Party ke side effects

First of all, Happy New year all you lovely people!!

I have something really important to share. Being an Indian and a girl, I really have to talk about this and share my experience.

Being outside India, I have been leading an absolutely harassment free life here. I do not worry about what I am wearing, what time of the day it is, where I go and how late I step out of the house. I am usually with my husband or other friends, so I feel very safe when I am outside. Partying till very late is the normal lifestyle of every 20 somethings and above here in Singapore. Nobody makes a big deal out of this. Even families with young kids stay out as late as 12AM.

An incident happened this new years eve when I was out with my husband and a few of my very good friends in a beach party. One of the parties that night was a foam and shower dance floor with great DJ. Naturally that was the most popular and crowded of all parties that night. We entered the party after midnight and the foam had stopped for some time. The crowd was waiting for the foam rain to start again. And so it started, as promised, with fantastic music. The crowd went wild.

As if out of nowhere a hand appeared to pinch my belly. I looked around but couldn't spot anything funny, so I dismissed it and went back to dancing. And then I felt it again. This time I was fast enough to catch the hand that was pinching me. I started pinching the hand as hard as I could all the while holding tight onto the re-treating hand. In no time, I spotted the face associated with the hand. Without thinking anything else, as a response, I started slapping the face just about everywhere that I could reach. I must have easily hit the face about 6-7 times.

At that moment I didn't think all these but thinking about it now, hitting him across his face felt good, real good. I was not afraid. I was not worried that he might challenge me. I was glad that I hit him right across his eyes and nose and on his head. Right then, I was high without any drink.

The person (he was of Indian origin, I can tell that much), disappeared into the crowd soon after that. I was back to enjoying the party with my husband and friends who were close enough to see all this. Everything happened so quickly that they couldn't react. Once we were out of dance floor I spotted the face again and I tugged at my husband's hand "It's him". I didn't expect that my husband would make a mad dash towards that guy who had starting running away after recognizing me. My husband confronted him and I vaguely remember my hubby holding his collar. I felt extra brave with my dear husband backing me up and I pushed the guy a couple of times as if to challenge him (dhakka marna). But when the guy didn't make sense and appeared scared I asked hubby to let go of him and pulled him out of the scene. I should have let him continue so that the matter would escalate to security personnel.

This sounds too cliched but there is some charm in your man fighting for you :) I had a new-found respect towards my hubby dear that night. My husband was worried slightly that the incident would spoil my mood, he wasn't sure how I would react. When I was very casual and told him that I actually enjoyed all these (who wouldn't enjoy hitting the wrong-doer!) he was relieved.


The rest of the night passed without any untoward incidents. For such a huge party, stray incidents like these are expected, unfortunately! Will this stop me from going to the night party next time? No way! Next year we will make sure to get such guys expelled.

10 life lessons

 
1. Life is too short to waste it by hating someone. 
2. Every problem has a solution.
3. You will cross the bridge when you come to it.
4. If there is something to crib about, it has to change.
5. Eat. Delete.
6. Don't compare yourself to others."Why would you compare how tangy an orange is compared to a beach? They’re not similar things."
7. Simplify your life, relationships, expectations and possessions.
8. Change is the only constant.
9. What other people think of you is none of your business.
10. You can love unconditionally.

Singapore Haze

Smoke from forest fire in Indonesia has shrouded Singapore with Pollutant Standard Index(PSI) hitting all time high at 401. Anything above PSI 100 is unhealthy and 300 is just hazardous.

PSI Value Air Quality Descriptor 0 - 50 Good 51 - 100 Moderate 101 - 200 Unhealthy 201 - 300 Very unhealthy Above 300 Hazardous - See more at: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/anti-pollution-radiation-protection/air-pollution/psi/psi-and-pm2-5-readings#sthash.qK6Uq0bp.dpuf

View of Singapore eye at PSI 401- Yahoo photos.

It is an yearly event for Indonesian farmers to burn their plantation just before mansoon. But this time the fire is intense because of extreme dry weather. Even Indonesian oil companies have participated in annual burning of farms by burning their palm oil plantation. This has escalated the situation in Singapore and southern Malaysia with PSI hitting hazardous levels.

Yahoo photo

In an otherwise safe Singapore we have major drama ensuing because of haze.

 - Politicians are blaming and pressurising Indonesia (rightfully) for the haze situation.

 - Indonesia in response has chided Singapore for behaving like a child. It has responded positively too, by deploying fire fighting planes as haze worsens in Singapore and Malaysia. Indonesia has also released names of 8 companies which may be involved in starting forest fires.

NASA Photo

 - Malaysia shut down schools when the PSI hit 300. This has caused anxiety and frustration among Singapore residents. Singapore PM Lee has maintained that there will be no closing down of businesses in Singapore and that life must go on. Assessing the situation there might be reduced work hours and outdoor exposure but that is as far as what we can expect.

 - Amidst all these there is panic among residents for getting respiratory masks.

People queuing up at hospitals for N95 masks. Yahoo photo

A colleague of mine had purchased masks at 20$(original price 10$) on 20th June. When some of us from office went to purchase masks from the same shop on 21st afternoon the guy had run out of masks but was ready to take advance orders at 75$ per pack!! He claimed that he has to hand carry masks from Australia!! Simple theory of Demand and Supply!!

We haven't opened doors and windows in house for the past 4 days. Its very stuffy to stay indoors. Haze visibility has improved today but the smell and pollution still persists. PSI was high even today morning at 322. This is expected to continue for another month or so but may be not at high PSI. Thank god for air conditioner at homes that life is going easy despite haze.

Austrailian food

Australia is a foodie's paradise. With people and culture so diverse, one can imagine the diversity in food, its range and quality. There is Greek precinct with an array of Greek cafes and restaurants, Chinatown precinct for Chinese delicacies, Lygon street for Italian and so on.

Being a vegetarian is not at all difficult in Australia. Every food place has quite a few vegetarian options. As I was in budget mode I couldn't explore restaurants in Australia but here are some of the things that I tried in food courts and mid range cafes.

Mine and your favorite Coffee:

Australians love their coffee to the point of obsession. They take their coffee as seriously as their beer. Australians whose families migrated from Greek and Italy introduced coffee culture in Australia. Australia can be considered one of the world's great coffee lovers.

Vegemite, Concentrated yeast extract:

Source: Wikimedia

This is one of Australia's very own, most widely eaten as breakfast. It is a thick black gooey "spread" eaten with cheese crackers and bread. This is a byproduct of beer brewing, a concentrated yeast extract. This is more of an acquired taste, like Durian of Malaysia/Singapore. It has a bitter and sour taste that shocks you on your first bite.

Greek - Veg Souvlaki:

This is a traditional greek food. Souvlaki is Pita sandwich of crispy vegetable(/chicken) kebabs in a bed of crunchy lettuce and onions with tzatziki(creamy cucumber yoghurt) sauce. This sandwich was so filling that I could only finish half of it. I have nothing to compare this to. This was my first taste of any kind of Greek cuisine. I will watch out for this one. Love.

Italian: Pasta, one of my comfort food.

Penne pasta with roasted cauliflower, red onion and garlic breadcrumbs, spiced with chilli flakes.

Y-U-M. 

Asian: Asian food is popular in Melbourne. I could find more vegetarian options in Melbourne than in any Asian countries.

 Thai food - Sweet and spicy vegetarian fried rice and crunchy fried sinful spring rolls complete with sweet dipping sauce.

Stir fried vegetables in fiery Thai red curry and rice. 

 Creamy Alu-matar-palak(Potato, peas and spinach) and spicy, tangy chole (chick peas) with yellow rice. Cooling thick Mango lassi to go with. Wish they had soft rotis to go with all the yummy side dishes.

Gado gado is an indonesian salad that had many levels of texture to it which was what I loved about this dish. There was stir fried crunchy vegetables, fried tofu, boiled cauliflower and raw lettuce. This was served with rice and strong flavorful peanut sauce.

One thing that I regretted:

This was served as stir fried noodles. Utter disappointment.

The noodles were slimy, the sauce sour and vegetables overcooked.This was a confused dish. It seemed like the cook started with pasta in mind but midway he decided to change it to stir friend noodles!! *Shudder*

Finally for Austrailian dessert - Lamington cakes.

www.taste.com.au

Vanilla cake in a generous coating of chocolate ganache and rolled over dessicated coconut.

I remember eating 2 pieces of this simple yet delicious cake.

Licorice Raspberry bullets:

chocolatefish.com.au

A friend of mine recommended these chocolates to me and I thank him for that. These are nothing like I have eaten before. It has a soft melting outer layer with Raspberry jelly at the core. I bought a big packet to share with colleagues and friends but everyone loved it at home so much that we finished it all by ourselves :-)

These are just a few things that I tried. Some of the food that is associated with Australia are non-vegetarian like Fish and Chips and kangaroo meat delicacies. And off course there is Australian beer & wine. I didn't get a chance to try Australia's pavlovas.

Food sets my mood and I have enjoyed eating in Australia. Melbourne will remain in my memory as a city with mouth watering, wide variety of food.

Australia - The land down under

Recently I spent a week in Melbourne city - World's most liveable city.

I have always wanted to visit Australia. Firstly because its closer to Singapore and affordable to travel on budget. Second, Singaporeans have a fascination towards Australia and being in Singapore I have heard so many stories about Australia. Australia is a famous destination for budget travelers, students who couldn't get into American universities for further education and for those who want to explore Australia on a work visa. Third, I hadn't been to southern part of hemisphere and Australia is the land down under.

I wasn't disappointed a bit. Melbourne is multicultural and diverse city.  Off course my comparison is with Singapore which is every bit glossy and glamorous. In contrast Melbourne has a rustic, small town charm to it. Melbourne is a very young city which had its first settlement in 1803 by a group of victorian sailors. The city has huge victorian era buildings that gives it a feel of London. Melbourne of today has Victorian era gothic structures and modern sky scrapers side by side.

The city itself is very small but energetic; bustling with people who are very laid back and chilled out "Don't worry maite". Australians know how to slow down and enjoy their lives. They have a relaxed working hours, almost no one works long hours. Evenings are for beer and trust me, people really get drunk. Australians love their coffee and are sports fanatics. Greeks followed by Italian and Chinese form the majority of Melbourne population. Greek, Italian and south east asian cuisine is readily available in Australia. You could even find Indian ready-to-eat food in supermarkets. Australians come across as very direct and straightforward people. Asians of all people, are definitely taken aback by this straight forwardness.

Australia is very easy to travel by budget. There are enormous choices for budget hostels with bars specifically for backpackers. Cost of living is high in Australia but rentals and accommodation is not so expensive. Australia has an option of "working holiday" visas that lets you have temporary jobs to sustain and fund your travels. Labour costs are high in Australia so by working even as a waiter or cleaner you could survive, save and travel within Australia.

I am surprised how is Melbourne the "most liveable" city because of two reasons.
First safety concerns. While in Australia we were advised not to venture out after dark. If you encounter muggers or drunkards, its better to leave everything you have and just run.
Second reason is the weather. Summer and winter weather is too extreme. This is winter time in Australia. Temperature was allright, around 8degrees but the wind was too rough.

Most liveable city or not, it is a very interesting city. I would have loved to stay longer if not for my life and job back in Singapore.
Couple of more Oz posts coming up, watch out this space.

Why Asian women definitely can't have it all?

Social Media and Internet is abuzz with discussions after the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg called to reboot feminism with her new book Lean In - Women, Work and the Will to Lead.

Based on one of the article - Why women can't have it all, my personal opinion is that an average Asian Women*, across all economic barriers and all sections of the society, definitely cannot have it all. Here are 10 reasons for that.

1. Asian society is inherently patriarchal.
    Men are breadwinners and Women are caregivers.

2. Most Asian societies prefer a male over a female child.  
    Family tree is traced by the male members of the family.

3. Education is unequal. 
    My father didn't have the money to give equal education to all of us, only boys went to good schools.

4. Marriages are unequal. 
    I want marry a girl who is less ambitious.

5. Women are expected to be selfless and maternal with kids on top of their priority list.
     I don't have any problems with my fiance working till we have a baby.

6. Women are groomed to backup men and not compete with them.
    Why do you want to study so much? What more do girls these days want?

7. Men (and Women) do and say sexist things, without even realizing it.
    What is the need for her to work when her husband has such a high profile job. She can quit and stay at home to look after her kids.

8. It's an uphill struggle for women who wants to have it all.
    You girls do not go with the flow by fighting against the system. You are the rebellious generation.

9. Being gentle and mellow are more likeable attributes in women.
    Women who appear competent are often perceived as less likeable. Men don't face this. - Deborah Gruenfeld, Professor of Leadership & Organizational Behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business

10. Most women don't even dream big because they are told "women can't have it all". 
    The word “ambition” for women is a troublesome one in Asia, often equated with evil and greed. - Jane Horan, the founder a diversity workplace advisory organisation, Singapore.

Disclaimer:
*My opinion is based on my experience working with many Asians and my travels to South, East and South-East Asian countries. I have no personal experience of other parts of Asia, so this generalization does not apply to North and west Asia.

10 things to do on a rainy weekend

1. Sleep in and wake up late in the morning. Bed coffee is a great idea.
2. Take a slow hot shower.
3. Settle down near the window with a great book/music.
4. Have a warm bowl of noodle soup for lunch.
5. Rainy weather is a great sleep inducer. Be lazy and take an afternoon nap.
6. Prepare a fried spicy snack for evening coffee time - potato wedges, Indian chats or chips with spicy-tangy salsa.
7. Watch a good movie at coffee time. Enjoy the snacks and some popcorn.
8. Go for a walk/jog in rain (with or without umbrella).
9. Order home your favourite dinner (if you are still hungry).
10. Involve family/friends for a game session late into the night.