Not so Charm(s)ing experience...

This happened on the day Bangalore city slept... I was trying to find a cigarette shop desperately, and i had to resort to an army surplus store to get some smokes. the guy who ran that canteen didn't have any of the usual brands like Kings or Wills... all he had was this weird, unheard-of brand called Charms... well, desperate as i was, i bought a couple and tried it. It wasn't a charming experience... i almost threw up after a few drags and crawled my way to the nearest water dispenser to wash down the dirty taste... please don't try this at home! or anywhere for that matter...!

The Day Bangalore Slept...

It was a day like no other. I woke up in the morning at around nine to the deafening sound of silence all around me. The hustle and bustle of a city rampant with people - the tell-tale sounds of shops opening their shutters for the day's business, the screams of the vendors, the screech of automobiles as they grind to a halt in inching traffic - were missing. I was disoriented for a while; was I really awake? Was I home in Bangalore? Then it struck me - yes, I was home and wide awake, and today was the day Bangalore was supposed to sleep. The so-called "Bundh" had made the flatlands of Mars appear to be teeming with life!
On my way to work at around two in the afternoon (Yeah, I work for a newspaper, and my day begins at three!), the roads looked so lifeless, not a single vehicle in sight. Hell, not a single soul in sight! I was craving, itching for a cigarette, and no shop was open! I could barely control the urge! I was half-toying with the idea of sucking on the exhaust of my bike, when I passed an army R&D headquarters. Gambling on an idea, I went inside and headed straight to the army's surplus canteen. I asked for cigarettes, and lo and behold! I got cigarettes! Whew! Next time, if a bundh is anounced beforehand, I advice all smokers to load themselves up the previous day! You may not be as lucky as I was!

Water, Water Everywhere...

...and not a drop to drink, goes the old Egyptian adage. Or should I say wisecrack? One very interesting piece of information that I happened to come across is the use of water in "Getting High"! Yeah, ever heard of Absinthe? Heh Heh...

Absinthe (also absinth) is a distilled, highly alcoholic, anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs including the flowers and leaves of the medicinal plant Artemisia absinthium, also called grand wormwood. Although it is sometimes incorrectly called a liqueur, absinthe is not bottled with added sugar and is therefore classified as a liquor or spirit.

Absinthe is often referred to as la Fée Verte ('The Green Fairy') because of its coloring — typically a naturally created pale or emerald green, but sometimes clear or artificially colored. Due to its high proof and concentration of oils, absintheurs typically add three to five parts ice-cold water to a dose of absinthe, which causes the drink to turn cloudy, called 'louching', often the water is used to dissolve added sugar to decrease bitterness. This preparation is considered an important part of the experience of drinking absinthe, so much so that it has become ritualized, complete with special slotted absinthe spoons and other accoutrements. Absinthe's flavor is similar to anise-flavored liqueurs, with a light bitterness and greater complexity imparted by multiple herbs.

Absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir/tincture, used in a similar capacity as patent medicines would be used later in the United States. However it is better known for its popularity in late 19th and early 20th century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers whose romantic associations with the drink still linger in popular culture. In its heyday, the most popular brand of absinthe worldwide was Pernod Fils. At the height of this popularity, absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive, psychoactive drug; the chemical thujone was blamed for most of its deleterious effects. By 1915, it was banned in a number of European countries and the United States. Even though it was vilified, no evidence shows it to be any more dangerous or psychoactive than ordinary alcohol. A modern absinthe revival began in the 1990s, as countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale.