1 to 3 Feb

1 Feb
Brian comes- cooked sambar sadam for him, office guys and watchman. From purchase of veggies to serving the dish takes 30 mins.

Moved with beanbag lounger to the den in office.

AOE restarted
Lan party announced

2 Feb :Sat cookout. Cookout concept changed to minimal prior preparation and cookup whatever guests want.

Hagen and Inga were zapped. Theya sked for Idli, parotta, Plain Naan, stuffed Naan, Baingan bartha, coconut chutney - and everything was whipped up in under 30 minutes.

3 Feb
Trip to proposed drive in near vellore. Demolished 20 coconuts ( and flesh) in a sitting.
Published 1001 Dals

31 Jan 2008

1001 cocktails uploaded

Streaming audio recorder - learnt to use. As I play most songs in a
streaming format from the net, this tool would let me build up a music
collection.

Conversion of office room as an extension of Studio 71 started. So when
I have a couch surfer, I need not be homeless.

Eco toilet supplier in India finalised

Plan for a 1200 Sq ft drivein @ Rs.2 Lacs finalised.

30 Jan 2007

Mailed onepage cookbooks to cooltools

Learnt to use watermark

1001 Basic South Indian curries uploaded.

1001 raitas uploaded

Clickable conepts and Flash cards quote sent and work handed over to guys.

2 Paneer parathas prepared from scratch in 15 mins for Jayaraman.

Anytime menu for weekly cookouts made

Anytime Menu

Pancakes & Honey
Chili & Cheese sandwich
Bread omelette
Toast bread & Fried eggs
Toast bread & Scrambled eggs

Pasta with marinara sauce
Pasta Salad
Pasta with Cheese sauce

Butter Naan
Paneer stuffed Naan
Onion stuffed Naan
Achari Naan
Garlic Naan
Cheese Naan
Masala Naan

Paneer paratha
Cheese paratha
Achari paratha
Papad paratha
Lacha paratha

Phulka
Chappati

Badam Milkshake
Banana Milkshake
Honey milkshakes
Cold coffee
Sweet Lassi
Salt Lassi

Vegetable tacos
Egg tacos
Cheese Tacos

Idli & Kara chutney
Rava idli
Rava uppuma
Avil uppuma
Dosa
Podi Dosa
Egg Dosa
Onion Rava dosa
Onion Dosa
Onion Uttappam
Set Dosa

To Buy Checklist

Onion, Tomato,Cabbage, lemon, cilantro, ginger garlic, Yogurt, Paneer,
Idli batter, Eggs, Milk, Cheese spread, Bread, Pickles, Papad

29 Jan

Learnt how to make keys less bulky by burning off the bulky plastic.

Learnt how to open a coconut using a hammer and nail.

One page cookbook 1001 North Indian basic curries uploaded.

Rosh partnership for Smiley's finalised.

28 Jan Monday

Did

Learnt to cook Naan on a tava. Cook it covered with a domed lid and roast the other side directly over fire to brown it.

Two thick earthern bowls can be used as a oven and bread can be baked in their cavity. Seal the edges with dough. Just preheat them and cover them with live coals. Any leavened bread can be baked this way.

Learnt to use safety razor to shave armpit. No more relying on barber.

Learnt olive oil / any oil can be used in place of shaving foam.

Cooked delicious paneer parathas for me in the morning and cauliflower parathas for gobi, bai and ravi in the evening. Tip : Add more salt to the dough and not to the stuffing - as salt draws water out of the stuffings and makes them soggy.

The interior trade show

Went to the Interiors exhibition today.

Add solar / dynamo powered Radio / Flash light to wish list. From Solkar . Cost Rs. 1000. www. solker.com

Solar cap with fan @ 250

Dynawin associates 98400 19796. Massage cushion @ Rs.3000

Decided will participate in the next show to sell bean bag lounger. Almost everyone who has seen it loved it.

Learnt large structures have two types of loads - the wind load and the roof load. Temporary structures ( exhibition stalls) need not bother too much about thse loads, but permanent structures need to.

Designed my first drive in restaurant and sent the plan to architect.

Learnt to download movie & TV scripts- they make fascinating reading and seem to be the best way to catch up on latest movies. Read the Shawshank redemption, while spending the night in the campervan.

Lifehacking.. 2

*Drinking in public*

Most cities have laws against drinking in public. There are several ways to get around this.

Premix your drink in a soft drink bottle ( use whatever bottle is commonly used in your city). (I find the plastic, transparent half liter bottle to be the safest). Look confident and drink straight from it in any public space - park / beach. Remember to match the colour of the original contents - do not drink dark rum from a seven up container! You can do this virtually anywhere. Aluminium cola cans work great too. This technique works well in five star lobbies too, provided your drink does not stink !

To drink in movie halls, use small sample bottles to hold your booze. Buy a covered softdrink ( the kind which comes in a covered glass with a straw sticking out). Tip your bottle in and sip throughout the movie. The security men are just not used to the idea of people bringing in
booze in such tiny bottles, that they'll escape detection most of the time. This technique works in bars too. I love using this in super premium bars where they charge you ridiculous prices.

Lifehacking....

Techniques for Small space living ( I'm talking about living, working and entertaining friends everyday in a 56 sq ft room)

Put everything on the walls. Remember, it is the floor space which is at a premium. You can even afix your chair and bed to the wall, so that they do not touch the floor at all.

Make doors open outside. Doors eat up valuable floor space inside the room. Can you imagine a car with doors opening inside ?

Stackable plastic stools are the only furnishing you need. They occupy no space at all and can seat a crowd. You can use them as building blocks to create a couch or a bed. Just arrange four stools in a row and put a thin wooden plank over them. Lay a long sponge and your bed is ready. Place another sponge to serve as backrest and it becomes a couch.

Make the public spaces your private space. Stay close to beach / park / Large public buildings. If you frequent a place long enough, you tend to assume ownership over it.

Learn to cycle. This would solve your transportation problems for ever. Most large cities are under 25 kms in radius and can be cycled from end to end in two hours. Bicycle is the best form of transportation in large crowded cities.

*Lighting:*
In a battery holder solder a LED bulb and you have a virtually indestructible flash light which will continuously burn for days on end.

*Creating a bathroom and a toilet in a cramped room.*
Learn to Navy shower. First wet your body with a wet towel. Now soap all over. Use the towel to wipe off the soap. Wring the towel dry, wet it again and use it to clean yourself. Repeat if necessary. That's it.

Take a sturdy waste bin/ a bucket. Line it with a garbage bag. Sit/ Squat over it and do your stuff. Tie up the garbage bag and dump it. Insta potty !

25 Jan

Did
Kneaded 1/2 kg flour. Takes 4 minutes.
1001 Kashmiri curries completed

Learnt
1/2 Kg flour can make 12 chappatis. Can feed 6 people in a hurry in just
10 minutes.

Business Op :
Sarath Food King Letter and book couriered.

Fun :
Camera installed

Yelagiri - Drive In Restaurant

23 Jan
Visited Yelagiri with Kalai to check out the feasibility of a resaurant on the Chennai - Bangalore Highway


24 Jan
Drafted the bizz plan for the drive in with logo, highway signs, restaurant design, menu and investment proposal

Permanent Solutions

Permanent Solutions are solutions which can work forever, wherever. Develop once - use forever.

Food : A heat source and grains is all I need. Food has ceased to be a problem forever.

Shelter : I've learnt to live, work and entertain in a closet sized space. Anything more is a nuisance. The camper van has become a second dwelling and lets me have a dwelling wherever I want. Shelter is no more a problem.

Clothing : A few shirts, tshirts and bermudas is all the clothes I ever need. Clothing has ceased to become a problem forever.

Bags : I designed a simple cloth bag which can carry a surprising amount and costs nothing.

Transportation : Jayaraman taught me how to cycle long distances and I can do 100 Kms a day if pushed. I need just a bicycle for intra-city transportation, however big the city may be. Transportation is not a problem anymore.

Booze : Learnt to make my own wine and booze problem is solved, forever.

Friends : Studio 71 has been designed to entertain friends and I have a never ending supply of interesting company. Entertainment is no more a problem.

Travel : As an active member of the CS community I have places to stay across the world, with friends to take me around. Lodging abroad is no more a problem.

Furniture : A few stackable plastic stools, a wooden plank and a couple of cushions is all I need for a flexible seating arrangement in my campervan / studio. They are remarkably flexible and bloody comfortable. Furniture is not a problem anymore.

Washing : Learnt to wash with a bucket of water. No more washing machines for me.

Lighting : The Rs.10 battery powered LED light I designed solves the lighting problem forever.

Write, cook

1. Wrote 1001 Variety rice, 1001 milkshakes.

2. Thanks to mom, Understood how to make Kanji ( Broken Parboiled rice simmered with cumin , ginger & salt with plenty of water over a slow fire).

3. Learnt puzhukku - A variety of tubers boiled in water with a pinch of turmeric, salt ans slit green chilies. Drained and garnished with coconut milk / grated coconut & coconut oil.

4. Learnt paruppu podi ( Ulutham paruppu, kadalai paruppu, tuvaram paruppu, kollu, roast and ground with black pepper ) karivepillai podi ( Curry leaves roast and ground with tamarind, ulundu and red chilies)

5. Cooked 5 minute paneer parathas.

Problems solved

2007 achievements

Food
Learnt to cook all cuisines

Clothing
Learnt to use cheap but durable clothing.

Shelter
Learnt to live in small spaces.

Travel
Couchsurfing, campervan make travel comfy and cheap


Friends
Studio 71 guarantees a never ending supply of friends

Books
Hundreds of Ebooks downloaded.

Music
A Large no cost mp3 collection would keep me entertained indefinitely.


Movies
Learnt to pick dirt cheap DVD's