Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
whale protector campaign
my save the whales campaign :
http://whales.greenpeace.org/campaign/5807
isnt really that far fetched :
here is the idea :
We request the honourable Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of buddhists the world over to request the whaling labourers not to slaughter whales.
this approach did have some success in india too ;-))
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/21555.html
to make it sustainable we need to find alternative careers for whaling labourers.
will encourage you to post your ideas here as comments and i will add them to my campaign crediting your input.
if u can use the highly educated brain cells to save even 1 whale, we have hope ;-))
ideas on how to covert the whaling skills for the protection of the great beauties
reuse of the skills will be crucial and how to educate the youth on not taking up whaling as a career
http://whales.greenpeace.org/campaign/5831
image from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Humpbackwhale37.jpg
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
the dinner

In a french cafe, a distinguished couple, identified only as 'Christine and Markus' approached me for a job. Dinner for 6 (7 if i chose to eat as well). [Dinner, where i come from is the euphemism when you would like to serve someone their last meal ...] Who was it going to be? The cafe was an interesting one where the management spoke french and kept customers interested by their accents, it was one of those places where deals are done and everyone looks the other way, but cant really say a word, in fear of being served 'dinner' ...
the negotiations

a: how many then?
c&m: 6, 7 if you would like to join us
a: location?
c&m: a house in the bush where you need to drive on the deck to escape the avondale spider.
a: how would you like it to be?c&m: tasteful [and tasty, let the people go with a smile]
c&m: can you really cook ‘dinner’?
a: have done it before, and will do it when the cause requests...
c&m: do you have your own tools?
a: i usually use what you have and i carry my 'spice pack', i will need a few more based on the job at hand.
c&m: we understand. you shall receive all the 'ingredients' you ask for, and don’t worry about the cost.
[i overheard a voice saying 'he makes millions of dollars', and another one 'in millions of years', didn’t really know where they came from in the cafe, but it was definitely a place where they had visited before ...]
the training

skills based training: c&m took me thru the cause, why they wanted it done. 'how' was my prerogative. they also trained me in a few of the customs from the other side of the world. a place where you skills just barely kept you alive. blood is just the ink for the learning curve.after i picked up a few moves from my employers of the day, we got to work; we needed a plan;
c&m: what can you make for them?
a: what would you like? spice filled pizza?
c&m: no, we want it to be traditional, no experimentation, we can’t afford any slip ups, and it must be done today...
a: fine. i will do as you chose.c&m: make it spicy so that the flavor can trigger the sweat glands on a rainy summer's day
a: si signor & signora
c&m: the training is in case the authorities are tipped off and you need to fend for your self ...
a: do i need it?
c&m: does u want to survive after the job?a: gimme that knife....
use the drink?

Get to work: first the drink after dinner: the choice: jal jeera
while writing this i realized it is an appetizer, so will keep that in mind for the next time.[every job has its learning, this one just keeps them coming, even after ...] i knew that not everyone would try the jal jeera, and hence it was an obvious elimination for the job. but it could work as a temp taste bud masker after dinner. so the after dinner appetizer served some purpose [and hence justified its place albeit defying logic and tradition]...
the assembly line

kati rolls :each with veg + chicken + indian & italian spices +edam cheese wrapped in hand rolled chapatti's (roti's)we had a assembly line going with M helping out. Was this to be the instrument?We were 7, but why were 8 rolls made???curious question...
inside the rolls

This is what went inside the rolls...chicken + ginger + garlic + onions + a veg sauce (corn + bell peppers + tomatoes + garam masala) coriander was left out intentionally...the chef of the day will make the delivery mechanism, c&m would make the decision. M came by to lend a hand (supervise the roll of choice) and strengthen the chances of success.also seen is the Peugeot pepper mill which gives good results in this kind of job...[again the same question: why 8 rolls for 7 people???]
the serving

serving the rolls, the other side came out in full force, probably expecting an ambush.international diplomacy and persuasion has its own strategies....they brought along a well trained army lieutenant who now is a 'colleague'.there was also a brief session when names & faces of double agents were exchanged. both sides knew they exactly whom they were up against ...the pleasantries were out of the way, i was the local immigrant whom c&m had taken under their wing and was helping out for that evening. the colleague’s profession is still unknown....the rolls them selves were now a game of russian roulette, 8 rolls , 7 people. M is conspicuously absent form this still; he preferred to be on the other side when the rolls were placed...
the mint sauce incident

for a start, we had the rolls, 7 down, 1 still mocking us to give the dice a spin; i had also brought out the antidote, if the plan changed midway. 'the mint sauce’!!! visualizing the moves of the enforcer from the other side sitting next to C, i suspected 'the old switcheroo' had been pulled and now C would become the mark. mint sauce time, to avoid embarrassing incidents. this was OUR hit, not vice versa...they were strong, cunning and ruthlessly efficient in their defense, DAMN!!!
the low point

we almost aborted, M got a strike in when we least expected. Would C survive??the modus operendi was when we were distracted by their charm; it works every time, DAMN again!!!the Israeli connection was quite a force to recon with, we definitely had to create a plan B. M maintained the disappearance, and made me stop to recollect and take stock of our options ...We did not want to leave C in a vulnerable spot, but they had turned our smooth operator to the point where she had to comply and say 'Wie bitte ?' much to the ire of the then controlling and dominant forces...
the signal

on the other side, An, P, Mr, My(not pictured) were jubilant on the success of their counter operation !!! the celebratory hand gesture complemented My on a job well done !!!Our side was reeling at his point. we had to shut down, retool and come back stronger. our primary focus, revive C, our team was not as much without her ...
the false hope

our best hope was to allow them the celebratory time, while we all retreated. 'the sate of a driveway deck' was in disorder, close to be crushed by the smart of the 'guests'i must admit, we were in complete disarray...
the menu

words of wisdom from M, when you are backed into a corner, just cook your way out of it ...the menu was forming itself :1> butter chicken2> yellow dal3> veg makhani in coconut milk4> chicken biryani5> jeera ricei was confident of the mint antidote, but i was not sure at this point if C would make it in the event of a new additive into the roll by My. We learnt once not to underestimate her...now we COOK !!!
the cook back

'cook my friend, cook' was the cry from M !!! (an emotional attachment with C was a dead give away at this point. but hey, even 'resident aliens' are people too!!!)this brought great strength on his part. he rose to the occasion and we could cook up a storm !!!we weren’t giving up with out with our forks in our pockets !!! in retrospect i find this to be a mistake on their side, had they chosen M or me to be the target, we might not have recovered ...the 'state of a drivable deck' was rejuvenated !!!!
the caution

knowing we would bounce back, the 'dinner guests' grew wary of the calm that lulled, expecting a strike and not getting it, anxiety was our friend along with the avondale spiders which got a brief mention [and that opened up a whole new ball game] ...
the recovery

just when all was almost lost, C's condition got better...here she was helping the state (of a drivable deck) set up our counter strike force mechanism that was used as a back up in case our 'dinner' was served to us yet again ...if we went down, no one would be left with an empty plate !!!
to be continued, when i'm hungry for dinner again ...
Labels: dinner
Sunday, December 31, 2006
jan 07 resolution
i'll organize my priorities based on my typical daily activities and personal beliefs ;-))
what do i need to survive ?
1> causes to fight for
2> knowledge
3> nutrition
4> physical activity
5> some attention
6> encouragement
7> respect & kindness for me as well as people that i deal with
8> problems to solve
9> bridges to build
10> being open to new possibilities
11> interacting with & understanding new people / cultures / perspectives / points of view
12> building new skills & enhancing existing ones
13> be fair, ethical and lawful in all transactions
14> honour my ancestors / family / thought provokers and find ways to continue the traditions / aspects which i respect and choose to propogate from each of them
15> social equality [granted and recirprocated]
16> upliftment of the beaten, broken and the crushed
17> encourage open communication and dialog on
how to get action points out of these needs ???
will post tose in time....

