The new BIG boy

The Big Boy is on the way. With 30 BHP and a light weight engine which boasts less friction, I am sure he will smoke some serious rubber. The new bullet Electra comes with EFI, Unit Construction Engine, and some other changes, but as per those who rode it, the bike manages to retain itz character and thump.

I am sure the bike will appeal to a wide range of customers, and I hope it will keep the money bags at Enfield motors ringing. For me, I don’t fancy buying one - but I would certainly love to ride one to see how the bike feels. The news in grapevine is that India will have to wait some time before we see this machine in a showroom near to us – initially it will be offered only in UK, but we will get a 350CC counterpart.

(All the pics, Courtsy - www.motomag.com. Click here or here to see more pics)

Martin Kobe

Martin Kobe's paintings are surrealistic architectural renderings, which , the viewer will feel, that will collapse at any moment. Vibrant, modern, sharp and clean, Kobe’s paintings uses restrictive set of hues - reds, greens and blues.
I like the way he paints shadows - they give his work a certain character and depth.
<white cube>
Kobe’s paintings reference architectural modernism, and its emphasis on sheer horizontality, open-plan living, and visually bisecting lines as much as the seamless set architecture of popular science fiction. Interior and exterior views are compressed using interlocking horizontal planes. Sharp, vertiginous walls and ceilings inter-cut with balconies, picture windows and coulisses, leading the eye around the canvas. Kobe’s palette is vibrant but with each painting, the overall hues are restricted, either a tight range of deep reds, silver blues or acid greens that enhance the emptiness in the work: utopia devoid of the mess of the everyday.
Kobe makes his paintings using many layers of paint, built up to create chromatically varied and rich areas of colour that are kept in place by masking tape. In this way, there is an element of painterly collage, of different viewpoints, buildings and trajectories being compressed together in one image. The buildings are sometimes unfinished, without roofs or walls, provisional support structures that are like scaffolds for the picture itself. Different areas of the paintings are handled in different ways – mostly, it is applied in a perfectly smooth, flat manner, the blocks of colour working against the depth or reduction of space in the composition. At other times, it is modulated – a rectangular mirror pool of water, for example, is mottled and indistinct, since the paint has been dragged or squeezed onto the surface.
white cube

OSO or Saawariya?

The war between these two films is reaching the climax - and the final 48 hour count down have started (according to TOI).
Today when I opened the paper, it really made me astonished to read that professional bookies are accepting bets on these movies - a bet to see which movie will do better in Box Office. And according to the news paper, some 'old hats' of movie business have said that OSO have trumped the pre-publicity game by linking Deepika Padukone with Dhoni and with the spin scene of SRKs six packs.
It is fun to watch the frenzy, and the animated discussions of movie buffs, and though I don’t know ABDC of this film thing, I enjoy songs... Songs from Saawariya are a definite hit, but for me, the chart topper is Dard-e-Disco from OSO.
So, what do you think? Which movie will make the cut? OSO or Saawariya?

KTM to India???

India's second-largest motorcycle maker Bajaj Auto Ltd has acquired a 14.5 percent stake in Austria's KTM Power Sports, one of Europe's largest sports motorcycle manufacturers, it was announced Monday.KTM will provide the know-how in the joint development of water-cooled 4-stroke 125cc and 250cc engines, to be used as the basis for products from both companies.Bajaj will take over the sales of KTM products in India and Southeast Asia, opening up the Asian market for the Austrian producer. Bajaj acquired the KTM stake through its 100 percent-owned Dutch unit for Rs.3 billion ($76.3 million), the company said in a statement.KTM CEO Stefan Pierer welcomed the development, saying the cooperation was a great chance to 'strengthen the KTM Group in its sustained growth strategy in a global environment'.KTM is listed on Vienna's stock exchange and reported revenues of 599.1 million euros ($866 million) in the previous business year.Bajaj Auto Ltd ranks among the world's top five motorcycle producers, reporting revenues of 2.9 billion euros ($4.1 billion) and 220 million euros ($318 million) consolidated net profits.
--source - advrider
When will I see a KTM @ a Bajaj delership? one thing is sure - Beg,borrow or steal, i will most probably get my hands on one when they come to India. What more can a off-road dreamer like me can ask...

Golconda Chimmeny - restaurant review.

Today after a long time, I caught up with my long time friends couple Suni and Jini.
Over cups of leisurely morning tea, we caught up with each others life and when it was time for lunch, we decided to dine at Golconda Chimmeny, at Marathahally.
It is easy to reach the restaurant - it is on the road side, and so the parking space is not so
easy to find out, especially when the place is full.
The weather was pleasant, so We chose to sit on the terrace. The interiors are of a pleasant tone of green, with dabs of terracotta. The place have a cool air, and though yopu sit on the terrace, the city traffic don't disturbs you - well, at noon at least. I am not so sure how the jam packed Marathahally road will treat you in the evenings.
We ordered Paneer Tikka and Kalmi Kebab for starters, nd it took a lot of time to reach us. The meat of the kebab was done perfectly - juicy, but not overdone- But the masala was on a bit of high side. The paneer was soft and tender, and was done nicley, with the perfect amount of spices. On Suni's recommendation, we ordered Hydrabadi chicken (they call it Zabardast Chicken, and I am really at loss to understand the connection), Mixed veg kuruma and butter nan. I had a bit of high expectation about the food after having the starter, but when we bite into the main course, i realized that it doesn't even come near to starters.
To begin with, the butter nan was crispy - more like roasted nan. the Hydrabadi chicken was good, but not exceptional. we fished out almost half a load green chillies from the curry, but surprisingly the curry was not spicy.
the meat pieces ranged from well done to crispy, but the taste was good. The mixed veg kuruma - guaranteed by the restaurant people to be medium spicy - turned out to be sweet enough for a dessert.
The most bizarre thing happened when I tried to pay the bill using my card - they said they don't accept the card since the terminal have some problem, but when I told him a bit firmly that we don't have cash, and he should have warned us that card is not acceptable before we start our food, he silently took my card and presented me the bill. It should have been a very weird terminal - only to work when you really ask it to work.

the service is efficient, and the whole experience, pleasant. I will give Golconda Chimmeny 3 out of 5.

I feel the need... the need for speed.

Jeevs have got his fair share of performance tweaks over a period of time, the last being high
performance Platinum Spark plugs from NGK. Today early morning I took him out for a speed run to check how much he can clock on a open road. I left by 5.00, and reached the spot by 5.30 - the traffic was nil - so, with out losing time, i revved him up and gunned him down the tarmac.
He crossed 125KMPH on a straight, and crossed 130 with the help of a decline. Not bad at all, for a bike which barely managed to touch 120 KMPH before the mods.

And before shouting at me for the high speed run - I have done this in a secluded road, with high visibility and devoid of any public transport. The road is officially not open for public
transport, and there is no houses or villages along side. I use full protective gear, and I
strongly discourage stunt/fast riding on public roads through traffic.

First time...

Weekend started as usual - a flurry of activities by Friday evening, and when i at last managed to get myself free from office work, the rain just stopped. too bad, missed a good rain.
Saturday morning i worked on Jeevs - give him some nip and tuck jobs, and after a lunch of rice, tomato curry and egg omlettes, i deiced to see a masseur to get a full body massage.
The parlor offered me a combination package of seven services at a very competitive rate, so i opted for that. And thus, for the first time in my life, I got myself a facial and pedicure.
there was a big list of things to choose from, and i was really as lost as Alice in wonderland.
At last i deiced to get a glow facial, hair trimming, shave, deep conditioning, body massage, head massage and pedicure.
I never thought facial was such a long and tedious process - the guy applied three coats of
something or other and a face pack - i don't mind that - but hey, do he really have to steam my
face? man, it was some kind of torture - but the result is nice - a smooth face, and yeah - it
really feels nice to touch my skin ;-) Will I do it again - no, i don't have the patience to sit
and undergo the ordeal though the results are really worth it