A Teppenyaki Evening

Japan has a rich culture especially in the way they cook. Yesterday, me and Mustafa had a chance to go out on a Friday night to have that quintessential Japanese Friday night experience. We were accompanied by our boss here - Imoto san, and he did not disappoint us at all. Mustafa was raving about a Japanese BBQ restaurant which serves you very thinly sliced raw meats and you yourself grill and eat it, but, Imoto san promised us something better. And I was a bit surprised...what could be better than raw meat on a smoky grill and beer!!? -  But anyways, we reached Kawasaki station and headed towards the restaurant floor. I had never been there all this time and was surprised seeing the plethora of choices that we had!! We went into this restaurant called Pasutakon (I hope that's how they spell it in English) which was a Teppanyaki  restaurant. They served Okonomiyaki - my favourite Japanese dish. I had a feeling that Imoto san would make us try those. That's something that every Japanese would like to show off to a person from another country! I had it waay back in 2009, and absolutely loved it. In a Teppanyanki restaurant, every table has this hot steel plate in the middle where the waiter/chef actually cooks your meal in front of you. Of course its only possible in Japanese cuisine where 10 mins of heat is enough to cook meat!. Anyways, so, we placed the order for the food and the drinks and were soon engrossed with the way the waitress (very pretty mind you) was mixing all the ingredients and putting it on the hot plate with her oh-so-pretty hands. We started off with 2 okonomiyakis and 1 cheese yaki soba with beef. And I swear, the awesome smell emanating from the grill was mouth watering. Plus the shochu and the beers also kicked in making the evening worthwhile! We talked, laughed, shared experiences and soaked up the awesome atmosphere. The way the grill smokes, the awesome smell of the food sizzling away and the heat around the table (and *ahem* *ahem* beer)...makes it fun! We had a pretty good time and promised ourselves to be back soon...pretty soon. 

Garden Hills

We checked out from the hotel yesterday and heaved all our luggage (and saved 700 yens :D in the process) to our monthly mansion - Garden Hills. And boy was it a good work out for my shoulders! Anyways, I had lived in Garden Hills back in 2008 for about 3 months before moving into a fancy UR. I have fond memories of this place. This was where I made loads of new friends, drunk a lot and learnt to cook. Its also in a very shady part of Kawasaki which is surrounded by "massage" parlors and "clubs". As expected in any cheap (read as 65,000 JPY/month) Japanese monthly mansion, the rooms are really tiny with exactly the amount space that is required..not a square inch extra.

After moving in and unpacking, we went in search for groceries (and beer). I was disappointed we dint find Kirin..but I was surprised, they had Grolsch! We bought a 6 pack and after some more heavily lifting - groceries, this time, we reached and promptly started dinner. The menu was Sambar, Rice and a very over ambitious Shrimp Fry. It was over ambitious because Mustafa was grossed out when I was peeling off the shell of the shrimps with my hands and pulling out its tiny legs. He straightaway raised doubts about his intentions of eating it and also deemed me a sadist. Well, he just dint get why I smiled when I was peeling off the shells. On second thoughts, he does have a point. Anyways, the sambar was made, the rice was cooked and the shrimps were fried and everything came out excellent. The beer too was sadly finished and there was no choice but to retire for the night and do everything all over again the next day.  

Yokoso Japan

I finally landed in Japan after a very sleepless 8 hr long flight. I just couldn't find that sweet spot on the seat. And just when I was about to doze off, the airline guys served us breakfast. After a 3 hour long ride from the airport, we reached our hotel. I was instantly hit with nostalgia when I saw the room. I swear, only the Japanese know how to optimize for space. Its such a tiny room with every possible amenity you can imagine! After a quick freshen up, we went for lunch to Tandoori - the closest Indian restaurant. We brought a bottle of JD on our way back and promptly finished 2 pegs after lunch. Me and Mustafa caught up with some much needed siesta after that and woke up at 7 pm! We have a big meeting tomorrow and we were preparing for it till bout 3 am. Well, its now 3:30 am, but still no sign of sleep. I'm whiling away my time replying to emails, checking out Scribe videos on youtube and well...filling up this blog. I'm a bit worried bout getting up early with so li'l sleep! 

DIE Dhoni Haters DIE!!!

What an awesome match it was today! It totally made my Sunday worthwhile. I only saw bits of India's bowling because I had to prepare for my trip ... but I saw the entire Indian batting innings. It was going on fine before things got a bit difficult with Rohit Sharma getting out, followed by Gambhir. But as long as Dhoni and Raina were there I was hopeful. But when Raina got out and Jadeja soon followed trying to go for a six, I thought it was over. Dhoni wasn't his usual self...I felt he was waiting for something. He was only interested in taking singles...as if procrastinating that much needed boundary or a sixer. It was 13 runs to win in the last over and Ashwin missed the first ball. He connected the next ball and where there was an easy 2, Dhoni raised his hands and said No. I was pretty impressed with his confidence. With 12 to go from 4 balls, I got this feeling that something is gonna happen soon. I could just feel it. And true to my feelings..the next  ball was dispatched in style for a HUGE six. It was awesome! It was the biggest six of the match. The next ball was a full toss and was heaved towards the leg side. I thought it was a six and the game was over..but Warner caught it. My heart sank...but then the umpire called it a no ball and trust me..I was jumping on my seat with excitement. Whew!..man! With 3 more to go from 3 balls, Dhoni again heaved it on the leg side for 3 runs and ultimately the match.

It was awesome the way Dhoni batted today. I envy his supreme confidence and how he pulls off his cockiness. But I was sad the way some ppl react on his achievements. E.g. today someone said on Facebook.."He knows EXACTLY how to be a hero, just when he could done the same thing, a much easier way. Plays like a pussy 99% of the time, and just grows balls at the last moment." I mean cmon!!! How cynical can one be?! This guy rescues the team from another embarrassment..and he is being criticized for pulling off the win from the jaws of defeat. That's whats wrong with Indian cricket (sports) fans. But then, Dhoni doesn't care...he goes along and does it once again and shuts everyone up! These cynical fans actually believe Dhoni does it on purpose!!! Imagine!...he first gets his team into a difficult position.....and then purposefully snatches victory to become a hero! Wow!..can't you even see the twisted logic in that sentence and how ridiculous it sounds?! Well whatever..all you haters can at least agree on this..lets say even if he does this...at least he has the balls to pull such a thing off! 

Off to Japan

My hectic schedule would be getting even more hectic. I'll be travelling to Japan on Tuesday for about 1.5 months. But I'm looking forward to it. Most probably I would stay in Kawasaki like the last time. Well, there is a question mark on the availability of the monthly mansion in which I used to stay. Let's see..I dont mind trying out a new place too. Anyways, I'll be going with my friend Mustafa this time...so company is not a problem. Well ... there are always like 10 other ppl from the office in Tokyo at any time of the year ... so getting bored and lonely is a bit unlikely. Also, Japan is a fun place to be at with friends. Looking forward to drinking Kirin Beer and the awesome nightlife. I hope I dont screw up my project :) All the best to me!

Missing the Opeth concert

Ohh man..I am soo concert starved :( . The last concert that I went to was the GIR in 2010! It was epic...there was Meshuggah! But ever since, I couldn't attend any...not even to a pub rock fest. I came to know about the Opeth concert a few weeks back, but work prevented me to even look up the details. Hell..I wasn't even sure if I would get this weekend off. 

Anyways, as I'm writing this post, Opeth is headling the Summer Storm festival in Bangalore. To console myself, I've been listening to Opeth song's over and over from the morning. But that is just making me sadder. I also wanted to check out Nothnegal which has one of my favourite drummers - Kevin Talley of Daath. Arrrghh!!!! *sigh* *sulk* ...  *more sulk* :'(  

My hatred for fruit

Anyone who knows me well knows that I HATE fruit. Everyone asks me why ... but I just dont know why I dislike fruits soo much. I dont like any of 'em. Even if you cover them up in ice-cream, I wont eat. In fact I would rather not eat that ice-cream itself! But today, I guess I know why. I was watching a Seinfeld re-run and it was that episode where Kramer gets these cantaloupes and makes everyone taste them. But everyone is reluctant to taste at first, uncertain whether its actually good or not! And bam!!!...that was the moment of revelation for me! It was the uncertainty in the situation which makes me dislike fruits. You never know whether it would taste sweet or not. It can look amazing...yet it can be sour or whatever! And that makes me not wanna eat them. Cool!..TV can be such an enriching experience.

Work

Work is not about fun...

its about work. 

Its about how much crap 

you can take 

from the boss-man.....

and then go ahead and 

take some more!

                                                                                         ~ Red Foreman (That 70's Show)