Monday, September 24, 2007

A short day in Bangalore

India has always been a favourite destination of mine. The people, the place, the food, the history... the whole subcontinent is soaking with culture. And recently, I had the good fortune of spending 36 hours in Bangalore, the Silicone Valley of India.

Bangalore is the state capital of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau some 3000ft above sea level, it enjoys wholesome mountain weather most of the year. As my stay was short, I had to give utmost priority to two must-do's of mine: 1) Stock up on Hindi movie DVDs and, 2) Eat!

But of course, along the way, picture-taking is customary. Firstly, I headed for Brigade Road, for my DVDs. This relatively short street is the local Jalan Bukit Bintang or Orchard Road. While snapping away, I inadvertently caught this beauty in my viewfinder. She is most likely from the north-east of India. How fortuitous.

A scene from the middle of the busy Brigade Road.And this is the junction of Brigade Road and FM Cariappa Road.The hustle and bustle of FM Cariappa Road.
The streets are peppered with Bel Poori stalls like this:Bel Poori is healthy stuff. It's made up of puffed rice, a little potato, plenty of coriander, raw onion, a little chili, tamarind and, possibly, date juice, and what seem like crispbread made from chickpea flour.

However, my gastronomical attention was elsewhere. Specifically, here:
I first dined at Nadhini about three years ago, on my very first trip here. It is basically banana-leaf rice. But having it here on the Indian continent, I must say, the authenticity of the meal scores highly. Psychologically or otherwise.

Now you see it.....
.....now you don't! And nothing like a cup of Masala Chai to end it.
Strolling back to the hotel I came across this enterprising little 'un manning his dad's Bel Poori stall next to some Army quarters. He saw me with my camera and immediately waved me over, "Uncle, uncle. Please take picture."
A little further down the road I encountered street kids.
The instant I took this shot, they all surrounded me, asking for a few rupees each. Heart-wrenching. Looking around to make sure there aren't any bigger groups of kids, I handed over a couple of notes. Walking on, I couldn't help but think about Nurin and our children in Malaysia. Are our kids really luckier to have been born in Malaysia as opposed to these children here in India? The arguments go both ways. My philosophical pondering was then abruptly halted by this sight:

I stood there laughing with my camera clicking.
*Click for more info on The Holy Thirukural and forget about Da Vinci Code...

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Help Find Nurin

NURIN. This cute, innocent little cherub is missing and is feared to have been kidnapped. She was last seen in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur. Please keep a lookout for her. Two days ago, the naked body of another girl was found in a sports bag in KL. A post-mortem has revealed that this poor girl was sexually tortured:



Let's find Nurin before she is harmed. Nobody deserves a fate as horrific as the one that befell the dead girl above. Except for the sick and perverted murderer who committed the most heinous of crimes, who should get worse. Let's find Nurin. Let's pray for her well-being.

*Update: Two DNA tests had confirmed that the body found in the bag was Nurin. Our hearts go to the family. We pray for Nurin. We pray for the family. We pray for all children.
(22nd September 2007)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Losing It

I've finally done it! After ten years of buying, trading-in and using mobile phones, I have gone and lost mine. Duh! And it was in Singapore - land of the line-toeing and law-abiding. My Nokia N95, with all the pictures of the wife, kids, friends, sceneries; hundreds of songs and contact information. Good thing I'm not into putting explicit acts on phone-video. Left it in the taxi while alighting. Tried in vain to get it back by calling the cab company. Calling my own number repeatedly only resulted in the option to leave messages in the voice mailbox. Got me thinking....

Have I got so reliant on this piece of electronics? And why did I have to spend a ransom on it? What other gizmos will the boffins come up with, gadgets that we don't really need to live our daily lives?

After deactivating the SIM card in the N95 at the service provider's branch, I looked around for a replacement phone. Naturally, I was feeling very miserably miserly after 'throwing away' S$1000. Signing another two years of subscription, I got this Nokia 2626 for nothing.
While I hope not to lose this, too; I would certainly feel less wretched if it happens. Trouble is, do I have the discipline and will to resist the siren calls of newer, more feature-packed mobile phones? It has only been three days, me using this very basic Nokia 2626 ....... and already I am lusting for this:


I am praying that I don't lose it! Or do I? Duh!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

An end to the 'graffiti'....


Today, I was surprised to see the school finally putting a dignified end to the atrocious poster previously lambasted here. There is, after all, hope for our children. At least, where correct English grammar and spelling are concerned, in this particular school. Kudos to the Principal, I presume, for taking the step to whitewash bad English. Literally.
PS SELAMAT BERPUASA TO MUSLIM FRIENDS.