5 things for this week (Part 32)

The state of my health, both physical and mental, is questionable at best. With our maid picking up Dengue, we are deprived of her culinary services for the next few weeks. The effort you've to expend to cook food is multiplied exponentially by the decrease in the atmospheric temperature from it's normally acceptable levels. As Delhi is set to have an early winter, with it becoming noticeably cold since last week, we are left with the herculean task of preparing our own food, braving cold water from the pipes, and even colder draughts from the elsewhere.

Well, that about sums up the week for me. I know. Pretty boring, right?

Not for our nation though. It was a huge week for India. No. I'm not talking about Sachin's last international performance (yet!!), but about Mangalyaan - India's first mission to Mars. With over half of such ambitious missions in the past failing to achieve it's target (globally), the success of this venture will significantly increase the trust from other nations in our ISRO. It's a tantalizing prospect for them - both commercially as well as a symbol of national pride.

The project was done in less than 18 months at a cost about 250 crore rupees. One smart fellow calculated its cost per km as Rs.12, claiming that it's similar to what you've to pay for an auto ride in India. Smartasses and unconfirmed asset values aside, it begets a question. What good is such advancement for me?

Off the back of my mind, I can roll off  better communication facilities, the ability to forecast weather with more accuracy, the growth of TV and the Internet and all such modern things.

Okay. So the work of space age enthusiasts has been good for me. But what good would spending money on a mission to Mars to the hungry children of Africa?

This question was not from me, but from Sister Mary Jucunda, a nun who worked among the starving children of Kabwe, Zambia, in Africa in 1970s. She wrote a letter then, asking the same to Mr.Ernst Stuhlinger, Associate Director for Science, NASA. NASA was at that time working on a similar project to send a probe to MARS. Even though he used to get lots of such mails, he replied to her, considering her line of work. That reply is now a legend. In that reply, he elucidates on the need for space exploration, and why it'll be good for those hungry kids in Africa?

I'll be listing out five major points from his reply as the "5 things" for this week, which will give us a better idea of why space exploration is good for mankind.

And for those of you, who would like to read the letter in its entirety, do visit the link..

http://launiusr.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/why-explore-space-a-1970-letter-to-a-nun-in-africa/

So, let's begin the proceedings, shall we?

Did you know...

1. ...that the fund for space exploration is on a budget - meaning it has very specific, limited means of utilization?

The total budget of a nation is fixed. "This money goes to health, education, welfare, urban renewal, highways, transportation, foreign aid, defense, conservation, science, agriculture and many installations inside and outside the country." Only a small percent (~1%) is spent on the space program. "When the funds are finally appropriated by the Government after stringent screening, they can be spent only for the line items specified and approved in the budget" - that is only for space related missions, and not for giving out aid to poor countries. Moreover, the Government has its own fund to give out as an aid for other countries.

2. ...that space exploration can help in solving poverty issues?

"Basic to the hunger problem are two functions: the production of food and the distribution of food. Food production by agriculture, cattle ranching, ocean fishing and other large-scale operations is efficient in some parts of the world, but drastically deficient in many others. For example, large areas of land could be utilized far better if efficient methods of watershed control, fertilizer use, weather forecasting, fertility assessment, plantation programming, field selection, planting habits, timing of cultivation, crop survey and harvest planning were applied.

The best tool for the improvement of all these functions, undoubtedly, is the artificial Earth satellite."

3. ... that the space program helps in the stimulation of technological development?

"The requirements for high precision and for extreme reliability which must be imposed upon the components of a moon-travelling spacecraft are entirely unprecedented in the history of engineering. The development of systems which meet these severe requirements has provided us a unique opportunity to find new material and methods, to invent better technical systems, to manufacturing procedures, to lengthen the lifetimes of instruments, and even to discover new laws of nature.

All this newly acquired technical knowledge is also available for application to Earth-bound technologies."

4. ...that the space program helps in the generation of scientific knowledge?

"There is a continuing great need for new basic knowledge in the sciences if we wish to improve the conditions of human life on Earth. We need more knowledge in physics and chemistry, in biology and physiology, and very particularly in medicine to cope with all these problems which threaten man’s life: hunger, disease, contamination of food and water, pollution of the environment.

We need more young men and women who choose science as a career and we need better support for those scientists who have the talent and the determination to engage in fruitful research work. Challenging research objectives must be available, and sufficient support for research projects must be provided" - both of which are provided by the space program.

5. ...that Ernst Stuhlinger hoped that the space age would end war, and then, begin it all over again?

"How much human suffering can be avoided if nations, instead of competing with their bomb-dropping fleets of airplanes and rockets, compete with their moon-travelling space ships! This competition is full of promise for brilliant victories, but it leaves no room for the bitter fate of the vanquished, which breeds nothing but revenge and new wars."

He has explained in a few words how the world will first embrace space age for good, and how it might end up like it used to be.

***

Balaji Viswanathan. I don't exactly know who this guy is, but he has written very well about the same topic, but mainly covering the fact that the foreign press has been trying to belittle this huge milestone of the Indian Space Research Organization.

Read what he has to say at the following link...

http://balajiviswanathan.quora.com/Indian-Space-Mission-Poverty-and-Closet-Racism

***

Well, that's it from me for this week. Nothing much else to say.

Oh. Forgot one thing. I resigned.

More on that next week though.

Have a great weekend!!!

'til next week.

5 things for this week (Part 31)

"Thoroughly uninspiring, utterly hopeless and erroneously pedantic."

That's what I found in the comments section of a blog I read recently. Titled '10 classic Indianisms', it went on to describe ten phrases you'll hear/read commonly in the usage of the Indian version of the English language.

The author goes about introducing to us these phrases, their faults, their supposed origin and what to actually say in their place. Everything is covered in a light hearted, easy to read way.

Now, about the author of the said comment. From his written language and the authority he shows in the same, he seems to have mastered the language. His comment is well written, eloquent and expressive. It would seem that he has done more research on the subject than the author of the blog.

Now, you might be thinking as to why I'm going on about some comment in some other blog, over here. It's because such comments have an effect on the author. A negative comment compels the author to do more for his next post. A positive comment gives me the necessary push to continue doing the good job.

On the other hand, if the author is not inclined to take in comments the right way - the constructive way, a negative comment can result in him sulking about it, making the subsequent works that much worse. A positive comment to an author looking for a ego massage can lead him to produce some real crappy work the next time.

This theory on how comments affect different people is not specifically for blogging, but it can be generalized to any work that is kept for public inspection.

I won't be naive to suggest that I'm of the first kind of people I described here - the ones who take every criticism/remark the correct way. I'm a mix of both. And as of this moment, I'm all ears for the comments that you would like to pass on my works over here.

To make things simple for people, who can't find words for their thoughts, I've added at the end of each blog post five options. Just click on them to rate how you feel about the post. It'll help me better understand how I'm performing. After all, the basic reward for showcasing your hobby in public is to know what others think about your work.

So, I'll be most honoured if you'll, from now onwards, click on the 'yawn', 'funny', 'wtf', 'interesting' or 'can do better' options given at the end of each post you read here.

***

As I'm supposed to get back to Delhi by this Sunday evening, ending my one month old recess at home to recover my health, I've decided, against better judgement, to indulge in an article about the National Capital Region [NCR], instead of one on Kerala, as it is busy celebrating it's 57th year of formation as 'Classical language Day'.

Without further ado, let's start the proceedings.

Did you know...

1. ...that the NCR is India's largest and the world's second largest urban agglomeration?

In case you don't know what an agglomeration means, it is a mass/collection of things. Urban agglomeration is used to describe a central city, and subsequent suburbs which thrive off it. In terms of the same, NCR, with a population of over 22 lakhs, is second in the world only to Tokyo, Japan.

2. ...that the NCR actually comprises areas of four states?

Okay, three and a half states - considering Delhi is considered as a special case Union territory, and not as a state. The other three states are Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. And it has a total of 22 districts, from these three states, associated with it.

3. ...that most of the cities in this region are called satellite towns of Delhi?

Five cities in this region share the honour for being called the satellite city of Delhi. Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Sonepat are these five. A satellite city is a city, which lies close to the original city, but is independent of the same. This is basically to allow the larger city, and the entire region, to grow in a planned way.

4. ...that there is something called 'counter magnet towns' for the NCR?

To curb the migration of people into this region, there is a planned move to develop cities that are over 250kms away from this region, so that further influx of people will be towards those regions, instead of Delhi. A few of these counter magnet towns for the NCR are Jaipur, Dehradun and Kanpur

5. ...that a guy from Kerala is responsible for one of the best thing that has happened to the NCR?

Delhi metro is not the first metro in India - Calcutta had the first one. But the 17km line took 22 years to build, at a rate of less than a kilometer per year. By comparison, the Delhi metro was a fast paced, corruption-free project, which has elevated the region to another level by decongesting the roads and providing a faster, safer and better mode of transport in this region. Considering how the development works were carried for the Commonwealth games, this project is nothing short of a miracle.

By the time, I mentioned Delhi metro, the name of this man I'm discussing about must have come to your mind. I'm talking about none other than Mr. E Sreedharan. I read a wonderfully researched article about him, describing the 56 years of service that this great personality has given to the people of India. Read about that here - DR ELATTUVALAPIL SREEDHARAN…..THE BHARAT RATNA NO ONE TALKS ABOUT

***

That's it for today. Hope you take time to rate my work by a simple click at the appropriate place below.

Have a great weekend!!
'til next week,

5 things for this week (Part 30)

But these designs that I am about to tell you right now leaves me in no doubt that should you follow these techniques, you can enjoy a meal at these places, and the burden on your wallet/purse will be lighter.

Well, of course you don't know what I'm talking about. Let's start from the beginning.

We talked about food last week, and it felt right to continue it into this post too. But even though a lot of tasty treats from God's own country are yet to discussed, we'll leave them for some other time. This week we'll be looking at the various multinational food chains that have opened up in India over the past decade or so, and how to get a cheaper meal off them.

The McDonalds, the KFCs, the Pizzahuts, the Dominos, the Subways and their related corporate meal houses charge a hefty price for enjoying the food they serve up. I've more than three years of experience in buying overpriced food from their counters. But these designs that I am about to tell you right now leaves me in no doubt that should you follow these techniques, you can enjoy a meal at these places, and the burden on your wallet/purse will be lighter.

The following 'shortcuts' are for those people who find themselves forced to use these institutions to negate their hunger, but at the same time, don't want to overspend. If you are one of those who are attracted to these places by your love for their food, these methods might seem like cutting down on the 'real' taste of the place. In that case, please feel free to not follow them.

With that out of the way, shall we start on the 5 things for this week??

Did you know that you can enjoy a decent meal...

1. ...at Dominos Pizza by going on Wednesdays?

If you are to go out on a Wednesday, and want to grab a snack with a friend, try ordering online a 'pick up order' at the nearest Dominos. You'll get one pizza free with the pizza you order. You probably shouldn't ask for more than that. By the way, the magic word is 'MOB06'.

2. ...at KFC by ordering their burgers?

I know that KFC is known more for its fried chicken, but like, have you seen the prices? They have increased so much in the past two years that it is preposterous. So when I don't have a craving for a baked piece of chicken, I go for the burgers they serve. They are priced at Rs.30 for veg, and Rs.40 for chicken. And 2-3 of them will fill you up.

3.  ...at Pizzahut by having their Rs.99 meal?

Okay, so it's not Wednesday and you gotta have pizza on the cheap. Well, then Pizzahut is the place you should be at. Compared to Dominos, Pizzahut has a higher bill amount for the same stuff, mostly because they charge you service tax of 10%. But they also have this amazing combo offer that you are gonna love. They offer you one simple pizza, two slices of garlic bread with dip, and a lemonade as a combo. Rs.99 for the veg pizza and Rs.129 for the non-veg pizza.

In case you are still having doubts about this, before I knew of this offer, I had a lemonade from a shop nearby a Pizzahut store - for Rs.80. Oh how ignorant was I then.

4. ... at Subway by going for the 'Sub of the Day' or by having the egg combos they give you?

This is pretty simple. Subway gives you the option of opting for the 'Sub of the day', being served at Rs.99. Or, if you don't like the 'Sub of the day', you can choose to have an egg combo from their breakfast menu, which they serve through out the day. It's not that popular, but it surely fills up the tummy.

5. ... at McDonalds by ordering a meal?

Now, you might think 'what the...'. But over the years, I've seen ignorant folks come up to the counter at a McD, and order a burger and a coke, missing out on french fries which he/she would have got on a free, if they had just ordered the meal. They might be cutting down on the intake, but still I can't believe almost every other person who stood before me in the queue till date was on a diet.

****

Well, that's it for this week. I went to the doctor the other day, and he has informed me that Jaundice attack on me is reaching its finishing stage. I'll return to normal service by next week hopefully. In the mean time, I'm going to enjoy more of my beautiful Kerala and my sweet home and my mum's food.

Have a great weekend!!!
'til next week.

5 things for this week (Part 29)

Would I be believed if I were to say that I had a total change of 8 kgs in my body weight over the past two weeks? 5 kgs down in the first, then 3 kgs up in the second.

Okay. So, I could have said that I lost 2 kgs in two weeks, but I don't think that would have given you an idea about how fast I lose/gain weight - even though it never seems to go above 65kg or less than 60kg. According to the 'expert' opinion from a friend, who is more concerned about such stuff, 60kg must be how much my bones weigh. I would like to say that's not true, but it's a hard fact to look past.

So, getting back to my fluctuating weight, as you might have heard, I lost 5 kgs due to the dengue/typhoid/jaundice week I had at the beginning of October. The week after, which I spent in the care and nurture of my home, I gained 3 kgs. That is a huge, considering that I was allowed only to eat light foods, meaning no junk food, no mix-boil-n-serve kinda things, no meat, no oily food - you get the idea na. I basically had to be a veggie, and that too a sad kind of veggie.

I couldn't eat the really good veg foods, cos they all are fried or non-light. So, you can maybe understand my astonishment at the fact that I could gain back more than half of what I lost on that diet.

And this week's 5 things will be the 5 types of food I had/have. They are the staple items you'll get in a Southie vegetarian restaurant.

So, shall we begin??

Did you know that one of those food items...

1. ...was kanji?

Okay. I'll make a sort of confession. This food item is one of the many nicknames that I've got. Kanji, in proper Malayalam, refers to rice porridge. It is basically rice cooked, and served with the water it was cooked in. It is highly nutritious, easy enough to make, and three of us lived off eating it for dinner one year straight. And it is to this reason that I have got this name. Not cause of the slang meaning that the word has got - cheap.

That meaning stems from the fact that this is the food eaten by people who don't want to spend much on food. In our case, this was the dish which required the least amount of time to prepare. So, I repeat, I was called this cos I ate this a lot, not cos I'm cheap.

And no, this is not my usual way of saying the opposite so that you'll not believe in the correct thing. I really love kanji, and that is why I'm called so.

I know it doesn't look that good, but it's great once you start eating it daily. 

2. ...was Idli?

Now, this most of you will know. The Idli/Idli mix that you get in the north only has rice ground into a paste, but the actual Idli has dal in it too. It gives the Idli its softness. My recommendation to you - go to a Tamil Brahmin veg restaurant and order yourself a plate of Idli. You'll love it.

that's what I'm talking about baby..

3. ...was Dosa?

Again, something you know and have heard of. If you can't be arsed to make Idli, put on your frying pan and start making the Indian pancakes. The variety of dosas far exceeds the limit of human imagination. I have had the simple plain dosa, and also something which had chicken stuffed into it. But if you ask me which is the best variety I've had, I'll have to say the thattukada style dosa. Thattukada is what you would call a road side dhaba in the Kerala. You'll get dosa, chutney, sambhar, vada and omelette, if they serve veg. If they serve non-veg, you'll get almost anything there.

thattu dosa.. enough to get your taste buds flowing..

4. ...was Appam?

Now, this must be a novelty. This is another kind of pancake, again made from rice. But this is something with a completely different taste to it. I guess this is something which is resident only to Tamil Nadu and Kerala, so you won't probably get it anywhere else. But still, in case you get a chance to try it, don't let that chance pass you by.

look at those crispy edges and soft centers; and tell me you don't find it inviting..

5. ...was Puttu?

This is also something you'll find only in the two aforementioned southern states. Again, this is something you should not miss if you get a chance to devour it.

those long rod like things.. that the puttu.. the rest are the possible side dishes..

***

So there ends my list. But, this is the list of main dishes only. If you go into a restaurant serving these and order one of them, you have done only a quarter of the work. You still gotta choose one or more side dishes from the list that the table boy will be reciting; most probably in the same speed that you will usually find someone saying the alphabets. So sharpen your ear, and pay attention. You don't want to miss any possible combination.

As for me, I'll have to continue on my light diet for a few more weeks, after which I can get down to the actual business of eating these with their side dishes - these days, I'm getting by on sugar as the accompaniment.

Well, that's  it people.
Have a great weekend.

'til next week.

5 things for this week (Part 28)

October 1st 09.00pm

Friend : "It's just a viral fever. You'll get well soon."

October 3rd 10.00am

Colleague : "This might be Dengue. There is a lot of such cases in Delhi now. You better get tested for it; just to be sure."

October 3rd 06.30pm

Doctor : "This doesn't seem to be that bad a case. But you better get tested for Dengue; and Typhoid; and Malaria."

October 4th 10.00am

Lab Technician : "Both Malaria and Dengue tests has come back negative. I'll let you know about the Typhoid result by 2pm."

October 4th 02.00pm

Lab Technician : "Yes. The typhoid result has come. It's positive."

October 4th 02.30pm

Another Lab Technician : "I'll try to let you know the result of this test by 7pm."

October 4th 07.00pm

Another Lab Technician : "Typhoid test is positive, sir. I'm sorry."

October 4th 07.30pm

Myself : "Acha, I'm coming home. I've typhoid. I'll reach Trivandrum by 10.45am tomorrow."

October 6th 10.30am

Doctor : "You didn't have fever in the past two days right. This isn't Typhoid then. You can go back to Delhi.... What? You have unusually high bilrubin levels. We'll do a liver function test then."

October 6th 04.30pm

Doctor : "You've Jaundice. You better get hospitalized here as soon as possible."

***

This is how my past week went about. And here I am, having my second honeymoon with Hepatitis A, popularly known as Jaundice. I succumbeed to the same sysmptoms in 2005. And this week, my limited energy resources will be utilized to push through a post here. And it'll be about this 'wonderful' disease I'm having right now.

Shall we begin then??

Did you know...

1. ... that Hepatitis A affects the liver?

2. ... that the basic indicator of this disease is a high bilrubin level?

3. ... that Hepatitis A is spread through contaminated water/food?

4. ... that there is also Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C?

5. ... that it is best to get vaccinated for Hepatitis B?

***

I know that I haven't given my usual dose of explanation with each point. Excuse me please in favour of my ill health in that respect. I promise I'll make up for this by this month end.

Till next time then.

Have a great weekend.