Love what you do, do what you love. Huh? Sorry, come again?

This whole 'following your dreams' concept is a very recent one no? The fact that something, which pays your bills is got to be fun, is something you and I wouldn't be able to reason with our fathers. It's work, they would say, the rule is simple, when you gotta work, you gotta work. If you are good at something [the very reason why you have the job], you keep the job, you do the job.
But then unfortunately we were introduced to doing what you love, loving what you do. Like you must, must have fun at work, like the work place owes it to you. The picture[via huffingtonpost.com] above is hardly the invigorating fun job. But the women are smiling? What's with that? They don't look miffed, they are happy. Filing mail orders, for days and years. Are our expectations from our day job absurd? Yes, enough has been said about one excelling at a certain thing only when he enjoys it, has fun at it. But that's not possible, not sustainable. Even a painter has to sell his most treasured art. And selling would involve haggling. And haggling is not cool.

Note to self: The age of advertising being the most fun you can have with your clothes on, is seriously over.

Pet bhar gya par ji nahi bhara [untranslatable]

Translate, if i must... Tummy is full, but the heart isn't.

Two years in NCR, 4 Punjabi friends, 3 Punjabi neighbours later I am not done yet.
Even if you aren't a typical maa ki dal, rajma-chawal fan, you have to give it to Punjab for its sheer variety. Now, don't confuse Punjabi cuisine with Hariyanwi food, which has bits of paneer [cottage cheese] ]in everything.

Punjabi food is robust, flavorful, and unique, all at once. Quite like the punjabi kudi, now that was lame, but mind you, the food isn't. So, you have the variety, the flavours and yes, the style [visit a roadside dhaba and watch one of the guys, break an onion with his strong fist... cool stuff].

Pillow Talks

I've business travelled just once [for the record, my job doesn't require me to], and I hated it.
Well, I hated the hotel. And needless to say, the whole trip turned out to such a drag. Both the room and the service sucked. Food [the local restaurants] and the shopping did salvage my trip though.

Coming back to, hotels and their rooms. Those who travel often, look forward to neat, fuss-free, comfortable stay [no gut feeling here, facts from frquent travellers]. The good room, and the good service are the most important factors; availability of multiple cuisine restaurants and other facilities follow next.

People are now warming up to luxuries on offer, more the better. New and special offerings always make the difference; setting hospitality trends and creating the buzz. Having said that, but you can not mess with your basic offerings, it's always the basic that make the cut... you know the mattress and the pillows.

The Good Housekeeping Post :)

Those who relish cooking, enjoy the whole process. Yeah, the cleaning up after the cooking bit too.*
But what's most crucial is getting the ingredients part, a tedious job, but very fulfilling. Sourcing the freshest veges and the succulent fruits from the farmers' market rather than hopping to the nearest food mart. Threatening the butcher with dire consequences if he didn't deliver the required cut. Or spending, obscene number of hours at the spice market... sniffing for the right asafoetida or maniacally looking for the purest saffron. A real cook, enjoys the whole process. And Lebanese cuisine demands such cooks.
Though the cuisine has few ingredients, and simple methods, it is extremely flavorful, nutty, zesty etcetera. Freshness of the ingredients comes through in each bite. Try hummus at a fine Lebanese place, and you will begin to comprehend the magic that fresh lemon, racy garlic and plump chickpeas can create.


Now, can we talk a little about the humble eggplant or the aubergine, as we have learned to call it. I can't imagine doing anything with the eggplant, apart from roasting it, and then frantically smashing it to come up with Baingan Ka Bharta [eggplant smash]. And that's about it.

However, the French are known to create wonders with this vegetable - Ratatouille Terrine [go figure] and Yemenite Eggplant [go figure again] for instance. Very complicated and supposedly very delicious too.
French are very particular about their food, and about their recipes too. Google French Recipes and it prompts you with Easy French Recipes. :D Nah, nothing easy about this cuisine.On a completely different note, somehow I think, the French invented fine dining. Mac & Cheese needs no fine dining experience, neither does aloo paratha. But Ratatouille Terrine, certainly does.


Have you ordered Domino's pasta? Then you perhaps, ate pasta, because 1) you were bored of pizzas or 2) were in the mood for some Foreign khana 3) saw the ad, liked what you saw and wanted to try it[oh c'mon I want to believe this :)]. Thing is, if you are a true pasta connoisseur, you wouldn't want to ruin your pasta experience with some quick fix domino's. The gourmands know their cheese and their fusilli and rotelle. There's no fooling them with just a cream and tomato options. Comprendere?






*here's my tip – clean as you go. Don't pile up the mess for the last.

Done seeing my cake? Can I now eat it please?

Birthday cakes for kids, are a big deal. And that makes it a big deal for the mommies too. So, what does the mommy do? She goes to the swankiest cake shop in town and orders a big, pretty cake for her little dahling's big day. The cake that would get the tiny tots swooning and their mommies trying to figure out, where it came from.

These days, birthday parties have themes, all of them do; so just a Chocolate double layer, butterscotch or black currant, won't do. Something fancier, something very unique, something that's personal, works better.

Of course the cake has to be yummy, but first it has to make a statement. A POGO statement.

Taking stock. One ad, at a time.

The other day, a friend of mine asked me something as harmless as, “Aren't you into investing.”
Huh? Why the hell should I be into investing?

I am into movies, I am into working out, I am into baking, but I am not into investing.
Questions about Investing invariably led me to money... and that led me to my chosen career, which I terribly enjoy [not always, but mostly].

And then, out of nowhere, I had this moment. The moment when I realised that for the last five years, all I have been doing is chasing that witty headline, that lyrical bodycopy and that perfect ad. And now, it's that moment, that what-the-bloody-hell-were-you-up-to moment.

So, while I have shied away from saving and investing, there's no dilly dallying this one... I want to take stock of my work. One ad, at a time.