Linguistic Enrichments

M (yours truly) & his roomie are eating curd rice (OK that's the dinner :) ). There is no pickle to go along with it.
R(oomie to M) suddenly remembers something : Hey M, you had some powder ?
M taken aback by this sudden question .. trying to put together what on earth face-powder has to do with curd rice: eh ??
R tries to explain with hand gestures, like he is putting a pinch of salt into his plate.
M (and it cliks): Oh !! you mean chutney ! Yes we have. It's in the fridge :)

What Ms X said : Hey park the car nearly (the visitor centre in Niagara) .
when she actually meant : Park the car close to the visitor centre in Niagara.

Mr X (in the driver's seat): The camera is in the middle.
when he actually meant: The camera is lying in the space between the front seats.
(i really didnt understand it first time i heard it.. i just looked around inside the car and then it clicked)

'Can not be able to' : This is with me for years. I see people around me using it quite frequently completely oblivious to any flaws it might have.
eg. I can not be able to complete the estimate in time if ..
eg. We can not be able to drive if the rain continues this way.
Now someone please confirm if this is correct form of grammar. As far as i know, 'can not' and 'not able to/unable to' should be mutually exclusive. I am open for suggestions. In fact really really open :)

'Curry'
Is there any other word for cooked vegetables, i mean shouldn't there be some distinction in the call names for 'dal, dry sabji, kadhi, sabji with gravy'.
Does anything in liquid or semi-fluid form, other than sambar or rasam that can be taken with rice or chapati, fall in a geralized class of 'curry'.
If 'chapati' is chapati and not tortila neither wheat-bread nor pancake, paratha (or parantha) is paratha, roti is roti then why the heck convert sabji, dal, kadhi (and the rest) into a unified common name of 'curry' :)
Please please please, i m close to desparation to get myself enlightened on this.

'Keep on'
This is another gem. I sincerely wish the 'on' be turned 'off'.
eg. The 'exits' keep on coming.
He keep on talking on the phone all day.
The rain keep on coming.
The exits keep coming, he keeps talking on the phone all day make at least a little more sense to me.

Just some random samples extracted out of my daily dealings. The point here is not to find 'whose is better english'. To be honest, i often fail to interprete what the other person is trying to put across when it's something of the kinds mentioned here.

Thru this post, i m just trying to fill in the communication gap :)

Your opinion?

Here i am

It's always difficult to neatly time and precisely phrase your comeback.
So w/o giving much thought let me just type in a few words.

It's bright and sunny out here right now, though there were mild showers y'day night. Played cricket after a long long span of time on Friday. Got broadband set up. Went out with my friends y'day and bought some real thick and stuffed winterwear. Lazing out today at home. The only thing i did that can be counted is configuring the wireless router.

The good news is i can now work a few hrs from home everyday, which means i dont have to wake up at 6 to catch the 7.30 am bus. I can sleep a full extra hr and pool in with my colleague who stays next door (you guys just dont know how lucky i am !! He's quite helpful. Not having a car is a painful handicap) and also hop into his car to return home.

Hoping to find a good car deal this week. I cudnt lay my hands on the ones i'd shortlisted earlier. But anyways !
Plans for the coming weekend and the long weekend that follows have already been chalked out.

Hope you all are doing well, up n kicking :).