Singapore Suitcases: Week 29.5 - Of HongKong and why I could live there - Part 2!

1. HongKong was special for many reasons, mostly though because this was the first international trip where Zoe and I were going a-gallivanting all by ourselves! Hubster was here on work, so for two out of the four days that we spent here, the little one and I, day-tripped around by ourselves.
Hubster had spent the weekend with us, when we practically saw all the islands in this fantastic dynamic city and scaled all it's ups and downs (literally speaking), as we went about doing most of the 'must-do's' in this city.
On Monday and Tuesday, Zoe and I packed ourselves off early after a heavy breakfast, to go explore the 'other' side of the city. I had researched quite a bit and compiled a list of things to do in HK, with a baby in tow, making sure it listed stuff that would interest me and her, without being too 'baby-ish' (Read: No Zoo's, Bird parks, aquariums, theme parks etc). We have fantastic versions of all those in Singapore thankfully, hence they were first on our 'avoid-list' on this trip.
So we started our Monday with a long train ride, changing 3 trains as we went along, to go visit the Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian garden, both next door to each other. I was prepared for a lot of 'weight lifting' going by my experience from the previous two days around town in HK, knowing for sure that there will be an unwelcome set of stairs that I must encounter at least once in my journey with the little one. Usually, releasing her from her stroller (Yup, releasing is the right word there) so she can walk up the stairs with me, is the easiest solution in such situations. But a bird once freed does not usually like to be caged again! (For lack of a better analogy, but all you Mommies with similar monkeys for children, you know the feeling). 
Anyhoo, the nunnery was beautiful, like a solemn spot of quietude in the middle of the city. Having been built in the 1930's this temple complex with wooden architecture, houses several statues in gold, clay and wooden statues of Buddha and bodhisattvas.
Frankly speaking though, it was the outdoor landscapes that interested me more than the divinity within the temple. It took me back to Bryant Park - Yes, you read that right! Bryant Park in Manhattan! The city's very own oasis of green between the high-rises that surround it. All major American cities, especially in their densest urbanity, have a park like Bryant Park (LA, SF, Chicago, NYC etc). The Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian Gardens across it, are HongKong's very own ode to Bryant Park!
The tranquility in the nunnery calls for a similar response from it's visitor - something even Little Zoe realised, who seemed to have decided that she'd be on her best behaviour while here. As we walked around the landscaped areas of the nunnery, glancing at the statues at times but more so looking around us at the tall HK buildings that peered into this oasis, we probably knew that silence of this degree doesn't often come into our lives. The 'Zen' that emanated from the nunnery was only interrupted, that too if at all, by the soothing sounds of the water falling in the courtyard or the fish blowing bubbles in their pond nearby. (Yes, it was that quiet here!) No wonder then my research had revealed this to be a top-spot for Mommy-Baby outings in this city. It seemed to be the perfect 'pacifier' (in more ways than one) any Mom would be thankful for!
The Nan Lian Gardens were across the street from the Nunnery. Located in the middle of Urban Kowloon, these gardens further the experience of tranquil that one experiences in the Nunnery. Here, deliberate attempts have been made in the landscape to place noise barriers that shield the gardens from the sound of traffic outside. This is a classic example of a traditional landscaped Tang-Style Chinese garden. Another oasis of sorts, one sees dynamic backdrops here. Scenic mountain ranges of Lion Rock, Tate's Cairn, Temple Hill and Kowloon Peak are all visible from here. With features such as the Chinese Timber Gallery, a Lotus Pond with a stunning gold pavillion, it's own Rockery, multiple bridges and galleries this is one place to spend an ideal afternoon in, especially appealing to curious adults and kids alike.
The Garden also has it's very own Vegetarian Restaurant - The Chi Lin Vegetarian Restaurant (managed by the Chi Lin Nunnery across, hence the name) which we fell upon during our stroll here, almost exactly at lunch time.

2. HongKong surprised me in it's Vegetarian cuisine. Having heard of the recent new spate of bird flu in the city, I'd made a conscious decision to try to stay vegetarian/ pesceterian on this trip. Hence, these gems of Chinese style Vegetarian restaurants that I came across almost every where I went in the city, were happily welcomed. The Chi Lin Vegetarian restaurant is a family-style eatery, where like in the case of other similar places, one can pick a pre-fixe multiple course menu or order a la carte. Zoe and I went a la carte, choosing to try some sauteed tofu with bean curd, vegetarian shu mai and a clear glass noodle broth packed with the freshest of vegetables. As we both slurped away, I had a tough time trying to convince her eager self that the chopsticks weren't really going to be as easily manageable for her, as a fork. Finally she succumbed to the idea and gave in to being fed by me, using the chopsticks of course! I like to believe it was her way to assimilate in the surroundings! She did prove me right as she comfortably ate out of our chopsticks throughout the trip. In fact, as part of her 'Asian assimilation' process, I've recently bought her and all my besties' kids (my little nephews and nieces), pairs of 'training chopsticks' so they can eat Asian meals the Asian way!

3. Post-lunch we wandered along a bit more, Zoe trailing random birds and babies in the garden while I went shutter-happy with my DSLR. I was letting her run around and play for a while, so that she'd be ok sitting in her stroller for the next couple of hours, as we took more trains to head out towards HongKong's many specialty markets.
Our first specialty market was the 'Flower Market' - very reminiscent of Dadar's Flower Market in Mumbai or a rather run-down, Asian version of the Chelsea flower market in NYC. The street began and ended with flowers. It was like a dream full of flowers of every possible kind. As I successfully maneuvered the little one's stroller through the narrow sidewalks, I realized I had quite the skilfull 'flower-plucker' on my hands here. For at the end of the street, when I turned down to look at her, Zoe had created her own little flower-arrangement that could beat the one's being displayed in any of the gazillion shops that lined the streets of this amazing floral market. Thankfully, this was not Singapore and we would not be put behind bars for taking what is not ours!
At the end of the Flower market was our next stop - the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden. While researching I had expected this to be a nice, quaint, back-garden of sorts, tucked away at the end of a noisy street market, where I could perhaps find a patch of green or a bench to sit down on with Zoe, as she munched away on her afternoon snack. But this place was for from that. A revelation of sorts - the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden was our first initiation at what the rest of our afternoon was going to look like. It is a marketplace to sell captured birds! As we strolled through it, cage after cage, in every possible variety of design, appeared before us, with exotic birds within them, shrieking away, cacophonously as if asking to be set free. At first I was not sure what to make of it. And I wondered why this was on the list of things to be done with children in this city. But then I reminded myself that there was tradition rooted in this place. An age old Chinese hobby - of old men taking care of their exotic feathered song-birds in return for their melodies and tunes, was what was on display here. This long, rectangular garden serves as a short-cut crossing for many regulars, who walk past it on a daily basis perhaps, en route to work. But for first-timers such as Zoe and myself, this was more than just a garden. It was history frozen in time and we were no one to judge!

4. Once Zoe was done snacking away to the sounds of beautiful songbirds, all of whom she happily yelled out to calling "Birdyyy..Awww....Birdyyyy" and pretending to cajole and careen with her hands, we left to walk a bit more, towards the next specialty market on our list. This was the Toy Street - Fuk Wing Street, where 'Made in China' toys screamed aloud from stalls stacked next to each other, endlessly all along the length of the street. Another high point for Zoe, who was clearly having a great time, what with all her senses coming alive one after the other. HongKong used to be famous for it's Toy manufacturing until recently when all that got moved to the Mainland. For now, it's just streets like these which keep that memory alive for it's many 'toy-collector' citizens.

5. The next market we walked across to was the 'Goldfish Market'. This is a 'pet-store' on steroids, possibly the largest and most diverse pet-store I've ever seen, that too out on the street (unlike a Petco in The US, for example). What starts off with 'goldfish' in individual transparent water-filled bags, moves on to reptiles/ turtles/ tortoises, rabbits, hamsters, cats and dogs in glass boxes, packed one on top of the other, incessantly voicing their disapprovals at being kept on display this insensitively. Again, I reminded myself to not judge, but just keep calm and carry on. My DSLR seemed upset with me and refused to point and shoot any longer, after a point, when all I could do was walk past store after store, wondering if there was even a more 'sensitive' way of carrying on this animal trade? The daughter too, who started off exclaiming in delight at the little "Goldfishyy's" and "Tortoise's" that she kept seeing as we walked on the street, eventually subsided and just plainly stared in horror at little kittens and puppies that were kept captive, to be presented to potential buyers. In my mind, I had brought her to yet another Zoo, the kinds that one can see only here - in China! While it was important to walk along these corridors to understand and assmiliate ourselves in their lives and trades, what was probably unexpected for us, was this sudden feeling of sadness that clouded around. The same feeling which after a point, made me put my camera down with shame and made her go suddenly quiet, while looking at the caged animals. I could bet the puzzled looks she gave me were to say - "Mumma, why are they inside and not running around everywhere, like in my books?" In a way I am glad she could not ask me this verbally, for I would not have any answer to give to her. All I could have then said to her, which is what I did sooner than later is - "Let's go home Zoe."

6. The evening cheered us both up a bit, as Hubster returned and the three of us decided to take a post-dinner walk around our hotel - at Times Square, HongKong! It wouldn't be fair to compare the two, so we didn't bother - the real Times Square and this fake Chinese one. All we did is walk around, taking in he night lives of the millions of HongKongers or HongKongese (depending on if you felt like referring to their British or Chinese legacy, respectively), marveling away at the multiple street food stalls and the crowds that ate at them. Street-side eating has got to be Asia's favourite way to eat! Age-old slim and slender, tall trams alternated with double-decker buses, creating a wonderful collage across time and space, of the past and the present, of the colonizers and the colonized.

7. The next morning, Zoe and I set off once again, this time after having 'checked-out' of our hotel room and leaving our bags with the concierge, for Day 2 of a-gallivanting around the city. We were hoping to go to HongKong Park for some light-hearted recreational fun. HongKong Park has among many other regular park-features a small aviary and the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea-ware, which was of particular interest to me (What with my new-found love for everything 'tea' since we moved to Asia). But as it turned out, my wonderful ex-colleague and good friend Cho (who had spent Sunday with us, showing us around town with his wife Jin) insisted that Zoe and I have lunch with him and then visit his brand new work space- an office he's set up on his own in HK, since the past 3 years now. We couldn't possibly decline, so the HongKong Park also makes it way to the list-of-things-to-do-the-next-time-we-visit-here.

8. Zoe and I met Cho at the 'Tai Koo' MTR stop. By now, I was getting used to remembering Chinese-sounding train station names. Singapore gives you good practice for stuff like that, somehow, although the eventual Malay names do ease up the effort one needs to make, in Singapore to remember difficult and similar-sounding Chinese station names. In HK for example, one can find train stations that baffle a newcomer such as - Tai Wo, Tai Fu, Tai Wo Hau, Tai Wai, Tai Koo, Tai Shui Hang....and the list goes on. There is a station called Wan Chai just as there is one called Chai Wan. And of course there are the welcome-break providing British names that English-speaking tourists such as myself, appreciate and remember best - such as Diamond Hill, Prince Edward, Admiralty, Olympic, Jordan, Causeway Bay, Fortress Hill etc. Another reason why I am tempted to live or visit here more often - is to get comfortable enough with the Chinese dialect (Cantonese and Mandarin) so that I could differentiate and more importantly appreciate the similar sounding names of places, without actually reducing them down to mere 'Chinese' names only. Living in Singapore sort of does that - acquaints and familiarizes one enough with a few Asian languages, their sounds, meanings and dialects, so that one understands and gets one tongue used to pronunciations that one hardly ever had to botherwith before, living largely in a world where everyone spoke or understood English!

9. For lunch, Cho suggested an "amazing' sushi place he frequents, close to Tai Koo station, for old times sake (When Cho and I worked at 14 Wall Street in NYC, we'd often go eat sushi lunches close to work). Besides, he got me all excited to use this as an opportunity to introduce sushi to Zoe and see what she thinks of it. So we went to Sen-Ryo where we picked freshly made sushi traversing before us on a conveyor belt, onto our plates. My experiment was fruitful and Zoe happily munched away at bits of sushi with rice, sea weed and semi-sauteed salmon on it.
(I've been asked often, why I am so experimental with a two year old - giving her 'alien' foods, street foods this often. My logic has always been, if other kids her age are eating it somewhere in the world, she can do it too. Besides I think that is Zoe's logic too, since she's always asking to eat, what other's eat in front of her, so it's all good so far!)
Zoe didn't think much of the egg roll though, which I realized later was sweet!!! Not a particularly delectable sushi offering even to my taste buds, I must say, that one! Next up was a clear bowl of Udon soup, that Cho was having, which Zoe insisted on 'force-sharing'. I had a wonderful baby-sitter in 'Uncle Cho' that afternoon, who ordered a separate udon soup just for his new little friend and happily fed her it's entire contents with his chopsticks. My first experiment at Japanese cuisine with the young one, was checked, making me a very happy Mumma that day!

10. Cho's lovely office was a short walk from the sushi place, where we spent the rest of the afternoon, discussing his work, other international architectural projects, competitions and our fun times together. We planned a tentative re-union with the entire team that worked together on the design and conception of the Mumbai International Airport Project, hoping to make the reunion happen in Mumbai, before the end of this year. That will certainly be something to look forward to, especially as the airport opens it's doors the public soon. Cho's architectural firm is working on projects in Korea and on some other international competitions. Inspite of being South Korean, he chooses to base himself in HongKong, so as to be in the 'Centre of Asia' at an easy access and vantage point for international projects on this side of the world. Here is his firm's website - http://theeae.com/home.htm.
Hubster's HongKong office is close to Cho's place of work, so Hubster walked over to spend some time with us there. Zoe who had taken it upon herself as a personal project to colour every sheet of paper placed before her by Cho, with his multi-coloured markers, was pleasantly surprised at seeing "Papa" albeit for just a few minutes, appear out of nowhere, in the afternoon.
Soon it was time to bid goodbye to 'Uncle Cho' who will be sorely missed, especially each time Zoe needs to be fed efficiently and quickly with chopsticks! With a promise to meet again soon, in Mumbai or Singapore this time, Zoe and I, waved our goodbye's to Cho and took the train back to the hotel.

It was time to leave for the airport, where we would meet Hubster again, at the ticket check-in. Another beautiful, and especially memorable trip had come to an end! HongKong had captivated all of us and we knew when we were leaving, that we were not done with it yet. Perhaps at some point in the future we might return to visit or stay a bit longer - which of the two it will be, we don't know yet, but what we do know for sure is, We 'll be back. For many many reasons but most of all because Zoe only knows how to say "Nee Hao KongKong" and hasn't yet learned how to say 'Goodbye' to this city, in it's language yet!

Singapore Suitcases: Week 29 - Of HongKong and why I could live there - Part 1!

1. Everyone who heard I was heading to HongKong this week, for the very first time ever, presumed I would love the city.They were right and how!
Few cities have the spark in them that ignites my fire -enough to have me say those famous 4 words - "I can live here!" This week I am happy to announce Hong Kong is one of them!
Going from swanky, posh, squeaky clean and super-new Singapore, HongKong obviously came across as the good ol', grungy, rough-edged, gritty, hard city - the characteristics in an urbanity that I am so much in awe of. It's weathered, well-seasoned look reeked of a historic colonial past, something it shares with Singapore as well. Yet, in Singapore that past peeks at you from behind sanitized clean buses or train stations that all look alike. HongKong lets it's urbanity co-exist with it's colonialism - every train station looks different, there is no trace of an overall all-encompassing stroke of uniformity over the city as is strikingly evident in the face of Singapore. And in HongKong, people abound, possibly in a quantity that would only be yielded if you put all the New Yorkers and Mumbaikars together. HongKong has hills and mountains and tall towers everywhere. Towers on flat lands and towers on mountains, making it the tallest vertical city I've ever been to; where even a hard-core Manhattan-ite would sprain their neck out of arching it so much, to find the top of a tower, from the street level. It's insanely packed density lends it an equally insane (in a nice way) energy, a spectacular drive and enthusiasm that inherently puts a spring in one's first step and an immediate leap in the second. Although not as cosmopolitan as Singapore, being mostly Chinese due to it's allegiance to the mainland, the city projects a global air like none other - none of it's Western counterparts for sure! Sometimes I wonder if people like me who've spent over a decade of their lives in NYC are just so taken by living there that we do not realize how narrow and 'West-centric' our world-view really becomes. Cities like HongKong make one realize that there are a few other places in the world, where multiple worlds collide and co-exist, without actually melting into each other. So while it may be called Asia's New York, I wonder if New York will ever be able to match-up, to be called America's HongKong someday?

2. The weekend was spent visiting Lantau Island by cable car, much to the delight of the wonder-eyed Zoe, who pointed to the glass floor of the cable car, as it soared above the hills and the ocean, yelling "Look Mamma, Trees...Look Mamma, Water" underneath. The glass-floored cable car ride (as against the opaque-floored cable car ride) is a must-do on a visit to HongKong. This cable car takes one across several hills and forests, looming over the South China sea, sailing into the clouds, all the way up to see the World's Tallest Buddha aka Tian Tan Buddha at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island.
On most days HongKong is misty and dewy and the Saturday afternoon we were up there, was no different. For many Buddhist devotees this is a real pilgrimage and as goes with most pilgrimages, the path to the destination is often as important as the destination itself. While in the cable car, we could sight a few people hiking their way up endless stairs, all the way up to the Buddha, on what seemed like a beautiful trail that wound through thick, lush rainforests and multiple shades of greens, going up and down mountains.
A friend who's lived in HK for a few years now, had advised us to eat lunch at the 'Vegetarian Kitchen' - the cafetaria of the Po Lin Monastery, where the monks prepare a simple yet delightful vegetarian lunch - the kinds one can only get at a monastery. It was one of the best tips ever on this trip. The three of us (baby included) savoured the three course meal, (which might seem bland to some at first but then the freshness of the ingredients makes up for it), as we washed it down with sips of warm comforting green tea - a perfect culinary experience to go with the place and the temperature which had slightly dipped with an increase in altitude.
There are about 260 steps from the base of the Buddha statue to the top and fortunately we are at a stage now where our eager toddler insists on climbing at least 80% of these, what with going up and down stairs/ escalators being one of her favourite activities during transit. The funny part was when she reached the top and strained her neck upwards to look up at the Buddha Statue that sat serenely perched with one hand in a 'blessing' pose. In Little Zoe's books, where words such as 'blessing' and 'prayer' do not exist, this was just another 'Uncle' seated up there, engaging her with a mighty "Hi five" to which she respectfully retorted - "Hi five" causing much amusement among the tourists and locals alike! At least this wasn't half as embarrassing as when she pointed out to the gleaming white head of the Laughing Buddha in Vietnam and yelled out "Mumma...Look Moon" making her Mumma break out into silly, sheepish smiles suddenly!

3. Our hotel - The Excelsior Mandarin Oriental was nicely located in Causeway Bay, close to the MTR station (It's funny how trains all over the world play around with their acronyms - MRT somewhere is MTR someplace else).
We were welcomed with what can possibly be called one of the most delicious cups of green tea I have ever had in my life yet (And I've had quite a few of them, given my recent fascination for collecting natural teas on all our travels). Contrary to some mass-churned out 'Welcome drinks' that we've had on our earlier travels, this one stood out in utmost sincerity, pledging it's allegiance to the place and people, like none other. I was already sold on the idea of living here, given the chance - with a basic green tea being so soul-stirringly delicious, who wouldn't want to?

4. I have always believed the best way to a see a city is by traveling through it, like it's middle-class does - using it's public transport, traversing edges like the common man, striking up conversations with random strangers/ co-passengers sitting next to you. HongKong gave me ample opportunity to do exactly that - what with it's diverse opportunities to ride a tram/train/bus/taxi/ferry/ cable car in the 4 days that we spent there.
Unlike in Singapore, we took the train everywhere we went to, in HK. Even the two exclusive 'Mommy & Zoe' days we spent there, were entirely traversed around by train, hopping between islands, train stations, escalators and turnstiles.
The train systems in Asia are relatively newer than in the West, making them that much more efficient and (signage-wise) more advanced to use. All exits are called out as letters of the alphabet (A,B,C etc) and sub-exits within larger exits are broken down further into A1,A2,A3 etc, so one knows exactly where one needs to go, unlike the NYC Subway for instance, that only calls out sub-exits as per direction (Northeast/ Southwest etc).
The 'Octopus card' works like a charm, being accepted anywhere and everywhere you go (shops, restaurants, trains, buses, taxis) just as the 'SMRT' card works in Singapore similarly. In fact at the end of your stay, the Octopus card can also be returned at train stations for a credit for the leftover amount on it, sans a 'processing fee', which is a highly effective system to facilitate ease in public transport.
Station platforms are quite narrow, but railings put up everywhere around escalator landings, make it easy for people to circulate uniformly across the length of the train, versus crowding at certain 'door' spots alone. For a change, unlike in Singapore, it's nice to hear train announcements in just two (Chinese & English) and not four languages (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil & English). I know I am going to miss this multi-lingualism in public announcements, when I move back to The States next year!

Trams that look like slender, slimmer versions of BEST double decker buses, with a romantic colonial air still navigate the busy streets of HK. The street-scape of this city is as dynamic as the people walking on it are. I went on a happy shutter-frenzy clicking away at streets - trying to capture all the modes of transport on them often. Fortunately I managed a few shots with trams and buses criss-crossing each other in narrow lanes, as red rustic taxis sped past expensive high-end cars.

My only qualms about the public transportation system in HK were - Well none whatsoever actually! My qualms about the public who were using the transportation were - that not many wanted to help me - a lady wearing a backpack pushing a stroller with a child in it! I am not the mother who expects help usually, especially when the system is designed for me to be independent enough. But when it is not and I have to haul a stroller and a pretty heavy kid up a long flight of stairs, I think I'd be happy with some helpful intervention!
It's probably a cultural thing, I know, but with all the multi-ethnic living we are doing in big cities these days, surely there's been a sprinkle of this 'etiquette' around too? In HK, as I found out, not as much!
That is how I believe the West spoils you - Having become a mother in that part of the world. I've pretty much taken for granted that random strangers will help mothers-with-strollers-standing-at-the-ends-of-staircases, like me. My interaction with locals all over Asia this far has taught me clearly that "When in China, don't expect help"...... So I knew I was pushing my luck when I stood lazily at the end of a long flight of stairs, pretending to look all lost and forlorn with a 'How-will-I-do-this?' kinda look on my face, while Zoe peacefully snored away in her stroller.
As in Singapore, where I usually just squat like a Sumo wrestler and weight-lift the stroller in it's entirety with Zoe sitting in it, in HongKong the terribly long flights of stairs from the underground train stations to the street levels above brought out the sheer 'lazy' in me. 5 out of the 6 such times that I stood at HK stations, I must confess, help did come to me. But always after a good 5 minutes had been spent by me, standing there, waiting for it to arrive. And when it did arrive, it was almost always in the form of a young Chinese/ European/American man - clearly one who had acquired this 'nicety' of helping a stranger from having lived abroad.

5. Unlike most of Asia, HK is blessed with seasons and a topography that is so dynamic, that it creates temperature dips. We welcomed the dip in temperature we faced, when we went up to The Peak - one of HongKong's most popular vantage points. Reminiscent of San Francisco in an odd sort of way, the Peak is another must-do on a short or long itinerary to this city. It can usually be accessed by a 120 year old railway, called - The Peak Tram. Unfortunately, the lines for the Peak Tram were long and winding and with no patience to wait it out for over 2 hours, we took the easy way out and flagged a taxi down, to go all the way to the top. We knew we were giving a classic HK experience a miss as we were doing this, but in our hearts we thought this was the perfect excuse to plot a return trip here sometime - just to experience this magnificent, almost-vertical train ride, that rises 1,300 feet above sea-level and for that reason alone needs to be taken, at least once in a life time!  

6. Language was not a problem in HK. Well not as much as it was in Vietnam at least. Most people spoke/ understood English. Those who didn't, understood what I meant, through my incredibly expressive dumb-charade acts that I have now successfully mastered over the last 8 months of being an expat-traveler in Asia. They are such an ingrained part of my personality now that sometimes the Hubster needs to remind me, that he does understand English and I can do without the 'descriptive handy-work' in his case!
*If you do visit hard-core ethnic restaurants in neighbourhoods such as Sham Shui Po though, you might need to know some Cantonese or alternatively be really good at dumb charades, to explain to the wait-staff what you'd like for supper! 

7. My ex-colleague from NYC and his wife, both Koreans, now live in HK. They were gracious enough to spend their entire Sunday with us, taking us around Kowloon (the island across from HongKong island), through it's crowded markets and heritage structures. With them we took the famous Star Ferry from Kowloon back to HongKong island, walked the Kowloon waterfront, window-shopped through the 1881 Heritage area, ate lunch at a random local Chinese eatery called Tam's Yunnan Noodles in the Sham Shui Po  area, where we ordered a deliciously vegetarian fare entirely through gesture-making and later had the most delightful mango, rice, red bean, matcha & green tea Asian desserts at HoneyMoon Desserts. We also strolled along the famous Ladies Market - buying and bargaining our way through Chinese fare, while the little one partially slept, partially sang her way all afternoon long, keeping everyone entertained throughout!

.....To be continued!
The remainder of the trip crosses over the weekend and into the next week. Stay tuned for more, in next week's update!
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 28 - Of 'hot & heavy' lunches, Circus Minimus & Valuing the 'good life'!

1. A mid-week lunch date with an old friend from undergrad Architecture school in Mumbai, gave me much food for thought this week.
Over spicy, hot and mouth-watering Sichuan cuisine, with the sichuan pepper doing a great job of lurking around, on our tongues long after it had been bitten into, we exchanged notes on everything - from multi-country living, educational systems, peer pressures to our anxieties and fears of bringing up children in India, in general.

It has made me angry beyond measure - this recent spate of 'rapes' that one hears about, coming from various Indian cities. Like that was not an issue grave enough, the news of 'minor rapes' that has seemed to mushroom offlate from all over the country, has me completely astounded and emotionally wrought up. I cannot get the thought of the 5 year old minor, raped by a neighbour, found in the basement of her own building, in Delhi.
A headline of a news article I recently read, on the daily news site I write a column for, seemingly screamed in my face - "Missing children to get ‘kidnapped’ case status". The article explains how in today's day and age of plentiful cases of minor kidnappings in Indian cities, the Maharashtra government has issued a mandate to all police stations, stating that all 'missing children' cases are to be treated and considered as 'kidnap' cases! In short this means that after a 'kidnap' case is registered, the police will be required to investigate it at once and not according to the usual, unofficial ’24-hour window’ that most police personnel allow for the child to return, or to hear of the child’s whereabouts before starting the investigation.
To me this was minutely positive yet majorly worrisome news alright! It puts to light the existing social predicament of urban children in India, where it is safe to make an overarching all-encompassing generalization that children are not safe! Clearly, cases of minor-molestations/ incest/ kidnapping etc have been occurring through the years when we were growing up in India as well and that it's just now that they are being more actively projected in the limelight, by the victims, their families and the press. 
It is in these trying times that we (Hubster and I) are contemplating moving base to this country, for a few months, with our soon-to-be 2 year old daughter! Certainly it's not going to be easy. As I type, there are probably more innocent, unassuming minors being inappropriately fondled, touched, cajoled and done-what-not-to by their own neighbours, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters and even fathers for god's sake! (I have spent quite a few hours in disgust, this week as I have read up constantly on 'minor rape' cases, where one news article after another, espoused of incest on behalf of each of the above relationships with a little child. I am amazed 'mothers' are still left out.)
There seems to be no end-solution to this. It is an epidemic that has engulfed our country, which is destroying societal decencies and basic familial relationships! There is no saying who can harm your child in which way, when and how. And no one is beyond the radar on this one! What stayed with me long after I was done reading these articles, was a line that a mother fighting for justice for her 3 year old who was continually, regularly raped by her own biological father, said - "If a 34 year old girl is raped, it could probably be her own fault, if at all (as alleged by several political goons in the country)! But if a 3 year old girl is raped, it is her Mother's fault!"

2. In light of the above fears for the future, I have now begun to value the present, more so! That for all it's sterility, overt-sanitisation, negativities etc etc, if there is one thing you've got to tip your hat off for, to Singapore, it is it's crime control. Specifically, it's anti-theft social structure!
As known to most, theft in this country entails not only a hefty sum as fine, but is accompanied by imprisonment. 
Naturally people are spoilt - for instance they leave behind wallets. purses full of money etc on coffee-shop tables and then casually come walking back to pick them up, a good 10-15 minutes after they first left. There is no sense of "Will it be or Wont it be there?" in their heads. Hence, there is no scurrying back hurriedly or a look for worry on their faces, when they approach the table atop which they forgot their things. At worst, they know, if their forgotten belongings are no longer on the table, they would have found their way to the 'Manager' or other equivalent official's office, for safe-keeping. 
The same logic can be applied in the case of 'Missing Children' here as well. The friend mentioned above, casually related to me three instances of having 'lost' her toddler son, in various areas in this city and having found him back, within minutes, each time. On the first such occasion she recounted, as she called a relative, in sheer despair among tears, wondering what to do, he calmly pacified her saying "It's Singapore. Nothing will happen to your son. Just relax and call the cops." She did exactly that and sure enough - the cops showed up sooner than she could shed another tear and advised her to look within the mall, outside of which she had last seen her son. The boy was found sitting, waiting patiently at the 'Lost & Found' department (How appropriate is that!) where a store official had escorted him safely, having spotted him wandering around the mall looking lost, on a security camera. 
With laws this heavily mandated, against crimes such as theft, shop-lifting, child-kidnapping, pedophilia, rape, molestation etc it is no wonder then, that this place is a safe haven, to bring up children in. Counter arguments can be made to the point that this kind of 'shielded-from-reality-upbringing' might not prepare children to step out into the real big bad world out there, where they will have to fend for themselves and battle the demons in their own lives. But until that day comes, young mothers like my friend, are happy to raise their children here, taking some liberties themselves in the process, of making mistakes that they don't have to pay for, as heavily as they would have to, in some other parts of the world! 
As you can obviously tell, with topics of discussion such as 1 & 2 above and the yummy Sichuan fare, this surely was one 'hot & heavy' lunch, in more ways than one! 

3. Zoe, Hubster and I, had our first collective indoor circus experience at Circus Minimus this weekend. There's something about a stage and our little one. In the presence of a stage or a performance-like arena, she feels the compulsive need to go stand right in the middle and start her own antics. She seems to think stages are meant for performance. Well, I wouldn't say that she's completely wrong. But I don't think she gets, that sometimes stages are meant for *others* to perform and for us to watch and applaud them. That, we don't really always need to be part of the performance. 
The mini-ring of the Circus Minimus theatre was a non-conventional stage of sorts. As the little one went around dancing and twirling bang in the middle of it, much to the "oohs and aahs" of the audience members before the show started, the 'ringmaster' came up to me after a point, politely and smilingly suggesting that I take my "excited little one" off the ring. Zoe has often put talented performers to shame, at every performance she's been to yet; stealing their thunder with her random little antics on what is really their 'stage'. While I am a proud Mommy on account of the fact that this one shows no signs of 'stage fright', I am also a little tired Mommy when we go to shows/ performances/ recitals/ musicals/ plays etc with her, running behind her, trying to control her from getting centre-stage all the time! 
All in all the Circus was a fun act, albeit too short for the whopping sum we paid for it. Since it had traveled all the way from the UK, the ticket prices were ridiculously steep and shockingly adult and kids tickets all cost the same! (I was comparing this to a similar event in NYC where adult tickets would've easily been 1/5th the price of what we paid here and the little one would have got in for free). Going by the pricing, the show should have certainly involved some more play-time and story-telling, for starters. The stuffed animals and props, lighting and sounds being used were imaginative and lent themselves beautifully towards the story-line. The show ended in 50 minutes sort of leaving us wanting for more, especially as Zoe had only just finished introducing herself to the 30+ odd audience members by walking up to each one, sticking out her hand and saying "Hi, I am Yo-Vee..", whether they wanted to talk to her or not. Oh well - it seems like that name plans to stick around for a while! 

4. Our dear friends, Sandi & Amit - also ex-New Yorkers, finally came over for dinner this weekend. We had nailed down a date after a grueling back-and-forth with schedules that didn't seem to work for either of us. That is another unavoidable aspect of Singaporean social life as we've discovered. Life here, for us largely has been about showing friends or family around town or traveling outside of it, when we have no guests visiting us. A lot of our friends lead similar lives in flux here with perpetual visitors or travel itineraries of their own, hence co-ordinating schedules takes some amount of planning, at the very least.  
The evening was fun, spent talking about our present and past lives, the idea of start-up's, Singapore's millionaires and their lives and the school-systems in our three common countries - The States, India & Singapore. Fun laid-back evenings such as these, spent at home with good friends over a home-cooked dinner and wine, used to be an integral part of our lives in NYC. On account of our busy travel itineraries, these are now a rarity and hence cherished tremendously. We hope we get to spend a few more such evenings here, before we bid adieu to this place! 

As time flies, I realize that in a few more months from now, we are nearing the end of our stay here. 
It's funny how one gets attached to life in a new place, over due course of time, as one starts getting comfortable in a place, learning to call a new city their home-for-now and gradually learning the ropes of how that place functions, lives and effectively works. Singapore has been my home-base for the last 8 months only, but I increasingly feel like I am not done with this place yet. Not because I am attached to this city-state in a massive sort of way, like I am to Mumbai or NYC, but because I like how this city has made life very convenient for us, right from day one. That it gives us the ability to come and go as we please, with minimum advance planning, having the best airport in the world at our disposal. That it has spoilt us in a way only Asia can, luring us into the good life one day at a time. That I no longer question why people who move here for a year end up staying for several. And that I know I will miss aspects of it and forever be thankful for having had the opportunity to call it my home - after having dismissed it at first, to see it from such close quarters to be able to actually grow to enjoy and appreciate it!

Thank You for reading!  
Love,
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 27 - Of Zoe's Zoo debut, a Rain-forest for a city & a Carefree Parenthood!

1. Zoe went to the Zoo this week. For the first time ever. And behaved like it's no big deal! Oh well!
(The best friend/ Zoe's Maasi (Aunt) who lives in San Diego, California has been insisting that Zoe be taken to the Zoo, ever since she was born. You see, the best friend's son/ my nephew is endearingly called Mowgli, so the jungle with all its animals and birds are really extended family for all of us now. Hence, the best friend's insistence that her New Yorker niece be acquainted with the extended family as soon as possible. Since a trip to the Zoo never really happened in NYC, I heard the bestie sending me a telepathic mental 'Hi-Fi' when we decided that we were going to take Zoe to the Zoo, this week, here in Singapore. The added perk of course was that we were accompanied by the other first-timer family members there - the SIL & BIL who gave Zoe great company on the trip and to us - a break from being her only baby-sitters on a day out.) 
Naturally this being her first time ever, we were excited to take her to the Zoo. We had high hopes of seeing her marvel in delight, squeal in surprise and all those things that children do, at the sight of four legged creatures. (Being quite the animal lover, we thought she's be thrilled at seeing 'real-life' versions of animals, she's only seen this far in books or on Baby TV)
Contrary to our expectations, she seemed pretty ordinarily pleased and mildly shocked at seeing the creatures from her books, come to life at the Zoo. Other than her obvious delight at spotting certain animals, overall she did not seem to think much of the Zoo. It offered no obvious apparent novelty to her, almost convincingly making me scratch my head to wonder if I had taken her to a Zoo in the past perhaps?
This urban baby seemed more interested in pointing out a "Car", a "Bus", even the "Moon" and "Babies" around, even as gorgeous zebras and beautiful giraffes came strolling up close to her. Thankfully for the animals, she did notice them all and call out to each one of them, but with hardly any joy or element of surprise. It was as if she was at home, turning the pages of her animal book as she does everyday.
The trip to the Zoo did seem important once we left the Zoo though. For now, Zoe had seen live versions of animals as against their two-dimensional images and her associations with them seems to have grown stronger (or rather that's what we'd like to think). Still, we think we may have to wait for a few more months (hopefully and not years) before we get that much anticipated gleeful "Wow...." out of her at a beautiful Giraffe. A reaction the Moon invokes, undoubtedly, every single night as she points it out from our window!

2. The Singapore Zoo, as most suggest correctly, is a Must-Do on a trip here. Especially the much-spoken about, hyped Night Safari that seems like a hot-favourite among locals/ tourists alike. The Singapore Night Safari is one of the oldest wildlife night safaris in the world and immensely enjoyable as one sights a variety of animals in their natural habitat, nocturnally going about their respective business. Yet, to a slightly off-the-beaten-track mindset like mine, it appeared as though this was a performance, entirely staged for the viewer, promising to deliver complete value for his money. I wondered if all these animals were drugged into staging their acts, specifically at night, just so the Night Safari visitors could spot them?  Since there were no real visible demarcations, except a glass barricade intelligently designed around the Indian Tiger's cave, it was surreal how animals could actually walk right up to the tram passing through their surroundings. As visitors, there were no 'safety guidelines' that we were asked to adhere to, when seated in the tram, except of course to not get off one while it was running. Inspite of this, it was a little odd that the animals went about their activities nonchalantly, as our noisy tram navigated it's way through the make-believe forest. Just to solve that mystery and to also visit the individual animal trails by night on foot (something we obviously steered clear of doing this time, fearing the over-exploratory aptitude of the little one, that might just land her in the lap of a deer busily chomping away at dinner), the Singapore Night Safari makes its way to my 'Places to re-visit' list!

3. We took the SIL & BIL to Club Street one night - also our very first time there, for Spanish Tapas at La Cicala. The food was great, but the portions albeit tapas, were microscopically small. That's the thing about this city - when they do a cuisine right, they cringe on the portion size. After going to a few Mexican places here, I've now figured the best place to eat a great guacamole and a lot of it, is at home! If you decide to pay us a surprise visit - be rest assured, whether or not you find us at home, there's sure to be a big bowl of freshly made lip-smackingly good guac in the refrigerator and home-made tortilla chips (Yes, I go all out) waiting for you!
But I digress. The thought of good food does that to me sometimes. Back to Club Street! This is another 'party' hood of Singapore, which basically comprises of a lane with many restaurants, wine bars and a few clubs. Among all of Singapore's 'party' hoods that I've been to this far - Dempsey Hill, Club Street, Holland Village, Collier Quay, Clarke Quay, Customs House & Duxton Hill - the last one, Duxton Hill, is my all-time favourite. It could have to do with the fact that it has a non-descript, semi-Tribeca semi-Williamsburg feel to it (Yeah yeah, go ahead and rant on that "Take the person out of NY, but you cannot take NY out of the person" mantra).
But overall, partying out in Singapore on weekends, as one would normally do in NYC, comes at a steep price - often at least twice or more than what one would spend for the same, in the Big Apple. That's just the thing about Singapore that takes a lot of getting used to - the prices on the menu.

4. The little one's class-size at school seems to be expanding/ contracting like it's a living organism of sorts. They started out as a class of three and have now expanded to a class of nine. This is what happens when you live in Expat central. As people come and go, so do their children. As I look back on my friend lists from when I was Zoe's age, I see that I still count most of them as my present-day friends as well. That will not be the case with my daughter, I realise, who sees an influx and outflux of new/ old friends each week.
Teacher Grace - Zoe's class teacher informed me smilingly, that on Wednesday this week, yet again, Zoe insisted on "sharing" (More like "force-sharing if you've seen what she's capable of) snacks with Poppy and then slept in class. All I could think of was Poppy's Mom must pack a mean snack that knocked out even Giant Zoe, right after!
Note to self: Find out what that potent snack was, the next time I meet Poppy's mom and keep it handy for when this little monster decides to drive me up the wall (which happens a LOT offlate)!

5. Singapore is as grey as it is green; by which I mean it is as vertically built-up  in concrete, as it is horizontally adorned by lush green forest-like greens. It offers itself up as one of the few developed cities around the world, where pollution levels are in control and tall skyscrapers compete with huge rain forest trees next to each other. Approximately 50% of the land in Singapore is covered by plants or trees. That is an absolutely enviable statistic for a modern city-state!
As one navigates this city's streets and highways, one is amazed at how buildings alternate with thick wild landscaped areas that resemble rain forests. Even in the heart of the city, where we live, one can always spot exotic birds and hear their chirps and tweets, at any point of time during the day or at night. The most however, that one hears from these birds is at dusk, especially on a particular stretch of Orchard Road (stretching all the way between Somerset & Orchard MRT stations). I like to believe it's because like us humans, they all come back to their nests in the evening, after having led their own individual lives all day. The cacophony that abounds, symbolises the 'catching-up' they do, the stories they relate to each other and news they exchange, after a hard day's work. Much like how our lives function, when we come home from work and yap away to our partners/ families/ anybody willing to listen, our days happenings as we unfold before them what happened today and what did not....This otherwise, beautiful, poetic theory of mine, when put before the Hubster only gets me a pathetic - "Really? Try that story with Zoe. She might believe you. For me it's more like there are a million of you up there. Yapping away to glory!"
*Whatever*

6. We are now what you may call - seasoned 'Parents-who-party-without-their-kids'. Singapore has done that to us! It has given us back our "Pre-Z" lives, as we like to call that phase! It is clear that when we now talk of our next international move, this is the first aspect of our present day lives that appears diminishing in front of our eyes, making us go all skeptical about our move.
Don't get me wrong - It's not like we want to live here forever. But given the option of living here longer, say perhaps another few months - that we might just take, to make the most of our golden times here!
I see now, why people move to Singapore, for not just a few months, but for a couple of years at the very least. Apart from the extremely convenient, safe, worry-free lifestyle, there is a sense of a newly found independence here, especially for young parents, the kind you can never feel if you live on a constant deadline - to be back on time, to relieve the nanny. While it may be difficult to go back to a set-up like the one we had in NYC (of a full-time nanny), it is perhaps going to be toughest to move to Mumbai and try to establish a similar set-up in terms of childcare there, in today's trying times of child-mishap/ accident cases that emerge from India.
Advanced planning, prep-work, research and a word-of-mouth tactic are some of the strategies I plan to employ, when I start my hunt for the appropriate child-care setup for Zoe in Mumbai. Contrary to what a lot of our friend's suggest to us, Hubster and I, are a bit too fiercely independent by nature. In other words, that means that we absolutely have no intentions of taking help from either set of Zoe's grandparents at all (inspite of their offer to do so), even though we plan to live in the same city as them, for a few months in the near future. Hence, we will provide for the perfect case-study for other young parents like us, who plan to follow in our footsteps in making a move (temporary or permanent) to Mumbai, with young children.
I see a big learning curve up ahead when that happens and albeit excited about it, I would be lying if I said I am not anxious about it. Happy in my belief that 'I ll cross that bridge when I come to it' for now we are just gloriously reveling in the comforts of being young, carefree parents who party away joyously and come and go at home as they like, knowing their kids are being well looked after, even in their absence!

7. Swimming has been going exceptionally well. In just about 5 one-hour long sessions with my instructor, I am now the frog I wanted to be. The next step is to fine-tune my FreeStyle technique and  then perhaps move on to the Butterfly stroke. The instructor warns that the Butterfly stroke is extremely difficult to learn, so I am kinda looking forward to taking that up as a challenge.
My love affair with the pool has re-kindled. As if like a drug, the water pulls me towards it, at any given point of time (It's getting a little difficult to withhold the aquatic urge now as there are days when I find myself in the pool, twice a day). Glad that our stay here has brought back this forgotten love back into my life!

Next week brings some lunch and dinner dates with local friends and the SIL & BIL's departure, making it our first week in ages, without house-guests! The house will feel empty for sure as the daughter goes on her "No (insert name of most recent house guest)"...rant again! Time to plan the next itinerary then!
Love,
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 26 - Of house-guests galore, a displeased Goddess of Mercy & double birth-date celebrations!

1. Woohoo! The week sees three house-guests arriving on two different days, ensuring a full house at The MD House - Singapore, all week long.
Another fellow villager from the city - Pancham, aka 'Panchy', comes a-visiting this week all the way from Africa, so she can spend a couple of days with us and her little 'laddu' as she calls the toddler. And the SIL & BIL arrive on Saturday, which also happens to be the little one's 21st month birthday.
If you've known me long enough and/ or have been reading my updates, you know these are the last few monthly birthday celebrations here at The MD's, until the little one turns 2. So we're doubling up on the last few '13th celebrations' before we reach her actual birthday on July 13th, as we anticipate a lot of house-guests around that date in the next few months. Obviously, the kiddo is pretty thrilled at the prospect of blowing out candles every few days and I would be lying if I didn't admit that it's the sparkle in her eye and gust in her 'blow' of the candles, that I really do this for. I am all about celebrations! Birthdays have always been my big thing. Glad to know the daughter thinks so too!

2. Panchy arrived late Tuesday night and was adamant on defeating her jet lag from having crossed three different continents in the past 24 hours. Since she was here in Singapore for barely two days, we (She & I) decided to make the most of her time here and see the city, in snippets of how she'd like to see it. She arrived armed with a list of 'Must-do's' in Singa-land and we set about trying to check those off, while making sure I slipped in a few 'Must-do's from my list as well.
Having played hosts to quite a few house-guests here, Hubster and I have come up with our own little two/three or five day packages of touring in and around the city-state, of course depending on the type of traveler and their interests. Needless to say, we throw in a handful of must-do restaurants/ cuisines as well in the mix for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
The highlight of Panchy's visit over the couple of days was two-fold - our conversations that transcended from anywhere between global-living to random start-up ideas and her amazing ability to connect to Zoe, whom she was meeting for only the second time ever. In the two days that she spent with us, we spent a lot of time just playing plain old catch-up and making new connections - with friends of friends - shrinking our already shrunk worlds, even more.

3. Hubster and I took Panchy to 1-Altitude for panoramic aerial views of Singapore & even Malaysia in the far background on Wednesday night. Compared to Ku De Ta - the now infamous boat-shaped rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands building, 1-Altitude offers 360 degree views from a higher elevation. The music seemed to be unnecessarily loud. A fainter score in the background might have done wonders to the ambience as the spectacular views added more than enough charisma and character to the place. We discovered, as in the case of most Singapore bars/ clubs - Wednesday nights are usually 'Ladies nights', thus making the otherwise pricey drinks slightly more affordable for the regular gal. And of course the term 'cover charge' in Asia, as I remember it from my days of club-hopping in India, thankfully entails full redemption of the 'charge' towards the purchase of a drink, unlike in the States where it really is just a charge to enter the club.
Singapore being as peanut-sized as it is, an all-encompassing aerial 360 degree view is the best way to see the city-state, especially when visiting here on a limited time frame. A definite recommendation on my things-to-do list for this city!

4. The most intriguing and informative aspect of Panchy's visit came about, when I took her to view my favourite Chinese Temple in Singapore. Hubster and I had chanced upon this temple one of the weekends, when we walked over to it after eating brunch nearby.
The temple is called The Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple and is dedicated to the Chinese goddess of Mercy - Kuan Yin Bodhisattva. We were enlightened that day that the Chinese pantheon like the Greek one, also has several similarities to the Hindu pantheon.
Ever since Hubster and I have chanced upon this temple, it has been my favourite Chinese temple to take any of our visitors to. Unlike the other better maintained and more touristy temples in Chinatown or other areas, this one is visited largely by the locals. (Most come here to pray for good luck or specifically solve certain problems in their respective lives.)
The unique technique of worship here has been my biggest draw to this place. As is the case with Hindu temples, worshippers stand outside the temple where incense sticks (agarbatti's essentially) are provided so that these can be lit and used to worship the temple from the outside and the sun - which is usually prayed to with one's back to the idol (a practice unlike at a Hindu temple, where one does not turn one's back on the deity). Locals enter the temple with their footwear on, making sure to take them off only when stepping over a large square red carpet, centrally located in the temple. Wooden sticks also known as 'Kian' placed in brass containers and two red shell halves are handed out at a counter inside the temple. The worshipper takes one of these and kneels on the red carpet, facing the idol of the Goddess of Mercy. He or she first mentally introduces himself/ herself to the Goddess, telling her their name, address and particular problem they are seeking a solution for. Then the container is shaken until one stick falls out onto the red carpet. The fallen stick has an inscription on it, which may or may not be the solution to the person's problem, as decided by the position of the red shell halves, when thrown over the carpet. In what sounds like a perfect analogy to the 'chaupad' one knows of from having seen or read the Mahabharata, the red carpet in the temple, looks like a large archaic casino of sorts, where one sees hordes of Chinese worshippers gamble away their fortunes. (Considering they make for such great gamblers, the scene looked fit for a direct comparison with a casino). That was naturally the drift my anthropological mind made, on witnessing this rather synchronised worship-phenomenon.
The existence of a 'life-problem' is verified based on how the red shell halves have fallen (the two halves need to fall with their opposite faces on top - for example if these were coins, they would need to fall such - one 'heads' and the other 'tails'). The wooden chopstick then needs to be taken over to the counter, where it's inscription is read by the temple associate who hands out a pre-printed English translation of it, to the believer.
The above understanding of this technique of worship was all thanks to Panchy, who intrigued by the sight of the red-carpet worshippers nudged one nearby to seek a description. A temple associate who explained the process of worship to us, instigated the two of us to pick up two brass containers and give it a shot ourselves, in the process perhaps identifying the 'problem' in our lives at the moment. In a funny conclusion of sorts my life seemed to be 'problem-free' as the red shell halves always fell 'same side up'. How convenient! It looked like the Goddess had seen through my 'act' - where I was doing this just for the kicks of it and she was in no mood whatsoever to encourage my 'non-belief' for sure. Panchy on the other hand was dismayed looking at her 'life problem' and what the Chinese Goddess of Mercy really thought of her and we walked out pooh-poohing the whole episode!
A big part of celestial devotion comes from belief. And as we walked out of the temple that day, we realized that if the belief is in one's own self, then celestial devotion renders itself unnecessary.

5. Thursday evening was spent strolling along Singapore's waterfront, which brings mental glimpses of Newport, Jersey City back into my life. The only difference was - the spectacular sky-line at the other end which stood for much more than just New York City, in the latter's case. Here in Singapore, the waterfront curves and turns non-linearly and offers different vantage points of the city, depending on which turn you're at. It also articulates some brilliant examples of art and architecture along its route, making it slightly more glorious than the Jersey City waterfront. That is the power of Water and Architecture. When they come together, they re-imagine the most banal of settings into becoming powerful non-erasable patches of memory, that linger in the mind long after one has physically left their shore. The Singaporean waterfront definitely makes a mark, perhaps the most profound mark yet, in the picture postcard memory of this city.

6. We wrapped up the evening with some great sangria at Nueva Cuba in the Customs House area of the city (slowly becoming my regular weekend haunt), with an entourage of friends - some new, some old and all young global citizens, having lived and worked across a few continents. That is the quintessential description of almost anyone who we have come across/ met in Singapore. Most people we meet here - through friends or are from our previous lives, have almost always moved here after having lived in at least 2 or 3 other countries before. The stories and the experiences they bring to the table are often as enriching and exotic as the food one finds here, at times. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be in this company, during our time here, another aspect of Singaporean life, that is so typical of this city-state and yet starkly unique from the global traveler that one meets in the West perhaps, on account of third-world exposure and travel.

7. Panchy flew out early Friday morning, much to the surprise of a quizzical Zoe who woke up to find "No Panchy" as she scanned the entire house for her newest play-mate. Panchy's only advance request for the course of her stay with us was that she wanted to celebrate Zoe's monthly birthday while she was visiting, even though it was a day or two earlier than the 13th.
So on the day before she flew out - Panchy and I made Zoe's birthday dessert of the month - an open faced Apple Tart, adding and subtracting ingredients as we felt like it, in the process. A delighted Zoe blew out a candle multiple number of times that evening as we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her out loud. And on that note Panchy flew out, a few hours later, promising to see us again soon, perhaps on her side of the world, this time around.

8. Our next set of guests - the SIL & BIL from Mumbai, arrived early Saturday morning. That night I baked more Apple tarts to celebrate Zoe's 21st month with them. That lucky little one gets to do another double-celebration next month, as two of her Mommy's closest friends are in town in May!
The weekend was spent doing another one of our weekend quick tours with the SIL& BIL around town. The week ahead sees them take off to Sentosa for a couple of days after which they come back to yet another line-up of sight-seeing/ food-spotting around town with us. The little one is naturally thrilled at the idea of a full house this often and new playmates back-to-back, what with the endless pampering, multiple candle-blowing sessions, gifts galore and getting to pull everyone's strings with her little finger.

See you next week, for yet another rendition of what happens when, where and how, in our current neck of the woods!
Stay well!
Love,
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 25 - Of Delhi dilemmas, manic markets & potential love-affairs!

1. We landed at the fabulous IGI Airport. This was only my second time in the new building and I already liked what I saw. Indian cities are finally getting their much-deserved share of international-level, smooth-functioning and well-built doorways to the world. Most of these city airports commission art work from local artists which adds the unique contextual flavour to their design; an initiative also taken up by the CSIA for the newly built Mumbai Airport. The key factor in keeping this image of these city's airports, is maintaining them well. And Delhi seems to have done a good job with that. In general, even the city of Delhi appears to be cleaner than Mumbai, as does it's Metro where one can try looking for red 'paan stains' but hardly find any, as I found out, during my time there. The city's streets are wide, people honour lanes relatively and litter is not as prevalent. Infrastructurally speaking, the capital city works better than Mumbai.

2. Yet when I landed, I must confess my mind immediately unfurled it's antennae - the sixth sense for predators, that which all women are born with. For I knew I had landed in the city of disrespecting men, the city of rapists. Pardon me for being so general there and for the harshness of that sentiment. But I am being honest here. Being an outsider/ visitor, that too a girl/ woman in Delhi, this is the first emotion that ran through my otherwise rational, not-one-to-generalise-so-quickly kind of a mind.
As Hubster and Pops stood waiting at the baggage claim to grab our bags off the belt, I found myself staring at the locals around with a suspicious eye. As I held my daughter's hand, I couldn't help but think how many of these loud locals (A big group of men were fighting with an airline representative over their baggage) had come close to that four letter word, every girl is so wary of - 'Rape'? How many of their neigbours, sisters, mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters had been assaulted - mentally or physically - in public by local idiots? Eve-teased on their way to work or school, grabbed and touched in wrong places or simply whistled/ jeered at in public?
I am sorry Delhi and I am sorry Delhi-ites. Some of you are my friends and I love you. But I will never be able to see or experience your city in the same way as I might like to. Hats off to my single girl-friends who live there, for I know they are doing something I could not. Rather, I would not, if I could help it.
There are moments when I want to fall in love with your city, but there's always a fear looming over my head. A fear, that tells me that I need to be overtly-cautious, extra-suspicious and too careful when I walk around here. That is not the emotion I am used to, being a Bombay girl. My city may not be flawless and completely clean, but I feel safe in it. At any hour of the day. With anyone who I speak to. And in most places I go.
I don't need to hide my fears behind an air-conditioned car that comes to pick me up or drop me off because the public transport is unsafe for me to use, in the evenings. I don't need to think twice before wearing what I want to, on a regular day in most parts of the city, afraid that I'll have people trying to grab my body parts or letch at me.
I am only partially in love with you Delhi, because for every nice guy I meet in you, I meet another one being a jerk. Love can never thrive amidst fear. So as much as I'd like to fall in love with you for your monuments, your rich heritage, your markets, your food and your beautiful confluence of languages and cultures that represent the country so beautifully, I must say I cannot. To me you're still not as clean as I'd like for you to be. I prefer my Mumbai's dirt over your physical cleanliness. At least in Mumbai the dirt is largely only on the outside.

3. I know I got a bit carried off there, but it is indeed the feeling Delhi aroused in me, on this visit. It could be because I was making this trip, after the new rape incidents that have occurred in the city, over the last few months. With the city expanding it's outer limits to gradually engulf parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, UP & Rajasthan to form the National Capital Region (NCR), there is no time better than now to start to instill a new mindset among its populace. For boys and men to understand and uphold the honour of girls and women.
To decrease the burden of migration-led population explosion on Delhi, the Indian government decided to build Noida and Gurgaon as adjunct residential and industrial areas around the capital. Noida, which was developed to house population growth of the next 20-25 years was overloaded in just 15 years, thanks to the massive influx to Delhi. Thus, Greater Noida was developed, 50 kms away from the heart of Delhi. Presently, as our taxi driver told us, there are talks of a 'Super Noida' being developed on the outskirts of Greater Noida as well. I wonder if in this game of sprawl, Delhi will one day reach Mumbai? Hubster got special brownie points when he innocently (?) asked the driver if Super Noida should have been named "Greatest Noida" as per the Normal-Comparative and Superlative degrees in Grammar? Trust Hubster to come up with random sh*% like that!

4. Most of our time in Delhi was spent - well commuting, considering we were based out of the city completely. Yet, due to their inter-state connectivity, our ride into and out of the city was never longer than an hour. In our three days there, we visited multiple markets - my favourite sights in this city. Dilli Haat was the first one - a personal favourite that I end up visiting each time I am in the city. The food at Dilli Haat, just like it's artefacts, jewellery, antiques, clothing and everything else, provides for an excellent representation from all parts of the country. We opted for some yummy momos from the Sikkim food stall followed by succulent kababs from the Lucknow food stall. Since Mom, Pops and Hubster were with me this time, we had enough hands and eyes to take care of the little one, during our time there.

5. A dear friend, part of 'The Village' entourage - our group of friends from NYC, works for Human Rights Watch (HRW) and lives in the Hauz Khas neighbourhood. We visited her beautiful and huge home to spend the afternoon resting/ chatting at her place, exchanging notes on life outside of NYC and expat-living in the cities of Delhi & Singapore. The friend and the little one re-bonded after months of having met each other, (the last time they met was perhaps in NYC).
A memorable recommendation made by our friend was to visit the Deer Park in South Delhi, close to her place. We were pleasantly surprised by this vast, urban, patch of green, bang in the middle of the city, which housed several deer & peacocks within it. It was the perfect evening, as the cool breeze set in due to the greenery around. We strolled along the meandering pathways of the park, through its various areas to reach the part where several deer & peacock are confined behind small ledges. As our friend had correctly remarked to us, there were quite a few offenders feeding the deer, inspite of huge signboards instructing them not to do so. Trust desi's to defy signboards, that too when they are standing right in front of one!
The little one was thrilled to wake up from her afternoon nap and find herself in a jungle of sorts with deer and peacock prancing around. She probably thought it was a dream. Then again, the rate at which we shuttle her around, she's probably used to it by now. A unique way to spend an afternoon in Delhi for sure. Highly recommended!

6. As is always the case with us, we like to eat our way through most places we visit. Delhi was no different, since Hubster and I both are massive foodies and absolutely in love with Delhi's street food. Yet, we could not find the time to visit a must-do on our list - Paranthe waali gali. Going there with the entire family was on the agenda, but a last minute change of plan, made us cross it off the agenda completely. Naturally, it gets top priority on our next visit! We did however get a chance to dig into great Mughlai and North Indian fare at various restaurants and 'dhabas' during our short stay there. So for now, that should help us sail through until the next visit.

7. Hubster chose to move to his hotel in Gurgaon, close to his place of work, after the first night, to avoid the long commute. So the next couple of days saw Pops and I, making a trip into the city while Mom and her grand-daughter spent their days with each other, at home.
Khan Market and Paalika Bazar were the two other markets we visited. Both completely opposite in nature to each other, hence great choices to interact with the two of many faces of Delhi. Khan Market is the supposed go-to spot for rich, well-off and expat residents, who come here to shop for their favourite foreign brands or simply stock up on their western supplies such as cheeses, breads, jams, coffees and baking goods. Targetted towards the higher class of society, this market also has some good restaurants and cafes where one can find the random tourist sipping coffee with his/ her Delhi socialite friend (the one sitting next to us was too loud, cursing away endlessly, making Pops and me cringe, with her monstrously fake laughter, that had seemingly jumped right at us from Page 3 Delhi Times). This was at the Latitude cafe - above the Good Earth Store. Thankfully Ms. Loud socialite left in a few minutes after we arrived, so we could have our afternoon tea/ coffee over mildly-toned, father-daughter conversations and a fun walk down memory lane.

8. Palika Bazar, situated in the heart of Connaught Place, is the poor man's underground shopping mall. And it is completely air-conditioned. So naturally in Delhi's heat, one can find regular pedestrians stroll into the space, sitting around on benches or squatting on the steps, all in an attempt to evade the heat outside. It is here that one interacts with the common Delhi-ite. Brought into effect by the efforts of the New Delhi Municipal Council, this market is described to be in a state of decay at the moment and hence undergoing regeneration work. Here one can find everything possible - from hair pins to pirated/ stolen goods. I was happy with my one find - a beautiful stark white Chikankari kurta, here.
Once done with the market place, we drove around India Gate and Sansad Bhavan with the driver giving us his tit-bits on each. Both Pops and I have been to Delhi a few times in the past and seen it's multiple landmarks and historical sites, yet the magnificence and the aura of them still amazes us. One of the things I like about Delhi is how in an oddly flat skyline, while driving on any of it's highways or even in it's Metro, one is suddenly surprised by the emergence of a random historical monument, that completely revamps the tone of the otherwise banal view from the moving window. That to me is the quintessential Delhi moment - the kind to which hopeless romantics like me lose their heart to!

9. The short trip to Delhi ended with a red-eye flight that we took back to Singapore. The toddler loves shocking us, with her sudden energy levels at midnight brought forth through the realisation that she is at one of her favourite places in the whole world - the airport. Just being in one, be it anywhere in the world, gives her a strange insurmountable energy, probably at the prospect of where she is flying to next. She did finally relax after a point and go to bed, which made the flight easy on us and spared us the aisle-walks and sheepish smiles to random co-passengers, that both Hubster and I are already so tired of.

The rest of the week was spent recuperating from the India-trip in Singapore and prepping up for more itineraries - some our own, others of friends and family that will visit us in the next few weeks.
Cant wait to have everyone over - the inner hostess in me is somersaulting already!

On that upside-down note, see you next week with more fun updates! Happy Reading!
Love,
Shweyta

P.S - I am sorry to be so hard on your Delhi. I don't hate you. I just don't love you like I love some others. Believe me, I really want to. We - you and me, have potential. You just need to work a bit harder and get clean. Make me feel safe and sound and I'll be all in then! Hoping we'll be hopelessly in love someday soon!