Chronicles of Narnia - The Voayge of the Dawn Treader

Narnia series is a great Children's Literature, one of the treasures we have grown up with from the Pen of C.W. Lewis. But as a Motion Picture it fails to pull us. Why?

Comparisons with the two ultimate commercial and critical success stories of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings is obvious. I will not go into those comparisons. You already know how different Narnia is from both the above mentioned series.

Some of my observations:

• C.W. Lewis's series and its order is disputed amongst, google it or go to wikipedia and you will know that the actual order of the reading of the books are in question.
  
• The books were not written in any particular order and so the story is not really a continuation, yes, time moves as characters grow old, die etc, but we are not following their lives, we seem to be always thrown in the middle of an adventure with introduction or end.
• Even though we may love the books, the movie does not make us wait with excitement for its next installment.
• There are 7 books of this series and I wonder if another of this will be made into a Motion Picture. It simply isn't worth.
  
• Yes the visuals are breathtaking but where is the pull, for any of the characters, do we want to know what happens to Susan & Peter, or Aslan?

Now to why the third installment which just does not work despite 3D.

• You miss Susan & Peter.
• There is no Aslan.
• How long can you wait for the resolution knowing fully that it will eventually come.
• The actors have set expressions, raised eyebrows, cwering eyes, gaping mouth, the CG created characters of Reepicheep and Aslan are more entertaining, even Eustace as Dragon is better.
  
• The magic of Narnia on the Dawn Treader is limited and does nothing to excite us albeit it is very much reminiscent of The Odyssey.
  
• But unlike the Epic the solutions are too easy, the temptations not to great, the Magic to feeble everything just doesn't add up.

In fact, to be honest the motion picture just leaves you feeling sleepy because there is absolutely no emotional attachment with anyone, the crisis seem to be extraordinarily flimsy, and the characters seem hardly moved by any of it. The first installment of NARNIA was beautiful, the second had its many battles and wars which made for good viewing, but the 3rd is unexpectedly Dull.

And like Caspian we wonder why Lucy and Edmond have been called back in Narnia.

Any more of Narnia is definitely not worth my money!

Crabs - My Crustacian Obssession

My Crab Obssession cause Gastronomical Disasters & Allergies but Can't Get Enough of these Crustacians. Here's Two of my Favorite Crab Recipes, one is Oriental the other Bangali.
Recommended Food Joints for tasting these:

• Bangali : Kakrar Jhal - @ 6, Ballygunge Place
• Oriental : Black Pepper Crab - @ Mainland China

NB: Both the Restaurants are owned by the Specialty Group

Recipe for Bangali : Kakrar Jhal

Ingrediants

• Crabs - 500 gms - 2 medium sized crabs in this case (Cleaned and with their
• shells cracked)
• Red Onions - 250 gms - sliced lengthwise
• Potatoes - 250 gms - sliced lengthwise
• Tomatoes - 2 large - chopped roughly
• Green Chillies - a handful
• Ginger & Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp.
• White Mustard Paste - 1 large tablespoon
  
• Mustard Oil - 1 large Tbsp
• Whole Garam Masala - 2 Cloves, 2 small green cardamoms, 1 inch stick of
• cinnamon, several pepper corns
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp for marination, 1 tsp while cooking
• Red Chilly Powder - Kashmiri Chilly - 1 tsp.
• Salt - to taste
• Sugar - 1 tsp

Method:

• Marinate the crabs for an hour in Salt and Turmeric.
• Heat the oil in a round wok or kadhai. Toss in the crabs and stir fry the
• crabs till they change colour.
• Remove crabs from the wok and keep aside. In the same oil, tip in the onions and stir fry till translucent.
• Add the potatoes and keep stirring on high heat.
  
• Add the whole garam masala and continue cooking on high heat.
  
• Add the Tomatoes and the ginger-garlic paste and keep stirring.
  
• Add some green chillies, broken in two.
  
• When the oil starts coming out from the sides, reduce heat and add the turmeric powder and chilly powder.
  
• Add the mustard paste and keep stirring. Add the crabs and pour just enough water to cover the vegetables.
  
• Raise the heat till the water comes to a boil. Add some salt and the sugar. Cover and cook till the water is reduced to at least half.
• Raise the heat and stir the curry for 5-10 mins or till the gravy isthickened. Add the juice of the quarter of a lemon.
  
• Garnish with a sliced green chilly and chopped coriander.
  
• Serve hot.

NB: Best eaten with hot rice.

Recipe for Oriental : Black Pepper Crab


Ingredients

• 2 lbs large mud crabs, claws cracked, shells removed and cleaned to dry.
• 4 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  
• 3 to 4 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
  
• 4 tbsp butter 10 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  
• 10 slices young ginger
  
• 1 to 2 tbsp oyster sauce 2 tsp dark soya
  
• 2 tsp sugar (optional)
  
• oil for deep frying

Method

• Fry the black pepper in a wok or frying pan (without oil) till fragrant.
  
• Remove and keep aside. The crabs taste best if they are deep fried in very hot oil first – deep fry on all sides till the crabs turn red.
  
• Drain and keep the oil aside.
  
• Heat a wok, add the butter and when it melts and is hot, add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir fry for three minutes till the mixture is fragrant.
  
• Add the oyster sauce, soya sauce and sugar and stir well before adding the pepper.
• Stir fry a few seconds on high heat, add the crabs and stir fry one minute.
  
• Serve with the garnish.

NB: Best served with boiled rice tossed in Wok with some Spring Onions

Hope you enjoyed this culinary expedition!

Top 5 questions that people ask.

There Must be a list of FAQ's for each person which drives you nuts every time you hear it. May be you want to bang your head against the wall or tear your hair, or just shoot the person asking the question. Not to fear here goes my unsolicited advice to get rid of the incessant Quiz masters.

I give below the FAQ's, at least the TOP 5. & a choice of responses. This list is Indicative only.Please feel free to add.

Q1. When are you getting married?

A. Possible responses.

• None of your business.
• Why? Are you Proposing? (If the Quizmaster is of the opposite Gender)
• Why do you want me to be miserable? (or something in those lines)
• Didn't you know I got married? Oops, I must have forgotten to send you a card. (You can probably do this when you meet someone at an Airport Transit Lounge)
• What's wrong with you? (Pause for effect) We are already married. (Again works for the opposite Gender only.)

Q2. Are you ignoring me?


A. Possible responses.

• Yes, I am trying.
• Really? (Pause for effect) You still haven't understood?
• No. I don't notice you.
• Oh My God! Is that why you keep trying to talk to me? etc etc

Q3. Do you want to be friends?

A. Possible responses.

• No, I have enough of those.
• Ya, sure, so who is it?
• With you?
• Why, don't you have any friends?
• What Happened to your Friends?
• Can I get back to you on this? (This is by far the worse.)

Q4. Are you upset? (Coming from the one who causes 'the upset'.)

A. Possible responses.

• Didn't you hear me scream.
• No I just like to practice my happy to sad change of expression for my drama group.
• No I was aiming for Angry, now I am just pissed off.
• You don't wana know. (My Fav.)

Q5. Do you know, you are /have ____________? (Followed by any complement/flattery/complaint about your personality.)

A. Possible responses.

• I KNOW. (with attitude)
• You didn't know? I always did.
• Wow, you are SLOW!!!!
• That's me!! (preferably with both index fingers pointing at self & a goofy/fake smile, for Compliment/ complaint respectively.)

If you have any annoying FAQ's and responses share. Would love to exchange notes.

P.S: Responses not meant for the lovely people who are my life.

Fragrance

Fragrances and perfumes have always been women's favorite accessories right after the Sparkly jewels. And why shouldn't they be after all what could be more sophisticated, spendthrift, classy and absolutely reckless bordering on insanity to spend on something that simply evaporated in to the AIR.

My favorite Perfume brand has always been Elizabeth Arden may be because I grew up around the smell of Green Tea and 5th Avenue.

All the snazzy new age perfumes seem to lack the originality and basic tones of these old favorites. Seems to me more an more perfumes especially in women's segment are focused towards packaging only. They focus more and more on Aqua and Citrus based tones rather than into the more familiar heavier tonnes derived from the more earthy elements.

I guess the Deo Spray age has kind of taken a lot away from Perfumes, the market share and the necessity. But Perfumes invoke in me the most fairy tale, romantic, blissful mood.

My Latest obsession with them (thanks to a friend) has lead me to experiment beyond the floral notes of Elizabeth Arden to Burberry, YSL & Nina Ricci.




Here's Tea my all time favorite... with a twist of Lotus.

This perfume reminds me of all the times I used to look longingly at the Glass covered case where the Bottle was kept, I could not reach up to open the glass case when I was young but I would wait for someone to spray the perfume, & I remember how it used to linger in the air long after. In fact, I am sure it didn't but my mind remembered it so clearly.

Only on special ocassions was it sprayed on me just to keep me happy. I remember not wanting to let anyone wash the clothes so that it could still smell the same.

But now that I own the Same Perfume I find I hardly use it as often I would expect. May be that's why we don't always get what we want, coz if we did the Charm would be lost. So as that bottle stands in my presence everyday I notice it less an less.

Nothing seriously wrong in being Single

This is not a case of Sour Grape's from Aesop's Fable. What this is about is experiences and learning's from them. There I see a happy couple walking in front of me and as I walk past them I can hear their argument, here I sit beside a lady engrossed in conversation over the phone so much so that she has forgotten all sense of time and place, then when I (guiltily) eavesdrop I hear her pleading for one meeting and a few words from someone she obviously loves.

Then I meet my friends and relatives, who keep falling into a relationship and then coming out of it with burn marks all over, I find my self tending to them and again they dive into the same well of fire.

All this fire fighting, Burnol applying is getting to me, so today I made a real GEM of a statement (Even if I say so Myself).

Being single doesn't look half as bad when you see the mess not being single can turn into.

I know so many comments, barbed or spiked flying at me right now. I do not say All committed people are in a mess, may be they have a better vacuum cleaner than I do. Or are just better at keeping their lives clean.But seems to me in the most off handed situation I find that being single liberating.

Don't make any mistakes, it gets really boring sometimes when you don't have someone around to Bug, but that's not why I would choose to be committed. In fact, I think that's what I have been doing all my life.I am so afraid of getting bored that I seem to have made quite a bit of mess around myself.

But this isn't really about the mess that I have shoved under my bed, it's about the fact that today when I have the opportunity to go out on a date with a fairly interesting Male, I can without a second thought choose to spend that time with my brother. AND NOT REGRET MY CALL ON THE ISSUE.

It's Robert Frost's 'Fork in the Road', and it gives me immense pleasure to be able decide that. I walked back in d slight winter drizzle alone with my thoughts smiling all the way feeling light as feather knowing that I did not need to be attending an evening forced on me by commitment, I need not have to explain where I was going and with whom and what I planned to do.

Independence by it's nature comes with responsibility, and that's what my parents told me (I am sure we have heard this before) but what they did not tell me is that IT also came for a price.

To think of it, I am single coz I can't bear to become answerable to anyone for my decisions. Independence has it's PRICE.

And you better be willing to pay it.

Caution: Commitment, here, is not synonymous to marriage which I think is a different Ball game altogether.

That Time of the Year

Yes Folks it is that time of the Year when I reminiscience about the year that has gone past. Somehow this is triggered by the cold winter. Winter as a season has never been described as a very cheerful time isn't it? May be because the dying leaves and the chilly winds makes cools the warm heart, just like the Dementors suck out your soul, in the world of Harry Potter and create a dark cloudy chilly weather in ours.
I must not let my thoughts wander, that happens a lot with me.
I was contemplating the year gone past. May be even more the fact that nothing terribly significant has happened to make me want to write about it. I am one of those people who will advice you that just because nothing is happening doesn't mean anything is wrong and then go on to believe exactly the opposite. So I am fretting over the uneventful year.
Apparently this Blog was supposed to be about re discovering but it seems to me that I have relegated this to the side lines. However, when I am driven by something, I usually find it exciting me a lot, like may be writing a blog, which was a favorite past time in some distant past. So, may be end of the year is not such a bad time to come back to an old love.
Someone sent me an SMS the other day which said that people we love have a way of coming back to us, but in a way least expected. I guess the " least Expected" works like the *Conditions Apply clause. In my experience when ever I have sat down to take count of the year gone past, I have majorly focussed on the people I have lost and gained. Don't meant to commodify the lovely people I have in my life but they are very much like assets and liabilities when it comes to someone like me who likes to be surrounded by PEOPLE.
This Focus on people has led me to believe that when we lose someone we must realise that time was limited for them to make a mark on our lives, and if we think back they have made us learn a lesson however bitter the lesson may have been.

Since this is my maiden post for the year end, I guess I can hope to come back with some thoughts slightly more coherent and organised in the near future.

Post It's & Cupboards

There is a Post It stuck on my brain, and somethning or the other gets stuck on it, may be it's a song, a word, a picture, an image, a person, or like today a Blue Cheked Shirt.
Yes, now my mind's eye keeps wondering into that room which hold the cupboard in which the checked shirt hangs. It is an empty cupboard for now. I have jus installed it. I didn't think I would need it till today I got the Checked shirt get stuck with me. I hung it in. I think now that my mind is obssessing over this piece of clothing, it will soon start thinking of other garments, may be the white and blue stripe shirt, or the faded blue jeans, even get stuck on accessories like a string of eveil eye beads or a dirty white sneaker. Everything is now tidied into the big cupboard. I still think it's too big for the stuff I may want to keep away.
But wait a minute I jus added 5 things with the checked shirt. There's the Mauve T shirt too if I think hard. No, no more of clothes, accessories or anything. Dunno may be over the few days I may add a few more clothes, or simply try to forget the keys to this cupboard.
Till next time. Blue checked shirt n all will stay in this new cupboard.