Being vegetarian, we were a bit dismayed to find a major portion of Non – Vegetarian dishes as compared to the Vegetarian dishes when we were first given the menu. But we were in for a surprise as whatever we ordered was delicious and filled us up quite nicely too …

We first started out with a tomato soup each, called “Tom Yum Soup,” as our starter. Rich and creamy, with swirls of thick white cream in a deep red background and croutons bobbing around the sides of the bowl, we could hardly resist slurping it all up! We also got freebies in the form of two baskets of crispy Pappad. The Pappad was healthy since it wasn’t fried in oil, but just heated in an open flame on the stove … and nevertheless, it was a hit.

The funny is thing is we got two small plates of fresh, raw onion slices … and my little niece and nephew could hardly keep their hands off of them once the mild yet pleasant tasting, light green Pudina (Mint) Chutney arrived.

We also ordered one more appetizer – Crispy Vegetables, which comprised of zesty onions, cauliflowers, and potatoes, which were deep – fried in oil till they turned a tempting shade of golden – brown. The spices added on for more flavour to these Crispy Vegetables simply melt in your mouth !! Needless to say, the plate of Crispy Vegetables was finished in seconds due to the fact that people from all sides of the table were jabbing hopefully at the plate with their forks in hand. My parents, who arrived late to the Dhaba, were greeted with a large empty plate (Crispy Vegetables !!) and six empty soup bowls …

The food here is served in rectangular thalis (trays) and tumblers made of brass and steel, and oh … oh … OH !! The main course food was the BEST – we ordered Sarson Ka Saag, which is a luscious green curry with Palak (Spinach), and creamy Cottage Cheese as the two prime ingredients. We also ordered the enticing Rajma Masala made of soft, well – boiled Kidney Beans served in a lush brownish – maroon gravy. The Mutter Paneer with its delicately boiled, green peas and small chunks of Paneer (Cheese) and the scrumptious Dal Makhani with its scrumptious savory gravy were just heaven !! The only thing that could have been better is the Dal Makhani – it was not as creamy as the rest of the curries and somewhat watery … adding some more cream would have made the Dal Makhani even more divine …

The delectable Stuffed Pudina Parathas (Thick, Baked Wheat Cakes spread twice over with some irresistibly sweet butter), stuffed with the delightful and most choicest ingredients such as Onions, Tomatoes, Gobi (Cauliflower) and Aloo (Potatoes), was too hard to keep my hands off of … the Naans (Thick, Baked Wheat Cakes without Butter) complemented the curries so excellently, and we also got value for our money since each Naan was about 11 – 12 inches wide … EXTREMELY wide for a typical Naan ! The Rumali Rotis (Thin, Baked Wheat Cakes) were spread with butter, and folded over. Soft and palatable, these Rumali Rotis surely were no small treat !! We also ordered some fried rice, sprinkled generously over with carrots and peas … cooked to precison, the rice was the crowning glory of our “feast” !! The rice was cooked so differently and tastefully that I must say that in all my years of eating rice I have never come upon something so yummy !!

Finally, though we were more than full, we knew we could never go home without some dessert. There was Gulab Jamun, round, yummy balls in rich, sweet gravy; the exquisitely orange – colored Jalebi, served sizzling hot, made of flour, shaped into round, appetizing designs, deep – fried in oil and ladled into steaming bowls of sugary gravy; and finally, the Rajasthani Kulfi, which is like an Indian Ice – Cream. Milky, creamy, and rich, it was frozen to look like a Popsicle on a stick such that when you lick it, it melts ever so slightly such as to allow us to suck in its pleasing flavour. Little pieces of Pista (Pecans) and Almond made the Kulfi even more succulent.

All – in – all, the Dhabba Express was AWESOME !! My only regrets is that I couldn’t try the well – renowned Punjabi Lassi … but oh well, there’s always next time !! The Dhabba Express is also a treat for your wallet , since they claim to cater only “Regular Punjabi Home Khana.” For instance, chicken dishes cost from Rs. 45 to Rs. 70. Breakfast is served here between 8:30 and 10:30 AM and offers Aloo Paratha, Gobi Paratha (Rs. 10 each only) and Punjabi Lassi (Rs. 15).

The ambience was also unique, since we were sitting in the outside area of the Dhaba, which was carefully decorated in the traditional, rustic Indian style. The colours here are the natural reds, browns and yellows of the Punjab countryside. The tables are low, with Rajasthani – Style Bamboo Bench – Seats. The ambience can probably be described as rugged, it is as authentic as it is comfortable, with the emphasis on comfort. So even the place we were sitting in was a treat for our eyes !!

The Buffet here is only open for lunch; people coming for dinner may order. The Dhabba Express is located at 9, Cenotaph Road, Teynampet, Chennai – 600 – 018. The Telephone Number is 432-8211/2/3. So now you know where to go for ‘Asli Punjabi Khana’ !!

I also attended both interviews … 9:30 AM at CV (my old school) and 11:00 AM at PSBB … and finally … decided on CV since I would miss it too much and everything about it – my friends, the infrastructure, our Annual Day, our Farewell, the teachers, the staff, and every inch of it …

So … though I'm sad I didn't get to experience PSBB … I know I'll always be happy in CV … my home … 'cause home is where the heart is, and my heart is stuck in CV !!

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF NIRVANA :

Nirvana was a popular American Rock band from Aberdeen, Washington. With the lead single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from their 1991 album Nevermind, Nirvana exploded into the mainstream, bringing along with it an offshoot of Punk and Alternative Rock that the mainstream media of the time referred to as Grunge. Other Seattle grunge bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden also gained in popularity, and, as a result, alternative rock became a dominant genre on radio and music television in the United States during the early – to – middle 90's.

As Nirvana's frontman, Kurt Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the "spokesman of a generation," with Nirvana the "flagship band" of "Generation X." Cobain was uncomfortable with the attention, and placed his focus on the band's music, challenging the band's audience with their third studio album In Utero. While Nirvana's mainstream popularity waned in the months following its release, their core audience cherished the band's dark interior, particularly after their 1993 performance on MTV Unplugged.

Nirvana's brief run ended with the death of Cobain in 1994, but the band's popularity expanded in the years that followed. Eight years after Cobain's death, "You Know You're Right," an unfinished demo that the band recorded two months prior to Cobain's death, topped radio playlists around the world. Since their debut, the band has sold more than fifty million albums worldwide, including more than ten million copies of Nevermind in the US alone. Nirvana remains a consistent presence on radio stations worldwide.

Early Years :

Nirvana in 1989. Front to back: Cobain, Everman, Channing, Novoselic

Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic met in 1985. Both were fans of The Melvins, and often hung out at the band's practice space. After a couple of false starts at forming their own band, the duo recruited drummer Aaron Burckhard, creating the first incarnation of what would eventually become Nirvana, meaning 'extinction of dissatisfaction' according to Buddhist Philosophy. In the initial months, the pair worked with several drummers, including Dale Crover of The Melvins, who played on their first demos. At the same time, the band went through a series of names, including Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, and Ted Ed Fred, before finally settling on Nirvana in February of 1988. A couple of months later, the band finally settled on a drummer, Chad Channing.

Nirvana's first album, Bleach, was released by Sub Pop Records in 1989. Bleach was highly influenced by The Melvins, by the heavy dirge-rock of Mudhoney, and by the 70's rock of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Novoselic noted in a 2001 interview with Rolling Stone that the band had played a tape in their van while on tour that had an album by The Smithereens on one side and an album by the black metal band Celtic Frost on the other, and noted that the combination probably played an influence as well. Bleach became a favorite of college radio stations nationally, but gave few hints of where the band would find itself two years later.

Though he did not actually play on the album, Jason Everman was credited as playing guitar on Bleach because he put up the money for the recording sessions: $606.17. After the album was completed, Everman had a brief and contentious stay with the band as a second guitar player, but was sacked following their first US tour. Not long after, he briefly played bass with Soundgarden before joining the band Mind Funk.

In early 1990, the band began working with producer Butch Vig on recordings for the follow – up to Bleach. During the sessions, Kurt and Krist realized that Chad wasn't the drummer the band needed, and he was let go after the sessions were complete. After a few weeks with Dale Crover of The Melvins filling in, they hired Mudhoney drummer Dan Peters, with whom they recorded the song "Sliver". Later that year, Buzz Osborne of The Melvins introduced them to Dave Grohl, who was looking for a new band following the sudden break-up of D.C. hardcore punks Scream.

Nevermind :

Nevermind Album Cover — The baby pictured is Spencer Elden.

Following repeated recommendations by Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, David Geffen signed Nirvana to DGC Records in 1990. The band subsequently began recording its first major label album. The result, Nevermind, is now widely regarded as a classic.

For the album, the band decided to continue working with Vig. Rather than recording at Vig's Madison studio as they had in 1990, the band shifted to Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. For two months, the band worked through a variety of songs in their catalog. Some of the songs, including "In Bloom" and "Breed", had been in the band's repertoire for years, while others, including "On a Plain" and "Stay Away", lacked finished lyrics until mid-way through the recording process.

After the recording sessions were completed, Vig and the band set out to mix the album. However, after a few days, both Vig and the band realized that they were unhappy with how the mixes were turning out. As a result, they decided to call in someone else to oversee the mixing, with DGC supplying a list of possible options. The list contained several familiar names, including Scott Litt (Known for his work with R.E.M.) and Ed Stasium (known for his work with The Smithereens). However, Cobain feared that bringing in known mixers would result in the album sounding like the work of those bands. He decided to choose the guy at the bottom of the list next to the name 'Slayer' : Andy Wallace. (Wallace co-produced Slayer's 1990 album Seasons in the Abyss.)

Wallace brought to the album a completely different mindset, adding layers of reverb and studio trickery to give the album a glossy polish. A few months after the album's release, Cobain complained in the press that Wallace had made Nevermind sound too slick, even though Wallace had been his own choice and the band themselves had been involved in the mixing process. Even if the band was disappointed at the sound of the album, Wallace had successfully tempered the band's indie rock leanings and created a mainstream-ready rock sound that others would attempt to duplicate for the next decade.

Initially, Nevermind, wasn't expected to sell more than 500,000 copies. Instead, the album was certified triple-platinum (three million copies) in the US less than six months after its release. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" received heavy airplay on MTV, inspiring a slew of imitators and bringing the grunge sound into the mainstream. The popularity of alternative rock, as well as the sidelining of hair metal, is often credited to Nevermind. In January of 1992, the album reached the top of the Billboard album charts, replacing Michael Jackson's album Dangerous, an act often considered the defining symbol of the rise of alternative music over pop. Citing exhaustion, the band decided not to undertake another US tour in support of Nevermind, instead opting to make a handful of performances later that year.

In February of 1992, following the band's Australian tour, Cobain married Courtney Love in Hawaii. Love gave birth to a daughter, Frances Bean the following August. Just days after Frances Bean's birth, Nirvana performed one of its best – known concerts, headlining at the Reading Festival. Cobain entered the stage in a wheelchair as a practical joke, then proceeded to get up and join the rest of the band in tearing through an assortment of old and new material. At one point in the show, Cobain related to the crowd the recent birth of his daughter, and succeeded in having the crowd chant "We love you, Courtney!" in unison. Dave Grohl related in 2005 on the radio program Loveline that the band was genuinely concerned beforehand that the show would be a complete disaster, given all that had happened in the months leading up to the show and given that they had not rehearsed in six months. Instead, the performance ended up being one of the most memorable of their career.

Less than two weeks later, Nirvana put on a memorable performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. MTV had wanted the band to play "Smells Like Teen Spirit", but the band wanted to play a new song called "Rape Me". MTV was appalled at the idea of a song called "Rape Me," and eventually agreed that the band could play "Lithium" instead, the band's then-current single. When the band began their performance, Kurt strummed and sang the first few bars of "Rape Me," giving the MTV executives a solid shock before jumping into "Lithium." Near the end of the song, frustrated that his amp had stopped functioning, Novoselic decided to toss his bass into the air for dramatic effect. Unfortunately, he misjudged the landing, and the bass ended up bouncing off of his forehead, forcing him to stumble off the stage in a daze. As Cobain trashed their equipment, Grohl ran to the mic and began yelling "Hi, Axl!" repeatedly, referring to Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose, with whom the band and Courtney had had a bizarre encounter prior to the show.

Nirvana released Incesticide, a collection of B-sides and rarities, in December of 1992. Many of Nirvana's BBC radio sessions and unreleased early recordings were starting to circulate via trading circles and illegal bootlegs, so the album served to beat the bootleggers to the punch. The album contained such fan favorites as "Sliver," "Dive," "Been a Son," and "Aneurysm" as well as covers of songs by The Vaselines, a band that became more popular as a result of Nirvana's covers.

In Utero :

In Utero Album Cover

For 1993's In Utero, the band brought in producer Steve Albini, perhaps best known for his work on the Pixies album Surfer Rosa. The sessions with Albini were productive and notably quick: the initial version of the album was recorded and mixed in two weeks, a far cry from the months spent recording and mixing Nevermind.

Bringing in Albini appeared to be a deliberate move on Nirvana's part to give the album a rawer, less polished sound, as if the band wanted to alienate or distance some of their new "mainstream" audience who'd paid little or no attention to the alternative, obscure, or experimental bands Nirvana saw as their forebearers. For example, one song on In Utero that featured long periods of shrill feedback noise was titled, ironically, "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter." (In the industry, a "radio – friendly unit shifter" describes an "ideal" album: one capable of heavy radio play and ultimately selling many copies, or "units.") However, Cobain insisted that Albini's sound was simply the one he'd always wanted Nirvana to have: a "natural" recording without layers and layers of studio trickery.

Following its release, fans fell under the impression that the band wanted this distorted masterpiece. However, in reality, the band was actually unhappy with certain aspects of Albini's mixes. Specifically, they thought the bass levels were too low, and Cobain felt that "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" didn't sound "perfect". Longtime R.E.M. producer Scott Litt was called in to help remix those two songs, with Cobain adding additional instrumentation and backing vocals. Litt also remixed "Pennyroyal Tea," but Albini's version was used on the album. (DGC later planned to release Litt's remix as a single.)

With In Utero, the band also faced corporate censorship. Giant store chains Kmart and Wal-Mart refused to carry the album, citing song titles like "Rape Me" and Kurt's plastic-fetus collage on the album's artwork as too controversial for the "family - oriented" chains. The band decided to abide by the request, and compiled a version of the album with "clean" artwork and "Rape Me" retitled "Waif Me". Other than the inclusion of Litt's mix of "Pennyroyal Tea", however, the music on the album was identical to the wider release. When asked about the edited version, Kurt noted that he could relate to the small – town residents that had no other local music stores and were forced to buy their music at Kmart.

While "Heart-Shaped Box" was received warmly by alternative and mainstream radio, and In Utero debuted at number one on the Billboard Album chart, the album didn't enjoy the same success as Nevermind. When the band embarked on the US In Utero tour, its first major tour of the States since the success of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," it regularly played to half-filled arenas, stymied by the lack of tour support for Nevermind and the challenging new release. (For touring in support of In Utero, the band added Pat Smear of the punk rock band The Germs as a second guitarist.)

In November of 1993, the band decided to change direction and sat down for an appearance on MTV Unplugged. The sessions revealed the depth of Cobain's songwriting, which had often been buried under the sonic fury of the band's sound. The song selection also demonstrated Cobain's broad musical interests through his choice of cover songs. It became a hallmark moment of Nirvana's history, if not amplified by the tragedy soon to follow.

In early 1994, the band embarked on a European tour. While the tour started off well, the performances gradually declined, with Kurt looking bored and distracted during the shows, particularly during the Italian leg of the tour. Following a tour stop at Terminal Eins in Munich, Germany, on March 1st, Cobain was diagnosed with bronchitis and severe laryngitis. The next night's show at the same venue was cancelled. On the morning of March 4th, Cobain was found unconscious by Courtney Love and rushed to the hospital. The doctor told a press conference that the singer had reacted to a combination of prescription Rohypnol and Alcohol. The rest of the tour was cancelled, including a planned leg in the UK.

In the ensuing weeks, Cobain's heroin addiction resurfaced. An intervention was organized, and Cobain was convinced to check into rehab. After less than a week in rehab, Cobain climbed over the wall of the facility and flew back to Seattle. A week later, on Friday, April 8, 1994, Cobain's lifeless body was discovered by an electrician at his Seattle home, effectively dissolving Nirvana. Cobain had allegedly committed suicide with his shotgun yet there are strong arguments that his wife, Courtney Love, murdered him — however there was not solid evidence to prove this and so the case was closed … I personally think Courtney did it since there are a lot of suspicious things that she did just before and after his murder … Yeah —> I'm a Courtney hater !! R.I.P. Kurt !!

After Cobain's death :

Unplugged in New York album cover

Several Nirvana albums have been released since Cobain's death. The first came in November of 1994 with the release of the band's subdued and eerily morbid performance for MTV Unplugged, Unplugged in New York. This album included guest appearances by members of the Meat Puppets, as well as cover versions of songs by the Meat Puppets, Leadbelly, The Vaselines, and David Bowie.

Two weeks after the release of Unplugged in New York, a video compilation of Nirvana performances, titled Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!, was released. Cobain himself had compiled a significant part of the video, which documented much of the Nevermind tour. Memorable footage from the video included an infamous incident with a bouncer at a Texas club in October of 1991, as well as the band's performance of "Aneurysm" donned in dresses at the Hollywood Rock Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in January of 1993.

The original intention was to release the MTV Unplugged set in a double-disc package, along with a second disc of live electric material to balance the acoustic set. However, for the two surviving band members, sorting through the treasure trove of Nirvana recordings so soon after Cobain's passing became too emotionally overwhelming.^[11] The live disc, a compilation of Nirvana concert recordings, finally saw release in October of 1996, titled From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah.

In August of 1997, online music news website Wall of Sound reported that Grohl and Novoselic were organizing a box set of Nirvana rarities. Four years later, the band's label announced that the box set was complete and would see release in September to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the release of Nevermind. However, shortly before the release date, Courtney Love filed an injunction to stop the box set's release and sued Grohl and Novoselic, claiming that Cobain's former bandmates were hijacking Nirvana's legacy for their own personal interests. What followed was a protracted legal battle over the ownership of Nirvana's music that lasted for more than a year.

Much of the legal wrangling centered on a single unreleased song, "You Know You're Right," the band's final studio recording. Grohl and Novoselic wanted to include the song on the box set, essentially releasing all of the rarities at one time. Love, however, argued that the song was more important than just a generic "rarity", and should be included on a single-disc greatest hits compilation. After more than a year of often public and sometimes bizarre legal maneuvering, the parties settled, agreeing on the immediate release of the greatest hits package including "You Know You're Right", titled simply Nirvana. In turn, Love agreed to donate cassette demos recorded by Cobain for use on the box set.

Nirvana fans' first taste of "You Know You're Right" came in early 1995 when Courtney Love played a version of the song with her band Hole on MTV Unplugged under the title "You've Got No Right". A live rough draft version of the song performed by Nirvana at their October 23, 1993 concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago surfaced in Nirvana tape-trading circles a few months later. In the years that followed, rumors of the existence of a studio version of the song perpetuated through Nirvana's fanbase and grew to almost mythic proportions. For fans, the first real confirmation of the studio version's existence came in November 2001 when Access Hollywood aired a ten second clip of the song as part of an interview with Courtney Love. In May of 2002, several longer clips surfaced on the Internet via an unknown source, who claimed he was planning to release the entire song. However, the source backed down, fearing legal action. As the court case neared completion in September of 2002, the entire song unexpectedly leaked, days before the announcement of the release of Nirvana. Even though the studio version turned out itself to be a rough draft with unfinished lyrics, fans and non-fans alike adored the song, leading it to become one of the most-played songs on alternative radio in both 2002 and 2003.

Nirvana was released on October 29, 2002. On top of "You Know You're Right", the album contained hit singles from their three studio albums as well as several alternate mixes and recordings of familiar Nirvana songs. Following its release, many long-time fans complained about the song selection, noting that the alternate version of "Been a Son" (from the Blew EP) was not the band's preferred version, and that the disc lacked songs such as "Sappy" (released as "Verse Chorus Verse") that had received significant radio airplay in the US following Cobain's death. Fans outside the US questioned the inclusion of the Unplugged version of "All Apologies" (as opposed to the single version from In Utero) and the Bleach version of "About a Girl" (where the Unplugged version was a popular single in 1994). Also, with a running time of under fifty minutes, there was certainly ample space to include other popular songs, such as "Love Buzz," "Drain You," "Aneurysm," and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" (the latter of which was included on some foreign releases of the disc).

November of 2004 finally saw the release of the Nirvana box set, titled With the Lights Out. The box set contained a vast array of early Cobain demos, rough rehearsal recordings, and live tracks recorded throughout the band's history. Of note to serious Nirvana fans were unfinished studio recordings of "Old Age" and "Verse Chorus Verse" (different from "Sappy") recorded during the Nevermind sessions. Another notable track on the box set was a solo acoustic demo of a song called "Do Re Mi," recorded by Cobain in his bedroom. The song showed that even in the turmoil of his final days, Kurt still had the gift for melody that he had demonstrated so many years earlier in songs like "About a Girl."

A best-of-the-box compilation titled Sliver: The Best of the Box was released in the fall of 2005. The CD compiled nineteen tracks from the box set plus three previously unreleased tracks, including a version of the song "Spank Thru" from the fabled 1985 Fecal Matter demo tape. According to Rolling Stone, Cobain's daughter Frances Bean aided in the selection of the title and cover art.

In a 2002 interview with Jim DeRogatis, Courtney Love described the countless rehearsal tapes, demos, and bedroom recordings that were left behind after Cobain's death. For example, a four-track version of "Do Re Mi" was apparently recorded with Kurt on drums, Pat Smear on guitar, and Eric Erlandson on bass. Whether anything from the remaining archive will ever see release remains to be seen.

Post – Nirvana :

Dave Grohl's post - Nirvana band, The Foo Fighters

In the years following Nirvana's disbanding, both of its surviving members have remained active musically. Not long after Cobain's death, Grohl recorded a series of demos which eventually became the debut album for the Foo Fighters. As of 2005, the Foo Fighters have released five commercially successful albums. The most recent Foo Fighters release, In Your Honor, features a song called "Friend of a Friend", which Grohl wrote in 1990 about his first encounters with Cobain and Novoselic.

Beyond the Foo Fighters, Grohl has also drummed for bands including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Mike Watt, Queens of the Stone Age, Tenacious D, Nine Inch Nails, Garbage, and Killing Joke. He also recorded an album of metal songs featuring many of his favorite early-80s metal singers under the name Probot.

After the end of Nirvana, Novoselic formed Sweet 75. More recently, he founded Eyes Adrift with Curt Kirkwood (formerly of the Meat Puppets) and Bud Gaugh (formerly of Sublime). He also performed in a one-off band called the No WTO Combo with Kim Thayil of Soundgarden and Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys that coincided with the WTO Meeting of 1999. Novoselic's other credits include playing bass on a song performed by Johnny Cash for the 1996 Willie Nelson tribute album "Twisted Willie", as well as playing farfisa organ on "Against the 70's" for Mike Watt's 1995 album Ball-Hog or Tugboat? …

More significantly, Novoselic has become a political activist, founding the political action committee JAMPAC to push musicians' rights. In 2004, he released a book titled Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy, which covered his musical past as well as his political endeavors. During the 2004 Presidential campaign, Grohl and Novoselic appeared on stage together in support of the John Kerry campaign.

While Nirvana came to a sudden conclusion following their final show in Munich, the remaining members of the band (including Pat Smear) offered a bittersweet farewell to the band's fans. At the end of the Foo Fighters' 1997 performance at the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle, Grohl suddenly jumped behind the drum kit, with Novoselic wandering onstage with bass guitar in hand. The trio (Grohl, Novoselic, and Smear) serenaded the enthusiastic crowd with loose covers of Prince's "Purple Rain" and Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown." The short performance served as a lighthearted (and loud) nod to Seattle and all who supported Nirvana during its short, tumultuous, and unforgettable run.

So here's to Nirvana … !! They ROCK our world !!

There’s swearing everywhere — like everywhere ! Its f**k this, f**k that, and all kinds of nonsense … swearing at parents, writing about doing drugs, alcohol — for example, one person’s written : “Its f**kin’ s**t … I haven’t f**kin’ had any f**kin’ weed in ten f**kin’ days … my f**kin’ mom is being such a b**ch … she has f**kin’ diabetes or something …”

Who in this Universe would write about their parents like that ?? And who in their right mind would do weed and smoke obsessively ?? Serves this guy right, because his friend, a normal Indian guy, named Ravi Kumar, was kicked out of school for getting way too addicted to weed … surprise, surprise !! Most of the guys who’ve been swearing like this are Indian guys —> good Indian guys who used to be friendly back in that warm 5th grade class … I can still remember … how can they spoil the name of our warm, traditional yet liberal Indian community ?? And that too this guy who was swearing at his mom just moved to USA from India when he was in 5th …

Yes, they were friendly, but now I’m wondering whether after knowing them for just one year —> fifth grade … I should even consider them as real, true friends … and even the girls who used to be my friends swear … its just so unbearable yet weird in a way —> they’ve posted up all their pictures and my, have they grown !! Its just like yesterday they were all such small 5th grade kids … and its just so idiotic to see that most of them resort to swearing, drugs, and smoking to appear cool !!

I’m just so happy that I wasn’t there for too long, though there were lots of Indians there too and not many of them are bad, many of whom were (and still are) my friends from dance class (Bharatanatyam) and music class (Carnatic classical)  – I shouldn’t have stereotyped in the first place about them being all that bad, but still, very upsetting – I’m so happy to be here in CV, where we’re all awesomely, totally, and completely cool to a normal, yet extremely fun extent !! CV is way better than CMS (Cupertino Middle School, my old school) any day !! Love all you CV people so much !! Thanks for always being there for me !!

This L7 is a technological copy of Motorola v360 in another form-factor. The flex version and functionality completely coincide in both phones. The difference is the L7 possesses an automatic key lock which is caused by the form – factor.

The dynamical memory capacity of 11 MB (it depends on the preinstalled software, at least 6.5 MB of free memory). You can access the Main Menu by pressing the Menu key (or an Ok button as a variant) that is located under the screen right in the middle. The main menu is traditionally represented as 9 icons; each of them uses information bar for definitions. You can switch the appearance of the main menu to the list mode. Then everything will be represented as lists. Half of the submenus is represented as lists and half as icons (if you choose a corresponding menu appearance). A user may customize the order of the icons in the main menu (or the items in list view mode). The menu does not support fast number navigation, but you can setup shortcuts for almost every menu item or function. Two soft-keys can be bind to various actions as well, apart from the default ones. With such menu personalization flexibility the lack of the fast number navigation is not so noticeable.

The device supports predictive text input iTap. The current word is shown while input (in the lower service line) and variants of a word to select. When the dictionary is off, all the characters assigned to the button are shown. The device remembers the variants of the words you choose and after that offers them automatically. That helps to avoid entering words into the dictionary as it is necessary in T9.

In case you use two input languages for your SMS or letters – you can choose the language from the special menu, or use a fast one touch switch. You can also setup which type of text input to use for every Language – predictive or not. An interesting solution that allows setting up your mobile even more customized. However, I would like to notice that the text input is related to the users and only a small amount of them use more than two languages.

Working with memory card should be mentioned specially. When plugged in, the card is defined automatically. The device supports a special folder structure, and that's why you can create subfolders only in some folders, otherwise you take a risk of seeing no necessary data after. Each phone menu (pictures, sounds, and video) allows selecting a carrier, which is s memory type to display. Both memory types are not supported at the same time. At the same time any file can be copied from one memory type to another. Generally, working with memory cards is middling though enough for an unpretentious user. Here are the main features of the L7 —>

Phonebook: Pressing the buttons in the standby mode calls a search menu, here you can search by unlimited number of letters. Traditionally provided fast switch to a name by the position in the phone book.

Up to 1000 entries may be saved in the phone book; a name goes with one number, E -mail address, personal photos and call melody. New fields are called Nickname (used in ICQ and similar programs and has no any straight use here), fields for entering a post address (two fields for a street, fields for a city, state, post index and a country), birthday (but there is no a memo here still).

Only one number can be assigned to each. At the same time setting another order of entry representation in the phone book menu changes the phone book greatly. All the entries for a name are hidden behind the name in the general list. You are not limited in the number of fields and can keep several phone numbers, e-mail addresses. The matter is the representation you have chosen. The plus of the notion is you can select personal call and a picture that will be displayed during a call for each entry (for instance, one user but different numbers). In the general list each name with several numbers may be scrolled with horizontal pressures, icons signifying the type of the number will be changing. There are several users' groups the entries may be distributed among.

However I have noticed a small disadvantage – when you are deleting an entry from the phone book, you will have to delete each number assigned to it separately. It's impossible to delete them at once.

You are free to choose the style of displaying entries in the phone book: Either names with assigned images, or only names, you can also personalize the entry sorting style (quick dial number, name, e-mail address). Voice dialing can be setup as well; it works fine in various conditions.

The phone book is interesting in characteristics and no similar offers by other manufacturers exist now, all of them have restrictions (one photo for a total name, no photo assigned to separate names, the same for personal melodies). At the same time, the phone book cant' be called ideal in the absence of many fields and it needs investigating the structure.

Messages: The default memory capacity for 100 SMS is provided; it may also vary depending on the software version. As a rule, operator versions are limited by 40 messages. The device works with EMS. Automatic cleaning of the whole message list should be mentioned as an extra possibility; there is a list of templates. Delivery report may be on permanently or switched on/off for a message.

The phone book list appears when sending a message, which is a difference from the previous models. At that you can tip several names and thus send a group message. And now starting with this model the function gets standard for all the Motorola's phones.

Working with MMS doesn't bring any inconvenience; everything is simple and easily understandable. The messages can be attached with pictures made by the built-in camera, sound files. The ten predefined templates are really great, be sure to check them out.

The phone has POP3/IMAP4 e-mail client, it allows watching the headers of the incoming mail and download their body as well. Only graphical files that do not exceed a certain size limit can be sent. In case you want to store some of the e-mails, you will have to use the dynamically spread memory, just like in case with MMS.

WAP: The phone has WAP-Browser v2.0 and its possibilities are standard so nothing special can be said. GPRS (class 10) is present, the settings are rather simple, just follow your operator's instructions.

Call Log: The phone has a list of received calls; it includes the missed ones as well, they may be distinguished by the absent tip. You can also see the list of the 10 last dialed numbers; you can access it by pressing the Call button. Everything is rather simple and traditional, nothing special at all. Each entry features the date and time as well as the duration.

Also this menu shows battery life, last calls, call duration and data connections.

Office Applications: This menu features a whole bunch of office applications such as the Calculator. It's convenient, the full digital keyboard is present on the screen, it reproduces the real keyboard perfectly. The menu features memory options and the unit converter.

Shortcuts are located in the same menu. You can create shortcuts not only for various menu sections, but for a definite WAP-site as well.

Alarm Clock: You can create several alarm clocks and choose a custom ring tone, name and volume, type of reoccurrence (daily, single time) for each of them. This phone was designed for continuous, that's why entering names and titles for the alarm clocks is required. Alarm clocks are activated in one touch, and a note really eases work with them.

Dictaphone: You can create records from the stand by mode as well as during the talk. Dictaphone can record the whole dialogue. The maximum length for each entry – 60 seconds, however your interlocutor will hear the sounds (at first it's zoommer, followed by short beeps with a continuous interval). There is no possibility to keep more comments despite the dynamical memory present, only several records up to 60 seconds in duration (earlier the limit formed 120 seconds). The dictaphone is weak especially against a background of the rivals recording up to an hour of talks. In the listening mode a percent of the total time but not a reproduced time is shown, the discontinuity forms 5. That looks hardly comfortable since we all are used to representing record time and that seems logical.

Organizer: You can view it monthly or weekly with breakdown for hours. You will see your appointments bind to a certain time of the day, it's convenient. Each entry can be assigned with a name, start time, length – (measured in hours, the minimal amount of time – 30 minutes.) Warning can be set in advance. Each entry can be reoccurred, this is a big plus.

SyncML support is present, it's made for corporative users who are in great need of synchronization with data server (something similar to remote synchronization with Desktop PC, but this time the server must be located in the network).

Games and Applications: The phone supports Java MIDP 2.0, all applications that are located in this menu item are based on this technology. The number of games and their title depends on where the phone was bought. The most often to find are Rebels (a space shooter) and Crazy (plain Worms, not very interesting).

Applications now allow using the Safe program – once you set a password, and then can store confidential data about you bank account, passwords, addresses and so on. It resembles the ones in Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens.

Multimedia: The phone supports themes. It's a set of wallpapers, color schemes for the menu, sounds and ring tone types. You can change the outlook of your phone almost instantly and this is really fun. New themes can be downloaded from Motorola's website.

The themes haven't changed; there are three of them – a standard, Techno, Scarlet. They not only change a colour menu representation but interface windows, the whole interface of the phone changes.

MotoMixer: Original sound file editor that allows mixing the tracks. You can play with it from time to time; the results may come out rather unexpected and nice. However as the practice shows, these sound editors are nothing more than a toy for most of the users, only few of them take this tool seriously.

Sounds: Information about all sound files located in the phone's memory is stored here. You can check out their size, info and even listen to them. The players is similar to other Motorola's phones, everything is clear and easy to understand. The great advantage of this very player is playing back in background. You can form you own play lists by the way.

Pictures: A list of all images located in the phone's memory. There's a special icon near the file name. Each picture can be set as the wallpaper or screensaver. Pictures can be sorted in categories; this will make the browsing easier. A special editor is present as well, it allows putting frames, changing color scheme and using special effects. The most convenient part is that after mocking the picture it can be stored with a new name. This means that both the original and the new picture will be available for use. This may come handy in case if you want to edit the photo, and not to ruin the original.

Settings: Here you can setup all Display settings including the color schemes.

Ring tone type and notification mode (mixed mode, when the vibrating alert works at the same time with the ring tone is present) is here as well.

Network settings and security ones won't be highlighted, everything is plain and clear there.

Bluetooth settings are former, the device is seen only for 60 seconds, which is not enough sometimes. Now the Print option is available, printing is possible for a message, an organizer note or a phonebook entry. The supported standard is 1.2, though no other changes were made except for the Print profile. Unfortunately, the device supports no Audio Profile, which prevents from using stereo headset with it.

And the BEST part of this baby – A Camera: The device is equipped with a VGA-camera, which is a typical solution well known by all the triplets, no flash as well as any peculiarities. The camera is quite enough to take photos of people and use the photos in the phone book.

The camera allows not only taking photos but also recording video (3GP). The record may be called from the multimedia menu and then video. The duration of a record may be limited for a MMS or maximum (about 30 seconds). Two resolutions are supported 128×96 pixels and 176×144 pixels. Voice recording may be turned off. The quality of the video is average and the artifacts are seen on the screen. That was hard to expect the device will show any eminent features in recording video and it is typical and doesn't differ from other models. The time that saving the video takes almost equals that necessary for recording and that is a disadvantage.

Synchronization with PC: A complete version of Mobile Phone Tools version 3 is included into the package. The program possibilities cover the needs of the majority of users; they include synchronization with MS Outlook, making reserve copies on the PC, copying photos, melodies, writing messages on the PC.

And guess what — if I get above 95 % in Science … this phone's all mine !! Ha ha ha … prospects are looking bright !!

1.) Cairo, Egypt – Episode 05 - (The team consisting of the 'Bowling Moms' Linda and Karen arrived last here but did not get eliminated since this was a pre – determined non – elimination leg …)

2.) Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Episode 08 - (The team consisting of the 20 – something twins Kami and Karli arriving last here who expected to get eliminated thankfully escaped this elimination …)

3.) Kolkata, India – Episode 09 - (The team consisting of the dating model couple Brandon and Nicole arriving last here who expected to get eliminated thankfully did not …)

4.) Manila, Philippines – Episode 11 - (The team consisting of the dating couple Colin and Christie arriving last here who would have normally been eliminated were saved since this was the last of the four pre – determined non – elimination legs …)

And in each edition Amazing Race, there are twelve episodes with the elimination of eight of the total eleven teams since there are four pre – determined non – elimination legs … and in the final episode there will be four teams racing to be the first … with the last team to reach the last ever Pit Stop being eliminated and three final teams ! My favorite edition of the Amazing Race is obviously The Amazing Race 5 … so I'm going to write a little intro about it :

The twelve places chosen to be visited in this fifth edition of The Amazing Race were :

1.) Episode 01 – Punta Ballena, Uruguay, South America

2.) Episode 02 – Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America

3.) Episode 03 – San Carlos De Bariloche, Argentina, South America

4.) Episode 04 – Saint Petersburg, Russia, Europe

5.) Episode 05 – Cairo, Egypt, Africa

6.) Episode 06 – Luxor, Egypt, Africa

7.) Episode 07 – Lake Manyara, Tanzania, Africa

8.) Episode 08 – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Asia

9.) Episode 09 – Kolkata, India, Asia

10.) Episode 10 – Rotorua, New Zealand, near Australia

11.) Episode 11 – Manila, Philippines, Asia

12.) Episode 12 – Dallas, USA, North America

And here are the twelve teams who participated :

1.) Dennis and Erika, a couple once engaged and trying to get their relationship back together who were eliminated in Punta Ballena, Uruguay, Episode 01

2.) Alison and Donny, an on – and – off dating couple, who were eliminated in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Episode 02

3.) Jim and Marsha, a father and daughter team, who were eliminated in San Carlos De Bariloche, Argentina, Episode 03

4.) Bob and Joyce, two elderly senior citizens (both widowed, who met online and are now a couple), who were eliminated in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Episode 04

5.) Marshall and Lance, two middle – aged guys/friends, running a Pizza Company, who were eliminated in Luxor, Egypt, Episode 06

6.) Charla and Mirna, two 20 – something cousins, Armenian but brought up in America, who were eliminated in Lake Manyara, Tanzania, Episode 07

7.) Kami and Karli, two 20 – something identical twin sisters, who were eliminated in Rotorua, New Zealand, Episode 10

8.) Linda and Karen, two middle – aged amateur bowling moms, who were eliminated in Lagen Island, Philippines, Episode 11 – 12

9.) Brandon and Nicole, a dating couple consisting two religious (Christian) models, who came in third place in The Amazing Race 5 in Dallas, USA, Episode 12

10.) Colin and Christie, a dating couple who came in second place in The Amazing Race 5 in Dallas, USA, Episode 12

11.) Chip and Kim, married African – American parents who crossed the finish line in Dallas, USA (Episode 12) the first and so were declared the WINNERS of The Amazing Race 5 !!

And before I conclude this post, I would like to include a summary of what took place before the teams started The Amazing Race 5 :

"AND THEY'RE OFF!"
"The fifth installment of THE AMAZING RACE began along the shores of the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California, as lifeguard transport vehicles carried 11 Teams of two, each with a pre – existing relationship, to the world – famous Santa Monica Pier. The Teams are Brandon & Nicole, a dating Christian couple from Los Angeles; Kami & Karli, identical twins from Eugene, Oregon; Linda & Karen, best friends, mothers and amateur bowlers from Palmdale, California; Marshall & Lance, brothers who run a Pizza restaurant in Dallas, Texas; Charla & Mirna, cousins from Baltimore, Maryland; Dennis & Erika, formerly engaged, now trying to find their way back together from New York; Bob & Joyce, widowers who found each other on the internet, from Mount Laurel, New Jersey; Colin & Christie, dating from Corpus Christi, Texas; Chip & Kim, married parents from Orange County, California; Jim & Marsha, an ex – military father/daughter wanting a closer relationship from Florida; and Alison & Donny, an on – again, off – again couple from Pennsylvania.

Host Phil Keoghan met the Teams on the edge of the Santa Monica Pier, where he informed them there would be thirteen legs on this race, with eight being elimination points. However, he also warned of a new twist for the last – place Team on a non – elimination leg that would make their lives "Very, very difficult." Wishing the Teams good luck and adding, "The world is waiting for you," Phil signaled the start of the race around the world for one million dollars.

As the Teams ran along the boardwalk, two people — ex – military man Jim and Dennis — fell amid the jostling for position, but recovered quickly and joined the race to get their bags and the first clue. Switching on the afterburners, dating couple Colin & Christie ripped open their clue first and discovered they must find the hand in the sand in Uruguay. Teams also learned they could only travel on one of two available flights, on which seating was first come, first served. So with this all 11 teams took off at top speed, not knowing what destiny had in store for them …"

– Courtesy http://http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race5/ — check this website out for yourself to find out more about this truly and wickedly AMAZING Race !! 

And don't forget to watch THE AMAZING RACE, on AXN and on: 

ONE TV —> Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30 PM IST (ONE TV is Dubai's Ongoing Entertainment Channel which is now available in India.)
 

(I still have English left, but I don’t really count it since its really easy – to study for, at least !! )

So I can really enjoy now !! I can LIVE online, BREATHE online, and BE online, like an Internet junkie !! (No wait, I AM an Internet Junkie … !) I can go to the movies, go shopping, and hang with friends as much as I want without feeling guilty !! I’m SO happy and doing a pretty OK job in Science which I just finished today … (am hoping for an above 95 out of 100 … above 95 % … hopefully !!)

Okay see ya ’round, guys !! And good luck to all those people writing their Hindi and Tamil Second Language exams … !!

Anyway, here were my favorite contenders for the Miss India 2006 crown :

1.) Sonali Sehgal

2.) Neha Kapur

3.) Natasha Suri

And here are the actual winners :

1.) Miss India Universe 2006 – Neha Kapur

2.) Miss India World 2006 – Natasha Suri

3.) Miss India Earth 2006 – Amruta Patki

And that's all folks !! I'm ecstatic that two of my favorite contenders actually won … anyway, more later. Till then, Ciao !!

OK guys, A's in the tenth and her second language is Sanskrit, as you all know … and the guy, B is in 12th, taking Physical Education as his elective … and since there weren't many people writing the exam on the 13th of March, 2006, since there are only 14 – 16 tenthers taking Sanskrit, and several 12th people taking Physical Education, they clubbed the 10th and 12th in the same room … and whaddaya know, A's roll number was right next to B's roll number … on the same SMALL, TINY, No-space-for-two-people-to-actually-write bench! It was such a small bench that you could've called it a slightly larger desk … dammit! A and B were shocked, but nevertheless, the exam went on … with jeerings all around since A and B are already teased … A was shocked to the core and tense, to say the least… she kept perspiring like crazy and wondering why B of all people had to sit next to her … it wasn't bad but people were gonna match them up like mad, rolling her eyes to her friends and trying to move to the corner farthest away from B (which was just as impossible as the prospect of pigs flying, since it was such a tiny bench) but B just kept on making comments like a jolly clown or something ("Hey, look at this class, it looks like someone was raped in here!", "Sorry school, this is da!" – on having to be crammed with another person in a tiny bench) though he was just as shocked and unnerved and a bit tense as well at having to sit with A … which wasn't bad or anything, since they were good friends … but why A of all people, since the rumors about them at school were flying high already … because of something to do with a cell phone on our school's Annual Day and a couple of envious (of whom some positively drool over B) tenth gals starting untrue rumors on a couple of friendly jokes between A and B … but more on that later … and because of this both of them (A and B) were trying their best to keep their otherwise normal friendship under wraps … so it was totally freaky. People kept poking B with their pens and jeering, and A just kept rolling her eyes and getting tenser and redder in the face by the minute, what with all these 10thers and 12thers mumbling comments under their breath …

A and B kept squirming with tension, and unknowingly both of them kept moving away and then near each other again … it was a total fiasco ! A complained that B kept staring at her and her question and answer papers and giving her these weird grins and sideway glances and making funny comments and B apparently exaggerated that A kept moving closer to him (Actually, A was trying to get as far from B as possible, but maybe she'd unknowingly moved JUST A TEENY BIT nearer when she was concentrating on her paper and to write comfortably … besides, she's just B's friend and ain't drooling over him… so …) and that he was getting tenser by the minute and kept on running his hands through his hair as though A was about to experiment with his hair or something !!

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the teacher pointed out two vacant seats in the corner where two lucky tenth students who were crammed with a twelfther could shift to in order to write more comfortably. A looked longingly at that empty seat, then briefly at B's head as he was leaning his head down (on the part of the desk which she felt was hers!), writing seriously on his answer paper, and began to collect her stuff to make a dash for it in case some other tenther got the seat before her. B, who was also happier at the prospect of getting more room to write conveniently and to lie down and sprawl out on the desk even more, gave her a friendly grin and told her, "Run, run!" (A claims that this was perfectly friendly and not in any way rude at all … after all it HAD been him making little funny remarks to her when she'd come to sit near him … ) Anyway he told her to get to the empty seat quickly in order to ensure she'd get the seat and so that he wouldn't be stuck getting teased again or accidentally writing on her answer paper in case there wasn't enough room. A just smiled with relief, glad that B was giving her the green signal and rushed off to claim her seat, which she luckily got … and was successfully, happilly able to concentrate on her exam …

Well, whaddaya guys think? Freaky, weird, funny, and strange, eh ?? Thankfully, A and B don't really give a damn about the incident, and are still good friends, though it was definitely a freakish happening and a perfect opportunity for their friends to TEASE them all the more (bad news for A and B, good news for friends) ! Muahahahaha … !