My recipes have a new home!

I finally bit the bullet and decided to split the content on the blog. A weekend when we have been "cyclone"d in made me finally get down to it.

I started off this blog as a journal of my thoughts and then it went on to becoming my recipe book. Slowly posts on movie reviews and restaurant reviews began to creep in. It looked like a nice collage to me but friends mentioned that blogs should not be a collage.

Gathering a fan following was never really an agenda item, neither was there the awareness of laurels and blog awards. A bout of web trawling eats into moments of reflection and those started leaving me depressed. But the "chalta hain" side of me, never allowed the depression to turn into a drive to excel or to do better.

A few times, I did manage to incorporate templates and indulge in joining focus groups but I really could not keep up with that. It seems hollow to visit a blog and then leave a comment on a post hoping that the person would take notice and return the favour. Don't get me wrong. Not all the comments would fall into this category. But this is not the kind of satisfaction that I am looking for. I'd rather some one really tried out the recipe and gave me honest feedback. But what are the chances of someone really following a recipe to the tee? I think I myself have a 0.1% record. Either I don't have all the ingredients or I prefer to add an ingredient or two, to suit my taste. And that reminds me of the fact that people are so much more fussy about food nowadays than I can remember in the days when my mom and her friends entertained.

But I still went ahead and am giving it another chance. I think I have succeeded. All the recipes are now available here. You can also access them from the "Recipes" link in the top menu bar. Feedback is welcome.

Chapter 2 : The metamorphosis begins

[Here's a link to the first Chapter.]

Disclaimer : These are just incidents from my life and I don't mean to offend anyone. And, don't get judgemental. What's here is mostly just the past.

Co-education and the rise of Ekta Kapoor!!! What better way to begin the change with? Now that I've got your ears perked up, let's dig in.

First things first, I nailed the TNPCEE entrance exam. Just as my winning streak continued, Moi topped the coaching center.

Next was selecting the college. The Dad and Moi headed to Anna University, Chennai for the "window" selection process. Now, the Dad too is quite the naive guy who ended up paying the cunning rickshaw wala twice. Okay - selection time - Coimbatore Institute of Technology it had to be - far away from aunt's place to get some breathing space. Moi had slightly lesser marks required to make it to the Computer discipline at the prestigious PSG College of Technology.

This was going to be a 4 year stint and I had already let the cat out of the bag which had gotten me into enough trouble. Moi had to tread this chapter with caution. One piece of advice - never ever ever trust a relative when it comes to your relationships.

The Aunt would diligently wake up every morning at 5:30 and prepare delicious food for the dabba. On some days, there would be two dabbas - one for the friends and one for Moi. Her rotis were in demand always. I learnt to make rotis from her. So, food was taken care of, so was stay as well as Ganesha who would wash and iron my clothes. The pocket money Moi got was spent at the cafeteria and the occasional "MarryBrown" indulgences. I am ever thankful for what she and her family have done for me. Now, how often do we actually thank the people who have touched our lives?

The bus ride to and from college meant getting to meet more people and to get smart. One had to  make friends with the conductor of S8 to ensure he'd allow us to get in at the very last bus stop so that we'd get a place to sit before the mad rush entered at the first stop. Now, for those who are not accustomed to taking buses, the last stop will be the stop on the opposite side of the first stop. (Doh)

Senior 1 : "Hey Jyothi, come here. Do you know tamil?"
Moi : "No."
Senior 1 : "Okay then sing a song in tamil. We won't let you get back into the class until you sing."
Moi : "Nila kaayum neram, saranam."

This was one amongst the initial friendly ragging incidents. Another common form was to force the junior to purchase the second hand text books, no matter what the condition, for a fixed price.

It is a very fine line between friendship and flirting/infatuation. One has to tread carefully so as not to lose a good friend or make the wrong impression. Moi saw a fair share of crushes, heartbreaks and broken promises

These 4 years taught me patience, acceptance and humility. I had classmates who had struggled to get where they were. It was an interesting mix - rich, spoilt kids waiting to take advantage of you and the poor ones who were scared to approach you because they are not comfortable with the English language.

At home, what with "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki" and "Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi" making an entry, the Ekta Kapoor saga started forming its impression on my already limited world. One would think that one's only aim was to become a "Parvathi" or a "Tulsi".

And it is with that intent that Moi returned to Ooty, to be "happily" married to the chosen one.