Ruma 的个人资料A Brand New Day照片日志列表更多  |  工具 帮助 |
|
4月23日 On a perfectly normal day....(Horror Story at the Dentists") On a perfectly normal day, I gathered courage to visit my local dentist. Now, a visit to the dentist is not like a social visit, with any promise of fun, as most people know. After waiting patiently in an unpretentious waiting room, the dapper man arrived with a big smile on his face. Most of the other patients immediately forgave him for being late. To my relief, I was called in and asked my problem, and I said that I'd come for a general check up to see if everything was okay. The dentist examined my teeth and announced that I had a wisdom tooth which was growing at a tangent and thereby disturbing the alignment of the other teeth in the lower jaw. Would it be alright with me if I agreed to have the faulty wisdom tooth removed? " It won't take more than ten minutes", promised the dentist with his famous smile. I felt myself yielding under the charm, and agreed to have it removed. How would a mere ten minute sitting hurt anyway? As time wore on, I discovered that something terribly wrong was happening. Besides the intermittent power supply (in which a UPS kick-started a faint tube-light only) which caused the small clinic to heat up, the dentist had pulled out all the stops in getting at my wisdom tooth. Well into Hour II of my sitting, I was by now getting frantic, but felt afraid to speak out loud or show any sign of discomfort. The effect of the local anaesthesia was wearing thin, and I felt an urgency for another round of anaesthesia. Every time I groaned, the dentist would halt his pushing, pulling, tugging and hammering, and ask quizzically, " Hurting, madam???", as if I was putting up an extraordinarily unusual performance. The clock ticked on, and by Hour III, I was at my tethers end. The dentist was grinding my jaw, prizing open my mouth with an array of implements, and was out to get my poor tooth out with a vengeance. I could feel the chips of my tooth flying here and there, and even witnessed the grim sight of tooth grinding ( it appeared like dust) flying into the air. To add to the effect, there was a mild burning smell emanating from the drilling machine, and all I could think of was gory thoughts involving my teeth getting burnt up with the friction. But wait! Dr. Persistent didn't stop here....he was now busy ripping open my mouth, as if it were a piece of cloth which could be cut open to suit his purpose. I was amazed at my own tolerance level....an average patient would by now have knocked off a couple of the aforesaid dentist's teeth in rage. When the hurt was pushing me over the edge, I stood up and begged for mercy. The dentist looked at me pitifully, saying,"I don't think you have enough energy, so I'll call you in again tomorrow". I smiled to the best of my ability, collected the prescription, and ran out of the clinic. *************************** Tomorrow, with the help of a kind doctor friend, I have an appointment with one of the city's best known dental surgeon. The top of my tooth has been hacked down by Dr. Persistence-Vengeance, leaving the other half firmly planted inside the bone. In spite of attempts by him to track me down and bring him back to his clinic I have learnt a lesson the hard way. To all my friends: never trust a doctor who a) doesn't perform an X-ray on your teeth for assessment. B) Who says,"Hardly five minutes more", when you have already sat for more than quadruple the time normally taken for a small tooth job. Above all, don't go to a local small guy to save yourself travel time....SPEND time and money to go to the best place! My status now: Very bruised mouth, unable to eat any solid food, and a bruised tongue which cannot gulp anything down. Hope things get better soon for me!! 4月13日 Bheemeshwari Fishing and Nature Camp. A mere hundred kms drive out of Bangalore city, and you find yourself in the sylvan surroundings of Bheemeshwari Fishing and Nature Camp. Conveniently located for the holiday-maker on a budget or one who is short of time (or both!), this is the ideal sort of place for those who are in need of a break from the monotony of life. Here's how the government travel brochure describes this picturesque place: " Meandering through the woody landscape amidst the forests of Karnataka, is the Cauvery, the most majestic and sacred river of South India. The river offers opportunity to both adventure and nature lovers. Nestled along this beautiful river is the Bheemeshwari Fishing and Nature Camp....home to the great 'Mahseer'-the finest and one of the largest fresh water sport fish known to man."  Although we didn't fish (we don't have the patience!) we did get to see some amazing birds and insects. Unfortunately the birds were too swift for our camera to capture them. The jungle offers assistance for all kinds of activities, and we chose to go trekking and boating (in a coracle). The trekking route itself is wonderful and gives panoramic views of the Cauvery valley. The greenery and fresh air act as a balm on the senses. The boat ride is something no one should miss, for along the way you can spot live (and hungry!) crocodiles, who are very good at camouflaging themselves and then suddenly darting into the water. Those who are luckier can spot other wildlife thriving in the area, like jackals, the highly endangered grizzled giant squirrel, leopards, etc. For those who come here for some serious relaxation, the jungle camp offers facilities like Ayurvedic massages. The rooms available here are comfortably furnished....I'm sure most insomniacs return home feeling fresh as a daisy! A holiday need not be all about expenditure and planning....there are many wonderful spots near you which, if explored, can turn out to be a delightful surprise! ************************** A very Happy New Year to people all over India who celebrate their New Year over this weekend! May the New Year usher in joy, prosperity and positivity in all your lives! 4月5日 Dining Out: Two recent noteworthy experiences.Thanks to globalization, most major cities in our country offer the best eating-out experience, which was hitherto the exclusive preserve of the globe trotter. On offer today are various restaurants, suiting a variety of budgets, with an amazing menu list to boot. The food industry has, very frankly, never had it so good, as people are eager to experiment and enjoy their dining experience. In India, in addition to the usual "Indian" fare , we now have restaurants serving Mexican, Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Chinese, Indonesian, and Continental: something to suit everyone's gastronomic taste. Here I present two of my recent eating out experiences, which were outstanding for their novelty. ************************* "Never Trust a Skinny Chef"-à Sparky's Restaurant. (Chennai, India) Speciality: All-American. Located in the heart of Chennai, this restaurant is run by an American father-son duo, and has been an instant hit. It's tag-line, which reads: Never Trust a Skinny Chef arouses curiousity, and you find yourself making your way down an ordinary flight of stairs. Downstairs, you have the usual array of dining tables and comfy couches, and chairs, but what grabs your attention is the décor. This business team surely knew how to make up for it's otherwise ordinary furnishings and interiors. Wherever you train your eyes, you stumble across very American curios and collectibles. At one point of time, you even begin to think you are indeed sitting in Yankee land! A variety of hand made paintings, depicting modern art and kitsch, black flags with skull and cross bones, a navigation instrument used by sailors of yore, an almost life-size pirate, complete with a wooden leg and a covered eye; then there are a variety of models of cars, new and old, and one part of the restaurants beams are entirely done up with American license plates from across the States. Old earthern ware, clay models of Black Jazz artistes,( with very life-like expressions) and legendary rock and roll singers and Hollywood notables like Marilyn Monroe adorn the walls. There were sports' memorablia from rugby and baseball, and world maps. So caught up in absorbing the atmosphere of this quaint place, that I almost forgot that I was in a restaurant, and was reminded by the gracious family who run the popular restaurant to place my order. Luckily, one does not have to go through the process of choosing, as the Friday special is almost always an All-American buffet spread. To wash down all that wonderful food is an almost never-ending or bottomless glass of lemonade or iced tea, which proved to be a huge hit with me. As we laughed and chatted with friends, we were conscious of the huge variety of food on our plates: grilled potatoes in their jackets, chicken cutlets, barbeques, salads, breads, soups etc. etc. The dessert section had a nice and simple choice: brownies with your choice of ice-cream. Of course, someone from our group had the capacity to have an entire Grandma's Hot Choc Fudge ice cream, which was later passed around the table for everyone to taste. ************************* Flambe`: Bangalore, India. Speciality: Italian, Mediterranean,Mexican and Indian.
We tried out Flambe`last night, on the day of it's opening. Rather adventurously, I had ventured in this place to celebrate my daughter's birthday, on the basis of solely relying on a small article in the local newspaper on the restaurant and it's signature menu. I am glad that my instinct didn't prove me wrong: the service and food was simply excellent, though the pricing was a trifle up-market. The staff here were very courteous, and maybe that was something to do with their first day of business? Whatever the reason may be, we were given due attention, with a chef to choose our menu for us. We chose from the Indian and Italian section, and tried the chicken flambé. The word Flambe originates from flame, and hence the food is set on fire with a dash of brandy. To our delight, the entire process took place right beside our table, and we could savour some good quality world cuisine after a really long time. Most of the starters, which included kebabs (veg and non veg) were melt-in-the-mouth, with just the right amount of spice. The vegetable pulao (Indian fried rice) were of top-notch standard, as was the cottage cheese in tomato gravy and mutton roganjosh. The yellow tadka dal (Indian soup) was to die for, with an exotic smoked aroma which teased one's taste buds. The chocolate cake which ended our meal was brought in by three waiters who sang the Happy Birthday song with us. Naturally, the cake too was very light and just right....something which is perfect to compliment an eating out experience as smooth as this one! Do drop in! Friends, do share some of your dining out experiences too! It will make for some pretty interesting reading here!
|
|
|
