I wanna GO HOME!!!

just cribbing...!

They say that in the army
The coffee's mighty fine
Well, it's good for cuts and bruises,
But it tastes like turpentine!
Oh, I don't want no more of army life
Gee, Ma, I wanna go home!

The chicken in the army,
They say is mighty fine,
A drum rolled off the table
And squished a pal of mine!
Oh, I don't want no more of army life!
Gee, Ma, I wanna go home!

The clothing that they give us
They say is mighty fine
Well, me and half my regiment
Can all fit into mine
Oh, I don't want no more of army life
Gee, Ma, I wanna go home!

The salary that they pay us,
They say is mighty fine
They give you thirty dollars
And take back forty-nine
Oh, I don't want no more of army life
Gee, Ma, I wanna go,
Hey, Ma I gotta go,
Gee, Ma, I wanna go home

That's exactly what I feel like doing...GO HOME! It's been more than a month (and a half) now..! With two of my intended trips cancelled, (thanks to Fanoos, and a training) it'd be an understatement to claim that 'am waiting to go home..' Not that staying away from home is new to me, but just that I've gotten used to making frequent trips over the past year..(phew boy!! how time flies..!!).Plus, it's mid-December, the usual sem-end time when we migrate from colder climes to warmer ones (Pilani to Chennai, I meant). Working during what would otherwise have been a vacation is close to committing a crime..I just dont understand why we cant follow a 2-semester norm here too..!! I'd not mind taking tests/onlines/vivas/watever_be_it if it means I can take a vacation twice a year and stay at HOME!!! The worst part is, I cant even apply for leave due to 'demands of the project!' (Whose vacation is it anyway?!?!)So I've got be happy with weekend 'escapades', one of which is a mere two days away....just cant waittttt!!!

My Tryst with Garlic

I grew up consuming 'non-garlic' dishes mainly because none of us, at home, liked garlic. It was at MB Mess that I realized that garlic was a major ingredient in many dishes. In some dishes, the taste and smell of garlic was expertly masked by an intelligent mix of some other component which, I presume, must be some sort of masala. Whatever it was, those dishes were quite 'without-garlic' in taste to me. The important fact about these dishes is that they came by less frequently than the other, more famous 'with-garlic' variety. Although I tried getting used to the taste of garlic (for nearly an year,I think!) I failed miserably. My dislike for garlic only grew!

As I was missing out on 'nutritious food' (read MB Mess dal), which never found place on my plate(due to their 'high garlic content'! of course!) I decided it was time to do something about it. I tried 'de-garlic-ing' stuff.I used to leave out pieces of garlic that were in the dal and eat the rest of it. This approach had a couple of drawbacks. The first and the most important: the dal was still not garlic-free as some pieces were always left out. The second disadvantage was that the process increased the time spent at the mess. There were times when I had rush soon after a dinner/lunch and I could not afford to spend time on 'de-garlic-ing' dal!

I faced a grim situation, and there was only one way out. And that was, to start *eating* garlic! I started viewing dal and other 'high on garlic content' dishes as medicines and consumed them(!!!) with the help of m(j)ugs of water...

I was relieved when I walked out of MB Mess for the last time...'No more garlic!', I thought. The bliss was shortlived. As an intern living away from home, lunch was mostly at the company cafeteria. The smell of garlic was so strong at the cafeteria that it could have been mistaken for a garlic farm! One particular day, I decided to give myself a break and ordered a plain dosa..lo and behold! what do I find hidden in it?!?! no three guesses...there WAS a *large* piece of garlic..!!!

My tryst with garlic....continues..!!