After the eventful weekend, there was the small matter of completing what was started. Martin had two days rest, when in theory he should have completed the Max challenge ;) Then came Wednesday. There was going to be an attempt for gold. The number 1 item on The List was going to be completed. Martin was prepared (he came with a pack of Kleenex ;) ) and so were we (Nhiem, Kamran and me)
Let me just describe the dish first. He was supposed to eat the Spicy Beef Schezuan. Its mainly beef, chilli and a sauce served in a huge bowl and normally serves 2-4 I think.
The Beef Schezuan was ordered by the time we reached Noodle Kingdom and the sense of expectation was overwhelming. The dish came and well have to say Martin I think they had toned down on the red chilli. And then they brought 4 bowls.
"Thats alright mate, only he is going to finish it.", I try and tell. The dude was well a lil bit surprised to say the least ;)
The came the classic conversation.
M, "Can I get some rice"
Chinese waiter, "Sure"
5 mins pass and the rest of us have got our meagre portions. Martin starts working on the gravy and has some of the chillies until he realises there is no rice yet. So again,
"Can I get some steam rice?"
Waiter: "hmm what?"
"Ricce rice"
Waiter looks blank as hell. A few more awkward glances later,
"Eating rice.RICE.(perhaps a hint of annoyance) 1 serve of it." Giving him the finger. Mmm that sounded wrong. Lets just say gesturing with the index finger to show the one ; )
Waiter: Finally understands and quickly fetched a bowl.
Strangely there was relatively less whinging and he got through half the portion quite fast and easily. And then the fun started. M had gone all red. And well I knew this was going to be interesting. Starts with making all kind of weird faces as he eats the chilli and sauce(which btw was delicious) pleading with us to help him out. Then being good mates, we did dutifully taste a spoonful. Em, make that 5 in my case.
"Oh my mouth is on fire. This is incredible stupid(sic)"
"The water is not helping". This line came out often perhaps 100 times in the lunch time conversation. Sometimes in some minute variations, "This water is not helping one bit" . The concerned staff at Noodle Kingdom were at their best. They have never been as prompt in giving water before! And well they did keep an eye on Martin all through, often pointing and laughing. Ok I made that last bit up, but you get the idea ;)
He made so many weird faces during the remainder of the meal that some customers in adjoining tables were grinning ear to ear too as they realised an interesting lunch was taking place on our table. Oh and of course Martin was breathing fire and just had to exhale in someones direction to fire a round of hot chilli breath! I am sure that drew peoples attention ; ) .
And oh not to mention all the while, the remaining non sufferers i.e. us the audience were having an awesome time and could not stop laughing. Martin must be cursing the time he said that he can eat the Beef Schezuan!
Then he came up with his last plan. "I said I would finish the meat but not the sauce" This was not unexpected and Nhiem and I had made sure we and accounted for this before and Martin then had his classic, "yea right" moments.
And I have to say he almost finished it. But then as he apparently had done with the beer, gave up. Nhiem convinced him to literally "drink" the sauce with a straw. The waitress was amused more than shocked when we told her to get a straw to help him finish the liquidy sauce/gravy.
Well but he did give up. And how close he came to finish it. As a esult of the bet, Martin had to pay our lunch and well had "too much chilli" related problems the next day anyways ; ) An expensive loss indeed.
Oh and btw he had Japanese cake after with us all to round off an awesome lunch! :-D
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Martins Bucket List
Whats a good Australian send off? Well ask Martin. Since he is leaving, he has to complete a certain list reproduced in full in an awesome handwriting above. ; -)
Let just update all you folks on what has happened so far. Martin started acting on the list on Saturday when we were at Nhiem's place. The first challenge attempted being challenge no 3.
Challenge 3 Put a weird status message on Facebook:
This one was a piece of cake really. And well the line chosen was hilarious, “I found a huge boil between my legs”I am sure Jess had something to do with that ;)
The next challenge perhaps appealed to the German in him. So we attempted challenge no 10.
Drink 15 beers and 4 Jägerbombs:
Well have to hand it to the bloke, he completed this more or less honestly, (there was some confusion at the end with 3 beers) but overall a good job. Whats more he even had an extra
Jägerbomb just for good measure. ;-)
After that was a case of basically he was on a roll so next challenges attempted in the night were going to be, number 7, 3 and 2.
Challenge No 7 snort 1 line of castor sugar:
After all the drinks the main character of the blog, Herr Schnorr, was quite confident of this; leaving aside ofcourse the trademark winging!
But when Nhiem lined the sugar he wasn’t sure anymore. Again quite typical ;)
Martin: "Unbeleivable I need more beer!"
And then he starts. Slowly but surely getting it right. And of course all the while winging ;)
Until there was none left. But then I guess he had problems breathing or to quote M , “My nose is on fire. ”
Oh and I think he got to keep the 20bucks for his efforts.
I am sure the more astute readers have already noticed the parrot on M’s shoulder. Lets just have a story on that eh. That was the next challenge attempted.
Challenge Number 2 Parrot on shoulder for a whole night
Honestly the challenge seemed harmless. He has to have the parrot (a fake one of course) on his shoulder for a night. That meant going to a pub with it. And if someone asked “Why do you have a parrot on your shoulder?” , M is supposed to answer, “Why don’t you?” All seemed like awesome fun after a lot of drinks.
What we didn’t actually take into consideration is how much M would actually like the parrot. I mean he didn’t keep it off even when we were at Nhiem’s house!
And well just reproducing one of the pictures that captured the love ;)
Now by the time we reach the city. M is pretty much gone, dancing and has totally forgotten about the parrot. Then when he does take it out, he fumbles and the parrot falls amongst a crowd of pretty young girls and I am sure one of them stomped on it and it broke and boy did they freak out.
Random Girl: “Wtf was that man!”
M: “My parrot” with a sad face
By this time the parrot was broken into 2 pieces and I am sure the girl didn’t realise it was fake.
Random Girl: “What?! Nooo way..” a very concerned face, probably wondering if the liquid on the floor was blood and not just “harmless” alcohol.
But then Jess, the good girl that she is, explained the situation and Martin got half of his parrot back.
Which reminds me mate, what did the vet say about the parrot?? ; )
After this the working week starts. And well he did go for number 1 and boy was that hilarious too.
Lets keep that for another time shall we?
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
I just don't get it
Ok I am sick and tired of relatives in India calling up to ask if I am fine in Australia. Yes I am! Australia is NOT a land full of racists. There are idiots everywhere in the world, learn to accept it. Which brings us to the events. Pardon me if this all just seem like brainstorming notes.
I am sure everyone has heard of the incidents where the Indian students got bashed up. It is interesting to note here that this news wasn't covered in the Australian media at all when it happened. The Indian media on the other hand reported it to death. I mean they have whipped up such a frenzy that I am sure if I would have changed my mind about coming to Australia if I was thinking of it now. As a result we have two extreme at ends of the spectrum. By the time the Australian media woke up, the coverage seemed to be more of how the events have been covered by the Indian media.
My major gripe with all this is exactly that. Why didn't the Aussie media give any importance to these events, when they happened. I have heard people say that education is the 3rd biggest export of Australia so perhaps they don't want to demean the sector. I disagree with it totally. I can safely say that an average potential international student would read/listen to the local media and definitely not be up to speed with the Australian media. So no logic for it not to be covered here. If anything it would have made the people aware and alert. That is after all why the media exists.
I think it is ridiculous that I have to read an Indian newspaper to find out what is happening in Australia! Thank god mum and dad were in Australia itself when that happened, so they at least know what the real situation is.
I am sure everyone has heard of the incidents where the Indian students got bashed up. It is interesting to note here that this news wasn't covered in the Australian media at all when it happened. The Indian media on the other hand reported it to death. I mean they have whipped up such a frenzy that I am sure if I would have changed my mind about coming to Australia if I was thinking of it now. As a result we have two extreme at ends of the spectrum. By the time the Australian media woke up, the coverage seemed to be more of how the events have been covered by the Indian media.
My major gripe with all this is exactly that. Why didn't the Aussie media give any importance to these events, when they happened. I have heard people say that education is the 3rd biggest export of Australia so perhaps they don't want to demean the sector. I disagree with it totally. I can safely say that an average potential international student would read/listen to the local media and definitely not be up to speed with the Australian media. So no logic for it not to be covered here. If anything it would have made the people aware and alert. That is after all why the media exists.
I think it is ridiculous that I have to read an Indian newspaper to find out what is happening in Australia! Thank god mum and dad were in Australia itself when that happened, so they at least know what the real situation is.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Hell on earth
Another really random blog. Things that I have been mulling about.
Now the cricketers have visited the victims as well as the PM and other "VIPs". The cynic that I am, I just wonder how much this helps the affected people. The cricketers I guess help to take the mind off the tragedy a bit. Not too sure of the politicos. Though have to say Rudd looked really sincere when he was talking with the people. I just hope these people know the real work will be when the rebuilding begins. The hearts need to mended as well destructed properties. Will people return? I wonder if I would go back if I was in the situation.
The important thing to consider after the fires have been put out are the lessons learnt. What can be done to stop it from happening again? If two fires would merge it will cause untold destruction. So is there any way to stop that if it comes to it?
Food for thought. Have a great day! :-)
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
My Mumbai she burns
Well my 0.02A$ worth.
Time for India to put up a brave and "united" face but it is only like a PR exercise I feel. The real issue needed to be looked into is how do we stop terrorism or more to the point can we stop terrorism. I beleive the answer to this lies within the Muslim community all over the world itself, more so than any other. How many times have we heard after every attack the oft repeated cliche, "Not all Muslims are like that". Something I know for a fact but for someone who has lost a loved one it may sound as bull crap.
Lets just take the case of terrorism against India. Of all the terrorists caught attacking India how many were Muslim. My guess: 99.99%. The community has to help root out these idiots from amongst them because well its only going to bite them in the arse(religious profiling etc) if they dont.
Can rattle on but well this should suffice for now ;).
Please read Tarun Vijay's articles in the otherwise abonimable Times of India, (I know I have been guilty of reading it ;-) ).
Esp this article India battles to win.
Time for India to put up a brave and "united" face but it is only like a PR exercise I feel. The real issue needed to be looked into is how do we stop terrorism or more to the point can we stop terrorism. I beleive the answer to this lies within the Muslim community all over the world itself, more so than any other. How many times have we heard after every attack the oft repeated cliche, "Not all Muslims are like that". Something I know for a fact but for someone who has lost a loved one it may sound as bull crap.
Lets just take the case of terrorism against India. Of all the terrorists caught attacking India how many were Muslim. My guess: 99.99%. The community has to help root out these idiots from amongst them because well its only going to bite them in the arse(religious profiling etc) if they dont.
Can rattle on but well this should suffice for now ;).
Please read Tarun Vijay's articles in the otherwise abonimable Times of India, (I know I have been guilty of reading it ;-) ).
Esp this article India battles to win.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
A proud Marathi?
Every time I read current stories from India, regarding the Thackeray-marathi manoos things, I feel really uneasy. Wrong signals seem to be sent in every direction. This post is just my attempt to write down things going on about the issue in my head. So well there is a high chance that the output will be muddled.
The question that needs to be contemplated is this.
By Marathi, I mean people who are born, brought up in Maharashtra and speak-understand Marathi. The unrest is there, sad to say. Is it widespread? Not really. But when politicians want to brandish the parochial sword, there is real danger that the unrest will spread.
Simple example, these were the times when MNS wasn't formed. Advertisements for the Mumbai postings for Indian Railways weren't given in any of the local Marathi newspapers, but all the Bhojpuri-Hindi dainiks carried the news, (supposedly). No doubt this created unrest in the local population. Raj Thackeray wrote about the issue, managed to inflame people further, and then causing the infamous Sena backed ransacking on Railways Mumbai Office.
Why is the unrest there? Aren't we one nation? Well the demographics of Maharashtra, Mumbai in particular have changed a lot in the last 10 years. People will react when language that is different to the commonly prevalent ones, keep falling on their ears. I can state the example of my beloved Pune. I could not imagine a place in Pune where I would hear anything other than Marathi. But now like Mumbai, there is high chance that two strangers starting conversation, won't do it in Marathi. This is not a bad thing at all, but it sure as hell is different. And most people as a rule are resistant to change.
I know so many individuals who after spending their lives in Pune have picked up the language. In fact it's assumed that they will. But I doubt we can make those assumptions any further.
Marathi or Hindi? Hindi is our national language. I think most people in India know the language. I think Marathi people in general don't mind the rashtrabhasha, but I think people may be peeved when, the "outsiders" don't take up Marathi even after staying here for 10-15 years. It can't be Hindi at the cost of Marathi.
Anyways, in this global age how important these things are is debatable. For me I am glad that I know, have learnt English. Because ironically, I think that is the only language that truly binds our great nation. To each his own I guess.
The question that needs to be contemplated is this.
- Is there unrest amongst the Marathi population regarding "outsiders".
- The extent and possible reasons/solutions.
By Marathi, I mean people who are born, brought up in Maharashtra and speak-understand Marathi. The unrest is there, sad to say. Is it widespread? Not really. But when politicians want to brandish the parochial sword, there is real danger that the unrest will spread.
Simple example, these were the times when MNS wasn't formed. Advertisements for the Mumbai postings for Indian Railways weren't given in any of the local Marathi newspapers, but all the Bhojpuri-Hindi dainiks carried the news, (supposedly). No doubt this created unrest in the local population. Raj Thackeray wrote about the issue, managed to inflame people further, and then causing the infamous Sena backed ransacking on Railways Mumbai Office.
Why is the unrest there? Aren't we one nation? Well the demographics of Maharashtra, Mumbai in particular have changed a lot in the last 10 years. People will react when language that is different to the commonly prevalent ones, keep falling on their ears. I can state the example of my beloved Pune. I could not imagine a place in Pune where I would hear anything other than Marathi. But now like Mumbai, there is high chance that two strangers starting conversation, won't do it in Marathi. This is not a bad thing at all, but it sure as hell is different. And most people as a rule are resistant to change.
I know so many individuals who after spending their lives in Pune have picked up the language. In fact it's assumed that they will. But I doubt we can make those assumptions any further.
Marathi or Hindi? Hindi is our national language. I think most people in India know the language. I think Marathi people in general don't mind the rashtrabhasha, but I think people may be peeved when, the "outsiders" don't take up Marathi even after staying here for 10-15 years. It can't be Hindi at the cost of Marathi.
Anyways, in this global age how important these things are is debatable. For me I am glad that I know, have learnt English. Because ironically, I think that is the only language that truly binds our great nation. To each his own I guess.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
why is the IPL bad?
I just keep reading articles after articles in papers here or on Cricinfo. Then I read this today and thought ok thats it. I had to shake off my extreme inertia and blog.
I don't understand why papers in Australia, UK and even media in general are so quick to react negatively to the IPL? Why is the Indian Rupee that bad for cricket? And here I would like to make clear that this post is only focussed on the IPL and not ICL.(which btw I also dont understand why is being made out as the black sheep)
I read Harsha Bhogle's views on the IPL and that I could not agree more with. Has anyone from overseas thanked India for giving them opportunities to ply their trade here? Another brilliant read on the topic was Amit Verma's piece on Cricinfo. If this doesn't shut the negetive vibes nothing will.
The fact is the IPL deserves a chance. Its a concept that is going to take cricket in exciting directions. Who is to say the future is necessarily bad?Who knows because of the franchise/league like concepts, cricket may make headway in regions like US or other countries thus expanding its reach. Why shoot it down before it takes off?
The cricket world needs to understand that the dynamics of the game are changing. And it would be fair to say, so would the tastes of the audiences by and large. Simplest example, the T20 match at the MCG this summer;close to 85000 people came to see it. Thats footy like audiences. Compare those figures to any attendance figure in the tests or ODIs here and you would definitely get the answer.
For some reason statements like these
"
...the true lovers of cricket, and of Indian cricket more especially, must
hope that the IPL will fail as a commercial proposition. It offers,
arguably, a degraded form of cricket; and it will promote, certainly, a
degradation of character..."
that Mr Guha, whose articles on cricket I really like (normally), has used here, really pisses me off. I always thought of myself as a "true" lover of cricket, but I guess I cant use that tag anymore since I have unabashedly brandished my support for the T20 format.Damn!!
Am I a true Indian cricket fan then. Hmm lets see. The IPL gives the Indian audiences a chance to see the big names turning out for their cities. See their performances up close with more frequency than normal. Imagine Shane Warne coaching a leggie in Jaipur, whilst he is there on IPL duty. Oh that would be horrid for Indian cricket wouldn't it! So yes IPL is evil, the very fact that Indian audiences can watch Warne, Kallis, McGrath, Lee, ... is not going to be good for Indian cricket. So I guess I can peacefully sleep knowing I AM a "true" Indian cricket fan. Yes I am hoping the IPL fails Mr Guha.
I don't understand why papers in Australia, UK and even media in general are so quick to react negatively to the IPL? Why is the Indian Rupee that bad for cricket? And here I would like to make clear that this post is only focussed on the IPL and not ICL.(which btw I also dont understand why is being made out as the black sheep)
I read Harsha Bhogle's views on the IPL and that I could not agree more with. Has anyone from overseas thanked India for giving them opportunities to ply their trade here? Another brilliant read on the topic was Amit Verma's piece on Cricinfo. If this doesn't shut the negetive vibes nothing will.
The fact is the IPL deserves a chance. Its a concept that is going to take cricket in exciting directions. Who is to say the future is necessarily bad?Who knows because of the franchise/league like concepts, cricket may make headway in regions like US or other countries thus expanding its reach. Why shoot it down before it takes off?
The cricket world needs to understand that the dynamics of the game are changing. And it would be fair to say, so would the tastes of the audiences by and large. Simplest example, the T20 match at the MCG this summer;close to 85000 people came to see it. Thats footy like audiences. Compare those figures to any attendance figure in the tests or ODIs here and you would definitely get the answer.
For some reason statements like these
"
...the true lovers of cricket, and of Indian cricket more especially, must
hope that the IPL will fail as a commercial proposition. It offers,
arguably, a degraded form of cricket; and it will promote, certainly, a
degradation of character..."
that Mr Guha, whose articles on cricket I really like (normally), has used here, really pisses me off. I always thought of myself as a "true" lover of cricket, but I guess I cant use that tag anymore since I have unabashedly brandished my support for the T20 format.Damn!!
Am I a true Indian cricket fan then. Hmm lets see. The IPL gives the Indian audiences a chance to see the big names turning out for their cities. See their performances up close with more frequency than normal. Imagine Shane Warne coaching a leggie in Jaipur, whilst he is there on IPL duty. Oh that would be horrid for Indian cricket wouldn't it! So yes IPL is evil, the very fact that Indian audiences can watch Warne, Kallis, McGrath, Lee, ... is not going to be good for Indian cricket. So I guess I can peacefully sleep knowing I AM a "true" Indian cricket fan. Yes I am hoping the IPL fails Mr Guha.
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