horrorscopes

horrorscopes

The past couple of days I have been part of a discussion that I never imagined I would ever get involved in and been hearing the types of arguments I thought happened only in fiction and films. But this involves very close family and shocked as I am, I cannot completely walk away.I received a call from a very close relative who is the mother of two girls. The elder daughter is about to finish her engineering next month and already there was talk of a marriage proposal. Initially I assumed that she had found her partner and it was their decision....

Saas_Bahu - my take.

Saas_Bahu - my take.

In recent times people have been reminding me that it is time for me to graduate to the status of a mother-in-law. When they approach me with proposals for what they consider to be "suitable" girls for my son, I do not know how to react.It seems so inappropriate. Some have even asked me what kind of a girl we are interested in (you know the slim, fair,"good" family line of criteria!) and I have had to disappoint them terribly by saying I have not thought about it at all. It seems beside the point what the parents want because ultimately what matters...

Harry's Cafe

Harry's Cafe

2026 16th St, Sacramento, CA 95818, (916) 448-0088If you venture to the outskirts of the grid (U & 16th-ish), at the edge where the sparkle of Midtown fades into the shabby, there hides a diamond...

Atrium tales

Atrium tales

A recent visit to the bangalore palace and the courtyards there reminded me of the inner courtyard (called Muththam in Tamil - the atrium in English) in my grandmother's house where I spent many summer...

That was a bargain!

That was a bargain!

I told the auto rickshaw driver to drop us off at the Cottage Industries Emporium and got busy chatting with Gita on how much the seasons in Bangalore have changed in all the years I have been here. Suddenly the auto stopped and we found ourselves on infantry road outside Cottage Arts Emporium and my puzzled look was answered by the auto-rickshaw driver with a request to check out the shop as he would get a coupon for 2 litres of petrol for every customer he brought in. He also assured us that there was no pressure to buy. So we went in determined...

Man's best friend

Man's best friend

I had not focused on the issue of officially sanctioned massacre of street dogs in Bangalore as my previous posts on animals had drawm lukewarm or no reaction.But I am posting this today in response to a request received from the animal lovers of bangalore who have been active in protesting this cruelty against innocent animals. It is a sin to be silent when such things happen. Sometimes what is tragic is not the "strident clamor of the bad people but the appalling silence of the good people."In this e-mail,Jeremy d'souza, an animal lover describes...

Homestead

Homestead

2301 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94110, (415) 282-4663John Wayne was once quoted as saying, "I never trust a man that doesn't drink." I think the Duke would have felt right at home at Homestead, as every patron had at least one drink in hand. On a recent social call to SF, we ended up here; which turned out to be a perfect choice for knocking back a few rounds while waiting for the stragglers to meet up. The bar wasn't too crowded during our visit and we were able to grab a table by the window. Drinks prices were reasonable and the pours fair....

Yummy Guide

Yummy Guide

3005 Freeport Blvd # B, Sacramento, CA 95818, (916) 448-3988 The Yummy Guide has that cute frou-frou feel of a teenage girl's room. It has X-mas sparkly lights dangling from the ceiling, sunny yellow...

Leilas and leelas

Leilas and leelas

Watched an iranian film - Leila. A very insightful portrayal of a woman who is forced by her mother-in-law to share her husband with another woman because she cannot bear him children.Her husband finally gives in to her pressure only on condition that she would not leave him because he loves her very much. But in spite of all her strength she is unable to stay in the same house when he actually brings home another woman as his wife, even though she herself had given him her approval. The plot would fit as well in any Indian televison serial or...

Thai House

Thai House

527 A Munroe St, Sacramento, CA 95825, (916) 485-3888 Every time I think of the Thai House, I get p.o.'d at my friend J. all over again. How long J.'s known about Thai House and kept it his own dirty...

Chez Maman

Chez Maman

1453 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, (415) 824-7166 Chez Maman is a small, nondescript neighborhood bistro that's one of those blink and you'll miss it places. The restaurant is long and narrow, consisting of counter seating that runs the length of the tiny eatery, 2 metal bar-height 2-tops by the window and one small outdoor table (Chez Maman's a great place for dining with 1, maybe 2 other friends, not any more than that due to the size of the place). Upon arrival, you place your name and the number of people in your party on the wait list...