SEA aquarium

K was super excited about going to the aquarium today. He had decided beforehand that sharks are going to be his favourite. He was slightly overwhelmed though by the scale & variety of marine life when he finally entered the place. He hadn't imagined that so many creatures could've existed in water. At the end, he asked me if I thought the ocean was prettier than the earth :)

Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola

I didn't know what to make of the movie title but it made us curious enough to go watch it. And I quite enjoyed it. I can see why some people didn't though - its a whimsically made movie, bordering on the insane; but thankfully I was in a mood to lap up all the quirkiness that Vishal Bharadwaj could throw at me.

There aren't that many Indian movie makers who are brave enough to attempt a satire that so smugly refuses to put a boundary on imagination. Like Salman Rushdie's writing or Picasso's paintings, Vishal Bharadwaj's movies are gutsy in their quirkiness. That I love. I loved Pankaj Kapur's portrayal of the divided face of the Indian upper class. How tough is that character to pull off, to balance comedy with evil & tomfoolery with graveness. I loved Shabana Azmi's witches-of-Macbeth portrayal, especially in some of her monologues. For a restrained actor like her, it couldn't have been easy to be so overtly over the top. And I loved Vishal Bharadwaj's unhindered style. Its not easy at all to layer a satire under the bizzarre silliness of pink bulls & zulu dance troupes. It could easily be mistaken for just silliness.

Perhaps the movie could've been shorter, snappier; but I didn't get bored. I did wonder where it was going for a while, but that didn't last long. Its not a movie I loved, but I liked it a good deal.

OH Open House Art Walkabout

We went for the art walkabout 2 years ago. It was a strange experience then...going through people's homes looking at the art in their very 'heartland Singapore' setting. This year, the walk was in a more familiar setting. It was set in the financial district. And went through my office! :)

The coolest part of the tour this year, for me, was an installation in the Google office. How fun is that office! Not only is it yellow & green, it has a swing in its reception & a wrought iron spiral staircase running in the middle of the office space. The installation in that office, was very cheekily called 'search for happiness' .

Personally, I liked the setting of the tour more than the art itself. Singapore's business district has its own unique character. The old(ish) law firms from the 80s, the swanky trading floors of the new banking giants, the evergreen appetite of the construction sector, the reclaimed earth & the ever receding seashore. The tour takes you through all of these. It is pretty awe-inspiring, intimidating, glittery & ruthless all at once. The theme was 'Happiness Index' though & that isn't easy to forecast in this part of the city.

What's reality anyway!

K celebrated Christmas with his little friends at home this year. A friend of ours dressed up as Santa (a very good one too!) & put in an appearance with some gifts. And although K found the Santa completely believable, a slightly older friend of his raised some very pertinent questions about why this Santa couldn't have been real.

I dread having to deal with questions on "is this real?" when it comes to K. We did have a conversation about "Is Spiderman real?" & while he didn't seem heart-broken to have found out that his beloved Spidey is make-belief; I certainly felt like I've destroyed something precious in his imaginative world.

While in India, we picked up a children's book on the Ramayan & K loves reading it. Of course the question had to come "Is Ram a real person?" My reply was, "Some people believe him to be real, some don't". He mulled over it for a while & finally said, "I think he's not real because this is just a story. Monkeys can't really fly". We just left it at that.

The Delhi Protests

Sitting here in Singapore, its quite scary reading online news in India these days. The barbarianism of the perpetrators of the heinous rape case in Delhi frightens me, yes. But what frightens me as much (or more) is the public reaction to the news. My facebook pages & the internet in general is full of people asking for these men to be castrated or tortured or publicly stoned or at the very least, killed.

I don't have sympathy for the men; god no! But why has the news of a savage act turned so many online readers into savages? Why do we suddenly start demanding eye-for-an-eye even so many centuries after the caveman died? It's as barbaric & reflects as badly on a culture that should know better. Maybe its anger. Or frustration. Or the nature of the internet - anonymity always brings out the worst bullies in us.

The Newsroom

We've started following this show called "The Newsroom". Perhaps a little too idealistic in its approach;  too right-winged in its philosophy; too smug in its high ground & too one-sided on economic issues; but I still like the premise of the show - a media team with a moral backbone - the world needs those!

2012 in retrospect

2012 seems like an incredibly long year in retrospect. Maybe because it was the year of making amends & getting things right. But now that we're close to the end of this year, it feels great to have turned things around; knowing priorities & seeing things in a clearer light (I still regret not having seen them sooner).

As a mother, the new year is making me nervous. K is going to start his 4th year of life & is already showing signs of independence (the kind I dreamed of when he was younger; but now that its looming so close I'm craving for his clinginess-to-mom again!)

I've never been prouder of H. This has been a hard year for us & he has been my pillar of strength. I still wish he would quit smoking though....If only I could make resolutions on his behalf!

My first resolution for the new year is to focus on my health. This really shouldn't be a resolution; should be a way of routine life; but every good habit needs to start somewhere I suppose. And my other resolution is to focus on a dream project of mine that I've been ruminating over for a while now - its time to roll up the sleeves & get working on it.

The India trip

We've spent the past few weeks in India & like every year, this trip too felt much too short & chaotic.

We spent some time in Delhi this year for a friend's wedding. Delhi was cold, had lip smacking food, a lot of family and overall did good for little K's Hindi language skills. It was peak wedding season & there were as many ghodis on the roads as people. Delhi weddings are of course great for people watching - they know how to bring on the bling!

From Delhi we took a short family holiday at the Jim Corbett National Park. We stayed in lovely cottages by the Kosi river & were brave enough to venture a sunrise safari in an open jeep when the temperature hovered around 5-6 degrees. Our bravery was rewarded by a rare sighting of a tiger in the wild! K and his cousin however felt rather underwhelmed by the tiger sighting & pronounced that tigers had been seen more clearly on tv before. The boys had great fun in the forest though. The elephants & their toilet habits fascinated them immensely.

I love watching my parents interact with K. Their relationship with grand kids is nothing like their relationship with me or my brother. They are so much more patient as grand parents & care so little about discipline & other such mundane things! I'm not quite sure when this change happened & why me or my brother failed to draw this side of their personality to the fore when we were younger. In any case, there's something very heart warming about watching your young one bond with your parents.

Disney Hong Kong

We went to Disneyland over the weekend and it was such a special experience for K. He can't stop talking about the space rides and the 3D show and the bumping cars! Its like he's seen a magical land and there's no wonder left in the rest of the world now :)

Italy after-effects

Walked into K's room & saw him standing on his bed. With a brush in his hand & trying to reach the ceiling. "I think I want to make a fresco. Like the one in the Pope's home".

Switzerland-Italy in a nutshell

I've been away from my blog for a while now. Among many things that have transpired, the most exciting has been the trip to Europe. We visited some old friends in Switzerland & absolutely loved the Swiss countryside. Little K didn't do too well in the snow, but loved it anyway. This was then followed by a crazy road trip to Italy - starting from a very hot & sultry Rome; going to peaceful middle-of-a-vineyard Tuscany & ending with the Grand Canal in Venice. This was the most chaotic holiday we've ever had - with 5 families involving 7 kids. It was great fun catching up with our old friends & their new off-springs. Priceless! :)

Wolfgang Puck's CUT

We don't do very-fine-dining very often, but we did it recently for a special occassion. We went to Michelin star chef Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in Marina Bay Sands called 'Cut'. Now I don't think I can review a steak restaurant with any sort of authority given that I eat my meat 'well done' & like it with a lot of greens. But having said that, I do love my meat & even though I can't tell whether it was a good cut & whether it was cooked to perfection, it was pretty darn good. I ordered Japanese Wagyu Filet Mignon with an Argentinian chimichurri sauce, which came in an unpretentious portion & with 4 kinds of mustard dips. Satisfaction followed! :)

BBC's Sherlock

We've been following 'Sherlock' these days & at the end of Season 2, here's what I'm convinced of: Sherlock knew all along what Moriarty's plan was - hence the mannequin hanging from the ceiling in the first (or was it second?) episode; and Sherlock suggesting the high-rise as the place for their final meeting. I'm also convinced that the twist has something to do with the (garbage?) truck parked below the building when Sherlock jumped & Molly's job in the morgue (or is she in forensics? - either way, she has access to corpses).

Just an instinct.

"The Explosion of the Radiator Hose" by Jean Rolin

I thought this was an interesting part-fiction/ part-factual English translation of a French book written by journalist Jean Rolin. Its a travelogue by Rolin about transporting a used Audi car from Paris to Kinshasa (Congo) for use as a taxi and everything he sees, experiences & hears on the way.

I knew very little about the Republic of Congo (hell, I didn't even know that Zaire has been renamed as Congo!) except that it was a French colony once & has a horrifying political history stained by coups, blood-curdling assasinations & brutal rebels. This is your typical 'white man in Africa' account - its mainly about the author's unease & sense of danger/ adventure - starting in the immigrant-ghettos of Paris and ending in "the heart of darkness" (a reference to a novel written by Conrad in the previous century).

Perhaps Jean Rolin rambles a bit every now & then but he has a habit of jotting down quirky details of the places & people he sees; and that's what makes this travelogue interesting.

The Melting Wok Warung, Bali

We were in Bali last weekend & it wasn't a well researched/ planned trip. We skipped the beach this time & decided to explore Ubud. We made friends with an American family at our resort who raved about this restaurant, and we thought we should try it too. That's how we walked into "The Melting Wok Warung". Without knowing what a delight it is.

The cafe really is a warung (a local term for street-side small-time cafes). It has 6 tables. It also really is a 'Melting Wok' of sorts. The owner is a lovely & warm french lady, Geraldine, who along with her Asian husband decided to experiment with western & Indonesian flavours in one wok. The menu is not extensive at all. There only one curry and you get a choice of meat. Its a festival of flavours in your mouth! And then there are the desserts. Oh, the desserts. They don't sound as great as they really are. A caramel pudding with coconut milk, for example, sounds like an overkill on fusion, doesn't it? I'm so glad we ordered it anyway!

Hell's Kitchen

I've promised myself I will never eat at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant; no matter how delightful the food looks - I'm convinced its poisonous.

Pearls of uncomplicated wisdom

K found a solution to power struggles all over the globe after watching 'The Lion King': "I think lions should just take turns at being kings....it's not nice to push a king off a mountain, is it". He thought the movie was pointless.

Shanghai

We watched the movie 'Shanghai' this week & I thought it was a pretty good movie. It started off like a political thriller, but towards the middle, one realises that its not edge of the seat stuff that has you guessing what will happen next. You sort of know, having lived in India, that the decadence of the political system starts & permeates from the highest level of the government. The human stories in the movie are far more interesting.

There's an intelligent IAS-type working inside the government but not part of the political system; there's a young activist working against the system; there's a unsophisticated 'man on the street' who is largely unconcerned with whats happening with the system; there's a political-insider state secretary who is very much embedded in the system. This is a story of all these characters coping with this political system; in its brutal corrupt form that India has learnt to accept. The pessimism with which the movie ends is disheartening, but very well put.

I never thought I would say this, but how great an actor is Imran Hashmi!

Yes, real mature!

I am excited that boy bands are making a comeback! There's this wholesome fun in watching boys in coloured denims & gelled hair dancing in synchronised moves. There are many edgy rockstars with dark eye make-up & intense songs....I love many of them; but what's wrong with a little bit of fluff, I say!

Confession: I'm also a Glee fan **cringing**

Sunday afternoons

I love watching K jump on the bed as if it were a trampoline. The recklessness & unhindered abandon of the jump; the 'thud' of the landing; and the spontaneous giggle-fest after. Maturity is so over-rated.

The Artist

So we finally watched "The Artist". H was never keen on watching it. Its silent, its black & white, and its French; he argued. But thanks to his persistent wife, we finally watched the movie & loved it! It wasn't depressing or brooding.

It was all about angst & insecurity that is brilliantly depcited by the protagonist (without ever uttering a word; except at the end to explain the root of his angst); but there were also elements of comedy, drama, charm & romance. Never got boring for even a second.

Absolutely loved the actor - he looked & acted his part like he actually belonged to the era.

The Avengers

Its probably me getting older; action movies packed with as much action as The Avengers give me a headache. Thank God, I didn't watch it in 3-D.

Not a fan; but if they release a sequel, I'd probably still watch it.

Russell Peters in Singapore

I had no idea the guy was so huge in Singapore. The Singapore Indoor Stadium was packed to its capacity of 10,000 & he did two of these shows in Singapore; both completely sold out! What was even more surprising was how many of the audience were Singaporeans & other non-South-Asians. Maybe there is a mass appeal to being politically incorrect :)

What a laugh riot it was though....our jaws are still hurting from having laughed non-stop for an hour!

A Sabyasachi someday...

I don't own a lot of designer labels, especially when it comes to traditional Indian wear; but if there was no such thing as frugality, I would've loved to own a Sabyasachi saree. To me, his designs define the classical earthy Indian asthetic. I love how the simplicity of the designs complement their elegance; especially in a time & market where its easy to go overboard with embroidery & sequin-work. However, the fact that the Sabyasachi price tags hover in the range of Rs. 12 lacs & thereabouts, make them a no-deal for me!

The Long Distance Mother

Almost all the nannies/ domestic helpers in Singapore are Filipino women; who in most cases have families & little children of their own back home, but live in Singapore staying in strangers' homes taking care of strangers' babies as if they were their own.

Ana moved into our home & family around 4 years ago, when we found out we were expecting K. Her own kids were already grown up by then, but I've often wondered how she saw our lives. Watching a pampered single-child in Singapore with over a 100 toys in his room, must seem so wasteful, excessive & unfair to her. And yet, she seems simple-mindedly happy & content in his company; takes pride in his milestones; fusses over and worries for him when he's sick; and sulks when she drops him off at school. Meanwhile, her own 20-year-old son has come to Singapore this week & is staying with us. She can't get over the fact that her two separate worlds are finally piecing together!

Hush, hush, sweet child,
Here, let me sing you a song,
Let me rock you gently,
And hold your tiny hand.

There once was a little prince,
Who lived in a castle of gold,
He floated on clouds,
Knew no care in the world,

His smile makes a rainbow,
In a sky grey and dark,
His hand reaches hearts,
And unties its knots,

He laughs & gurgles,
Like the gushing Davao River,
Bordered by the coconut trees,
And a tiny brick house,

That land which I left,
You, a prince from another land,
You take me back there,
How do you do that?

The Water Puppet Show in Hanoi

On our way to Halong Bay, we spent a day in Hanoi and found ourselves in the middle of its crazy Old Quarters. Its a city thats thousands of years old, and looks it. If you've been to Pune, its very much like the Laxmi Road/ Peth area, but older. There are no traffic rules, there are no pedestrian footpaths & building maintenance is not a priority for people. There is however always a buzz of activity; you can't ever fault the city for being boring! Saw the Indian-style two-wheeler commute (families of four or five on one scooter) after ages & loved it :)

In the evening, we walked into the Water Puppet Show. Because TripAdvisor recommended us to do so. I thought it would be a tourist-trap, but quite liked it eventually. The themes of the puppetery was Vietnamese folk-lore; the rice harvests, the fishermen, the rural festivals, the red dragons, the children climbing trees....it kept us engaged & entertained; even had us laughing aloud on occassions. Well recommended, TripAdvisor.

The Cruise along the beautiful Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam is one of its kind. It comprises of almost 2000 little limestone islands emerging out of a green-blue ocean. They say the limestone hills are a result of millions of years of evolution & erosion by the waves & climatic conditions. Its beautiful. We took a short 2-day cruise through the bay & were mesmerised by how gorgeous and spooky an effect the cliff-n-caves landscape can create. I can honestly say, I've never seen anything like it before!

Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

I had never been on a real safari before. So it was exciting to hop into an open pick-up van driven by a wildlife ranger, equipped with nothing but a 18-year old Thai girl carrying a spotlight, setting out to explore the forests of Khao Yai. The safari started around 6 pm and as it got darker, we started realising that if a herd of wild elephants had to attack us, we could probably do nothing about it. We stuck to our narrow road running through the jungle on either sides; and passed by spooky signs like "Beware! Cobra crossing here"; with the spotlight moving through the trees while pairs of nocturnal animal eyes glittered back at us. We didn't spot any of the carnivorous wild animals though (I would've probably panicked if we did!), but got pretty darn close to some exotic variety of deer & monkeys. Adventurous enough for me :)

Weekend in Bangkok

So this is how the most bizzare day in K's life so far went:

- He started the day by making a road trip to the Sriracha Tiger Zoo near Bangkok where he held a baby tiger in his lap & bottle-fed him with tiger-mommy-milk. Although he was slightly disappointed that the cub mewed rather than roared, he did eventually say that tigers are his new favourite animals :)

- Next, he held a baby croc & agreed for the first time with his parents (that crocodiles are not cute at all.)

- After the Tiger Zoo, he went for a meal at the Robot Restaurant in Bangkok; where he punched orders into a touch-screen interface at the table and a robot (a real one too!) picked up the right sushi platters from the counter & brought them to our table. How cool was that! :)

It was like a day out of Alice in Wonderland for little K! :):)

The next day we went to Khao Yai National Park outside of Bangkok, will write a longer post about that later!

Baby's World

Kabeer is getting more inquisitive every day. He asks logical questions ("Mama, is pizza a kind of bread?"); he asks illogical questions ("Why can't tomorrow come today?"); and he asks questions for the heck of it ("Why do you say you don't know the answer to that Mama?"). But the questions mostly give us an insight into his mind & it sure is a fascinating place. Of course, its filled with race cars, airplanes & buses for now, but there's so much more in there that I can't begin to describe. Incidentally, I read this beautiful verse by Tagore & it sums up my thoughts on why having a baby is a life-changing experience - its the only way to get a glimpse of this magical world! :)

I wish I could take a quiet corner in the heart of my baby's very own world.
I know it has stars that talk to him, and a sky that stoops down to his face to amuse him with its silly clouds and rainbows.
Those who make believe to be dumb, and look as if they never could move, come creeping to his window with their stories and with trays crowded with bright toys.
I wish I could travel by the road that crosses baby's mind, and out beyond all bounds;
Where messengers run errands for no cause between the kingdoms of kings of no history;
Where Reason makes kites of her laws and flies them, the Truth sets Fact free from its fetters.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Krishnan's Dairy

Jacob Rajan is a Kiwi-Indian actor who does single-performer plays. We had watched 'The Guru of Chai' last year & were blown away by his talent. This year, we went back to watch 'Krishnan's Dairy' and were as impressed. Its far from being a monologue. To single-handedly perform 4 to 5 characters in an hour long play is far from easy; and to do so while maintaining the humour, energy & subtelty of physical traits & body language of each person he portrays; is an incredible talent. I'm a fan.

Phuket

We spent the long weekend in Phuket & celebrated H's birthday by the beach this year. Thai food, Thai sand, Thai sun, Thai massage & Thai service; all make for a great holiday.

De Vrais Mensonges (Beautiful Lies)

We caught this French romantic-comedy at the Alliance Francaise theatre in Singapore, and I'm tempted to make a few broad generalisations: Do all romantic French movies star Audrey Tautou?... and how does any sentence spoken in French or any story set in France become this romantic?

A good fun movie that's gotten me thinking all over again about how great it would be to get Audrey's pixie hair-cut. Or to live in South of France. Or both.

The Week in Taipei

I spent most of last week in Taipei on a business trip and loved the spring weather there; it was a refreshing change from the always-hot-&-humid Singapore. The people are warm, friendly & easily fascinated by Indians. The language barrier didn't come in the way of making some lovely new friends.

As with Singaporeans, the Taiwanese love bonding over food & conversations about food. So every conversation goes, "Let me take you to my favourite place for traditional dimsums/ traditional tea/ traditional Taiwanese barbeque....". I ate. A lot. And loved most of the food; lived through some of the food; and flatly refused to try some foods (like chicken testicles, duck heads & smelly tofus).

The Taipei 101 is, well, a very tall building. It's in the heart of the swanky new financial district of Taipei; which looks as uninteresting as Singapore's CBD. The old financial district on the other hand, has older office buildings, interspersed with old residences with balconies protected by iron grills; charming cafes; parked scooters; and has a lot more character. There's the odd Starbucks around the corner, but it serves a local menu of fragrant teas along with its regular menu.

The night markets of Taipei are quite fun. They sell absolutely everything under the sun (as long as its inexpensive) and are busy till almost 2 am in the morning. Of course, staying away from the smelly tofu stalls is recommended if you have a sense of smell & aren't chinese.

Hugo

I loved watching this movie. I've been in love with cinema as far back as I remember and this tribute to the movies - the art and the science of it - made me remember all over again the sense of wonder and adventure that going to the movies used to be for me growing up. Often we take technology for granted; computer-generated special effects barely impress us anymore; and the art of story-telling especially in its visual format suffers somewhat from our jaded eyes having seen it all. I smiled when I saw the sense of amazement the cinema brought to the early movie goers; it brought back memories of my first 3D experience (an Indian kiddie movie called Chota Chetan). The story of Hugo too is very aptly set in the magical world of a child.

P.S. This movie reminded me a lot of a Marathi movie we had watched a couple of years ago: Harishchandrachi Factory.

Tempura Icecream

The 'My FitnessPal' app tells me that this has 520 calories per scoop. But if there's a dessert that's worth adding calories for, then this is it! Drooling & smiling at Ichiban Boshi, Singapore.

An Equal Music

I picked up Vikram Seth's "An Equal Music" almost a month ago & read through it rather slowly. I know nothing about music & about classical music I know lesser still. So I'm afraid, this book was a little wasted on me. All the references to Schubert, The Trout quintet & fugues had to be googled before I could proceed with the book. I don't think Vikram Seth intended that for his readers. I do wish I knew more about music & I wonder if its too late to start now.

The book is not just about music though. Its about people, personalities, passions. It's written very much like a musical composition; its lyrical, poetic even, full of allegories. The dymanics of a quartet who exist only in unison, their relationship with their instruments, their pursuit of excellence, and a love story of two exquisite musicians who are imperfect people with faults & warts. The book doesn't even attempt to make the protagonist likeable; does make you respect as well as pity him for the music and passion he deeply feels. I have a feeling I would've been very engaged in this book had I known or loved music slightly more than I do.

The Singapore Airshow

Thank you Pilot A for introducing us to the world of flying! :)

A Moving Masterpiece

We went to see the exhibit of "A Moving Masterpiece" on the recommendation from a friend & we were glad we did. The exhibit is based on a 1000-year old Chinese scroll painting (a national treasure in China now) painted by the imperial painter of the Song Dynasty to depict life in the then-capital of Bian Jing. It shows life in the peak of a 'golden era' in the Song dynasty's rule. The exhibitors have blown up this painting to 30 times its size & animated the scene; complete with details of wine shops, boat quays, hotels, vendors, city wells, costumes, hairstyles, songs, chatter, and so on. Its accompanied by an audio guide which gives a lot of information on the life & times of the Song Dynasty (how a person's economic status can be told by the mode of transport he is on; impact of the travellers from the spice-growing countries of South East Asia; the status of government officials...)It's an impressive technological feat, an innovative idea, and a great way to learn about the culture and time of a bygone era. Even little K was impressed with the animated city :)

Chocolate dreams :)

This was from a charity event at work....The bank had organised an auction for art work created by under-priviliedged kids from all across Asia. I bid for this crayon-work by a 10 year old girl from India who was asked to draw her thoughts on the subject "My Hopes & Dreams". Her hand-written note at the back says that her hope is to be the master of a world made of chocolates where chocolate flows in streams and ice-cream grows on trees; and her dream is to live in a chocolate-house. We made an immediate connection there; I knew this piece of art belongs in my room :)

Another new year resolution

Sometimes we focus too much on what we don't have. Its time to focus on & cherish the wonderful things we do have.

2011 in retrospect

Last year, I started a little tradition of writing my own My World this Year post :) So keeping with this new tradition, here's the year 2011 in retrospect:

2011 was the first year when I actually kept my new years' resolution (yippie!). It involved visits to the gym (with reducing frequency, but what the hell, I take credit for going at all). It also involved my first trekking expedition (my first time away from K; that was a difficult cord to sever); my first modelling gig (!!!); some great family holidays; some memorable work trips; some interesting new friends; reconnecting with some dear old friends; settling into the new home - -it was a busy year. It was also a tough year in many ways, but we did a good job of keeping our chin up.

The uncertainty at work still exists; but its affecting me far less now. The financial crisis has made me give destiny a free hand in determining where I'll go professionally; I'm not too fussed anymore.

Watching my dad's health deteriorate has been tough for me & my family. There are days I'm thankful I'm miles away from the chaos he wields on others in my family; and there are days I really miss being with my family. After all those teenage years of complaining about why my parents get to call all the shots; I've realised that being in charge is not all that glamorous. I miss being able to pin all my shortcomings on them! :)

This year, K grew up into a little boy. Not a baby, not a toddler, but a little boy. He makes his own decisions; succumbs to peer pressure more easily than I would like; wants to be a fireman; gives the best kisses ever; loves all things 'grown-up'; and has been pestering us for a bicycle. To our great disappointment, he's also become a Justin Beiber fan. I look back fondly at the days when he used to love Barney & Elmo.

My resolution for the new year: To skype home as frequently as possible.

Scary things K has picked up

- K has picked up the word "shoot" (from friends at school, I guess) and uses it in all the wrong ways (I'll shoot the car into the wall; the elephant shooted water with its trunk; and so on). It's scary. Even though on a daily basis he continues to be a peace-loving child.

- K was told by an older girl in school that only babies wear diapers & grown-ups wear "panties". So he asked his dad to buy some panties for him. The dad, as expected, was aghast. (Incidentally, when K says he likes the colour pink, even that makes his dad uncomfortable).

- K has a plastic handphone. He clicks pretend-pictures on the phone & says aloud, "Let me put them on Facebook now". This is scary because at 2 if he knows about this, how long is it going to be before he expects us to give him a real iPhone? We've tried telling him about the value of money, but he insists that money is not a problem, its always available in an ATM.

A portrait of the man in a tie

The man in a Ferragamo tie,
With ironed pleated trousers,
And a jacket to match,
Loafers made of animal hide,
And a shiny metal watch.

A thumb rolling over the Blackberry scroller,
Eyes speed-reading an email,
While he quibbles on his phone,
About two basis-points,
That could cost dollars million & half.

Confident he'll meet his ambition,
He's been successful so far,
He's a man of aspiration,
I'm not quite convinced however,
That he knows what his aspirations are.

The lap of luxury is a gluey lap,
He worries about being able to stay high,
To maintain that abundance,
Although only a few years ago,
He wasn't acquainted with it at all.

A leader; a grabber of opportunities,
He's loved for his charm & suave.
And he lives it up high,
The fruition of five long days,
In a weekend of unfettered verve.

When the suit is off though,
A naked man stands in front of the mirror.
Before he learnt to live life with staidness,
He had knocked the ball that smashed the neighbour's window,
That impetous boy without the tie.

Gulzar

Attended an evening of poetry with the legendary Gulzaar at Singapore's Esplanade theatre & was absolutely blown away. Alongside Gulzar, was another writer - Pavan Varma - who has translated some of Gulzar's work into English. And although the english translation almost never had the same quality of expression, we were thankful for it in any case; mainly because it served as a guide for some heavy-weight urdu vocabulary (not a strength of mine).

I was apprehensive at first. Despite all my love for poetry, I'm far from being a master of urdu and wasn't sure of what to expect from an urdu poet. I went in with expectations of songs of love, longing, chaand, mohabbat and shikwa. I was pleasantly surprised though with the range of topics Gulzar has written about. There was a verse called "kitabe" about forgotten books; a gem of a verse about a diary full of incomplete verses like stubbed cigerrettes; about nature & the environment; about a grimy pub in Mumbai; about the charms of the afternoons in old Dilli, there was a beautiful little verse about RD Burman called "Pancham"; and he ended with a verse I completely loved, titled "Meghna" which spoke about his experience of his daughter giving birth to his grand-son (It got me teary-eyed to hear of a father's tumult at watching his little girl become a woman; a mother; going through the pains of labour.)

Admittedly, its not easy listening to poetry being read aloud. You need time to take it in, ruminate over the words, build the imagery, and by the time you've done all that, you've probably missed the train of verse the poet is reading. Gulzar was a patient reader & allowed us enough time to digest every sentence. And seeing the poetry through the eyes of the poet himself; hearing his views & origins of the thoughts; was a treat. Having said that, I can't wait to get my hands on the book & re-read the verses in my own time & on my own sofa.

Kopi & Teh

I was first introduced to the local Singaporean coffee and tea around 4 years ago, by some friends at work. A hot beverage with condensed milk & loads of sugar - -it was revolting at first & I continued to rely on my exhorbitant cup of Starbucks on most mornings. But over the period of time, I've learnt how to make the best of my local coffee or tea. The important thing is to ask for the right thing.

The regular Teh Tarik is excessively sweet for my liking. The Teh-C-Kosong comes with no sugar and with evaporated milk; rather than condensed milk. Then you ask for Teh Halia which comes with ginger; and you've got yourself something pretty close to the Indian chai. This I like.

For coffee, firstly I always ask for Kopi-Po which is not as strong as regular Kopi. Then you ask for Kopi-C-Kosong i.e. with evaporated milk and no sugar. I'm still not a fan of this coffee, but I have to say the kopi-flavour grows on you over time.

The terminology is complex - its Malay, infused with Hokkien, infused with Singlish. And I guess no foreigner ever gets the right tea/coffee the first time. Its a process of trial & error. The rabbit hole is full of new & interesting things if you're adventurous enough.

Kumari - The Living Goddess

So this was the first time I ever heard of the Living Goddess Kumari. It seemed fine (somewhat) in theory - a young girl is an image of the divine female energy which gave birth to the universe. And in any case, there are many who believe that the divine resides in all of us; so I didn't think it odd that the Nepalis worship a Living Goddess.

But then we visited the Living Goddess' home (Kumari Ghar) in Kathmandu's royal palace. And as we set foot in that home, I couldn't believe that this was the home of a 5-year old. The 'palace' is ancient, stuffy...it was a dark, dingy temple rather than a home in the first place. We never actually got to see Kumari (foreigners are not allowed to enter her room or seek her blessings); but I could picture a 5-year old girl sitting with a painted face, away from her parents, blessing believers who bowed to her feet. And I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in that little girl's head. Does she believe in her own divinity; does she feel burdened with this responsibility of national welfare at the age of 5; does she wish she could run in the fields or does she feel superior to the kids who run in the fields or is she oblivious of the 'normal' life that other kids have; does she feel anxious that she will turn into a mortal once she reaches puberty; does she crave for her mother's hug?

The parents who get their daughters to 'contest' the selection process to become a Kumari obviously think of it as a privilege to have their little girl selected as a Goddess. But the mother must feel a tug at her heart when she sends off her precious little girl to a temple in the custody of unknown priests who perform secret rituals to her baby. The whole idea of that beautiful little girl in that temple made me shudder!

Trekking in Nepal

Me & 17 girls from work went spent last week in Nepal & it was such an adventure! We pushed boundaries....physically its the longest I've walked & steepest I've climbed. We camped in tents, huddled in sleeping bags, found innovative toilet solutions in the wild, battled the leeches that got to some of us, walked downhill in slippery monsoony terrain and saw the most beautiful of sights along the way.

We started the trek from Kathmandu & our first campside was in Chisapani. We woke up at 5.30 am in the morning to watch this glorious sunrise & I couldn't imagine anything prettier then.That was until 2 days later when we reached Nagarkot, once again we were up at 5.45 am & in front of us was a valley at the other end of which were the Northern Himalayan range crossing across the Eastern range & a beautiful golden sun rising from the right & lighting up the right side of the peaks in the Northern range. It was a sight of such beauty, it left 18 girls speechless!We were girls from 9 different countries, confident, self-made, strong, funny, bubbly. We had a great time being together. Ofcourse, we also got a lot of attention :) There were Israeli trekkers chatting us up, there were Indian tourists asking us if they could add us as friends on facebook & there were Nepali shopkeepers willing to give us steep discounts. But these are the men who stole our hearts...our sherpas! Our strong, chivalrous & ever-attentive guides, who were the most earnest college kids earning some extra bucks during the Dashain (Dasera) holidays! We made many Nepali friends in our week there. But we met our most adorable new friends on our second day in Nagarkot. We went to a village school for which we had raised money in singapore to buy shoes, stationary & a new computer. We played & danced with the kids all morning; and fell in love with their bright eyes, runny noses & pahadi cheeks! I missed Kabeer the most that day :-(And finally, the beauty of the mountains was unbelievable. The sight of the snow-capped peaks is a privilege that my city-eyes are going to cherish for a long time to come!

My Wonderland

We found this Chinese antique store in Singapore & I love shopping there. I like going there on weekends just to have a look. We have already got a lot of stuff from the store & sometimes I wish for a bigger apartment just so that I could fit some more of these pretty things in. I know it sounds insane, but how great is this 60-year old elm cabinet!

A Madrasi in Singapore

We were in Chennai this weekend. For just two days - Saturday & Sunday. And on Monday morning, K spills his milk and goes,"Aiyo!" :)

The Red Dress Poetry

I absolutely LOVE this piece of poetry - I love it for its complete lack of inhibition. I love the paradox: you hear the voice of a feminist but one who sees herself through the eyes of men; who is fearless enough to flaunt her desires but you wonder about the shallowness of her self-image; who wants to show how little she cares about men but finds it difficult to actually do so; who can start sentences with "I want" and end them with nothing more important than (or something as important as) "a flimsy & cheap red dress". Its about any/every modern woman in so many ways, don't you think so? Makes you wonder whether modern-day feminism is something to celebrate or deplore or both.

"What Do Women Want?"
by Kim Addonizio

I want a red dress.
I want it flimsy and cheap,
I want it too tight, I want to wear it
until someone tears it off me.
I want it sleeveless and backless,
this dress, so no one has to guess
what's underneath. I want to walk down
the street past Thrifty's and the hardware store
with all those keys glittering in the window,
past Mr. and Mrs. Wong selling day-old
donuts in their café, past the Guerra brothers
slinging pigs from the truck and onto the dolly,
hoisting the slick snouts over their shoulders.
I want to walk like I'm the only
woman on earth and I can have my pick.
I want that red dress bad.
I want it to confirm
your worst fears about me,
to show you how little I care about you
or anything except what
I want. When I find it, I'll pull that garment
from its hanger like I'm choosing a body
to carry me into this world, through
the birth-cries and the love-cries too,
and I'll wear it like bones, like skin,
it'll be the goddamned
dress they bury me in.

A thing of beauty

This gorgeous creature is our unofficial new pet. It comes to our condo with a bunch of it's friends in the evenings to snack on the little cookie crumbs that our security guard leaves for them. Sometimes they come in twos, sometimes in fours. Some days they don't show up at all. Upon some google-based research, I found out that these birds are the "Oriental pied-hornbills" and are listed as 'Critically Endangered' in the Red List of threatened animals of Singapore. This makes our cladestine chance meetings with these birds even more precious!

The "Kabeer-should-learn-Hindi" project

H & I converse in English with each other & use Marathi as a "secret-language" in Singapore (when I want to say something nasty about someone in that person's presence or H needs to tell me its K's diaper which is stinking up a crowded room, we switch to Marathi). H has accepted generally that Hindi has little relevance in our household, but often gets bouts of "I would be betraying my roots if my son can't speak my mother-tongue" paranoia. So the "Kabeer-should-learn-Hindi" project has started multiple times, each time lasting about 2 sentences before H switches back to English.

ps: Meanwhile, Kabeer has mastered Mandarin & his Laoshi tells us that he speaks Mandarin better than the Chinese kids in her class. The irony is not funny.

The holiday

Before I had a chance to recover from the jetlag of the NY trip, we headed out to the US again. On holiday this time. And to the other coast.

It was all about family reunions in the cities (H's brother's family lives near LA; met with my cousin golfing goddesses in Vegas after I don't know how many years & then met with my cousins-I-grew-up-with in San Francisco & took a road trip to Monterey). As Indian family reunions go, a lot of great food was consumed in every city (the food in San Fran was outstanding, and in LA we dined at Robert DeNiro's fine dining restaurant one evening - how Hollywood :))

We spent the next week in the mountains: first in Yosemite & then in Napa. Yosemite was gorgeous and I feel like I've seen heaven now! There was a moment in our bike ride when we came face-to-face with a baby deer & its going to be one of the most beautiful moments of my life. The cliffs, the meadows, the waterfalls, the sun, the nippy breeze, the pines, the rocks....I have 600-odd pictures on my camera! The weekend in Napa was about, what else but wine, wine, and wine :) I can actually tell the difference between two kinds of wine now! That's a victory of sorts.Had a great time and have come back inspired & happy; as holidays should make you feel!

Movies watched in the-longest-flight-ever

Midnight in Paris - I really enjoyed it, although it borders on cheesy (before going back to being charming).

Water for Elephants - Could've been an epic love story, but isn't. Definitely isn't.

Limitless - Your staple Hollywood thriller stuff.

Source Code - Firstly, how great is Jake Gyllenhall. The movie is interesting as well. A thriller with a twist & the ability to make you wonder.

Kungfu Panda 2 - Awesomeness.