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...

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)

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!

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.

Not an excellent start

Spotted this at a Sekolah Kebangsaan in Bandar Utama. There are four, so everybody gets a 25% chance of getting it right the first time. Unlike the teacher or teachers who got it totally and awfully wrong with the grammar AND spelling. Apparently, more than a few concerned parents have pointed out the gaffe to the school principal. Evidently, it has all fallen upon deaf ears and blind eyes. I'm sure they have better things to attend to, like learning English properly! Poor kids.....

Do, Re, Meme.

missy is K.U. tagged me with this meme a while ago. Why? Because I'm from Perak. Dek missy, here goes:

1. A person is only as good as his/her actions.

2. Friendship is always about trust and respect.

3. To love is to accept and cherish.

4. Money makes me spend.

5. I miss the days when mornings were cold and the air crisp.

6. My way of saying I care is by listening.

7. I try to spread love and happiness because they are the very core of human relationships.

8. Pick the flowers when absolutely necessary; otherwise leave them where they belong.

9. To love someone is cherish someone.

10. Beauty is found everywhere in everybody.

11. When I was thirteen, what I remember the most was starting my life in boarding school.

12. When I was twenty one, I remember feeling blessed to have achieved my childhood ambition.

13. I am most happy when my loved ones are happy.

14. Nothing makes me happier than a quiet moment with my loved ones.

15. If I can change one thing, I will change the human tendency to hate.

16. If smiles were rewarded in cash then I would be Carlos Slim.

17. Wouldn't it be nice if the world is at peace and there were no sufferings.

18. If you want to read on, it’s your choice.

19. Money is not everything but almost everything needs money.

20. The most touching moments I have experienced I remember clearly.

21. I smile even to myself.

22. When I am happy, I am thankful.

23. If only I don't have to exercise to keep fit then I can eat like I did as a teen.

24. The best thing I did yesterday was catching up with a friend I haven’t spoken to for 20 years.

25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title: MERRILY DOWN THE STREAM.

26. One thing I must do before I die, to be at peace with God.

27. Doing this meme, I feel relieved I’ve fulfilled my obligation after being tagged.

Who will be next? Heh heh, not to worry. I'm not tagging anybody. Well, not yet......

Strategic Advertising

As seen along Tembeling Road in Singapore:

Wonder how much are the fees for the 'facility'?

My Afternoon At Kensington Gardens

Some time back, I went to London. During the approach into Heathrow, I managed to take the above picture of Kensington Gardens, which was originally part of Hyde Park. That's the (obvious) Round Pond with Kensington Palace to its left, across The Boardwalk.

As usual, I headed straight for the lovely park with my camera and (then-new) Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR lens. A guy and his new toy, no obstacles to deter them. Straight to shooting around Kensington Gardens, en-route to Nahar Cafeteria at Mara House. Needed my fix of nasi campur and teh tarik. 10 Sterling Pounds for the meal, aiyo! A man and his hungry stomach, no obstacles to deter them, too.

Some of the hundreds of shots I took that day:






Then this little girl caught my eye. Cute little 'un this one. She was with two ladies, the older one presumably her mom and the younger one pictured below in the green jumper.

A short moment after this snapshot, they were all having snacks back on their picnic mat. I then continued to enjoy my zoom lens with shots like this:

That same cute girl from earlier on was back at the edge of the pond. I took this shot below of her and I began to focus on the swans and ducks, when there was a splash and some screams.

I turned to look, with my viewfinder of course. And my finger instinctively pressed the shutter and caught this piture.....

The poor little toddler was about 10 meters from where I was so I had to dash towards her. Her mom got there first and she promptly jumped in. It was slippery beneath. Thus, they were both slipping and sliding. The mom was gasping for help. When I got near them, I had a momentary doubt. Around my neck was a few thousand bucks' worth of equipment and should they have a swim in the murky waters of The Round Pond, I will face a murky situation indeed.

Proudly, I overcame the selfish thoughts to reach out for the lady's hand. But I still found myself in a tricky situation. The lady was just too heavy for me to pull out. I was myself slowly slipping into the water. Timely assistance came in the form of a middle-aged man. He took my other hand and together, we managed to haul mother and daughter out of the pond.

Mom thanked us and got straight to cleaning themselves up. I thanked the good 'uncle' and he just went 'Jolly good show, ta!' and off he went. Relieved that my photographic equipment was intact as was my pride (could've had to call for help had I slipped in), I decided to escape to somewhere safer:

... where this Pakcik (uncle) dishes out the best comfort food for me this side of The Round Pond,

NAHAR CAFETERIA!

Permission To Reincarnate, Sir!

I read this in the news a few days back:

I was tickled silly, gigglish at the irony of the headline. The article piqued my curiosity enough to Google the subject. I've even bought and commenced reading this book by one Stephen Batchelor.

I would think that 'living Buddhas' would mean 'Bodhisattva' - an enlightened being destined to be a Buddha, but purposely remaining on earth to teach others. Buddhist reincarnation concepts can be read about here. The authorities in China want the final say over the appointments of reincarnate monks. Red tape and rubber stamps. Wonder if there are forms to be filled.

Seventeen pages into the book now. Interesting. What's more interesting is this website I stumbled upon: The Reincarnation Station. One needs only to answer some simple questions and at the end, be told what you'd be reincarnated as in the next life. Me? I'll be a tiger. Grrrowll.....

A Simple Pleasure in San Francisco

No too long ago, I was in San Francisco. Great city. And it's summer. One of my favourite things to do there, apart from stuffing my face ( which we'll get to soon ), is a simple but professional shoe shine.
Along Market Street, there are at least two shoe-shine booths. This particular one is in front of Virgin Megastore. The contraption above is where one rests one of his feet.
Both booths are manned by African-American gentlemen. Soul music blasts from their masta-blastas. On this occassion, it was Percy Sledge, Barry White, Otis Redding and The Platters. These were the few that I could identify.
For 7 US$, your shoes get the deluxe treatment which is claimed to retain the out-of-the-shop shine for at least two weeks. For 20 bucks more, the leather gets the ultimate treatment, which is going to make your walkabouts appear spanking new for 3 months! Being a cheap dude on a budget, I sheepishly declined the superior service. So Mr.D then got working on mah shoes.....

...while his partner, dozed holding his cup of coffee. Must have been the regular ashtray-brew most diners serve in the country. Free and unlimited pouring! But I digress.
Mr D started by rolling up my jeans a notch, before cleaning my Florsheim boots ( purchased at 50% off from One U) with what seemed like soapy water. Then it was an assortment of creams and black polish, and cream again.
After what seemed like 20 minutes ( judging by the number of soulful singing from the masta blastas) , he was applying the finishing buff. Voila! I was eight bucks poorer, with a pair of shiny boots. An extra buck for the tip.

To me, it is money well spent. It is a simple yet fulfilling pleasure. Simply because I am TOO LAZY to polish my own shoes.

Gone Bananas, Over The Flower

The banana flower caught my eye recently. And my heart, too. I was so taken with it that I took around 30 shots of the bloom. On top is my favourite photo. It wasn't my first encounter with it, but it certainly was my first 'crush' on it. Funny how I did not realize how beautiful and captivating the flower is.

The flower matures eventually into the banana fruit bunch(es). It is also used as an ingredient in cookings in The Philipines (kari-kari - a beef stew), Laos, Vietnam (as salad), Thailand (eaten raw and cooked in various ways), and Sri Lanka where it makes a great curry dish. Wonder why it didn't catch on in Malaysia.

If it did, I'd probably not get this moment of unbridled attraction. Normalcy will resume shortly..... I think.

I Love You Ah-Ma

My grandmother passed away yesterday. All of 88 years old. The last time I saw her was exactly a year ago, at an old folk's home in Ipoh. She was no longer lucid, and caring for her required professional assistance. All that remained was her instinct to love her loved ones, and to defend herself. While she could only muster an uncertain though caring smile for any family member, any nurse that got near her incurred her wary wrath in the form of a stinging pinch. Feeble as she may seemed then, but one could see plenty of skin agonizing in the grip of her thumb and index finger. Her alertness and reflex towards the nurses did not wane for two whole days. In the end, she had to be brought back to an aunt's home to be supervised by a live-in nurse.
So caught up was I with my life, I did not pay her a visit since, merely enquring about her well-being through my parents. Then mom called, telling me the news in between her sobs. Mom was most fond of ah-ma for being a non-imposing mother-in-law. Gathering my siblings, we made the trip back to Teluk Intan. It was great fun bonding during the 3 hour drive, reminiscing our experiences with our father's mother.

To many visitors and well-wishers, it could have been confusing arriving at my aunt's house where ah-ma (grandma in Hokkien) was laid in rest. The first sight was a significant number of telekung-clad ladies milling about. Then the boisterous greetings and chatter were peppered with equal amounts of English, Malay, Tamil, Hokkien, Cantonese and Hakka. But yes, they were at the right wake. That's the family that my ah-ma raised, a true Malaysian smörgåsbord. It was organized chaos, four generations in all. Isn't it ironic how a death in the family brings more relatives together than weddings and births? Still, it was such joy to get together, to catch up and renew the ties that bond us. Ah-ma had apparently mused some years ago, that she wished for her funeral to be a warm affair and not the sombre occasions of which she had attended plenty. She got her wish. Though her clan is in sorrow at her passing, we were joyful for the kindship reaffirmed.

Ah-ma had the Holy Bible held to her chest. It was the Chinese version, so I had to ask an aunt which verse it was opened to. It was Psalm 23:

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever

Ah-ma had many prayers dedicated to her by all her kin who practice different beliefs. I believe she is truly at peace now. I feel her love still.

Of Law and Justice, and a boy who murdered yet set free.

Five years ago, I read in disbelief, of a murder committed by a 12 year-old boy. He was repeatedly called 'Fatty' and a spat ensued between him and the 11 year-old daughter of his tuition teacher. They were alone in the teacher's home. He snapped and attacked the girl with a sharp weapon. The girl died from massive loss of blood resulting from four slash wounds and twenty stab wounds.

In the intervening five years, from the magistrate's courts to the KL High Court to the Court of Appeal, the prosecution and the defence did their thing. All while the boy spent time in prison. Yesterday, the boy, now 17, was set FREE.

The court said it had no choice. (Read about the facts and technicalities here.) This is one of those occasions where one goes 'Huh?' and ponders about the world we live in. This is the law. But is this justice? A question asked too many times around the Courts of Justice. Courts of Justice?

Most would accept whatever outcome as decided through the channels of law and order, even if it seems obviously skewed. Some have felt disgruntled enough to carry out themselves the justice they deemed more appropriate than that ruled by the law, breaking another law in the process.

There is the law and then there is justice. The law is laid out plainly in black and white, albeit with exploitable loopholes and interpretations. As loose as it may seem, it IS laid out in letter and cast in stone, so to say. Justice, unfortunately, is largely a concept, an opinion. More so to parties on opposing sides of any issue or case. They may accept the rule of law, but the absence of justice may still be perceived.

In this particular case, the boy and his family may feel that justice has been served rightly. And it is understandable that his victim's family are shocked at the sheer lack of justice. The public at large may offer a myriad of other views on this, very likely colouring the entire spectrum from freedom to the death sentence.

We all want justice. But given the nature and variance of the human mind, the law is all that we can rely on. If everyone should get the justice they want, it could throw us back to barbarism in a free-for-all world. Justice can be continually pursued. But it must be done within the law.

PS
And if we still feel that we did not get justice, there is always Judgment Day. No lawyers needed.

Re-branding exercise

MUCH PONDERED PONDERINGS. The title has bugged me since 2005. In a rush to publish my first blog, I settled for that lame title. In a fit of shame, the original blog was deleted along with the title. Then, when the itch of blogging overwhelmed, I started a new blog in haste. Still with the same crappy title! I suppose it is unfavourable feng-shui for the blog having that name as I did more pondering than actually typing. Heh-heh, it's good to apportion blame on the defenseless.

Let's see if this new title will bring forth a healthier 'flow' of posts. OK, I do acknowledge it is still lame.......

My Recent 24 Hours In New York

Herald Square
And thus, I eschewed sleep (as demanded by the body-clock) for the full benefit of taking in NYC. First destination was the COMPUSA store on Broadway. I have been itching to get myself a MacBookPro but the prohibitive price of admission has so far thwarted me. Hopes of a super sale were soon dashed. It's even more expensive when the 8.25% municipal sales tax is factored in. I then drifted along Broadway until Macy's. That's where I snapped the picture of The Empire State Building on the left. It was on that spot, too, where I suddenly felt peckish. Aimlessly walking, I found myself quite tempted by this kosher deli.



Perusing the menu for five minutes without any commitment, I decided to walk on. There were many hot dog and bagel joints by the roadsides. And this time round, I noticed there were a lot more Halal stalls. However, I felt that I needed a full meal. Like two or three hot dogs. My legs just carried me along as I anguished over what to eat, wondering what happened to the meal I had on the airplane three hours prior.



Along the way I saw this:


It's a common sight all over NYC streets. Africans flogging 'branded' handbags and sunglasses.

Soon, I found myself walking past the AMC 25 Empire Cineplex on West 42nd Street, with the Loews Cineplex Regal Theatre across the street.


I took this picture,
and saw a sight at once heart-wrenching and heart-warming. A pair of Siamese twins who were joined at the head walked pass me. One twin was about the size of a 10 year-old and had no use of her legs. She was perched on a trolley-like contraption. Her twin-sister provided the mobility. But barely. Manoeuvering the trolley with the heads joined must be difficult, to say the least. Yet, they were smiling and talking to each other. They are somewhere in this picture.

(The following day, I saw a picture of them in USA Today. They were among the many guests of honour at the re-opening of Ripley's Believe It Or Not Odditorium in New York. I had probably missed the proceedings by a few hours.)

Then I met Mr. Morgan Freeman!

Well, his likeness in all his waxed glory, anyway. Waxed glory.... you know what I mean. 'He' was standing in front of New York's Madam Tussauds


A couple of minutes later, the Naked Cowboy of Times Square comes into view.



That's the cool dude with the guitar in his white briefs and ten-gallon hat, in the bottom right of the photo.

People actually tip this man to just to have a photo taken of or with him. I've seen him in winter, peddling his umm, talents in the sub-zero temperatures here in Times Square. Attired exactly the same! I'd have tipped him a buck then for his tenacity but getting to the warm sanctuary that the Virgin Megastore is in winter took priority . On my previous trips, I've seen a lot more curious admirers around him. The novelty must have worn off, I thought.



Walking past the singing half-nudie, I crossed the road and found THIS very compelling signboard outside the Hawaiian Tropic Zone.

There was actually a queue of five eager-looking guys outside the restaurant. It did cross my mind to dine there and get myself an autographed souvenir. It was around 2.30pm local and jet lag was probably impairing my judgment. And taste.

"Naaaah!", my inner voice told me, "What's the big deal about a woman taking off her clothes?" Yeah, and I'd have to pay an inflated price for the meal AND the magazine . And to what end? Laughing at myself for even considering the whole thing I walked on towards Virgin Megastore, my favourite stop in Times Square.

Just before I reached the entrance to this must-go place of mine, someone caught my eye from across the street. Could it be? Sure looked so. I dashed across the street, thanks to a red light further up. And there she was:



The Naked Cowgirl! I didn't know the Naked Cowboy had his counterpart. This lady had so many more fans. Male and female tourists, families, all thronged her. That explained the dwindled fuss around the poor dude in briefs. I joined in the jostling, too. Played tourist. It was all in the interest of this blog, of course. Found out later that she has appeared at Times Square for quite a while now. Pretty enterprising, this lady.

Eventually, I made my way to the massive music store and had spent an hour browsing when I abruptly remembered that there was unfinished business. By then, the munchies had deteriorated to near-starvation.

And so I hi-tailed down East 51st Street to my favourite burger joint in Manhattan:





After gobbling down two cheeseburgers, medium rare, I straggled back to the hotel five blocks away on Lexington Avenue. The subsequent warm shower relaxed my time-zoned-out muscles. Easing into the nice king-sized bed, the comfort was oh-so heavenly. As I was slipping out of consciousness I thought, "What's the big deal about a woman taking off her clothes, anyway?" My inner voice offered: "Maybe some, if she plays the guitar and earns money while at it...."And the last thought I could recall was: "The cheeseburgers were superb."