I went to big bazaar in cosmos today. It was decently crowded and three of the counters were open for billing. After I picked my stuff, I went and stood in one of the queues.

At the next counter, I see this lady with a kid (in another cart) taking out all her items from the cart and keeping it for the guy to bill it. 5-10 mts he finished billing and her driver(I presume) comes with a cart full of vegetables - guys who joined that queue( as that was the shortest )realised that it is going to take some more time.

Then the real fun starts. She sees a couple of packets of rice flour/maida - and exclaims 'Oh, I dont want these - please cancel this'. The counter guy obliges. Then the driver produces a list (I presume once again - that it is the shopping list) - she reads out 'Oh that is dhaniya powder and turmeric' turns to the billing guy and asks ' was there turmeric in the items that you billed?' asks aloud 'Shall I take it and come?' then turns and sees some three four people standing behind her and decides 'Ok, leave that' Then she decided that she has to go through the items mentioned in the bill. Made the guy go to the start of the bill in his monitor and she started reading the item names and quantities loud enough for every body to hear.

People are watching with interest, but she is least bothered. Once all the checks are done, she took the bill. For payment - she started with 'Take this parking receipt' and then 'That coupon - you know that sugar coupon is there na' karke she started searching in her hand bag - another two minutes and searched everywhere in the bag ( I got reminded of one the mails about how do men and women withdraw cash from ATM), and finally produces that big bazaar offer of 1Kg sugar free and then pays for the rest.

Oooof this is the first time I see anyone like this in a super market! Anyways, I was thoroughly entertained and amused!

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I've started another blog - this time on one of my favorite topic, cooking. May be I should say related to one of my favorite hobbies - eating :). Anyways, my mother has been writing down all the recipes she knows that is needed for day to day tamil brahmin cooking and I've started a blog with it. May be, in time, I will add my own creations. For now, I am keeping it simple. It is named ammascookbook.

People who have been reading my blog ( I dont know if there are too many!!), I welcome you to the world of some interesting recipes. Watch out the space. I promise that I will add a few every week.

Read this in a mail in the morning. Thanks Agnelo, for sending this.

"It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule. Globalized processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. We have come to possess a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold endless meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end though, this always yields outstanding results. Said in another words:1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.3. Stockholm, has 500,000 people.4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia and Absolut are some of its renowned companies. Volvo supplies the NASA. The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their cars to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, neither the second nor the third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be in a hurry and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think?" Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week. Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality" or the "quality of being". The French, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than the Americans or British. The Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen productivity driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!".This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means taking essential human values, the simplicity of living. It stands for a less coercive work environment, happier, lighter and more productive where people enjoy doing what they know best how to do. It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit. In the movie Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango. Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in what each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". Congratulations for getting to the end of this message. There are many who would've stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this "globalized" world."

I was reading biexplorers blog and I hit upon Tom kytes blog (the same asktom.com guy) where his latest entry is about how people always talk about their problem without explaining the background, details etc., and assume that who ever listens to/reads it will solve it for them. And some times they also shout /scream as the other person is not doing anything to resolve it (Doesn't it sound familiar!!!!), and I read this from his blog - 'Double double' - very intersting.. Read it and enjoy.

We know the 'andha kaala' stories like Ramayana and Mahabharata describes how Rama and Lakshmana, the gowravas and pandavas get into gurukul life and how their parents go to 'Sanyasa' life after making them the kings when they come out of gurukul and get married! So it is the kingdom for the children and sanyas/forest for the parents. Then, this was the well accepted norm and everyone followed it whole heartedly.

Life changed after that. After several thousand generations - NOW - history seems to be repeating itself. Kids go to residential schools may not the Doons, but never the less, it is residential schools (Gurukul?!). Parents work hard and meet kids now and then. Their parents are self-admitted/admitted into one of the old age homes (Sanyas?!) and in the process, I dont know who is happy!!!

The recent news I read told me that it is not something that I perceive, but this is what is happening. Houses are designed with 'His' and 'Hers' bedroom in order to let the man and wife have their rest and only visit each other when 'needed' - Hey is this not what was happening then? The king visiting the queen or one of the numerous wives he might have in the 'Andhapuram' when 'needed'?

See.. it is all happening and it is happening in India!

My birthday was celebrated in style. The only dampner was that Mallu was not around. Normally, I plan and I expect. This time since his travel was planned on 27th, I was so depressed that I did not plan for anything and there were no expectations in my mind. And every year, if it is a working day, I used to demand from everyone in office that they have to wish me as it is my birthday. This year I told myself - 'no such thing, you should behave like a grown up!'. Then it was full of surprises - starting from my collegemate (who seldom remembers my birthday), several people called me, mailed me, scrapped in orkut - I was really thrilled. The biggest one came in form of a celebration at office. We got an order which was WIP for a long time and hence 4 BIIIIGGGGG cakes were ordered to feed us all. When the cake was about to be cut, my boss announced that it is my birthday and I cut the choclate cake and as you would have guessed, almost everyone in the group wished me.

Moral of the story is that when you dont expect anything, whatever happens is extra and you will start feeling elated :)

It is all about TV ads today. My two cents on some of the good and bad ones. (Which implicitly means that I have become a couch potato and am unable to ignore the commercials as nowadays it is commercials which says - lets meet after a short programme break!) I will specifically talk about two ads, both by banks. The good one is the HSBC stuff - one where the daughter wants to wear the torn jeans and the mom comes and stitches it and for the same subject the green worm ad. Nicely conveyed message - different people have different needs...I feel that the HDFC one on similar lines for their savings account with Eggs is a copy!

The bad one is the HDFC personal loan one - it goes like this. The parents of the family is planning about a house interiors, and then the daughter and the son ask about their demands (Ofcourse all promised by the dad sometime or the other) and when the dad looks confused, HDFC says that he should get a personal loan to take care of their needs! I dont like the moral a bit to say the least. Am sure lots of kids are going to watch it and the parents are going to have a tough time... I believe in living comfortably with what you have and personal loans are only for emergency. This message, atleast for me was that personal loans are for living a kings life even though you can afford it! BAD.