All izz well?

'Aaaaaaaaal izzzzz wellllllll...'

That is the advice Amir Khan gives to his friends in the movie '3 Idiots' to make them feel better. Just tell yourself that 'All izz well', and eventually, all will become well. It is an advice that I am given quite often, and I know friends who swear by it.

All izz well? Yeah right. What good does it do to tell yourself that all is well, when things are not well? Life is not a Bollywood movie. Things do not magically work out on their own. You are in control of your actions and not the results. Since you are in control of your actions, why not try and take control of your destiny as much as possible and try and make things well, when they are not going well? There is no guarantee that all will become well, but I think it is much more sane advice than just being a happy-go-lucky foolish optimist.

So should you be pessimistic? Absolutely not. No one ever got any where by being full of negative energy. The first step to making your life better is to believe that it can be better, and that will never happen if you are convinced that nothing in the world can go right.

So friends, my advice to you, is don't be a foolish optimist, and don't be a negative pessimist. Be a realist, allow yourself to be depressed, and allow yourself to be happy. Both emotions will make you a stronger person in the long run. Make your own decisions, but never have such a big ego to not be able to take good advice.

Remember, not to look at the glass as being half full, not as being half empty, but recognizing that you have the capacity to fill it upto the brim.

And that is the gyan I have to give today. :)

One Year

I was just looking through some of my old blogs today. And I came to realise that it has been exactly one year since I started this blog! My first original post to this blog was on August 17, 2009. I have several postings before this as well, but those were just old notes that I had imported from Facebook.

Why did I start this blog? Well, I don't really know. I had come back from Europe about this time last year, and felt as if I had alot of things to say. I think people were getting irritated with my many Facebook notes, and I decided this would be an interesting thing to start up. I enjoy writing, as I feel it lets me vent off some steam once in a while, and I think I communicate better through written words than spoken sentences. Of course I realise alot of the stuff I write would be quite boring, but I hope that occasionally, I come up with something which holds the readers interest.

To those of you who read my my blog on a semi regular basis, both to those whom I know, and to those who follow anonymously, thank you and I hope you enjoy reading about my thoughts, experiences, and mindless drivel. I shall try to keep doing this for as long as I have interest and the time. Cheers to you, and cheers to the year ahead!

Restaurant Review: The Naam

The Naam Restaurant
2724 W 4th Ave
Vancouver BC

The Naam is one of Vancouvers more unique restaurants. About a 20 min bus ride from UBC in Vancouvers trendy Kitsilano Area, The Naam is a purely Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurant which was started up in the 1970s. This is quite evident in the decor of the restaurant, which is decidedly 'hippie'-like. It is one of Vancouvers few 24/7 restaurants. The service is a bit poor, as the servers look like they are out numbered and over worked. Still, the attitude is very chill, and no one seems to mind if the food is delivered to your table a bit late.

A group of friends and myself were coming back late after watching the Fireworks at Jericho Beach a few days ago, and since were feeling hungry, decided to grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately at that time of nite, there are few to no options available in Vancouver. The closest place open was The Naam, and as we hadn't been there in a while, thought we should drop in.

Although the place was quite packed (even at midnight), we managed to get a seat. Were quite tempted by the yummy looking pastries and cakes which are near the front entrance, but we held our nerve and ordered our main courses. I split a small pizza with one friend, while my other two friends ordered the 'Buddhas Feast', and 'Crying Tiger Thai Stir Fry'. We enjoyed the pizza very much, but I felt the other two dishes were quite bland and need a bit of salt, pepper and hot sauce to improve the flavor. But on the other hand, since the food being served was supposed to be healthy and nutritional, perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised.

The Naam is an interesting eat out, and worth a late night drop in.

Service: 3/5
Location/Ambiance: 3/5
Food: 3/5

Restaurant Review: Congee Noodle House

Congee Noodle House
141 E. Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Will make this review a quick one. Went with a some friends to this restaurant a few weeks ago. The main reason for going here is that it was a bit late at night, (10:30PM), and there are very few restaurants in Vancouver that are open past 10PM on a weekday night.

Congee Noodle House seems to be quite a popular restaurant, as when I walk by it, it is usually quite packed. After eating here, I feel the main reasons for this are the reasonable prices, and the late night hours. The food itself is strictly mediocore. We tried the Pineapple Chicken, Soy Chicken, and Vegetable Chow Mein w/ Black Bean Sauce. The Pineapple Chicken and Soy Chicken were not too bad, but I do not recommend the Chow Mein at all as it is far too salty. The service was quite prompt, and the premises are clean and hygenic.

For fine dining, do not go here. For a late night meal, you can consider this place.

Service: 3/5

Location/Ambiance: 3/5

Food: 2.5/5

The ABCD theory...

I tend to avoid writing very much about relationships. The very subject tends to stir up emotions and is a magnet for controversy. And I end up taking alot of flak. However, I haven't posted anything original in quite a long time, and as such, I am going to put forward one of my theories on Male-Female relationships. I am sure girls are going to get upset with me as it may seem I am belittling them, and guys are going to get mad at me for giving away our secrets... still, presented for your consumption is the: "ABCD theory"


Postulate 1:

There exist 3 classifications of guys in the world...

Class 1: 'Nice Guys' (~20%)
Class 2: 'Normal Guys' (~60%)
Class 3: 'Jerks' (~20%) (I could use a more colorful phrase here, but this IS a family blog)

But how do you place a guy into one of these classes? Let me continue...


Postulate 2:

Almost every guy mentally places each girl they meet into four different categories, ABCD:

Category A: Someone whom he genuinely likes/loves and is interested in pursuing a serious relationship with.
Category B: Someone whom he finds physically attractive, and is purely interested in fooling/around with, nothing more.
Category C: Someone whom he likes and respects, but only as a friend. Not interested in a relationship at a given point in time, and probably never.
Category D: Someone who irritates him, and whom he doesn't want to have anything to do with.

Now, you notice, I said ALMOST every guy. In fact, this categorization is used by 'Normal Guys' and 'Jerks'. 'Nice Guys' do not have a Category B. They are nice enough to respect girls enough either to be seriously interested, or are happy just being friends. But their proportion is very low. Why?


Postulate 3:

Girls want nice guys for friends, but never in a relationship.

Honestly, I don't know what the reason for this is. Maybe girls find nice guys to be too much of a pushover, or maybe they prefer a challenge, I really don't know. Furthermore, I think many girls tend to use 'Nice Guys' to satisfy their own egos. Regardless, upon this realisation, most guys tend to try and act like 'Normal Guys' or 'Jerks'.

So how do you differentiate between these two categories?


Postulate 4:

Someone who plays 'The Game', and misleads a Category B or C girl into thinking they are an A to him, only to end up using her like a B is a 'Jerk'.

Please make note. For 'Normal Guys' HAVING a Category B is not an issue. There is nothing wrong with lusting after a girl as long as the feeling is mutual and she realises nothing serious is going to happen. They are both just in it for fun. On occasion, things might progress down the road, but if not, no big deal. However, a 'Normal Guy' will not lead a girl on. If he does, he has crossed over and become a 'Jerk'. 'Normal Guys' play 'The Game' exclusively with 'B' girls, while 'Jerks' are pretty much desperate losers who will do or say anything if they think they can get a girl.


Postulate 5:

'The Game' very much exists, but only in lust.

When you play a 'Game', it doesn't matter if you lose. Since it is lust, there will always be other girls to score with. Notice my use of sports terms... 'play', 'lose', 'score'. Thats why we call it 'The Game'.


Postulate 6:

Girls don't know the difference between love and lust.

Because girls don't know the difference, they end up misunderstanding a guys true interests, and end up being unable to tell the difference between 'Normal Guys' and 'Jerks'. They think a 'Jerk' is in love with them, when really, all they want to do is screw around. 'Jerks' are exceptional at playing 'The Game', and girls end up falling for them, even though 80% of the population is better than them. No one wants to admit they are wrong... and every girl wants to believe they are involved in some sort of a fairytale relationship. So consiquently alot of girls stay in relationships which are doomed to failure. Ultimately, it isn't fair to either gender, but I guess thats just human nature and how we are.

Well, there you have it folks. Guys, Girls, Egos, The Game, Love, Lust. I have tried to explain it all... My intention is not to offend anyone, so I hope no one takes this personally. Feedback, comments, and criticism will be graciously accepted...

The Ramakrishna Mission

Swami Vivekananda travelled to North America in 1893 to represent India and Hinduism and spread the word of Vedanta to the west. He gained tremendous respect all over the world through his lectures, and helped restore a sense of pride amongst Hindus by teaching the purest, unadulterated form of the religion, and dispelling the myth that Hinduism is an idoltarous, mysoganistic, caste-ridden system. The mission he founded in 1896 has chapters throughout the world, and is dedicated to improving health care and education, promoting spiritual and cultural uplift, rural welfare, and youth development. The mission has stayed free of controversy by disengaging itself from politics and remaining secular.

What very few people know is that Swami Vivekanandas port of entry into North America was actually at Vancouver. He stayed here for a very short time before departing for Chicago, and not much is known about his activities here. However, we are blessed that his point of entry was at our lovely city, and every year, the local chapter of the Mission celebrates his arrival with a small function at a community hall. This year, about 100 people attended the celebration with talks by eminent religious leaders, a North Indian classical music concert, and a delicious vegetarian dinner. I enjoyed the concert very much, and the food was scrumpcious.

I encourage you all to visit the Ramkrishna Mission in Kolkata, India. The Mission is located at Belur Math in Howrah, and is truly a bastion of serenity in an otherwise chaotic, orderless city. Listening to the evening Aarti truly lifts the mind to a different level. The link is given below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Ovw6sG3sE

Restaurant Review: Saravanaa Bhavan

Saravanaa Bhavan
955 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Was feeling hungry on my way back to campus last Tuesday evening, in the mood for vegetarian, so I decided to convince a friend to join me for dinner at Saravanaa Bhavan restaurant. Have been here plenty of times, but this is my first blog review.

Saravanaa Bhavan is a well known chain spread throughout the world, with locations in Canada, the USA, Australia, Europe, Singapore, and India which serves authentic purely vegetarian South Indian food. Originally based out of Chennai, I had the good fortune of being able to eat at the original restaurants there, and must say the food was mouth numbingly good. I guess the local touch makes a difference.

The restaurant here is not quite as good as the one in Chennai, but is still most definately worth a visit. I am in fact more impressed by their non-dosa dishes. I think there are better places to get a dosa in Vancouver. However, the items like Uttapam, Idli, and Vadai are excellent. The Vancouver location has expanded its menu to include North Indian vegetarian dishes as well. The service that day was a bit poor, as we had come near closing time, and the waitress seemed to be in an off mood.

After much debate, my friend and I both decided to order the South Indian Thali, which gives you about as much food as you can possibly eat for $10. Rice, Pooris, Papadum, Sambar, Rasam, 2 Sabjis, Choley, Curd, Raita, and a Sweet Dish are served to you in steel vessels. For the first time in my life, I asked for a second helping of RASAM :S. I was pretty close this time, as only one of the Sabjis managed to survive the wrath of my rampaging stomach. I topped this off with a cup of filter coffee. If you think Starbucks, Blenz or Seattles Best is good coffee, you really need to try authentic South Indian Filter coffee, as it is simply amazing. I could write a separate blog on that alone.

Veg lovers rejoice, Saravanaa Bhavan was made for you.

Service: 3/5
Location/Ambiance: 3/5
Food: 4/5

Restaurant Review: Green Lettuce Restaurant

Green Lettuce Restaurant
112-6350 120 St
Surrey, BC

Time for a review that I probably should have done months ago. This is a review for Green Lettuce Restaurant, a restaurant I have been to dozens of times, and is one of the most well known restaurants, especially amongst the South Asian Community in the Lower Mainland. Why is it so well known? Well, this is one of the few places outside of India where you can get chinese food which is authentically prepared in Indian style. Surprised? Don't be. Eastern India has a sizable Chinese population, in fact, Kolkata has a large Chinatown located in a part of the city called Tangra. Of late, these Chinese have begun to migrate throughout the world, and many of them have come to Vancouver and have opened up their own restaurants serving Chinese food which has been modified and enhanced from their own experiences to make the Indian crowd happy. So when you enter the restaurant, don't be surprised if you are greeted in Hindi or Bengali, rather than in Mandarin or Cantonese! Although there are no less than 6 different Indo Chinese restaurants now open in the Lower Mainland, Green Lettuce is probably the most well known as it is the oldest (open for 11 years now) and has served many famous Indian celebrities when they come here from India. In fact, there are a pictures on the wall of Bollywood royalty like Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan and Lucky Ali chowing down at the restaurant on their plates of Gobi Manchurian and Hakka Noodles!

As I have been to this place many times, I think I have tried most items on the menu. However, this time, I went with my office colleagues in a group of 10, many of whom had not tried this food before. Consiequently we ordered quite a few dishes. Cream Corn and Chicken Soup, Vege Pakoras and Chicken skewers were the appetizers, Hakka Vege Chow Mein, Hakka Chicken Chow Mein, Gobi Manchurian, Bombay Style Chop Suey, Chili Paneer, Ginger Fish, Dai Ching Chicken, and Pineapple Chicken were part of the main course. Afterwards we were too stuffed for dessert, although experience dictates that one should try the Almond Kulfi if you have room.

I definately recommend you try the dishes which are spicier and have more of an Indian twist to them. No other chinese restaurant serves paneer as part of their meals, and the Gobi Manchurian is unique and I have never had cauliflower prepared in a better manner. The Dai Ching chicken is also particularly good, although some might find it a bit too spicy.

Good, friendly, service and reasonable prices combined with the fantastic food make this place a must visit for all visitors and residents of Vancouver.

Service: 4/5
Location/Ambiance: 3/5
Food: 4/5

The Big Fat Indo-Canadian Wedding

Several of my very good friends are getting married this summer, and I guess I get to take a more active role this time around. I have attended a few weddings in India, but mostly as an outside guest, and not a member of the 'inner circle'. Perhaps for this reason, although I have enjoyed the weddings I have experienced in India, I definately have more knowledge of what goes on at the Canadian version.

One of the nice things about the Canadian version is how it is possible to try and blend the old traditions in with the new. Mehndi/Haldi is commonly done, and the ceremony itself is usually held at the Mandir/Masjid/Gurudwara. But along side of this, things like the 'First Dance', Cake Cutting, and Introductory Slide Shows of the happy couple have been silently incorporated into the festivities.

No doubt the Indian version is purely authentic, but the Canadianized version can be quite a blast. In fact, people go all out to try and imitate the glitz of the posher Indian weddings, which I am quite sure is inspired by what we are exposed to in Bollywood movies. While it is difficult to copy the wedding ceremonies themselves, mainly due to lack of time, and facilities, it seems as if a concious decision is made to try and outdo one another at the wedding reception(s). These days, things are stage managed, with professional photographers, videographers, the most glamorous of dresses, expensive jewelery, color themes (yes, it is imperative that the seat covers must be color coordinated with the grooms tie apparently), slide shows, stage performances, DJs, bad jokes by the MC, etc, etc, etc... The lowest cost I hear of these days at a wedding is not less than 50k, with richer couples spending upwards of 6 figures on their wedding festivities! Wow, with costs like that, it is probably good to remain a bachelor!!! To be honest, I am sure that in the midst of trying to impress family, friends, relatives and strangers the families of the bride and groom are probably stretching themselves to the limit, but heck, they want us to enjoy, and enjoy we do to the max!!!

The food... ah the food... the quality of a recpetion is judged not by the happiness of the bride and groom, but by how many appetizers are served (usually not less than 3). You have heard of a 6 course dinner? Well how about a 6 course appetizer? Vege Pakoras, Tandoori Chicken, Fish Pakoras, Paapri Chat, Tandoori Rumal Rotis, Gol Gappe... yes my friends, this is quite common. And I haven't even started with dinner yet.

To wrap up, just a list of stereotypes which I find applicable to most, if not all Indo Canadian wedding receptions (and I am sure those who have been in my position can add to this list, so I would like to encourage you to do so):

1) Butter Chicken. I have not encountered a wedding reception where this has not been served. Even if the bride and groom are vegetarians, to keep the meat eaters happy, somehow, this dish makes it into all of the dinner menus.

2) Michael Jackson. I do not understand why, but for some reason when playing the English Music, most DJs are obsessed with playing 'Thriller' as many times as possible during the night...

3) Crazy Dancing Aunty. There is always one crazy aunty who rocks the dance floor (or at least thinks she is rocking the dance floor). You can recognize this aunty as there is usually a circle of wide eyed younger people who dance in a circle around her in a mesmorized trance.

4) Drunk Uncle. There is always one alcoholic uncle who has a few too many during the night and ends up on the dance floor trying to do the Macarena while balancing a half-empty bottle on his head. It never works... you can recognize this uncle as the tie he is wearing usually starts off around his neck, and ends up around his forehead.

5) The Performance by a Relative. Sometimes good, usually a snooze, the bride/grooms nephew/niece/brother/sister/6th cousin is inevitably forced to do a dance performance during the reception. The good thing for the performer is that no matter how the performance is, he/she is rewarded by crazy dancing aunty (see number 3 above) who will come up, and join in the dance near the end and reward the performers with no less than $20.

6) The hopeless MC. I have attended very few weddings where the MC has actually been good. Usually its not even his/her fault, as people are too busy eating/gossiping/getting sloshed at the open bar. Usually he/she fades into the background, and their lasting memories are unfortunately of having made bad jokes, and dealing with poorly functioning A/V eqpt.

7) Irritating glass tappers in the audience. One of the weirder rituals that seems to have been picked up from western weddings, is that of someone in the audience tapping on their drinking glass loudly with their silverware during the reception. This is to indicate that it is time for the bride and groom to publicly display their affection for each other in front of everyone with a kiss on the lips. Unfortunately, with Indian weddings, the bride and groom are usually too shy/terrified for any PDA, and so instead, are forced to uncomfortably sit still while the irritating glass tappers tap on their glasses until they finally run out of strength in their wrists...

On Top of a Mountain

Went for a camping trip this past weekend to the provincial capital of Victoria. As I have seen most of the sights about 9 times there, wasn't really much to be excited about. However, quite often, the group makes the trip, and got to go with a great group of people, to have a memorable time.

Undoubtedly for me, the highlight had to be the hike to the top of Mt. Finlayson, in Goldstream Provincial Park, just about 30 min outside of the city. I hadn't gone hiking since my Europe trip last year, and was a sobering reminder of just how out of shape I have become. On the other hand, next time I go hiking, I should probably remember to wear good shoes, not wear jeans, and keep some water IN my water bottle before starting up the hill.

More than anything in the world, I appreciate silence. There is something special about 5 guys sitting totally silent (although one of them was not quite silent) at the top of a hill just admiring the view after a sweaty journey. Since the feeling is kind of indescrible, I shall let the picture do the talking...

Special congrats to one member of our group who went hiking for the first time, and almost made it to the top! :) Well done!!!