Calendar Shots

Of Fish And Feet

We Indians are hairy by nature. Sometimes I wonder if God gave us a shitty deal- he gave eyes to the Chinese and us hair. And its hot as hell in India. Now that’s real shitty- hot and hairy.

Why I spoke about the heat and hair is that sometimes you need to take a break from all the smoke and pollution and distress. I recently went to a spa in Bangalore and tried out the fish treatment. Fish spas are big in South East Asia- you find it in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Not many people know it’s here in Bangalore as well.

A famous spa has opened their franchise behind UB City on Vittal Mallya road. Its called the Kenko spa and they have a wide variety of massages, reflexology treatments and spas.

I googled it, called them up and fixed an appointment. I was there at 10 am sharp, and for some reason they love punctual people. A short wait later, I was escorted by Kevin (a staff at the salon) to the wash area. My feet were sanitized and then led to the waiting fish. Trust me, I was apprehensive because I asked Kevin a lot of questions about the fish and their feeding habits.

My jeans were folded up to the knee and then I dipped my feet into the water. There was a slight rumble, and the fish came straight for my feet, like a magnet attracting iron filings. And I immediately felt the nipping and the ticklish feeling that followed it. Technically speaking, the fish don’t bite. The water moisturizes the skin and the fish suck off the dead skin. They don’t spit it out, they eat it. In short, you’re fish food. And since there’re so many of them at it, the ticklishness eases out and feels like micro vacuum cleaners all over your foot.

Its not an issue if you’re hairy. The fish don’t mind either, as they go about their job. A 30 minute session of feeding later, you pull out of the tank. They sanitize your feet again, dry it and wear their spa sandals while they massage your back and neck.

The staff is very helpful and they’re quick to answer your every question. The tank is regularly cleaned every two days. Besides they sanitize you feet before the session so that the fish like you feet; and after the session so that your feet don’t smell fishy. They accept payment by both cash and credit card.

Was it worth the time, effort and money? Well, if you’re looking for a different experience, then this is it. And its fun. I've also put in some snaps .

A Toast To The Simple Life

The last time I went to my hometown in Kerala was at the start of the recent monsoons. If there are two things that are common to a weekend in Bangalore and my hometown in Kerala, it has to be the partying and the movies, and they happen irrespective of either place. However, this time things were a bit different.

This was perhaps the first time that I actually realized the beauty of my hometown, obscured somewhere in the beauty of what people call ‘God’s Own Country’. Be it obscured or not, nostalgia hits hard every time I go home, or even think about it. I remember a childhood in Dubai, which looked forward to a full two month break in July and August every year. I spent these two months in Kerala, of course. And till today, I haven’t realized it was this beautiful.

A lot of people say that when they take a break, they try and stay away from their mobile phones, laptops, emails and BlackBerry’s as far away as possible. I do something similar; I do carry my mobile phone, but I don’t get any coverage where I stay, I don’t have a BlackBerry, I can’t check my email since the place I stay does not have an internet connection.

And while partying is a taboo in the more rural areas in Kerala, and while people are still averse to entering bars, they all favor the local brew: toddy. I have never seen anyone savoring toddy with reluctance, and the food at the toddy shop only enhances the flavor.

Needless to say, the monsoon has had its drastic effects in the northern parts of Kerala and caused a lot of flooding in Mumbai. But when it kicks off, it does so in style.

The toddy, the monsoons, the greenery - I haven't decided when but surely I will be back to settle down in Kerala long before my retirement. To the simple life.

Driving Styles

I saw this article in The Hindu in the automotive section. I read it but couldn't resist putting it up here. Have a read...

One hand on the steering wheel, one hand out of the window - Sydney.

One hand on the steering wheel, one hand on horn - Japan.

One hand on the steering wheel, one hand on newspaper, foot solidly on accelerator - Boston.

Both hands on the steering wheel, eyes shut, both feet on the brakes, quivering in terror - New York.

Both hands in the air, gesturing, both feet on accelerator, head turned to talk to someone in the backseat - Italy.

One hand on horn, one hand greeting, one ear on cellphone, foot on accelerator, eyes on female pedestrians, conversation with someone in the next car - Welcome to India.

A Few Favorites

Over the past 5 years that I have been in Bangalore (including my MCA), my friends and I have been tripping to different places; some planned, some unplanned.

And needless to say, we come back tired, in need of food and sleep, and also with a huge collection of snaps. As with photography, there are some snaps that we would like to talk about for years, some of them our favorites and some of them we'd like to narrate stories about.

I've selected a few of those snaps (I've tried my best to avoid group snaps) and put them up here. While different people have different tastes, these are a few of my favorites...

Laugh A Minute!!

The other day I received a call from an Airtel representative about the free internet connection they were promoting. And they had me at 'free'.

A few seconds later, the representative (explaining the details of the connection) said it would cost me Rs. 499 per month plus taxes.

Whoa- hold on a minute, didn't she just say it was a free internet connection. So I asked her which part of the offer was free.

She replied promptly, "The coverage, sir".

The Dark Knight: Welcome To Reality

Recently, as part of my project team outing, we went to see The Dark Knight.

And I came out after the movie an impressed man. Director Christopher Nolan has done with the The Dark Knight what he did with Batman Begins- he's bought a fresh dose of reality into the whole venture.

Unlike earlier Batman movies, which were downright cartoonish (even comical at times), Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have very real settings, real people, real villains, and even a very believable bank robbery (in The Dark Knight).

Batman seems to have tonsillitis (or some sort of throat infection) when he wears the Bat Suit. Or is he trying to camouflage his voice? Anyway, someone on youtube posted a spoof video just to emphasize this issue. Here's the link http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=w2yv8aT0UFc

The humor is short, subtle and tight-lipped and the screenplay is breathtaking, notably those of The Joker's.

A standing ovation to Heath Ledger for his performance as The Joker. We'll truly miss him.

By the way, before the movie, we went for lunch at Ginseng at the Royal Orchid. Its a Chinese restaurant, but I'm not reviewing Ginseng per se. Its what I found at the entrance to the Royal Orchid- the Rolls Royce Phantom. And here's me standing by it.