walking high

my first proper trek. had the most surreal experience! hard to explain with words and pictures.
a trek to goecha la, sikkim. we made it to view point one at 15100ft, starting from yuksom at 5570ft...
heaven found!! the mighty kanchenjunga standing tall above us...

nature

fell upon this wonderful website, zenpencils.com while looking for a quote from terence mckenna.

keep up the good work Gavin. inspirational ideas given a new visual form.

here is the link for the full illustration: http://zenpencils.com/comic/120-terence-mckenna-nature-loves-courage/

Politics in real time.

Incumbency and the coming of age of technology, together, have made more supporters for the oppositon. Secularism is a byproduct, exploited.

satiation episode 1

we live to eat!
will try and do a few food blogs. hopefully this is just the first of many.

four days back, while i was in mumbai for the latest episode of 'weekend @ mumbai' series (the best way to unwind, explode and combust, all together, without burning a hole in the pocket), with the most gracious hosts swati j sharma(aka moto) and vijay sharma(aka v) (my sis and bro in law :P ), i was given the option of re-trying japanese food.
let me tell you, i had tried the sushi/maki-roll at busaba, colaba a few months back, and found it interesting. but i didn't really appreciate the relatively under seasoned taste and also where this cold, damp and bland food was coming from. not that i have been to japan (i love their architecture) in the interim, and met these rigid, efficient, righteous people, who have the most peculiar way of expressing things. but i was game to explore it further.
we arrived at kofuku, bandra for lunch. koufuku in japanese might mean hapiness or welfare (source not certain). i left all the ordering to moto and v, letting them take the trouble. first on the list was a pot of masumi sake, philadelphia maki roll, pork gyouza, shrimp tempura maki roll and kakuni (braised pork). if any one was wondering why i didn't order on my own, hopefully that query is answered. the sake was served in small cups, cold. it was light and pleasant, little dry and a mix of acidic and sweet. the aftertaste was good. first to be served were the maki-rolls. we mixed our wasabi and soy sauce and dipped the rolls in them. the acidity from the soy and sting from wasabi is the first to hit you, but disappears soon enough. then the cold and subtle flavours of the sushi rice, shrimp/salmon and nori fill your mouth. it is all very different from the normal fare of other cuisines, and it was good. the temperature and texture of the dish are unusual to say the least. the pork gyouza was basically a dim sum. it was also yum, spicy if you add the condiments available on the table. the kicker though was the pork kakuni! easily the best dish of the day, tender, mouth melting pork belly that can be had with chopsticks (i can't though). this was divine, and heavy. the sake had by now permeated within our blood supply. we ordered the bulgogi korean style and japanese curry rice with pork for mains. the dishes turned out to be good and carried the flavours that the appetizers had developed. we were left fulfilled and with a surprisingly satiated feeling with the whole experience, the whole process had put us at ease, calmed us down and then pampered us thoroughly. of course my hosts were not done, we walked into the opposite building and had 1 hour massage sessions. koufuku!

three days back, along with my hosts, my eldest cousin bobby dada, mallika vaini and their son anish and neha akka, next to youngest in the group (no points for guessing who the youngest is. but i remind you that age is just a number, especially since i turned 30 recently), a get together was planned. the restaurant was already identified by mallika, as the meeting joint imbiss, colaba, a german eatery. imbiss in german means snack. there is an imbiss in bandra too, but we skipped it. maybe because we love to go to town on a weekend, or because they serve no alcohol at bandra. i guess it was the former reason. ;)
i had done this cursory google search and was already salivating with the idea of a hardcore non vegetarian place with a variety of meats. in my city indore, non veg for most of the people starts and ends at chicken and mutton. hence the supply for more exotic food eludes me and is only partially fulfilled, when the hosts in this article fly down to indore with bacon and other frozen porkies.

the writing is on the wall @ imbiss, colaba.

here is what we ordered:
starters:
signature sausage platter
meat platter
pork spare ribs (2 plates)
pork cake starters
salad:
spicy sausage and cheese salad
drinks:
beer pints
gin and tonic
main course:
beef roast
pork roast
chorizo rice
kassler
ham slice with brown gravy
grilled pork tenderloin

(pause)
*applause*
(pause)

and the food was awesome. the pork spare ribs were demolished in minutes. the meat was tender and falling off the bones. the gravy was yummy. the pork sausages were great, chicken ones average. the meat platter was smoked well and good to taste. the pork cakes were fried well but were a little bit salty. everyone had a bit of the salad, just as an eye wash/feel less guilt option, it was okay.
the main course kept coming in groups of two, hence we all tasted all the dishes. it gets a bit confusing to describe all the dishes. we had our share of meaty, slow roasted, fatty, barbecued, tender, chewy and grilled meat (i may have missed a few adjectives). the rice was spicy and delicious. all the portions were very generous, and the pricing was surprisingly affordable. also, no wonder the germans have so much beer, cause it really washes down well with the food. we were full, in our tummy and in the mind. all in all a wonderful experience, highly recommended to all meat lovers. in spite of a valiant effort by bobby dada to try and finish off all the food, we had to pack a bit of it. not just imbiss(es) (snacks) but we had more like a full whole course meal. dish of the meal was split between the pork spare ribs and the chorizo rice. but animal of the day was surely porky the pig. pork rules!! stopping at marine drive and having naturals ice cream was the perfect finishing touch to the trip.

a few other foodie mentions, gorged, while in mumbai. the chicken sandwich at candies, pali hill, always in short supply. the melt in your mouth, red velvet cream cheese cup cake, at lsd(love sugar dough), khar west. the soothing cinnamon coffee at coffee bean and tea leaf, juhu, although the deserts weren't great there. had a very late lunch at silver beach cafe in juhu, which was very good too.

and a special mention to the the pancakes with maple syrup and scrambled egg that moto prepared for breakfast one day. 'greasy' food cures hangovers fast.
three days in mumbai, an absolute treat to my gastronomic desires! thank you hosts!

satiation to the fullest.

threads

what connections do we make in life?
what life is rendering; the making of bonds?
how we begin and sustain relationships?
when does a chance meeting begin immortal love?
how best friends, never again meet for life?

a letter written on a sultry summer night,
lies forgotten in a trunk, full of mothball odor.
the regret however is never shown in person,
the past somehow remembered as a blessing.

an old man selling out old junk, finds a carton,
in his loneliness a tear escapes.
he sifts through the photos and letters,
and life is stronger in the aftermath, a little...

a two year old sister carries her new born brother around,
as they grow old, they teach each other the world.
far or together, their love will only ever grow stronger,
always their lovers will be jealous of the bond they share.

why do blood relations remain so pure? or not?

the son of a dead man, who now is a man himself,
judges his father's life, in the tears of happiness people still have for him.
the man spent all his life, giving laughter and happiness,
the son can never maybe understand his peace.

gone are the days when connectivity was a blessing,
where people waited for any information, patiently for days.
now, in these 'seconds' of instant gratification,
restless desires have given in to much impatience.

lovers, long apart, fight and argue each day over the phone,
when in the same city, rate ego higher than affection,
and don't even call... and sulk and long.
but in a moment of magic, all is well, maybe momentarily.

acquaintances fall in love, is it capricious?
beauty is found where there was nothing before,
whatsapp messages makes your heart skip a beat,
but just a while ago, they used to be from somebody else.

two people meet and sparks fly all around,
they consummate and cherish and paint the town.
two people 'invest' in each other their time,
they live and love and bond and die.

i keep making new connections, never possible before...
but is this who i really am?
is the answer a grimmer reality or a happy illusion??
how can i bare my soul to but only one,
to connect, to love.

somehow, the truth is not waiting to be answered...

i bare my soul only to myself.

a constructor of worlds

Architecture and war are not incompatible. Architecture is war. War is architecture.

I am at war with my time, with history, with all authority that resides in fixed and frightened forms.

I am one of millions who do not fit in, who have no home, no family, no doctrine, no firm place to call my own, no known beginning or end, no "sacred and primordial site."

I declare war on all icons and finalities, on all histories that would chain me with my own falseness, my own pitiful fears. I know only moments, and lifetimes that are as moments, and forms that appear with infinite strength, then "melt into air."

I am an architect, a constructor of worlds, a sensualist who worships the flesh, the melody, a silhouette against the darkening sky. I cannot know your name. Nor you can know mine.

Tomorrow, we begin together the construction of a city.

from: War and Architecture by Lebbeus Woods(1940-2012)

between tungnath and chandrashila

image via: Google Earth, photo by: Swati J Sharma

the views on google earth are pretty awesome when seen on the laptop,

but they are like at least 1250 times less exciting as the real deal.

there is no hail while you climb,

there is no relief felt from the hot tea sipped inside a hut,

you don't need to wear 'make do' raincoats, or feel the chill,

you don't get to the highest shiva temple in the world,

and it doesn't start to snow, the first of the season...

you don't start climbing further to chandrashila peak,

hoping to get a glimpse of mountains clad in snow,

there is no vista that's more than large enough,

there is no air purer than that you breath,

and the mind, cant be moving and at peace, both together...

there is no new path discovered to go downhill,

one where you will trek alone, a promise of new,

you don't trudge up and up and up,

you don't estimate the downhill trek time required,

before the sun sets...

you don't walk the face of the mountain,

and turn a ridge to see new paths afar,

you don't wait, hoping for the clouds to dissipate,

so that their motion reveals new peaks afar,

and just when you are about to trek back to base,
slowly the mountains clad in snow are revealed...

you don't feel excited that you got this far,

in spite of the doubts that crept up in between, 

your breathing doesn't stop still and so doesn't time,

there is no grandeur that is not explicable,

you don't feel as one with the earth...

the views on google earth are pretty awesome when seen on the laptop,
but, lets rephrase, they are like at least 12050 times less exciting as the real deal.

if i ever get back to this place, plan to see the peaks at sunrise...
nature will always amaze...

photo by: Swati J Sharma

hope to blog about the down hill trek,

it was, if possible, even more freakin awesome.

The EARTH is my TEMPLE..

source: Earth 2012 by Vollstad Wallpapers

Work

The man was not born of love,
save for his own destiny.
He strived for a better living,
a heaven of his own liking.

Life though, had a will of its own,
a conflict of his dream and reality.
And for the life long quest for immortality,
his work, he thought will be weighed in gold.

But the dream collapsed,
the earth gave way below his feet.
His acumen and know-how,
deserted him in the moment of need.

The fleeting glimpse became a reality,
as his dream continued for a lifetime.
And he gained immortality,
as love became his life's work.

(now read the lines again, with work replacing love... and vice versa)

Trumspringa

by kcdsTM

TRUMSPRINGA: n. The temptation to step off your career track and become a shepherd in the mountains, watching storms at dusk from the doorway of a small cabin, just the kind of hypnotic diversion that allows your thoughts to make a break for it and wander back to their cubicles in the city. (source: unknown)

                            Lightning at Dusk by Philip Schexnayder

honour

You dont hold a corner with one hand...
You hold a side with two.