Category: Anniversary

  • Home, virtually

    The idea of home has made its presence felt many times on this blog – personal perspectives, as well as its evolution based on the institutional realignment line of thought. In fact, this is one of those topics  which I continue to have many thought wrestling matches on. While home begins as a physical place, as one steps out of it and moves out into the larger world, one realises that it becomes as much a place that is created in the mind.

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    To quote Pico Iyer, “For more and more of us, home has really less to do with a piece of soil than, you could say, with a piece of soul.” The ‘piece of soul’ changes with circumstances and choices – from childhood, landmarks, experiences and so on to a different set of people and places, and a different sense of purpose, for instance. All of this continue to change over time, until probably, at a certain point, you realise the set of places, people and props you’d want around in your final years. But let’s not get morbid ahead of time! 🙂

    To quote Pico again, “Home is not just the place where you happen to be born. It’s the place where you become yourself.” And sometimes it can be both. It also explains why I did not recognise a future home when I saw one – 11 years back, on a screen not very different from this one. That’s what this post is about – to acknowledge the day it all began – 11 years ago. It is also a hat tip to Rediff, where I began my blogging journey (when I spoke at BlogAdda recently, most people didn’t know Rediff used to have blogs) and a nod of thanks to my 25 year old self who had no idea what he was getting into and wrote some horrible verse to start it all off.

    A place that, in a click, helps me travel back in time and shows me people, perspectives and pages, some of whom/which I have outgrown, but have influenced what I am today. Experiences that have shaped the course of my life. A journal of the past which continues to help me shape my narrative – thoughts, to words, to actions, and beyond. A place where I continue to become myself.

    thoughts

    A piece of my soul that is my consciousness and on many occasions, even my conscience. A homepage that I consider home. 🙂

    until next time, thanks for reading!

  • Often, these days…

    10b

    From a shared computer at office in 2003 and posts written over the weekend, to a shared computer at home and posts written over the weekend and scheduled for days far ahead in 2013,  it’s been one awesome journey. Thank you for reading.  🙂

    until next time, tenacious

  • Smoked Out barbecue

    You’d probably not find it if you weren’t looking for it. Which is probably a good thing, since the place would work for you only if you enjoy this kind of food, and the ‘tasty’ smoke that comes with it. Else you’d most likely be smoked out. It’s located on 8th Main, Koramangala, the same as Ooty Chocolates, and the one that goes from Dalma on 100 feet Road towards 1st Block Koramangala. If I have confused you enough, here’s a map. Parking should be a breeze.

    There are about half a dozen tables, and you can see your meal getting cooked. You can watch the road too, and generally relax to some good music. The only thing you’d probably miss is a beer. In essence, a place you would consider keeping a secret, just so you can easily find a table the next time you’re there. 😉 There’s a sprinkling of attitude too, check out the coasters. Also loved the menu board!

     

    The menu (click to enlarge) is to the point, so don’t expect to see casual mentions of noodles or butter chicken anywhere. We decided to start with a Grilled Beef Burger and a Whole Thigh, and add to it in case we felt hungry. The Burger was excellent, crisp on the outside, superbly ground meat inside and helped by a tasty sweet and spicy sauce. The French Fries deserve a mention purely for the flavour that they brought to the table. Cheesy, mildly salty and overall a great complement to the burger. The Whole Thigh is served with a veg salad and garlic bread. Though it was quite decent, I’d have liked the chicken grilled a bit more. Since we were still hungry, we also got ourselves a Grilled Chicken Fillet Burger which was as impressive as its beef cousin. Continuing the theme of the restaurant, the desserts are also grilled (fruits). But we had a movie to catch and therefore skipped.

     

    Thanks to Poshvine, the bill came to less than Rs.450. Reasonably good service, the owner is usually around and helps you with choices and takes the order himself. If you are fond of barbecue, or want to try it out, this should be in your to-do list.

    Smoked Out barbecue, 8th Main Rd, Koramangala 4th Block, Ph: 9980199822

    PS: 9 years is around the time one gets too old for birthdays, but can’t help mention that this is the date on which it all started 9 years ago. The amazing coincidence is that though the review has been published now, I visited the place on my birthday in March!

  • This too shall pass…

    Not a simple subject, but he’d been reading up, and even writing about it. Though he hadn’t completely internalised it, he felt he was beginning to understand. But the actuality of ‘transience’ hit him when his computer crashed. Photos, notes, accumulated over 7 years. Gone! Data recovery attempts failed. He too was yet to recover.

    until next time, 8 years of blogging

    P.S. A good time to realise that at some point, this too shall pause 🙂

  • Say when….

    Those of you who’ve been reading the blog the last seven days would know that we’ve finally completed the Sikkim series. (pics) (for those who haven’t, here’s a guilt-edged invite, hmmph)

    Its time to move on. Away from the stalk-aided twitter environment, and the web in general, I had enough time and inclination to let my mind wander. I am not a regular viewer of ‘Prison Break’, but a while back, i’d tweeted a Theodore ‘T-Bag’ Bagwell (played by Robert Knepper, who you might know as the awesome Samuel Sullivan in Heroes) line, which I came across quite randomly. It goes “We are captives of our own identities, living in prisons of our own creation.”

    The vacation, and its ups and downs, expectations and comparisons in general, perceptions formed and set, until its one big clouded piece of baggage, they all occupied the mind. Every time the mind wanted to break free, there was a resistance. I wondered about the blog, myself and ‘prisons of our own creation’. The limits I have unwittingly set for the blog- which in a way, mirrors life too, the possibilities that might have been disrupted by diligence. You too, perhaps? Of what kind of things you like to see here? Maybe the transience of this entire exercise is something I’ve yet to come to terms with.

    But it’s funny when you think about it. Us. You and me. There are probably less than 10 readers of this blog, who I can claim to have met, or even spoken to, outside of the web’s confines. The only thing that connects us is perhaps the words here, the thoughts shared, and the images we have created of each other.

    Come close and then even closer
    We bring it in but we go no further
    We’re separate, two ghosts in one mirror, no nearer

    But I guess that’s okay too. I look at blogrolls, posts, comments, and I have more than enough reasons to be happy with the time I spent on this blog. There’s a reason that I’m looking back at all of this.

    Those of you who’ve been reading the blog for a little longer , about seven years, would know that today, we complete that too.  🙂

    Thanks for reading.

    Some of this was here before us
    All of this will go after us
    It Never stops until we give in, give in, say when….

    (Say when, The Fray)

    until next time, seventh heaven 🙂

    PS. New design and the FB like button implemented. So next time you like, and you’re ok with the ‘Like’ showing in your FB activity stream, click on. It will prompt you for logging in to FB