In search of hidden gems

old city al-balad

2009-09-20T12:56:00.000+05:30

Last week I visited the old city Al-Balad the first time. It was really interesting. The houses were amazing, not gorgeous but were very historically rich and fertile. The balconies were mostly wooden, some precariously balanced, delicately put together by many small wooden chips. From what I read, when they build such balconies wood was hard to come by, so they had to piece together small ones. The other main attraction was the market -- a sprawling bazar with variety of items being sold. This market, also known for the gold/silver bazars, we re covered with rows of gold/silver stores. I have to go back to this part of the city again. Once we figure out a good way to travel back-forth between campus/city.

More soon, hopefully.

moving to the campus

2009-09-08T13:09:00.000+05:30

I got the apartment. Lot of things to be fixed, but a big step forward. Also moved to my new office with a stable network connection. Classes have started too. Still managing to get some time for reading, the campus library for fiction/non-faction has started, so a good source for now. Should be able to settle down by this week.

Got a glimpse of the climbing wall. Its ok, but not as much as I expected. But optimistic but that we can move things around to get a better one, more entertaining one.

Did I find any gems yet? No. Haven't been to the old part of the city yet, but tomorrow evening is the when we go there. I am looking forward to that. Gems are getting to know the local people, how they live, how they go about with their life, their aspirations and joys, ... more later.

setting up office machine

2009-08-31T18:16:00.000+05:30

It turns out that setting up imac is a breeze, provided you have a working mac setup. Here is what I did:
-- install winclone on old and new mac (to copy windows later, working with intel mac)
-- put the two macs on the same network, and run migration assistant on both. follow on-screen instructions and in about 2 hours I had my old mac settings transferred to the new system!
-- next ran winclone to mirror my previous win installation, copied the file over using a firewire cable (boot old laptop while pressing T), and restored win partition on new machine using winclone again. Done!
-- if win partition needs to update driver, use the macos dvd from windows -- bootcamp does the rest.

I realize that I wrote this in a bizarre style -- alternating between instruction mode, and note to myself or experience mode.

settling down

2009-08-27T11:57:00.002+05:30

I have not gotten around exploring the city or the campus yet. The first week was spent more to get some administrative stuff out of the way. I hope soon I get things sorted so that Tuhin can join me here. It will be a strange country for him, maybe. It is amazing to see the level of activity out here. Right now the high activity level is mostly focused on construction, and a constant battle to get all things functional by the opening day. Once we go through this stage, the real fun begins when we have a stable environment and get to focus on our work. One of the rec. centers will also open by early September, or rather that's what all of us are hoping.

Last few months have been all over the globe -- china, hong kong, london, stanford, new orleans, and ofcourse jeddah. What was really nice was the few weeks I spent back in my home town -- after a long long time. It was very relaxing. On the other hand, having not being at the climbing wall for months now, I on some weight. I got myself a new pair of climbing shoes, which I hope to be able to use soon. Meanwhile my calluses are quickly disappearing. I hope the wall on campus turns out to be nice, and I am sufficiently motivated to hang out there often.

Short list of what I got done last week: get all things packed/shipped, apply for iqama, get a first tour of the house, hopefully fixed a place for office, and got a quick meeting with the students. The current commute is long -- 3hrs/day :(

back again, hopefully

2009-08-24T23:18:00.002+05:30

Months later, another country, another nation, another adventure starts ...

imf again

2009-05-23T22:13:00.003+05:30

Had a good time at IMF -- this is my third visit for the week. Towards the end a storm moved in, was a nice feeling to reach the top with nice cool breeze blowing all around. It is going to be almost a week before I can head back -- I think the break will do me good. Still couldnt get past that move. Well not really, got a little past, but not enough though.

imf at 42C

2009-05-17T21:29:00.003+05:30

It wasn't fun to start with, the humidity was taking its toll, the place was silent as the birds and dogs were busy finding a hiding place and forgot to cry out once in a while. There was definitely a lull in the air when I reached IMF today around 5:30pm. I didn't meet anyone for the first 30minutes or so. It was definitely a day for swimming and not outdoor climbing. But since I was there what else could I do? The holds/rocks were stuck to their usual places, maintaining disinterested poses. A bit of self coaxing and I had put on my climbing shoes (which are torn by now, should get a new pair at some point). I started easy, but then slowly got into the mood. Having a book to read helped to take mind off the heat, and focus on the sequences. Soon, like most other days in Delhi, the temperature started dropping with occasional breeze trying its best to help. After some interesting sequences and a some success on a few bouldering tasks, it was time to put on the harness. I topped a few times, and made one more move on the sequence I am trying for the last two sessions. Maybe next time I will powerful enough to pull through the sequence, though I feel it is more a question of having enough positive vibes, rather than power or technique on that move, or sort of dyno.

imf and others

2009-04-22T10:31:00.002+05:30

A hot afternoon, but a dry one. A tricky evening for climbing but in the end turned out to be a good session. Many failed attempts, many falls, a shouldered injury picked up, and half way through a new route. Good overall.

On a side note: Came across an auto rickshaw driver who was unusually gentle by Delhi standard. Apologized profusely for not being able to drop me off since he was heading the other direction. Helps to keep up faith in good things in life ..

lost in wilderness

2009-04-20T10:33:00.002+05:30

Saturday morning, 6:15am, Rishikesh ... With no specific plan about how to spend the morning, decided to go for a walk. An hour later came across a small signpost claiming that few km uphill there is a primary school. I stood at the junction, not sure if to take the chance. I am glad I took it. Didnt know where I was headed, just kept going uphill leaving behind the Ganges and the motor-road behind. I meandered up through the bushes and trees. For the first half an hour nothing special happened, but something told me I should keep going rather than turning back. An hour later, one more uphill stetch brought me to a flat section --- I cannot tell what was special there, but something definitely was. It looked ordinary, but felt out of the world. The noise level was very high, but not from cars/buses but from birds. Birds who were crying out loud but I couldnt spot more than a couple of them. I was unsure whether they were excited to see me or annoyed. It felt great. I was thrilled. I felt that I was not alone, I heard footsteps behind bushes, must have been someone there -- but again couldnt see. Good things come to an end, such is life. I headed back, and ran down the trail. May be next time I am there I stay up there for a day. A place which was simply beautiful --- kind of beauty that can be felt not seen. A rare beauty ...

new places

2009-04-08T10:30:00.002+05:30

clay oven: Hauz Khas, very good place. Reasonable decor, and excellent food. The kebabs were amazing, or may be I was just hungry after IMF.

pandara road: Finally we went there. The food was good, but not very sure if we will go back sometime very soon ... the place is not very close.

imf

2009-04-03T22:40:00.002+05:30

Nothing special, just did a little bit of bouldering (the area is still a bit wet), a bit of top roping, a put up a few holds. I made a very nice stemming problem, but have to check next day -- may be it felt that way because I was tired a bit?

imf again

2009-04-01T10:12:00.002+05:30

Tried leading at IMF for the first time. New experience to lead a roof, or may be overhang is a better description. Had a relaxing afternoon, was not too motivated to climb, but had to convince myself to focus well to make sure that I clip often. Should do this more often I guess -- helps to train mentally.

a weekend trip

2009-03-31T10:14:00.001+05:30

a short trip. few new places , few new people, and then back again. more later ...

the weekend

2009-03-23T09:58:00.002+05:30

saturday: day trip to mumbai

sunday: a visit to imf; had an amazing session with a bit of bouldering + a bit of top roping. There were two moves that I did which really took me by surprise. On Tuesday I will see if I can again get the moves, but may be it wont happen.

Imf again

2009-03-18T22:46:00.001+05:30

Felt very lazy to start with, but in the end got a bit of workout. May be next time I should boulder a bit for a change.

Delhi zoo

2009-03-15T22:32:00.001+05:30

After many failed attempts, rather broken plans, we finally managed to visit the Delhi zoo. At the entrance we were pleasantly surprised to discover that we are not allowed to take in any food, plastic bags, bags for that matter. Already I was impressed -- definitely a fool proof way of keeping the place clean. We bought a map from the counter before stepping in, and later this turned to be an excellent decision.

The park/zoo is big, with lots of trees and plants. The place is well kept, and the animals/birds have nice enclosures, specially given the Indian standard of zoos. The highlight was the water-bird area. The place was calm modulo frequent calls by various birds. It was fascinating to just sit there and stare at them. Later we found a way to get to the back of the bird area, and that was even better. The tiger enclosure was also hidden around the corner -- I thought they have intentionally kept the tiger area a bit obscured.

We saw too many animals to list. Overall they were in good shape, and living in tolerable enclosures. Some areas (like for monkeys) new setups are being designed/setup. The white tiger, hippopotamus, rhinos, elephants, etc. all seemed to be enjoying the nice spring afternoon. I saw white buck for the first time, and did not end up finding the white peacock area. Also missed out the reptile area. Enough reasons to go back again.

First encounter with Hoolock Gibbon: The only reason we reached the place was lured by its loud and out of the world place. It is hard to believe an animal of that size can alone create so much noise.

A great day overall ...

a week goes by

2009-03-14T09:06:00.001+05:30

Visited IMF twice, and finished reading Khushwant Singh's 'Delhi'. A lazy week goes by ...

new places explored

2009-03-10T09:04:00.002+05:30

imf: good session on sunday.

monday: explored the area in and around india gate and cp. Went to Bengali market and municipal market, two of the smallest markets we have seen around here. Visited Triveni, which turned out to be a good find. Finally managed to go up to the indian coffee house in cp (P block?): a nice place lost in a busy world. Other places, for the record, bengali sweet shop, and nizam.

rail museum + islamic cultural center

2009-03-08T07:43:00.003+05:30

Rail museum: the toy train ride was short, but an experience. The various coaches, engines, tracks, boogies made it an interesting stroll in the (rail) park on a pleasant, rather almost perfect, spring afternoon in Delhi. The trees were fresh and lively, and the birds happy and chirpy. Overall very pleasant, or that's the impression I recall.

We went to the islamic cultural center afterwards to check out its canteen/restaurant. The place was surprisingly empty, but that was probably we were too early. The decor was good, the service nice, the food above average. Nothing spectacular, but definitely a decent place to go back to.

imf + kabila

2009-03-05T22:22:00.001+05:30

Went to IMF today. Was worse that last time, but still had a reasonable session. On the way back ventured into a restaurant havent been to before: Kabila. The food was decent, and the ambiance nice -- overall a place worth visiting again.

imf

2009-03-04T14:33:00.001+05:30

Went IMF-ing yesterday. Not a particularly long session, but it was enjoyable. Working on a new route, may be I succeed tomorrow.

sunday run

2009-03-02T11:22:00.003+05:30

It was harder than I thought. I finished in good time, but it was just challenging since I was a bit sick and didnt eat/hydrate properly. A lesson learned. In the evening we went to Nehru park for ravi shankar spicmay performance -- a memorable experience. Now if I recover soon ...

running

2009-02-26T11:15:00.001+05:30

Went for a run yesterday after a long long time. I have not lost my rhythm yet, felt good. Planning to visit IMF later today ...

Amritsar

2009-02-24T09:47:00.002+05:30

We decided to visit Amritsar, the city of the Golden Temple and more importantly the city with people with golden heart. We planned extensively, which means we did not plan anything other than get train tickets a couple of weeks in advance. Rest as usual we trusted wikitravel, and our luck. We took the Swarna Shatabdi (start 7.20am) and reached Amritsar 1.20pm. A short rickshaw ride got us in front of the famous temple rather the gurdwara. The ride itself showed us glimse of few run down lanes, and more interestingly pretty old almost dilapaded building --- we knew we have arrived at the right place. It has its own charm admist all the chaos and mess. Finding an accomodation was surprisingly easy. After 2-3 failed attempts we ended up in Hotel-Temple City Guest House (450/night) located next to Jallianwala Bagh and the Golden Temple.

After dropping off our luggage, we visited Kamal Singh Kulche wala for a quick lunch (Alu and Gobi kulcha, lassi). It was already time to head towards Wagha border parade which lasted from 5-6pm. The autorickshaw brought us back to the temple again --- seems like the heart of the city (also the old city). We had a quick bite from Chocolate planet (Black forest cake ). We walked around checking the side lanes and back alleys and ended up at the karpra (cloth) market. We decided to come back again next day since it was getting late. We stop for dinner at the Brother’s Dhaba (Cheese Paratha, Chane mini meal, lassi).

Finally it was time to visit the Golden temple visit at about 10 pm. It so happened that the Adi Granth was being removed around that time. We wandered around in the temple complex until 11pm. Then we ventured out to some adjacent lanes and by-lanes, before calling it a day.

Next day morning we visited the Jallianwala bagh . The history text was interesting to say the least. Standing in front of the wall we were just trying to imagine how things were on that fateful day .. almost a centrury before. The narration of the widow who stayed at the field overnight surrounded by some 300 dead people touched our minds.

Afterwards we went to the Kapra market and brought some stuff (670). After quite a bit of exploration, and wandering in more old lanes with run down buildings we found the famed Kesar da Dhaba (Roti, Paratha,dal fry, lassi). We headed back and checked out from hotel. Thereafters we went to Golden temple again. Later we dosed off while relaxing at a park. Again explored some areas and bought some local specialities -- Punjabi jutti (150), Kirpan (140), Papad warian . Had some hot jalebi at jalebiwala, and a cold softy at Softy parlour. One last stop for Alu tikki , collected our bag from the hotel and borded the train to reach back Delhi ~11pm.

It will take a few days before we forget the bylanes .. I loved them, and the ambiance -- from an age gone by.

Could not find any proper outlet for fish Amritsari!!!

IMF again

2009-02-17T19:48:00.001+05:30

It just gets better. Had a good session there, got a couple of moves further. Should be fun next time around ... once I am fresher and not drained out.

Also explored the back lanes of Kidwai nagar yesterday. Such hidden lanes, so close to South Ex and Defense Colony .. hard to believe. So much difference in so close proximity.

IMF

2009-02-14T09:10:00.003+05:30

I am getting addicted to it, again. I long to go back to the place, and the routes, rather the unfinished ones, keep coming back at me. Yesterday, we added a few more holds on the wall and this should open up a couple of new options. Should be fun. Next it is going to be Tuesday, or that's what I hope for.

What also helps is I know most of the regulars by now. So when I am not climbing I can talk with others, explore possibilities, and push each other on up new routes. I should work out to get back in shape, let's see how things work out ...

haridwar and rishikesh

2009-02-10T13:13:00.002+05:30

We made a short trip to the mountains: well that is surely an exaggeration. It was more like scratching the surface, and going close to the himalayas. The trip was too short! There's not much to mention about the train journey or about Haridwar. There were few surprises. Things changed when we moved to Rishikesh. The mountains were just visible, the water was clearer, the people friendly, and the air crisp. We took a few longish walks: the walk in the evening along the moonlit trail/road was mesmerising. Even the stroll in the morning will give me company for days to come. It was hard to get away from the place, but had to. I just need to go back there, I know the mountains are waiting ...

(There are too many things to write about the trip, small things. But I find it hard to write since I am just drifting off, and unable to focus on putting down my thoughts. May be it is meant to be that way ...)

the cat

2009-02-10T13:11:00.003+05:30

we spotted a kitten near our place some 2-3 weeks back. since then it has been growing cuter by the day, and wonders around the place under strict vigilance of its mother. got some nice pictures.

on a different thread, have been reading the last mughal. not sure how much of it is true, but a fascinating read all the same. my mind drift off more often than usual. motivates me to go back and explore mehrauli a bit more.

after a long break

2009-02-05T10:39:00.002+05:30

Before I forget let me jot down interesting things that happened in the past month:
-- first, there was the deadline. It was tiring but fun. Let us see how it turns out to be. Learned a bit in the process, and all those long days were very enjoyable, but a bit tiring.
-- went to Jama Masjid: had (liver) kebabs on the footsteps of the mosque, witnessed a unusually skilled guy tossing giant parathas into hot oil, had a nice stroll in the courtyard of the mosque, had a roll a karim's, had bare miyan's kebab, had phirni, and stopped by at moti mahal on the way back.
-- went to imf 2-3 times. Met some new folks, and had a few good climbs.
-- found/discovered the sabzi mandi (hidden) towards the back of south moti bagh market. Surprisingly fresh vegtables and fruits in lots of varieties.
-- had frankie for the first time
-- had a few success at cooking front.
-- visited the Lotus Temple. The bahai faith is impressive, quite some nice philosophies hidden in there. Also the architecture ...
-- the campus is too pretty these days. Did also visit the campus nursery, and rose garden across the campus. The flowers are so beautiful. I somehow feel more attracted towards the wild flowers, or the hybrid one, rather than the roses.
-- went to deer park and stopped by at naibidyam. The Hauz Khas and the ruins across offered a gentle stroll and a lazy afternoon full with memories.

Have been guilty of not reading much these days. Somehow time is running by, need to be more efficient. Also time to go out running a bit. The evening classes have sort of thrown me off schedule. I am not just motivated enough to go running in the morning.

We are off this weekend, so may be there will be some interesting thing to write down early next week. Lets see how cold and refreshing the Ganges is these days. Fresh snow melt .. may be ..

too many things going on

2008-12-29T14:02:00.002+05:30

The blog has been quiet of late. That is because I am caught up in a few other things, trying to make good use of the last days of the year. I have been reading again, which resulted in me getting lost in the world of Murakami. Also there has been a few interesting posts to follow: I have been specially impressed by some of the editorial/commentaries that appeared on Hindustan Times about the on going 'conflict' with our neighboring country. It's really impressive how mature have been our response to the events. I hope we have hold on to our sanctity and not give in to the (easy option) craze of war hysteria.

a lazy saturday afternoon

2008-12-13T18:21:00.002+05:30

It felt strange wondering around in the alleys of khari baoli on a saturday afternoon, with the market bustling with activity. After the fun and chaos, decided i needed to just relax --- with the sun shining, and a book to finish, the lawn looked really inviting. Managed to finish the book, and also saw a squirrel chasing a mayna -- very amusing indeed.

what was i up to?

2008-12-07T22:39:00.002+05:30

The recent events in Mumbai left in too depressed to get back to normal life. Also there's more to do these days since it is that time of the year. Managed to get back to IMF today. May be should try to write a bit more, to keep myself sane.

Smokehouse bar and grill

2008-11-21T09:42:00.003+05:30

We were not sure if going into the place was a good idea, since nothing much of the inside was visible from outside. However, once we entered we knew it was a special place. The decor was very fresh, quite classy, and sparkling clean. It wasnt a host of expensive items stacked together, but basic ingredients/items placed with lot of though and style. Definite scored high on decor!

The food menu looked very expensive, but then we realized thats only for some special entrees. Most dishes were reasonable priced, given the setup. We order and waited in anticipation. Time went by and we chatted about this and that. Looked like the place is popular with young elite Delhi-ites, a category we dont usually rub shoulders with. The food arrived, and the first thing we noticed was the presentation --- very well done! Then comes the part why we go to a restaurant to begin with .. the taste. The chicken was well cooked and delicious. We both agreed its one of the best places we have visited in Delhi. It was an evening well spent, and were lucky to get some transportation back given it was quite late when we left the place. The place gave me a couple of ideas to try in the cooking front, should be fun.

Rating 4/5 (damage 575 pp.)

(jeera) biscuit

2008-11-19T11:02:00.001+05:30

I stumbled upon a few recipes for biscuits, read them and realized it is not that complicated. Since the recipes replaces yeast (as required for bread) by baking powder, chances of failure was low. The preparation time also looked insignificant, order of a few minutes. So decided to try it out. Just to spice up things, added a few cumin (jeera) seeds. Next time should make sure I pre-roast them. The experiment went smoothly, with no surprises, and the biscuits came out nice and crisp. Which makes me hungry, so let me go grab one ...

imf revisited

2008-11-16T19:24:00.000+05:30

Went to IMF today. Felt really bad, I think I put on a bit of weight and lost bit of muscle power, at least finger power. Hence the disaster today, or close to that. Next week its nationals, should get back to a regular schedule soon after that. Lets see ...

joy of cooking

2008-11-16T09:12:00.002+05:30

I realized that I never write about cooking, though it has been a source , relaxation, and enjoyment for me for years now. I love cooking, and trying to make new things. At some level its looking for an algorithm, given the functions aka spices and other ingredients,. We desire to cook up a concoction that tastes ... delicious. The (sometimes) easier goal is to reverse engineer -- come up with the right mixture and timing to recreate an entree that I have tasted somewhere. Now this taste might be something I have actually tried some place, or have just seen and smelled somwwhere, or in the hardest case just seen a picture and read a description. The second scenario is more interesting, and often fascinating -- mixing up ingredients on the fly to cook up something 'new', guessing the final taste and smell, and off we go. Often this leads to mediocre or bad entrees what are hard to chew down, but sometimes you hit a gem, and that makes up for all the previous failures. Sounds like a general ramble about life.

Yesterday, I tried to make some guava jelly. Its quite mind boggling to imagine the amount of trials and testing it took for whoever came up with the original recipe (I had an idea of what to expect having seen, years back, my mother making jelly ). Definitely not the obvious thing we feel like trying given an overripe fruit. The natural tendency would be to just chuck the fruit. But definitely someone was more adventurous. Quite late into the process, say 15minutes into cooking the real fun happens --- within a very short time the liquid changes consistency, very rapidly. If you have tried it yourself, or seen the process you know what I mean. That type of chemical reaction is so refreshing to witness. Of course in the end you have amazingly fresh jelly to enjoy, while trying to guess what variations one can bring about in the process to get a non-trivial end product. I realize the whole article got very geeky, contrary to what I wanted to put down. Sometimes the end results are hard to predict ;-)

Delhi Half Marathon

2008-11-09T12:33:00.005+05:30

(official timings from http://championchipuae.com/results_airtel08.php?search=mitra&si=name&s=Search)

00:47:49

01:01:44

01:57:00

02:07:36

02:01:28

641

459

The respective columns being 7.5km, 10km, 19.3km marks followed by total time, cross finish time (which means i finished in 2hrs 1min 28sec) with a overall position of 641, and 459 in my category whatever that means.

Final timing was 2:07:30 but given when I reached the start point past the holding area, the clock said 5minutes past, so I ran 21.097km in 2:02:30, not bad!

Last week wasn't good for training, since I only ran short loops on Monday and Tuesday, but that was better than nothing. Yesterday, I carbed up -- I think I was eating most of the day, not big serving but servings all the same. For dinner had just pasta without any sauce, and a bit of meat. I probably drank about 6-7 liters of water, might have been more. I was well prepared!

Today I woke up at 5:10am to have a banana, and of course more water. Just before leaving home had a bit of cereals at around 6:30am and some water. I got a ride to the start point (thanks sb), or that was the intention. Soon we realized that there were lots of road blocks for the event, so had to get off a bit early and walk (thanks d for company and support). In effect, reached the start point rather the holding point almost past 7:30am. It took me about 5 minutes of following the dense crowd before making it to the start point. The fun began!

I think I ran the first couple of km quite slow, but got into a nice rhythm soon. From then it was just overtaking people (and being overtaken occasionally) and enjoying the run. Soon it was 4, 8, 10kms .. a few more minutes and turned around after La Meridian -- halfway done.

I do not remember too much exiting things happening after that, the km-markers kept appearing, and I moved on. Overall I think I finished very smoothly running at a steady pace. It felt great!

After the run collected a medal/certificate and some refreshment. Had some food with d, and caught an auto to reach back home. Happy with what I could do, have to wait for a couple of weeks to get the timing certificate.

Enough running around, time to start climbing again.

face to face with BG

2008-11-06T10:48:00.003+05:30

http://www.daylife.com/photo/0b5TgQ1h1h7Xq/Microsoft_Corporation

The text: Microsoft founder Bill Gates, right, talks to a student at the launch of Microsoft DreamSpark software in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008. DearmSpark is a free software for the students around the world with access to the latest Microsoft developer and designer tools.

Interesting to see and understand how media works. I have a feeling that this caption will go to other places along with the AP image :-)

It was an interesting experience. May be I write some notes for myself later on ...

nov 9th .. the big day approaches

2008-11-05T17:01:00.000+05:30

I suddenly find myself ill-prepared. I missed one big loop what I wanted to do, and the other factor is the event starts early in the morning. So it will be challenging to get myself nourished before that. I think, saying hydrated might be less of a challenge. Lets see how it goes, I should do at least one loop run today, and one tomorrow -- then rest and eat like a pig :-)

obama wins

2008-11-05T17:00:00.000+05:30

now its time for the market to start reacting. it will be great to see how things settle down i expect by end-09 we will start seeing some results. should be good, i am very optimistic, like many others.

Al-Habib

2008-11-04T22:47:00.002+05:30

Al-Habib (not the actual name), the tiny shack near the Kharagpur rail station. One of the few times, it took me much more money to reach the place compared to the price of food. A hearty dinner cost me INR 13.5, yes that's a decimal point. I do not how they make it, but definitely one of my favorite places for kebab. Its not the typical old-Delhi kebab of minced meat, its more like chunks of meat suitable spiced. I loved it, not that I expected anything less. It might have been memories (some 10 years old) seeping into the food and obscuring the actual taste. But really, I enjoyed it and that's all it matters.

I went there alone, and was thinking how did we ever got to know the place? Even if I see a place like that today, I will think many times before venturing in. Which is a bit scary thought implying how many such places are there right before us, but still hidden. I think some senior(s) told us about the place a decade back. But following the trace whoever among the iit-kgpites ventured there first time -- big big kudos. If only a similar place was there near iitd but then again whats the point of dreaming. Some things are better if they are far away ...

waves

2008-10-28T13:48:00.002+05:30

(... went to imf on saturday: too bad i forgot that sunday was the comp day. anyway had a good session on saturday mostly by myself. was more focused than usual, and had enough calorie in stock :-) )

On sunday evening we decided to check the apparently nice restaurant around the corner: Waves. We were quite impressed by the getup, the place was decorated in style (leaving out the tv-screens), and looked cozy. The service was good, and the people amiable. We liked the ambiance. Things could have been a bit better, if they had a separate bar section: but at least on that evening it was mostly families having dinner.

All good until now. We decided to order some food, since that's why we were there. The descriptions looked tempting, and may be even raised our expectations. We started with soup -- when the soups arrived we had to look around for a while before finding some vermicelli (vermicelli was highlighted in the description in the menu-card). Overall it wasn't bad, quite reasonable infact.

It went downhill from there. Being a place which highlighted Indian food, the choice was obvious -- biriyani and kebab. The quality was ok, but the taste was -- lets just say highly unsatisfactory. The only good part was small portion sizes, saving grace ..

Rating 1.5/5 for food. (damage pp: 410).

Minar

2008-10-23T08:59:00.002+05:30

Minar, or the pillar in English, is apparently an old hangout place in Connaught Place. Located in the L-block, its close to the Shankar Market. After a bit of wondering we finally managed to find the place. It was crowded even on a week day, which gave us some confidence about the place. We were hungry, and promptly ordered food. The kebab (kalmi) was really good, and the m. rarra was rich but very tasty. It seem like a place out of the 80s, with lots of nostalgia in the ambiance. The service was prompt and polite, so nothing to complain there. They had some classics on the menu, items that are gradually fading from most places -- we had casatta ice-cream after a long time. Overall a nice place, but given there are so many other places to try out, its unlikely we will head back there soon.

imf

2008-10-22T09:39:00.003+05:30

Went to imf yesterday: good company and some basic climbing effort. I felt quite weak and could only pull off a few moves. The bouldering section was ok, but i failed in the rope section. I should get some chalk soon, and definitely make sure I have a few calories in stock before I reach there :-)

Went for a shortish run (7k) on Sunday.

longer run ..

2008-10-17T19:33:00.000+05:30

13.65km in 1hr 29mins .. so 2hr 20mins for half marathon; sloppy time keeping from my side so may be a bit better than that. but overall it felt good and relaxed.

kwality (cp, delhi)

2008-10-11T18:44:00.001+05:30

bathura -- one of the best in town, simply amazing. also the special pudding is worth a try (if you have someone to share, else its too big).

improved timing

2008-10-11T18:42:00.001+05:30

2 laps - 8.4km in 48mins -- looks like under 2hr half marathon might happen! lets see. i need to get myself something for my knees.

ran again

2008-10-07T13:03:00.000+05:30

big loop -- once -- 4.2km/23mins; need to be faster!

united coffee house

2008-10-05T12:22:00.002+05:30

Nice place, beautiful ambiance (a bit on the loud side), lovely service, great food -- all the components for a gem. Definitely worth visiting, but there is only so much time ...

can it get any worse?

2008-10-03T08:58:00.003+05:30

I was reading http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/world/africa/02zimbabwe.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. I found it very difficult to read, I had to stop quite a few times before I managed to make my way through the two page article. The descriptions were crippling and painful to read. Its beyond me to even imagine fighting in such a situation. For the people concerned they are suffering (do we call this suffering) for no direct fault of theirs. From being breadbasket of the world, the place has been successfully transformed (yes, part of this transformation is intentional and done by only a few people in power, but then again those are the ones who count) to a death trap. Its not fair, life is hardly ever fair. In one part of the world we witness a 700b bailout, while a few thousand miles away people are struggling to get along with $1-2/week. What's the value of money in a country where the currency has failed. Does anyone care? There's two broad possibilities: everyone gets along in livable conditions with some doing better than others, or a few gets everything in the world living amidst all the glitter and joy money can buy, and for the rest -- survival of the fittest. Even animals live in much better conditions, they get a fairer shot at life. All we do is think how bad the situation is for some (some being determined by where you are born, doomed at birth), but really can we even guess what some have to go through. We get only one life, so not really that surprising that people fight on to survive just hoping that tomorrow ...

training

2008-10-02T18:49:00.003+05:30

was a good day for my training: 3 loops, 12.66km, 1hr 23mins. need to speed up a bit, but there's more than a month to go. i hope i should be fine!

yesterday was at imf. it was so strange. it was one of those days. i reached the place, and headed over to the bouldering place. after only a few minutes i felt something wasnt right, i felt weak. the mosquitoes were also a few too many. anyway i threw myself at a few boulder problems, and roof sections for the next hour or so (didnt check exactly how long). eventually, i moved over to the rope section. unlike the bouldering wall where i was alone, the rope section has a few takers. specially a group of four training for the nationals. so what more, i joined the fun. i was definitely weaker than most days, which was frustrating. but on the positive side it was perfect for training, working on techniques, overhangs, and drop knee. we climbed for a long time, i was there at imf for about 2.5hrs. a real nice and long session, just too many mosquitoes for any comfort. on my way back got some cream which should sort the mosquito problem from next time. what remains is i should really get some chalk, and then back to basics.

the best part of imf was the mid air collision with someone taking a fall, and i trying to prevent the belayer (there was a big weight mismatch) -- in the process i got some painful memories on my left shoulder. its much better now. i was a bit worried ... good experience.

vote again

2008-10-01T12:59:00.003+05:30

ok this is much more like what i expected -- voting again for 700b bill. this time we know whats going to happen. if there are no surprises (i doubt), then the thursday vice-presidency debate should be fun as both parties will try to claim it as their 'success'. its a bit too predictable, i mean the initial reaction -- the market (global) will surge ahead, and things will be good for a few more weeks/months. it only gets interesting after than say in 6months or 1year. will this be a long term solution, or encourage more rash investments? lets see ..

failed bill

2008-09-30T06:36:00.001+05:30

very surprised to see that the bill failed! spoke too soon. the world looks on.

rescue bill

2008-09-29T10:55:00.001+05:30

A very interesting and important week begins. After the announcement of the rescue bill the market, not just US but global market is sure to bounce back. What remains to be seen, and is difficult to judge now, how it will affect the market in the long run -- even in a few months. Quite a few reading to be done.

Rajinder da Dhaba ... revisited

2008-09-28T22:10:00.001+05:30

Ok this time we made no mistake, we went to the real one, the one tucked away behind the flashy Rajinder Express, et al. We ordered butter chicken, mutton barra, and naan -- the food was good, nothing out of the world, but definitely one of the good places in South Delhi. The food wasnt overly spicy or oily, the naan-s were really freshly baked and huge! It was worth watching a team of 3 men hauling in huge pots of cooked meat to efficiently replace the empty ones. The place does very brisk business.

campus loop ..

2008-09-28T19:37:00.000+05:30

twice, 50mins. D-day being 9th November.

imf-ing

2008-09-25T09:13:00.003+05:30

I know its bad English, but could not help it. It was fun yesterday, the big wall was open after a while. I had a nice bouldering session, mostly by myself, for a little over an hour. Then moved on to the rope section, where an interesting, knee-bending, and at times powerful route has been put up --- I got through about 2/3rd of it after my 3 attempts. Hoping to go there on Sunday to try again, and again, ... Meanwhile I can think ...

felt good

2008-09-23T10:47:00.001+05:30

ran yesterday, and ran in good time!

wall street

2008-09-21T02:49:00.002+05:30

whoh its getting really interesting. first the $90B bailout, and now a proposed $900B bailout. its a serious business here, it better work otherwise might be lot of unrest and rippling effects to follow. i should definitely read up a bit to see whats being predicted. sort of feeling ill-informed at many places.

imf

2008-09-10T23:24:00.000+05:30

after dropping off D at the railway station, i took an auto to south campus, the destination being imf. there was some sort of selection going on for the national team. the bouldering wall was empty and i had it to myself for a solid 70-80mins. i was quite tired at the end, and with the number of mosquitoes growing remarkably fast decided it was wise to just head back to campus.

running

2008-09-09T14:07:00.001+05:30

went for a longish run (30mins) yesterday, was good. feeling a bit down on health, hope its just something like and passing. lets see if i feel like going to imf today.

an afternoon in the old city

2008-09-03T11:58:00.003+05:30

Having read a few mouthwatering reviews and rants about Haji Noor Mohammed Biryaniwale near Turkman gate, we realized that we have to try it out. The auto-rickshaw dropped us off near the Romila grounds. Initial queries about Ellaichi Wali Gali met with blank stares, and we missed a few heartbeats. Braving the intense sun, we pushed forward lamenting the lack of a pavement or a covered walkway. Having reached the Turkman Gate, we enjoyed the historic gate for sometime --- more in its ruins rather than in its glory. There were plenty of fruit stalls around selling fresh fruits, but it was too early for a fruit break. After about 100m we found the famed Ellaichi Wali Gali, and the second store on the left was ... you know what. The initial impression was not good, but we were prepared for that. We went into the store past the giant pot of biriyani: at this point there was not too much aroma floating around. Biriyani sells here for Rs 60/kilo, we ordered two small plates wondering if it was all a mistake. The service was prompt, and the guy was very efficient. The first spoon of rice/biriyani was ... great, yummy, excellent. After a few spoonfuls, we decided it was finally time to try out the meat --- I wont even try to describe the feeling, since i dont know what to compare it to. One word of advice, if you are in the area, or for that matter in Delhi, give the place a try ignoring all odds. We ordered one more plate, and promptly cleaned it off. From there we went to Khadi Bauli for our spice shopping. On the way home, we had some lassi from Gyani and also were lucky to finally find ghantewalla -- yes their ladoos are really awesome. Too much good stuff for one day ...

need for power

2008-08-31T14:30:00.002+05:30

or is it technique? was at the imf bouldering comp today -- masters level (should have competed in advanced, since masters was mainly the pro-category). anyway, it was good to be out and competing. i lacked focus ans planning, though got further than i initially thought. next time, i should be more calm, and speak to myself. itching to go back on wednesday and try the routes, specially the second one (total there were two routes, 4mins each). enough fun for sunday morning, time to catch up on work a bit!

secular canteen

2008-08-30T11:41:00.003+05:30

aka mezban. i came back from imf, and the lights went off. so we decided to go for a walk followed by dinner. a nice walk across the campus brought us close to the jnu. in spite of it being a friday evening, when mezban is known for being super busy we went there. surprisingly it was empty! only later d unraveled the mystery -- minor 1 starts next day, of course! the food was great, we dined sumptuously on dal, tandoor alu, and some mutton preparation whose name i cant recall. after dinner, we headed back home -- a half-hour walk saw us home. it wasnt too hot, though it was sultry which seems to be the norm in delhi these days. more later.

feeling stretched

2008-08-29T09:06:00.002+05:30

I know this is normal in this age, but i try to avoid this state. Of late I have been unsuccessful, miserably unsuccessful, and its obvious the less updates I have been putting in (for myself) in this diary. My reading has also been sketchy. At least going to imf and running -- two things I have managed to keep up, and some time spent on odd evenings for relaxing cooking. I should start combining cooking and a bit of reading. Anyway lets hope that today I am productive and manage to catch up on a few things, one or two ....

osaka

2008-08-24T21:47:00.002+05:30

the japanese place near to hauz khas. its a tiny place, but the food is good. went there after an afternoon at IMF -- my second time this week. My fingers are sore due to the usual excuse but it feels good that way! more later.

really?

2008-08-22T07:51:00.000+05:30

From today's newspaper: "A recent report of the National Family Health Survey 2005-06, says 47 per cent women in Uttar Pradesh believe it is justifiable for their husbands to beat up them. But what comes as a surprise is that the number of men who subscribe to this view is less — 44 per cent."

The last sentence is indeed very depressing. I am curious what % of this consists of urban population. Also its worth to note that this is just dealing with physical abuse, verbal abuse being not counted for. My guess is if that was included the numbers will be much higher --- even the notion of whats acceptable level of physical/mental abuse is can vary across person (although really the only acceptable level is NIL). Moving away from numbers, what does this really imply. It just shows us we do not honor our women enough, and for whatever reason women of our country have low self-respect. Its a culmination of how they are treated, their education, environment, myths, etc. Overall quite depressing -- no amount of economic improvement counts until we can address such a basic issue. The only comparable one may be basic education.

back in delhi

2008-08-20T21:59:00.000+05:30

The week in LA was crazy. The conference was nice, quite nice. Spend too much time preparing for talks and practicing to myself. In the end it paid off, though missed quite a few parties. Met lots of people, and had a few interesting discussing sessions. Hope to carry forward a few of the work. Spend a relaxing day in San Diego, and then am back in Delhi. Hoping that I get some time to write up more details about the 'lost week' so that I have some record to look back for later days. May be I do that ... but not sure if I get to that.

nuthouse

2008-08-08T23:25:00.003+05:30

After a nice dinner at the cuban place on california avenue, we went to nuthouse. Lot of folks showed up -- in no particular order, daniel, nils, primoz, hao, maks, jared, mike, and a few others from the climbing club. We hangout there for a while, talked about how things are going. It was nice evening! Devasree spend the day at monterey .. and the evening with me.

homecoming

2008-08-06T23:52:00.002+05:30

Visiting Stanford for a few days. It feels good to be back here. For a change, Devasree is also traveling with me -- sweet. The lab is same in some aspects, and different in others. Difference mainly stemming from new members, getting to know the new kids. Went down to pg with Ren yesterday. Felt good to be back on the wall, did a couple of 11a for a change. The bouldering was good, but nothing spectacular. The Stanford gym was also a nice change, tons of memories, but all new faces --- only knew Ekin! May be meet Jared one of these days. We go for a drive today ....

whats cool about cuil?

2008-07-30T21:29:00.002+05:30

So what's the big deal with cuil? Is there a big deal? Is this going to be the next google? Here's what i think: its too early to make a call. The current trend on the web (reddit, and other news gathering sites) is people are not happy, there are screenshots of unacceptable search answers, or keywords which fail badly. Well what else do we expect? Even though I believe that the system was tested for some users (depends on the numbers of users), but when such a system is opened to the world, and get PR as top newsites, it's expected that the system will crash, bugs will be found! So may be we should just wait for sometime before passing a judgment like this is stupid, retarded, or this is awesome, great. Playing the devil' advocate, who knows what the top search companies are up to --- it is in their interest that such a new search engine (hyped or otherwise) is killed at the infant stages. So I will just wait and see how the game unfolds. Its difficult to trust any source these days, like how much can you trust this (biased?) opinion?

tarka et al.

2008-07-29T08:51:00.002+05:30

campus loop + gndx2 -> 33mins

found a cool shortcut or rather a narrow alley through kalu sarai. suddenly malvia nagar looks much closer now. also we found this tiny (?) food place (tarka) in kalu sarai, a good option for a lazy evening. the food is not spicy, at least the ones we ordered were almost home-cooked!

imf

2008-07-27T21:17:00.001+05:30

was there one more time. it rained quite a bit in the afternoon, so the big(?) wall was closed. the cave was open, and the holds were mostly lying on the ground. had fun setting up a couple of nice routes, and also trying some of the comp routes! may be head back on wednesday ... wishful thinking?

i ran

2008-07-25T19:15:00.000+05:30

campus loop, 25mins.

ran today

2008-07-24T18:50:00.000+05:30

campus loop (short) 20mins.

an evening at imf

2008-07-23T22:32:00.002+05:30

Yes I finally made it to IMF. It was a typical muggy Delhi evening, the heat was not too much just the humidity was high. I had a great time at IMF bouldering cave (more of a mini cave) and then spend sometime on the wall. It felt good, though the routes (specially those on the wall) felt difficult. The roof was tricky, but in a few more sessions I may cross the lip ... lets see. Got the annual membership. Hope I can make it one more time this week! The way back was funny, I got into a share auto for the first time in Delhi -- which meant I had a quick trip back home.

INA market and Delhi haat

2008-07-17T09:05:00.000+05:30

There is little common between the two other than the geographic proximity --- located on two sides of the main road. Another common feature is both are definitely worth visiting, if not for the wide, surprisingly wide, variety of things on can see and buy there, just for the sheer pleasure of seeing so much art/skills and strange food products (depending on which side of the street you are on).

The Delhi Haat, a meeting place for artisans from all over India and buyers from Delhi. The stalls are basic, and set up with lots of space in between. Although many of the stores are there for multiple sessions, there are always some new arrivals, and thus surprises!

INA market a place to go shopping for exotic spices, fresh vegetables of all types, and of course fish and meat. There is also this old watch mechanic who is unusually modest specially given his skills, knowledge and dexterity. If you are in the area definitely visit both the places. Jack told me that he used to frequent INA market when he was in town, and I can totally see why. Lastly, INA market has a tiny stall selling the best momos in Delhi (of course among the ones we have tried).

joy of coding

2008-07-16T13:21:00.000+05:30

Well summarized in this posting: http://duartes.org/gustavo/blog/post/lucky-to-be-a-programmer. Its all about passion, and not having to explain your strange 'working hours' to others. Its just about coding, it applies broadly to thinking for work, not necessarily at work.

how guys think?

2008-07-16T08:50:00.000+05:30

a new rating system: http://putupyourdukes.wordpress.com/2008/07/14/the-area-code-rating-system-why-1-10-just-isnt-enough/. Lets not get too much into details but its definitely a fun read. Specially the examples.

why do I blog

2008-07-11T22:39:00.000+05:30

A strange question, and I dont have a convincing answer to that. But then again do I need one? Isnt it enough that I enjoy writing about things I feel were important moments, passing thoughts, or just a way of unwinding at the end of the day. Does it matter if others pass by this page, does it matter if I write something personal and others come to read about it, and I worried? I guess its kind of daring to write down thoughts in public view, on a board there once written its hard to erase. Its no longer the personal diary of yester years, its a online diary opening myself to the world for some unknown reason. Opening myself to criticism, holding myself naked with my intense thoughts jotted down. In short, such thoughts dont bother me, at least not now, may be in a few months, years I will feel stupid and hope that I never did write like this. But then again who has seen the future. I live in the present, and plan only for next few days to come. Its definitely a stupid way to live, but its my way, I way I am comfortable with. Coming back to the question, is this e-equivalent question of why do we live? Philosophical queries that have stumped people for ages and its something everyone has to come up with their own recipe. Its a mean of coming to terms to oneself. The other option is not to think about such things and follow others, the mass. Enough fooling around for now, time to get back to work .. Just a parting thought -- when is a blog successful? When there are many visitors, readers, etc. or is it when there is someone who reads in and may be get connected, start a discussion. Or may be success if writing an entry helps clear up some logic for myself, its a mean of writing to myself, speaking to myself, trying to keep a structured though going, without giving myself the option to go back and clean up the writing. A blog to me is not a polished piece of writing or essay, but more a raw record of thoughts as they occur, sometimes in sequence and structured, while at others all at once, and then the fun begins .... Good luck to anyone trying to decipher that ;-)

back home and something to worry about

2008-07-09T17:46:00.000+05:30

Ok I am back. Its cool and wet here -- monsoon with all its glory. Everything is very green, infact in many places its green were its not supposed to be! But again I should get used to the idea, and enjoy the rain while its out there.

Just read: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/07/06/eco.chocolate/index.html --- drop, steep drop in production expected for chocolate, over next 20 years. May be just a grim view with the world? Or just another exaggerated news report? I think this will further the push for artificial 'chocolate' or just sugar painted brown. But where do I get my dark love? Somehow things will work out, thats we hope for always, thats what makes it worth pushing forward always, no matter when, no matter how tough and bleak it all looks ...

schneeberg .. JS

2008-07-06T13:29:00.000+05:30

Joe Stickler Gedächtnisweg (http://www.bergsteigen.at/de/touren.aspx?ID=224), a new route from 2002. After having to wait for about a year it was about time. The middle section some 6-7 pitches were exceptional. The climbing felt natural, the holds just enough, the friction amazing, and the pockets ... well may be deep will be an understatement, the pockets were bottomless. The pitch rated 7, was not a climbing route, it was a boulder problem, a hard one! The moves a sequence of 4-5 moves (if i didnt miss something) were powerful, pumpy, and felt heavenish! Had a great time! Hannes also agreed.

When is it time to give up?

2008-07-04T11:40:00.000+05:30

Was back at Backerstrasse. Had a solid session with some overlap with Niki. We tried this one move some 10-20 times (may be another 20-25 times on tuesday). The move didnt look very difficult, and it was gentle on the fingers but still it was just not happening. After much grunting and cursing, I finally got it clean -- it really really felt good. We went to Alt Wien for a quick celebration.

Merde happens

2008-07-03T10:35:00.000+05:30

How true is that, it does again, and again, and again. I felt like writing something yesterday, may be thought I should write something yesterday but somehow didn't. It was a busy day, a long day at work, but overall not a very long day. I was really on a low in the late afternoon, early evening, after things went completely opposite to how I wanted them to. However, it was one of those moments when you realize the value of doing things just by yourself, my inner self being the best friend. Like memories from books, music, and of course climbing, what else.

I was too tired to think about work. I just remembered about the rocks I had hugged recently, how gentle they felt, warm, tender (only once a bit too hot leaving some scars or shall we say love-bites), and at times grippy. I really cant explain, but it seems that they do have feelings and are there always waiting or rather craving for a gentle touch, a close hug, or eager to hear cries of agony of folks failing to make it in the initial attempts. Indeed with enough tries, even the impossible becomes achievable, not always, but sometimes --- who am I to talk about that. If even if doesn't, still worth the tries -- worth the pain and efforts that went in vain. Leaves us stronger, or does it? Just inspiring to hear Sharma talk about 100-s of times/sessions he tries the super hard moves before he can get them. Shows dedication, faith, perfection, focus ... things that makes climbing worth all the effort. So relaxing. In the end I just thought about the last week, various holds and embraces, moments to cherish, and guess what -- in a few minutes (well it took longer) -- I was back to my usual self. So Merde happens, but then you talk to yourself, pick up yourself, and move on with life -- its a wonderful life, isn't it?

time to move on

2008-06-29T19:25:00.000+05:30

It Sunday 29th, time to move back for another week in Vienna. The last four days were hot and eventful. Got some work done, with lots of discussions -- only time will tell if thats useful. Did get 3 sessions of climbing, twice at fluntern and once at gallerie. Did a couple of difficult climbs, well by my standard. I will be tired when I reach Vienna today, but tomorrow should be back at office .. lets hope so!

zurich

2008-06-26T11:38:00.000+05:30

reached safely. after a bit of work, since it was a bit late int he evening, went to fluntern by the zoo for some climbing. the climbs were doable with only a few impossible ones for me. much better than last year! may be one more session. get to meet hal today. lets hope that the next 2-3 days are productive workwise ;-) it was warm if not hot yesterday, today its much nicer. reading bryson's shakespeare (after reading the book got confused with the many variations of the spelling ... ) should finish it before i am back in vienna.

Thalhofergrat

2008-06-22T23:44:00.001+05:30

It was a bright Sunday morning, the day promised to be a hot one. I reached Andreas place a little after 9am and then we pushed off to Thalhofergrat (http://www.bergsteigen.at/de/touren.aspx?ID=464). We had a no nonsense session of about 6hours. The climbs were superb! Well not all of them, a couple were a bit easy, but the rest were perfekt! Its been a while, and my fingers were blistered from yesterday's hot rocks (Donau-kanal) but still there were enough in them to pull me through. Had a lot of fun. More later .. time to head out to see Italy-Spain clash.

back at backerstrasse

2008-06-18T12:57:00.000+05:30

June 17th 6:30-8:30pm: Went back to Backerstrasse after a long, long break -- it was about time. Climbing was relaxing, not too taxing on the fingers, and the company great. Hope to head back soon! Surprised myself with a few moves -- looks like my fingers still remembers a few tricks. Lets see how it does on tougher ones. May sneak back today, if not, tomorrow .. Lets see how things go. Weather has been good here. First day in Vienna was good at work and play. A few more busy days to follow ...

IMF

2008-06-12T22:12:00.000+05:30

After days of dilly dally, finally I made it to IMF again -- after a gap of almost 2 months. I was there for most of 2.5hrs. The place hasnt changed much, though I have lost some power, specially my fingers felt weak. The good news is the fingers were not stiff, and I felt some urge to push on. I felt light which helped a lot. It was quite humid, though not too hot -- I was missing some chalk in my bag as I sweated on and off. The great thing was there were a bunch of some 6-7 kids who seemed quite enthusiastic and putting in their best. It was great to see that summer breaks are being put to good use :-) More later ...

in search of rajinder's dhaba

2008-06-03T10:21:00.000+05:30

After stopping over at Colonel's Kebab at Defense Colony, we headed over to Green Parl/Yousuf Sarai in search of Kamal Cinema, our ultimate goal being rajinder's dhaba. However, after a few miles of walking and asking around, we were a bit surprised to find the place -- but contrary to what we have heard, the place has transformed from a dhaba/shack to a more standard restaurant. The food was ok, nothing spectacular. The biriyani that we ordered was more a glorified fried rice, while the fried fish lacked some zest. On the positive side, the restaurant was comfortable and clean, the food was brought in without must fuss. May be we will give it one more try ... some curry and nan might be the highlight of the place? Last comment: the place have started to sell chinese food!

a new place pops up

2008-05-31T16:09:00.000+05:30

Chi: a fusion joint in SDA market. Wonder how long it will survive. I cannot make up my mind about whether I like it or now. The ambiance was great, the food palatable, the lamp shades unusual. The place was surprisingly empty even on a Friday night, but given it stays open until 1am, may be people show up later? I liked the plates and the pots, quite stylish and elegant. Overall had a good relaxing evening, but then again the place didnt fit among its surroundings. May be thats how Delhi is overall -- mixed surprises ...

old delhi

2008-05-28T14:16:00.000+05:30

Along with Devasree, I ventured out yet again deep into old Delhi. Well may be its a bit of an overstatement, we just went to Khari Baoli, and then towards Jama Masjid crawling through a dense maze of rickshaws, cars, cycles, what not. We were carrying too much stuff (from the many stores of Khari Boali) making movement sluggish and restricted. The highlight was stopping by at Mi'ans shack for a helping of gola kebab, also known as sutli kebab (being too soft, they have to be delicately held with sting before starting to grill over charcoal). To say the least, it was heavenly. Ok more later.

first few days in Delhi

2007-10-03T07:58:00.000+05:30

I arrived in Delhi via Amman on Saturday Sept 29th at around 5am. A short wait at the luggage collection followed by a ride in a prepaid taxi saw me at IIT campus. I got a room at the faculty guest house, and immediately took a nap for an hour.

At around 10am Subhasish picked me up and we moved to office. I found an office room waiting for me, with a desktop. I got it to bootup, but a few automatic updates later the machine crashed -- something to do with a wrong driver update? I powered on my laptop instead. A long day later I found myself looking at the ceiling of the guest house lying in a bed and pondering about whats in store for me.

On Sunday, a short visit to the office was followed by a trip to check out IMF near South campus. It looked much better than I had hoped for. From IMF, I took another auto-taxi to head towards the airport. I picked up Devasree whose flight arrived just 5mins late, and then we came back to campus. We had a quiet lunch, followed by a short nap, then headed out to explore the campus and its surrounding -- had dinner at Essex farm.

Monday was another tough day -- the computer continued to act weird, atleast in the first half. I got my medical checkup done, and in the afternoon we went to check out a few apartments. We liked the last one, lets see if we get it. There was a faculty dinner at the guest house that evening.

Tuesday being 2nd October, most places were closed. I finished most of the installations on my pc. In the evening, we went out of main gate to have dinner at this smallish place, a nice dinner followed by a gentle walk back to the guest house.

Death Proof

2007-09-02T14:15:00.002+05:30

Saw Tarantino's Death Proof. A hilarious movie. The first part was not that exciting, but the second half made up for it. The dialogues were well crafted, the delivery strong and powerful. There's not much to talk about the story, a very ordinary psycho thriller. But the direction was very good and artistic, as you would expect from Tarantino.

Note to myself: watched the movie with Hal at Haydnkino. The two hours went by fast. Before the movie was at Naschmarkt for dinner at a Vietnamese place, was surprisingly nice. Earlier that afternoon was at Flukturm for a couple of hours of relaxed bouldering -- was a bit windy, and chilly.

Kiss me Kate

2007-09-01T16:27:00.001+05:30

An unforgettable evening -- watched one of the classic recording at Rathausplatz. A beautiful performance by Rachael York. The songs were amazing, and hard to forget. Overall the performance was very clean, powerful, and crisp. The stage backdrop was basic, creating least bit of distraction.

We (Gudrun and myself, the rain spoiled Hal's plans of showing up) arrived some 20mins into the show, but found it easy to find a place to sit down. It rained on and off for the next two hours, but the performance was solid enough that we sat through the entire performance.