Some photos...

I finally came round to figuring out how to upload fotos...this was jus a test run...
This photo was taken at ChengChau island in HK. The one where me and my friend got lost :)

Will upload more snaps soon!


Chengchau island ,HK 

Beats of Passion

Something I read in Sayesha's post Sound of Music greminded me of a similar situation I went through in my life.

All my life I have danced and performed various types of dances in many different places.I still remember my excitement when I made it to the university dance group.I had found my platform to choreograph my ideas into dances.I have spent nights with the dance group, at the place we used to rehersh, coming up with innovative steps, trying to make the dance unique.I was so carried away in dance that rehersals would drag on for hours and there were times when we performed nearly everyday at some venue or the other.

But I had a leg problem and after every performance I would be unable to walk or would have torn my ankle ligaments. Thankfully,I had very supportive friends around me,who helped me move around (even carried me back to the room on many occasions) and would nurse me back to health.

Then suddenly my leg deteriorated severely and every doctor I visited only told me one thing "Quit Dancing".One doctor even told me I was at the verge of losing my leg and I would become wheel chair bound very soon, if i didnt stop.

I was totally shattered and very reluctantly I gave up the one thing I was so passionate about.My life plunged into depression. I used to get upset and cry so often about my fate. I would blame God for inducing the passion, blame my mother for making me pursue it for so many years, blame the floor of the university for damagin my legs.I stopped going to performances of any sort.I even stopped meeting anyone who might be related to dance in any way.I felt my life was worthless and over.

One day I sat back and asked myself, "Is this how you plan to live your life?If tomorrow your leg gets worse and is amputated, would you rather think I should have danced while I still could than get up and dance now?"

I started dancing once again.Everyone around kept cautioning me and telling me to take care.I respected their concern and never overdid it.Instead I started taking some extra care in the types of foot ware I bought and doing other exercises to strengthen my legs.

Once again I started pursuing my dream,my passion, my ambition. It felt as if I have known no greater joy than what I got from dancing.

If there is something you want to do, do it today.Oppurtunities are plenty,if they are not, then make them and live your dream!

Dont wait for time to take its toll
Take control and time will be by your side
Your capacity is far beyond what you think
Dont hold back,
Dont try to plan your life,
Dont worry about what tomorrow might bring,
Just let life take its course
And you will see everything falls into place

Time Long Gone

I just felt like sharing this....

Recently, I got an sms from my junior collegemate (a time long gone in my life), inviting me to another collegemates' wedding.

It certainly got me thinking.To me it was a matter of great honour because I studied with these guys nearly 5-6 years ago. Moreover, we werent really classmates, we were all in the student council together for a year(The 13th Student Council of Yishun Junior College).

Of course back then all the councillors were very close to each other.But over the years, I havent been in touch with most of them,except for a few people here and there or the ones I bump into on the street and we chit chat casually for a while before heading our way.

But they still wanted to meet up with me and all the rest, because we had shared many fond memories with each other, good times which probably will never comeback. It doesnt matter how little time I spent with them or how long ago it was, it was the quality of that time spent that mattered even after so many years.It was not "Oh so-and-so...who wants to call him/her!".

People who cross our paths,
Even if its for a short time
Leave deep impressions sometimes,
Shaping us to become who we are
Today and tomorrow.

Naache Meri Bulbul

I have this habit while watching movie songs,I tend to think how I would have choreographed the song and dance sequence and what sort of ideas I can put into them and what I can learn from them.

While I was watching "Bunty aur Babli" (you may refer to Aye Kay's post for the review), Aish performed what is popularly known as an 'Item number'.

They are supposed to be very sexy with seductive movements,foxy clothing and flirtatious body language.Sometimes, they go to the extent of being highly erotic and steamy.Having a voluptuous figure helps, but its not the only thing.Being able to deliver what the audience wants is very important.Men should be left wanting to see more and women should feel sexier watching them (either inducing jealousy or desire to imitate).

Item numbers seem to have become really popular offlate, but they are not something new.Even in the older hindi movies, actresses such as Helen (not sure of her full name)used to do cabaret dance much in the same way.I think Sushmita Sen made a major come back into the movies by performing item numbers such as Shakalaka Baby (Mudhalvan/Nayak) and Mehaboob Mere(Fiza).Another popular one is 'Sharara' performed by Shamita Shetty in the movie Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai.

Not everyone can pull them off though.The kinda class that dancers such as Madhuri Dixit, Simran and Urmila Matondkar can bring cant be expected in everyone, but it certainly sets some standards.I have seen many performances, where girls walk around the stage in skimpy clothes and pout their lips, thinking that they look sensous.I usually feel very sad for them,because they come across looking very silly, they cant catwalk for nuts and certainly not one bit attractive.Sexuality should come from within, you should feel sexy to look it, just thinking is not enough.Anyways I will leave that discussion for another day.

The same way I felt really sympathetic when I saw Aishwaria Rai trying to pull it off by imitating what Madhuri did in Devdas (Kahe Chedd Chedd Mohe).Worse still,some of her expressions made her look quite retarded, her body language was all wrong and the song choice was horrible.The emphasis of her 'jathkas' were on the wrong part of her hips.Overall I thought she looked quite pathetic and the song came across very badly in my opinion.

Dont get me wrong, I have nothing against Aishwaria Rai.But when it comes to dance, I am very critical!

Back to the Same Old Routine

Its so strange when you go back to your desk in office after such a long break.Its like familiar grounds yet feels very new.You are still trying to get adjusted to the schedule.

Everyone is really sweet to you and come up and enquire abt your trip and you feel like you have brought back so many stories and happily chat away without realising your boss might be watching.So much so that your mouth starts hurting after a while!!

You actually have to hunt around to find some work to keep you occupied so that people dont think that you are simply whiling away time.

By the end of the day, work simply pours back in and you know you are back to the old routine.

Mystic India

Greetings.

My trip to the mystic land was just a mad rush from one place to the next. I was travelling a lot and was very tired by the time I was leaving for Singapore.I had to sacrifice my sleep in order to do as many things as possible in my short trip there.If I managed to get 2-3 hours of sleep I would consider it a blessing.Many nights I spent sitting at the airport waiting for my plane which were scheduled at odd hours of the night (1 am or 3am).

I spent my first day back jus sleeping the whole time.I couldnt even get my eyelids to open at some point and any one who called me during that period only heard slushed gibberish from me.

Anyways now its back to work time....and of course keeping the blog updated time!

My Airline Fisaco

I have heard of flights leaving late,but when I reached the airport last night, my flight had left 4 hours early!!!Apprently the flight had been rescheduled but I was not informed.Worst still there was no contacting point I could reach.Basically I had no clue what I was supposed to do.


Neither the travel agent nor the airline had informed me of this change.

I was terribly upset and distraught.Thanks to my friend,who was sane enough to take charge of the situation and managed to pull a few strings, we found out there was another flllight scheduled for this morning and atleast I might be able to get in touch with someone who might be able to tell me what to do next.

Alls well that ends well, I am jus about to board the flight, Air India...

Time

Time seems to have flown by so fast.It feels like only y'day that I came to Hong Kong and its already time to leave.Tomo will be my last day (more like last half day) here.

I took the MTR this morning knowing that I wont be coming that way tomo morn.A strange feeling of familiarity crept in.So far every morning I would get mixed up with the names of the platform and invariably end up on the wrong one first before realising my mistake.This morning, I automatically went to the correct platform.

I think just 2 weeks and HK had gotten to me.I look at every tall building with awe, for each seems have such unique architectural design and the intricate details that have been taken care of and how they all glimmer in the night light.They compete to not just look the best but also hold the best companies and attract the best people.Some thing I havent felt in too many buildings in S'pore.

From my office, I can see from the piers of Hong Kong to the harbour at Kowloon and the ferries scurrying in between.The low hanging clouds which make the sky scrapers look like they are rising towards the heaven above.Beyond the tall buildings,as the clouds move,you can see the majestic mountains stand tall, fortressing around the island.Its such a pretty sight, I cant possibly describe.Its all that I wished S'pore would be when I came to S'pore for the first time.

I should call my time in HK a good break from the usual running and stressful life I normally lead in Singapore.Even though I am working here, I am free of all the weekly activities I get myself into so that I dont feel bored and useless.

Anyways,I am off to India on saturday.Dont think I can keep the blogs coming from there.Will try though.

The Grand Stay at the Hyatt

Well I think I have seen enough of the hotel to talk about it.This might sound like a promotional advert of the Grand Hyatt.Anyways, I wanted to put this post up to remind me of my stay with the hotel.

When I walked into my room the very first day, I was dead tired to notice anything.All I noticed was the King size bed and crashed.After a good night's rest, the next day morning when I pulled open the curtains,the most amazing view was in front of me.I can see the whole of Kowloon city from my room (although at that time I didnt know this).At night this looks even better.Especially when the set the fireworks out!!

My room is well equipped with all the things you will normally find in a 5-star hotel.A semi circular writing desk and a sofa,huge wardrodes and spacious bathrooms and unnecessary number of glasses and mirrors (I think they do that so people will break them :S).

Every morning at 7.30 am, a neatly dressed and polite chinese man brings me my breakfast and always makes it a point to tell me to have a good day. He brings me newspapers every morning, although not once have I even touched them.

Every evening when I walk into the room, which I had left in a complete mess in the morning, has been clean and everything arranged neatly. On my bed side table, a fresh bottle of mineral water and a plate of pralines have been set and the fruit basket replenished.

I went down to the 'Plateau', where the pool and gym are located.The short walk from the lift to the pool gives you the feeling of being in some beautiful garden.The pool is small and although its supposed to be heated, thanks to the weather that doesnt happen, so I stopped going there after one day.There is a jacuzzi just next to the pool and tennis courts nearby.The gym is equipped with so many equipment, I think just counting all of them would be a good exercise.

The rest of the hotel is just very stylishly decorated with beautiful flowers and they have themes for each seating area. The sofas and the tables match the painting on the wall. On the whole, its very tastefully done.

I always feel good coming back to the hotel at night.Gives me a cozy feeling.

Rain rain Go Away

The past few days have been wet and soggy. From morning to evening its been pouring non stop.Y'day it was so bad that I couldnt even leave the office building because if you open the buiding doors, you are likely to get drenched.We had to settle for fruits for lunch.

The rain was kind enough to take a break at night and I managed to go out of office. I took a tram to North Point and walked to Causeway Bay.It took me about 2 hours but I liked walking, watching all the lights and the buzz of the city.Then took the tram back to Wan Chai and walked to my hotel.

Then guess wat!It started raining again :S

Anyways, this morning when I woke up, I saw a clear sky and beautiful view from my room. I was so excited that it was not raining yet again.Well, I spoke too soon.Within half hour it was pouring once again.

Dont get me wrong, I love the rain. I love the way the rain makes everything look so different.Normally I love getting wet in the rain.So many times I have gone for walks in the rain. But I dont like it when it pours.I dislike the humidity and the chill that come along with it.I hate the puddles especially when I cant play in them but instead am wearing formals and on the way to work and accidently step into one.

I hope it stops pouring so I can do a bit more exploring before its time to head back to Singapore.I feel like going to the window and singing "Rain rain go away" to the rain.


Rain rain go away
Come again another day
I want to be able to go out
Rain rain go away

Of All Things Big and Small

Saturday was an exciting day.Early morning, I made my way up to my colleague's place who lives in Mid-Levels (Half the way to the Peak of Hong Kong). People who live in midlevels need to take 40 escaltors every morning to reach Central.Its no joke and the escaltors are not in any way short.In the mornings all the escalators come down and in the evenings they all go up.Mind you, these are only 1 way escaltors, meaning if on your way down you have forgotten something, you need to walk all the way back up :)

From there we both set out to the Peak, the top most point in Hong Kong Island.The view from there is simply mind blowing. On a clear day, you can see nearly all the surrounding islands very clearly.There is also a Madam Tussad's wax museum at the peak. Although not as impressive as the original one, it might be worth an entry.On our way down, we took the 'Peak Tram'. Another mode of transport for people who live up the peak.

From there, we took the MTR and went till a place called Tung Chung.Its on another island of Hong Kong called Lantau Island.Lantau is the 2nd largest island of HongKong.We made a long one-hour bus journey to Po Lin Monastry, home of the Giant Buddha.The Buddha is on top of a series of what feels like a never ending staircase.Reminded me of the many Indian temples situated up mountains and you need to climb endless number of steps to reach them. The Buddha sits on a lotus 25 metres tall. From the top, the view of the mountains of the island is a beautiful sight.Unlike what I expected, the monastry was not exactly a 'quiet haven'. It was filled with noisy tourists and local people alike.

After that we returned to the Town Centre in search of the ferry pier.We were told it was '10-mins' to the ferry pier from the Town Centre.Little did we know that it would turn out to be a gruelling 45 min ride up down and around the mountain.After a very bumpy bus ride and my stomach upside down, we came to the ferry pier.We decided to spend a little bit more and go in the Deluxe class.The Best decision we made that day. The delux class has an open deck with seats so you can enjoy the breeze and the beautiful scenary on the way back.

After reaching Hong Kong, we went to Stanley Market.It took us about an hour to get to Stanley and after getting lost and finally finding the market,we realised it was already closed at 9pm.So we made our way to Causeway Bay and took the MTR home.

Sunday started with thunderstorm and rain.I was quite disappointed that I would not be able to go out.So I made my way to my S'pore friend's place, who was sleeping when I reached.We went to for lunch then headed to the ferry pier and went to a small island called Cheng Chau.

Cheng Chau is very different from HK.All the houses are 1-2 storeys and made of wood. It was terribly crowded for a small island (which seemed to still be lost in the pre-techology era).We later found out that there was major preparations going on for the 'Bun Festival'.Huge cone like structures made from tall bamboo sticks were being constructed. Apprently, buns will be stuck on them and it is believed that if you eat those buns,you will get goodluck and good health. Nearby was a fair and you can see people climbing a similar structure and coming down,its supposed to be a practice place.

We decided to hike around the island and spent the next few hours exploring the island and some parts of it.We walked aroung the Tung Wan beach and hiked up 'mini great wall'(From far,it really resembled the great wall but much smaller, thus the name),needless to say that the view was fantastic from anywhere in the island.We didnt have much of a map, so we just followed watwhere road we saw, uphill or down.After a while our legs went on strike and refused to move any more.So we found our way back to the beach and ferry pier and came back to HK island.

I reached my room and just as I was about to crash, the weekend fireworks went off.It was a spectacular sight and a great way to end the weekend.

The Long Winding Road to Mong Kok

The day before y'day, a HK colleague of mine offered to take me to 'Mong Kok'.I was more than happy to take her up on her offer, especially after she said the magic words "We can go Ladies shopping".

Mong Kok is an interesting place.For those of you who have been to orchard road on 24th Dec,you will know how beautiful orchard looks with so much lighting and also how crowded it can get.Well, imagine now that the streets were much more narrower but brighter and there is not just 1 long street but many long parallel streets and twice the amount of people.

Anyways,we went up and down many shops looking at cameras and handfones. Hong Kong is known for good deals in electronics.But if you wan 'cheap' deals, you should go to either Causeway Bay or Tsim Sha Tsui.

The other interesting aspect of Mong Kok is "The Ladies' Market". It feels like a cross between Bombay's Fashion street and Melbourne's Victoria Market.Its a long narrow pathway that stretches across a few streets filled with shops selling just about everything. You can get clothes to toys to paintings to accessories and watches, you name and you got it, all at dirt cheap prices. But beware, you need to bargain a lot. Nearly everything is quoted 4 times the actual selling price (reminded me of Bangkok and Bombay). My HK friend was impressed with my bargaining skills, guess she doesnt know about India!

Anyways, after going through 'Shop Therapy', I went home content and with an empty wallet.

Y'day I was again at Mong Kok (No, I am not a shopping addict).Actually I had purchased a camera the day before. After much bargaining, I had gotten a camera and extra memory cards for a decent price. But I went home to find that my memory cards were missing.I was quite upset and well I thought I was cheated.I couldnt sleep at all that night because I felt so bad.Y'day morning, I called the shop and told them I didnt get my memory cards, and the guy actually recognised me and said "Yes, I hope you call.Your memory card in store.You forget y'day." I was so delighted to know that HK is still quite a decent place!!

Anyways I didnt want to go alone, so I asked my friend from S'pore if he wanted to come along.Although he had been living in HK longer than me, he had never been to any place in Hk it seems.So I showed him around Mong Kok and took him to all the places I went the day before.The best part was, when I walked into the camera store,I felt everyone knew who I was (the girl who left her memory cards).My friend was so suprised when I told him all that I have been doing the past few days.Best part was that he didnt know you get indian food in HK!Poor guy had been surviving on sandwiches for the past 10 days.

Good Morning HongKong

Maybe this should be called Gd Morn Singapore,since I doubt if anyone from HK will be reading it ..But well anyways,let me see..where did I leave off y'day..aaaah yes

Y'day afternoon, a few of my colleagues took us to a small cosy Indian restuarant nearby for lunch.The buffet had limited variety but the food was very tasty, not to say the Gulab jamuns were huge and delicious (my mouth has already started watering, so I better stop describing the food).

I noticed on my way to lunch and back that the roads were much narrower than they are in S'pore but the number of people moving on them is nearly 5-folds.That seems to be a feature in HK, every where and anytime of the day you can see a huge mass of people hurrying around. I used to think that S'pore had a fast pace of life, but now I have to say I am wrong.

Anyways, the afternoon was crazy in the office.I spoke too soon about it being quiet.It turned out to be just the calm before the storm!By the time we finished taking care of issues, I realised I was on the fone with the S'pore office at least 20 over times.It was 9pm by the time I finally got to leave office.One of my colleagues from S'pore who was posted here about a month back offered to take us to a place called the "Chunking Mansions". Apprently there is a movie with the same name taken in the same place or is about that place.

Hmmmm..I guess few of you might have guessed by now that if there is a movie about the place what sort of place it might be.. :)(..Let me give you a background before continuing with what we did.)Its filled with huge (and I mean huge!!) people of African origin and drunk indians.Everything is sold at much cheaper than the label price...get the picture?its supposed to be the illegal hub of HK.Its a very shady place,though I have been told its not dangerous, I doubt if I will ever go there alone.But that is the place to go if you want to buy cheap (dirt cheap) electronic items.

Anyways,we then went to a smal alley and found a pure vegetarian indian restaurant there (the only pure veg Indian restuarant in HK it seems).I ate more than I normally eat and on top of that had awesome tasting carrot halwa.I wonder why people thought you dont get indian food in HK??!!

Oh ya, I also went to an indian supermarket and got some ready to eat packs, for days when I just want to head to the hotel and eat.

(Speaking of my hotel,I decided that I should dedicate an entire blog to my hotel and I will do that after I have had the oppurtunity to see more than just my room of my luxurious hotel.Considering that my company is paying a bomb to keep me there, this is the least I can do :) )

Anyways, by the time I reached my room is was about 11.30 pm and I jus crashed and slept off.Woke up feeling so much more fresh this morn than I did y'day morning.
On my way to office, I need to walk a bit to Wan Chai station then take th MTR to Central station. The walk to Wan Chai station from my hotel is awesome because for some odd reason, inspite of being surrounded by buiding which are closely packed and atleast 50-60 stories high, the wind is brilliant!Although HK is humid this time of the year,and considering how packed the roads and bridges are I dont feel humidity or the congestion because of lovely wind.

I guess I will end off here for the day.

On Board the Hong Kong Express

I am sure by now you would have guessed this post comes from HongKong.I arrived here late last night.

The flight was quite decent and uneventful.For a change they served food that tasted good and I did not have to end up eating bun n biscuits to keep my stomach from grumbling.In fact, I actually was so full, I couldnt eat the biscuits and hot bread they served.And I have to mention, I had the best Cookies and Cream Cornetto I have tasted so far.Yummmm.Yummm.

Things went quite smoothly after that.I didnt lose my luggage (something that happens very often to me :S ). Immigration was a breeze, except the officer looked at my passport photo and my face atleast 6-8 times before giving me the entry visa. My passport foto was taken a few years back and I wasnt wearing glasses in them. I cant help it if my hair was all over the place after a 4 hour flight and my eyes were swollen from lack of proper sleep for nearly 3-4 weeks!

Anyways, I was travelling with a colleague (did I mention that already?) and a close friend of mine was also on the same flight. We all decided to take the 'Airport Express', its a train that takes people from the Airport to HK city.It has limited stops and took about 20 mins (cos it was empty at 12 midnite). Whereas it would have easily taken an hour by road.It was quite comfortable,the seats reminded me of the Eurpean rails you see in movies.

Once we were in HK city,Central Station we had the option of taking a taxi or the MTR (the HK MRT). While my friend decided to take a cab, my colleague wanted to be 'adventurous' and take the MTR.It was only 2 stops to the district (Wan Chai) we needed to go...on the map.The problem was, the Station was an interchange for 6 train lines.We were walking all around the station looking for the train we needed to take.It took a bit of walking around, but we managed.

We came out of Wan Chai Station and all I saw were many tall sky scrapers in front of me. We found a map and just started walking,following our better judgement as a guide.We reached the hotel, sweating panting from carrying our suitcases up and down 2 bridges and a subway.I was sure the hotel would kick us out and never believe we were staying there.But they didnt do that.

By the time I got to my room it was nearly 1 am.Unpacked and slept by 2 am, had to get up at 6.30 to get ready and hopefully beat the HK traffic and reach office by 8.30am.

The HK office is really comfortable.Though the office is buiding is huge, the office itself is much much smaller and the people are really friendly.The morning was very quiet,not as crazy as we expected.Infact, I would say it went without any major issues except one. We went to a nice Indian restuarant for lunch and just got back.Hoping to get time daily after work to go around the city.

Will keep the blog posted on a daily basis as far as possible.

Interesting Thought

I recently received an e-mail from a very good friend of mine and I felt it was something worth sharing.So read on and enjoy.

My Friend:

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share a line of thought that a close friend of mine (Ishan, for those among u who know him) discussed with me one fine evening. Its a great way to look at ourselves and our role in society I think, and so felt tht I shld share it with u'll.

I am sure all of us at sometime in our lives have read comic books and watched cartoons ( I still do and have no shame in admitting as much). Just think bak if u will, and recall who your favourite superhero ( or heroine - no chauvanism here) was - Superman, Batman, Spiderman, He-Man, Flash, Captain America, Phantom, Wonder Woman or our very own Super-Commander Dhruv, Nagraj, Mandrake the Magician or Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu. I may have missed out a lot of big names here and your favourite may not have been mentioned but lets not get too touchy on the subject shall we. The point is we have all idolised such heros and heroines. We have been enthralled by their superpowers and have even tried to ape them. I remember many great evenings spent with a towel tied arnd my neck, pretending to play Superman, or with a 'sword' in hand playing He-Man, and whether u'll wld like to admit it on this forum or not, I am very sure u'll can recall similarly exciting evenings.

But as we grow up we 'grow' out of these childish fantasies. We 'realize' and 'accept' that we are only human and have no superpowers to speak of. We are only 'ordinary' and so must wade through life as best as we can.

Let us pause for a moment here and study our childhood heroes. Each of them has a special power (or powers) of their own which is so great that it carries them through their lives. They understand their power fully and know how to employ it. They r able to rely on their power in the worst of times to pull them through the crisis. They all have weaknesses and know how to work around them. And most importantly they know that with great power comes great responsibility and that it is their duty to utilise their power to the fullest for the benefit of all around you.

There is one great advantage we have over our heroes. While they can't impart their powers to others, we on the other hand, can. So spread your determination, or optimism or confidence to others around you. Let them feel your power to such an extent that it rubs off on them.

When Ishan discussed this line of thought with me it did give me a very different perspective. I indeed do feel even more powerful than before (note: modest as i am, i said 'even more' ). I hope it has the same effect on you. You may, on the other hand, find this entire idea rather silly. Aah well to each his own then I suppose. But believe it or not you are a Superman or a Superwoman. But for tht to be of any use you need to believe so too.

All the very best
Cheers