In love with the city

One year ago, exactly on this date, I visited Singapore to collect my Employment Pass to work here. I can't believe it’s been a year already. I can't believe it’s just been a year. This is what Singapore does to me. I feel like I've always lived here, and every once now and then, I am amazed to realize that I am actually here. 1 year yet to be up and I'm still not jaded. Okay, I know, ask me after 5 years, but am guessing my answer will still be the same.

The last time a city made me feel like this (is it love?) was when I moved to Bombay. Bombay was.... tantalizing, alive, more sharply in focus, pulsating, energizing. A city wearing a huge Mona Lisa smile, like it knows so many things you don’t. A teasing, seducing city that was always one step ahead. Ticking to a clock that runs always a little brisker. Where things seemed to happen just a little faster. The city was more alive than anything living (or non) I’d seen and with more personality to boot!

Soon enough my blood started to respond to this pulsating city, my eyes could detect its small, subtle motions just a tad quicker. Life was never slow and ponderous, it was brisk, happening, moving, changing! Oh the exhilaration! I felt like I was in the nerve center of the world! I felt more alive than I’d ever felt before; as if been half alive before I came here. I fell head over heels in love with its heat, beats, energy, pace, whirling, attitude and its totalbindaas-ness.

Its called a city of dreams and rightly so. Of course, the "real" reason is because of "Bollywood" (whoever hates that name, really, you should have done something much earlier, no use crying now ninny!). And it was for me too. (No, I didn't and don't remotely have any thespian aspirations.) It was a city of dreams for me because it felt like everything happened there, like the sun rose and set and decided it course from there. It felt marvellous to know that I lived there! It was (still is mostly) a dream come true place.

On a more pragmatic note, one could go on endlessly about the shopping and eating in the city. What an economic range of eateries and shops it provides - from SST (sasta, sundar aur tikau) to fancy schamsy, you get it all. 

Shopping - Fashion Street, Colaba Causeway, Linking Road, Vama, Colaba Market, Satyams Card Shop, Maker Arcade, Linking Road shops, Benzer, Premsons, Amarsons in Breach Candy, Rustomjee's in Colaba, Cross Words in Pedder Road, and what-was-that-place in Kemps Korner, ... [exausted]

As for food - chat in Kailash Parbat, pani puri in C Road, oh! the most awesome Pav Bhajis EVER from the various Sagar's around town, Yankee Doodle ice cream in Napean Sea Road, the sandwiches in Beach Candy, pizzas from Sunshine Corner(?) in Colaba market, next to the post office, Mongini's, Chetna's, Vada Pavs from G.D. Somani and Nariman Point footpath stalls, home delivery Chinese from a mobile shop on the little road connecting  Prakash Pethe Marg to Nariman point, farsaans during tea time from all Colaba to Santacruz market (and beyond), Bade Miyan's stall, Swati gujrati food in Tardeo, the Goan/Konkani/Manglorean resturants in Fort, Yoko's, Kamat, the losbster masala and paya soup from Khyber, and on and on and on! (Seriously, I’ve not even touched the tip of the iceberg here.)

Readers will excuse my limited coverage of Bombay, I was (still am?) a townie, which, by Bombay lingo, means that I lived in the South Bombay, plus your truly spent only 3 years there, and finally 'cause technically this blog is supposed to be about me in Singapore [wink].

I loved Bombay and now I love Singapore. My stint in Bombay lasted 3 years, and I hope my Singapore stint lasts me longer - or rather may it last as long as I want it to. Cheers!

(Photos belong to others,)

My first "true blue" rains

My room, temporary room as I've been asked to call it, faces east. So most mornings I am woken up by the sun shining into my face. Which, I have to say, is not my favorite way to wake up. To expand on the subject, listed in ascending order of preference, are the ways I do like to wake up:

1. Open eyes and realize it's a party day (includes picnics, lunches, offsites, holiday travel start day, etc)
   
2. Wake up on my own when my eyes open and I feel I've had enough sleep
   
3. By mommy knocking on my door
   
4. Long-chat-phone-call from a friend
   
5. A knock heralding the arrival of a yummy breakfast
   

But that is neither here nor there. Getting back to the point, I woke up today and my eyes were delighted to face a blue sky with grey undertones and - no sun! Now some people might consider this awful, but I LOVE IT! True blue skies give me a peachy pink mood, making it feel like a party day!

Even before I moved to Singapore, everyone's been telling me about how it rains daily here, and how the skies are almost always cloudy. So imagine my disappointment when we've been having the driest 2 weeks of weather! My luck so totally changed for the better today with my (almost) first true blue Singapore rains.

So although it's a working day, and I cannot really see the skies outside from where I am sitting in office, am still HAPPY thanks to the rains. In half an hour I break for lunch and then I sneak a peek outside and enjoy the rain with a cuppa of Jasmine Teh. I really wish I could post a pic of the view outside, but no digi cam as yet! Anyone wishing to sponsor a digi cam, feel free to contact me.

So, heh, am back from lunch, which was from the "Whats your Prata?" counter at Food Republic in Wisma Mall and consisted of 2 Pratas ($1.2 each), Potato veg ($1.2 small), Dhall (free with Prata), Nasi Biryani with Fried Chicken ($5.5). Replete with that, I took a cuppa and walked over to one of the entrances of Takashimaya and enjoyed the Teh while watching the softly falling rain. Orchard wore a decidedly wilted look in the rain but to me personally I think it made it more endearing.

Things to procure and soon:

1. Hat Umbrella
   
2. Digital Camera
   
3. Chinese teapot and cup
   
4. Nice walking cum fancy rain-resistant shoes
   

W, Th, F & wknd

It has been a week and no posts from me.

Why you ask? (If you don't ask !@#$%^&*)

Ahem, yeah so anyway.

One week delay because I have again caught the "curse of the drinking classes". No? Didn't get that? WORK!
(Work is the curse of the drinking classes - Oscar Wilde)

Works been hectic, no time to play. Evening life has been even more hectic - no its not what you think heh heh - been busy exercising! Yes, since, last Tuesday was it? I've gymmed, swum and biked - (bicycle biked not motorcycle, hello?) and eaten salads.. for dinner that is. Dear cousin Such (pron: सुच) makes the most awesome salads :) Well 'cept for the weekend, but more about weekend later.

Wed, Thus were okay...

High Points: Found a new place to go eat breakfast (a lovely bakery! YUMM!), found new places in the food court to go eat lunch, made a few friends in office and heard a lot of gossip from them :) Been walking daily to office, down to 3 a day...

Low Points: Not bothering remembering or recounting them.

Friday went thus:
At work the laptop got a lot of much-needed attention by the IT personnel. It feels better, I feel better. So..... since lappy was outta commission, guess who went to play? C'est moi! I loafed in Takashimaya for 3 solid hours with a colleague and was pleasantly wiped out. Of course my Singaporean colleague was dismayed at my performance, she tells me that I really need to build my stamina for the Singapore Shoppin Festival. Well, what else am I exercising for? Heheh. Am sure I covered barely 20% (maybe am being optimistic here) of the shopping space there (Taks is insane!).

Then it was back home by 6 P.M. At 6.30 P.M. two of my colleagues call me to Orchard Road for a bite and a chat - who can resist that! So off I went (read walked - 20 to 30 mins) back to Orchard Street. I have to say Orchard really blooms in the evenings, there are street performers playing lovely music, there are painters, and then there are malls with soft lighting, neon lighting, stalls, and the most important thing - people! Lots of people and great vibes all over the place. Went to Cedele for the bite and chat. Sorry no pics but soon I promise. Had a decent clam chowder, med sandwich, and Teh (tea)!

Saturday
The skies finally broke and the weather was awesome (first time in bleeding 2 weeks I say). Suj was in from KL so chatted with her and did lunch @ Great World City mall with Suj and Such @ Cedele again! (No I did not like it so much that I had to go back the next day). Back from lunch @ 4 and hey I had to get my beauty sleep. That over we got ready for the evening and did a nice but oh-so-bloody-expensive-that-i-am-missing-1-arm-now kinda Italian place called Trattoria Lafiandra al Museo and this was how I expected it to be but this is how I ended up feeling (well, really, maybe not that much angst). Ate the Capriccioso (I think) basically parma ham and cheese pizza, some free kotre phenyl brushetta... NO ALCO.

Then Cee and I went off to Chijmes and heard some good music, shook a leg and off we went to Cuba Libre on Clarke Quay. Back home @ 2. Have to confess C who is 20 years my senior, seriously partied me under the table! OH the SHAME of it!

Sunday
Work up later than late @ 12! (I LOVE such Sundays). I was just picking up my handbag to step out to Little India for a Masala Dosa, C made Such and me a breakfast (?) of scrambled eggs, toast and yummy sausages. Washed it down with Green tea scented with Jasmine (heheh thats so ME). Such planned an Indian dinner for some friends and off we went to Cold Storage to shop and shop. Back home and into the kitchen we went and I was the official chopper! (not a helicopter re but a chef's assistant wala chopper, subzi choppper) 4 tomatos, 3 large onions, 2 packets bhindi (vendakai/ladies finger/okra/M-W-A-H), 1 green chilly, 8 cloves of garlic, 4 inches of ginger - chopped, minced, sliced, slit. And I was good!

Apart from making breakfast, Cee also very sweetly fixed up a bicycle for me and took me on a ride. Knowing him I was sure it was going to be up and up and up hill and I was not disappointed (cannot blame him too much Singapore is up-hill down-hill country). Huffing and puffing (that was me, yeah) and after, as he puts it, narrowly escaping with my life, we came back home to begin entertaining.

Sunday dinner menu
Lamb in curry masala
Manglorean style prawns
Bhindi fry
Tomato pachidi
Coconut rice

And it was YUM! Should have taken pictures of the food and table.

The guests were a couple, the man a Scotsman brought up in Australia teaching popular music in a college in Singapore, the lady a Japanese event organizer. Lovely {couple, hosts, lovely, wine, conversation} made for a all in all lovely end to a hectic week.