February 28, 2013
February 26, 2013
February 22, 2013
Amadeus
In the last few years, Poonam and I have been listening to a lot of western classical music, specially that of Mozart and Bach. That is funny because neither of us had an ear for classical music, western or Indian (excepting Telugu devotional songs). The catalyst for this change was the movie 'Amadeus', a bio-pic on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the giants. We were recommended the movie by Dheeraj, my erudite cousin from the Vepakomma side. The movie was made in the 80s and had won 8 Oscars and many other awards that year.
The movie is unique because the story of the 'hero' is told from the point of the view of the 'villain'. It starts with a young priest visiting an old man in an asylum, to take his confession. The old man is Salieri, a composer who was in patronage of the same court as Mozart. Salieri hums three tunes to the young priest, but the priest know only the third. Salieri tells the priest that the first 2 were his compositions, and the 3rd was that of Mozart, a bumptious, irreverent vain little man, to whom God had given genius in spades.
That sets the tone of Salieri's confession. Salieri is a god-fearing, devoted and competent composer in the Emperor's court in Vienna, happy with his life, till Mozart comes along. Salieri despises the lewd and irreverent Mozart but is also in awe of his indubitable genius. As their confrontations and his defeats grow, Salieri start questioning his faith in God. Salieri makes pact after pact with God, including a vow of celibacy, and asks for that divine inspiration which Mozart seemed to have an undeserving amount of. But God does not relent.
Salieri, in a crisis of faith, hatches a clever scheme to murder Mozart and steal his finest work. His intent is to show Mozart and God that he will snatch the glory he deserves, if God is not willing to grant it. But before he can steal the almost-complete Requiem, Mozart dies of natural causes. In the eyes of Salieri, God would rather kill Mozart than let Salieri share even a bit of his glory. Thus ends his confession to the shaken priest.
What a perspective! Even a man consumed by hatred and jealousy towards Mozart couldn't help being awed by his music. In some ways, Salieri is Mozart's best fan, as only he realized the transcendent heights of Wolfgang's music - the rest of the court is never as moved, and Mozart dies a near pauper. Salieri's awe communicates itself to the audience, and is a far more effective of highlighting Mozart's genius than through a straightforward narrative. The movie features most of Mozart's works as part of the story line.
Before we saw the movie, I couldn't stand classical 'drone' music. Now, we can listen to it for hours at a stretch. So watch it if you can. And here is the Mozart tune that Salieri hums to the priest.
PS: Mozart is good, but Bach is better by miles. So try his music too.
The movie is unique because the story of the 'hero' is told from the point of the view of the 'villain'. It starts with a young priest visiting an old man in an asylum, to take his confession. The old man is Salieri, a composer who was in patronage of the same court as Mozart. Salieri hums three tunes to the young priest, but the priest know only the third. Salieri tells the priest that the first 2 were his compositions, and the 3rd was that of Mozart, a bumptious, irreverent vain little man, to whom God had given genius in spades.
That sets the tone of Salieri's confession. Salieri is a god-fearing, devoted and competent composer in the Emperor's court in Vienna, happy with his life, till Mozart comes along. Salieri despises the lewd and irreverent Mozart but is also in awe of his indubitable genius. As their confrontations and his defeats grow, Salieri start questioning his faith in God. Salieri makes pact after pact with God, including a vow of celibacy, and asks for that divine inspiration which Mozart seemed to have an undeserving amount of. But God does not relent.
Salieri, in a crisis of faith, hatches a clever scheme to murder Mozart and steal his finest work. His intent is to show Mozart and God that he will snatch the glory he deserves, if God is not willing to grant it. But before he can steal the almost-complete Requiem, Mozart dies of natural causes. In the eyes of Salieri, God would rather kill Mozart than let Salieri share even a bit of his glory. Thus ends his confession to the shaken priest.
What a perspective! Even a man consumed by hatred and jealousy towards Mozart couldn't help being awed by his music. In some ways, Salieri is Mozart's best fan, as only he realized the transcendent heights of Wolfgang's music - the rest of the court is never as moved, and Mozart dies a near pauper. Salieri's awe communicates itself to the audience, and is a far more effective of highlighting Mozart's genius than through a straightforward narrative. The movie features most of Mozart's works as part of the story line.
Before we saw the movie, I couldn't stand classical 'drone' music. Now, we can listen to it for hours at a stretch. So watch it if you can. And here is the Mozart tune that Salieri hums to the priest.
PS: Mozart is good, but Bach is better by miles. So try his music too.
Glad everyone in the family is OK!
Scary when such stuff hits so close to home.....so sad for all the poor souls who died or were injured.
February 16, 2013
February 14, 2013
A ramble in aphasia
That was a title of an O Henry story. A successful lawyer with a life like clockwork and overwork suffers from an attack of Aphasia - a complete loss of memory, and finds himself in a strange city, with a large wad of money in his pocket. He assumes the name of Edward Pinkhammer and starts a life of unfettered freedom, encountering the exotic life of the city, including an old sweetheart who refuses to believe in his malady. In fact, everyone is a skeptic about aphasia, except him, the victim. As one man says: "I put nine out of ten of 'em down as frauds. A man gets sick of his business and his folks and wants to have a good time. He skips out somewhere, and when they find him he pretends to have lost his memory - don't know his own name, and won't even recognize the strawberry mark on his wife's left shoulder. Aphasia! Tut! Why can't they stay at home and forget?"
A couple of weeks later, he is discovered by his wife and his doctor. Will they succeed in restoring his memory? Does he want them to? It is a classic, and I suggest you read it if you haven't already (http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/RambApha.shtml).
I was reminded of this story, when a few weeks ago, I had my wisdom teeth removed under full anesthesia. As I lay back in the chair, the doc stuck an IV into my vein and said the worst was over. I remember asking him what was in the IV, but I don't remember the answer. The last thing I was wondering about was whether I should ask the doc if his middle name was Spock, since his first and last names were Kirk and Scott.
After that, the next thing I remember is waking up on the couch in the house, with Poonam talking animatedly about medicine schedules and Raghav interrupting with his voluble 'Nanna? Nanna!'. It is only later that I realized how treacherous my memory was- the powerful anesthetic had deleted several events of the afternoon from my brain. After that question to the doc, I apparently:
- chatted some more with the doc and slipped under
- after the operation, greeted Poonam in the recovery room
- chatted and joked with her about something
- listened to the doc talking about the medicine schedule
- was wheeled down to the door, talking all the while
- left on my own feet to the car and got in
- got home and lay down on the coach, eyes open
- woke up!
It was indeed a ramble in aphasia. I was wondering if I should start tattooing telephone numbers on my body, until I checked with the doc and found this to be a fairly common reaction to the anesthesia. Whew! Shakespeare had it right: "O true apothecary!Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die." (The last sentence doesn't apply in my case, of course). What potent drugs doctors deal with, indeed.
It is ironic that a few weeks later, it is Poonam and Raghav who have skipped out on a ramble of their own (of-Asia, not Aphasia, if you will), leaving me stranded here. So like the man in the story, I ask: "Tut! Why can't they stay at home and forget?"
A couple of weeks later, he is discovered by his wife and his doctor. Will they succeed in restoring his memory? Does he want them to? It is a classic, and I suggest you read it if you haven't already (http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/RambApha.shtml).
I was reminded of this story, when a few weeks ago, I had my wisdom teeth removed under full anesthesia. As I lay back in the chair, the doc stuck an IV into my vein and said the worst was over. I remember asking him what was in the IV, but I don't remember the answer. The last thing I was wondering about was whether I should ask the doc if his middle name was Spock, since his first and last names were Kirk and Scott.
After that, the next thing I remember is waking up on the couch in the house, with Poonam talking animatedly about medicine schedules and Raghav interrupting with his voluble 'Nanna? Nanna!'. It is only later that I realized how treacherous my memory was- the powerful anesthetic had deleted several events of the afternoon from my brain. After that question to the doc, I apparently:
- chatted some more with the doc and slipped under
- after the operation, greeted Poonam in the recovery room
- chatted and joked with her about something
- listened to the doc talking about the medicine schedule
- was wheeled down to the door, talking all the while
- left on my own feet to the car and got in
- got home and lay down on the coach, eyes open
- woke up!
It was indeed a ramble in aphasia. I was wondering if I should start tattooing telephone numbers on my body, until I checked with the doc and found this to be a fairly common reaction to the anesthesia. Whew! Shakespeare had it right: "O true apothecary!Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die." (The last sentence doesn't apply in my case, of course). What potent drugs doctors deal with, indeed.
It is ironic that a few weeks later, it is Poonam and Raghav who have skipped out on a ramble of their own (of-Asia, not Aphasia, if you will), leaving me stranded here. So like the man in the story, I ask: "Tut! Why can't they stay at home and forget?"
February 13, 2013
Spelling
Lots of typos nowadays. Not pleasing to the discerning eye. We who were brought up with a perfect HINDU newspaper cannot tolerate them.
Like
"While often times he is forced to each them due to practical reasons, his clear preference is very obvious. "
"Fed seems to be the month of celebration huh!?"
Why not type in MS WORD and do a spell check? Then you can cut and paste here.
No! That supposes that they are spelling mistakes. I am sure they are Typos or just "the hand being faster than the mind."
A little less speed and haste and a little rechecking please.
And by the way, what does everyone feel about the SMS language in the posts?
Should we have a "correct Queen's English" or "modern Abbreviated, Acronym filled one"?
(Since all the "posters" hold down responsible positions! and unless they are there for added emphasis like GVSLN)
PS: even The Hindu is lapsing now a days. Plenty of mistakes.
Like
"While often times he is forced to each them due to practical reasons, his clear preference is very obvious. "
"Fed seems to be the month of celebration huh!?"
Why not type in MS WORD and do a spell check? Then you can cut and paste here.
No! That supposes that they are spelling mistakes. I am sure they are Typos or just "the hand being faster than the mind."
A little less speed and haste and a little rechecking please.
And by the way, what does everyone feel about the SMS language in the posts?
Should we have a "correct Queen's English" or "modern Abbreviated, Acronym filled one"?
(Since all the "posters" hold down responsible positions! and unless they are there for added emphasis like GVSLN)
PS: even The Hindu is lapsing now a days. Plenty of mistakes.
Krupa's Bakery.....Open for Business!!!!!
Honey - Milk and Chocolate Challa breads; Knife-licking good Chocolate spread and Blackberry Jam; Honey loaf cake and cakelets; Molten lava cake and Chocolate cookies.
Just a few of the goodies I made in the last couple of weeks....
Aditya's love or rather adamance for fresh / high-quality foods is driving a lot of my baking/cooking.
He perfers to eat foods fresh out of the oven/stove top and does not really like to eat re-heated food. While often times he is forced to each them due to practical reasons, his clear preference is very obvious.
For example, the chocolate cookies I made, he liked enough to eat 3. But they became just a tad dry next day, barely noticable for ordinary mortals such as me and Srinivas. The extremely refined palette of GVSLN's grandson refused to eat the said cookies the following day...(amma tells me of Nanna's extremely picky eating habits)
This weekend, he wanted a Chocolate cake. I did not have good cocoa to make said cake, so I used a common (read cheap), Hershey brand cocoa. The cake "did not taste good"!!!!! So yesterday, I made a molten chocolate cake with high quality chocolate chips, which was gobbled up instantly.....
The only days when lunch box comes home empty is if I pack fresh rice + fresh Bendakai / Plain Pappu or Home made Perugu.
I do have to acknowledge one fact though. If there is no food at home that he likes, he will happily survive with a banana, some milk , perugu annam or pappu annam with oodles of Buffalo( not cow) Ghee. He does not gravitate to junk foods....only High Quality (read super expensive) Chocolate Truffles!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just a few of the goodies I made in the last couple of weeks....
Aditya's love or rather adamance for fresh / high-quality foods is driving a lot of my baking/cooking.
He perfers to eat foods fresh out of the oven/stove top and does not really like to eat re-heated food. While often times he is forced to each them due to practical reasons, his clear preference is very obvious.
For example, the chocolate cookies I made, he liked enough to eat 3. But they became just a tad dry next day, barely noticable for ordinary mortals such as me and Srinivas. The extremely refined palette of GVSLN's grandson refused to eat the said cookies the following day...(amma tells me of Nanna's extremely picky eating habits)
This weekend, he wanted a Chocolate cake. I did not have good cocoa to make said cake, so I used a common (read cheap), Hershey brand cocoa. The cake "did not taste good"!!!!! So yesterday, I made a molten chocolate cake with high quality chocolate chips, which was gobbled up instantly.....
The only days when lunch box comes home empty is if I pack fresh rice + fresh Bendakai / Plain Pappu or Home made Perugu.
I do have to acknowledge one fact though. If there is no food at home that he likes, he will happily survive with a banana, some milk , perugu annam or pappu annam with oodles of Buffalo( not cow) Ghee. He does not gravitate to junk foods....only High Quality (read super expensive) Chocolate Truffles!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 12, 2013
Those 50 minutes in the bart!
For those who don’t already know, the bart(Bay Area Rapid Transit) is like the metro
or the subway which a lot of people, like me, working in San Francisco (city)
but living in the bay area (east bay, south bay etc) take to get to work.
My day begins with a journey in the bart. I spend about one
hour at home before this - out of which I am aware of my surroundings for about
just 40 min usually.
I read books, catch
up on news, I am learning a few devotional songs- stuff I never did in the past
7 years. But if I take the bart during peak traffic hours then one of my favorite
hobbies is observing the people around me. I realized these people can affect my
mood (don’t know if this happens to you). A biker who is tracking his exercise can
gives me a little extra motive to show up at the gym, a passenger who offers a
seat to an old / pregnant lady can be the reason I later appreciate a street
performer with a dollar or two, a small kid who observes everything with
excitement – the sky, a post, graffiti – makes me realize the world is pretty (and
that she is blissfully unaware of a lot of things), somebody typing away
fervently reminds me of ‘that’ bug in my code that needs fixing.
Talking to distant relatives, applying make-up, sending
emails out, reading novels or newspapers, listening to music, watching over
kids, observing people observing you all become part of a bart-rider’s life!
It is not just the journey in the morning, on the way back,
I relax (mentally and physically) by listening to some good music and figure
out how my evening should pan out. A jog, some groceries would be my plan
earlier, but now I know which trail to take and what curry to make!
What is/was your journey to the office like?
February 5, 2013
HAPPY BIRTH DAY
HAPPY BIRTH DAY
MRUDULA
VASUDHA
Rangababai(thatha),Durga pinni(nannamma),,Kanthanna(babai)
MRUDULA
VASUDHA
Rangababai(thatha),Durga pinni(nannamma),,Kanthanna(babai)
February 3, 2013
February 2, 2013
The Coffee Lover in Srinivas (&me)
The morning cup of Coffee that is the ritual of many a Singampalli, I thought had skipped me!!! Apparently not. Srinivas, who never drank coffee until B.Tech, slowly got sucked into the addicting aromas of the coffee world, bringing me along.
What seeded as an off-and-on canteen habit in Tirupati, took root in Toledo with vending machines, started sprouting in early working life and grew to be a sapling with self-serve espresso machines in Oracle.
However, our morning coffee ritual largely stayed the same...A cup of hot milk, 2 tea spoons of instant coffee. This lasted a decade until 2010, and the arrival of Dr.Narasimham in Newark, which caused the growth spurt!
His arrival brought Peet's Coffee blended with Chicory( had to be specially ordered online), and a stove top espresso maker....and the start of Srinivas's love for fresh brewed coffee in the morning. The purchases of bi-weekly fresh ground coffee, painstaking blending of 80-20 coffee-chicory and early morning dicoction became the new way of starting the mornings.
So finally, today, as an early birthday gift, I presented Srinivas with a home burr grinder
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Bistro-Electric-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0043095WW/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1359759655&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=bodum+bistro+grinder
Each cup now has the full coffee flavor, very close to the coffee of Kavali (Greatest compliment from Srinivas: Chala Bagundi, Mee Amma Chesinattu Vundi)...hot milk, fresh ground coffee with Chicory, freshly brewed....
The next steps...Roasting your own coffee.....or further...growing your own coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!
What seeded as an off-and-on canteen habit in Tirupati, took root in Toledo with vending machines, started sprouting in early working life and grew to be a sapling with self-serve espresso machines in Oracle.
However, our morning coffee ritual largely stayed the same...A cup of hot milk, 2 tea spoons of instant coffee. This lasted a decade until 2010, and the arrival of Dr.Narasimham in Newark, which caused the growth spurt!
His arrival brought Peet's Coffee blended with Chicory( had to be specially ordered online), and a stove top espresso maker....and the start of Srinivas's love for fresh brewed coffee in the morning. The purchases of bi-weekly fresh ground coffee, painstaking blending of 80-20 coffee-chicory and early morning dicoction became the new way of starting the mornings.
So finally, today, as an early birthday gift, I presented Srinivas with a home burr grinder
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Bistro-Electric-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0043095WW/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1359759655&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=bodum+bistro+grinder
Each cup now has the full coffee flavor, very close to the coffee of Kavali (Greatest compliment from Srinivas: Chala Bagundi, Mee Amma Chesinattu Vundi)...hot milk, fresh ground coffee with Chicory, freshly brewed....
The next steps...Roasting your own coffee.....or further...growing your own coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!
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