So S and i had a bet. It all started yesterday when we were searching for the city of Colma yesterday during the exciting laptop hunt. The name colma suddenly reminded me of potoler dolma (It is stuffed potol or parwal) and i told him about the dish. He was like there is no dish by that name - it is potoler dorma. Now, i am someone who is never going to take somebody's word for anything esp. when i am dear sure i am right. So i started arguing about it. And we ended up having a bet on whether it is actually potoler dorma or dolma. i called up my junior who is my walking dictionary for bengali - and he said dolma. Victory dance for me. This morning, i saw this mail from S where the guy had actually googled and found potoler dorma. Eeeks..Give up without a fight? No way...So i googled and found potoler dolma! i went around taking a survey among my colleagues and found we couldn't reach a consensus - half of them said the dish is called dolma and half said dorma. Ultimately, the bet was a draw (no free dhosa at upudi...damn). It seems dolma is the colloquial version of dorma. Ummmm...i have a knack of winning bets - maybe because i only bet when i am dead sure!
Got the laptop - Sony Vaio. It is slick (but not sexy like MAC-oh MAC, oh MAC) and seemingly better than the toshiba i got for my sister. i know baba is only going to use it for watching movies, viewing pictures and playing games. And yes, show it off to everyone, much to my embarrassment!! It has even got a built-in web cam and microphone if baba would ever want to chat (as if!). Will get it set up tomorrow.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
lost in the city....
We went to Best Buy to buy the Sony Vaio laptop for baba. It was not in the store we went to so we were directed to another store further away. We called up one of the juniors to look up the address and give us the driving directions. And we got lost. Somehow we missed an exit and went on and on and on till we almost reached the end of san francisco!! We never found the store and as it was past the store closing time, we decided to come back. And got lost again!! We desperately need a GPS. We are going to try again tomorrow. While on laptops, i fell in love with the MAC notebook. It is actually sexy, if you can call a laptop sexy. i am so going to buy it, when i can afford it, that is.
i did almost 8K today in about 1 hr 10 minutes! And my legs feel like wooden columns. i know i am going to limp tomorrow to work. But i am confident now that i can complete the 10K. Amen.
Have been bringing work home lately. So no crime thrillers for poor me. i need to finish coding something by next friday. But since we get paid for overtime here, hey, i am not complaining! Let me get back to work. Maybe if i work 24 hours for some weeks, i just might find myself in bed with the MAC! MAC, MAC, MAC....oh i am so besotted with it.
i did almost 8K today in about 1 hr 10 minutes! And my legs feel like wooden columns. i know i am going to limp tomorrow to work. But i am confident now that i can complete the 10K. Amen.
Have been bringing work home lately. So no crime thrillers for poor me. i need to finish coding something by next friday. But since we get paid for overtime here, hey, i am not complaining! Let me get back to work. Maybe if i work 24 hours for some weeks, i just might find myself in bed with the MAC! MAC, MAC, MAC....oh i am so besotted with it.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
ek tuku....
ek tuku chhowa lage
ek tuku kotha sunne
tai diye mone mone
rochi momo falguni...
This is my favourite rabindra sangeet gaan. i would like to translate it but i am scared i might not do justice to this beautiful song. The first time i heard it was when my pranner bondhu S sang it. i love it. i love the way it touches my heart. S was the one who introduced me to the world of rabindra sangeet. She would sing me these beautiful songs and translate them for me. i always used to think it was dull. i was more into bangla rock - chandrabindu, fossils, miles, mohiner ghoraguli et al. But, for once, i was glad to have been proved wrong.
On a totally different track, why would anyone(in their right mind) eat green apple with salt? i do. Out of the blue, i have decided that i would season fruits with salt - plum, apple, cherry.. And me being me, i have induced my colleagues to do so too. You know, i am this evil spirit that roams around, inciting people to do wicked things. And i am so enthusiatic about it that i think they don't have the heart to say no. Like ema says, wherever i go i end up corrupting minds! My PM still has not forgiven me for starting the trend of walking barefoot in office. Now the silly guys and girls walk around without their shoes and i get chided for being the one who started the fire! There is something to imitation being the best form of flattery. But who wants to be imitated by anyone?
ek tuku kotha sunne
tai diye mone mone
rochi momo falguni...
This is my favourite rabindra sangeet gaan. i would like to translate it but i am scared i might not do justice to this beautiful song. The first time i heard it was when my pranner bondhu S sang it. i love it. i love the way it touches my heart. S was the one who introduced me to the world of rabindra sangeet. She would sing me these beautiful songs and translate them for me. i always used to think it was dull. i was more into bangla rock - chandrabindu, fossils, miles, mohiner ghoraguli et al. But, for once, i was glad to have been proved wrong.
On a totally different track, why would anyone(in their right mind) eat green apple with salt? i do. Out of the blue, i have decided that i would season fruits with salt - plum, apple, cherry.. And me being me, i have induced my colleagues to do so too. You know, i am this evil spirit that roams around, inciting people to do wicked things. And i am so enthusiatic about it that i think they don't have the heart to say no. Like ema says, wherever i go i end up corrupting minds! My PM still has not forgiven me for starting the trend of walking barefoot in office. Now the silly guys and girls walk around without their shoes and i get chided for being the one who started the fire! There is something to imitation being the best form of flattery. But who wants to be imitated by anyone?
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
unwilling muscles and mutton...
Went for the first practice run for the 10K. God, i am growing old - at least my muscles are. After the first 1K, i was all washed out and so i decided to walk the remaining 4K - will start with 5K and move on to 10K. Took all of 50 minutes. And guess what, what pained the most was my cheekbones! i cannot, for the life of me, figure out why my cheeks would hurt rather than my leg muscles. This time i have bitten off more than i can chew it seems! Less than three weeks left. i need to build my stamina. i think i will wake up tomorrow and find that i am paralysed. oohhh...aaaaaaaaaaaaa....
And the cheesecake - i was flooded with compliments which i accepted gracefully! If i find myself axed, i know i can open a bakery. Or maybe a corner pan dukan.
OK, the mutton recipe:
i normally marinate the meat overnight with curd and ginger garlic paste, a little bit of chilli powder. Chopped onion, ginger garlic paste (since i am lazy i rely on the bottled variety rather than the fresh version - though sometimes when i want to outdo myself, i do everything from scratch), turmeric and meat masala - that is what you need. oops..forgot to mention tomatoes and green chillies. i don't like the smell of garam masala so i don't use it in my cooking (and the dishes turn out delicious just the same).
Heat oil in a kadhai. Fry the onion till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste. After everything looks blended, add the turmeric and masala. After the oil separates, put in the marinated meat. i normally cover it till the meat loses its "bloody" look and add the chopped tomatoes. Add salt, cover and simmer on a low flame - till the meat is done. i prefer the gravy thick. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
He says i make the best mutton curry - and i think so too. Shameless!
Here is a picture after i added the tomatoes:
And the cheesecake - i was flooded with compliments which i accepted gracefully! If i find myself axed, i know i can open a bakery. Or maybe a corner pan dukan.
OK, the mutton recipe:
i normally marinate the meat overnight with curd and ginger garlic paste, a little bit of chilli powder. Chopped onion, ginger garlic paste (since i am lazy i rely on the bottled variety rather than the fresh version - though sometimes when i want to outdo myself, i do everything from scratch), turmeric and meat masala - that is what you need. oops..forgot to mention tomatoes and green chillies. i don't like the smell of garam masala so i don't use it in my cooking (and the dishes turn out delicious just the same).
Heat oil in a kadhai. Fry the onion till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste. After everything looks blended, add the turmeric and masala. After the oil separates, put in the marinated meat. i normally cover it till the meat loses its "bloody" look and add the chopped tomatoes. Add salt, cover and simmer on a low flame - till the meat is done. i prefer the gravy thick. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
He says i make the best mutton curry - and i think so too. Shameless!
Here is a picture after i added the tomatoes:
Monday, August 06, 2007
chimpanzee cheesecake
i swear it is the name of the recipe - chimpanzee cheesecake!! i think the name has something to do with the bananas in the recipe - but hey, do chimpanzee really like bananas? Beats me! i got the recipe off the net. And just for kicks, i took some pictures while i was baking it.
OK, first the crust - it is 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. i used a 9 1/2 inches springform baking pan. All you have to do is blend the crumbs and sugar and cover the base of the pan (grease it well) and the sides. You are supposed to bake it in an oven preheated to 350 F for 10 minutes. Well, i did it and i got a crust that was burnt. So i just baked it for 5 minutes and let it cool down. This is what it looks like before baking -
For the filling, you have to use 1 pound cream cheese, two teaspoons of lime juice, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 large eggs, 6 teaspoons melted butter, 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup mashed banana. i used a blender to blend everything - much easier on your arms than using a whisk. Then just pour the whole thing into the pan.
Just pop the pan in a preheated oven (350 F again) for one hour. You should not open the oven while it is baking - but i opened it twice!! Oh hell, i can never follow instructions to a T. Let it cool with the oven door open.
The end product looks something like this :
And it tastes wonderful - if i may say so myself. It is moist and has just the right amount of sweetness. And the banana flavour is ummm..yummy! Will have to wait till tomorrow for the reactions of the "guinea pigs".
i also cooked lamb briyani and kaasha mangso (mutton). Will leave that for next time.
OK, first the crust - it is 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. i used a 9 1/2 inches springform baking pan. All you have to do is blend the crumbs and sugar and cover the base of the pan (grease it well) and the sides. You are supposed to bake it in an oven preheated to 350 F for 10 minutes. Well, i did it and i got a crust that was burnt. So i just baked it for 5 minutes and let it cool down. This is what it looks like before baking -
For the filling, you have to use 1 pound cream cheese, two teaspoons of lime juice, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 large eggs, 6 teaspoons melted butter, 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup mashed banana. i used a blender to blend everything - much easier on your arms than using a whisk. Then just pour the whole thing into the pan.
Just pop the pan in a preheated oven (350 F again) for one hour. You should not open the oven while it is baking - but i opened it twice!! Oh hell, i can never follow instructions to a T. Let it cool with the oven door open.
The end product looks something like this :
And it tastes wonderful - if i may say so myself. It is moist and has just the right amount of sweetness. And the banana flavour is ummm..yummy! Will have to wait till tomorrow for the reactions of the "guinea pigs".
i also cooked lamb briyani and kaasha mangso (mutton). Will leave that for next time.
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