It was time. Half a million honey buns, packs of instant noodles and peanut butter-jelly sandwiches later, my taste buds had given up and my stomach was threatening to quit. I sat there, my eyes switching between the clock and the recipe book, knowing that it was only a matter of time till the grumbling down below started. That recipe book was a parting gift from a hopeless mother, and by now it had gathered as much dust as a book of chemistry in a childrens' museum.
The kitchen till then was more of a room meant more for storage than for cooking. Something that had made it so alien a place, that when a friend came around asking for salt, I promptly handed him a jar of sugar. Which, by the way, he promptly used for his "spicy" fried rice recipe. We still argue about who is the greater genius between us. So it was only a matter of time then, till I decided to venture into it for what the room was meant for. Trouble is, I did not have a good feeling about it. That feeling you get when the thought of knowing something is going to go wrong is bashing up the thought of hoping it won't.
What followed was an endless discussion with the roommate about what is make-able. The list was not too long after we narrowed down our options, mostly on the basis of not being able to identify the ingredients.
"Ofcourse!" we sighed in unison as the book opened up to a recipe of the potato curry, probably the easiest thing there is to make. There we were, two fully grown guys, massive on appetite..clueless about cooking and hungry as if we hadn't had so much as a snack bar for years, all ready for battle. And battle we did. Jars flying off the shelf, clouds of powdered spices and vegetables being cut as if maniacs are having a go at them. At the end of it all, we stood in a place that seemed ravaged by a small storm. And what we had on the stove was nothing that remotely resembled potato curry.
"Umm..Smells nice!? We can call it tomato curry with potatoes and onions?".A trying-to-be cheerful me.
"OR! We can call it it tomato-curry-with-potatoes-and-onions-only-you-will-have!" shot back by friend before stomping off to his room. I could hear him a tear open a honey bun pack and chomp on it furiously. His face was that of a desperate man who had thought he found an oasis in a desert, but only learnt later that it was a mirage..
So as I enjoyed that dinner in sweet solace, I had one thing firmly decided in mind: Learn how to cook and be good at it. And although it was far from smooth sailing, full of more solitary dinners and new not-so-perfect "inventions", I can now safely say that I am not half as bad a cook that I was then. I can't say it is my favourite thing but I do enjoy it at times. After I moved and got a job, I actually started watching that food channel they have on telly. I can't imagine being a part of those cook-master-in-your-face-shouting shows though. A year ago, I would have probably faced his wrath by being tied to a rotating overhead fan.
So anyway, what starts like a nightmare doesn't always end like one. All's well that ends well isn't it? Experimenting in the kitchen has taken a whole new meaning now. It does not mean "Try cooking". Rather, it means "Try cooking something differently".
And when you have that odd bad day in the office,a pack of instant noodles awaits!
So it's been a while since I have written again. Out of ideas? Nope. Short of time? Yep. But that's not an excuse when a certain someone has "tagged" you to answer questions about yourself and warned you that if you don't, you will probably end up inside a can of smoked tuna. This person is very dangerous, especially when a few pints down. So here goes:
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
"Damn..Can't see!ALL THIS MIST!" (I only have a mirror in my bathroom)
2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now?
A 2 dollar bill (seriously, very genuine) and a 50 rupee note :)
3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR?
Mother-of-four.
4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
OoH! Unknown number. Dang telemarketers!!
5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?
Paper Planes - MIA
6. What are you wearing right now?
Jeans and a Tee
7. Do you label yourself?
What am I a store item?
8. Name the brand of the shoes you currently own?
I'm not into brands. Those Look-I'm-so-sporty-light-I-can-be-called-feather and I'm-more-fashionable-than-you brands are not my thing. I like the If-I-kick-you-with-this-you-will-be-horizontal-forever brand though.
9.Bright or Dark Room?
Bright. Interesting question. Answer would have been different two days ago but I ran into walls in a dark room on three separate occasions and my face did not enjoy that.
10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
I think I answered this already! If I remember correctly, I said she was nice. Nice person, yes.
11. What does your watch look like?
I'm a big watch-loser. I almost drove my dad to bankruptcy buying new watches and losing them. So now I use my cellphone. My watch looks like my cellphone.
12. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Planet of the apes! I was the ape leader leading the ape army. I remember because my assisstant said "Sir, it's midnight! Time for a midnight banana snack!"..hm! I think it was a dream.
13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
"Pay your cellphone bill by this date or you will incur such a huge fee that you'd rather bury yourself" or something on those lines from my network provider.
14. What’s a word that you say a lot?
"the"
15. Who told you he/she loved you last?(please exclude spouse , family, children)
Ape-women. Three of em. Yes ape army leaders are in demand on that planet.
16. Last furry thing you touched?
My...head? Fur = Hair so Hair = Fur methinks.
17. Favorite age you have been so far?
15-16. Tenth grade. Breaking voice. Confused souls. Multiple cases of mischief in class. Exasperated teachers. Laughs. Friends.
18. What was the last thing you said to someone?
"The" :P
19.The last song you listened to?
Learning to fly - Pink Floyd
20. Where did you live in 1987?
Bombay, India.
21. Are you jealous of anyone?
Yes. Birds.
22. Is anyone jealous of you?
Yes. Assisstant leader ape-man.
23. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
Keys, phone, happy thoughts.
24. What’s your favorite town/city?
Bombay
25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
This quiz is just too long and this question, I think, is irrelevant so I'm ignoring it.
26. Can you change the oil in a car?
Yep.
27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?
My acoustic guitar, Rose. She is back home in Bombay, missing me :(
28. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
Brain.
29.What is your current desktop picture?
Office laptop - Photo of the Gateway of India.
Personal laptop - Changes. Now its random parabolic images in blue. Bumble bees. Eiffel Tower. Golf Range.
30. Have you been burnt by love?
Nope.
Fly
Fly..
You're such a misnomer..
When more than half the time you land..
And less than half the time you hover..
Goat
Goat..
You're the new fashion boat..
You used to give milk for tea..
Now you inspired the goatee..
I slip in the Coldplay CD in the player as my friend straps the seatbelt on and sighs
"What a weekend!..Back to the grind now..Time to go home!"
This instantly sparks questions in my mind, as the clouds gather in the afternoon skies : Where is home?
Ofcourse, the first place that comes to mind is the place that you were born..where you spent most of your formative years. The place where you learnt your ABCs. The place that has had a major influence in what you are today. Somewhere you get smiles and waves every street you go to. Made those eternal friendships that develop over a number of years. Where everything has a memory attached to it. That place you have roamed every corner of, alone or with friends. Where now your family waits anxiously to hear you voice over the phone, everyday. Somewhere you are showered with love and know you will be taken care of.
But then somewhere along this journey there are other places that shape your life up.
How about the place that took you away from it all? But at the same time, it actually set you onto the path you had wanted to be on. Where you learnt what it is to be independent and to struggle. Where you experienced living with friends, sharing a common thread of being away from your land. Somewhere that brought you close to someone in the family, a person you had hardly met before. The place that taught you to laugh even when you were broke or ill. Where complete strangers became close friends in a matter of months. A place that brings a smile on your face everytime you see the skyline reveal itself as you drive the highway curve.
Then there is a place which gives you that sense of achievement. Where you call people to, so they can visit you. Where your independence has taken a new meaning because you don't depend on anyone for monetary reasons. The place that defined the point where your family stopped taking care of you, and you started taking care of them. Where your newest friendships are, promising to be friends for a long time to come. You have responsibilities now. Where complete strangers helped you out when you were new, and made you feel you knew them all along. The place you go back to after every holiday.
Where is it?
"Home, home where I wanted to go" sings Chris Martin as the piano fades away..
Something..
Something that inspires invention.
Something that makes Edison or Ford your idols.
Something that makes you ask why we can bring things to life but not people.
Something that inclines you musically.
Something that makes you want to listen to your favourite Rehman or Floyd song.
Something that makes you wonder if you can play that song using that table in front of you as percussion.
Something that makes you nostalgic.
Something that makes you want to have mom's food and cling on to dad on your way to school.
Something that makes you wonder if there are He-man or Dekh Bhai Dekh episodes on Youtube.
Something that makes you happy.
Something that makes you laugh out loud.
Something that makes you wonder if we as kids used little spoons, do Chinese kids use toothpicks?
Something that makes you want to give.
Something that tells you about the kids in Darfur and cringe.
Something that enables you to improve your vocab and feed hungry people at the same time (www.freerice.com)
..And so..I think..
A trip back home always floods me with memories..comparisons..
5 things that I never want to change..and haven't
-- Overflowing local trains always with room for more.
-- Friendships and relationships.
-- People on the streets, people on trees, people in the gardens, people in shops, people in the gym, people at the movies, people at the beach, people in temples, people in churches, people in mosques
-- Doctor's bills for less than the price of an American meal.
-- Fifteen samosas for less than two dollars.
Joy in the littlest of things..
5 things that I wish would have changed..but haven't
-- Road sense which makes a simple commute no less adventurous than the world's most dangerous rollercoaster ride.
-- Indian news channels missing the point. Soaps which have no point.
-- Being able to wake up, brush, shower, eat lunch, wash plates, clean the room, do grocery and yell obscenities for six minutes all in the time it takes for a webpage to open.
-- Rickshaw wallahs being rude and denying senior citizens rides.
-- Men short enough to pick your pocket and tall enough to have their oily sweaty heads as close to your nose as possible in overcrowded buses.
And then ofcourse..there are bigger problems..
