Eight years hence...

It was somewhere around this time in the month of August, 8 years ago, that I entered the famed Infosys Campus at Mysore with stars in my eyes hoping to build a career. Last evening, all those memories came rushing back to me especially as I entered the multiplex in campus to watch a movie. 8 years back, it was "Love aaj kal" and yesterday it was "Lipstick under burqa", which has been getting rave reviews lately. Anyways, this particular post is not about the movie at all, so let me not digress from the subject.

8 years is a long time. People change, circumstances change...perspectives change. It  was my first  tryst in a state which was not Odisha. My BigB travelled all the way from Pune to drop me in the campus. After that, I was pretty much on my own. Working, traveling around to explore the city on weekends and enjoying South Indian delicacies. I was a lot thinner, probably a bit naive and may be gullible at times. 8 years hence, a few kilos enriched...bit more confident may be...sometimes sceptical of people and situations...and yes! A lot more easy going and brave. I choose to believe that I have changed as a person for the better. I appreciate every moment of life, health and people more now. I don't believe in accumulating things or objects anymore.I have developed a deep abbhorence towards anything that is materialistic. I love to lead a simple life devoid of frills. All my current possessions can fit into just one strolley, I am not kidding. People say, they travel light. I like to proclaim, I live light. Yes, that's true.

The only things I value now is people and relationships. Rest is immaterial to me. Work is important too, as that's the source of my bread minus butter! Honesty and dedication in work is important and I try my best to make a difference. But I do envisage a life beyond work too...maybe after a few years, I would like to quit the cat race and do something like full time writing or teaching. I called it cat race, because I feel cats are way more meaner than rats. Rats are cute docile creatures. Cats are shrewd, cunning and mean.

I wish to travel a bit more, explore India now with my family around me. Have been hearing so much about a place called Hampi near Bangalore. Someone told me, it has an old fort or palace kinda thing which is dilapidated now. It had 50 or 70 odd pillars which could play musical instruments in those times. Now only few pillars remain. Some archaeologists believe it was a temple. Now it's a popular site for destination weddings. Ok, now that gives me an interesting idea to ponder over... :)

Ok, enough of Saturday morning ramblings. Time for more coffee!!!!
Ciao!

Jagga jasoos. Are you kidding me?!

After a long time, I watched a movie which made me yearn to pull out each and every hair out of my head in frustration and disappointment. 

I had tremendous respect for Mr. Anurag Basu till yesterday, but it all changed within a matter of minutes...thanks to the wannabe-lalaland movie, Jagga-painful-jasoos. You must be wondering, why did I tamper with the title of the movie, by adding the word, painful. That's simply because, each and every moment of this movie was so mind numbingly boring that I felt the earth has frozen and time has come to a standstill. I kept on looking at my watch every minute in the hope that the 3 hours would pass, but alas, much to my dismay, the moments seemed like years to me. And I felt cheated and duped that 3 precious hours of my life were wasted. Every single dialogue of this movie was in a form of a song. Don't mistake me, I love songs! Provided there is some decent tune and logical lyrics. But the music of this movie was another huge disappointment. Even Arijit Singh couldn't save it. What the hell is "Choclaty chunnu....biscuti bunnu?" C'mon!!! I get it that the movie was primarily targeted for kids below the age of 8 years, but still!? Kids today are far more smarter! I couldn't find a single saving grace for this movie. 

Worst movie of this century, undoubtedly. 

First watch, a restaurant review

"First watch" happens to be my most favorite restaurant in probably the whole of USA. There is an interesting story actually, on how I discovered this place.

My good friend Koushi and I, went on a trip to Phoenix, Arizona. And this restaurant happened to be situated right infront of our hotel. In our quest to experiment new places, we decided to give it a go. And voila!! Were we surprised! The restaurant is a popular brunch place, frequented by all health freaks and boasts of an extensive menu. All the veggies and fruits used are organically grown and the sauces etc are specially produced for first watch restaurant only and bear the mark. The place smells of freshly brewed coffee and eggs/bacon/cheese!! There is always a waiting time to get a table especially during the rush breakfast hours and the best part is you can help yourself to their amazing coffee while you wait. They have some delightful freshly squeezed juices and their kale tonic is to die for. In all my 5 visits to this place, they surpassed my expectations. Both in terms of food quality and service. I love their crabmeat omelette and strawberry smash. They take great pride in the fact that the restaurant is microwave free. I remember, during one of my visits, I requested my server to warm up my coffee because it had gotten cold as I was focusing too much on my food. The server gently informed me that they do not have a microwave but they would be happy to get me another freshly brewed pot of coffee. That was an "Aha" moment for me, and they won my heart forever. I love this place so much that I had my last breakfast in USA here! My manager wanted to treat me and we went there for brunch. And now he is also a big fan of "First watch" :)

Ok, signing off for now. Cya!

Jasper’s – At Shops at Legacy

Exquisite ambience and delectable food. It is best to summarize the restaurant review with just this one line. But you know me, I am not a person who is stingy with words, so I better write a paragraph on my experience.

When I landed in US, the first thing I googled was, “Top 10 places restaurants in Plano”, and Jaspers was right at the top. Since then, I have been looking for an opportunity to visit this restaurant. Got this chance couple of months back, when one of my friends from India was visiting Plano. We ordered Texas Gulf Crab Cake in appetizers. It was the best crab cake that I have ever tasted in US. It was soft and the spices were just right. For Entrees, we ordered Pan Seared Sea Scallops & Shrimp. This place is actually famous for sea food, so we obviously had very high expectations on that front and it did not disappoint us.  We also ordered fries and some drinks. Over all, it was a wonderful experience. The food was great, servers were very friendly and helpful. And the ambience was superb, second only to Gordon Biersch, if I you ask me.

That's it for now, cya later!

Plano : The 3rd best place to live in Amrikka

News!! Plano has been declared as the 3rd best place to live in USA!

I have not visited many cities in USA but this piece of interesting news got me thinking!! Ever since I landed in US, I have always cribbed how this place is so deserted, hardly any humans around, shops close at 9 PM, no high-rises etc etc. At one point of time, I also created an analogy with India s Rajasthan!! But now I understand the rationale that supports the above news. The reasons mentioned were facilities, employment opportunities, low crime rate, amenities, no state tax etc. I have also found the city to be picturesque, there are too many parks and lakes and all very well maintained. But again that's the case with everything in US. I rarely come across a scene where a person is mowing the lawns or picking fallen leaves. God only knows,when do they do it! May be at night when we are fast asleep. It also helps that I stay at two minutes walking distance from the most happening place in Plano. Yeah! You guessed it right. Shops at legacy! What else one needs!? Best restaurants n pubs nearby, best place to have ice creams - Coldstone! That too, at walking distance. Office is just 1.6 miles away! Ok, so I totally agree with this piece of survey/statistics!!

Enough of my Saturday morning ramblings! This is what happens when you start blogging on an empty stomach. Too much of caffeine and too little food. Makes you light headed.

Have a peaceful weekend!