Always remember: 'i' before 'e', except after 'c'.
The age-old maxim in English grammar instruction has now bitten the bullet. The language teems with words that blatantly flout this rule. I have relied on this rule almost all my life, but sometimes, the written word just feels wrong. Somehow.
I was typing out an e-mail last week, when I decided to use the word "liesurely". It just did not look correct, though it follows the 'c' rule to the 't'. So I checked a dictionary, and it indeed spelled trouble: in leisurely fashion.
What a truly weird language we have!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Pie in the sky
I have been flying around a lot of late (and no, my arms are not really that tired!) However, my stomach has had much to complain about.
Take-offs and landings are never good for me. Despite more than seven years of "experience", food always defies gravity and tries to rise up the easophagus. It does not help that airline food is generally pathetic. Particularly for a vegetarian.
I have always tried to guarantee something edible on my flights, by choosing the "Asian Vegetarian" meal preference. I recently came to question this approach, however, after seeing meal after meal of make-believe Indian food consisting of dessicated spinach, dry salads and stale, yellow rice.
Fatefully, during my last couple of trips, I missed the important meal specification while booking my tickets. I was relegated to choosing from the common menu. They say that fishermen are the biggest liars on the face of the planet, but airline menus are by far the worst. The "large sub stuffed with vegetables" concocted images of a foot-long sandwich (a la Subway), but it turned out to be a flattened wrap roughly 4 inches long and an inch and a half wide.
Nevertheless, the menu experience was not bad at all. Infact, the pasta was soft and fresh, the puris were edible, and the desserts were eclectic. Something vegetarian on every flight. Nothing gourmet, yet decent.
And then, with the last meal of the final leg, everthing broke down. Roasted veal for the appetizer. No choice on this item, and not very appetizing. Main course: chicken or salmon. Over and out! Lunch degenerated into crackers and cheese, a bun with butter, a bowl of fruit, a couple of squares of chocolate and a cup of OJ.
I guess it is back to Asian Vegetarian from now on.
Take-offs and landings are never good for me. Despite more than seven years of "experience", food always defies gravity and tries to rise up the easophagus. It does not help that airline food is generally pathetic. Particularly for a vegetarian.
I have always tried to guarantee something edible on my flights, by choosing the "Asian Vegetarian" meal preference. I recently came to question this approach, however, after seeing meal after meal of make-believe Indian food consisting of dessicated spinach, dry salads and stale, yellow rice.
Fatefully, during my last couple of trips, I missed the important meal specification while booking my tickets. I was relegated to choosing from the common menu. They say that fishermen are the biggest liars on the face of the planet, but airline menus are by far the worst. The "large sub stuffed with vegetables" concocted images of a foot-long sandwich (a la Subway), but it turned out to be a flattened wrap roughly 4 inches long and an inch and a half wide.
Nevertheless, the menu experience was not bad at all. Infact, the pasta was soft and fresh, the puris were edible, and the desserts were eclectic. Something vegetarian on every flight. Nothing gourmet, yet decent.
And then, with the last meal of the final leg, everthing broke down. Roasted veal for the appetizer. No choice on this item, and not very appetizing. Main course: chicken or salmon. Over and out! Lunch degenerated into crackers and cheese, a bun with butter, a bowl of fruit, a couple of squares of chocolate and a cup of OJ.
I guess it is back to Asian Vegetarian from now on.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
The (w)art of reverse swing
In cricketing circles, reverse swing is an art. But only if you are able to produce it with a cricket ball, and you are not from the Indian subcontinent. If you happen to play for India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka, it is a wart: a pestilence that must be stamped out by accusing the teams of cheating and ball-tampering.
Sour grapes!
Pakistan's fast bowlers have historically been targetted as cheats (partly because nobody else could perform this magic, and largely because other teams were clueless against it). When England managed to wrap rings around Australia in the last Ashes series, reverese swing graduated to the level of "accepted tactics". As long as you are not from the Indian sub-continent.
Simon Jones now defends all of England with this fine statement reported by Cricinfo:
"People who say reverse swing is not possible without ball-tampering obviously know nothing about cricket," he told The Western Mail. "I know what I did was legal. I would never do anything outside the laws of the game."
Let us not get into an argument about Jones' honesty and integrity. If he indeed shaped/conditioned the ball "legally" to aid reverse swing, let us take his word for it. Maybe he should release a list of "legal" ways of achieving reverse swing. The biased ICC can then allow only these actions, while rejecting anything else that comes from... well, you know where.
Or perhaps, the ICC can just get a spine and mandate regular checks on the ball by the match refereee. And not just when a team from the sub-continent is bowling. It is time the ICC got its act together, instead of bickering about purely financial matters such as ambush marketing and bat logo sizes.
Sour grapes!
Pakistan's fast bowlers have historically been targetted as cheats (partly because nobody else could perform this magic, and largely because other teams were clueless against it). When England managed to wrap rings around Australia in the last Ashes series, reverese swing graduated to the level of "accepted tactics". As long as you are not from the Indian sub-continent.
Simon Jones now defends all of England with this fine statement reported by Cricinfo:
"People who say reverse swing is not possible without ball-tampering obviously know nothing about cricket," he told The Western Mail. "I know what I did was legal. I would never do anything outside the laws of the game."
Let us not get into an argument about Jones' honesty and integrity. If he indeed shaped/conditioned the ball "legally" to aid reverse swing, let us take his word for it. Maybe he should release a list of "legal" ways of achieving reverse swing. The biased ICC can then allow only these actions, while rejecting anything else that comes from... well, you know where.
Or perhaps, the ICC can just get a spine and mandate regular checks on the ball by the match refereee. And not just when a team from the sub-continent is bowling. It is time the ICC got its act together, instead of bickering about purely financial matters such as ambush marketing and bat logo sizes.
Our hybrid
Without much hesitation, we decided to buy a hybrid car. Though the options are rapidly multiplying, the real choice was between the Toyota Prius and the Honda (Civic, Accord). We plumped for the Civic: the Prius's futuristic looks did not appeal to us, and the Accord hybrid's mileage was not impressive enough (thanks to a heavy V6 engine, mostly).
The 2006 Civic looks more like a regular car than the Prius. However, it has been revamped for a sporty, aerodynamic design that definitely contributes to the high mileage ratings (49 mpg on arterials, 51 mpg on freeways). After 3000+ miles, we are consistently clocking 45+ mpg. My work commute of roughly 22 miles each way (on slightly hilly terrain) essentially translates to an empty tank every 9-10 days, which is fantastic on the wallet!
The 2006 Civic Hybrid has regenerative braking, which charges the battery by recovering power during deceleration. A nice little dashboard indicator tells you if the battery is assisting the gas engine, or is being re-charged. The dashboard layout also has a huge digital speed display, which is not hindered by the steering wheel.
The reduced trunk space in the 2006 Civic Hybrid has been perhaps its most bandied drawback. However, it quite easily accommodated two large Samsonite hard-plastic suitcases (of the size typically lugged to and from India) in addition to a tennis raquet and a 24-pack case of Gatorade. Not bad for a small trunk!
The driving experience has been great. The engine is smooth, and the switch between gas and electric engines is imperceptible. With Honda's legendary reliability, we expect to be very pleased with this purchase in the short and long runs.
The 2006 Civic looks more like a regular car than the Prius. However, it has been revamped for a sporty, aerodynamic design that definitely contributes to the high mileage ratings (49 mpg on arterials, 51 mpg on freeways). After 3000+ miles, we are consistently clocking 45+ mpg. My work commute of roughly 22 miles each way (on slightly hilly terrain) essentially translates to an empty tank every 9-10 days, which is fantastic on the wallet!
The 2006 Civic Hybrid has regenerative braking, which charges the battery by recovering power during deceleration. A nice little dashboard indicator tells you if the battery is assisting the gas engine, or is being re-charged. The dashboard layout also has a huge digital speed display, which is not hindered by the steering wheel.
The reduced trunk space in the 2006 Civic Hybrid has been perhaps its most bandied drawback. However, it quite easily accommodated two large Samsonite hard-plastic suitcases (of the size typically lugged to and from India) in addition to a tennis raquet and a 24-pack case of Gatorade. Not bad for a small trunk!
The driving experience has been great. The engine is smooth, and the switch between gas and electric engines is imperceptible. With Honda's legendary reliability, we expect to be very pleased with this purchase in the short and long runs.
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