south indian filter coffee

when it is good, it is so good. they have very very strong coffee, almost
like syrup, undrinkable black, to which they add very very hot milk and
sugar and you get a small cup, almost espresso size with bubbles over the
top. it is served very hot, and in some places you have a second cup and the
waiter pours it back and forth from one metal cup to the other. it is filled
to the very top, so there is often a saucer underneath. it is specifically
'south indian filter coffee' and has some chicory in it. It really is one of
those things that is made everywhere and you can go around town testing them
all out. one friend says we have to get to the place at 630 am because that
is the milk's first boil and it is even better then.

scroll down here to a good filter coffee photo and description:
http://kqedbayareabites.blogspot.com/2007/03/south-indian-rice-courses.jsp


so, completely different from what I drink in the US, but fantastic in its
own right. In the top ten things I will miss when we leave.

xmas

Life as usual in Bangalore, except Charles has the day off. We had lunch at Kamat - I had dosa and filter coffee and naan. I read the New Yorker my parents sent - thank you! I felt so up to date reading the Dec 25 2007 issue - I am reading it cover to cover. Just finished the Carver story. So nice to have time to actually read the New Yorker, even if it is much more expensive to get them.


Drinking elephant brand Ginger Beer which I really like - we had it in Sri Lanka and then saw it in the store here. I am thinking about checking out a new grocery store that I haven't been to - Spar. Will report back. With the ginger beer I am having cheese and crackers! havarti and cheddar. woo. while we wait for the Chimay beer to be delivered (I'll come in the morning, I'll be there in the afternoon, I'll be there by 7 pm, before 7:30 pm and woohooo he just arrived 8:14 pm)

And my friend Eric arrives tomorrow.

oh except we did hear LOTS of fireworks last night, probably around midnight.

Also coming up in January the Intl Film Festival in Bangalore. yay.

today

A day of small disappointments - went to russell market to get a few kitchen things, but the store was closed, but we did find a stone for
sharpening a knife that Charles wanted. And only about $2.

I wanted a heavy cotton duvet /comforter, went to one place that did not
have them. polyester only. called a bunch of others, they did not have them.
Went to Max Mueller to have a bratwurst lunch, but they are closed until
after NY. Went grocery shopping.

Came home and had Bacon Cheese tomato sandwiches, yum. then went to toy
store for travel scrabble, but they did not have it. tried two more places for heavy
cotton duvet,but no, anyway last place said we go pick fabric and
then go to some place near us (but of course nobody ever says exactly where,
you have to keep asking as you get closer and closer), so that is good in a
way, but won't happen so soon now, I am thinking. It is cold here in
Bangalore, well it has been, today was nice.

Charles bought cheetos that are horrible, some warped version. I
bought boursin spready cheese and fake ritz crackers and that is ok. Charles
is making cream of mushroom soup. oh and we had some nice gelato when
consoling ourselves that bratwurst was unavailable. so all was not lost.

Kerala

It was great staying in Fort Cochin - a very easy friendly walkable place. We stayed at Ann's Residency. Lots of tourists, but not as many as Goa. We also went on a houseboat - only for one night - I could've spent a week. A fine airport to fly into, only 90 min from Bangalore by air. Went to a Shiva festival, saw some fantastic murals, as lonely planet says, maybe the best in India! and saw a real life being used by jews synogogue! People were very friendly. If only it weren't so very hot there, but still worth it. nice laid back atmosphere. Plus we saw coir being spun into rope and loomed into doormats all manually.

voting! I want my vote to count.

If you haven't looked into it now might be a good time to start figuring out how to vote in the Federal election. I am in India and contacted the consulate and they said:

In order to vote, you will need to submit a Federal Post Card
Application (FPCA), which you can download from the Federal Voting
Assistance Program at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefpca.html. If you
wish to participate in the primaries, be sure to include your political
party preference on the FPCA, otherwise you will not be sent any voting
materials.

In the interest of expediting your application, be sure to check for
your state's electronic submission options here:
http://www.fvap.gov/ivas/fvap_state_menu.html.

OMG

DONUTS in Bangalore. Must go VERY SOON.
thank you firangi squirrel

http://www.thedonutbaker.com/index.asp

Not anyone's mother

According to Purple Women http://purplewomenblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/purple-women-get-bloggy-on-november-15.html
it is childfree women blogging day! It never occured to me that there is a day for me, even though at least here in Bangalore we just got finished with children's day and there is mother's day and father's day. And really there isn't a day that celebrates NOT having kids.

In SF it felt like most of the people around me did not have kids, and here it is the opposite, it seems like almost everyone has kids. Our apt bldg is filled with kids, and our housecleaner can not stop harping on the you should have babies theme song. In the US the pressure on me to have kids was non-existent, but in India I think the pressure is huge. Somehow I ended up reading a bunch of mom blogs here. I don't even come across the childfree by choice thing here. And so many of the people writing the blogs refer to themselves and kidname's Mom, and I feel like their identity is so wrapped up in their kids

Anyway, I love my life without kids. It feels free to me. I am free to do my art projects or be creative in lots of ways. No custody battles where someone uses my behavior against me. No raging debates on how to raise a kid. The energy leftover from not having all of that is very nice. I get to be online lots. I only have to support myself. I'm in my relationship because I want to be, not for the kids. Sometimes it feels like so much in society is done for the sake of the children. I wish I could get away from that.

It is rare that I think about it, really, but it is such a huge decision. And it is so good for me. I am happy to have nieces and nephews and other kids I am friends with, but at the end of the day, they aren't mine. I like the adult life.

books and ovens

I am reading this book that I think has a lot of good ideas on making a relationship work better. The title is The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman - not that we are having problems, but better to learn skills while there aren't huge problems. It has very concrete things to say, not so woo woo and it is more than just actively listening.

Yesterday we bought a toaster oven! Looks like we will be here awhile longer and not having an oven was so sad. Last night we had baked potato and chicken cooked in the oven. I am thinking of trying cookies! It is nice to have a break from boiled and fried and variations on that.

Totoro and friends

If you would like to go to Studio Ghibli and you live in say San Francisco, then you should try to get tickets before you go to Tokyo. We did not, and all the wkends were completely sold out. It is closed on Tuesday, so we ended up going on a Weds. The best way to get tickets is at a convenience store called Lawsons. They have a machine that sells tickets. It is not an easy machine to figure out if you do not read Japanese, so what we did was have the hotel write a note to Lawson's saying these people would like two tickets to Studio Ghibli on Weds at 12. You have to pick a time. It takes about 4 hours to really thoroughly go through the museum. If you get there a little later than your time, it is ok. The station we went to is Mitaka and you can there from Shibuya pretty fast on the JR line, but we had tickets for the other lines so we went from Shibuya to Kudanshita on the Hanzomon line and then switched to Tozai line to Mitaka and then switched to a bus (that was covered in SG characters at bus stop number 9, down a level from the trains, 300Y or so) - that took about 90 minutes.

There is a lot of things suited for kids at the studio - a catbus to crawl in and around, small doorways to go through. And at the end we watched a 20 minute film that was just great, that we had never seen before, but with all the wonder/joy that is Studio Ghibli. There is a lot at the studio that teaches you how animation is done - very informative. The place is maze like and it feels like wonderful things are all around. We had lunch at the takeaway stand since the sit down restaurant was so crowded. We had hot dog, 3 kinds bean curry with rice, beer, apple juice, white milk ice cream and chocolate ice cream. There is also a wonderful souvenir shop, that some people said doesn't have everything, but I thought they had lots.

Back in Bangalore

All the way around the world and now back in Bangalore. Just in time for a state holiday (Nov 1).
Trying to reclaim the apartment from the dust and bugs. Looks like it has been raining a lot here - roads that looked ok when we left look a lot worse now. had dosa and filter coffee at our local kamat hotel for $2. And a great breakfast this morning at Infinitea -real pancakes and delightful tea from Assam with warmed up milk plus had a chance to read newspapers, since they haven't started arriving yet (but at least there wasn't a month's worth sitting there). Internet isn't working so well at home so contact will still be sparse til we sort that out. Paid the electricity bill - 2 months worth, paid the internet bill and vacuumed the rooms with carpets. Had pasta at home last night, which was nice.

While we were in Sydney we put our clocks forward an hour, I was surprised to see US isn't changing their clocks til this upcoming wkend. I would've thought everyone would do it at the same time. People in Sydney were so friendly. I had a fabulous time there - saw people we know, ate at Bourke St Bakery, went to Brett Whiteley's Studio: http://www.brettwhiteley.org/the_studio/introduction
I love artist's studios, and this one was especially enjoyable. Had a great lunch at Bird Cow Fish (though maybe I wish it was Pig Cow Bird). Sydney was definitely an easy city for us. Strangers were even friendly. Ate at the customs house, went to Watson's Bay.

zurich

I spent most of thursday in the art museum, wonderful contemporary collection. it was rainy in the morning and art museums have everything you need, bathrooms, espresso and snacks and ART. I really enjoyed it. there was a sculpture by Segal called Bowery that brought tears to my eyes. and lots of Giacometti since he is swiss. and a special showing of various art videos. Then we went to a little restaurant with great ambiance called Rosso, deep in west zurich. communal tables, and you can get wine by the glass where they just leave the bottle on yr table and you drink as much as you want. favorite food was the starter of beef tartar.

Haleem!

so Hyderabad is famous for Haleem which you get during Ramzan which is now and we are here - I really wanted some and due to exhaustion and colds and the convenience of staying in the hotel we didn't make it out for haleem until our last night here, but we did it. Asked the driver of the auto to take us to Hyderabad House and ended up at Paradise, but what the heck. Paradise is HUGE, you can order to go haleem, stand up and eat haleem, sit down in non-AC haleem and top floor fancy restaurant haleem. we went for the fancy restaurant (cost total: 250 rps for haleem, naan, paratha, lime soda sweet) and the haleem was delicious - omg is it filling. goat that has been cooked for 8 hrs with wheat and spices, fried onions on top. it was a mild spicy level and glutinous. that makes the second new food I have had here that has the consistency of goo.

Hyderabad

Had a great adventure today - went with cyanblue by AUTO (and they mostly used the meter) from ITC Kakatiya to Charminar and watched the parade of trucks with Ganesh on them. We were the only foreigners down there (maybe due to the recent bomb blasts?) and people were very excited to shake our hands and talk to us and wave at us. Lots of roads were blocked off so it took three autos to get there and I think two to get back. We saw the Mecca Masjid and it was beautiful - actually saw several mosques all looked amazing to me.People were throwing the powder they throw during Holi and also throwing flowers, beating drums and dancing. It was very exciting and I think it is amazing we made it there and back. I am so happy we went. We saw lots of tiny roads off the beaten path in order to avoid the road blocks.

Dentist

I went to a fantastic dentist today. He is so great, the superstar of dentist. I had tried to get this problem fixed twice in the US and once at RV dental college and none of those worked. He said, ok let's try a crown instead. His name is Dr. Jagdish Rohira.

http://www.drjagdishrohira.com/

His phone number is 91 80 2361 3286

This morning I had a dentist name and no phone number and both Just Dial and the internet failed to come up with the number. Then I had six other numbers for different dentists and all the numbers said "call failed" over and over again. I feel like I can't dial a phone here. One number said, please try at another time. It was very frustrating. But then I called Dr. Rohira - he could see me right away, he was very easy to talk to, I felt safe, everything was SUPER clean. And he can get my permanent crown on the one day I have between Andamans and Hyderabad. I was SO thankful. And a crown here is about US $200, and in the US a crown will run around $800 _after insurance_. He was so gentle, and you can just tell he has heaps of experience, great touch, great bedside manner. Plus chatted about other things. so relieved.

Standing in Line

Just got back from the dry cleaners. I arrived and two people were in front of me so I was standing and waiting my turn when this woman walked in and walked in front of me and another person and demanded to be taken care of next. It was so rude. The choices seem to be either get as pushy and as rude as her, or just let her go first. I stared at her and said she was rude.She said nothing.

I've been to Bangkok and Singapore and Hong Kong and in all those places people manage to stand in line and wait their turn. What is so hard about that? And yet here in Bangalore people just can't seem to do it. It is the exact same attitude that makes the traffic such a mess - she only cared about her needs and forget everyone else. I guess being rude isn't considered bad karma. It really doesn't add to the enjoyment of anyone's day, the people at the cleaners weren't too happy about it either.

I find it irritating.

SF

There are many things I really enjoy in Bangalore - lime soda sweet! parotta. roti. dosa. filter coffee. And the people are kind and generous and friendly.
But I also want to say this is an example of what I miss from SF (not putting down anyplace else only treasuring something about SF)- a little restaurant in a not very good part of town:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/05/CM0JR9O0C3.DTL
some quotes:

Choosing from the half dozen house-made sausages ($9.50/$18/$22.50) and a cheese board ($4.50-$25.50) is a good way to begin.

My favorite main course over three visits was pork shoulder braised in milk ($15.50), with its fork-tender texture and robust flavor. I also liked poached sausage ($14.50) cut into slices and about as rich as foie gras, served on a bed of lentils.

When the place is less crowded, as it is in the afternoon (the same menu is served all day), it's a great opportunity to have your own olive oil tasting. There are eight on the menu ($2.50-$3) so diners can check out examples from various regions of Italy.

Another choice is to try one of the 37 wines by the glass ($6-$13). When servers don't know about them, they're quick to offer tastes, but in most cases you can take your chances, because all of them are well chosen and versatile.


Bangalore has some wonderful restaurants - I really like Shiok, Herbs and Spice, Harima, I.talia, Karavalli. But there is something I really miss about the restaurants of SF. Like 37 different wines that can be ordered by the glass.
I wouldn't want the whole world to be the same. There are great things in every place and I think these restaurants are one of the good SF things.

create your own visited country map

Films of Desire AND Bangalore Rooftop Film Festival all in one wkend!

Very excited about this:

Films of Desire: Sexuality and the Cinematic Imagination
IN Bangalore
August 04, 2007
The Event

Films of Desire: Sexuality and the Cinematic Imagination , focuses on
Southeast Asian Cinema and will feature screenings of features, short
films, documentaries, and experimental films that engage with ideas of
sexuality in South and Southeast Asia. It is the travelling off-shoot
of a larger event held in Neemrana, near Delhi, in March 2007.

The Venue

Alliance Francaise de Bangalore

No. 108, Thimmaiah Road, Vasanthnagar, Bangalore

Tel.: 80-41231340

Timings

2pm - 9:30 pm

The Film Schedule:
First Session: 2 pm - 3pm

* SEA IN THE BLOOD, Richard Fung, 26 minutes / English / 2000 /
Canada.
* LOCUST, Victric Thng, 4 minutes/ Cantonese with English subtitles/
2003/Singapore
* CUT, Royston Tan, 12 minutes/ Singaporean English/ 2004/ Singapore
* THE LAST FULL SHOW, Mark V. Reyes, 18 minutes/ Tagalog with English
subtitles /2004/The Phillipines

Second Session: 3:15- 5:25 pm

* THE MATCHMAKER, Cinzia Puspita Rini, 10 minutes/ Indonesian with
English subtitles /2006/Indonesia
* LOVE FOR SHARE, Nia Dinata, 120 minutes/ Bahasa Indonesia with
English subtitles/ 2006/ Indonesia.

Third Session: 5:30- 7:15 pm

* ONE WIFE TO ANOTHER/ Namita Malhotra/ 2007/ 4 mins/ India/ English
* BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO OLIVEROS, Auraeus Solito, 100 minutes/ Tagalog
with English subtitles/ 2005/ Philippines

Final Session: 7:30- 9:30pm

· BEAUTIFUL BOXER, Ekachai Uekrongtham, 118



And then on Sunday there is this:
http://www.brtff.com/august-5-2007

Independent Films/Local Talent: (add your name and movie name below with your contact number and email ID)

1. Harakiri (Hindi/English) - Mandar Purandare
2. Guroor - Ishaan Nair
3. Causality - MMN
4. Lemon Chai - Raghavendra Krishnamurthy
5. DON 3 - Deepak Thippeswamy
6. The Woman - Sreejit S
7. Time Pass - Vatsa

Critically Acclaimed Independent film maker's Films: (add the film with your name if you have the original copy of it) We need more films here! - Hrish

1. AMU starring Konkona Sen
2. The inconvenient truth
3. Dombivli Fast
4. Paanch
5. Chale Chalo - The Lunacy of Film-making - Hrish Thota

Gallery Sumukha

Great place to see contemporary Indian art. A branch is opening in Chennai.

Hong Kong

Back from a lovely wk in Hong Kong. Stayed in a wonderful hotel in Central called Ice House. More like a little apartment, so there was a kitchenette and I could put leftovers in a fridge and then microwave them the next day. Had lovely dim sum. great noodles. wandered around, enjoyed the people watching. Went up to Victoria's peak by bus, which was great. Busy unpacking today. Have lots of New Yorkers and other magazines to read.