Have you been Good or Bad this year?

That's the question.

December is almost here and so is Christmas! and today I'm reminded of Calvin again when I read today's Garfield.

Of course, we can't really compare Calvin & Hobbes with any other comics but I just couldn't help notice the similarities. I think Calvin wins hands down, but Garfield is cute too. :)








©Universal Press Syndicate. Original work by Bill Watterson.

Dish Dash

If desis hangout any where in Sunnyvale that's not a desi place, it's Dish Dash. LOL! just kidding... [For those who're unfamiliar with the term desi, it means Indian and don't mean it to be derogatory in any way]

The food is good and so is the service. Their staff is quite friendly and polite. The place is fine middle eastern cuisine. When they say fine, they mean the prices.

The place does get crowded quicker and so if you're a large party, your best bet is to make a reservation or go at an odd hour to make sure you get seats without waiting long.

A few of their items that I've tried/tasted are Sambusak - spinach, mushrooms, onions, almonds and feta cheese wrapped in filo dough, and served with a special tahini-herb sauce.
My favorite M'shakaleh has layers of mushrooms, grilled eggplant, cauliflower, tomatoes, and rice, served with a yogurt-tomato sauce.
And the Tabsi Falafel is falafel, a Middle Eastern Favorite, topped with a thick sauce of eggplant, onions, peppers, tomatoes seasoned with garlic, mild curry and dry lime, served with rice. You can check out their vegetarian items page here.

They have quite a few traditional desserts. Baklava being the most famous & favorite that's the only one I've tried so far. I can say it is good but not the best I've tried.

Over all, Dish Dash is a fun place if you want to catch up with an old school pal or colleague for lunch. They have nice seating area outside as well, if weather is good. Being right in the middle of Sunnyvale downtown, it's a noisy place so not the best setup if you're taking someone special out on a romantic date.

Parking is hard to get close by to the restaurant during peak hours but a couple of blocks down on Evelyn, opposite from Caltrain station, there's huge multi-level public parking where you can park for 3 hours at a stretch without paying for it.

My rating for Dish Dash: 4/5.

Name: Dish Dash
Type: Middle Eastern
Average Price: $12-$15/person (Lunch), $15-$20/person (Dinner)
Address: 190 South Murphy Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Phone: (408) 774-1889
Website: http://www.dishdash.net/

What if Gmail had been Designed by Microsoft?

My first reaction would be "OH NO!" but then again this one was a fun read! ;)

Source: http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2007-11-20-n35.html

And some very helpful tips and lessons for good UI for folks whose creativity actually affects the UI designs.

Hypnotic Santoor

So finally after a wait of more than a month, I got to attend the "Hypnotic Santoor" concert of Rahul Sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain. And the wait was completely worth it. It was my first time ever listening to Zakir Hussain perform live and also Rahul Sharma.

The concert lasted about two and a half hours only but the way this duo mesmerized the audience was out of the world! The coordination between the two artists or rather maestros was amazing and their communication flawless. So often during the program I sat there and just wondered how two people can play such synchronized music without reading if off from a piece of paper that too at a stretch of more than an hour at a time non-stop. It felt like same person was playing both instruments, specially when you listen to the work where they both slow down and speed up and then in low notes and high notes and low volume and high pitch music... all you can do is sit there shake your head and get lost in the heavenly music that falls on your eardrums. And then there were times when I realized why Zakir Hussain is called THE BEST tabla player of the 20th century.

The first half of the program was more of Rahul's signature work which involves classical Santoor combined with the new age music he experiments with on different taals of tabla, and the latter half was mostly on Raga Kirvani combined with different tabla taals. I liked both parts equally as they both were so enjoyable and I wished the program didn't pause for the break or complete at the end.

Rahul's smile is beautiful as well ;) and the way he performs is so very simple but the music he produces with his Santoor is completely mind-blowing! As for Zakir Hussain, I now know why music lovers all over the world are gaga for his tabla playing skills. To see his hands perform magic with the set of tablas was awesome!! The speed at which he plays tabla, you can feel he's deceiving your eyes and ears. Watching a live program and listening to classical music on audio are two completely different experiences and the first one takes the cake without a doubt! You just have to be part of it to experience it. It is truly a breath-taking feeling!

It was funny how the two artists were so much in hurry even during the break and at the end of the show, they just didn't seem to want to stay on stage. Who knows may be some crazy audience member might jump up on stage and start asking for an autograph. They both literally ran off the stage at the end of the concert after taking a bow towards the audience.

I wish the concert lasted longer but given the fact that it was on a week night, everyone was eager to be out of the theater, including the artists. It was a wonderful concert nevertheless! I feel lucky to have gotten a chance to attend it and watch these artists perform live. It is at times like these I feel blessed that I coexist on mother earth with these divine artists and have an ability to appreciate their art.

Music

When I read Kumar's post about music and studies, it made me think. What would have happened if there were no music in the world... it was almost impossible to imagine that. And then it made me realize that we have so much of the good in this world because there is music.

If you'd notice, our lives have music involved in them at all the times. It is the means to communicate to the soul. When I hear people say they don't like listening music, it just surprises beyond imagination how can that be possible? Thank God for creating music and giving us an ability to hear/listen to appreciate this goodness.

San Francisco Bay Oil Spill

Since last Wednesday, November 7, 2007, there has been some more than 58,000 gallons of bunker oil spilled in the San Francisco Bay because of human error when a Cosco Busan container ship hit the protective bumper around the second tower of the bay bridge. This has been a worst spill in last twenty years. Because of the oil in the water, the wildlife in the bay and the ecosystem has been affected in worst possible manner and the food chain has also been contaminated with the extremely harmful chemicals.

It is very sad to know that professionals who are given such high responsibility do not take it seriously and cause troubles that not only affect themselves but so many other lives around them. There is no way this harm can be undone but there are ways to help.



Want to help? Click for more info: http://www.baykeeper.org/

Some tips from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network:

Oiled Wildlife Care Network - Call (800) 228-4544. Team members require specific training.

If you see oiled wildlife, don't approach it or pick it up. Instead, report it by calling (877) 823-6926 or (415) 701-2311 and ask for a search and collection team to come to the area. Teams are going out frequently.

If you've already collected an oiled bird, record the name of the beach and the time and the date it was collected. Wear Nitrile gloves (not latex). Put the birds in paper (not plastic) bags. Put only one bird in a bag.

To report oil sightings: Call (985) 781-0804.

Diwali Wishes

Today on Diwali day
Let good prevail over bad
Starting from the within.

Wishing everyone lots of joy, happiness and good health this Diwali and New Year!

Garfield

Ever felt like this? :D

Learning to Give Up! or Let Go?

Perhaps, this is how it is to transpire
All the time... waiting with despair
The feelings in heart are just dire
In the mind you know, to pause and conspire
Entire universe seems to go haywire
Nothing around you appears debonair
Crumbling down come the pieces of that desire
Eruptions within, and explosions like in a wildfire

July 20, 2007