Thursday, December 10, 2009
Concoctions
Mixing things up to create concoctions has always been quite a fascination for me, more so to feed the curiosity of what the end product might look like (and taste like in some cases). I am reminded of the time in high school when I used to mix up weird solutions in the Chemistry lab, and marvel at the resulting mixtures and their exquisite colors. Anyway, my most recent fascination with concoctions has been in creating herbal drinks, some of which I honestly think would never have been created before, and would thus be patentable for their health-giving properties (given that I can attribute my perfect health to having these drinks on a regular basis, and to not having faced any side effects thus far :D). I would like to highlight one of these creations, whose ingredients include Neem leaves, Basil, Ginseng, Green tea leaves, Cumin seeds, turmeric powder, and honey, boiled in water for about 10 to 15 minutes. India is truly a land of herbs - I get the Neem and Basil leaves right out of the back yard, while the rest are quite ubiquitous at grocery stores at low prices. Admittedly, a lot more "stuff" could be potentially added to the mix, but then, the idea is to create a drink that is more qualitative than quantitative. I am a big fan of Neem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem), even though it is one of the most bitter-tasting edible creations of GOD. Though it mainly finds applications as a topical agent in soaps, oils, and skin creams, it is increasingly being used as an ingredient in drinks (mostly in tea), for its blood purifying and internal body cleansing properties. Though my concoction hasn't been clinically tested, I continue to believe that with the chosen ingredients, I have managed to create a wholesome drink, which captures the cleansing properties of neem, energy giving properties of Ginseng, the antioxidants in green tea, the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric, the aroma from basil, and the sweet taste of honey. Check it out for yourselves, and enjoy its plethora of health benefits...
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Funny Story
It was the last leg of my long-winding journey back home from the US. I was visiting Seoul to meet an old college buddy, and after a week or so of gratifying Korean cultural experience (which included food, shopping, history, architecture, and natural splendor), I was now my way to Chennai aboard a Malaysian Airlines flight (Malaysian Airlines from Seoul to Chennai has a stop over in Kuala Lumpur for a couple of hours, and a transfer to a different aircraft). The first leg of the flight (Seoul to Kuala Lumpur) was quite uneventful. I had been told that Malaysian Airlines had the best looking flight attendants (which, in fact, was also the reason why I chose to fly Malaysian), but there were none that really caught my eye. It was probably because of the overdose of fashionable (and good looking) women that I got to see on the streets of Seoul. Anyway, I spent most of my flight time in slumber, disrupted however by the occassional turbulence. It was my first time landing in Kuala Lumpur. I was impressed by the Airport. Being in the infrastructure industry, I was able to appreciate not only the structural design aspects of it, but also its architectural and aesthetic elements. I only about had time to take some pictures, before getting ready for the next leg of the journey.
It wasn't hard to spot the gate designated for the Chennai flight, as most of the passengers seated around the gate were Indian. There was a lot of excitement in the crowd. Air travel is a new found fascination among Indians, and I wasn't too surprised by the vibrant commotion in the crowd in anticipation of the upcoming flight home. Indians are akin to noise and chaos, and this situation was no exception to the rule. Anyway, I was happy to be finally aboard, and after the pre-flight formalities, we were air borne. I looked at the watch and it read 5:30 pm. Whoa that departure was right on time! I was surprised to find a couple of Indian flight attendants (considering that it was a Malaysian Airlines flight), and I did take the opportunity to share a brief conversation with one of them in Tamil. A nice way I thought to brush up on my Tamil, which I hadn't uttered a word of during my stay in the US, before reaching Chennai (the capital city of Tamil Nadu state, which literally means Tamil land). The best thing about India-bound flights is the food. Being an Indian, you might think I am biased, but then, who doesn't like Indian cuisine. Food was served a couple of hours into the flight - a choice between rice with chicken curry for the meat-eaters, and rice with saag daal (spinach lentils) for the vegetarians. After a hearty vegetarian meal washed down with a cup of hot darjeeling tea, I was deeply satiated, and looking forward to the arrival in Chennai in about an hour. I took the opportunity to peruse the in-flight magazine, and was pleasantly greeted by some interesting articles about Tourism in Southern India (in cities like Chennai, Thanjavur, Mysore, Pondicherry, and Madurai). It didn't take long for the thought to sink in that there was so much left for me to see and experience in India, but I was also secretly happy that I was moving this time to India from the US for good. I wished I could take the magazine with me, as I had run out of time to remember the long list of must-visit tourist sites, but it was not to be. I comforted the thought with the fact that the Internet was a much better resource for that purpose. During our final descent into Chennai, I could hear the excitement re-kindled among the passengers. There was an American couple (I concluded from their accent) sitting behind my seat, and I figured from their conversation that this was their first time visiting India. Not a bad time for them to visit Chennai I thought, since the weather gets relatively milder this time of the year, but then, it could be that maybe they were just transiting via Chennai, and heading some place else. It was good that I had my mind preoccupied with these thoughts, as they kept me from worrying about the landing (which I get the most anxious about). The touch down was smooth, but ironically, some sort of hydraulic equipment had failed due to the impact (as per the prompt announcement from the captain), and the plane had came to a halt somewhere along the runway. The ensuing wait on the runway, which lasted about 45 minutes, was quite unbearable. There was no reason given for the wait. I imagined it was due to the excrutiatingly slow moving towing-vehicle deployed from the terminal that had to traverse a long distance to get to us. It was a relief to be finally heading towards the terminal, albeit at a really slow pace. The local time was 10:15 pm, and I estimated it would be somewhere around 11 pm by the time I get out of the airport to meet my parents at the "arrivals" location. I also noticed that the recent excitement in the crowd had all but died down by now, with people tired and waiting in silent anticipation for their final arrival at the terminal. Amidst the silence, I overheard the American guy behind my seat talking to his spouse. To them it seemed the whole ordeal was quite amusing. A great way to be welcomed to India for the very first time I thought. The guy was asking her what she thought was the reason to be moving so slowly to the terminal. She chose not to respond, I guess from fear of being politically incorrect, but the guy quipped back immediately saying "oh don't you see, its cuz we are being pulled by an elephant". I wondered if he really thought that was the case, or if he was being facetious, but in any event, it was quite hilarious. I somehow managed to keep my laughter in check. I thought how apt it was to have heard such a funny remark from an American, who for all I know, still considered India, despite reassurances back home, to be a land of snake charmers and elephants being used in place of towing trucks. I was in fact glad that the ordeal happened, as it brought out a funny aspect of the eventualities of the West meeting the East.
It wasn't hard to spot the gate designated for the Chennai flight, as most of the passengers seated around the gate were Indian. There was a lot of excitement in the crowd. Air travel is a new found fascination among Indians, and I wasn't too surprised by the vibrant commotion in the crowd in anticipation of the upcoming flight home. Indians are akin to noise and chaos, and this situation was no exception to the rule. Anyway, I was happy to be finally aboard, and after the pre-flight formalities, we were air borne. I looked at the watch and it read 5:30 pm. Whoa that departure was right on time! I was surprised to find a couple of Indian flight attendants (considering that it was a Malaysian Airlines flight), and I did take the opportunity to share a brief conversation with one of them in Tamil. A nice way I thought to brush up on my Tamil, which I hadn't uttered a word of during my stay in the US, before reaching Chennai (the capital city of Tamil Nadu state, which literally means Tamil land). The best thing about India-bound flights is the food. Being an Indian, you might think I am biased, but then, who doesn't like Indian cuisine. Food was served a couple of hours into the flight - a choice between rice with chicken curry for the meat-eaters, and rice with saag daal (spinach lentils) for the vegetarians. After a hearty vegetarian meal washed down with a cup of hot darjeeling tea, I was deeply satiated, and looking forward to the arrival in Chennai in about an hour. I took the opportunity to peruse the in-flight magazine, and was pleasantly greeted by some interesting articles about Tourism in Southern India (in cities like Chennai, Thanjavur, Mysore, Pondicherry, and Madurai). It didn't take long for the thought to sink in that there was so much left for me to see and experience in India, but I was also secretly happy that I was moving this time to India from the US for good. I wished I could take the magazine with me, as I had run out of time to remember the long list of must-visit tourist sites, but it was not to be. I comforted the thought with the fact that the Internet was a much better resource for that purpose. During our final descent into Chennai, I could hear the excitement re-kindled among the passengers. There was an American couple (I concluded from their accent) sitting behind my seat, and I figured from their conversation that this was their first time visiting India. Not a bad time for them to visit Chennai I thought, since the weather gets relatively milder this time of the year, but then, it could be that maybe they were just transiting via Chennai, and heading some place else. It was good that I had my mind preoccupied with these thoughts, as they kept me from worrying about the landing (which I get the most anxious about). The touch down was smooth, but ironically, some sort of hydraulic equipment had failed due to the impact (as per the prompt announcement from the captain), and the plane had came to a halt somewhere along the runway. The ensuing wait on the runway, which lasted about 45 minutes, was quite unbearable. There was no reason given for the wait. I imagined it was due to the excrutiatingly slow moving towing-vehicle deployed from the terminal that had to traverse a long distance to get to us. It was a relief to be finally heading towards the terminal, albeit at a really slow pace. The local time was 10:15 pm, and I estimated it would be somewhere around 11 pm by the time I get out of the airport to meet my parents at the "arrivals" location. I also noticed that the recent excitement in the crowd had all but died down by now, with people tired and waiting in silent anticipation for their final arrival at the terminal. Amidst the silence, I overheard the American guy behind my seat talking to his spouse. To them it seemed the whole ordeal was quite amusing. A great way to be welcomed to India for the very first time I thought. The guy was asking her what she thought was the reason to be moving so slowly to the terminal. She chose not to respond, I guess from fear of being politically incorrect, but the guy quipped back immediately saying "oh don't you see, its cuz we are being pulled by an elephant". I wondered if he really thought that was the case, or if he was being facetious, but in any event, it was quite hilarious. I somehow managed to keep my laughter in check. I thought how apt it was to have heard such a funny remark from an American, who for all I know, still considered India, despite reassurances back home, to be a land of snake charmers and elephants being used in place of towing trucks. I was in fact glad that the ordeal happened, as it brought out a funny aspect of the eventualities of the West meeting the East.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day. May our thoughts go out to all those who have been and are currently afflicted by this deadly disease, and pray that through our collective efforts, we wipe it out from the face of our planet soon. May we also acknowledge and appreciate the great work being undertaken by organizations, and individuals around the world, in spreading awareness about the disease and preventive practices that can be adopted to keep the disease at bay. www.aids.gov and www.avert.org provide some great resources to learn more about AIDS and what can we do in supporting the fight against this disease.
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