Oman: Mall Aesthetic

The wonderful thing about walking in malls in Muscat is the fact that there is so much to observe and appreciate. For example the other day, one of the older malls in Muscat,Sabco Center, was our favoured destination for watch purchases. I was amazed to see a coffee shop right in the center of the mall, with waterfall and jungle props surrounding it. It was like sipping coffee in the midst of a tropical jungle, with luxury a few feet away.

Of course such malls make for good photographs, but they also make for good pleasing eye feast.

Unfortunately the malls in India dont deliver the goods when it comes to aesthetics. This is really sad because the world over innovation in something as small as coasters to roadways is commonplace.

Malls across Mumbai, cater to the space factor alone and not the design factor. So the Mega Mall in Mumbai may have a fancy ceiling, but its just one huge building with escalators on each floor. Inorbit Mall may have tried to do a core elevator and escalator space, with wing designs on each floor. But it doesnt have any design appeal again. Even if we decide to look the other way in terms of architectural appeal, surely technological innovation should be top priority. How any malls have solar power capability?

It reminds me of the time when MacDonalds and Pizza Hut first opened in Mumbai. It turned out to be a Keeping up with the Joneses outlet for many years. It was funny to see such a huge turnout for food that doesnt require creativity to get such attention! And funnily some of the pizza variations like stuffed crust came to India only last year, whereas they are present internationally for a very long time now! Try asking for extra jalapenos in a plate at a Pizza Hut and chances are they will charge you or deny the request--something that all international outlets fulfil!

The other day, I was shocked to see that the varieties of coffee on offer at Costa Coffee,Mumbai left us with no option but to choose the obvious choices.

It may also be that as Indians, we care less about innovation and more about making ends meet. Design is looked at, appreciated and forgotten! In this way we have been dumped with some of the more lesser known and cheaper choices, because we dont complain. In so many years, how many different variations of the vada pav have we developed? And if we havent, why is the lack of a new form of vada pav not irking us?

But that aspect is not so prevalent in areas of technology where people are more loyal than anywhere else--which is what confuses me!

My friend S wrote a wonderful post about hotdogs in New York(the talented writer she is, she deleted her blog ages ago. So there is no reference link) that explains the design dilemma. She referred to street hotdogs and the many different varieties available at any stall in NY. It was less about ingredients and their absence or presence and more about customisation.

For a country with some of the best architectural wonders, its funny how little emphasis we place on design and its resultant efficiency.

Which is why the multiplex experience is incomplete if it manages to satiate the recreational needs without spurring the creativity in us.

Oman : Lebaneh Zaatar

Lebaneh Zaatar is a lemony sour youghurt dip mixed with olive oil and zaatar(a Middle-Eastern seasoning of sumac,thyme, salt and sesame seeds). Its a side dish to hummous and pita bread in most restuarants. It makes for a good felafel dip too.But its joy comes with eating it with bread. We bought multi-grain bread the other day and applied some of this on one side and had a lip-smacking breakfast.

Yes, its yoghurt like, but its not as runny as yoghurt. Rather it has a more mayonnaise like texture. This particular Lebaneh comes in plastic packets for quick family eating, in hypermarkets like Carrefour and Lulu(funny name I know! but its a major hypermarket chain in the Gulf!).

Oman : Turkish Coffee

Day before yesterday, we had Turkish coffee(This is an excellent article that explains the Turkish coffee-making process). To be more specific I had half a cup of Turkish coffee.

Now a variant of this Turkish coffee is so strong that it should be had in really small amounts. For the 10 ml cup that its served in, 5 ml coffee is virtually a non-sip. But in case of the Turkish coffee its almost all of the coffee, since a large part of it is sediments.

There is a very well-known fact that when you have Turkish coffee, it keeps you up for days. I decided to test my sleep-worthiness( since I sleep like a maniac!) by turning into a guinea pig.

Needless to say, it tastes more bitter than the strongest Espresso shot you may have ever had! And it does keep you up for days on end. The end result is sleep deprivation and mindless game-playing,tv-watching and net-surfing.

Good old caffeine's extremist cousins are a force to reckon with. Take a sip(or a non-sip!) at your own risk!

Notes from an Aeroplane

You know the feeling when you where an old t-shirt and it feels like home? It feels like a clothful of memories all close to you and your soul? I have the same feeling whenever I come to Oman.

In some ways it is the only home I have ever known. Mumbai is undoubtedly a home to me now, but it is more so because of the people there. As such, minus the great people that I have met, known and befriended, the city holds no pulling power for me.

But talk about Muscat, people or no people, it is the place that gave me my wings. It gave me home for 16 years of my life. And to this day whenever I step off the plane to blazing heat (its 52 degrees Celsius here btw) I am happy and content to be back into the arms of the city.

There maybe an intense debate between my displaced soul and the girl that 'lived' in Oman, but I like the debate just the way it is. Like a mother who cant choose between her two children, I'd rather not choose, but savor the joys of both the cities.

More than anything else, I realised that the journey between the present and a treasure chest of memories is just 2 hours 16 minutes.

Umm..

Fresh paint and a bus stop

She, in a white dress and proud eyes

Hesitation was abound

I looked at the distant bus

wanted to say something

She kept looking away

Adjusting shades and a mile long umbrella

Shifting legs all the time

I cursed my shyness 

The vehicle kept approaching

The wind played the waltz with her dupatta

while she played hard to talk

finally the bus arrived

I had to leave but not without

"Umm..the bus stop has just been painted"

Stunned disbelief and frustration 

marred her pretty face

Meaning of Marriage

Because the reasons why people get married are so many, as an institution, marriage is highly debatable. At times people get married for companionship or procreation. At times they find someone they can possibly live with for the rest of their lives without finding any reason to go astray. And at times marriage is the last resort for the disillusioned. In these kinds of marriages, men and women get married and hope that in due course of time, love will happen. For some lucky ones, it does and for some others, it becomes a daily hell.

Some of the best definitions of virtues and instituitions have come from movies. And of all the movies that I have seen, 'Shall We Dance' provides one of the best and most valid reasons to be married. This particular dialogue is delivered by Susan Sarandon, when she is asked why people get married. It is a wonderful dialogue according to me because it hits at the root of all companionship. As humans, we all want to be remembered for something. But most of all we all want a witness to our little things and our human side. And what better way than having a companion who loves you for your wonderful and quirky shades!

Here is the dialogue in its entirety : 

"We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'." 

Rehabism : Gaspalicious

This Rehabism is inspired by two words--Gasp and Delicious.

Usually we look at a painting or something that takes us by surprise and gasp! Post that we fumble for words and say something that appreciates the entity in question. However when it comes to describing that feeling --the cycle of gasping, fumbling and finally saying something appropriate--we usually leave out the details. Which is why there is a new word to explain that entire process. So the next time you see a Van Gogh painting that makes you go through the entire process explained above, just refer to it as gaspalicious. It will make people understand the feeling better.

Ok people! Urban Dictionary has decided to publish Gaspalicious! Here is the link!

Rehabism : Guffaw-worthy

One of my favourite pasttimes is to coin words. And since there are some words that over-used, there is an urgent need for new ones.

For example, cool is dead. Its a Stone Age word. And ideally cool should indicate temperature. By that logic, if I call a gadget cool, am I not indicating a certain amount of coldness towards it. Anyways, many such logical or illogical conclusions later,I decided the English language needed some exciting new words, that can be used without modifying their literal meaning or their spelling(Dreamz is an epitome of lameness!)

So I have decided to start a series of posts where I talk about new words that I have coined. If you have coined them before me, shout out, prove with a link or something and I shall give you credit. If you think that the word coined by yours truly has synonyms, by all means tell me! 

And dear reader, if you have more to add to the list, let me know.

So, today's Rehabism is : Guffaw-worthy. 

This word was invented seeing the over use and abuse of the abbreviations LOL,ROFL,LMAO and the like...none of which I use in my online work/chat. These abbreviations have been done to death. There was a need for something that indicates laughing boisterously in a completely different manner. Hence Guffaw-worthy. 

Usage : Most of Russell Peter's videos are guffaw-worthy. 

Note : Rehabism is a point of view by yours truly on all matters under the Sun. Most of the times these point of views emerge due to maximum exposure to parallel worlds and far away planets where this author is hoping to reside someday. New words, like theories, come under the set of Rehabism because a new word is to replace an old word or a thought. 

Hope you enjoy this series.