Chalo Kathmandu

We are setting off to Kathmandu, tomorrow morning. The excitement and anxiety is building up so much that it feels like a thousand butterflies on steroids fluttering wild on my insides.

We almost had a trekking partner, our favorite person from Japan, fondly known as Kerala San. He is the one who coined "Chalo Kathmandu" for our trip. Due to last minute work commitments, he wouldn't be joining us this time. He is the one who introduced me to the mountains, even though I didn't fancy them much back then. It would have been so much fun trekking with Kerala San. I am sure we will be hiking together soonish. 

One of the reasons we targeted to reach the Everest base Camp by first week of May, was to earn a chance to meet the legendary Sherpas who have touched Everest summit multiple times and the amazing climbers attempting summit. The tragic avalanche on April 18th 2014 at the notorious Khumbu Icefall has turned the tidings of this season. There have been 13 deaths and 3 still missing in the snow. Out of respect to the fallen Sherpas, the summit teams had not climbed the last week. The uncertainties on the route, safety issues, the tensions ongoing between Sherpas and Nepal Govt and much more has contributed to the folding up of this season. As of now, almost all big teams like IMG, Himex, Altitude Junkies all have decided to pull the plug on their 2014 expedition. As Alan Arnette says, climbing in Nepal has changed forever. 

Even with all the challenges and unfortunate news, we are going ahead on our little adventure to EBC. The support we have received from friends and family is incredible. Our family and friends here joining us on the training hikes and trail runs, friends bringing trekking stuff from the US and delish snacks from India, our outdoorsy friends giving us valuable tips on the medicines, where to buy whats, importance of heat packs and layered clothing, in-numerous calls,chats and messages to keep our motivation up for the trek, writing, photography and the list goes on... A big thank you to every single one of you!

This journey, at times, feels like a Dickens novel. Even though each sentence and chapter is amazing, I am too eager to know the climax. There is a huge urge to turn the pages and take a peek at the ending, just to make sure that all is well. But then, knowing the end kills the thrill of the ride. So, wish us the best, as you always have 

:-)

Journey to the Himalayas

Chomolungma or the majestic Mount Everest is alluring to everybody. The idea that the mountain stands tall and consistent, witnessing the turn of the centuries, the beauty of being above the clouds viewing the milky way in all its glory, are few of the pull factors. 

The famous words of George Mallory sums it up - we climb "Because It's there"!

One of our usual sunday evening activities is exploring and dreaming up travel itineraries. We had a couple of leave days coming up in May and it was our chance to choose from few of the destinations in our list. We have been looking at the live webcam from Kala Patthar for a while now. Manu suggested that we should attempt Everest Base Camp trekking this year. We both had hundreds of reasons to put it off - the days, training and money involved were the top three. But the beauty of the mountains, the idea of being in the nature for so long and getting a chance to learn about Sherpa lives was too good to pass up. Finally after couple of hours of buts and ifs, how to's and can we's, we decided to hike up to the base camp and give ourselves a chance to view the Mt.Everest.

We started reading up on the trekking paths, flight options and training plans. We informed the family and the only supportive words we got were from the bro of the family(officially the brother in law) to get a proper insurance. Rest were obvious and genuine concerns on our compulsive behaviour to endanger our lives. After convincing them that this is not dangerous, we were granted permissions. The following few days were action packed. We have bought the tickets, insurance, decided on a trekking guide, we are training hard and shopping more :) Now, we have 20 more days left for the epic trip.

The countless travel blogs out there have served us as an encouragement and have been helpful in making many decisions, but the information changes with each season. I will document the preparations, shopping lists and our journey, here in this blog space, in hope that this will help some one, some day in their quest to the Nepal Himalayas. 

Christmas on a great street!

Christmas is always so beautiful in Singapore. I know that it is a hell load of money blown on the illuminations and the ads placed all over the island, but the results are still mind blowing! There are trees made of angels, macaroons, chocolates, toys and what not!

I am very thrilled every year when the dates for light-up inaugurations are announced. And then, we start going around all the places and shopping malls to enjoy the decors.  

This one, you get to be inside a christmas tree :-)

Merry Christmas !! 

How to beat "silly" everyday panic ?

For me, the easiest way to recover from a bad feeling or cherish a good feeling, is by writing it down. And hence this post.

Last Thursday, when we were riding back from work, it started drizzling. Traffic was heavy as well. We were riding slow, but I saw the bike ahead of us in the next lane trying to switch, and then skidding and hitting a divider pole. Luckily, the skid wasn't that bad and he wasn't hurt. But, I was terrified and re-lived the feeling of helplessness when a bike goes out of control. 

In 2012, somewhere in September, we had a bad evening. As always with the Singapore skies, it started raining suddenly while we were on the roads. Manu is a very careful rider and I have never felt any fear to be his pillion. Those days, the bike rides in the rain were charming and romantic. But, since he had just upgraded to a 400CC bike, he realized that it might be risky to ride in the rain. So, we cancelled our plans for the evening and headed home. As the rain was getting steadily stronger, we decided that it would be safer to ride home(in the opposite direction of the rain) rather than wait it out with a kopi-c. We were relieved to see that the rain towards our home had subsided. We relaxed a bit and continued our chit-chat ride. Alas, the evening took an unexpected turn when the tires slipped away in the wet roads. Luckily we were on a small bridge and the traffic was sparse(I assume it was because we were going in the opposite direction of the city).

After what felt like an eternity, we were safely on the tarmac in one piece. I had been pushed out of the bike, the moment it lost balance. While I was skidding through the roads I had precisely two thoughts in my mind - 1. Hold on to the helmet as tightly as possible, so that even if a vehicle ran over me, I wouldn't have a squished brain. 2. Praying - yes, praying and hoping Manu was OK. I couldn't see him. All I could see was the grey horizon becoming brighter, for some reason.

Once the movement stopped, I sat upright and to be honest, I have never been more happier to see Manu walking towards me!

I realized the adrenaline power that day. I had big angry bruises on my knees and I could see the blood slowly gushing out. Despite my extremely low pain tolerance, I did not feel a thing. I saw an SUV coming towards us and parking horizontally to protect us from following traffic. The kind driver ran to our spot to help us with the bike and offered to send us to the hospital. We were not in a real bad situation, so we thanked him and declined his offer to drive to the hospital. I took a cab home while Manu rode beside us. Luckily he had only minor scratches in the arms. Later, when we went to the clinic to dress up the wounds, I realized that it was super painful. After a few days spent in the bed, I was physically all right.

But, from that day I am terribly afraid of riding in the rains and changing lanes. Even after a year, I am still nervous at the slight angle at which the bike tilts when changing lanes and entering expressways.  But, I do not want to stop riding with Manu, as it is something special we have been having for so many years. Now a days, he chooses long traffic hogged roads to express-ways. It is a joking point for my friends when I get restless until Manu messages me "I reached" every time, when riding without me. I try to talk myself down from being anxious and tell myself that he is just held up in traffic. But, somehow my fear overcomes my confidence and the demon wins. 

I hope someone out there has better, stronger solutions to help me and would reach back with suggestions. 

Frugal Living

Call me stingy or call me prudent; I am always in for resource saving and optimization.

Be it to find out the best value-for-money place to stay, or "researching" online for sales of household stuff or waiting for flight deals. I proudly acknowledge it! Once I know about an amazing deal, I have this irresistible urge to spread the word. The idea is, the more people who need the stuff, makes use of the sale; the more we save! Right ? I can't help those people who accumulate unwanted stuff just because it is one sale. For their own good, I don't inform them ;)

What triggered all these thoughts about my character ?

I have a sprained neck today and damn, all those pain relievers are at home. I rummaged around my desk and found this teeny tiny tube of muscle relaxant which came in the last year's Stan Chart Marathon goodie bag. Since it wasn't heavy, I had carried it around in my purse and was quite handy when my colleague needed it (even though she was perplexed why I had it with me). I had left it in my cabinet when I felt that there might be more to squeeze out of the tube. Today, when I was desperate for it and was lazy to walk out, I decided to put that tiny tube of medicine to maximum use. 

Mission Accomplished!

(PS : I can't wait to get home to be lectured by Manu on how stingy I have become :O )

It got me thinking about the resources we waste due to packaging constraints. Other than the tubular packs, I could come up with one another important resource - Last drops of perfume.

When I pay about 50$ for a 100ml bottle of CK, how much do I waste when I let go of the last few drops when they insist not to spurt out! I googled a bit and found that people have found a way to exctract it as well ;)

I want to write down a few domestic tips I learned, mainly from family, which has made my life easier:

• When closing the lid on the instant coffee, make sure it is air-tight, so the coffee remains usable. Using a tissue paper around the rim helps.
• Well, if you really messed it up once and the coffee powder became a lump, don't throw away. Add hot-water to the bottle and let it sit and absorb the caffiene. Once it cools down, store it in the fridge! Applicable to health drinks like Horlicks ;)
• Don't throw away zip locks if you are packing jam sandwich or croissants for breakfast. They can serve you on a few more morning meals.
• Make your own yogurt. (Apparently milk is cheaper)
• Manu's favourite - Make a list! (for everything)
• Multi-task while cooking. Saves the most precious - TIME. Pack separately and freeze those dishes which you plan to use in 3-4 days. If you insist of freshly cooked food everyday, make a funny face and move to next point.
• Ferrero rocher boxes are excellent for keeping small jewellery.
• Invest in a pair of good slippers for in-home use. I never agreed on it until I realized the difference.
• Always utilize the point system in airlines, hotels, credit cards. You will eventually amass free nights or free flights! True story!!
• And the most important one! Luckily, it came true for me. Find a guy obsessed with cleanliness (slight traces of OCD desirable) & marry him.

Comment with more tips, if you have any! Waiting .. !!

Farrer Farrer, where are you ?

Finally realization dawns on SMRT or LTA that people could really get confused between the "Farrer Park" mrt station in the North East line and "Farrer Road" mrt station in the new circle line !

They are kind enough to put up transit directions now

How many confused tourists and store goers did it take for SMRT to finally realize that ?

If the LTA says that the Farrer Rd station had to have that name because the public knows that place only by that name, I wouldn't buy it. I did a quick check with my friends. Most of them did not even know such a place existed, until this MRT station was unveiled  Singaporeans definitely do not lack creativity when coming up with names! So, the question lingers, why Farrer ?

Most intrigued I am

Time and again, I have stumbled upon numberous funny signs and warnings  in the Singapore streets.
But this is one of a kind. No warnings, no explanations - just a door opening to the air in the second floor!
Someone is expected to use that as an entrance as well.

 And it is a 2 way door!

My beautiful neighbourhood

Even though I am a big fan of the cityscape and other vibrant parts of Singapore, I have to admit this - Lower Peirce reservoir is the most beautiful and serene place in this island. I know that writing more about this tiny reservoir park would make it famous and people would come to visit and it might eventually spoil the beauty of the place. But, it feels almost criminal not to share this place. This place gives a very different view of Singapore - no HDBs, no skyscrapers and not even cranes.

We have visited this park on numerous occassions – rainy evenings, sunset hours and mornings runs. This place never fails to impress us! We have developed the habit of visiting this park when we have free evenings, just to watch the sunset colors. Don’t be mistaken. It is not possible to see the actual sunset from here. The still waters here, which capture the sunset colors brings magic to this place!

A twilight moment at Lower Peirce [Photo by Manu]

Each frame showing the gradual change in colors from sunset through twilight to nightfall was incredibly beautiful! It was so awesome that even I was silent for the hour and Manu started asking me if I was all right.

The park is quite small, with a few trails. A total of just about 2-3 kilometers inside the park. But, we have seen a lot of monkeys and sometimes wild boars(Yes!) in these grounds.

The reservoir and the track around it

The red track shows the whole trails and the outer perimeters of the park, which we scouted. Foodies, this is a neighborhood which you should not miss! Those green blobs in the map are especially for you.

The prata shop – Casuarina is right at the end of the trails. This is a great stop to replenish all the calories you lost with the walking and wow-ing. If you are coming to watch the sunset, explore out to the cozily tucked in Awfully chocolate and IceCream chefs just within 10 minutes walk.

If you live in Singapore or are on here on a vacation, do visit the Lower Peirce on a beautiful afternoon. The view is so awesome that you will come back to this post to thank me :-)

How to get here : 

If you are not driving, the easiest access is through bus.
Board any of these bus services - 132, 163, 165, 166, 167, 855 or 980 which ply along the Upper Thomson Rd. Get down at 53099 (BusStopID) or the one in opposite direction 53091. You would be able to see the board pointing to the reservoir entry.

Nearest MRT stations are Ang Mo Kio (NS Line) and Marymount (Circle Line). You would need to further transit to any of the above listed buses. From AMK interchange, you can board 132, 165, 166 and 169 to alight at BusStop 53091. From Marymount MRT, you need to walk 5-7 minutes to get to the bustop Opposite Shunfu estate - 53021 to board 132, 163, 165, 166, 167, 855 or 980.

Singapore's finest Sling ?

Lately, December is becoming my fave month. Yes, the holidays officially makes it the month for family get togethers.

We planned to spend this Decemeber and New year at Singapore and invited my dad and brother to be with us. During their last visit, we had exhausted all the touristy spots. So, the relaoded version of the tour involves the places which they wished to re-visit & few additional ones we have 'discovered' through the years.
Since we don't have many high risers back home, it still thrills me to be high up in a tower and get the city view. The trend runs in the family. After a few successful high-floor views, we decided to pay a visit to the ever-famed Swissotel Stamford. My photographer companion declares the sunset/twilight as The most beautiful time of the day. So, we decided to get there for sunset and soak in the city below while itz glowing in the golden sunlight.

Readers, just becase we were on a tight schedule, we(as in I) scheduled to hit just the bar, spend an hour there and fast track to the next spot for dinner appointment. Genuinely, there is no other reason for me choose going to a star-rated bar. The swissotel has always been a happy and 'high'ly satisfactory experience. We have had our fair share of 'cheers' there. Happy moments ranging from crazy dancing when I was a tourist in SG, celebrating a friend's engagement, to late night rounds of drinks with our most-special Japanese friends. Most thrilling one for me was hitting the helipad for Manu's Birthday [Courtesy - Mr.Jha]

The rule at City-space bar is, each person should order a drink. I swear, I did not see anything non-alchoholic. I have been wanting to taste a Singapore Sling, for quite a while. Being in SG for 3 years and having a blog tag named after the drink, does it seem over-rated ? No.

When I saw "Singapore's finest sling" in the drinks menu, I did not hesitate. I shrugged away, when Dad wisely said that Cucumber and Rum doesn't seem nice together. If they ain't good together, would it be world-famous ? Famous enough for me to be charmed by it, without even seeing it, to name my precious scribblings as Singapore Sling ? But, when I saw the pale frothy drink in a tall glass tumbler, I realized, this is not what I wanted! Sigh!

Expensive Lesson learnt - Singapore sling and Singapore's finest Sling, are totally different!

Anyways, from the 70th floor the view was amazing, sunset was stunning, clings were heard and hearts were content.

When I saw the 'Am impressed' look lingering over my favourite faces, even when the ears popped in the escalator on our way down, I thought - Mission accomplished!

Power failure @ SG

For the first time ever, we experienced power failure at SG. This happened on 2nd Jan evening at my block. Owing , I was opting for a quick fix dinner. I had convinced Manu, Mahesh (Bro) and Appa that I make restaurant quality creamy Pasta. Even though I suspect that the tipping point in my favor was the excuse to open the Shiraz bottle which Mahesh had brought :)

As I was draining the al-dente pasta & finishing up the sauce, the music and lights went off! It took us a few seconds to realize that it is power failure. Being from the state with scheduled & unscheduled power failures, we know the protocol. First step was to check the fuse status. Second, but the most important step, is to check if the neighbors have power cut. Last step is to call PUB, the Singaporean version of KSEB and inform.
The truth is that, it was a relief when we saw the neighbors rushing out and panicking being unsure of how to handle this situation. Kind of a NUTS (No U Turn Syndrome) by fellow Singaporeans. But then, we decided to skip the informing part and enjoy the first power outage.
Glorious moment dawned when the men of the house agreed how useful my candle collection is. We lighted all of it and set around the dining counter, refilled the wine glasses and had a beautiful candle light dinner.
The timing was excellent.The power was back when we were getting ready for the pudding.

Only set back is I won't be allowed anymore to quote 'power-failure-free-Singapura' as a plus point.

Making a memory

Friends and family are clearly bored with how proud I am of Singapore.
They disowned me when I wanted to by ‘I Love SG’ Christmas ornaments for the tree. They make fun of me when I refer to LHL quotes. Manu knows to look for me in the "Singapore section" if I went missing in the library, even though he accuses me of being an extremist and a brand switcher. Back in 2010, I hated the idea of spending the rest of my life in Singapore. I disliked Singapore even during the transits. In my defense, How can the Singaporean attitude fair positive against the humble Japanese or ever tolerant ever best chaotic Indians ?
The exact moment when the idea of loving Singapore first struck me was on the beautiful twilight of Aug 9 2011. That is when I heard 'Majullah Singapura' for the very first time. Well, it ain't just the anthem, but the collective force of Red & white clad people assembled at the Marina Bay area, the NDP, the anthem & the grand fireworks! The emotional results were complicated and I can see your perplexed face as I am trying to put the feeling into a single sentence. I had goose bumps, I missed the Independence Day celebrations back home, I felt patriotic and missed India, but somehow that was exactly the moment I started wanting to live in Singapore. But then, the hour which sealed the deal occurred a year later, when I watched the telecast of PM Lee’s speech, which he delivered at the NDP rally at the NUS campus in 2012. I remember wishing I could run to NUS from Ghim Moh right then, and be right there at the auditorim. It is the most impressive, thought provoking speech which I have ever heard. I felt leadership, vision, sincerity, true concern for the public, integrity towards the nation.
Now that I think back about it, one of the major reasons why I continue to choose to live in this city is that touching speech & his focus on Hope, Heart and Home. Another reason is the friends who have made Singapore a ‘Happy’ place to be.
The biggest beating Singapore gave me came after this speech. If I hadn’t heard that speech, we might not be living in SG right now, I wouldn’t have decided to apply for Permanent Residency, we wouldn’t have decided to achieve what we want in SG itself. The very fact that I follow LHL on FB, walk dismissively past the Indian stalls at food courts to queue for Char Kway Teow, be extremely defensive abt SG policies, being a strong believer of IRIS, know the bus numbers and transits even in semi-sleep state, devour incredible amount of local news, politics, history and SG events is described by Manu as Singaporean traits.

So, you can imagine how privileged I felt when NLB invited to me to pledge my blog as part of a Singapore memory project. Thanks, is what I would say, to motivate the lazy bones in me to restart writing.

My experiment with the wax!

When our parents were here, Dad found this beautiful book on candle making. He was browsing the library for a good candle making book, as Mom is very interested in this. On a weekend, we went "arts shopping" and made beautiful gel candles. I was so thrilled about it that later they sent me a big block of wax, to work on. Then on, making a square candle for our room has been in my to-do list. 

As part of making the weekend eventful, I attempted it yesterday. 

Since I don't trust myself to continue candle making, my thrifty mind does not want me to invest on 'must have' items like double boiler, wick holder or dedicated molds for candle making. 

I was saving the empty bottle of olive oil for quite a while to use as my square mold. I used a long tooth pick as wicker. Double boiler was an old sauce pan strategically held in place to get enough heat from boiling water in another bigger sauce pan! (Everyone says, never heat the wax directly on stove top)

If I continue to practice and perfect this, I will surely buy the gadgets soon. 

The only causalities were my last minute panic and screams to get assistance to keep my dummy wicker straight in the center. Of course, instantly Manu engineered a technique to solve the on-site technical glitches! (I think I made the right choice by marrying him)

It was fun making this beautiful little turquoise candle :) 

Cheer me up!

I am observing a new phenomena these days. The weekend is usually fun. But, as the week starts and we slip back into the normal schedule, I can feel the fun draining away & stress catching up. 
I attribute this to the extended commute these days. My present employer is doing quite well in Singapore. So well as to construct a new building. It has a new chic layout, compact desks, beautiful lobby, spacious balconies, all makes it good to go to work. The best part is the meeting rooms. They are spacious and bright and numerous. At least one side of the meeting rooms are full windows :-) Obviously, I am so glad because my work involves lots of meetings and it was struggle getting a meeting room booked in the old place. 
Now the 'But' part. The major issue is, the place is way too far from my home. I spend an hour each way in trains and bus. This commute directly eats into my home-time. No wonder I get so worked up. So far, Thursdays are the worst. That's when the weekly stress is max and weekend is not at the nearest. 
This Thursday, on my way back, I decided to stop by Harbor front and spend a solid hour to go see the people in the mall. I always felt that people look more beautiful  in the ambient lighting of this particular spacious mall. On the way to the cafe, I saw a small exhibition and I found this beautiful set of Kitchen towels. Its a gradient set of blue and green and turquoise & 100% cotton :-) Wasn't too expensive. Deal !! 

It was instant crush and I brought it. Immediately, I felt very happy and went home.
I can use the cafe-therapy next Thursday :-)
When I explained to Manu the reason why I was beaming when I came back home, his first reaction was disbelief! How can a person be so happy after buying kitchen towels ? I don't know, I never thought about it before.
Was it the instant satisfaction of spending money knowing that you get a desired output ? 
Is it the tangible element of the shopping results, in contrast to the intangible power inside your credit card ? 

Or was I unknowingly missing really beautiful kitchen towels ?  
What else am I missing ? Let me see where next Thursday takes me ;)

A week

I have been having a very rough week. When I look back, it seems like the toughest one I had in the whole year. To start with, not everyone back home are at the best of their health. I was also down with fever. Then, the throbbing leg pain forced me to consult a specialist. Thank God, he diagnosed it as an inflammation and nothing long lasting. But I have to spend precious weekend hours doing physiotherapy.
Then there were some totally unexpected set backs, which is still a challenge. I will have to take few tough decisions (life changing ? Naa, maybe temporary change) within the next couple of days. Finally, me and Manu were at a stage where we started thinking about our long term plans and took some.  But, the next morning we observed potential cracks forming in our 'stable' platform!
We were trying to cheer up and we prepared home-made chocolate yesterday night, to mark the weekend start.
The only good thing this week until now was that the scales showed that my weight had gone down by a Kilo :-) :-)
Today I was clearing my emails. My dear friend, Sita had mailed me the funniest link ever . It is a collection of many funny auto corrects
It made me laugh for 20 minutes plus, non-stop. Ofcourse, it took so long to read. I had to take breaks to stop myself from becoming a case of "She laughed herself to death". Literally, I could not breate, I had to grip hard to prevent from tumbling out of the chair.

Sita, you really made my weekend ultra light :-))

Bali - The east side

We have this trip planned for more than 6 months now. And this weekend we finally set off to Bali :-) It has been a while since we went under water. So we decided to do the diving part first. The best dive sites in Bali are towards the East. After a hell load of research and talking to many contacts, Manu found this amazingly pleasing budget resort called Puri Matha beach bungalows which is a dive resort. the major highlight is that the well famed USA Liberty Wreck is right in the resort beach ! Yeah, so before the divers start coming in from all parts of Bali, we get to go in first and see the wreck and marine life in and around it (minus the crowd)

The moment I called and talked to Wayan (the manager) I knew we are gonna like this place. The price is good, place is newly renovated with a few cottages added new and he is as friendly as any Balinese will be. From the few travels we have had, I have interacted with a lot of hotel staff. None of them have replied my e-mail saying - "I confirm your reservation. Me, the room and the staff are ready for you. We are waiting ". Tulamben in a long drive from Denpasar airport. As we reach around midnight & plan to dive and do nothing else for the next 2 days, we opted for pick up. When we met the driver, he immediately called Wayan and since it was 12.30 AM in the morning, I was greeted with a Good Morning from the other end of the line.

After the 2.5 hours drive, we reach Tulamben. Our cottage is right next to the beach and the pool. As we took a stroll around we could see a million stars and Manu pointed out the Milky way cloud for me :-) Too much excitement and I found it so hard to fall asleep ..

This is why we got a beach and pool view room :) 

The cottage where we stayed. Sorry for the eyesore sarong ..

The dive shop

I begin the morning with Balinese coffee. On the days I dive, it is difficult for me if I eat something. But for Manu its the opposite. He needs to eat more! Our dive guide Koman consoled me saying "My tummy feel strange when I eat and dive".

The dives were amazing(I can talk about that later). It was my first shore dive, but not so easy to do shore dive here as the shore does not have sand. It is completely covered with Volcanic pebbles of all size and shape. In between the dives, we rest in the shore and find some place to have lunch. Rest of them are finding interesting stuff to eat while I stick to my beverage buffet. Later comes Koman's little girl, Wayan(!) and friends. As in the rest of the world, kids are still scared of me! I wonder why.

She is the tiniest one in the blackNwhite dress & she so much wanted to swim in the ocean ! 

After the evening dive, we showered and found a small motorbike and went out for dinner. We went to the restaurant where Koman's mum works. We ate the grilled chicken and local fried rice which she made. I was telling Koman that its not so common to get to eat your mum-cooked-food in restaurant.

I have read about the Balinese snacks items.. which are small and short and sweet... So, the next day morning, we were planning to get to the market after our first dive and pick up some food. Later after the second dive, I could snack on them during the long break. But after the first dive, we did not have enough time and energy to go out. But, there comes Koman's wife with the food I was looking for ..

My food for the day

After the dives, we sit on the wooden outdoor courtyard near the pool and enjoy the rhythm of the crashing waves and I am writing this :-) Of course I took advantage of the pampering and calmness of this place & did nap in between. I was dreaming of a giant crab moving towards me, when Manu woke me up!

This is where I sit down to write/nap/enjoy the ocean, when I am not under water

Today morning I head to the restaurant to have a good breakfast. We are not diving today, but moving to next location, Ubud. Did I tell you, this restaurant is so far my fave place in the resort .. See it for yourself.

Bali is a touristy place and Tourism is the livelihood of the locals here. So obviously people will try to make a good profit out of each visitor. Haggle a bit and once you settle on the price, the service quality will impress you. The only issue we ever faced in the resort was that we could not find floor mats.

The trip is so far extremely good and satisfying. Tulamben has pleased us and set the expectations of rest of Bali, quite high. Sincerely hope that Bali will be a happy thought by the end of the trip :-)

Food Review - Santa Fe Tex Mex Grill

A tuesday, we went to check out some interesting city scapes after work.

I know itz not even mid week, but how I could not resist some restaurant food, when it was in such a proximity. I was in no mood to cook dinner later. Plus, I did work out during the day!

We decided to repeat our fave restaurant in Somerset. Yep! Time for some Mexican food. Its just next to Cuppage terrace. We love Fajitas and especially the ones @ Santa Fe. So, we didn't care to order or try any other mains. Do order one of it and I am sure you won't regret it!

The chimichangas are super delicious. Sorry guys, we finished them so fast that I had to take a snap from the menu.

Being this time of the month (Got the Pay-cheque 2 weeks back ), it is a bit expensive place.

But, yaay we were lucky to be going out on tuesdays .. 1 for 1 Mains :-)

Don't be disappointed even if you choose to go on weekends. You get free drinks. They have Erdinger too !

They have another outlet at Marina South Pier, which is in a boat. I have been to a birthday party hosted there. With ambient lighting and the waves and little swaying, itz a romantic place.

Moving on ..

I do remember talking to you all about the weightloss journey & the fat percentage. After a while, the scales were like on a break, resisting to move either ways. Stagnant as a rock, at the same number every time I step on.

These days, Mom and dad are here @ home and we get sumptuous amount of delicious mom-made, home-made food. Also, we have been visiting charming cafes & a few restaurants as part of the daily trips :-) (I do intend to write for you, about one of my restaurant. Soon... very soon). Naturally the scales had started going up little by little.

This week we have collectively decided at home that I have to get back on my weight loss track. In the past 5 days, I have finally overcome my emotional struggle, and have conquered the urge to snatch food from Manu's plate. Neither am I taking mid-night trips to the pantry when everyone else is asleep.
Today morning, it was so comfy to sleep that I skipped the walk. To compensate, today evening we are gonna skip shopping and go to a nearby park for picnic :-)

Maybe itz the healthy foods combined with "kilometers & kilometers" of walking (Mom & me have kind of made a pact to cover max number of shopping malls within this month!), the scales have started tipping down !

I will keep you updated :-) :-)

The shocking percentage!

My Gym has a machine to check the body fat percentage and other sophisticated numbers related to health. After 3 months of workout and a weight loss of 5 Kgs, I had enough courage to step on to it and the result did blow my mind off!

Quite depressing numbers they were.

The BMI is still in overweight range, which is fine for me as now. Coz I know that by continuing my weight loss, I can steer it to the healthy range pretty soon. But now this new number - Fat Percentage is bothering me a lot! This one is way off the limits and am not ready yet to share it publicly.

Ideally, ladies are supposed to have a Fat% of 8-15. See what Wiki says.

The technique used was Bioelectric Impedence analysis. Only consolation I get is this statement:

"When comparing outputs from a Tanita scale to an Omron Body Logic handheld device the Tanita scale overestimated the percentage body fat in college-aged men by 40% and in college-aged women by 55%.^[" My Gym has the Tanita scale! But, then on further browsing, I found this chart provided by Tanita Ltd. And hence I am officially obese!

The more disturbing process was the analysis where by the instructor was shell shocked. He was telling me that in his entire career,  my results is the first time he is coming across, with the Fat mass higher than muscle mass. This leaves me so very anxious about my health!

So, as usual, I did my research and the only solution is diet control (read - healthy food) & gain some muscle mass. So, I started the much dreaded weight training. Nickie & Eric are teaching me the correct form and different sets of work outs. Hope I will be able to see the % creeping down soon.

Color Color which Color ?

Maybe itz some sort of personality disorder, which has finally revealed itself. These days, I have started having a strange affinity towards bright & fluorescent colors and bizarre patterns. Itz quite shocking to myself and others who know that I am always inclined towards black clothes and dull accessories! Last time when parents were here, after the first week they thought that my company might have rules to wear only black or grey to work ! ;)

Anyways, just wanted to let you know that the colors have entered my wardrobe some how!

Which one do u like better ?

Encounter with the Bath tub

While planning the trip itself I knew that this is meant to be a bit more painful than the rest of the holidays. In this post, I am not gonna talk about the emotionally disturbing times which are going to occur soon when my little nephew leaves, and then later when we return to Singapore. But, only the physical ache.

My pain tolerance level is so high that I start feeling the pain when I see someone else is bleeding. I am scheduled to undergo wisdom teeth surgery today afternoon! So, everyone in the family is quite convinced that the night time fits and sleeplessness I have these days are mainly coz of the thought of the surgery. We planned to reach home 2 days before the surgery to spend some pain free, happy time with the family. Sadly, it is not that pain free any more.
In India, it is quite common for us to walk bare foot, especially in religious places. So, by the end of the first day, my feet are quite dirty. Not out of habit, but out of necessity, I had to scrub my feet clean
I clearly remember leaning over the bathtub to reach for the scrubber. And then the Bam!#*! Next thing I know is that I am on the floor with the pain shooting from my face. As I try to scan a mental image, the first thing that hit me was, Wow, the bathroom is quite big. I am laying whole length on the floor and still the door is sooo far away. I am not even inside the bath tub! As I opened my eyes, I saw the blood gushing out of a small deep cut in the knee. I could see the deep red marks on the shin bones and feet where it had hit the tub and eventually the floor. I had to take a minute to compose myself to lift up and take a look at the mirror. I saw the unexpected. The right side of my face is bloody!! The corner of the eyebrows is the origin and I could not feel the pain from the cut coz of the impact my face had on the floor.
My right cheek bones are prominent now. I have heard that having prominent cheek bones is a sign of beauty, but am sure itz not the case with my face, especially clubbed with the purplish blackish ring around my eye. I hate the fact that in a single moment, I did so much damage to my body that it hurts from the Feet to Leg to Neck to Face!
The only fun I am having out of this is when people visit and enquire about my unsightly face. I make the most dramatic expression possible and sadly tell them that my husband is beating the hell out of me! As they turn and stare unbelievably at Manu, I enjoy the startled look on his face!