First Day (on the day of arrival at the hotel):

Next Day:

First impressions do matter .. particularly when it comes to toilet paper!

.. for IDLIs which when served less than 2pcs is outright rude & a culture short of class!  Most Desi restaurants have forgotten this basic idli etiquette and serve a solitary idli in their combo meals.  I was hoping Saravana Bhavan would be the exception but on a recent visit was only able to confirm this trend.  To add insult to my idli sensibilities, they refused to swap the dessert item in the thaali for another idli .. this, mind you, not after the thaali plate was served .. but at the time of taking the order!

[Image Source: Wikipedia]

The play by Jimmy Connors should be proof that some of the Rajinikanth stunts are actually possible!

Yes, I am referring to Beaujolais Nouveau, the annual “early” wine from the Beaujolais region in France, that is technically not to be sold before midnight on the 3rd Thursday each November.

Some interesting things about Beaujolais Nouveau:

• It is made by the process of Carbonic Maceration that keeps it fruity and low in tannins.  Essentially the juice is fermented while still inside the grape that is in turn in a carbon dioxide-rich environment.  Don’t be surprised to see some bubbles when you pour this wine into a glass
• It has the fastest “gait” for a wine from (gamay) grape to glass (G2G) with a decent “glugability” (what I gather is winespeak for how easy it is to drink this wine on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being most easy and favorable to the wine).  This wine can go G2G in less than 6 weeks!
• It is perhaps the closest to a white wine that a red can ever get (clever marketing spin?)
• Served chilled, it is recommended as the “fun” wine that should be gulped rather than sipped (A cynic’s view could be: Gulp it in large quantities so that you can quickly reach an inebriated state where you do not need to worry about taste or sophistication)
• It is technically a primeur and not a noveau. “By French and European rules, a wine released during the period between its harvest and a date in the following spring, is termed primeur. A wine released during the period between its own and the following years harvest, is termed nouveau. Source: intowine“
• Per French law and tradition, the annual primeur is not to be sold anywhere before midnight on the 3rd Thursday each November.  However, don’t be surprised to see bottles stacked up in your neighborhood world market couple of weeks ahead of time.
• It used to be marketed (not sure, if anymore and if so, how) in the US as the perfect chilled table wine for your Thanks Giving Dinner.  Perhaps, messaging is now more through Social Media (as in this blog post).  In the interest of full disclosure, as much as I can wish au contraire I have no connection or affiliation to any winemakers, distributors or retailers of Beaujolais Nouveau.
• It is to be drunk as close to the label date as possible.  Definitely not one for your cellar!

Each year, arrival and availability of this wine begins with the proclamation: Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!

My own introduction to the nouveau experience was in 2001 over a fondue dinner with friends in Stuttgart, Germany.

~

Label for Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 from Georges Duboeuf:

image source: W.J.Deutsch & Sons

~

Sources:
Alliance Francaise Brisbane – Beaujolais Nouveau Day
Beaujolais, Alternate Takes
Beaujolais Nouveau: History Behind the Third Thursday in November
Beaujolais Nouveau Wikipedia Entry
Gamay Grape Wikipedia Entry
Glugability Index
thumbshot image: pointsdactu.org

Last night as we were about to turn in, the lil one asks, “Is Moon in space or space is in Moon?”. To which I reply, “Moon is in space”. Pat comes her next question, “So no space in Moon?”. xD

Me wonders, if not a scientist, she just might grow up to write for sitcoms about astute nothings!  Now, not that there is anything wrong with that (is there?).

Image: NASA

Where: Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India

On a somewhat related note, this image is a reflection of how I feel myself, about all the online profiles I have, on Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, LinkedIn, et cetera ...

If I could add SoMe (Social Media) God into a pantheon this one below would be my candidate!

Playing the role of self-appointed guardian of automatic/mechanical watches within my tribe, I found myself unable to come up with convincing answers.  So I took it as an action item to find out what the expert opinion(s) is on this matter.  Below is what I found that was satisfying enough for me.  This Q&A is from the site Chronocentric.com and I quote it below as-is:

Why would I want a mechanical/automatic watch when quartz watches are more accurate?

Source: http://chronocentric.com/watches/buyersguide.shtml#whymechanical

“Simple. Quartz is clearly better on accuracy. But there are many other advantages and pleasures from wristwatch ownership beyond just measures of precision levels that are beyond the notice of many people.

Frankly, quartz watches and many other technologies don’t really do anything significant to better people’s lives. People with quartz watches are no more reliably on time than people with mechanical ones. People driving cars with manual or automatic transmissions still get where they are going equally well. People still enjoy music about as much as they used to, even though CDs play it more clearly that tape or LPs did. You are not likely to have any smarter thoughts simply because you wrote them down with a computer than with an ink pen. You can easily spend as much time playing golf or football on an accurate computer simulation game as on a real playing field, but the experience is not any more fulfilling at the end of the day. And you can certainly do a lap around the lake faster in a speedboat than in a rowboat, but what have you really accomplished?

The newer technologies often gain a level of efficiency that makes them… uninteresting. In many cases, the older ways and technologies were more than sufficient, and it is their minor failings that give variety and character to doing things that way. With the older ways, you usually have to be more aware of details, understand more of what you are doing, and take more time being involved in the process. That greater interaction makes the process more personal and enjoyable for some people.

With the newer ways, you can be pretty assured your quartz watch is on the right time, your car’s automatic transmission won’t miss downshift on the way home, your CD will play exactly the same as it did yesterday, your computer will catch and correct your typos and misspellings, your video game won’t stop in the middle because of rain or a player injured in a tackle, and you certainly won’t be bothered seeing much of the detail and wildlife on the lake at high speed from your motorboat. How boring.

Mechanical watch enthusiasts often compare the movements, the finishing, the level of adjustment, types of certifications, performance under different circumstances and other esoteric measures of mechanical timepieces.

Quartz watch enthusiasts compare… mostly accuracy measures.

So if efficiency is your main desire, then quartz is for you. If you are tired of efficiency and want something interesting instead, try a mechanical watch.”

For more information on accuracy, see http://chronocentric.com/watches/accuracy.shtml

In adding my own 2c to the above, a benefit that is not mentioned in the Chronocentric answer is the freedom from battery cells. Seen more from an End-Of-Life (EOL) perspective than a Total-Cost-of-Ownership (TCO) one. It is very likely that you may not find battery of a certain type for a quartz watch purchased in the early 80′s (or 90′s) assuming you remembered to remove its (dead) cell on time and that it has not leaked inside (all contrary claims by battery manufacturers aside, I still encounter cases of cell leakage inside the watch when battery not removed on time). Chances of a Quartz watch becoming obsolete within our own life time are an order of magnitude higher than that of a mechanical watch.

If you are a sentimental fool like me, you might still be able to restore and enjoy a mechanical watch from the 60′s, as I did an old Seiko 5 Automatic that was in the family. It has been running GREAT the last 5 years now. So I would go as far as saying if you are looking for a “real and lasting relationship” with your wrist watch or an heirloom (in working condition) to be passed on to the next generation then go for a mechanical timepiece! Doesn’t need to be a Patek Philippe, even Seikos will go the distance as I can attest.

What is the real reason(s) why mechanical versions — even of the same watch — are more expensive?

Source: http://chronocentric.com/watches/buyersguide.shtml#qtzvmech

“You will often find mechanical and automatic watches at a significantly higher price than a comparable quartz model. In some cases, a manufacturer will even offer the identical watch with your choice of a mechanical or quartz movement. The mechanical watch will be more expensive. Some people will tell you it is because the mechanical movements are highly refined, others that mechanical movements are very expensive and quartz very inexpensive. Most of that is baloney or exaggerations. Here are the real reasons why.

1. Cost to Manufacture: The high quality quartz movements used in better luxury watches are slightly cheaper to make than their mechanical counterparts, though the difference is not that great. Keep in mind that cost of the movement in most luxury watches accounts for only a small portion of the final retail price — less than 5%.
2. Warranty Service: Since there is almost nothing to go wrong with a quartz movement, warranty claims for quartz watches are very small. Mechanical movements are more likely to incur an in-warranty service, so that cost is factored into the price.
3. Distribution: Mechanical movement watches are sold in much smaller quantities, so have less economies of scale in the distribution system. While collectors and enthusiasts often prefer mechanical watches, the general public still predominantly buys quartz. So mechanical watches do not turn over in inventory as fast as quartz, causing the manufacturer and dealers to have a somewhat slower return on their investment in stocking them.
4. Exclusivity: As with virtually all jewelry — and don’t kid yourself, any wristwatch over US $200 is mainly jewelry — there are premiums you pay for certain above average features. Precious metals, synthetic sapphire crystals, mechanical movements, advanced timekeeping modes (complications) and precious stones all are at significant premiums over their mere cost.”

Here’s another perspective on the Mechanical/Automatic vs. Quartz debate: http://www.timecafe.com/Mechanical_Quartz.htm

Image: IWC Portuguese ChronoAutomatic Steel Blue Mens Watch IW371417 on Amazon.com

Seems like an all starcast – Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris – enacting the ALWAYS BE CLOSING mantra for Sales teams. Might still work for cars, real estate(?), and insurance. However, the future (if not already) is all about social decision-making and commerce. ALWAYS BE CLOSING changes somewhat to ALWAYS BE ENGAGING with your leads and prospects .. listen and understand what they need to know and deliver it to them in a relevant and compelling way (content marketing).

Alec Baldwin is powerful and at his “engaging” best in the following:

Glengarry Glen Ross: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AXTx4PcKI

Below is another “close the deal”, “motion creates motion” Ben Affleck spiel from the movie Boiler Room (2000).

“There is no such thing as a no sale call.  A sale is made on every call you make.  Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you on a reason he can’t.”

Boiler Room (1 of 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqDtf1aw818

Boiler Room (2 of 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIT_RMHwCEU

Well, we all know .. and are now living what the always be closing mantra has brought upon on us ..

Most recent example is the acceptance speech of A.R.Rahman, two-times Oscar winner at the 81st Annual Academy Awards for Slumdog Millionaire:

“Before coming, I was excited and terrified. Last time I felt like that was during my Marriage .. ”
(see video)

I checked Merriam-Webster Online for the dictionary meaning of these two words:

Wedding:

1 : a marriage ceremony usually with its accompanying festivities : nuptials
2 : an act, process, or instance of joining in close association

Marriage:

1 a  (1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law
(2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage>
b: the mutual relation of married persons : wedlock
c: the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage

2: an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected  ; especially : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities

At least by this definition (#2 above) of Marriage, it seems like the (southern Indian) usage I am referring to is not incorrect after all. Personally, I do not agree with this definition. Besides, it may not necessarily cross over lingo-cultural boundaries.

So, if you are one of the lucky several to get invited to a Southern Indian Marriage, rest assured it is neither to a marital orgy nor to live with the couple until death or divorce. It is a simple invitation to attend their Marriage ceremony aka Wedding!

There are those whose time is good and then there are those whose timing is good ;=)

Nagesh was one of the blessed few whose time and timing were both good.  He was arguably the closest India had to Jerry Lewis, who coincidentally himself received a special Oscar only couple of days back.  One of the few that Slumdog Millionaire missed!

Nagesh passed away recently.  Kollywood and his fans – I am one of them – will definitely and dearly miss him. God bless his soul.