The Onion Jam Chronicles - The Final Odyssey - Attempt 3

Need I say more. I am frickin Batman.
Lessons:
- I am never cutting Onions.
- Learn how to roast garlic before roasting garlic.
- A combination of onion jam and rum is not as good as you would think it.

The Onion Jam Chronicles - Attempt 2

Christmas eve. the day the jam was to change from recipe to actual physical form.

I had already bought the Balsamic vinegar and brown sugar a day earlier. I bought a full jar of sugar knowing that if the jam sucked I could always use it for mojitos.

The plan - 1) Get done with work 2) Get home 3) Make onion jam

D-day actually D-eve:
Pretty much done with work, I accepted the offer of a few colleagues to go and get some dinner and wine before leaving ( in the spirit of Christmas). After a few liters of wine and at 5 in the morning we decided to call it a night. Chaffing under the criticism I had received over the course of the night (regarding the making of the jam), the will and determination to make it now burned stronger than ever within me.

Reaching home, I switched on some grateful dead and began chopping onions. 1 onion down and sensing something odd, I turned around, and saw my father gesticulating with his hands. A little confused at first, I realized that he trying to communicate that the music was too loud. After Lowering the volume, a fairly enlightening conversation (concerning the cutting of onions at 5.30 in the morning) ensued. Since my debating skills were not at their peak at that time, I conceded defeat. After keeping the 1 cut onion in the fridge and a polite "Merry Christmas" and "Good Night" later, I slept.

Onion Jam Chronicles - Attempt 1

I have decided to cook. This sudden interest to improve my culinary skills occurred last week. Onion jam was chosen as the recipe to attempt as:
1. Not too many ingredients
2. The ingredients seemed like stuff I would find in my kitchen
3. I tasted it in a sandwich once and it blew my mind. Anything that improves a sandwich has my vote.

So after printing out the recipe I began looking for the ingredients. Found the onion and garlic. A quick call unfortunately shattered the conception I had that all vinegars are the same ( I needed balsamic vinegar). A quick trip to Vakola market shattered the conception I had that i could pick up the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar at the local grocer. I then decided to oil my bike.

However, I have not given up. Attempt 2 shall occur this week.

Adios

The Weakness

Hmm. So I have generally been pretty good with most sports. In fact I have never been truly miserable at any sport so far. However, after 2 weekends of testing I have now figured out my Kryptonite.

Drinking games - They reduce me ( without being too modest I can assure you I hold my drink very well.) into a blithering idiot. Its not even funny how badly I lose. Its not like the games are too hard - but I lose, and lose .... and then become a blithering idiot. I mean seriously how hard can it be right? Even the guy who likes men in red underwear did better at the games.

And so without further ado, I have decided to announce my retirement from the world of drinking games.

* for the record drinking games are safer when you are shotting anything but whiskey. Also during the course of the weekend I lost at cards ( oh so badly.. but revenge shall be mine!) and now have close to 67 shots to down in the future.

The Waffling Continues

So then. The biggest fear that I have after an attack of the sort that happened here in Bombay is the opportunity it awards the government to enforce almost any security law it wishes. Its a vicious cycle that has happened many times over in a whole bunch of places all over. The cycle goes like this:
- A horrific attack occurs on an innocent populate.
- The state is found lacking in pretty much every field ( security/ emergency services, etc).
- The citizenry goes wild.
- First the state fires people directly associated (people who bare the brunt of the public's anger). This suddenly looks like the state means business - HA!
- Then the state will come down with a whole bunch of draconian laws ( all in the interest of the safety of the people of course). Now these laws - at least to insane people like me - will seem pretty harsh and an extreme violation of a whole bunch of private rights. However, these laws will sail through parliament on a wave of righteous anger at all enemies of the state and the sentiments of a 50 million people (the other 50 million have no idea wtf is going on and will go along with pretty much anything) - who are seeped in a collective fear psychosis
- Now the laws keep getting worse and harsher - however the rate at which the attacks take place keeps rising. So does that mean the laws aren't working? Nope - the laws aren't strict enough (after all you have to give up something if you wanna live safe - right?)
-Soon except for the media which co-operates with the media everything else is shut - of course, this s something we are already almost at.
- Aaaah crap children, its 1984 again baby!!!

oh yeah its sorta apt that its John Miltons B'day today ( thats why the pic). He was pretty hardcore against censorship in his time. Of course his reasons for maintaining the freedom of expression was more theosophical ( the whole divine thing) and so are pretty debatable.

On a separate note I finally got my hands on the book of short stories by Marquez. Woo Hoo!!

28 years since the guy got shot and we still ain't giving peace a chance.

The 1st of December

December's here. What a lousy way to enter into what is pretty much the best month of the year.

Fire Smoke Fire Rage,
If only I could change the age,
but go where? - into sage smelling cage?
Bullshit! Evermore - Fire Smoke Fire Rage. - HA!