Singapore Suitcases: Week 6 - Of principled movie-going, Japanese groceries & a fake Christmas

1. Going by the daughter's joy at her first drop-off class, I signed her up for a holiday series this week, to be held Dec 4th - 7th. The Hubster has been prodding me into looking for a similar arrangement on the weekends, so we can go watch movies. Having been at the receiving end, far too many times of wailing babies and running children in movie halls, Hubster is a firm believer in keeping kids out of the cinema theatre. Thus as per principle, we do not take Zoe to movies with us. Being self-confessed film buffs, that deprives us of what once used to be our  regular "first day-first show' must-dos. In the past, the nanny has obliged often by working late hours, so we could go watch our weekly flicks. That kind of liberation, only now even better as it will be 24/7, is another reason why we gave in to the 'foreign domestic worker' employer lifestyle, here in Singapore. Long live our movie mania!

2. It rains every afternoon in Singapore. Sometimes more than once in a few hours. The sights go gray, the skyline vanishes and lightning streaks across the vast blue. And then just a few seconds later, it goes back to normalcy, as if nothing happened.
We have a bird's eye view of a vast expanse of the city for our daily viewing pleasure. It reminds me of The MD House. Except, unlike the original, the view from the MD House-Singapore is not as colourfully dynamic. Naturally so, since there are no seasons in Singapore. It is the one thing I am not sure I'd like to live without, after having lived with for the past decade. I guess perennial summers just don't do it anymore for Fall babies like me.

3. Isetan is our friendly neighborhood Japanese grocery store or marketplace as they are better known here. Situated a short walk away from home, in a neighborhood mall (of course), this is my dream-come-true playground before I set foot in the kitchen. I could easily spend hours here, browsing my way through never-before seen authentic Asian ingredients, trying out every ramen/somen/ hakka thrown at me and lusting after all the sashimi kept in their cold storage. On one of our trips here, Zoe tried her first ever ramen soup at the hands of a kimono-clad sales girl, who I am pretty sure she thought had jumped right out of one of her fave Japanese anime channels.

4. Pre-Christmas feels different in Singapore. It is funny seeing plastic, excessively decorated Xmas trees sprout all over the city, unlike the green real conifers that one sees a lot of, in the States. Funnier still is seeing fake decorative snowflakes on some trees and stockings & boots on some women. Oh well! I guess they are allowed to pretend it's winter time. At least the ring of the Salvation Army bell at every corner and the crazy shoppers flooding the stores, looking for presents, make it look like a normal Christmas somehow.

5. Early on in the week, we learnt that the weekend would be spent flying to NYC. That we were elated at the news, goes without saying. To bring or not to bring Zoe with us, was the question. Being only a week long trip, this might be more arduous if done with her, we thought and almost concurred that leaving her behind with either of our families in Mumbai, seems like the best thing to do. But then the disappointed/ angry/ fierce (in some cases) reactions of some of her friends, played back-to-back before my eyes and I figured, going to her city without her was never really an option. Good call there, as my fears were legitimately confirmed later in the week, when I mentioned this dilemma to some.

6. Most of the week was spent planning the course of events and more importantly making a list of local errands to be run, while in NYC next week. And hoping desperately that like last time, maybe this time around too the little one will not jet lag for more than a day or two.

On that note, it's time to get back to yet another suitcase (a real physical one unlike this weekly textual one). And to go try out our fall jackets to see if they'll take us through the NY winter-like temps in the Fall. Happy Thanksgiving and hoping to see some of you in NYC next week. And the rest, soon enough in your respective corners of the world!
Love,
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 5 - Of an efficient taxi system, baby drop-off classes & a unique Diwali!

1. You have got to hand it to Singapore to have figured out a superb taxi network system. At first I pooh-poohed the thought of living in a country, where one needs to call a cab in advance. Not that I hailed cabs everyday in NY or in Mumbai (rickshaws yes, cabs no), but there's some comfort in knowing that your next ride is just a hail-of-the-hand away. The easiest mode of transport here, (since all MRT stations are not stroller-accessible) is a taxi that takes one from door to door. Yes I am going against my grain of being an avid public transportation user and being a taxi snob here in Singapore. There I said it! It's easier than being at the receiving end of an unhappy surprise that an additional flight of stairs offers even after you took the escalator down with your baby in a stroller. (Escalators are built on high plinths to avoid flooding due to the rains). Yes, we have mastered the art of riding escalators up and down everyday, with our toddler in her stroller, because Singapore does not have a completely accessible public transportation system. It's not strange then that I miss our ADA (American with Disabilities Act) accessible transport system from the States, which ensures that those physically disabled/ wheelchair or stroller driven can also use the public transport, like everyone else.

2. If you order a cappucino at a Starbucks here "to stay" versus "to go", you are served in a ceramic mug. A bagel and cream cheese "to stay" is served similarly with stainless steel cutlery. Of course it goes without saying that once done with your meal/ coffee, you may leave your dirty dishes as is on the table for someone else to clean up after you. I know I am repeating myself here, but it's still not sunk in somehow.

3. To employ a Foreign Domestic Worker (referred to as FDW ) one needs to take an online test, as per the Ministry of ManPower's (referred to as MOM) laws. This test completion certificate is the most important factor pre-hiring a maid/ housekeeper/ au pair. That test has now been taken and passed by us. In the New Year, once we are back from all our travels, our newest family member, whom we've picked from among a bunch of applicants, will be joining us. Looking forward!

4. Mustafa Shopping Centre is one of Singapore's largest malls,  located in Little India, that sells virtually everything. Tourists come to Singapore only to shop here, I am told. One trip to the place and I knew what that meant. Premium international & world-class products made available at dirt-cheap prices pull throngs of people everyday to this magnanimous never-ending shopping mall. It is open 24x7 and still crowded at all times. Signs saying "Shoplifting leads to imprisonment" and "Shoplifters will be handed over the police" adorn all the walls. In general in Singapore, theft is a very harshly punishable offence involving caning, fines & imprisonment. The daughter not making it any easier with her 'picking up and casually dropping' habit that reveals a treasure in her stroller sometimes, after we've come home.

5. We did a first time ever drop-off play session, Zoe and I. I dropped her off to a music/ play school for 4 hours on a Friday morning, with a teacher and other kids, we've never met before. Happy Kids Club is a child enrichment centre located a stone's throw away, in our next-door mall. My pre-school research led me to their website and I decided to give it a shot. Really good call!
It was as weird as it was relieving. The feeling of dropping her off, that is. Zoe being Zoe wiggled out as soon as she was released from her stroller strap, to walk straight into the class area without once turning around. Four hours later, when I went to pick her up, the teacher and daughter both came out to greet me, all smiles. My very first PTA Meeting happened right after, when the teacher showed me Zoe's first painting and asked me if I'd been doing any lessons with her at home. "She's so advanced already and very social". I think Zoe understood, cos she smiled with what seemed like a halo around her head that blinked nice and bright.

6. We celebrated our first (and dare I say our only) Diwali in this house, this week. It was a unique one, considering this being a new home, in a new country and us not being surrounded by our usual gang of friends and/ or family. Hubster and I, the name-sake Hindu's that we are, shamelessly add our own touches every year, to customise our 'Lakshmi Pooja' as per our convenience and mood. Having seen this 'pooja' occur at my parents home, every Diwali, it's stuck with me ever since I started making my own 'Lakshmi' (i.e wealth). Hence the tradition continues. Different Diwali this one; our Lakshmi photo sat in the in-laws home in Mumbai, our lights and lantern lay with us in a suitcase in Singapore and our hearts lay with our otherwise attended but this time 'declined' Diwali party invites from friends in NYC. Yet, it's been a good one and Goddess Lakshmi seemed thrilled at the end of it, so must be a job well done!

7. Our kitchen has a Miele Cooktop hub. It looks like this. Fancy, sleek, aesthetic and minimal. However, takes sometime getting used to, once you've been cooking on a flame for most of your life. My inaugral stint at using the cooktop resulted in a reasonable 'payasam' that was to double up as the daughter's birthday dessert and 'Diwali pooja prasad'. But I know it could've been better had it been cooked on a flame. Seems like that big housewarming party is going to have to wait, until I have mastered the art of cooking in this hi-tech kitchen.

8. Diwali dinner was with Hubster's American boss & his Filipino date at Mustard in Little India. Mustard is an Indian restaurant specialising in Punjabi and Bengali cuisine (strange combination that one). The food was spectacular, the service efficient and the ambience simple, in the non-cheesy-Indian-restaurant kinda way. Dinner ended with the boss volunteering to babysit the daughter sometime. While I almost bowed before him in obeisance at the mention of this offer, Hubster smilingly put it off. He probably loves his job too much to accept. Le Sigh!

Hoping all of you had a splendid & festive Diwali too! I ll be back with more next week, but for now it's time to sign the toddler up for a fun series of Holiday classes coming up in early December. Asia being Asia (Read: competitive), I am already too late, I am told!
Love,
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 4 - Of Balinese warmth, cascading rice terraces & the Java Sea

1. A short 2.5 hour flight took us to Bali, Indonesia from Singapore. We reached Changi Airport 45 mins before our flight time and still managed to have 20 mins to spare before taking off. Yes, Changi is that efficient. On our return leg, our wait time for the taxi was actually longer than the time it took for us to disembark the plane and clear immigration & customs.

2. I love setting foot in a new place, at night and soaking in the newness in the dark. Then the next morning when you see it in broad daylight, you can compare notes with your imagination if the sights actually appear as you thought they would?

3. We stayed in Ubud, Bali, for the first half of our vacation. Our home there was a lovely, spacious Villa; the highlights of which were our own plunge pool and an outdoor shower area. I was taken back to my days in Auroville, India where open showers and living with nature were an everyday phenomenon, for the 3 months I spent working there.
Our days in Ubud, would start with a lazy breakfast along the rice terraces, followed by a few hours in the plunge pool and then random sight-seeing around town. Ubud is famous for it's hippie aura and  shopping along it's main street. "Eat Pray Love" was shot all over Bali, specially in Ubud, so those 'types' are found here, serenading nature and lounging around in cafes all over the island.

4. A deja vu moment occured when our Balinese driver who picked us up from the airport, sang "Tujhe Dekha tho ye jana Sanam" ( complete with the side-to-side-bobble that is so SRK) with me in great synchrony. While Hubster wore an amused look on his face, the daughter chose to wiggle her torso (yes, she has a pivot for an abdomen) to our tune. Another one to join the 'co-singer-cum-driver' list of filmy's I've encountered all over the world on my past travels.

5. This was our first trip with none or minimal baby food. Training the toddler to eat what we eat and wherever we eat topped my list of things to do, when we moved to SE Asia. After all why deprive her of all the yummy street fare that SE Asia has to offer? From 5-star hotel breakfast buffets in Singapore to street food off of Hawker markets or shacks in Bali, so far she's been obliging everywhere and perhaps from our next trip onwards, we could be baby food - free! Yay to that!
P.S: With regards to the baby and her food, interesting piece of trivia here. In Bahasa (Indonesian), milk is known as 'susu'. Yeah 'susu' was written all over the box. Zoe drank 'susu' everyday in Bali :) Silly but funny, yeah?

6. In my pre-trip research, I had read that the Balinese love babies. I saw it for myself when I visited. We would show up at a  restaurant for dinner and the wait staff would whisk Zoe away to play and take pictures with her, while we had a glass of wine and talked, bringing her back just in time, when our meal would arrive. Across the island, wherever we went people picked her in their arms, hugged her, talked to her, played music to her and tucked flowers over her ear. Zoe must have thought we are in India, that's how much of an object of affection/ attention she was in Bali. She even spent one afternoon getting all dolled up by a babysitter, while we went to the spa to find our bliss. No wonder then, Bali is a highly recommended place to visit with kids. There's something to be said about the 'Happy factor' of islanders and their love for children. Perhaps its the eternal sunshine or the aura of the ocean all around them, I have yet to meet an islander lacking a sunny disposition.

7. Rice terraces abound everywhere around Ubud. While I 'wowed' at the lush green terraced landscape, Hubster found nothing new there, as his childhood was spent vacationing in his native place, where rice terraces flourish everywhere.

8. Little 'prasadam' kinda offerings can be found outside, wherever you go, in leaf-thatch trays. Shopkeepers  worship their shops multiple times in a day and as an offering, place a biscuit in the tray. Interestingly, Starbucks at Denpasar Airport, places an espresso cup with their brew of the day in their prasadam tray. Even God needs caffeine, see!

9.  One is never too far from a temple in Ubud. None of them have shrines. All of them have broken arched doorways. Not deliberately broken by someone, but built such. Sashes and sarongs are distributed for free at the entrance, for tourists, since most temples require specific attire to enter.

10. The Indonesian Rupiah when compared to the US Dollar can easily make one feel like a millionaire. A few hundred USD convert into millions of Rupiahs. I was a happy 'crorepati'  in at least some part of the world.

11. The latter half of the trip was spent in Uluwatu, closer to the southern part of the island, literally spilling out into the ocean. Anantara Uluwatu is a brand new resort and spa that sits perched atop a cliff, overlooking the Java sea. With multiple infinity pools, this was our dream come true vacation spot. Hubster and Baby loved lazing around in the infinity while I caught some special moments on camera. In quintessential Balinese style of a private water body per unit, our room here too had a jacuzzi tub on the patio, open to the ocean view. Needless to say, nonchalant, outdoor bathe-ing certainly was the highlight of this trip.

12. Padang Padang Beach is accessed via a steep rock-cut stair that goes in and out of cave-like rocky outgrowths. It didn't make it to our list of "wow" beaches we've been to (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands & Hawaii were far better). So we just make-did for the time being, spending a lovely yet hot afternoon there as Zoe took her first ocean dip ever.

13. Tropical fruits such as the Dragon fruit aka Pitaya (White background with black polka dots, encased in a hot pink coloured shell. It's like the fruit just stepped off the fashion ramp) and Mangosteen (flower shaped, white juicy pulp in a brown shell) often cross paths with us here. Oh and yes, Zapota aka the Indian Chikoo is also easily available at our local Japanese grocers. Our faithful fruit bowl of a few years, flown in all the way from the States has some new friends to make.

14. Bali has local wine. And it was good. My staple poison for the trip.

15. Bali is predominantly Hindu, as against the rest of Indonesia, which is primarily Muslim. We managed to watch the traditional 'Kecak' dance twice on our trip, which is a Balinese version of the Ramayana, laying more emphasis on Hanuman's role in the mythological tale. The costumes were grand, however when actors wear masks during the performance, that's kinda like cheating the act, right? So although they performed acrobatic antics and there was a fire in the climax, it felt overall like an expressionless and commercialized act, with English words interspersed in what might otherwise have been an ancient Bahasa script.

16. We flew back a happy trio, relaxed and rejuvenated from our vacation, just in time for the weekend. This one was  was spent with more settling in activities and a surprise birthday lunch for a very dear friend, organised super-secretively by his lovely wife.

There's more travel coming up in the near future, so that should be fun. For now, I need to get back to arranging my huge 'earring' collection (the daughter will be one lucky inheritor if she behaves herself) and perhaps stealing some more drawers before the Hubster claims them.

Until the next one, be well and visit Bali if you can, atleast once in a lifetime.
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 3 - Of Maid interviews, Hawker Centres and Hubster's 35th!

1. The apartment settling down is coming along nicely. Needless to say, we had to prioritize and get Z settled in first. She now has a room to herself. Not bad considering neither of her parents had one until they moved out of their parents' homes. It's surprising how inspite of "supposed" more storage space in this apartment, than in our home in Jersey City, we still seem to have no place to keep some things. Our air-freighted boxes came home promptly mid-week and it was nice to sit back, relax and direct the movers, where everything goes. Of course once they were done, I was left wondering why we bothered to ship some of this stuff here. It is however, nice to have traces of our past life in our current one and see the little one remember her old fave's and re-relate to them, like before. This one has the memory of an elephant (inheritance from the father, thankfully).

2. Hubster turns 35 this week. I think it means more to me than to him, the Queen of celebrations that I am. (Yes, Ive been mocked galore when I celebrate my daughter's monthly birthdays). While his happiness lay in a good fine dining Indian restaurant meal on the eve of, I decided it needed much more than that. After all even Workaholicism needs a break from him. Or so I thought. The plan is to have extended birthday celebrations next week in Bali, Indonesia where Hubster can do just what he does best - sleep, swim and surf (the internet). It will also be our first family vacation, when the three of us go to a country where we do not know anyone. (Earlier trips do not count, since we had friends/ family wherever we went).

3. The daughter and I toured a few more pre-schools and baby schools together. We now have comprehensive paraphernalia on most of Singapore's child care schools.

4. Hubster's Aussie partner, Peter and his wife invited us to join them at Newton Hawker Centre. (Note how I spell 'Centre'. You know, in Rome do as the Romans, so I am re-adapting grammatically these days. "Elevators" have gone back to being referred to as "Lifts" etc etc). Newton Hawker Centre is a hawker food court of sorts. Restaurants have small retro-fitted kitchens with large outdoor yet covered seating areas, in an open courtyard. As you enter the space, Hawkers start trying to route you towards their respective stalls. Peter is a regular here and has his favorite hawker already, so we walked over undistractedly, straight to that stall and seated ourselves. The food was as outstanding as we had heard it would be and within S$30 (less than 25 USD) the four of us and Zoe, had sampled ten delicacies from two stalls and downed a large pint of Tiger Beer. Little wonder then, why Singaporeans rarely cook and centres such as these are open late even on weeknights. Newton Hawker Centre definitely makes it to our list of to-be-repeated food places in Singapore.

5. It's been the longest three weeks in terms of time spent with the little one. Since I went back to work 3/4th into my maternity leave, after she was born, I dont believe we've ended up spending so much time one-on-one, just her and me. It has its ups and downs. She certainly has taught me the true meaning of a love-hate relationship; one that I know we will harbour for the rest of our lives, being two women and on top of it, Mom and Daughter. ("Take That" I can hear my Mom say in the background somewhere). That I am not made to be a full-time Mom was never a secret anyway. So even these few weeks, cherishable and adorable and all that gooey talk stuff set apart, seem like a few months. If not for the legal process of hiring a maid here in Singapore, by now I would've delegated her day-to-day care already. Things would'nt have been this ardous probably had she still continued to be that sweet angel that people used to think she is. Her transformation into a "monster" happened overnight (This is possibly her Singaporean avatar which we hope, like our stay here, will be temporary) and of course with her newly found mobile skills, she is now quite unmanageable. Having said all of the above, I do know that some years down the line, I will fondly look back at this phase and thank myself for having taken the opportunity of sharing these precious years of her life.

6. Temporary maids, aka part-time maids here, are a boon in disguise, especially as they are like the help I am used to, back home in Jersey City. A phone call away and to be paid by the hour, they keep it simple (Read normal) in my books. So for now, we've been resorting to this system until we find our more permanent solution. Some serious discussions later, Hubster and I figured our best bet is to hire someone full-time, which means adding another member to our family here since she will live/ eat/ travel etc with us. We thought we may as well turn this system to our advantage, for the short time that we are here, so the search for the ideal maid/ housekeeper has now effectively begun. Various interviews that I ve conducted so far reveal shocking facts about maid-life in this country (from violence to starvation to withheld salaries). Considering the easy going and slack employers that we are, our to-be maid wherever she is, will certainly be quite spoilt once she tranfers over from ours to another household, I am sure.

7. I ve been very 'jugaadu' all my life. That basically means, I ve liked getting stuff done non-conformingly, with my own twists to the task, making things work for myself and the other party involved, with minimum effort and maximum convenience to both. In my native Mumbaiyaa you may even call it as "doing setting". I miss, that the system here does not let me probe it, with my own 'jugaadu' mechanisms as easily. Still, not one to resign from my efforts yet, I ve found some loopholes for myself. The Hubster of course mocks my unabashed efforts at discovering these and taking advantage of them. More can be described in detail when we meet and should be spared in print, for fear of being monitored. I am told I should be careful what I write about. Whatevs!

8. Chinese cabbies exclaim "Aiyyo" when something goes wrong. Asian women walk around wearing salwar kameezs and 'mehendi' on their hands. And beauty salons play "Chammak Challo" followed by "Gangnam Style". Spotting interesting fusion around me is easily the highlight of most of my days here.

9. The daughter continues bullying other children/ little people whom she thinks are children (She can be offensive sometimes, especially here in Asia) into responding to her salutations. She must have tremendous persuasion power as most of them now respond promptly. I like to think she takes after her mother in this one.

Next week we are off to Bali, so that should make for an interesting write-up. I ve read a few interesting and plenty of positive things about the Balinese, especially when it comes to children, so I have great hopes pined on them already.
For now, it's time for yet another maid interview. Hoping she's my match made in heaven.
Later,
Shweyta