When: 13-16 January
Where: Kalina Sports Complex
Timing: 6pm - 9pm
More information
2. Swaranjali (Program on Hindustani Classical Music)
When: 8-10 January
Where: Nehru Center, Worli
Timing: 6:30pm
More information
When: 13-16 January
Where: Kalina Sports Complex
Timing: 6pm - 9pm
More information
2. Swaranjali (Program on Hindustani Classical Music)
When: 8-10 January
Where: Nehru Center, Worli
Timing: 6:30pm
More information
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Taco Bell
Taco Bell used to be one of my favorite joints when I was in the US (Hard to believe now but McDonald's used to be another). I had been eagerly waiting for them to come to India. So on a recent trip to Ghatkopar's RCity Mall I decided to try it out.
The menu is quite uncomplicated. As usual, I decided to give the vegetarian choices a skip and concentrated on the non-veg section. My eyes fell on 'Big Bell Box' - a box containing classic Burrito, Topped Nachos, Chalupa and your choice of beverage. There was no earthly reason not to go for it so I ordered the 'El Pollo' version. :-)
First point to note - the chicken Burrito, Nachos and Chalupa comes in the minced form. Now that's a first and a boon for someone like me who dislikes flavorless chunky chicken pieces. As far as the Burrito goes, there is nothing to write home about. But to be fair, I have never been a fan of Burritos. And there was nothing missing in terms of quality of the meat, seasoning or the crust. Topped Nachos were every bit what you would expect them to be - crunchy, full of flavorful meat with dollops of molten cheese thrown about everywhere. I couldn't eat fast enough. The Chalupa was the highlight of the culinary treat and so I am not going to describe it here. Go and experience it yourself.
The staff was friendly, actually bordering on cheerful - probably buoyed by the long line of customers that was slowly forming in front of the outlet.
Buena Suerte!
The menu is quite uncomplicated. As usual, I decided to give the vegetarian choices a skip and concentrated on the non-veg section. My eyes fell on 'Big Bell Box' - a box containing classic Burrito, Topped Nachos, Chalupa and your choice of beverage. There was no earthly reason not to go for it so I ordered the 'El Pollo' version. :-)
First point to note - the chicken Burrito, Nachos and Chalupa comes in the minced form. Now that's a first and a boon for someone like me who dislikes flavorless chunky chicken pieces. As far as the Burrito goes, there is nothing to write home about. But to be fair, I have never been a fan of Burritos. And there was nothing missing in terms of quality of the meat, seasoning or the crust. Topped Nachos were every bit what you would expect them to be - crunchy, full of flavorful meat with dollops of molten cheese thrown about everywhere. I couldn't eat fast enough. The Chalupa was the highlight of the culinary treat and so I am not going to describe it here. Go and experience it yourself.
The staff was friendly, actually bordering on cheerful - probably buoyed by the long line of customers that was slowly forming in front of the outlet.
Buena Suerte!
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Hokey-Pokey
I don't know about dictionaries but if you look up the meaning of the word 'Hokey-Pokey' on the internet, you will get the following:
1. ice cream of a kind formerly sold on the street, especially by Italian street vendors.
2. deception; trickery.
I wasn't aware of the former and so had been apprehensive about trying it. But on a recent visit to the mall, I found myself looking for something other than Gelato, Naturals, Baskin Robbins & Mad Over Donuts to satisfy my aching sweet tooth. An outlet of Hokey-Pokey was nearby so I walked over. A father-son duo was watching as the lady manning the counter was preparing their order. I am not sure what they had ordered but I liked the way she used the stone grill (at least I thought that's what it was!) to heat and mash up the ice-creams scoops and mixed them with different fillings. Why not try it? Afterall, it was the first day of the new year.
So we ordered two - Manic Monkey and Angel Apple Pie. And I liked both. Okay, to be very frank, I liked 'Angel Apple Pie' more - and not (just!) because it gave me a false satisfaction of having a teeny weeny serving of fruit with a big dollop of an ice-cream.
One of these days I am going to muster enough courage to be able to order "Double Chocolate Therapy". :-)
1. ice cream of a kind formerly sold on the street, especially by Italian street vendors.
2. deception; trickery.
I wasn't aware of the former and so had been apprehensive about trying it. But on a recent visit to the mall, I found myself looking for something other than Gelato, Naturals, Baskin Robbins & Mad Over Donuts to satisfy my aching sweet tooth. An outlet of Hokey-Pokey was nearby so I walked over. A father-son duo was watching as the lady manning the counter was preparing their order. I am not sure what they had ordered but I liked the way she used the stone grill (at least I thought that's what it was!) to heat and mash up the ice-creams scoops and mixed them with different fillings. Why not try it? Afterall, it was the first day of the new year.
So we ordered two - Manic Monkey and Angel Apple Pie. And I liked both. Okay, to be very frank, I liked 'Angel Apple Pie' more - and not (just!) because it gave me a false satisfaction of having a teeny weeny serving of fruit with a big dollop of an ice-cream.
One of these days I am going to muster enough courage to be able to order "Double Chocolate Therapy". :-)
Today morning I woke up to find an SMS in my Inbox. Since I had turned in fairly late last night I wondered who could have sent a message that late at. The message was from Mumbai Police and it read - Please don't believe in rumors, situation is peaceful and normal.
Funny thing is that I had no idea what rumors the message referred to. But it felt good to see that the cops are going out of their way to make sure that the rumors are nipped in the bud. Way to Go!
Funny thing is that I had no idea what rumors the message referred to. But it felt good to see that the cops are going out of their way to make sure that the rumors are nipped in the bud. Way to Go!
Sheroes Hangout
If you are ever in Agra, be sure to visit Sheroes Hangout. Check out what's special about it.
Dariba Diaries - 5th January
Last episode of this show had vetted my appetite for more. But yesterday's episode was somewhat disappointing. The moment someone mentioned the words 'Lost Treasure' it was clear that the artifact contained a map. The ease with which the woman appeared and disappeared indicated that it was an inside job. And the moment the Navab's friend was seen with his second wife, it was easy to figure out that they were in fact siblings.
But I continued to watch it - partly to verify if my theory was correct, I agree. But more importantly because I like the period setting, the dialogues and the characters.
But I continued to watch it - partly to verify if my theory was correct, I agree. But more importantly because I like the period setting, the dialogues and the characters.
Maybe it had a lot to do with this government's attempts at booting out German to make way for Sanskrit or to make children attend school on Christmas day, but when I first read about Niti Aayog, I seriously wondered if they are going to be responsible for formulating a model code of conduct for the citizens of India - a sort of moral police. :-) Thank God I was proven wrong! It sure is a weird name for an institution that is supposed to transform India. Just the other day I heard someone refer to a task that had been going on since a long time as a Five-Year plan (or Panchwarshik Yogana!).
I hope the Niti Aayog does a better job.
I hope the Niti Aayog does a better job.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Mahalakshmi Saras 2015
Where: Bandra Reclamation, Mhada Maidan No. 1, In front of Leelavati Hospital, Bandra (W)
When: 31st December - 12 January
Timings: 10am - 10pm
Lots of shopping and Lots of food.....:-)
When: 31st December - 12 January
Timings: 10am - 10pm
Lots of shopping and Lots of food.....:-)
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