Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Madison Farmer's Market
The Madison Farmer's market is the best thing since sliced bread! I was stunned by the sights, sounds and smells that greeted me when I walked up to the Capitol Square. Tulips of every color in full bloom with the awe inspiring backdrop of the Capitol Building. Smells of herbs of every kind, hot grilling cheeses and freshly baked bread. I've never seen as many people in one place, as I did that morning. To top it off, it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was not a single cloud in the sky. It was an amazing experience.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
When things work out ...
I have been looking for a job for as long as I can remember! Ever since the first quarter, I've been job hunting. First, it was for internships and then later changed to career opportunities. It has been a long long process, at times even quite tiring. Edit the cover letter and the resume for every job that you apply to. Search every imaginable job board. Take care not to apply more than once to the same job even though it maybe on different job boards. Wow! There were so many details to remember and keep track of before applying for a single job.
Added to the tension of having to find a job, is the fact that you are graduating and need something concrete within three months! Visa issues are simply overwhelming and easily let your head go in an indefinite spin. When you have been looking for a job for as long as I have, the number of rejects that ultimately come your way is huge. Having to deal with a reject, keep that motivation up and continue to look takes up a lot of effort. I couldn't have done it if not for my family and my friends.
A strong support system is what got me through the worst of times. Now that I finally have an offer, I am so relieved. It is a dream come true for me to have a job right before I graduate. This is always how I have wanted it! I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion settle upon me. I have no words to explain just how happy I am. The icing on the cake would have been if my family could have been here to see me at my commencement. But hey, I do know that they are all rooting for me from wherever they are! This day signifies the start of a life that is different from one that I have known thus far ...
Added to the tension of having to find a job, is the fact that you are graduating and need something concrete within three months! Visa issues are simply overwhelming and easily let your head go in an indefinite spin. When you have been looking for a job for as long as I have, the number of rejects that ultimately come your way is huge. Having to deal with a reject, keep that motivation up and continue to look takes up a lot of effort. I couldn't have done it if not for my family and my friends.
A strong support system is what got me through the worst of times. Now that I finally have an offer, I am so relieved. It is a dream come true for me to have a job right before I graduate. This is always how I have wanted it! I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion settle upon me. I have no words to explain just how happy I am. The icing on the cake would have been if my family could have been here to see me at my commencement. But hey, I do know that they are all rooting for me from wherever they are! This day signifies the start of a life that is different from one that I have known thus far ...
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Spaghetti Warehouse
I went to this queer little place for dinner tonight and I thought it was worthy of a mention. It's called the Spaghetti Warehouse and it's in the downtown area of Downtown Columbus. Everything about this place is queer starting with its name. I had heard this name thrown about a couple of times and I've always been curious about it.
A friend and I decided to check it out to see what all the fuss was about. The location was queer. It was an old beat up warehouse that sat in between two railway tracks. The railway tracks weren't just on either side, but they warehouse was in a rut between them. It freaked me out a little and I was worried about the safety of the place.
We found a spot to park and in we go and immediately, I was assaulted but the most peculiar smell, one that is so weird that you wouldn't eat there if you were paid a million bucks. OK, now I'm just exaggerating! It wasn't that bad, but it did smell weird. We got a nice table at a corner, and in about ten minutes my nose was accustomed to the smell :D
We ordered their very famous 15-layer lasagna and a Chicken Parmagiana. They said it would be a few minutes and that in the mean time we should enjoy some freshly baked sourdough bread with Herb Butter! When they said freshly baked, they meant freshly baked! It was warm and as soft as cotton when it was brought to our table. The herb butter literally melted on the bread! Delicious! I knew then that our dinner was going to be amazing!
It was not more than 10 minutes and the waiter arrived with our entrees. One bite of the Lasagna and I died! Wow! It was fabulous. Rich tomato sauce, meaty chunks and crumbling cheese in between the most delicate pasta sheets. It was a work of art. The Chicken Parmagiana on the other hand wasn't quite as nice, but was really good. The Lasagna just outdid it.
The quantities were pretty large too! I have a doggy bag I can enjoy tomorrow. :D I loved this place and I would go back there any day. They also have a lot of queer stuff inside, plaques, weird looking machinery from god knows when, a confession box, a video game arcade, a fortune telling machine, and a whole load more. If you come to Columbus, its a place you must go to!
Disney on ICE
I really don;t know how time passes me by! I just realized that it has been a month since I blogged. Sheesh!
I went to watch Disney on Ice today at the Nationwide Arena. The ads on TV were so good, that I simply had to go! And believe you me, it was so worth it. The whole experience was truly magical and brought out the kid in me.
It was my first visit to Nationwide Arena and I was amazed by the stadium, the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The neon lights showcasing the products(ads of course) showed me the extent of consumerism in the US. When I thought about it, I realized that was the very reason I was at Nationwide to watch the show! Consumerism ...
I soon forgot this line of thought when we decided that we should get something to drink. A 18oz cup of coke cost a whopping $5.25. Someone on the next aisle spoke when he said, "$10 for a cube of sugar!", when he was talking about the cotton candy being sold. It was daylight robbery to say the least.
Despite all of that, when the show started, I was amazed. I was so excited when I saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto. The Incredibles were there as well and all of these characters were woven into a really cute story about the Incredibles going to Disneyland to want to be a regular family for one day. But no, it doesn't work that way! Mickey and Minnie get kidnapped by Syndrome. The Incredibles try to free Mickey and Minnie from their Laser prisons, so the show can go on and Disneyland can become the World's Happiest Place again. It was so cute and despite the fact that it cost me a fortune, I am really glad that I went!
I did think and wish that I had gotten to see this 10-15 years ago, when we were still reading Disney stories. Its a must watch!
I went to watch Disney on Ice today at the Nationwide Arena. The ads on TV were so good, that I simply had to go! And believe you me, it was so worth it. The whole experience was truly magical and brought out the kid in me.
It was my first visit to Nationwide Arena and I was amazed by the stadium, the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The neon lights showcasing the products(ads of course) showed me the extent of consumerism in the US. When I thought about it, I realized that was the very reason I was at Nationwide to watch the show! Consumerism ...
I soon forgot this line of thought when we decided that we should get something to drink. A 18oz cup of coke cost a whopping $5.25. Someone on the next aisle spoke when he said, "$10 for a cube of sugar!", when he was talking about the cotton candy being sold. It was daylight robbery to say the least.
Despite all of that, when the show started, I was amazed. I was so excited when I saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto. The Incredibles were there as well and all of these characters were woven into a really cute story about the Incredibles going to Disneyland to want to be a regular family for one day. But no, it doesn't work that way! Mickey and Minnie get kidnapped by Syndrome. The Incredibles try to free Mickey and Minnie from their Laser prisons, so the show can go on and Disneyland can become the World's Happiest Place again. It was so cute and despite the fact that it cost me a fortune, I am really glad that I went!
I did think and wish that I had gotten to see this 10-15 years ago, when we were still reading Disney stories. Its a must watch!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
A New Era ...
Last week, the 44th president of the United States of America was sworn it. As I watched it on TV, I was touched by the magnitude of the whole event. A Black President! Wow .. I was watching history being made, and it even brought a few tears to my eyes.
You may wonder how or even why it affected me in any way. I didn't vote for Obama to become the 44th President, I didn't work in his campaign and neither did I follow every step of his campaign from the comfort of my own home. Despite all that, I felt a sense of pride that I could be there to watch history being made.
There was hope in the air that things would change after he took office. But like Obama himself said, he is no miracle worker and things are going to get a lot worse before they can get better! So hopefully it doesn't take very long for things to turn around.
The austere environment of the inauguration was tempered by Obama starting his oath pre-maturely and the Chief Justice messing up the words of the oath. There was a moment of lightness during the swearing in ceremony. Obama also retook his oath the next day for just in case.
The funny thing is .. When I was listening to Obama making his inaugural address, I had a Deja vu feeling! I felt like I was watching the movie "Independence Day". The tone and the intonations were exactly the same as those of Bull Pullman in the scene just before they launch a worldwide counter offensive against the aliens.
Good Luck President Obama!
You may wonder how or even why it affected me in any way. I didn't vote for Obama to become the 44th President, I didn't work in his campaign and neither did I follow every step of his campaign from the comfort of my own home. Despite all that, I felt a sense of pride that I could be there to watch history being made.
There was hope in the air that things would change after he took office. But like Obama himself said, he is no miracle worker and things are going to get a lot worse before they can get better! So hopefully it doesn't take very long for things to turn around.
The austere environment of the inauguration was tempered by Obama starting his oath pre-maturely and the Chief Justice messing up the words of the oath. There was a moment of lightness during the swearing in ceremony. Obama also retook his oath the next day for just in case.
The funny thing is .. When I was listening to Obama making his inaugural address, I had a Deja vu feeling! I felt like I was watching the movie "Independence Day". The tone and the intonations were exactly the same as those of Bull Pullman in the scene just before they launch a worldwide counter offensive against the aliens.
Good Luck President Obama!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Childhood Memories
Of late, I have been reminiscing about my childhood. My parents had sent some stuff for me from India through some friends who had come from India. How sweet right? The best part of the parcel was an envelope from from sister. It was a picture of the two of us that was taken close to 15 years ago. I was probably 9 and my sister was 7. It was the day of my sari ceremony and the two of us had to wake up at an insane hour of the morning. We look dead exhausted :D But thinking back brought a smile to my face. As Pri rightly said, "From ugly to gorgeous".
I had this insane urge to eat beetroot chutney today. I don't even remember the last time I ate beetroot chutney. lol. It was that long ago. So i bought myself beets and made the chutney and I swear it was the best thing I have eaten in forever! It was so good (Sigh!). When we were kids, the only vegetable that we used to love was beetroot. We loved the pink color and there was never enough of it. Mix it in sambhar, we got pink sambhar. Mix it in rasam, we got pink rasam. Mix it in curd rice, we got pink curd rice. The day mom made beetroot we made just about everything pink!
The good old days!
I had this insane urge to eat beetroot chutney today. I don't even remember the last time I ate beetroot chutney. lol. It was that long ago. So i bought myself beets and made the chutney and I swear it was the best thing I have eaten in forever! It was so good (Sigh!). When we were kids, the only vegetable that we used to love was beetroot. We loved the pink color and there was never enough of it. Mix it in sambhar, we got pink sambhar. Mix it in rasam, we got pink rasam. Mix it in curd rice, we got pink curd rice. The day mom made beetroot we made just about everything pink!
The good old days!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Skinny Bitch
The United States of America has been classified as the "Fattest Nation" of the world. Unemployment and poverty are the biggest problems that lead to obesity. Depression and boredom drive people to turn to food for comfort, albeit a temporary comfort. I can say from first hand experience, that I have been in situations that have stressed me out so much that I have indeed turned to food for comfort. Eating a great big ice cream or a doughnut, not to mention a giant muffin provides a temporary sense of euphoria that for just that one second you feel great. But once that passes, there is a tremendous sense of guilt that assaults you.
When I was vacationing in Austin, I found at a Borders a book called "Skinny Bitch". I was most intrigued by what I read in it. Some of you may have read and some may not. If you haven't, I think you should! It exposes a lot of practices in the food processing industry that you probably knew but were in denial about. I certainly was! When people told me that milk was not really "vegetarian", I like everyone else made fun of them. I had to realize the truth once I read that book. I'm not saying that "Skinny Bitch" is the bible to food, but it provides insights that you need to be aware of and of course take what they say with a grain of salt. If I had to describe "Skinny Bitch" in a few words, I'd say that it is a "permanent crash diet" for the modeling industry or for whoever is obsessed about looking good.
In the last few months I have become more aware of the number of shows that are aired on TV about "Fat" people. Way more than necessary even. It seems as if the whole country is obsessed by it. "The Biggest Loser", "Fat Sally" are just a few. Agreed that they are inspirational, but it can get overwhelming too. I happened to walk in to Borders this morning, and I found that almost 50% of the new arrivals have something to do with weight loss. Workout routines, Bob & Jillian (For those of you who don't know, they are the trainers on the Biggest Loser. I love Jillian), cookbooks, weight loss biographies, just to name a few.
Is all of this exposure actually helping people? Or do they just forget about it once they are done reading? How much does it cost to eat healthy and can people afford to do so in these troubled times? I don't know if these are questions that I will ever know the answer for. But they still need to be asked.
What have I learned from all of this: 1. Staying healthy is not an option but a necessity. 2. Use the exposure from the media to my advantage and learn from other people's mistakes. 3. Use your head and don't blindly accept everything that is thrown out at you by the media. 4. Read the ingredients label before buying processed food. 5. Count calories (not to the extent of being paranoid) and exercise daily to maintain good health.
When I was vacationing in Austin, I found at a Borders a book called "Skinny Bitch". I was most intrigued by what I read in it. Some of you may have read and some may not. If you haven't, I think you should! It exposes a lot of practices in the food processing industry that you probably knew but were in denial about. I certainly was! When people told me that milk was not really "vegetarian", I like everyone else made fun of them. I had to realize the truth once I read that book. I'm not saying that "Skinny Bitch" is the bible to food, but it provides insights that you need to be aware of and of course take what they say with a grain of salt. If I had to describe "Skinny Bitch" in a few words, I'd say that it is a "permanent crash diet" for the modeling industry or for whoever is obsessed about looking good.
In the last few months I have become more aware of the number of shows that are aired on TV about "Fat" people. Way more than necessary even. It seems as if the whole country is obsessed by it. "The Biggest Loser", "Fat Sally" are just a few. Agreed that they are inspirational, but it can get overwhelming too. I happened to walk in to Borders this morning, and I found that almost 50% of the new arrivals have something to do with weight loss. Workout routines, Bob & Jillian (For those of you who don't know, they are the trainers on the Biggest Loser. I love Jillian), cookbooks, weight loss biographies, just to name a few.
Is all of this exposure actually helping people? Or do they just forget about it once they are done reading? How much does it cost to eat healthy and can people afford to do so in these troubled times? I don't know if these are questions that I will ever know the answer for. But they still need to be asked.
What have I learned from all of this: 1. Staying healthy is not an option but a necessity. 2. Use the exposure from the media to my advantage and learn from other people's mistakes. 3. Use your head and don't blindly accept everything that is thrown out at you by the media. 4. Read the ingredients label before buying processed food. 5. Count calories (not to the extent of being paranoid) and exercise daily to maintain good health.
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