An India Pakistan Match

I went home early yesterday. The reason being simple. There was an India vs Pakistan match that was actually the finals of the 20 20 World Cup being played in South Africa, So this friend of mine proposed that we should go home and entertain ourselves.

The same idea was however generated in most of expats staying in Dubai and there was an expected traffic overload in the roads. We missed 7-8 0vers but then it was an extremely engrossing match.

But thats not the point. Its the concept, that myself an Indian and my friend from Pakistan went together to watch a match and enjoyed it too. At the end of the day its cricket that united us in this joint venture and I am sure there would be plenty of examples like us in Dubai or wherever.

I wish our armies at Siachen could play volleyball together. I wish our Borders with Pakistan are relaxed we could visit each other freely without the goverment agencies snooping around. I wish the people who are supporting lost causes in the name of religion divert their energies to charitable or value added ventures rather than destruction.

I wish in both our countries right from school we are taught that our elderly politicians have really screwed it all up and the common man has been left in the lurch with questionable sense of belonging.

Since everything that happens in the world are in cycles, we hope to come out of this trough soon enough. Sphere: Related Content

Indo-Pak Match

The people are eager for the match to start.
These matches do create a flutter in the heart.
Colleagues in the bank are placing bets
While the guys out there are at the nets
So why wait, watch the game and play your part. Sphere: Related Content

Dim Begoon

I have been in Dubai for some time now, but contrary to typical me, I have been hardly going out to eat. At work I carry sandwiches from home, while dinner I always prepare. Somehow I have not been really able to manage this inertia of mine of not going out to restaurants. So what do I typically eat these days at home. Lentils, vegetable curries, fish curry, raw cucumbers, raw onions, etc. Eggs are my favourite and I buy the low fat cholesterol free eggs for consumption. Red meat I have almost forgotten, while chicken is in the agenda once in a while. I dish I often cook is Dim Begun and you might wonder what the hell is that. The literal translation of that Bengali name would be Egg Brinjal but perhaps I would like to change the name to Planter's Egg.
Egg is self explanatory while Brinjal is also known as Egg Plant or Aubergine.

This is how I make it:

1. Buy quality Brinjals(Egg Plant, Aubergine)
2. Ensure that they are not bitter (I would be grateful if somebody tells me how to make sure of this)
3. Wash them and cut into cube like pieces
4. Have some sliced onions ready
5. Cut boiled eggs into medium cubes(or whatever that geometrical shape is called)
6. Throw in some oil in the frying pan.
7. Fry the boiled eggs until ultra light brown and keep aside.
8. In the same oil add onions and fry until ultra light brown.
9. Now put in the brinjal cubes atnd fry till semi soft.
10. Add some spices like Chilly Powder, Coriander Powder.
11. Keep frying until the spices are no longer raw.
12. Add in the eggs, salt and stir the mix occasionally without making a mess out of it.
13. EAT with Indian Breads or Mexican Tortillas.

I love this, So would you! Sphere: Related Content

50 50 vs 20 20

I am talking about cricket out here and people who are not interested in the topic are still allowed to read on.

While I wrote that sentence above, somehow my thoughts got all jumbled up and the first thing that is flowing out of my fingers is the fact that there are prudes in all of us and that in different point of times in different aspects of our life we are so keen to exhibit this trait.

Like Javed Miandad commenting on how Test Cricket would suffer from 20-20. Did'nt we hear that when the One Day Internationals started?

The point is that no matter how hard you try, one cannot run away from economics. Whether you are working, playing, helping or carrying on a religious life. Somebody has to pay!!!!!

So its all good to say stuff like money is not the main motivator....but underline its the Lowest Common Denominator of our fractioned life.

So when we talk about 20-20, have you seen the stands? They were choc-a-bloc. People do not have time these days. So while classical music is the basis and will prevail, you also need the Hip-hops and raps for you to make money. Tests will stay, but you are prude to ignore 20-20. Incidentally the latter is the game that is played in the streets in India. We all are in sync with this. And may be you are not, but then you are surely a case of the exception proving the rule. Sphere: Related Content

Weekends, Weather, Walls

On weekends these days, since the weather is not so conducive for outings, I am confined to four walls in my studio. The place of course is Dubai and I did not ever fathom such a contrast with my earlier stint in Seoul.

During my early days here, I was quite enterprising in trying to find out about places to visit and other stuff. Interestingly, I also managed to locate a local friend because after going alone everywhere alone is not so much fun. So one of our first joints was the Beach. It was less than a kilometre, no waves and dark grainy sands. I was not pleased for sure.

Then came the Malls. Visited the first one. It was great. Visited the second one in Deira. Waited for a Cab for two hours. Vowed never to visit the same again. Friend talked about visiting a third. I said " Go Jump".

So nowadays I have immersed myself in Crime. That's the genre I like best when I watch DVDs and so one by one I am in this process of exhausting my local library. I have selected the next one, because this one perhaps is going to last only for another month or so.

So people ask me as to how do I spend my weekends. And I used to answer differently every time. Nowadays they have stopped asking me. The curious few ask me about the movies I have seen. But thats mored due to social etiquette rather than any special interest.

Why am I writing all this? Its just that I have not been writing for sometime now. I thought I should start. Its my fault that this piece is of no interest to you. But give me some warm up time and I will be back with a meeaaaooowww.

By the way, its still hot out there!! Sphere: Related Content

Dubai : A city of dichotomies

I would like to pledge in the beginning itself that I am new in Dubai. I consider that as an advantage since I carry no baggage and perhaps I could be dispassionate. Oh by the way, you will be quite disappointed if you are looking for a structured analysis vis-a-vis the Title. But as I said earlier, this is my blog and I could do anything with it.



The first thing when I landed in Dubai was to call home and I remember saying that looks like I have landed in Cochin or Trivandrum, except that everything was polished. Not the behavior, but the real estate, the roads, the vehicles, the amenities, etc, etc. In fact its quite amazing the way a desert has been transferred into a concrete jungle. The planners of course are creating more real estates with more greenery these days and thats a welcome change. However when I am out, somehow I see, concrete, tar and vehicles!!! The palm trees on certain roads looks like exceptions rather than the rule. They look good for sure, but somehow I am not able to touch them, if you know what I mean.



In the last two months the variety of taxi drivers I have met from different nationalities are quite amazing. Typically taxi drivers are from India(Read Kerala), Pakistan, Syria, Egypt and other neighbouring countries. I found the people from the Land of the Pure - the best in terms of communication or helpfulness. Being an Indian I was a bit disappointed with my brethren especially in terms of their stiffness, and "playing Malayalam songs on the Car Audio". Oh by the way, Pak means pure and that leads to Pak-i-stan.



The weather is a main deterrent and typically people from the sub continent either visit the large Malls and shop, window shop or eat. The other option is of course watching the movies in a good cineplex. Indians are hardly into games or beach activities. Exceptions prove the rule mind you. And the Europeans are also in the malls and the singles would all perhaps land up in the night clubs of choice and taste.



Thats one side. On the other side of the fence are the workers. Construction workers mostly, staying in labour camps(??). A labour camp is a combination of four walled rooms, with one wash room where 20 or more persons from the sub continent are occupying their individual spaces less then perhaps of a decent prison cell!!! They are absolutely not on our mindset. They are like the slaves of the modern world earning 500 AEDs a months (thats about 135 USD) and I refrain from going into the calculation of their spending habits or scope.



The razzmatazz has a gloomy supporting system and thats perhaps the capitalist exploitation in its raw visible form. You would see that in Dubai!!!! I suggest that when you decide your next vacation, do not come to Dubai. There are better places in the world and I promise you that if you sit down with me I can prove it to you that Dubai will land up as one of the last choices unless you want to see the Tallest Building on earth, or see a fat sheikh walking into a hotel with a petite woman from one of the European Countries. Or perhaps shop. But are you serious, that's your vacation idea? Sphere: Related Content

Creepers on the Glass

The other day when I went near the drawing room I noticed that on the window glasses there were some shadows of creepers due to the light from the road lamp. It was a good image and it turned out better when I switched off the light. The digital camera was nearby and I happened to click the image on the digital camera. The results were not good except one shot that was reasonable. Coming to think of it I always had a habit of taking along my camera along whenever I went out but these days its not happening and I do not know the reason for the same. I will try to get back to my old habit.

My sister who is a photographer ( almost pro) gave me a photograph other day of some birds on the wire!! I found it a great one though a bit of editing would change this into a good one. I hope you liked this one on the left!! I need to enlarge this one and frame and put it up on one of the walls in the house. All of them if you notice are sitting, except one bird in a state of flight about to settle down.

I expect to load some more photographs as and when I find them worthy of my blog!!! Sphere: Related Content