A movie to Watch- OldBoy (2003) Korean

I am not talking about the Hollywood version of this this. Have not seen the English version though the reviews don't paint that pretty a picture to make me go an watch it.. I am talking here about the Korean original.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/?ref_=tt_rec_tti

Directed by Chaa Woo Park.. a beautiful story .. truly tight editing and a ending that somewhere you started to see but then did want to believe it..

Recomended.. A mind bending storyline.. not for the people who like the Disney version of movies. Please refrain.. 

The Wait.

I am their adopted son at the end of the day.. 

Well i don't behave like one.. abandoned.. they just wait for the son's return.. 

unassuming, unsaid, hope.. 

just a simple wait.. 

life has not changed.. just that the eyes get a little weaker every day.. the spine does not help support the bent stare down the road.. hoping there is a vehicle that brings their son back..

but just another vehicle for another home.. just another story .. may be a good one.. but still not theirs!

Hope that .. that the story that just stopped.. waiting for the comma to get over .. and finish the sentence.. 

hope that the the tail of the comma is still there..

The wait.. 

May be deep inside everything has give up.. the mind.. the heart .. the body .. but what can someone do about those eyes.. who don't forget..  Or may be don't want to..

So I wait.. !!

Home Made Hummus

Well yesterday tried making Hummus at home for the first time. I must admit not a bad attempt at all. Well heres a simple recipe i found online. 

I am not repeating the recipe here. Please visit here for the recipe. What i have recounted is my experience so that it can help an amateur chef create this simple but delectable dip.

So the major flavor profile for Hummus are the following

Chick peas (1 cup boiled), In India they are called Chole.. So just soak a cup overnight and boil with some salt till done.  (In an Indian pressure cooker 10 mins or 1 whistle on full & 2 whistles on the sim should suffice).

Tahini (1/4 cup or 4 table spoons): That is a dip from the mid eastern cuisine. Now for creating this, take 2 table spoons of sesame (Til). Roast it over slow fire in a skillet till you get that nutty aroma and you can see the sesame getting light brown and oily. Let it cool and grind it. You can use a pestle or mortar.. I just used a blender.. use the small attachment used for spices.. 

Once the sesame seeds are ground add 2 tbl spoons of olive oil and again grind. Add some more till you get a slightly runny paste. In the end add a table spoon of good sesame oil and you have Tahini ready.

Lime or Lemon juice (2 Table spoons): Depends on your taste. Add it at the end a little at a time so that you can control the flavor

Chilli flakes (1/2 tsp): A little to spice it up 

Paprika (1/2 tsp): I had this with me so add some for the smoky flavor. Gives lovely color if just sprinkle it when you serve

Cumin powder (1/2 tsp): I always have some roasted cumin powder with me. I love the roasted cumin flavor. Gives a earthiness to any dish. So i added this. you can add the store bought one as well.

Few Table spoons of Olive oil : for the blend and to serve too

And Salt to taste. 

Optional: Some pomegranate seeds for serving. 

Directions:

Take a food processor or the chopper attachment of the Hand blender and add the cup of boiled chick peas. Run it through ( 30 secs) to get a rough paste. Be careful as it might get sticky and the motor will burn if its not a heavy duty one. Add the Tahini, 2 tbsp of olive oil, the salt, cumin, chilli flakes, paprika and run again. Add 1/4 cup of water if the chick pea has been sitting in the fridge and is a little dry. If freshly boiled, preserve the boiling water and use the same to get the desired consistency..

So thats it your hummus is ready.

My Tip: 

1. Don't add in all the spices in together, Keep checking the flavor and add salt or spice or Lime juice to your liking. 
2. To serve: Keep Hummus in a bowl make a shallow bowl shape. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on the sides and add a few spoons of Extra virgin Olive oil in the middle. You can also add one sprig of mint leaves to just add some extra color

So thats it. My version of this lovely dip. Bon Apetit

Addicted !!

I realized that I am addicted to TV series.. ) well nothing new there.. Old enough to have spent nights after night binge watching series..

But then i realized something. More like an epiphany.. That most of the series can be categorized into 2 basic areas. 

1. Series that you fall in love from the moment Go. There are the ones can capture your interest from the first few frames or just have enough to keep you guessing what is gonna happen next.
2. The second are the ones that you grow into. It takes a while to understand the nuances of the protagonist and their side kicks.. why they do things the way they do in situations and then things fall into place.. These are the ones that you need a few episodes to ease into. Well there are the ones that actually have a story.. so you will need to go from season 1 onward to understand the story line.. I have felt.. i somehow don't have the patience for the discipline. So well thats the 2nd kind that you grow to like.
3. Well there is a hidden third.. which you just don't like. You want to.. may be peer pressure dictates that you need watch every episode or be an outcast on your lunch table. But sometimes.. you just cant.. so you fake it.. :) yes thats true.. You can fake everything.. a combination of IMDb or Wikipedia and you are a fan .. Well i admit, been there done that !!

So thats my 2 bits for the day.. well if you come across this and are still reading this, please add your thoughts in the comments.. 

Still a little Mad !!

Sitting at night looking.. thinking of something to write. 

I realize the fast paced world of videos has really done us.. or at-least me in. Can't think of anything to write other than the cryptic, politically correct office mails. So why did i think today that i should start writing?

May be to just rant.. get it all out.. but then i have this fear.. what if it actually reaches an listening ear.. then what. am i ready for the scrutiny. Am i ready to bare it all. 

Does anyone care..

What if they do.. !!

Crazy Life

Life is really crazy..

Love the predictable yet unpredictable behavior of people. You have dreams.. and then you get just lazy to pursue them.. You want to be different.. But its just easier to follow what others tell you and blame them when things don't go just as planned.

So overall its nice.. love both sides of it.. the Common and the uncommon way to life.

Hypnotozing Maria

Read this is a Richard Bach Book:

Hypnotism - an Accepted suggestion. 

Nice 2 word description to a beautiful phenomena. As any other Richard bach book, a very simple execution to a persistent question of the intelect. The question of the reality of life. Life is reality or a dream we are all waiting to wake up from. 

Another movie comes to my mind on the same question. Inception. 

A beautiful concept, may be the director went a little far with the concept with dream within dream .. and then within dream. The question remains true. What if this too is a dream and we are just waking up to another reality. Is it then worth all the effort if any thing i do, the emotional and physical investment I do in Life is anyways coming to naught. Can we just be and observe the passing of the frames with smile, popcorn in hand and a extra extra glass of some cola.

Today

Today - - i see the green buds outside my window..
locked away in my disease ridden prison ..
I for a change notice the outside
the outside that was always there..
the outside that will be there .. Its just a new me..
a new vision.. a new realization
life .. at the end of the long journey of death..
floating in the middle.
allured by the bright color, the nice smells
the promise of a touch
the promise of life..
confused.. with today and the promised tomorrow
which is Real?

An Interesting Topic

I have been lazy. Always thought I will write something on this blog but never came to it. So just picking up a page and writing on it.

Made some research on very relevant topic. "Is watching Pornography legal".. believe me guys.. its legal. as per the act to prevent immorality .. storing pornographic material for public distribution or any place accessible to public is illegal. Or the intent to sell or distribute pornography is also illegal but for private use it is legal. OK some forms of pornography are always illegal but that's a different topic.

So thats it.. Samal you should be behind the bars.. to help us all during our college days.. help achieve hmm .. should i call it a release.. 

ok coming back to the topic: now porn today is a lot different. believe me the stuff is mostly the same.. guys, whatever can be done .. i think has already been done.. and to think about it .. its the same stuff end of the day.. but the access is way different. No going to the vedio shop .. hiding the CD under ur Tshirt.. trying to clean the CD with water and cotton.. and hoping that it runs.. Good ol' days. Now its a matter of a click. leterraly. You open up any search engine, put some naughty lill word and voila. the good ol' internet serves you the best of the stuff and that too free. 

My dear friends, with high speed internet it's all streamed. so no waiting for downloads .. just browse thru what you want and relax.

So guyz.. and girlz .. dont be shy. a little naughty though never hurt anybody. open that browser and njoy the free gifts of the virtual world. 

Note: Don't forget the real world. On this note .. with years and years of experience thru annals of history I can make the following observation:

• Guyz cant just go on and on.. All scenes are edited. even the so called amateur ones. So don't get psyched
• Not all girls that you see on the street have the perfect figure and are just ready to have it with you. Its a movie. take it with a pinch of salt :) 
• The order of things are predictable and after sometime really become boring.
• Too much of everything is bad. Sad but true. Guilty.. May be old age or just an experience. few evenings browsing for porn and that's it.. you have seen everything. Its not even interesting anymore. 
• True. I have felt like watching cartoons and good old TV series over porn. But once in a while does give that kick.

So that's it .. my 2 bits about something very interesting.  :) my opinion.

Well the Last word. The real things beats the virtual world hands down. May not be as colorful or interesting :) but much more satisfying. Take my word for it.