Within minutes, my wandering thoughts about ducks in the lake turned into excruciating realities of corporate crap that surrounds most of us in our 20’s or 30’s something. I mean here I am in a building that does not belong to me, on a desk that does not have my name, a laptop that I didn’t pay for, high speed internet that for the only time I didn’t ask for, and a telephone that I don’t want to ever pick up. These things keep me hostage, far away from the freedom enjoyed by the ducks in the path of my vision.

I find it ludicrous when I think about it. We are working for clients we barely know at a personal level, on unprecedented deadlines that have become a corporate fad, with attention to details that we woefully miss at the remains of our personal life, and relentless dedication that dooms us submerged into the depths of what I would like to refer from now on as the ‘corporate mafia’. Make no mistake - mafia it is. It makes you do the work, leaves you with no option, sets the rules, pays you enough for you to keep coming back, and ensures you are not around to see your kid play cricket. All these sacrifices so that we remain socially acceptable in this robotic society we have turned ourselves into with the turn of the centaury. This begs the question, have we forgotten the difference between what is ridiculous verses sublime?

The ridiculous being - all this slavery so that we can grow inches on our plasma, eat finer cuts of meat, upgrade to a new gadgets that we most likely already own, plan our next fancy vacation to wonderland, and buy a Tag Huer to tell us the time that we are loosing by the day. And the sublime being - spending 2 hours over a lunch on a Wednesday, calling friends and family for as long as you want, spending some time with the girl at starbucks that actually smiles at you and knows your name, and just be on a vacation without actually going anywhere.

Maybe I need to reclaim my life or maybe I just had a heavy work month. The point is that if we struggle to strike a balance, it is imperative we tilt towards the sublime than the ridiculous. Or else you will spend away like a sitting duck while the mafia will have the last laugh.

I have met many people, seen a bunch of different places, lived with immoderation, and in each of those times, life has meant different things to me. At times square in new york - it meant being someone famous one day, in new delhi - it meant being home and comfortable, at camping and rafting - it meant being adventurous, and in walking back home from indus river through fields in ladhakh - it meant being just organic. Working with colleagues at work - it meant being competitive, and working with clients - it meant being quick and witty. Spending a day fishing - it meant being free, while pulling a living fish out of water - it meant being just lucky to be on the other side.

Getting a cricket ball to spin a million miles - it meant being magical, and winning a game of tennis from the jaws of defeat - it meant being achievable. Riding on a horse that went wild and almost threw me in seven springs -it meant being a ‘close shave’. Life was giving me a valuable lesson every time, and it was up for me to simply grab it.

The same applies to human relationships which are typically more complex than your independent experiences with life. There is too much judgement and control in modern day human life. What to say, how to say, what to do, what to wear, how to speak, what to eat, where to spend, how to behave, what to ignore, what to accept.. to many floating questions in the air. These are like mini bombs that can mutilate relationships.

Good intentions, good acts, good thoughts and good behaviour are not good enough anymore. It goes back to the question of how you look at it? People who make an effort to see through others rather than just look at them, have a better chance of keeping the relationships around them simple. Once you can see through someone’s goodness, then every ritual or odd thing they do or say becomes frivolous. Otherwise, if you just keep looking at people as objects, then you are bound to question your relationships with them, which can never be good.

Sometimes you just think of things you’ve seen, and ponder upon the old memories that you have salvaged. I think of all the great people i’ve met, the relationships i’ve made, the places i’ve been, the pictures i’ve taken, the music i’ve enjoyed, the sports i’ve played and the sun sets i’ve seen. All extraordinary memories that I will cherish for life.

Signature room has an ambiance and service that you would normally associate with any fine dinning restaurant. On top of that, it is located on the top of the world and offers a breath taking view. The menu is reasonably expansive and I assure you that you will find your steak, or fish, or chicken or vegetarian entrée. I ordered myself a Scottish Salmon, and it was an absolute treat. Perfectly sauteéd and rich in flavor. I rarely get my wine right, because I am more of a beer guy, but this time I got a glass of Merlot which just blended perfectly with the fish, the bread and of course the great company I was with. In fact, my friend who is a hesitant guzzler at best, ordered himself the same wine after he did a little taste ride from me.

The signature room does not quite have the reputation in Chicago as far as the quality of food is concerned. Not sure if that is accurate because me and my friends were pretty darn happy with all our meals. Maybe they traded a chef recently, or maybe we were completely dazzled to distinguish between good food and bad food, or maybe we were so happy in each others company that everything else was just too petty. The amazing part is that the food is actually not that expensive. An entree is about $30 USD, and a glass of wine is about $10 USD. I have paid a lot more money for meals at worst places.

There were a couple of things that they could have done better. Firstly, when we entered the restaurant, it smelled like fish. And I know that it is one of the hardest smell to get rid off specially if too many people are eating it, but come-on, who wants to be greeted by that odor? But very quickly it just disappeared as our senses made the adjustment. Secondly, the butter that was served had a hard texture which made it a little bit of work to actually grease up the bread.  I really can’t think of any other issue with either the food or service or ambiance. The sum and substance is that I would highly recommend this restaurant. Try and grab a seat on the north or south side and just blend in. Thumbs up!

I read the book couple of years ago and was truly captivated with the God vs Science battle, if I can put it so simply. Angels and Demons is about how Illuminati’s - a name that refers to a group of people including scientist and architects, who wants to take their revenge on the church by killing the cardinals who are trying to elect a new Bishop in Rome. It is a pretty intense plot with suspense all the way till the end. The movie is well shot, and the screenplay is exceptional. It explains the cause of Illuminati’s anger against the church, the reasons behind how and where and when are the cardinals executed. Of course, it’s fictional but it is also very real in some ways.

It is but natural to compare this with Da Vinci Code, and I think Angels and Demons as a movie is a clear winner. It retained all the cliche’s of a Dan Brown book, but a lot of other serious stuff has been stripped away. Not every scene has a reference to the source of a Novel, which made Da Vinci Code a bit of a drag. A lot more liberty has been applied to characterisation to make them look Hollywood ready.

The flip side was acting for me. Not a single performance that you can even nominate for the Oscars. It was the script and screenplay that kept me going, the actors (including Mr Hanks) were just very ordinary. So much was happening around them, the entire city was on the verge to collapse, cardinals were dying, the time lines were so tight, but they were just simply going through emotions and vomiting their dialogues.

Would also like to bring to your notice, that the friend I was watching this movie with was taking cat naps regularly in the theater. But I would not read too much into it.. seriously!

Next to my home in a lonely house,
There lived a boy who’s name was Kurt,
More than any other thing, he used to play Guitar,
And I knew there and then, he is gonna be a star

Then one day I met him down the street,
His face was blue and spirits green,
I asked him the reason, and he started to dry,
Cause his dad had made him come kill someone

(Chorus)
Hey God, will no one try to understand him?
He’s livin life in the black streets,
Will no one try and stand beside him,
And save him from this big bad world,
Poor Kurt, Dear Kurt!

Far from my home, in another town,
There lived a girl, her name was Jennifer,
She was beautiful, with a perfect figure,
A future super model, even fools could figure

Few months later, at a coffee shop,
She looked so pale, and wanted to drop,
When I asked the reason, she started to cry,
Cause her mom had made her, f*** someone,

(Chorus)
Hey God, will no one try to understand her?
She’s livin life in the dark streets,
Will no one try and stand beside her,
And save her from this big bad world,
Poor Jennifer, Dear Jennifer!

Credits:
Lyrics: Yogesh & Shekhar
Lead Guitar: Yogesh
Lead Vocal: Shekhar
Base: Adarsh
Rhythm: Manav
Drums: Bhuvan

It all comes down to history of the sport and league. Cricket has legendary history around the battles between English and Australian’s, the birth of the ashes, India’s first tour of England, South Africa re-entry to International cricket, West Indies in England, India Vs Pakistan…and so much more. People don’t follow Victoria vs Queensland, Delhi vs Kolkatta, or Lancashire vs Yorkshire. These domestic cricket competition don’t have a fan following, they are build to create international level players, umpires and administrators. Basically, all domestic cricket is played to break into the national team. However, IPL has changed it all forever in cricket. This domestic Indian competition involves 8 clubs, 50 plus international players, huge pay checks, best supporting staffs, players auction and player transfers, essentially covers all aspects that makes domestic leagues super popular around the world. In years to come as people really start understanding their favorites, as the league see’s its gems, its controversial games, the history of it’s winners and the history of it’s close losers, I am sure it will capture the imagination of millions more around the world.

I clearly don’t have a favourite now, but I do know the teams I’d like to see win, the teams I really don’t care about and the teams I actually will enjoy seeing loose.

Teams that rock for me:

Delhi Daredevils: Besides the fact that I am core Delhi’et and I love the city, I think Sehwag and Gambhir are 2 super Indian players that I really like. Also, I became a huge fan of AB Devilliars in the last 6 months of seeing him destroy the Australians regularly.

Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar is true champion, has given me countless moments of happiness in past 2 decades. He leads the Mumbai Indians team and I will always cherish his side winning. Also, they recently bought JP Dumminy for $950,000 USD and I thought it was a great move. If you saw the recent matches between SA and Australia, I can tell you JP Dumminy is the new rockstar in the world of cricket.

Bangalore Royal Challengers: Mr Vijay Mallaya is a dude. He owns Bangalore Royal Challengors team, and after last years defeats, he made some solid changes this year and I think they deserve to get to the top 4, if not win it. I like Kevin Peiterson, their new buy for USD 1.35 Million and also thier new captain. He brings a lot to the table. Also, not to forget the likes of Dravid, Kumble, Kallis, Boucher in this team. The team was tagged last years as Test X1, and I would like to really see them prove everyone wrong.

Rajasthan Royals: You beauty! Defending champions of IPL. Their journey to from season one to win the cup is legendary. Ian Chappel and Richie Benaud has said on record many times in the past decade that Shane Warne is the best captain Australia never had. IPL season 1 proved it that they were spot on. Warney is not only the best cricketer along side Sachin that I have ever seen, he is an inspiration. He converted a bunch of average cricketers to become street smart and win the series. Rajasthan is the most beautiful state in India and I guess the name Royals is just spot on.

Teams I am neutral towards:

Chennai Super Kings: A creepy Australian opener, ugly yellow uniform, and too many unsynchronized players. For me, this team does not have a theme. There is nothing really to love and nothing really to hate. MSD and Flintoff are probably their only players that have the kind of attitude I look forward in a cricketer. Runners up in season 1 and with someone like MSD at the helm, you can never count them out.

Deccan Chargers: Same problem as Chennai. The team lacks a overall character. They have some good quality players and now an excellent captain in Gilchrist but no x factor. They are singing the right notes in season 2 and I think change of captaincy has payed dividends. Bring back Roy, and they may complete as a team.

Team I would enjoy seeing loose:

Kolkatta Night Riders: As much as my love for Bengal, I got to say that the team owner makes me sick in the stomach. SRK brings too much unwanted attention to the sport. Everything is just all talk, too much hype and no substance, just like his most of his movies. Then comes the team coach, John Buchanan. This guy has the best track record as a coach in all sports, period! But his way is not an Indian way. He will create more problems than to solve them. I like some players in this team like McCullum, Gayle and Ishant. Other than that this team is as tacky as their golden uniform.

Kings XI Punjab: The owners are smart. I like Miss Zinta and Mr Wadia, they work for me. But Yuvi and bunch of Sri Lankan cricketers don’t inspire me at all. They don’t have a single player with charm and skills that makes your heart stop. It’s an average team with no flavor.

It is clear that I still learning the art of being a genuine IPL fan, but I am sure with some more seasons under my belt, I will get there. And hopefully you all will too.  

Bon Appetite

Salim Chacha/ Khan Chacha
The founder of  middle lane of Khan Market, Delhi’s food capital. Though they are 2 different eating joints, and fierce competitors, to me they are one. Khan Chacha is older, specializing in rumali rolls. Salim is fairly new, but acts like a waiting arena for Big Chill goers. The kakori roll here is to die for,  and so is mutton burra.

Must Haves: Khan Chacha Mutton Seekh Roll, Salim Kakori Roll

Aap ki Khatir
Opposite the The Oberoi Hotel, below the flyover. Tricky route to reach this ‘garage by day, eatery by night’ joint. What makes this place different is the spicy mint sauce (pudine ki chatni for educationally challenged). Once a tiny humble place, this is now catching up with a yanky outlet in Khan Market. But the real taste is at this old humble place. Word of advise: Stick to lamb. It’s better than chicken or any other animal they serve.

Must Haves: Mutton & chicken tikka

Karim’s
Place needs no introduction. Before this huge honor of making it to our list, they have been recognized as one of the best Indian cuisine joint in the world. Straight from the kitchens of the Mughals. They have outlets all over the place, but visit Jama Masjid for the real taste & ambience. Start with mutton burra (best in the world) and seekh kabab. For main course, mutton qurma with khamiri roti. End with a phirni. High on cholesterol, great on taste.

Must Haves:  Mutton Burra/ Mutton Qurma/ Khamiri Roti

Bablu Tikka Centre
This place is not for faint hearted. Apart from usual body parts of a chicken & lamb, they serve everything else - brain, kidney, lever, heart. You name it, and they make it for you in pure desi ghee, on a big Tawa. Located right on ghanta ghar (old sabzi mandi), they have nice chicken/mutton tikka & chops, with light gravy, and mixed with brain, if you may like it so. If you do not have a pancreatic problem, this place is highly recommended.

Must Haves: Concoction of brain, lever, heart, kidney in pure desi ghee with roomali roti

Gullu Meat Wala
Popularly known as ‘authority wala meat’, they have shifted to a new location in Malka Ganj (Near Hansraj Collage). It’s all about spicy mutton cooked in minced meat. It’s a takeaway joint, and by my rough estimate, they would be selling 500 of those boxes every single day. Open only for lunch. Word of Caution: It’s spicy. Try at your own risk.

Must Haves:  Spicy mutton with minced meat and tandoori roti.

Anand Biryani House
This is to food what Bata is to shoes. Prices ending with Rs. 0.50. This place has been there for like forever. Talk of inflation, the prices have doubled since last 10 years, but it’s a great place to have Biryani (Chicken & Mutton). This is one place where I like chicken more than lamb. Try the butter chicken. Located at scindia house (lane next to Bhimji Zaveri Jeweler), this place is frequented by firings and many regulars, like me.

Must Haves:  Chicken & Lamb biryani

Al-Kauser
The true blue Dum Handi Biryani joint. Before any of the Hyderabadi biryani or Dees were born, we were growing up eating biryani at this joint in a small market opposite Vasant Vihar, near Malai Mata Mandir. Perfect place to get a roll or Kabab after a night out in posh club, where you are too busy drinking or throwing out your beer. The biryani is made as a dum recipe, which means slow cooking, and lamb cooks in its own juices (think straight you perverts!).

Must Haves:  Dum Biryani

Arabian Nites
The place which started it all, and the only “Non Indian Cuisine” entrant. It was the first joint in Delhi (and probably in India), to serve hungry movie goers at Priya, the authentic Lebanese food. Try Lamb/Chicken Shaorama, and Shish Taouk with pickled Radish, Cabbage & Green Chili with Humous & Tahina Sauce. There could be Arabian days, months or years, but there’s only one Arabian Nites. And it ROCKS.

Must Haves:  Chicken Shaorama

Nizam Kathi Roll: Connaught Place
A landmark in itself, tucked in middle circle, next to PVR Plaza. They have huge variety of Kathi rolls, along with curries & an average Biryani. The chicken/lamb tikka on wooden sticks are good, and so is there mint sauce. But when you go to a place called Nizam Kathi Rolls, make sure you try the Kathi Roll. They have options of Single Egg & Double Egg, and Single Topping & Double Topping. For diet conscious, there’s roomali roll as well.

Must Haves:  Single Egg Double Chicken Kathi Roll

Egg Parantha: Moolchand Flyover
Ok so the King SRK comes here. It makes the place great. I don’t know. But my conscious doesn’t allow me to miss this landmark. Nice paranth’s made with egg inside, served with varieties of pickles. Get a cola or a hot tea from neighboring stall. Not a bad grub at all, considering that this place can feed you at 1 am as well. This stall has come as a recognition you need to have to become a true Delhite.

Must Haves:  Egg Paranthas

Special Mention

Al-Quresh. Chanakya Puri. Tibet Market
The place would have been dead after Chanakya cinema closure. All thanks to this place and numerous Momo’s joint, the area still comes to life after the sun sets in. Carry your own Smirnoff, Bacardi or raw Ethanol, and they would be happy to provide you with the glass, ice, soda, water, the works. Food is above average, but the experience of drinking in an open market, right in the middle of Lutyn’s Delhi is great. Try kakori kabab, which is softest in the town. Rogan josh is nice, and so are rolls. Chicken dishes are also decent. In a nut shell, you won’t be disappointed with any dish you order, just don’t expect too much. They serve you on tables, they serve you in cars, and they serve you anywhere where they can reach walking in 4 minutes.

Must Haves:  Try your favorite dish. I am sure you would like it.

Well, this is just my compilation, based on my taste buds and EQ (emotional quotient) with the place. If I have missed any other popular/good place, please feel free to mention it in your comments.

Also, I think it would be a great idea to tour these amazing places together. I don’t think so we can do all of them in 1 day, but maybe split it between north & south Delhi. Post your interest as well, and send me US$ 100 each to plan the evening. Shekhar is not paying too well to write for StaleFresh.

But if you’ve given up on cutting edge cell phone technology, fear not. The smart phone pioneer company might just make things interesting. If you haven’t heard of the Pre yet. Let me be the first one to tell you….

The Palm Pre features a 3.1-inch 24-bit color touch screen display. It integrates a proximity sensor that disables the screen when users put the phone up to their ear. To prolong battery life, a light sensor dims the display if the ambient light is dark. An accelerometer automatically orients webpages and photos for landscape or portrait view. Hidden from view, a full QWERTY keyboard slides out for easy and quick text messaging. An integrated 3.0-megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field captures images and video. Other features include EV-DO Rev. A for high-speed Internet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, GPS, Stereo Bluetooth and 8GB of flash storage. The Pre also has a micro-USB plug, 3.5mm headphone jack and a new wireless charger. The Pre runs on Palm’s new webOS. Multiple applications can be opened and run simultaneously, so users can flip from one program to another. The new platform introduces Palm Synergy, a feature that brings information from the many places to the Pre in one integrated view. It also groups conversations with the same person in a chat-style view, even if it started in IM and replied with text messaging.

The words I type do not do this phone any justice. Please go to YouTube and do a search on the palm pre. The first time I saw video demo of the Pre in action my jaw dropped. I personally have the blackberry 8330 and I can honestly say its a great phone. The lack of touch screen is somewhat disappointing, and the fact I have to subscribe to Blackberry Internet Service is a turn off, but at least I’m not forced into a disgustingly over priced long term contract with AT&T in order to use the iPhone. Since I am in North America and my cell phone provider is CDMA, I am very limited to cell phone choice unlike many of you abroad. Which is another reason why I’m even more excited for the pre. And don’t despair if you’re using GSM technology. The pre will also come in GSM down the road hopefully.

The list below is in batting order.  Against each name in the bracket are players that I have considered for that position. The aim is pick 5 batsmen, 1 all rounder, 1 wicket keeper and 4 bowlers. 

1. Virender Sehwag (Chris Gale, Saeed Anwar, Micheal Slater, Justin Langer)

2. Greame Smith (Marcus Trescothick,  Mathew Haydon)

3. Brian Lara (Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Mahila Jayewardene)

4. Sachin Tendulkar (Kidding me..)

5. Steve Waugh (Inzamam Ul Haq, Mohd. Azharudin, JP Dumminy, Chanderpaul)

6. Imran Khan (Jaques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff,  Kapil Dev)

7. Adam Gilchrist (Mark Boucher, Kumara Sangakara, Mahender Singh Dhoni, Andy Flower, Brendon McCullum)

8.  Shane Warne (Captain)

9. Wasim Akram (Zaheer Khan, Waqar Younis)

10. Courtly Ambrose (Courtney Walsh, Allan Donald, Fidel Edwards) 

11. Glen McGrath (Shawn Pollock)

Manager:  Shekhar