From Ammini Kozhukatta to Mumbai Magic!

My sitcom Athazham's fourth episode was released today! It featured the super yummy snack 'Ammini Kozhukatta'. 

As usual with the release of any of my works, I remained pretty nervous until the release was completed and the feedback started coming in. You always wonder how people would receive what you create! Fortunately, and thank God for that, this episode was well received too and I began to relax after the first few comments came in. 

The rest of the day was dedicated to the Little One. We spent all the time together  - right from after the release until her dinner time - playing and really working up that mom-daughter bonding. 

Sunday evenings are usually kept aside for dinner with the hubby. It is our catch up time about the week that went past and it is also the time we explore one food joint or another. 

Today's amazing discovery was Mumbai Magic, a tiny place on Race Course Road which serves different thalis (set meals) - e.g. Gujarati, Maharashtrian, Rajasthani, Jain, North Indian, South Indian etc. for just $7! 

I ordered a Rajasthani thali and the hubby ordered a Gujarati one and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It was simple, homely, delicious food. We also had panipuri and masala chai which were really good as well - in fact the hubby mentioned that the chai was very close to the famed "Moti Jeel Chai" from his hometown Kanpur! Now, that's really saying something!

To top it all, the service was really good too - the place is run by a family and they were always checking in on us to see if everything was OK. I super loved it! 

So yes. it was a rather foody day one way or the other and a good one at that! 

Long Flight, Movies, Meet Ups, Dubai, Abu Dhabi!

First Monday of the sabbatical and I was on my way to Dubai, for the pre-production meeting and location recee for my next feature film! How awesome is that! 

But there are a couple of people I need to thank first for this awesomeness - the hubby and our helper, both of whom happily volunteered to take care of the Little One in my absence. I can't thank them enough for the support! 

Sure, I have travelled on work before, leaving her with them for a few days at a stretch, but I am yet to think of film making as "work". This, to me, is very much a super fun trip and I tend to feel guilty about not focusing on that humongous thing called Motherhood but instead have "fun". But then I tell myself that I love her to bits and she seems to love me to bits for the time being and we are both gonna work this out.

Now that that's out the way, let's get back to what's happening on my Dubai trip! 

Firstly, I loved my long 7 hour flight! It is the first time I am taking such a long flight all by myself after the Little One came into our lives, and I have to say I had really missed this "me" time. We have travelled extensively as a family - including really long flights to Amsterdam and New Zealand, and I, who otherwise is a lover of long flights, totally don't look forward to those. Travelling with a child is not the same and while I enjoy holidaying with her once we get to the destination, the journey itself usually is pretty tiresome. 

So now that I had a 7 hour flight all by myself, I made the most of it! 

I watched two awesome films - "The 100 Foot Journey" which was a really sweet movie and "Whiplash" which was nothing but sheer brilliance and am still astounded by it. I mean, sheer-F.R.E.A.K.I.N.G-brilliance! Phew! I also had tea and juice and wine and worked on my script and listened to music and tried to take a nap and did all those things that I so love doing on flights. So, in a nutshell - I had an amazing time!

Dubai airport experience was good too - there were no forms to fill, there was no rush at immigration, the baggage came fast enough and everything was pretty much smooth and fast.  

I was picked up from the airport by my friend cum editor cum cinematographer and we headed straight to try out what is supposedly one of the best restaurants in Dubai serving Malayali food - Calicut Notebook. The fancy named place didn't disappoint at all! I enjoyed their Pandan Leaf Chicken, Fish Fillet Elayil Tawa (came wrapped in banana leaves) with chappathi and kerala parotta. It was all very awesome! 

After that we went to meet my cousin brother who had recently moved to Dubai. We met him near his workplace at Burjuman centre and had a cup of coffee together. I haven't seen him in years, so it was really nice to meet him all the way in Dubai even if for a short while.  

After that we set out on the 2-hour long drive to Abu Dhabi - and I was given a running commentary on the sites around me. Burj Khalifa, Burj Arabia, the ocean, the beautiful rows of trees lined between the two vast roads on either sides, the arid parts, dates shops, nurseries, Iranian markets, the luxury cars that keep whizzing by non stop, I saw them all. 

We also stopped for a bit to give a lift to another member of the team, who also happens to be the one who cooks the dishes for Athazham food photography. It was nice to meet him as well. 

I checked into a hotel in Abu Dhabi and grabbed a quick dinner. By then, I was really exhausted and probably jet lagged. All I wanted to do was just sleep! So I did just that and vowed to wake up refreshed and energized because tomorrow, the real pre-production work and location recee start! Can't wait!   

Week 5: The Temporary Superwoman!

24 February - 2 March, 2014 

Alright then. Where do I start?

Had things gone according to plan, this post would have been my usual laundry list of "highlights". It would have included some work on Aravindum Aarumughamum, some achievements of the little one (she can now say "Ello", "Na na" (no), "toooo" (two) and "thee" (three) and apparently takes great delight in walking with her hands on her hips in an attempt to ape her mom; I had no idea I walked liked that until she pointed it out...), some work stuff (an event I organized turned out be a great success), the new food joint we have discovered - "PODI" at Raffles City which served some really cool fusion dishes (like linguine aglio olio with curry leaves in it!) and maybe about a Malayalam movie which, in a very rare turn of events, the hubby had agreed to go to but which both of us didnt end up going to in spite of already having bought the tickets.

Instead, am just gonna write about how I feel like Superwoman at this point in time.

You see, because I make films and plays while holding on to a full time job, people tend to call me "superwoman".

But that's a joke.

I am no superwoman and the only reason I could do all those plays and films is because I always had adequate support at home. Either in the form of part time helpers who cleaned and ironed or since 2011 September, full time helpers who cooked, cleaned, did laundry and ironed and when the little one came along, looked after her too. If I had to do all of these myself like how, many of friends have to in US and Europe and other parts of the world where domestic help is scarce, I really doubt whether I could have managed all that I seemingly have.

To me Superwomen are those that maintain their homes and husbands and children and work all on their own. That does take some super power and I definitely do not have it.

So when over the weekend our helper had to return to India on a family emergency, with just one day's notice, I was stumped.

How was I to manage work and the little one?!

I think my confidence in my utter lack of homemaking and childrearing skills transformed into a full blown nightmare that I was up wide awake by 4:30am the night after the helper broke the news.

But I guess it is like learning to swim when you are thrown into a pool. Sure, there is a high chance you would drown, but you might just kick and flap around in such a way that you might successfully stay afloat. Luckily for me, it was the latter. At least, so far.

It is Sunday night now and here's what I achieved over the weekend. Without a helper.

I Cooked. Cleaned. Did all that was to be done for the little one like giving her a bath, feeding her, reading to her, playing with her, taking her on a walk, tidying up after her etc. Went shopping multiple number of times because there were always things missing in the house. Did some work and even managed a quick visit to the office. Finalized and did the subtitling for Aravindum Aaarumughamum trailer (the 1 min trailer took me 2 whole hours to get the subtitles right!). Released the trailer (yay!). Basked in all the wonderfully kind feedback that people gave on the trailer. Missed the Malayalam movie that we had gotten the tickets for because there is no way the little one would sit through that. Compensated by watching my own film's trailer multiple number of times. Felt really pleased that it was the little one who wanted to watch it multiple number of times (for some reason, she was absolutely delighted with the trailer!). Had a nice lunch with the hubby at the Professor Brawn's Cafe while the little one slept off. And now, at 11:01 pm, am very close to completing this blog post as well.

Those of you who can cook and clean and look after toddlers like it's child's play would be rolling your eyes at this. But to me, I am feeling rather good about my "achievement" and as of now, I do feel like Superwoman.

And my respect for women who do this on a daily basis have quadrupled. Or more.

Luckily for me, my mom is arriving on Tuesday morning to help with the little one since I have to get back to work soon and this working from home arrangement is not sustainable.

But till then I shall be the Temporary Superwoman and feel quite proud about it.

Day 360: Kerala Phase 1 - Food's Own Country!

Like I mentioned here, our plan was to spend a couple of days in Kerala before the hubby and I would leave for Bangalore to attend a friend's wedding, leaving the little one with her grandparents. After the wedding, the hubby would return to Singapore while I would come back to Kerala, with my in-laws for phase 2 of the trip there.

But yes, for now, it is phase 1. This one day was pretty much spent on eating as well as visiting a few friends and family. Within a day, I managed to stuff in Kerala Porotta, Varutharacha Chicken Curry, Chilli Prawns, Egg Masala, Appam, Koorkka Upperi, Idiyanchakka (young jackfruit)Thoran, Ulli (shallot) Sambhar,  Vegatable Cutlet, Idli and Chutney. All this on top of a visit to our neighbour's house as well as trip down to Cochin to visit my uncles, aunts, cousins and super fun little nephew there.

So proud of myself!

I must also mention that I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful, breezy weather here which was a very welcome change from the super hot, sultry weather from March when I last visited. It was also fascinating to see the cute/cranky/intelligent/silly performances that the little one was putting up for the benefit of everyone around, especially her grandparents and great grandmother.

It was a great phase 1 for sure, next up is Bangalore!

Days 285 - 290: Packing, Durga Puja, Pind Balluchi and Getting Over 14 Hour Work Days!

I realize that I haven't been updating this blog as frequently as I would have liked to. But it's been crazy the last several days. Like C.R.A.Z.Y. Work's been super hectic. I can't keep track of when the day starts and when it ends, and time's passing by before I can even blink.

The good news is that I will soon be on a week's break, to celebrate the little one's birthday (yes, she is turning one already and YES TIME PASSES BY SOOOO FAST!), together with both sets of her grandparents back in India. But before the holiday, it's like I really have to earn it by bending backwards and breaking my back with the workload. But it is OK. As long as there is light at the end of the tunnel. So here's a quick recap.

1) Packing - in anticipation of the workload and business trip that's coming up before my holiday, I started packing well in advance. I am not a fan of the packing process - especially these days when the little one's list of things run for a few pages, but it does give a great deal of satisfaction once it is done. And I did get it done - so yes, am satisfied and am looking forward to the big fat family holiday!

2) Durga Puja - For the past couple of years, I have been a regular at the Singapore Bengali Associations Durga Puja celebrations. I love the huge pandal with the gorgeous idols of Goddess Durga, the festive spirit with the performances and delectable food and the hordes of Bengali women decked up in their typical cotton (and non-cotton) saris and beautiful jewellery. This year too I wanted to take part in the festivities and dropped by their pandal. I have to say this year it was a bit disappointing because there were separate entries for members of the association and the non members, like myself, gathered directly in the part where the idols were placed, thereby making that the most crowded with a lot of commotion and resulting loss of sanctity. Nevertheless, I did enjoy being there and watching the ongoing activities. The idols were still gorgeous, the women were still decked up and the spirit was still festive.

3) Pind Balluchi - after a weekend that somehow turned out to be more hectic than it should have been, we decided to have our routine Sunday date night at somewhere new and different. And by chance we found Pind Balluchi in Clarke Quay. It is apparently a popular high end chain in India, but I wasnt aware of its existence until now. But I absolutely loved the ambience, the food and the fact that they were giving everything away at 20% discount as an opening promotion. It was a good date night indeed.

4) 14 hour work days - Most of the week saw me working for 14 hours at a stretch. And I really mean at a stretch. There was hardly any time to even attend nature's call or have a proper meal. I was rushing from one meeting to another, or working on one document or other, with my head in constant state of high frequency buzzing. At several points in time I felt frustrated, I could feel my temper rise and my mind and body really feeling stressed. In other words, I was in a state I was not proud of and something I wouldn't and shouldn't be writing on this blog about. But I am writing about it because after about 3-4 days of that high intensity marathon, it hit me that I am not really doing the right thing. I very consciously stopped and took a step back. I consciously told myself that all I can do is do my best and then let it be. There was really no point taking things at work so personally and to try and fix everything perfectly. After that conscious talk with myself, thing have been far better. Work days are still 14 hours but at least I don't feel as bogged down by it anymore. Also, to end every hard working day with a little bit of cheer, I got the hubby to come on a few gastronimic-centric date nights during the week. We hit our favourites Ichiban Boshi for Japanese one day and Fifth Season for Indian Chinese another day.

Like someone wise said before, it is really all in the head.

Days 264 - 273: Summit, Fitness Blender, Snake & Ladder, Discoveries!

Clearly, blogging has taken a backseat.

But that's because I have been THAT busy.

Just a month into my new assignment and I was given the opportunity (a very good one, I must add) to lead a summit that involved well... a LOT of people... and that was meant to answer a LOT of critical questions.

And that meant a LOT of work. I was hitting work at 7am pretty much every single day of the week and getting back home well past any normal hours.

But the good news is that the summit - which happened over 26th & 27th, was a great success! At least that's what those who attended it told me.

So, as of now, I am on top of the world! It was back breaking work but with grin inducing results. Plus I must also add that the food that was catered for the two days of the summit was mindblowing. Probably the best catered food I've had at any meeting or training in my office!

Now, of course I am happy that the summit got good feedback. But what was most interesting was that even when I was putting in those insane hours into work, I think I was actually having fun! Because I didn't catch myself grumbling over it... not even once. That's rather strange but very welcome. And I hope this new found enthusiasm and passion is here to stay!

In other news, I chanced upon this website called Fitness Blender that has the best list of workout videos ever! And they are absolutely free too! Am having a great time trying out one workout after the other from their endless list. I also got myself an exercise ball because it was required for quite a few different routines and its only then I realized how fun exercise balls are! Really loving this new discovery!

Speaking of discoveries, we also happened to discover two new restaurants. One was a neighbourhood restaurant called "Old School Delights". We have passed by it so many times but never stepped into it until now. The menu featured typical Singaporean dishes like Mee Siam, Curry Chicken and Laksa but what was fascinating was how, true to its name, it was dedicated to Singapore's good old heritage. The Coke came in glass bottles instead of cans, there were several antiques like old cameras, cassettes, iron fans and such, and they even had the old school board games like snake & ladder. It was adorable! Of course, the hubby and I engaged ourselves in a fiery game of Snake & Ladder and I lost miserably. But of course, it was a really lovely experience. This is definitely one place I will go back to. Oh, and I just discovered their website too... which is yet another adorable part of them!

The other discovery was Rang Mahal. Well, this is technically not a discovery because both of us have been here before but mainly with other friends or colleagues and that too a long time ago. But somehow it had never occurred to the hubby and I to add this to our regular hangouts. Once the bill came, it was pretty clear that there is no way this will become a regular hangout, but I have to give their amazing starter of Jumbo Prawns filled with Crabmeat, a special mention. Because, even at that hefty price, that's one think I could go back for. It was simply out of this world!

Last but not the least, it's simply fascinating to watch the little one grow! She has moved on from ignoring or sitting up and clapping every time I sing a lullaby, to actually sing along with me. And when I stop, she continues to sing anyway and falls asleep on her own! Adorable! And these days, she has also mastered this routine of cuddling up, tucking her head into my neck or my arms, and lying there as if it's the most perfect place in the world. My heart immediately turns into a gooey mess when she does that. I was also completely amazed to see that she slides down the slide in the playground and then crawls back up to it to slide again, all on her own! I didn't even know 10 month olds could do that! This motherhood thing is a real journey of discovery, I have to admit!

So yes, it's been a few good days. Busy but happy. And those are always the best kind! 

Day 252: Chinese Consumers and Chinese Indian!

Today was another super hectic day. The morning was spent on marathon meetings - debrief from yesterday's store visits, one-on-ones with my Chinese counterparts, sharing sessions between our teams, etc.

Post the meetings and a quick rather disappointing wrap for lunch from Starbucks, we set of for what is usually my most favourite part in any market visit - meeting with our consumers!

We went to meet two consumers - girls in their early 20s - in their homes. This meant long drives through Guangzhou's various mostly concrete landscapes, sighting buildings of all shapes and sizes (there was one that is exactly like a doughnut - a circular building with a hole in between!), bridges, rivers, and what not. China's infrastructure never fails to amaze me.

It was enlightening to be in the consumers' homes and talking to them. I always find it fascinating when they open up to us, complete strangers, and share their dreams, aspirations, expectations and so on.

After that fulfilling experiences, we decided to hit a highly recommended Indian restaurant "Tandoor", which was a 15 minute drive away from our hotel. The wait for the taxi in Guangzhou's still and polluted evening air, the waiting time, the nerve-wrecking taxi drive, none of them were pleasant. And I really wondered whether "Tandoor" would be worth all that trouble.

Well, it was. In fact, "Tandoor" was more than worth all that trouble! I don't think I had such good North Indian food in a long time! Both their vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine were mindblowingly awesome! The only disappointment was the watered down masala chai, but I was willing to forgive them for that. I must also mention that they had a very unique decor in their restaurant and also a beautifully written concept on the menu. Nett, I left "Tandoor" a very happy person! Never expected any Indian food in China to taste this good!

Day two in China thus came to an end and tomorrow we make our way back to Singapore! 

Days 216 - 222: Birthdays, Neighbourhood Cafes, Discoveries and Princess Parties!

When I started out writing this blog, I had put up a "reasonable" target of writing at least one entry a week. I thought that with my multiple roles as mother, wife, brand manager, health conscious human being etc., I wouldn't be able to achieve anything more. But truth be told, I had actually expected myself to deliver far better on the frequency, given my tendency of wanting to over-deliver on targets. And I had done reasonably well so far too - this is my 128th entry for the year, it seems! That's definitely a lot better than a weekly entry!

But recently, I have been struggling to keep up. There have been a lot of combined entries vs. daily ones, and as of today, I think I have hit rock bottom on frequency with this post - which is following the previous one after exactly 7 days!

So why am I writing such utterly inane statistics here?

Because it helps to describe the state of my life very well. Yup, my life's gone crazy busy, mostly due to work.

But that's fine. Good news is that there has been something to smile about (rather widely most often), almost every day!

So here are the highlights from the last 7 days...!

a) As a Malayali, I get to celebrate two birthdays every year. One according to the universal English calendar (which is coming up this week), and another according to the Malayalam calendar (which is a lunar calendar, as opposed to the solar English calendar). The Malayalam birthday, thus, doesn't fall on specific date every year but keeps changing by +/-15 days or so every year. Long story short, it was my Malayalam birthday on Sunday and unlike previous years when I mostly forgot or ignored it, this year I didn't. All thanks to my mom who made quite a big deal out of it with early morning prayers and a celebration involving semiya payasam (dessert made of vermicelli, milk and raisins)! It was a small celebration, but indeed a beautiful one!

b) Ever since we shifted to our current place in Bishan in 2009, there was only one flaw that we could find in our otherwise perfect and extremely convenient neighbourhood. The absence of a Starbucks outlet! There's been countless times when the hubby and I would want a cup of our favourite Chai Tea Latte but there is no Starbucks in the vicinity. If I had a penny for the number of times I said, "I love Bishan... but really wish there was a Starbucks here", I would be pretty darn rich by now. Good news is, it is true that if you really want something with all your heart, the universe does conjure it up for you! Yes, we have our own neighbourhood Starbucks now, within just a few minutes walk, and we - i.e, the hubby, the little one and I, made our first trip there! Woot!! Over a cup of Chai Tea Latte, I thanked Gods and the Starbucks management for making Bishan perfect, finally!

c) It was a 4-day long weekend in Singapore thanks to the National day and Eid holidays and I spent the majority of it on packing for our upcoming trip. I had already written up a 150-item long list, bulk of it being the little one's necessary items. The thought of packing all these have been daunting me for the longest time, but I am proud to say that after several hours of non-stop, focused effort, it is almost all done now! We are pretty much ready for our first long vacation together!

d) I made two new discoveries - First was the Lantern Bar at the Fullerton Bay Hotel, which had a fantastic view and a great ambience. I have to say that the service left much to be desired, but it is definitely worth going there for the view and ambience! The second one was "Blue Ginger" at Tanjong Pagar. I had been here once several years ago, so this was more of a rediscovery. They serve Peranakan cuisine and I particularly loved their Blue Ginger Chicken.

e)  There were also a couple of fun catch ups with friends. A school friend of the hubby had come from India on a short visit and it was lovely to meet him. And we also met up with the usual gang over a very late night drinks session - it was almost like a farewell session because we would be meeting each other only next month now, thanks to everyone's travel plans.

g) Last but not the least, the little one went for her first "princess" party - which was the theme of the birthday party of a friend's five year old girl. The parents had done a pretty amazing job of bringing the theme to life - what with princess themed cakes, balloons, wands, crowns, plates, cups, napkins, and even a storyteller in full princess costume with a "prince" in tow. Our little one, even though had no idea of the theme or the stories or the games, was clearly fascinated by the proceedings. She was so excited that she showed absolutely no signs of crankiness for a span of two whole hours! I guess this is just the beginning of several such parties to follow, and while it makes my head reel to think that I will have to organize such events in the future, as far as the little one is concerned, it was a great beginning for sure!

Now looking forward to our holiday next week! 

Days 194 - 199: Kickboxing, Cycling, Poster, Friends & Family!

I just realized that I have not written a post for an entire week almost! Just about missed my promise of writing a weekly post! Blah!

But then, that's how busy I've been.

Quick list of one highlight per day:

1) On 13th July - I had the most wonderful evening with our usual gang of close friends coming over to our place. First the hubby and a friend went for tennis, then all of us went to the pool together with the little one and everyone one had a ball swimming or watching her trying to swim. Then a few took a steambath and that was followed by drinks, dinner and a LOT of mindless conversation. We hadn't done something like this in ages, and it was great fun!

2) On 14th July - After introducing the parents to Din Tai Fung where authentic Chinese food was served, it was time for enjoying Ichiban Boshi, where authentic Japanese is served. Just like how they loved the former, they loved the latter too! The excitement over wasabi, edamame, miso soup, sushi and katsu don was infectious!

3) On 15th July - Another partner workout - this time with kickboxing! Super fun!

4) On 16th July - As of today, I have completed 100 days of exercise for this year! That was the target I had set for myself at the beginning of the year, taking into consideration my new found role of a mother and the demands of having to juggle exercise with work, family and leisure. But I had never expected to complete this within just 6.5 months of the year! So proud and happy!  

5) On 17th July - I made the teaser poster for "Aravindum Aarumughamum", by accident. Yup. It all started when I was doodling on my iPad, using an app called 'Sketchpad' for those of you who want the details, to make a reference sketch for the poster. I wanted a illustrated, minimalist poster for the film and I was planning to sketch out my idea for it and send it to a friend who had promised to help me with the actual illustration. After completing the doodle, I asked the hubby what he thought of it. He said the doodle, with its crooked lines and uneven blotches here and there, serves the purpose of a teaser poster just as it is. First, I was surprised by that reaction and didn't think much of it. But with his encouragement, soon I was convinced that instead of being just a reference, this could actually be the teaser poster for the film. And thus the first publicity material, a teaser poster, for my new short film "Aravindum Aarumughamum" was released! (And by "release", I mean, it was put up on Facebook). Yay!

6) On 18th July - I took on cycling again. For those of you who had followed my 1000-day blog, you would know that cycling is an activity I had picked up only last year. It was one of the things to do on my before-30 list and I got to it with just 9 months to spare. But as soon as I pretty much got the hang of it, I discovered that I am pregnant. Since then my bike had been lying discarded in the storeroom. I didn't get back on it for this long because I wasn't sure how it would work with the pelvic pain I had sustained post pregnancy. But now that the pain's almost all gone, I got back on the bike today. After a lot of nervousness and some initial fumbling, I could ride it! Sure, I still need to get more controlled but it was great to be able to ride a few hundred metres without breaking any bones! Special thanks to my dad who was my teacher for the day!

Few happy days! 

Day 190 - 193: Olay, Tae Bo, Workout Partner and Din Tai Fung!

It's been a fantastic week - one filled with work and workouts!

Let's do a quick list of highlights.

a) Work - Even though the official effective date of my new assignment on Olay is from August 1, I had already started on pretty intensive onboarding and my calendar has started to fill up with Olay meetings. This is probably the most exciting part of any asssignment - when you first start on it. The learning curve is steep and it is always exciting to learn about a new business, its strengths and its challenges. I have been thoroughly enjoying myself so far!

b) Workout highlight 1: Tae Bo!
There were a few interesting highlights at the workout front, so am gonna put them into separate points. So the first highlight is that I discovered Tae Bo - which is a form of aerobic exercise that combines Taekwondo and Boxing, found by a guy called Billy Bankers in 1976. I believe kickboxing is a modified version of this because Tae Bo itself is trademarked by Bankers. Now that I had a fantastic kickboxing workout last week, when I discovered Tae Bo videos online, I wanted to try it out. And what could be better than a Tae Bo workout video led by its founder, Billy Bankers himself! So yes, I tried this 48-minutes high intensity cardio workout. And it was deliriously awesome! I loved all the moves and the pace but more than anything else, I loved the way the supporting Tae Bo enthusiasts on the video kept chanting "1-2-3-4...." throughout the 48 minutes. It was almost like some military drill and it really added a good kick and punch to the workout! Totally love this new discovery!

c) Workout highlight 2: Partner!
I got a partner to workout with when I do my DVD circuit training. None other than my dear hubby. He happened get home at about the same time I was starting on the workout, so I invited him to join. After some initial resistance (he is not a big fan of exercising), he join in. It was so much more fun to go through the routine workout with a partner than doing it all alone. Throughly enjoyed it!

d) Workout highly 3: 10 in a row!
As of this day, including kickboxing, Tae Bo, circuit trainings, Yoga and walks, I have worked out 10 days in a row! So proud of myself!

e) Din Tai Fung: Din Tai Fung is our most favourite Chinese restaurant in Singapore. We go there pretty often but the highlight this time was introducing it to my parents. Sure, we had to queue for an entire hour before we could even get seats, but the wait was well worth it! My parents LOVED the food! We stuffed ourselves with Steamed bean curd in honey sauce, Oriental wantons in chilli oil (both were new discoveries, and extremely fantastic discoveries at that!), Duo Mian in garlic (a kind of green leafy vegetable),  Xiao Long Bao (dumplings filled with minced pork and soup - I love the feeling when the dumpling breaks open and the soup fills your mouth with a rich a taste, once you bite into it!), steamed vegetable and pork dumplings, as well as egg and shrimp fried rice. So satisfying!

Yes, great workouts, great food, great time at work, great week! 

Day 188: Parents & Authentic North Eastern Thai Cuisine!

This morning, my parents arrived in town. And with that began another round of glorious pampering of the little one. I can safely say that she is about ten times more spoiled that she was before, within a single day. I can already sense her confidence rising. When she whimpers, she knows that she is gonna be picked up and cuddled. When she screams, she knows that she is gonna be picked up and taken out for a "walk". My poor dad went out on about five such walks today.

Oh well.

But they are happy. Over the moon in fact, with their precious grand daughter. Their excitement and her excitement at all the attention was pretty interesting to watch.

Once it was time for the little one to hit the bed, I finally got both of them to myself. Together with the hubby, we went out for dinner at our new favourite Thai restaurant 'E-Sarn' on Thomson Road. According to their website they serve authentic North Eastern Thai food. And I can assure you that authentic North Eastern Thai food is mind-blowingly awesome! We stuffed ourselves with Tom Ka Gai, Steamed Seabass, Kailan in oyster sauce and Green curry prawns. YUM.

A fitting end to a beautiful day! 

Day 187: Friends, Celebrations & Eco Gourmet Cafe!

Fantastic day of celebrations!

First the hubby, the little one and I met the hubby's work partner, his wife and their cute, little two-year old boy. In other words, the partners met each other with their respective partners and kids. The occasion was to celebrate all the recent successes, small but significant ones, that have been happening at the husbands' business venture.

The venue we chose for the celebratory brunch was the super duper lovely Eco Gourmet Cafe. It seems to be a pretty new place and I discovered it online by chance. And I fell in love with it! It was located in midst of heavy greenery giving a feel of dining right in the middle of a jungle. The decor was pretty nice with wooden flooring, cane chairs, huge bell lanterns and a lovely seating area. It was not crowded at all and the food was good too. I ordered the regular brunch with poached eggs, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, rosti, green salad and an orange-lemon-cranberry juice which I enjoyed.

So yes, the venue was great and our meetup was awesome. I had a great time chatting and catching up with them and playing with their little one who is a really smart, young chap! A beautiful brunch it was!

The next celebration was that of a very close friend's 30th birthday. Over dinner and drinks and cake-cutting, we celebrated his birthday in style! Another one joins the 30s club!

A good, celebratory day indeed! 

Day 180: Saturday Highlights!

A pretty nice Saturday. My in-laws are to return to India tomorrow, so the whole day was spent together with them.

Some of the highlights include:

a)  Morning chai & chat with mom-in-law. Only the two of were up while the men slept in. So we caught up for a bit in the morning, with our own girl talk.

b)  Heavy & yummy brunch at Antoinette. It’s already been established that Antoinette is a favourite of mine, and the in-laws too enjoyed the décor, ambience and the food.

c)  Swimming with the little one - The last time I took her to the pool was almost a month ago, so I was doubtful whether she would still remember all that she had learnt in the water before. But she did remember! In fact, she seemed to have improved her sense of balance and was evidently very happy in the water. All of us watched her having fun trying to float on her tummy and on her back, go in circles in her floating ring, and generally enjoying the water.  

d) After dinner walk to 7-11 and getting ice creams, a routine that had been established with the in-laws when they were here last year in June while I was pregnant.

e) Chatting away until late at night, clearly indicating that the last couple of weeks were nowhere close to enough when it comes to “catching up”.

It was a lovely last day and now, until the next trip! 

Day 132: First Mother's Day as a Mom!

It was my first Mother's Day as a mom. I don't believe at all in Hallmark created special days and was not planning to celebrate it at all. But then it turned out to be a pretty nice day on its own!

It started off with brunch at my dear brunch place Canopy and this time, amidst the greenery, the pet dogs, the lovely food, the company of the hubby and the little, there was also the company of a dear friend who had joined us. It was nice catching up with him and the morning passed by in a jiff.

The afternoon was spent on sleeping and recovering from the long, tiring week. The best part is that the little one co-operated as well and had a siesta along with me for a couple of hours - a deed she had not done for at least a couple of months now! So am guessing it was her little Mother's Day gift for me!

In the evening, the hubby insisted on taking me out for dinner at our favourite place Da Luca in order to celebrate Mother's Day. Like I have mentioned, I don't believe in celebrating all these special days that seem to have sprung up from nowhere over the past few years, but given that he seemed rather keen about, I played along. After all, who can say no to some good food and a glass of wine?

So there it was ... a simple but very happy first Mother's Day for me...! 

Day 124: Discoveries, Again!

It was yet another weekend of discoveries, but this time that of new food places, which of course is a hugely important part of my life.

Discovery No. 1 was this awesome brunch place in Bishan Park. Canopy is our usual hangout there but given their questionable service quality over the last couple of visits, we decided to try something different. Thus came, Cornerstone. Excellent breakfast, great ambience, lovely location, friendly staff, super comfortable seating (i.e. the couch with a million cushions) and plenty of space to push a pram around. What more can one ask for! I see this as a potential regular hangout for the future. Completely loved it!

Discovery No. 2 was a Russian place called Buyan which has iPads for their menus. Yeah, fancy! Now that I have discovered Duxton Hill after spending 14 years in Singapore, I made a second visit there and the hubby, who is a much cooler person who has been here before, recommended Buyan. Over some Russian wine, Bakliki (aubergine and tomato starters) and Cheese breads that oozed with ton of...well, cheese!, we had a lovely conversation. The iPad was cool, the wine was good, the food was great, the conversation was awesome!

May the discoveries continue! 

Days 108 - 113: So Much Happening!

I really wish I had the time to write individual posts for the past few days because there simply seems to be much happening these days! But I am too caught up and my bullet-pointed highlights will have to suffice. So here we go!

a) Housewarming - My brother-in-law and wife bought a new apartment in Singapore and had their housewarming. The hubby, the little one and I were there for this very special moment in their lives. It is always lovely to see people's dreams come true and I know that this was a big one for them! It felt really good to be part of it!

b) Farewells - Both my mom and my father in law left for India over the last few days. Farewells are never nice but the upside is that you really treasure the last few days and hours spent together! It was no different this time as well and I thoroughly enjoyed the quality time that we spent!

c) The Pool - This is a real big one! The little one took her first trip to the pool and it was nothing short of awesome! Initially when I placed her on her floating ring in the water, she started to wail, probably due to the cold. So I took her out and got her to dip only her feet in the water. After the resulting acclimatization, she seemed to enjoy a lot better. Before we knew it, there she was comfortably settled on her floater ring and thoroughly enjoying her "swim"! All my maternal instincts came out and I felt oh-so-proud of my water baby! Of course, she spent more time trying to eat the floating ring than playing with water, but let's ignore such small distractions for the time being. I had the best time with her and after her time in the pool was done, it was my turn! My last swim was two days before delivering the little one, so it's been a while now. But my first postpartum swim wasn't bad at all. I managed to complete eight laps, which is a decent average for me. Loved the water, loved the experience, loved the evening!

d) Compliments - Who doesn't love compliments! When someone comes and tells me that he/she likes something I had worked on, I am immediately transported to cloud nine. And over the last few days, I was told by one person that she loves my blog and by another that she watched my film Mausams for the second time and by yet another one that she loves all my films so far! Not one, not two but THREE! Which means triple trips to cloud nine! Very thankful, very humbled!

e) Duxton Hill, Lucha Loca & Auntie Kim's - These are my discoveries over the last few days. Duxton Hill is a pretty "happening" place in Singapore and the not-so-happening me had never been there before. But I really liked it. It had old shophouses that have been converted to pretty nice retaurants. I had dinner at a place called Lucha Loca which was pretty good too. I absolutely loved their grilled fish which came up with an awesome spiced sauce and their housepour red wine was great, unlike the watered crappy stuff that's usually served. Another discovery was Auntie Kim's Korean restaurant on Thomson Road. It looked like pretty authentic Korean food. I had noodles with fried meat in soy bean paste (which is black in colour) and it was super yummy! I love it when I make such discoveries...it's great to have a few new very promising places to go to!

f) Work, Reading & Schedule - Work's progressing wonderfully and I am really enjoying myself. I had two late night calls and by late night I mean schedule like 7 - 10pm and 7 - 11pm on the two days. It's crazy but I am still enjoying it because I managed to squeeze in a yoga class on one day and play-time with the little one on the next, so I really can't ask for more. I am also managing to get some reading everyday especially  during my commute to and from work and sometimes during bedtime, once the little one has slept off. This is something I am enjoying a lot too. During the weekend, I also managed to watch a few movies (the Tamil film "Pizza" was my favourite!), which is of course, an activity that I always enjoy. I am still a long way from having a regular routine but for now, I am at peace with things just the way they are.

Like I said, too much happening. All exciting, all beautiful! 

Days 96 - 97: The End of the Maternity Leave!

Just as I had predicted last weekend, this weekend was filled with swinging emotions. One moment am pretty excited to be getting back to work, another moment I am dreading the maternity leave coming to an end. But to end it on a high in any case, I decided to indulge in three things that I usually love - Family, Food & Fun! 

"Family" included some quality time spent with the hubby, the little one as well as my mom. 

"Food" involved everything from sushi (Ichiban Boshi) to momos, coriander chicken and gobi manchurian (Fifth Season); from bacon and cheese rolls, chicken drumlets and my latest discovery -  wonderful cocktail with Creme de Cacao (Marche Bistro & Bar) to kebabs (Marrakesh).

"Fun" included Yoga practice, shopping, watching a film, and taking long walk carrying the little one in my arms when she refused to sit on the stroller any more. 

Now am all set for the next innings at work. Bring it on! 

Day 94: Mom, The Food & The Movies Are Back!

My mom's back in town!

And as usual, she has come loaded with awesome food, my favourite being the super yummy jam rolls and beef fry!

Once she got her rest after the overnight flight and after we digged into the above mentioned food, we quickly got down to business and watched a Malayalam movie together. This had become something of a routine in her last visit, to watch a movie with me every single day! It was possible then, thanks to my maternity leave and we wanted to make the most of the remaining days of leave I have.

So yes, today was awesome with some awesome food, an awesome film with her awesome company!

Day 89 - 90: The Awesome Last Lap!

30 - 31 March, 2013

I am joining back work on April 8th, thus ending a rather eventful maternity leave. Part of me is looking forward to it and part of me is absolutely not, for very obvious reasons. Anyway, point is that I am going back and it is going to be another rollercoaster ride when I try to figure out motherhood, career, hobbies, health and everything else all at once. Before I step into the upcoming whirlwind, I wanted to make sure that I completely enjoy and cherish what I consider this final weekend of the maternity leave. OK, technically the "final weekend" is the next one but I am pretty certain I would be all busy, nervous and in swinging states of mind the weekend right before joining back. So this weekend was effectively the real deal and I was determined to make the most of it.

And I did too!

Highlights:
a) Early morning Bikram Yoga class on the weekend! This hasn't happened in ages! Even before pregnancy I could hardly make it to morning classes but I somehow managed to do that which did wonders to my health, mental well-being as well as pride.
b) Family time - We spent a lot of time as the three of us as well as just the two of us (i.e. hubby and I). One of the highlights was the outdoor brunch at Canopy together with the little one. I had always wanted to take her there, so she can see the dogs and the bunnies and enjoy the outdoors on a nice weekend morning. However, every weekend we would either wake up too late or get ready too late and till now, never made it for the famed Canopy brunch. So when it finally happened, I was thrilled!
c) Jolly LLB - That's a new Hindi film that the hubby and I caught in the theatre, our first film after about two months! And I enjoyed most of it too.
d) Food - From Thai (Thai Express) to Turkish (Arab Street) to German (Pretzels and Spatzels from Brotzeit) to Indian (Shahi Maharani) to Continental (Canopy), I ate them all!

So yes, it was a packed, fun, family oriented weekend and I feel ready to get back to work! Bring it on!

Days 81 - 83: Melting Kilos & Celebrations!

22 - 24 March, 2013

I have a huge smile plastered on my face as I write this!

That is because, with 2 days of following my fantastic exercise and diet plan, I have dropped 2.5 of that 3.5 extra holiday weight! Awesomeness!

Of course, this clearly means that much of that weight was simply water retention, but let's not get too detailed. The fact remains that my heart which was trampled, broken and crushed by the 3.5 kilos gain, is now hopping , skipping and somersaulting at the 2.5 kilos loss!

Interestingly also, of all the posts I have written so far, the exercise and diet plan post seems to have gathered the most attention and curiosity. I have had a few readers (to whom am incredibly thankful for reading this blog) ask me how exactly does my meal plan look like because the "plan" I had written in the post was well... "vague".

OK then.

Good news is that the obsessive, compulsive me has maintained a food log and I shall quickly recap it here.

So here's what my diet and exercise looked like exactly for the first two days, which has resulted in these awesome melting of kilos.

Diet:
Breakfast - 1 boiled egg, 2 slices of white bread toast with butter, 1 glass of milk, 1 orange
Lunch - Rice, curry (pumpkin/brinjal), curd, 2/3 pcs fried fish
Tea time - According to the plan, I was supposed to stay away from tea and coffee but well, I did stay away for one day but on the next day, I succumbed. So 1 cup of coffee with milk and sugar and 2 arrowroot biscuits, 2 pieces M&Ms
Dinner - 2/3 rotis, sabji (brinjal/cauliflower), 1 glass of milk

Exercise:
3.2 kms walk with the little one on the stroller on both days.

To celebrate such awesomeness, I went and got a short haircut which I actually like very much! Usually when I get a short haircut, there are a couple of days when I feel the hair's too short and feel awful about it, but not this time! I love it!

Also to celebrate, I took a break from the diet and exercise plan on Sunday when I did no exercise but gorged on a lot of the atrociously yummy and mostly unhealthy food at Antoinette.

I shall be getting back to the diet and the exercise during the week, but so far, it's been awesome!