Gold Coast Day2 - Target Sea World

Come share with me the oceans
Oceans of fantasy
Where you can lose your soul forever
Like in a melody
                          - BoneyM

The next day we were wiser, we managed to take the Public bus to Sea World. My kinda place. These are some of the sea creatures I learnt about:
About the Nautilus: Its shell is said to be a perfect spiral.

Sea World has many such impressive models

The Blue Whale : An endangered species, it is found in the North Pacific and North Atlantic. They are rarely stranded on beaches and only 21 skeletons have been recovered.

A rare skeleton of the Blue Whale

The Gulper Eel : A small but menacing creature, it has a huge mouth hanging open, to gulp any prey that swims by.
The Turtle: One of the most ancient creatures alive, fossil records show that they date back to 220 million years ago.
The Sunfish: It swims near the surface of the sea, hence is mistaken for a shark when its huge dorsal fin peeps out of the water.
The Whale Shark : Is the biggest fish known. These gentle giants feed on plankton food.

You can take a tour of what the place has to offer. You can see the Polar bears roaming lazily, penguins swimming languidly.

Happy feet are here again...

In the huge lagoon system you will find a variety of Fish, Rays and sharks swimming past you. The Dolphin show was awe inspiring.

High high up in the sky

The kids enjoyed the trail of the creatures of the Deep, marking up what they learnt, in the booklet provided on site. Then we hit the rides.

A useful tip : Always take your raincoats to Amusement Parks, you are bound to get wet in one ride or another.
Everyone but me enjoyed the Storm Coaster, a bit too steep for my liking. I enjoyed the water fight on the pirate boat themed Castaway Bay. The Jet Rescue ride was the speediest ride of our lives to date.

                                                                  The Storm Coaster

The evening became more picturesque at sunset, as we made our way back to the city, and headed to the Megastore Target. Bought shoes, clothes and clicked some that I felt were out of the ordinary!

This pair of boots can keep an Eskimo warm

Moo Moo Shoe

Gargantuan store

Gold Coast Day 1 - with the Movie World Stars

I'm not an actor I'm not a star

I don't even have my own car..

But I'm hoping so much you'll stay

That you will love me anyway...

                                             - Michael Learns To Rock

The city buses plying to Warner Brothers' Movie World, which is quite at the end of town, make their last trip before midday. This was a surprise to us, Gold Coast being a tourist city. We were about to make a return to The Meriton, disappointed, but to save the day, I insisted we pay A$ 50 to the cab and we finally made it. The cabby bantered along about how he dreamed of coming to Australia, and he now even owns a farm house though a bit far from the main city. He seemed so happy living his dream it looked like, while we gave him chunks of info about life in our Singapore. 

                   Okay, we finally were greeted by gigantic rides at the entrance, Arkham Asylum, Superman Ride which turns you upside down, so we enjoyed them from far, amused ourselves with riders' screaming thrilled. What we enjoyed was the Scooby Do ride, but not the long queue due to School holidays. The wait was not too bad though, because you can click photos around some scary characters, like fiery eyed ghouls, watch a Scooby Do movie and just look around the various statues meant to scare, like knights in metallic body-suits who open their mouths suddenly. Then there was the roller coaster for kids, but Tweety was disappointed because she could not ride the bigger rides. You can have fun at the 3D ride Justice League, watch fast cars at Hollywood Stunt Driver show. The 4D movie Rio was colourful but the only 4D effects I remember are the bursts of wind in your nape and the chairs shaking.

     Eating options too are not plenty, especially when you are vegetarian. We had the regular fare of burgers and fries. They made us vegetarian patty for the burger, really appreciate that. Then we had the parade of the movie characters. Tweety enjoyed meeting her namesake, the teen was enthralled by Batman. That was about it, because they start to shut down by 5 pm. Even the sun refused to work after 5....

 

Gold Coast Day 0

Circle in the sand round and round
Never ending love is what we found...
And you complete the heart of me
Our love is all we need...
                               -Belinda Carlisle

SG 50 shines in the Changi International Airport

New Zealand with its picturesque terrain was where we wanted to go first. For a while now, Tweety wanted to go to Australia, why? To buy a Boomerang. So we finally settled for the Fun Capital of the world, Gold Coast.
After looking at all the flights, we settled for Scoot, since it took us directly to the Coolangatta Airport. It was only later that we realized that we had the 'lacy frilly' flights operating direct to Brisbane, just 100 km from Gold Coast. Oh well, the only difficulty was the long queues at the Immigration counter. The officers' friendliness was touching.

We opted for a Ten-day Pass that allowed us to use the Shuttle to the Theme Parks and Public transport except the Tram. Alas, since we were to book the Shuttle a day in advance, we never got to use it, since we were never sure of what time we were actually gonna make it out of the House!

So the Shuttle dropped us to our pre-booked Apartments at Meriton, Broad Beach. At the pleasantly appointed Reception, we were welcomed and asked for our advanced payment. Happily, we offered the Credit card, and to our chagrin, payment was declined. A few more tries, and a cold sweat started forming, since we had just a few hundred dollars in hard cash. A left to get more cash at a near by ATM, and the kids patiently sat in the cold morning, asking what happened, not getting  a proper reply. About half an hour later, "hard luck", the card was blocked. In a new country, dealing with total strangers, my mind raced as to whom we would call for help. I wonder why the term 'Bank Transfer' never occurred to me. Then we fished out another card, broken right in the middle. Wonder of Wonders, the card worked. We went to our apartment. As if to make up for this morning mishap, we were upgraded to a 3 Bedroom apartment instead of the 2 BHK we booked, no extra cost.

Broad Beach - View from our spacious Balcony

The view from the Balcony was splendid. The rooms clean, the toilets shone. I wondered then, as to what the difference is, between a Hotel and an apartment, except for the lack of a restaurant, which were in plenty, just a few steps away from the apartment. When you stay for 11 days like we did, it pays to have a Kitchenette, a Dish washer, a Washing Machine and the like, and it felt so much more private than a Hotel! The kids were too happy not having to share their room with each other.

      We freshened up and left for breakfast at the nearby Mall. The restaurant was called Marigold. We had parathas, tea, sandwiches and omelettes, after which we shopped for some food stuff. The Public buses to Movie World had left for the day, which was a bit surprising, it being just midday.

    So we made our way to the Surfers Paradise, lively and bustling with surfers, tourists and shoppers. We bought a pair of shoes at Cotton On, watched the Sea Gulls on the beach (yeah gulls not girls).

Sea gull you fly...across the horizon..into the misty morning sun....(BAD COMPANY)

 It got dark as early as 5.30 pm, we passed by interesting places like Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not. But, believe it or not, the kids were not keen to go explore, so we called it a day after some more shopping at Lovisa.

Please wait, more family fun awaits on Day 1!

Hither Cometh The Bard of Avon

Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
Full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
                             - Shakespeare in Macbeth

These were probably the first lines of Shakespeare that I learnt from my beloved English teacher in high school. In primary school I had even tried reading an oil-red hard-bound book of the Bard, generously loaned to me by my childhood friend. Alas! Not a line understood because it was the original script, with medieval English, and after struggling with a page or two, I returned the book.
Door Darshan beamed Shakespeare's Plays every Saturday afternoons - I am sure nobody remembers! And any number of attempts would not get me past the speed and accent of the seemingly beautiful  dialogues of the talented actors in their medieval costumes, with all their grace and style.
And then here and there I did read abridged and adapted stories of the 'Taming of the Shrew', 'A Midsummer Night's Story', etc  but honestly the stories did not leave much impact on me, except my recent reading of 'Macbeth' which I felt was too dark and gory, and my teen had it as a high-school text!

Thus, it was with some reluctance that I agreed to go watch Shakespeare in the Park, 'The Tempest' to be exact. A hot day had turned into a breezy evening when we reached Mt Faber Park.

Balmy but breezy evening

The hubby's office guys, bless them,  had arranged a cozy corner for the lucky few who turned up, with picnic mats and a reference book. We packed our picnic basket with potato chips, salad and dip,  and dinner too. And settled down as the lights went up and the Creative Director welcomed us warmly, and off he went to let Prospero and Miranda take the stage by storm...

The Creative Director working hard to keep the arts alive

'The Tempest' is the last Play by Shakespeare, written just before his retirement. The only story he wrote out of his imagination, rather than based on a historical event or building up on a story told by someone else.

Prospero, the Duke of  Milano, whose throne was wrongfully usurped by his brother Antonio, takes the help of magic and the spirits to avenge the wrongdoing.
 The play begins on the deck of a ship at sea, amidst a raging tempest. On board the ship are the traitors Antonio and his cronies, the King of Naples and his brother, along with a butler, a Councillor  and others. But this is a storm created by the magical powers of  Prospero, who wishes to punish his traitors, but has actually protected them from any real harm, and hidden the ship under a charm.

The magnificently designed giant stage is set...for a magical evening

Amidst  this main plot is the spirit Ariel, who spins her magic as well as music, to help Prospero in his mission. Prospero has a beautiful daughter Miranda, who is in love with Ferdinand, son to the King of Naples. In a typical Indian movie style, Prospero asks Ferdinand to do odd jobs to test his love for Miranda. The love story finally does have a happy ending.

There is another treacherous plot by Sebastian, brother of the King Alonso, to murder Alonso and usurp the throne of Naples, but there is the spirit Ariel to stop the wrongdoers, with her spells and mesmerizing music. To add to the eeriness is Caliban, half man and half fish, vowing not to serve Prospero first, but finally realizes that he is his true master worthy of serving.
If you are now reeling in confusion, its time to read the Play.

A touch of humour and a lilting score of music accompanies the dialogues in every act. Even in such a historic setting, the producers of the Play managed to sneak in special effects wherever magic and spirits were involved.

The spirits and humans both take a bow

In the end when the traitors are brought together to face the grave consequences of their crime, Ariel, the seemingly blithe spirit seeks compassion for them, and Prospero actually forgives them! Prospero here is not just a King who has been wronged, but is a real Hero in my opinion, fits into the mould of a kind and brave King, a compassionate father who cares for his daughter and tests her lover, punishes his brother for treason but at the same time protects him from real harm! He even stops the nymphs and reapers in a dance sequence, saying that their dance movement had lost its innocence, asks his daughter and her lover to exercise restraint before they are wedded...ever the traditional gentleman...Or
Should we say A Raymonds Man?

Even after the curtains went down...the spirits were high

PS : When I ask them about their interest to watch a Play or a show, friends often say "Singapore is full of such events". Well in that case, friends, why not start somewhere!

SEA Games 2015 - Sports Experience for All!

Wow what a festival that was...the just concluded 28th South East Asian (SEA) Games! We live just a bridge across the Iconic Indoor Stadium. We have been following this gigantic monument ever since its inception, well almost. Because my husband's Company was involved in the engineering of this Super-dome. We remember fondly when the Stadium was thrown open to the public of Singapore, with people thronging to it dressed in Red. We took a tour around, we participated in the numerous sports and fitness events like Zumba, Kick-boxing, and other sports for kids too.

The National Stadium...Iconic

The festive atmosphere was evident around the Stadium, which was the main venue for the events. What with the mushrooming of kids' stalls for "Walking on water", Climbing walls, Trampolines , Laser Tag and such. It being the Holidays for local schools, the queues were long, but the kids patient. The evenings were resplendent with stage shows, and we even had our Desi Bhangra show once.

Go child! Scale great heights!!

In spite of the ticket sales being advertised months ago, we did not have the foresight to book tickets to our favourite sports, and a fortnight before the Games began, I desperately scanned the websites, looking for tickets for Swimming, Gymnastics....Anything...but they teasingly said 'Sold Out".

Nila the Mascot waiting for the next day's events

 We followed the opulent Opening Ceremony on the telly. We ran to the kids' bedroom to catch the fireworks on various nights, including the trials. We only sighed and discussed with friends how come they are so cool even with no tickets...

And then one fine evening, we did land up at the Stadium, where we watched the Hurdles, Heptathlon and cheered hoarse at the Relay Races! The last time I remember watching a tournament was during school days when my beloved mother played Table Tennis for CFTRI! Relived those memories with the kids...munched potato chips, took photographs, and came home.

May the flags of friendship fly high...

As the winners were announced, and their National anthems played, their tears ran down their cheeks and it was all I could do to control my tears too! The names of the winners? All are listed in the official website.I remember Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia vying for the medals that evening.

It ain't Diwali yet...the bridge near the Stadium is lit up 

And the real winner is...this ultra smart camera!!!

Of course, we had to catch the scintillating Closing ceremony on TV too.
And just when I thought maybe next time we will be prompt in buying tickets in advance, I saw that the next SEA Games are going to be hosted by Malaysia...

A Sunday at Suntec

When the sun shines on the mountain
And the night is on the run
Its a new day Its a new way
And I fly up to the Sun(Tec City)
                                       - George Baker, Paloma Blanca

Suntec City is huge. Five towers make for Suntec. Retail plus Convention Halls. It is the closest to Tanjong Rhu for H&M Kids wear, because they (H&M) have no kids' wear at Kallang Wave Mall. Options abound for Indoor Kids Playground. Polliwog, Cool de Sac are our favourites. You have a couple more I understand, but these two are where we frequently visit, and we came here to decide which of these would be our chosen venue for Tweety's birthday party. It is still a couple of months away, but since we could not get a booking last year, we wasted no time this year. Both of these have attractive offers for all-inclusive birthday packages but we finally chose one two days ago!

I previously published a few lines on the Swiss restaurant with a farmhouse feel to it, the March'e.
I finally got to give it a visit with A and Tweety. The first time I went there was with a dear friend, where we ordered rolled oats, potato salad and some juices. This time it was the popular Rosti with a variety of creamy sauces to go along. A simple dish, fit for us vegetarians minus any beef or seafood. Shredded potato cooked in butter and turned the sunny side up. Will be trying this at home for sure, with my own creative tweaks...

 I get the feeling of being in a market on a Swiss mountain, although only Baden and Zurich are as far as I have been in Surreal Switzerland. Maybe its the carefully controlled lighting and the air-conditioning too?



You can fill your bowl with all the salad you can!

 Heaps of buns of all grains imaginable, greet you. The usher hands over a card which is swiped when you choose food at any counter and you finally pay at the exit. Mounds of fresh vegetables, along-with bowls full of roasted potato, soups and and salad items beckon to you on the right side, while pasta and pizzas are sizzling on the left side.



I should try meats one day soon

You move along to the ample seating areas where drinks and desserts are displayed. The central place is for freshly cooked Rosti , rolled oats and  roasted meats.
When it comes to desserts, need I say more? There's your diet plan going down the drain, while you gorge on carrot cakes, chocolate cakes and fruit pies. They even tempted me with fondue but restraint prevailed and I settled for one piece of pie on each visit...




I saw potatoes getting grated and pan-cooked - Rosti

Our picky eater chose garlic bread and nothing else. I ate the bruschetta that you see along :)


Garlic bread and bruschetta - among the lower priced items



Sinful desserts, so European

Typical Swiss products you see in the Zurich Airport



Oops these poor fish drowned in ice?

They have even managed to tuck in a tiny kids' play area, with a cow that kids can milk!

 

Burrp...we are ready for some more shopping now :) Promotions are always on at H&M, and I know not when all the garments I bought will be used. But the surprise du le jour was the IT Exhibition at the Convention Halls where we won some free gifts and bought a Sound Box we did not need...We went home late in the evening but not after a cup of hot filter coffee and some piping hot Idli-Vada at Saraavana Bhavan at the basement, since we saw much and ate just a bit at the Swiss wonder :)

Thus went a Sunday at Suntec.

 

Feedback helps

As the nation slowly comes to terms with the loss of its Founding father, it is a good time to look back in gratitude at some of my experiences of the excellent work processes and ethics here.

The gloom in the air slowly lifts...

This Friday I was waiting for the postman.

Please Mr Postman look n see...

if there's a letter, a letter for me..[The Carpenters]

Waiting for a small registered article from India. How did I know he was coming on Friday? Because I got a note in my mail-box ten days ago, that we missed the delivery. We had a choice to either collect it, have it redelivered or have it delivered at any other Post Office of my convenience. Not having read the delivery note properly, I fretted for many days wondering how to go to the Post Office without spending twenty odd dollars in the cab, or without spending time changing buses to go to the PO. It was then that I decided to call up the Post Office, and the friendly assistants there bowled me over asking when I would want the item delivered again, and if there was anything else they could assist me with. And no, we do not charge you anything for redelivering it….what!!! Unbelievable.

It pays to give a feedback…

When I am impressed with a shop or a product, I compliment the store keeper. Similarly, when I am not satisfied, I give a feedback too.

Once I sent pictures of an item to a popular hypermarket, saying that it was expired on the day I bought it, meaning it should not have been there on the shelf itself. They promptly wrote back that that was an isolated incident and I would get a full refund. I did, on my next visit. Another time when I was not satisfied with a product, I had a discussion with the store and they dropped a $5 voucher in my drop-box, for my feed-back. This reminds me of another incident back in India…

 My favourite brand of Digestive biscuits turned out to be not as crisp as they were supposed to be. Since theirs is such a popular brand in India, I wrote to them. In a few days I got a phone call from them asking for more details which I gladly gave. Thanking me and apologising for the inconvenience, she took my address, saying she would send a representative to get more details from me. I was very reluctant to go on and on about it, but she played Santa! She sent me a gift hamper, full of their yummy products. But let me point out here that the representative simply said to sign on a piece of paper stating my comments, which I did. He was about to go away, and only when I asked him why exactly he needed me to sign, he produced the hamper which was rightfully mine…what did that mean? He wanted to take my signature of receipt and keep the hamper for himself? Ouch. If only he had asked me I would have gladly given it to him, thinking that his need was perhaps greater than mine.

There is a feeling that you are helping someone improve, by not being silent, by not simply giving up on a particular product. Do share some of the results of your feedback friends.

Of Prayer Meets & Tasty treats

Kitchen Disaster management skills learnt in 2013 , dear friends...
             
   My cousins wondered what had come over me, when I informed them of the prayer meets I attend and host, and of the Bhagawad Gita sessions I am attending. Well, I have the time now to get a little spiritual, combined with the chance to meet people in this country where I have no close relatives to call my own.

                So, yesterday I offered to host our weekly prayer meet at my humble abode. I wanted to host a brunch party for this group since Diwali days but could not, because I had other parties to host and attend. Much against yourself, you tend to count how many parties you have been invited to, or your child has been to. That, I guess, totals your popularity ratings, which I never measured in India! Too busy working, to be involved in such trivia!

                Also since my husband’s birthday was round the corner, I had ordered part of the brunch over the phone, on a hitherto unknown caterer. But two days prior to the event, he feigned ignorance when I asked him if all was well with my order. “Which order, I get so many”, he went on in a rather unprofessional tone. That made me so jittery, I did not dare to inform my guests there would be brunch awaiting them after the prayers hah!

                The day finally dawned, after a night full of dreams of me drowning in the sea. I awoke breathing heavily, wondering who would drown me…two names that came to my mind – my helper, my caterer.

Well the caterer only partially drowned me, by overcharging me. But the drowning done by my helper was more damaging. She drew a blank when I asked her why I was not informed that the flour I needed for preparing the offering was finished, why my tea was not prepared as usual in the morning, why even after demonstrating how the brinjals should be cut, they were not done properly, etc. In fact, I had a premonition the previous evening itself, when I asked her to post an envelope in Block N. It went thus :

 “Which block did I say?"

“M”.

“No. What’s written on the envelope?”

No response.  I repeat. Then again “N”. She giggles with pleasure.

Again I ask “which block?”

“M”.

I stood dumbfounded...It was a miracle how she finally managed to put it in the right mailbox. How do I know? I asked the recipient.

Like I said, at 9 am, one hour before the guests were to arrive, I went to the kitchen and found the flour was almost finished. Speechless, I prepared how much ever I could, out of the last bowlfuls of flour. (I am also known for making food enough for double the number of guests each time.) The sugar needed to be ground but since I was running out of time and patience was running thin, I poured coarse sugar into it, poured unlimited ghee and raisins and emptied it into the big silver bowl which my parents so lovingly gifted this time they visited. Then the other offering of yoghurt, honey, milk, banana and ghee was prepared, the Panchamrit (Nectar of 5 ingredients). The Mandir was decorated hurriedly with chrysanthemum bunches bought from my favourite Giant Hypermarket the previous day.

Okay, all done, myself bedecked too, in Indian clothes from top to toe, albeit I forgot the bindi. The silver lamps were lit, and the first guest arrived at 10 am sharp. We waited ten minutes more and then started the chants when more guests arrived.
Prayers over, time for brunch! We sat around the dining table and shared bisibele bhaath (hot spicy dish of rice, lentils and vegetables), Masala vadas (deep fried spicy snack) and kesari bhaath (sweet dish of semolina). Finished with cups of hot tea while it rained outside. Some left, some lingered on while we chatted about this and that. Time passed quickly and gaily, in-spite of a guest who wiped her wet hands on my cream-coloured sofa and my white cushion. No amount of hinting helped here.

                Finally the time came to bid them adieu, and I slumped into my chair, relaxed and relieved it went well, in-spite of two of God’s creations conspiring to ‘drown’ me.

                So! Like I said, should I keep the prayer and the brunch invites separate when my human resources are not so resourceful? Or carry on, because 'All is Well that Ends Well'?

A weekend of Indian goods & Thai foods

Horse for your display case 

Avoided all the exhibitions of Indian goods last season. Me thought it was a waste of money and since we are on foreign shores, why not invest in the local stuff? But the shopping bug and the marketing strategy they employed got the better of me, so went along with a friend to the Swimming Club "just to see what they have". Just that morning we discussed among friends that any amount of material goods will not give a person happiness till he is happy inside. Well I am happy inside, so I shopped wisely I daresay!










Useful zip bags for saree storing at SGD 10 each

An Indian kurti at a reasonable price

I remember the time when we landed here two years ago, when I shopped at the Singapore Expo Halls for gift items for Diwali. The prices were quite competent, contrary to our expectations. Looking forward to go there again to bring you more updates...

Friday evening was Cinderella time...A Family Movie package at Filmgarde Kallang costs SGD 56 with two bags of popcorn and a choice of two drinks. Though people would claim they are going for their kids, its heart-warming for the adults too, to see how a poor little girl grins and bears it all, with "kindness and courage". Two words that stuck to me for an entire day...

Then it was Thai time. Down the stairs at Thai Express. While the kids are not very experimental with Asian cuisine, we ordered our usual favourites, vegetarian of course.

The first order was tender coconut water, quite distinct in flavour from our Indian variety.
Followed with fried Taro with cashew nuts. Then came pineapple rice, finished with a dessert of Mango with sweet glutinous rice and coconut milk. We never feel overfed or bloated with vegetarian Thai food, what do you think, do write in.

Presented in style: The humble coconut water

I am reminded of my trip long ago, to beautiful Baden, Switzerland. There was a Thai restaurant opposite to the Hotel I stayed. The restaurateur, a pretty Asian lady welcomed me and I had a dinner of rice and piping hot Thai style curried vegetables in a coconut gravy. Slurp! And that too in the cold wintry Swiss evenings. But alas, it was only when I tried being more adventurous the next night and asked for a chicken dish that I had to tell her I was suddenly not hungry and could she pack it?
"Not nice?"
"Uhm, its ok..."
And her face fell...she packed the food and I ran out to the restaurant of my Hotel, and managed to get some dry bread and cheese. He charged me peanuts maybe because that was hardly a meal...oh the travails of Indian diners travelling out of India!



All our lives, we South Indians have had coconut water sold mostly on the roadside, where we parked our cars after hot journeys, waited while the coconut seller hacked away at the coconuts, put the straw in with his not-so-clean hands while we haggled for a discount based on whether the water was sweet or bland. He then hacked out a 'spoon' for us, off the shell, to eat the flesh of the coconut. Then for the first time in the stylish Alkapuri, Baroda, we saw chilled coconut water since Gujarat was mostly hot throughout the year.

Never thought Taro or our "Arbi" in Hindi was so versatile!  What you see here is Taro, roasted cashew nut and bell pepper, all tossed in a flavourful sweet-hot sauce, with fried red chillies.



Fried Taro with cashew nut: Pueak Himmapan

Pineapple rice: Khao Phat Supparod Phak

 We loved the combination of the Taro dish with the rice dish. The dessert was passable since the Mango was not sweet and we felt that the coconut milk could have been chilled instead of warm. Whenever we order their coconut ice-cream we wonder why we never make it in Mysore, with its abundant coconuts. We once had their signature dessert - a combination of coconut ice-cream, roasted peanuts, orange sweet-potato and glutinous rice. Yum. Do they still have it on their menu?

Our dessert of mango, sticky rice and coconut milk: Khao Niao Mamuang

 Sunday was a day of engagements after Tweetie's Gymnastics by the beach, followed by a rushed lunch and a birthday party where kids frolicked in the pool, inside what is called 'Hamster Balls'...oh what can they think of next, in the kids' entertainment world...remember our own childhood where birthday parties meant cake and snacks for most?

But the highlight of the weekend was a soulful rendering of Carnatic classical music, by a very talented lady visiting Singapore. Again a trip down memory lane since the songs were what we learnt as kids.
It was because of this revelry that I forgot that today they are going to hack down and renovate our kitchen, first thing in the morning...

 

Navratri : Nine Holy Nights

Penned this post two years ago, reposting with some visuals...

Mysore, my normally calm city, would be bursting at its seams during Dushera or Dasara (October-November) with people thronging to indulge in the festivities. “Naada Habba” we call it. Meaning state festival.

Delhi observes fasting to please Ma Durga. Delhiites are also busy witnessing Ramlila (The story of Ram)and the Grand Finale on the Ninth night – Sri Ram burning down with his arrows the gigantic puppet of Raavan. Good triumphing over evil. (Since I have not witnessed Ramlila in Delhi, hope this play we saw in Bali would interest you...)

Ramayana (Kakawin) came to Indonesia around the 9th century!

 

     Singapore was not to be left behind in the festivities. It was Doll festival for the South Indians, which meant visiting a house every other day, for prayers, to see the display of traditional dolls and some yummy snacks. The dolls are handed over from generation to generation and are worshipped every day with offerings. We sang devotional songs. Should mention here that almost every traditional South-Indian family has its daughters trained in Carnatic music. 

Ram and devoted brother

             The eighth (Ashtami) and ninth day (Navmi) again were days of visiting Indian households, for young angels are believed to be avtars of the Devi and offered ‘prashaad’ and little gifts. They call it ‘Kanjak’. So, Saturday morning was spent in planning which house our little ‘Devi’ visits in which order of invitation, followed by lunch, by a dear friend who manages to have a very cosy and pleasant gathering each time she invites me!

Evening was spent with family and friends at a ‘Durga Pandal’. The idea was to witness the puja followed by cultural events. But the puja was delayed, so we offered our prayers and rushed to the near-by Kailash-Parbat famous for its Indian cuisine, before they shut shop.

            Having spent four years in vibrant Gujarat, how can I not mention their Garba/ Dandiya dance during Navratri? Every year while in Delhi, I longed to attend a Dandiya event but never got an enthusiastic soul to join me, not even my husband.  So again in Singapore, after having given up trying to convince my friends to join me for a Dandiya event, I finally got a call from a kind acquaintance, who accomplished the daunting task of gathering a good three families for the event! Oh how we enjoyed the gentle swaying to divine music in front of the ‘Devi Ma’, how the traditional outfits glittered, how the music flowed mellifluously - traditional Garba music which also adapted some movie songs very efficiently. The gentle clicks of the dandiya sticks while the crowd danced in two concentric circles had a feeling of bonhomie because you dance with everyone in the circle, turn by turn. I sweated myself out and forced the husband to dance along, reminiscing our Baroda (Gujarat) times where we did our first Garba dance with our friends. Later we gobbled luscious rasgullas and pav-bhaji. And finally a reluctant me was pulled out by my family, even as my favourite “Dholi thaaro” was playing, and pushed into the cab home.

            People argued on whether this past Sunday was Navmi or Dushera. We were not bothered. I did the same prayer daily and lit the same lamp. Except that today I got kheer made for the offerings in the evening prayers. Plus a festive treat of chana and puris for which the kids are waiting…

I get ready to worship the Goddess with friends

The week ended with another rapturous event – An evening of Magic show, Ventriloquism and Shadow puppetry organized by the Kannada Society. Watched with family and friends, more specifically, my childhood friend, followed by Mysorean delicacies – bisi-bele-bhaath (a spicy concoction of lentil, veggies and rice), potato bonda, Curd rice, balushahi (sweet dish) and boondi. Slurp!

I went to i12

 Just listened to the song on S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G by Pet Shop Boys, my old favourite.

 I do not go to Katong Mall every week just for shopping. Wednesdays its Ballet 'ceremony'. Yes, its a big deal for me and my younger one. She's just back from school and has no qualms getting ready for ballet. I hurry her through her evening glass of milk, fruit and egg. She gets into her tutu and we rush to get the cab to the Katong Mall, aka i12 (read "I want to") or 112 Katong. Once her ballet shoes are on and she's sent in, my weekly rounds of this 'Premier Mall of the East' starts.
 I have an hour's time to look around the Mall to see what is new, compare which shop is giving the best price for which items I need, check what stationery the kids need at my favourite Du Yi Bookshop which sells stationery for cheap.

 I feel that shopping for little things gives me greater joy than for expensive stuff. Once I got two pairs of Disney sandals for SGD 20, in pretty pink and clear blue. There is quite a choice for toys and gifts too. Bored of always gifting the same Board Games for birthdays, last month I chose a pretty pink lacy skirt with matching top, with the picture of a Ballerina, with a patchwork tutu on! The birthday girl loved it. I was happy too.



Easter goodies displayed tastefully

Supermarket Fairprice Extra near my home does not stock my favourite cereal Choco Crunch by Familia. So its time to go to Market Place, a sister concern of Cold Storage. After the alluring display of gifts and snacks for the Chinese New Year, its time for them to deck up and beckon to the Easter shoppers. I usually pick up TWO BITE Cinnamon Rolls along with Choco Crunch Muesli. 


The Market Place at the Basement

A quick round of Guardian Pharmacy in the basement just to stock up on Hello Kitty Plasters or Foot cream. Before that its a hunt for deals on toiletries and cosmetics at Watsons.
Lo! Its about time to pick Tweety. She usually has a play-date with her ballet-friend, who stays close by. "My best ballet friend" is what she calls Tweety. Their playtime starts right in the cab which we share on our way back home, if not in the ballet class itself! Many moms agree that their girls go to ballet mostly because they get to meet their friends.
    I mentioned Katong Mall in my previous blogs also. Its become so much a part of my routine. A few months ago, some shops shifted and of course, I made the maximum use of their Clearance Sales. But I miss the shop selling macarons at the basement. It was more expensive than MBS too, but was there when I wanted macarons so!

   Singapore is celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year. So this wednesday there was an exhibit of some of the famous personalities of Malay/Singapore, as a part of the ongoing SG50 celebration. Tan Kah Kee, called the Henry Ford of Malaysia and Tan Chay Yan, the first Rubber Planter of Malaya to name a few.

A girl there invited me to get my photo clicked on a Tablet, and then trace over it, pour out my feelings for the country and key in my details.
Voila! It got approved and I got an email stating so. Waiting for what happens next, whether it will be incorporated along with other entries in the link-way to the country's national Museum.

Portraits of the People

I want to bring you more juice on the happening i12 soon.
   

 

Holi Eve

 Holi has been a big thing for six year old Tweety. She readily agreed to come along with me to Little India, for two reasons: To get her favourite snack Kurkure and to buy colours for Holi, which we celebrated in our Condo this Saturday.
      
       Those who want to buy typical Indian stuff like garlands, prayer paraphernalia, typical Indian vegetables, spices,  food joints and festival specialities like coloured powder for Holi (Gulaal) visit Little India. And there are others, who want to buy Handicraft from the Little India Arcade.

        While hunting for colours in the line of shops along Buffalo Road, I picked up some Chaat Masala, Tamarind Rice masala and Kurkure (crispy spicy sticks). The fresh green vegetables looked alluring but since I had no trolley-bag in which to carry them, I stuck to the essentials. We met A and proceeded to Bikanerwallah for some chaat.



Bikanerwallah: A big name in India for chaats and sweets

     The name Bikanerwallah brings to my mind a contest I won in Delhi, several years ago, where Bikanerwallah asked their customers to pen a slogan for them. And whaddayaknow, a basketful of their sweets, cookies and savouries arrived!!! I was away on an assignment in Paris, but my family got to enjoy the spoils.
The slogan went thus: "Rajasthan ki shaan. Bharat ki jaan. Bikanerwalla....ah". We never thought that a few lines quickly penned and put into a drop-box could bring surprises like that.

Bangles & Bindis for that Desi look

     You get garments for cheap in Little India. We bought a pair of shorts at S$5 to play Holi in! I would not say that the bangle-shops can compare to what Karol-Baag in Delhi boasts of, but you have some variety here too.

    My appa can have a great time shopping for flowers here for his daily prayers, though he may not stop comparing the prices in his country...

.




Flowers remind me of home in Mysore

      We then walk past glittering small shops selling knick-knacks, Electronics, jewels and many "3 for 10" shops and head to the ...

 

City Square Mall:
Slides and swings at the entrance make the kids happy. This Mall has been an old favourite but apart from the Hindi movies we have watched here, I have seldom shopped. But what I came to know about this Mall was really touching - its an environment-friendly Mall as the posters indicate.

 

 

 

Toysaurus beckons with its vast choice of gifts and games for kids.
      Other favourite brands like Osh-Kosh Bigosh and Iora to name a few are tempting me to shop but we go to Toysaurus since Tweety has a birthday party this weekend. We end up buying more than we need. They even gift-wrap your purchases, for free. Shopping done, we zip past the shops in our ZooMoov ride for fifteen minutes of unadulterated fun!

 

Zip Zap ZooMoov

 

It was nine and we went for dinner to Tandoor, adjoining Mustafa Serangoon Plaza. An Indian meal of Gobhi Manchurian, Peas rice, simple fried Dal and Roti, with complimentary Papad and mint Chutney. Simple ambience and not too crowded, we finished the meal with piping hot jalebis, freshly fried at their outdoor stall. Resolving not  to head to the movies as a usual practice on Friday nights, we headed home and retired early, for the Holi revelry the next day.

Tandoor has some Awards to its credit too