The High Priestess of Procrastination

Whether I ever join the ranks of our esteemed Novelists is something totally up to talent, a shimmer of good luck and a generous helping of in-your-face publicity …… however, no one can ever say that I don’t prepare!

I have been planning my ‘illustrious’ writing career for ever and ever. My gestation period as a struggling novelist seems to be never-ending. I have browsed innumerable sites on how to be a better story-teller…my printer has spat out numerous articles on how to capture the imagination of the most reluctant reader….I have enough character profiles to create a spanking new universe and plot-lines...bewitching enough to write at least one chest-crusher of a book!!!

So what’s stopping me from putting pen to paper??....the devious game of Procrastination!! I can delay and delay and…….DELAY. Have practically perfected the art of avoidance! Jot it down to fear of rejection, stress, family-problems, a gazillion errands or even just plain ol’lethargy!!

The Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

Harry Potter has said goodbye, happily settling down in true Hindi film-ishtyle with his beloved Ginny and spawning a future generation of Hogwarts-hopefuls. There isn’t going to be another Harry but there is someone who can more than fill his shoes......PERCY JACKSON. Harry’s American counterpart, he is the bright young star of a fantastic series by Rick Riordan


The first book in the series: "Percy Jackson and The Olympians - The Lightening Thief" is a dream debut. Percy is your quintessential pre-teen although dyslexic and suffering from ADHD. Getting into unexplainable scraps and shuffled from school to school, he pretty much accepts the fact that he’s destined to be......well, one big Loser.

Little does he know that he’s a ‘Half-Blood’, an offspring of a powerful Greek God and a mortal woman. And there is a special place for him, “Camp Half-Blood” which houses and protects other such demigods, nymphs, satyrs and the rest of the celestial brigade. But every thing is not peachy-keen in heaven. The Greek Gods are very much active in the western world, quibbling like normal siblings and ready to wage war at the drop of a hat. It is left up to young Percy Jackson and his group of friends to save the day and face the wrath of the Gods.

Greek Mythology has been re-invented with wit, humour and action. The series is packed with loyal friends, fantastic beasts, chilly monsters, mythical places, old and to-be-made enemies, stirrings of young love and every possible element that goes into the making of one helluva fantasy epic.

Percy Jackson is an endearing hero, the under-dog who’s definitely going to make as strong an impression as good ol’Harry (given half the chance and a quarter of the publicity!!!). So all you fans who are bemoaning the end of “The Boy Who Lived”……do give Percy a dekko.

Singin' In The Rain

What can I write on a topic that’s been done to death, resurrected and yammered about non-stop?? For me, Gene Kelley’s “Singin’ in the Rain” sums it up perfectly. Nature’s way of creating the perfect ambience for a love-drenched soul.

I used to be the grubby kid that plunged happily into muddy puddles, grinned stupidly for no rhyme or reason in my ickle-gumboots and sat on mossy walls; mesmerized by the snails clutching effortlessly to the mucky undergrowth.

I still recall that angry red vein throbbing furiously in my mum's forehead when I trampled into her pristine white kitchen, leaving muddy paw-prints all over the floor!!

Living next to the sea made the rains truly magnificent. Trying to step out of the house in the gusty winds seemed like a Herculean task!!.....now, although I have stepped into my debatable “adulthood”, my dewy-eyed pleasure in the rains hasn’t dimmed. I can still go ga-ga over leaden skies, lashing rains and big, blooming bolts of lightening!!

And then ofcourse, is the glorious food list……….steaming hot french fries, grilled sandwiches encasing melted cheese and heavenly smoked-ham, caramel infused popcorn, the comforting mug of hot chocolate….you name it and the pleasure is doubled in the drizzly weather!!!

il bruschetta humble

Bruschetta is a delectable slice of heaven originating from Italy. Tradition has it that olive growers in good ol’Italy normally take along some wholesome country bread to the olive-pressing sessions. When the oil emerges from the press, they toast a bit of the bread at the fireplace to taste their oil in it. The toasted bread is rubbed with garlic, either before or after sprinkling on the olive oil. A smidgen of salt and Voilà…..a simple, honest-to-goodness slice of Bruschetta.

The humble bruschetta has ofcourse been revamped, remodeled and undergone enough revisions and modifications to leave the poor olive growers fuming in impotent despair! Variations include toppings of tomato, cured meat, beans, veggies, spicy peppers…you name it, practically everything short of the kitchen sink!!!

Being meddlesome as hell, I couldn’t very well leave the much-marauded dish alone! I had to go and add some of my own twists and turns, which thankfully turned out to be fairly appetizing. So here goes my version of Bruschetta:




Ingrediants:
~ 10 button mushrooms, sliced.
~ 8 slices of Garlic Bread/ French Bread.
~ I large onion, chopped finely.
~ I green chilly chopped.
~ 3 cloves of garlic crushed and sliced.
~ 4 tomatoes; boiled, skinned and deseeded.
~ Hot ‘n’ Sweet Sauce.
~ Dash of sugar.
~ Pinch of salt.
~ Pepper.
~ Basil leaves, roughly torn.
~ Butter, 50 Gms.
~ I teaspoon Garlic Paste.
~ Slivers/ Shavings of Parmesan cheese.
~ Extra-Virgin Olive oil.

Procedure:
1. Heat oil in a pan; sauté the garlic, chilly and onion.

2. When the onion turns a light, caramelly shade; add the mushrooms. Sprinkle some salt and freshly ground-pepper. Toss in the basil leaves. Mix well.

3. Cook on a high-flame until the water surrounding the mushrooms evaporates.Throw in some basil, mix and set aside.

4. Chop up the boiled tomatoes roughly.

5. In a pan heat the chopped puree, add some Hot ‘n’ Sweet Sauce and the sugar.

6. Mix well and fry on a high-flame for a minute or two. Remove and set aside.

7. Mix the garlic paste with the butter and smear the bread slices with this mixture.Lightly toast the bread.

8. Apply a layer of the tomato paste followed by spoonfuls of the mushroom mixture.

9. Top with thin slivers / shavings of Parmesan cheese.

10. Grill gently till the cheese melts and…..DIG IN!!!

On a drizzly Sunday evening, sink your teeth into this hot, steaming treat and if possible, accompany it with a lovely long flute of sparkling Prosecco. Finally....when you rise from the “cheese-infused” euphoria, mutter a heartfelt prayer that deep in the heart of Tuscany, some purist olive grower isn’t baying for my blood!!!

A Positive Attitude may not solve all your problems….but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort!

Herm Albright (1876-1944)

Optimism is an enigma, thrown in our faces at every possible turn. But is it feasible? Can we alter our negative brain-waves to suddenly become serene Pools of Positivity???

Chaos reigns supreme in our troubled times..... Be it the “hard-hitting” news reported by our poker faced newsreaders or the weird and whacky headlines that routinely fill the stop-gaps in our daily newspapers. It's a messed up world out there.....

Our response?.....we shake our heads in despair, dwell momentarily over the sorry state of affairs, express righteous anger and somewhere..........deep in our selfish hearts, thank the Good Lord that it wasn’t us. So W-HEW!!....after ranting and raving for a few stray minutes, we don our cloaks of optimism and nudge all the unpleasantness under the carpet of unfortunate events .

But are we self-involved or simply carrying on the losing battle for a stress—free existence?

Each day has to pass. We can ponder and torment ourselves with “ifs” and “buts” or just do the ‘callous-carpet’ trick. Adopt the first option and you are labeled a cribber, fighting a lost cause. Rush for the latter and you become a self-absorbed, unfeeling GIT!!!

Can a balance be struck? Can optimism be meted out without self-righteousness? Can we still hurt for the angst and agonies affecting perfect strangers and seriously give more than just a hoot??