The Fat Duck!

My love for the show Masterchef Australia initially, had nothing to do with food. In the dichotomized world of "live to eat" and "eat to live", I belonged to the latter half.

I can barely cook. I can't claim to be a true fan for a true fan would wanna cook but it did change my perspective about food and how passionate people can be about cooking. Will definitely try picking it up sometime soon though.

Masterchef Australia Season 2 was such a pleasure to watch and being as weird as I am, it helped me focus to study during the most crucial phase of my prep for civils. The regular one hour quota didn't suffice so I ended up watching episodes online.. about 84 One hour episodes in all if I am not wrong. I watched at least 3-4 hours per day while breaking in between my marathon study hours. No wonder I refrain from giving people advice. :p

It was a show watched at the right time as far as I am concerned. My prep was strenuous, put me under a lot of pressure and also required me to tap into all my reserves of energy I never knew existed. Well, same was the case with those amateur cooks. Amateur were they? I guess not!

Loved Marion for her brilliance, Jonathan for the grit and of course the season winner Adam Liaw. He was a figure as determined as they come. Totally deserved to win!

Anyway one of the best episodes was when these guys had to reproduce 4 stunning for Heston Blumenthal recipes. You gotta take a look at those dishes!

Here are the two part videos:

If you do not have the patience to watch the whole episode, watch it from 07:25 onwards and the first few mins of the second episode.




Heston Blumenthal! Magician ain't he? :D

I would sure love to go eat at his restaurant, The Fat Duck in London. You wanna take me out? Is it a date ;)

Day 14!

P.S. Masterchef Junior is almost unreal. Kids these days do the impossible!

Realisations Galore

A blog about me will almost certainly revolve around UPSC. Now that I have spent a good half hour of my life in the SANCTUM SANCTORIUM aka the UPSC chairman's office, the least I can say is I am awe-struck! It's almost the first time that I have had a crush on a man almost thrice my age.. :p Wearing a Pista green shirt with sleeves rolled up, he devoured me in the half hour that I sat there. The sheer aura of the room (fantastically designed )and the man himself emanated power in the truest form.

Ok.. I now come to the point.

Civil Services Examination in India comes with a great deal of hype from the time the notification is out to the service you get alloted to eventually IF YOU DO! So much so that the first timers are thoroughly intimidated by it. Having been through the whole process myself, I am certainly one of those enlightened ones.. the one with the halo?? :p

My realisation? The exam's most amazing test is putting up with the hype.

No matter what people say about it being the most non transparent body, with archaic testing methodologies, and a cumbersome process, I for one, know for a fact that only people who deserve to get through actually do. And going by that fact alone, UPSC is an unparalleled institution in India.

One whole attempt done. I have learnt from my mistakes. Most importantly the hype is gone.

It's just another exam. I wanna crack it because it will get me the job I have wanted. Its just another job. The next time I enter that building, I will know for sure, those walls had nothing different in them. It was all in the mind. This time I will know I belong there..