Radio Silence

Yes, I have been procrastinating again when it comes to blogging. It is still not in my DNA to update people about my activities through the internet but since I had decided to start this to keep you folks updated, I will continue to endeavour.

My reminder for me to pen down (maybe this will soon be a obsolete phrase since no one uses a pen much anymore it seems) the days of March came while watching House last night.

The episode was about a female blogger who started blogging as a form of communication but has developed to be so dependent on her online community that the very minute when she faces a question, she blogs about it to get opinion. Her boyfriend was against her asking her online community if she should undergo surgery as he wanted to maintain their privacy.

He told her that her belief of "no one will need to be alone again with the internet" has turned into one where it is an obsession for more "eyeballs" (i.e. clicks/ visits) and it has turned their lives into entertainment for others.

This is the reason why I am a late adopter towards blogging. I cannot draw a clear line between what is too private and what is not. Will my friends like to be named/ identified? Will the pictures that I post be held against me in public opinion one day? For now, think Kate Spade and a 27 year old gal and I believe you understand my hesitation.

But I also believe that blogging can help friends to stay closer in touch because though Facebook is de rigueur, how much can you share in that short status update?

Because of the internet, I have benefited much from strangers' blogs about their experiences on travelling, product review and more. 

There are many people out there who are happy to share step by step photos on how to cook a certain dish, resolving a computer glitch, why you should wait for ipad3, etc. Forget about the dummy guide books.  

Hence, this love-hate relationship causes me to resist clicking "New Post" because each time, there is that battle in my head about where to draw the line of privacy. 

Of course, this becomes easier with each post published but the question of this too too much never goes away.

Guess I will be practising drawing the line while working on all those March posts that are still in draft.

Ah Lim Chicken Rice

This is what I cook when craving for food that has a taste of home.
Thanks to the discovery of Chng Kee's Chicken Rice Mix!

Last Night at Chateau Marmont

This book was on loan to me from a friend when I ran out of books to buy. It was the perfect book because I wanted an easy read after finishing The Millennium Series.

Nothing to rave about this book but it acquired a piece of general knowledge for me. Ok, trivial general knowledge. 

This place actually exists!

Located in Hollywood where celebrities treat it as their home away from home, I would have never imagined if I had not read about Eva Longoria organising Victoria Beckham's baby shower at Chateau Marmont.

My mind took a double take when reading about Eva Longoria and suddenly it clicked in my head that the place in the book was not fiction. Never had I thought that it was based on a actual place.

My Introduction to Stieg Larsson

If someone was to call me a book junkie, I wouldn't object though I have always seen myself more of a book junkie wannabe. 

I love to read, though it is difficult when going through the daily 9 to 5 grind. So, when I am in a land where books are considerably cheaper and more importantly armed with the luxury of time, I am closer to shedding the wannabe title.

When it comes to selecting the books to read, there is no particular genre that I prefer but it is  the topic that matters. In any case, I rarely pick up crime novels when buying books. There isn't any particular reason why but when I found out that the flight was delayed by 2 hours and there was no wifi at the airport, I bought one of the thickest book available and that was how I got introduced to Stieg Larsson.

Initially, I was put off by all those Swedish names and locations which was difficult to absorb. I am familiar with Grand Central Park or Madison Avenue but names like Hornsgatan and Södermalmstor? Really? How do you even pronounce them? But thanks to Larsson, tourists in Stockholm are now looking for the buildings written in the book or join a Millennium tour.

It also didn't help that because I was reading the last book of the series, I had no knowledge of the past events that had happened to the character when mentioned.

In order not to spoil the fun for those of you planning to read the book, I will not go into the details of the story. Overall, I enjoyed his book for a few reasons.

The main protagonists in Larsson's book has characters quite different from your usual American/ British profile and I liked the change. I mean when was the last time there was a husband who didn't mind his wife having an affair with her best friend? How about the journalist who has strong work ethics, so likable as a person but have commitment issues? And of course, there is the main character who is so misunderstood by people around but yet is such a genius in cyberspace.

Though the story of the main protagonist is unravelled through three books, each book has a crime theme that is intriguing on its own.

First the mystery of a missing girl of a wealthy family, followed by the story of corruption and organised crimes and the last was the uncovering of a secret government unit (think KGB type).

Be warned though that at certain parts of the books, you will find detailed graphical description of events that won't be everybody's cup of tea.

Finally, it definitely was the unexpected twists and development that got me reading into ungodly hours on some nights. This was definitely not one of those books where you would already know who the culprit was or how it would all end before you are even midway through. But then again, I am not a seasoned reader of crime novels so maybe I need to sharpen my "investigative intuition".

After finishing all three books, I felt like I could finally catch my breath. Though there are times when I felt like giving up because each book is a good 500+ pages, I am glad that I finished it as the author had taken much effort to round up all the events and plots. The gratification of closure just like when watching dramas.

Time to breathe now.

Update: I had watched "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" on HBO and it was pretty disappointing as compared to the book. Many details which made the book a real suspense was left out (as always when the movie is based on a novel) but I did enjoy seeing the actual places that the book was describing.

Visiting Shilparamam

We decided to be touristy over the weekend and to visit one of the tourist attractions -  Shilparamam, a arts and craft cultural village in Hyderabad.

Their website had given us a good idea of what to expect and so it was a pleasant 1.5 hours spent on a late Sunday afternoon.

Located over 65 acres (sounds big but its about 0.26km² ) of land, it actually feels more like a walk in a big park. It was fun walking through the market to see how much pottery and craft there is on sale. If you are looking to decorate your home, there is probably something here for you to buy.

One other area that I liked had huge swings constructed amongst trees. You can see parents pushing their children on those swings or the men swinging their loved ones. Am not sure if they had meant for all the trees to be withered but the colour and made it brilliant for a photo opportunity.

While walking through, you will realise that this is a popular place amongst couples as they are many corners where you can sit. It could be along a water feature, outside a village looking hut or simple under the tree. The maintenance of the place could be better but at the cost of Rs 25 per adult, it is definitely worth it to give this place a visit.

A good way to end this visit is to go to Inorbit Mall for the aircon and to chill out at one of the cafes with a ice cold drink. Feeling dehydrated after the walk, we had gone to Chili's for its unlimited Pepsi refills and Margaritas! 

Entrance of the village



Am sure they meant per head 



Boys having fun in the water



Crafts on sale



Bronze Elephants

Pottery on sale

Replicas of village huts

Statues of "villagers working"

People swinging away



Huge elephant on display

Eating Out: Mainland China (Near ITC Kakatiya)

If you are new to the city and looking for Chinese food, this will be one of the upmarket restaurants that will be commonly recommend alongside with Aromas of China (at City Centre) or Golden Dragon (at Hotel Taj Krishna).

Almost full marks goes to their ambience with traditional Chinese music in the background and two big terracotta looking soldiers standing at the entrance. Furniture is in dark modern wood and gives a new and trendier feel to it.

Service is great as most of the servers and managers speak English well enough to explain clearly what is the difference between the four different types of fried noodles. Small things like offering Chinese tea proactively and asking if you require chopsticks shows that the staff is attentive.

Food wise, of course it is still not authentic Chinese but they certainly have got some dishes right. On our first visit, we were skeptical about their choices of Dim Sum on the menu.They had the usual hak kow, siu mai, spring rolls amongst other choices but of course, as there is no pork, the choice is between chicken, prawns or vegetarian filling. Too bad they have no chang fen (steamed rice rolls) else it really would be perfect!

What is siu mai without the pork filling? But we were glad that we ordered the prawn filling siu mai to try because it was actually good! The skin of the siu mai is ordinary but the taste of the prawn filling passes the mark. Dim Sum is one of the reason why we return to occasionally on a Sunday afternoon to kind of try to replicate the Yum Cha feeling.

I was rather amused by their interpretation of certain Chinese dishes. For one, the stir fry Singapore Rice Noodles is a simply a spicy version of the Cantonese Rice Noodles. When we ordered claypot rice on another occasion, it was fried rice served in a claypot that was not even hot and of course was more pricey than the regular fried rice.

Overall, I do not really fault them for certain dishes that are off the mark as this is India. Most main course portions are good for sharing between two people and with one/ two starters to share, it is a satisfying meal.