Just Wondering

Of late I have started to wonder, if we get along great with a friend of ours and have similar tastes and interests, should we start considering this person as someone more than a friend ? You know, like a possibility of having a romantic relationship with them. At least this is what certain friends of mine have conveyed to me. While many have been teasing me about it, one of them actually sat me down and asked me to seriously consider the girl in question as a prospective life partner.

I don't understand one thing. Just because we get along quite well and have similar tastes and interests, why should we immediately start thinking about starting a romantic relationship with other? I mean, come-on isn't there something called as being good friends? Can't two people of opposite sex who have similar tastes and interests, be just good friends and remain as that? Why should every great non-romantic friendship be thought up as a romantic relationship down the line? It invariably happens that way. It makes me wonder - Don't we want to have friends who like to do the same things as us? Just because the said friend is of an opposite sex, why should they be considered as prospective date?

Neither Bollywood or Hollywood seems to believe so :)

A Grand Welcome

What do you do when a bunch of evil and scheming friends embarrass you when you come out of the arrival lounge of the airport, with something like this -


Yes people, yours truly was one such victim. You can read about it here and here.

I now declare full revenge on the brains behind this operation! YEAH!

Breakfast Buffet at Bossotel Inn

HOLY SHIT!!!! I have never had such an amazing breakfast buffet in my life. There was so much of variety and such yummy food. Whew!!! If we could marry a breakfast buffet, I would have then and there!!

During my recent tour to Bangkok along with Shub, Viv and Sayesha, we stayed at the Bossotel Inn. While booking, we had noticed that breakfast was included in the room rates. We had thought that it would mainly be bread, cornflakes, milk and juice. Neither of us were even remotely prepared for the variety which was available at the buffet! The weird part was it wasn't even Thai food (of which I have become a huge fan). It was plain and simple continental breakfast. All of us had eaten those items quite frequently before. But, we still drooled and hogged at the food like we hadn't eaten in days!!

Without much delay, let me present to you the items which were available for consumption -

1. Fresh Vegetable salad with four dressings - Vinaigrette, French Vinaigrette, Cream and Thousand Island
2. Plain fruit salad
3. Yogurt - plain and strawberry flavoured
4. Dried and candied fruit as topping for the yogurt
5. Chopped almonds as topping for the yogurt
6. Cut fruits - Pomelo, Pineapple, Papaya and MANGO!!!!
7. Baked goodies - Butter Croissant, Danish Pastry and such stuff
8. 4-5 varieties of bread
9. Coconut jam, guava jam and orange marmalade
10. Four varieties of cereal - Fruit loops, Muesli and corn flakes (plain and chocolate flavoured)
11. Vegetables in sauce
12. Pasta (Spaghetti and tomato sauce)
13. Sausages
14. Bacon
15. Freshly prepared Omelette
16. Grilled Vegetables
17. Coffee, Tea and Milk (the choco-latte was very good)

I think when we saw this spread on the first day, we must have sat for atleast 2 hours at the table, eating and chit-chatting. After sometime, we were so stuffed but still couldn't help going in for another serving. During my second helping (or was it the third?), I was busy loading up my plate with some cut fruits when Shub comes to me with what looked like a cup of hot steaming tomato soup. I was quite surprised that I hadn't noticed it during my initial rounds (Yes, at a buffet I always do a survey of what all items are on offer before starting to eat). Although, I generally don't do soups at buffets, I was very much tempted to have tomato soup as it had been quite a while since I had eaten it. Although it turned out that it wasn't tomato soup, but tea. Yes, I believe some special Thai red tea. Shub, somehow didn't seem very impressed with the taste.

If you are planning to visit Bangkok and generally like a continental breakfast, I seriously suggest that you have breakfast at Bossotel Inn. The breakfast is not just for the guests staying at the hotel. I think the hotel was charging about 220 Baht for the breakfast. I say it is totally worth it.

Photos by Sayesha.

Bangkok at a glance

1. Its just like any other city in India. Only the language and the faces of people are different
2. Lovely temples. "Wat Arun" (Temple of the Dawn) in particular was awesome!
3. The sunrise and sunset happens on the same time as in India unlike Singapore. In Singapore the sun rises at 7 and sets around 19.15-19.30, confusing me many a time.
4. Thai food is my new favourite! It has such an amazing flavour. My mouth is watering thinking about it. You can read more here and I will be putting up an entire post on the lovely breakfast we had at the hotel.
5. I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of finding vegetarian food. Although most of the dishes were not vegetarian, the chefs were more than willing to make them with only vegetarian ingredients. They also easily understood what is meant by vegetarian unlike Singapore and Malaysia where vegetarian food is apparently not referred to as normal food :O
6. I have no idea where we get Indian food in Bangkok. Didn't even bother finding out! To all those people who say non-Indian food is bland and does not have any flavour, I have only one thing to say - Go to Thailand and eat Thai food. Ofcourse, its just called food there :P
7. Was not at all impressed with the new Suvarnabhumi International airport. It was quite crowded. Changi International airport is way better in my opinion.
8. The dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya river is a must do!
9. So is shopping at the Chatuchak weekend market.
10. Errr... was that a wooden dildo that they were selling in one of the roadside stalls ?
11. Massage parlours are almost everywhere.
12. Multi coloured taxis. I could spot green, pink, red, orange and blue coloured ones.
13. The MRT, Skytrain and the river taxis are the fastest means of transport.
14. Traveling by the BTS sky train is not exactly cheap.
15. They have two-wheelers which serve also as public transport (speaking in a broad sense). You engage one of the riders and he drops you where ever you want to go. Ofcourse, you have to pay :P Such riders can be easily spotted wearing an orange sleeveless jacket.
16. There are so many westerns touring Thailand. I had no idea it was that popular. I saw more Americans/Europeans that what I see in Singapore.

I shall leave you with this picture as a preview to what is coming up next.

Is the keyboard wet already ? *wink*

The Big Bang

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!! Off to Bangkok! :D

Tagged with Crazy 8's

Pixie has tagged me with the Crazy 8's tag and here are the answers -
(Some of the titles do not have 8 items under them as I could not think of so many of them)

8 Things I am passionate about
Food
Travelling
F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Trains
Hindi movies

8 Things I want to do before I die
Drive a train
Skydive
Visit New York City
Visit Australia
Visit Europe
Learn Spanish
Learn to swim
Be able to play a musical instrument

8 Things I say often
Had blogged about it recently

8 Books I've read recently
The Kiterunner
The Fountainhead (not completed)
Atlas Shrugged (not completed)
Neither here nor there (not completed)
Lexicon of Pasta

8 songs I could listen to over and over
Title track of Kal Ho Naa Ho
Its the time to Disco from Kal Ho Naa Ho
Tumse Hi from Jab We Met
Sawan Barse Tarse Dil from Dahek
Bulla Ke Jaana by Rabbi Shergill
Zara Zara from Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein

8 Things that attract me to my best friends
Patience
A good conversation
Similar wavelengths
A good sense of humour
Gossip ;)
Love for food and travel

People interested to take up the tag are welcome!

Marché

Marché is a restaurant in Singapore which has a local Swiss market theme. Its a lovely place and is the first time I am seeing something of this sort. Thanks to her for introducing me to this place.

The entire restaurant comprises of many stalls which are selling different types of typical Swiss food. They have bakery items, salad bar, Crepes, Pasta, Rösti, soup, drinks and lots of other things whose names I don't remembers. Even the waitresses are dressed like typical Swiss villagers. As soon as we enter the restaurant, the person at the counter gives a card to every one. Any purchases made from the different stalls are directly billed to the card. When we leave the restaurant, the card has to be surrendered and the amount billed to the card has to be paid. No hassles of paying separately at each counter. I felt it was a lovely concept. Must make a note of this.

The restaurant was so colourful and had ample amount of sunlight streaming in through its glass walled exteriors. Eating in this kind of atmosphere makes me feel very energized and not just because of the food. Its like a reassurance that I am eating food made from the freshest of ingredients. When I was in India and used to see food related shows, the cook used to always exclaim about using the freshest of fruits and vegetables. Some shows even used to show the cook/host going fruit/vegetable shopping to the local farmers market. I used to wonder, what the fuss was all about. Why all this fuss about fresh ingredients? Come on, we used to have fresh fruits and vegetables being sold almost everywhere, even on carts in front if our houses. After coming to Singapore, I can understand the "fuss" about buying fresh fruits and vegetables. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not telling that we get stale items at shops/supermarkets over here. Almost everything is imported. So the chances are very high that the fruits and vegetables that we pick may not have been plucked a couple of days back.

Anyway, where were we ? Oh rite, Marché. I started my lunch with a hot cross bun and a mango-strawberry smoothie. I finally ate a hot cross bun. Does anyone remember the nursery rhyme - Hot Cross Buns ?? I used to always wonder what it was and where it was available in India. Someow I forgot about it after nursery. I remembered it only when I saw it at Marché. It was so soft to eat with a slight sweet taste. Shub got a salad and a Rösti along with some sour cream. The Rösti tasted quite ok. It was made of shredded boiled potatoes roasted in a shallow pan. I am not a huge fan of potatoes. So the dish did not have a big impact on me. The salad was yummy though.

For the main course, I had a banana-mango Crêpe. It was amazing to watch the assistant prepare the Crêpe. She first poured some batter on a huge heated flat plate and then spread it using a T shaped instrument. She just placed the T shaped instrument on the batter and just rotated it few times. The result - an evenly spread out pancake. She then proceeded to put some chopped bananas and mangoes on the crêpe (just like the way the potato-onion palya is placed on a masala dosa) and folded the crêpe like a cone and gave it to me. I poured ample amount of chocolate sauce and a white coloured sauce (whose name I forgot) on it and sprinkled a generous helping of some raw sugar. came back to my seat with a cat-who-just-ate-the-cream expression. Heh! It tasted absolutely lovely but was quite messy to eat.

In the end, I was totally bowled over by the place. The best part was that it did not turn out to be very expensive. Will definitely go there again. Mr. HDS, you will totally love this place. A good reason for you to come to Singapore :P

Marché Restaurant, Level 3, Vivocity, Singapore.

Regularly Spoken

1. Oh my god! :O
2. Holy cow!
3. Yaaay!!!
4. What the .. ???
5. Holy cow!!
6. Hees :D
7. :)
8. Holy cow!!!
9. Shit!
10. Dudes...
11. I'm so bored.
12. I am hungry.
13. Holy cow!
14. Chalo, lets go.
15. Awesome!

Read this

I can very well relate to this post. Very well written and echoes my thoughts.

Modestos

Its an Italian restaurant at Vivocity, here in Singapore. Shub and I had discovered this restaurant during one of our aimless walking around in Vivocity. They had advertized themselves as serving wood fired pizzas. Somehow we were not able to go there at that time, but did end up going recently.

It is said that "The first impression is the best impression". It so holds true for this restaurant. What happened that it left such an impression on me, you ask? Let me tell you. Point by point.

1. They had a separate menu (and I might say with quite a variety of choice) for VEGETARIANS!!!! Yipppeeeee!!!!! Its not that easy to find veg food in Singapore, unless you are around Little India. We do have restaurants in other areas which cater to the vegetarian crowd, but not in abundance. Also, it was not just a couple of items. They had veg dishes in the entire range, be it Anti-pasti (Appetizer), Insalata (Salad), Zuppe (Soup), Pasta, Pizza or Dolci (Desserts). YUM!

2. The restaurant is right next to the waterfront. So you can look across the strait towards Sentosa Island while you dine (if you choose to sit out that is).

3. They were extremely fast in the service. Our food was on the table within 5 minutes of placing the order.

4. They had an actual illustration of the size of the pizza in the menu. Invariably, the pizzerias convey information in terms of size like 7", 10", etc... While this is technically correct, it is of little help to customers who are wondering how many pizzas to order. By actually showing the customer the size of the pizza (albeit by an illustration), it makes life much easier and there are less chances of the customers ordering more than they can eat.

The fourth point is my favourite! Wow! Why hadn't it occurred it to they others ??

If you live in Singapore or are visiting, do go there. You can check them out online here. Also, checkout the vegetarian menu available online.

Wondering out loud

So, the other day a couple of friends of mine and I had been to the blood bank to donate blood. As part of the procedure we were supposed to answer a questionnaire which had questions about any illness, previous blood transfusion history, sex life, AIDS awareness etc, etc.. Once we complete the questionnaire, a doctor/counsellor reviews it in front of us by asking us the same question in person.

During the course of this review, the doctor/counsellor asked me if I was married. When I replied in negative, she immediately responded by saying that we could skip the section about the sex life as I was not married. I was taken a back a bit by this considering that this is Singapore (which happens to be one of the highly westernized countries in Asia).

I still wonder why! :-?

During the course of the blood donation there seemed to be some problem with my blood and it was flowing at a very slow pace I believe. Due to this and some other medical stuff which does not make sense to me, a bruise appeared at the spot where the needle was inserted. It became purple ans was slightly paining. So they gave me an ointment to apply everyday. After a couple of days I had totally forgotten about it, when I got a call from the blood bank inquiring about the bruise and if I was ok. That was so sweet of them to do that!! Had such a warm feeling after that. Its so nice of them to care so much. I'm impressed.

Bollywood Calling

Ever since I came to Singapore, I have realized that I have become totally crazy about Bollywood. I was a big fan when I was in India too, but had not realized that I was so crazy. I seem to know so much trivia about it that it totally amazed me :O Add to it the number of hindi movies that I have seen ever since I came here. Im sure I would not have seen so many movies had I been in India. I wonder why this is so ? Maybe its my way of missing India. Could be.

BOLLYWOOD ZINDABAD!!

My Life in Singapore

It is just the way I had hoped it would be. I am so glad I took up the oppourtunity and came here. Staying by myself, experimenting with cooking, exploring the city during weekends, jogging and staying fit and travelling around are some of the things that keep me occupied (apart from my job ofcourse). I am just enjoying every moment of it.

This is the first time in my life that I am staying so far away from family. I am sure this is going to be one heck of an experience. There are definitely lots of things that I will discover about myself, which inturn leads to a better understanding of myself and people in general.

Things that I am currently in awe of -

1) The National Library. The buildings are so swanky and elegant looking, it is hard to believe that it is a public library. You actually would want to go and spend the whole day there reading. Adding to it is the lovely cafe attached. Just perfect for a rainy weekend afternoon.

2) The Roads.

3) The huge supermarkets and the variety of stuff available. I generally end up spending more time and money than intended when I go there. :))

4) The amazing variety of fancy looking restaurants here serving up some lovely fare.

Things that I miss most from back home -

1) Family and close friends

2) Chaat. *drool*

3) Not being bombarded with Bollywood information. I have to make an effort to look up for it on the internet :( I have absolutely no idea what Abhi-Ash have been upto lately. Not that I was very concerned about it, but being continously bombarded with their whereabouts while in India it feels like there is a void, now that I am not being bombarded :))

One more thing that has made my life much easier over here is the presence of some good friends. Thanks to her (and also her), loafing around the country has never been so much fun. I just cannot wait to try out all the food places which are begging for our attention.

Eeeks!!!

Missed it! Missed it! Missed it!! Damn!

I cannot believe I forgot about it! It was my two year blogaversary on Sep 18. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY to my Blog :D :D :D

PS: Blogging from a cafe on a cool MacBook. I have been wanting to do that ever since I came here.

Its Waffle Time

I have always had a soft corner in my heart for waffles. This was my favourite place in Bangalore for waffles. Ever since I shifted to Singapore, I had not eaten waffles. So, on my way back home today evening, I happened to chance upon a place selling waffle cakes. I promptly went and stood in the queue (Yes, there was queue for that too) to purchase one. The almost 10 min wait in the queue was totally worth it. They have about 10 different flavours with prices ranging from 1$ to 1.8$. They also let you mix and match flavours. I chose a Butter Maple syrup flavour which cost me 1.5$.

The waffles were round in shape (maybe about 7 inch in diameter) and much softer than the ones I have had in Bangalore. I could see the assistant preparing the waffle right in front of me. Once the waffle had roasted sufficiently, she picked it out of the mould and spread it on the table in front of her. She then proceeded to slather a generous helping of butter on the waffle followed by maple syrup. The waffle was then folded over in half, put in a small brown paper bag and handed over to me. As the waffle was quite hot, the butter started to melt and mixed with the maple syrup. I took a bite of the waffle cake and was it amazing or what!!! The taste of the mildly salted melting butter along with the sweetness of the maple syrup was so delicious. I had such a warm glow on my face during the entire time. I felt just like how a kid feels when he/she gets a lollipop and eats it while walking back home holding their father's hand :D

My goal now is to try out all the flavours on the menu. Definitely one flavour per week. Then I shall mix and match some flavours for the added taste.

Anyone wants to join ?

Quitting my first job

Quitting my previous job was such a wierd experience. That was my first job after college and I was at it for almost 4 years. It just feels so wierd to say 'ex-office', 'ex-colleagues', etc. When I came out of my office (oops... ex-office) building on the last day, that's when it actually struck me that I may never step foot inside that building again, never sit at my cubicle again, may never work with the set of people or never work in front of my office PC. Oh!! My Office PC!! I so miss that amazing, superfast and sleek piece of electronics! I so hope the PC at my new office is going be the similar or better :) It was quite a sentimental drive back home from office on that day.

There are so many things that I miss about my ex-job. In particular, I really miss the post lunch walk session with M, having coffee/tea on terrace and doing general yakkity-yak with H, playing the fool along with A, D and G, technical and time-pass discussions with my ex-team members N, C, S and Y. Oh! I am so gonna miss you people and the familiar and comfortable things.

Here's a toast for all the wonderful things that have happened in my life in the last four years after I joined my first job and more than that for meeting and interacting with all the amazing people during the course of those four years.

*clink*

Atithi Devo Bhava

Okay! For all of you who were wondering where I had vanished to, I was busy with loads of stuff. I have shifted my house, quit my job and also went for a trek in the Himalayas. Lots to blog about, but so little time to do so. Right now, I shall leave you guys with a guest post from Shub:

Dearest PizzaDude,

So, when you asked me to do a guest post the other day, I readily agreed, but had no clue what to write! Probably a month later I decided what I wanted to write about, well vague idea, and today I decided to type it down!

In exactly four days, you'll land in Singapore! To start a life that I know you've been dreaming of for a while now. The living on your own, cooking (what-looks-like) exotic stuff (if it doesn't end up in the sink :P), exploring new restaurants and cuisines - oh wait, you do that all the time - and the loads of time for yourself that you'll come to enjoy. I'm sure you'll cherish the experience - like I told you a few days back, I miss that feeling I had when I had just moved in here. You know, that slight anxiety, at how you're gonna cope, the general awe at everything around you*, the little spring in your step since you're gonna be living ON YOUR OWN for the first time, the overall novelty of the experience. You'll definitely love it. Soak in every minute of it.

And yes, we shall go to Bar None again and look for that cute waitress and you CAN say the ridiculously overenthusiastic "Oh HIIIIII!" again. :D This time of course, I'll look away and pretend like I don't know you. Actually that's favourable to you as well. You wouldn't want her to think you're taken or something would you?! Muahahaha!

I'm totally looking forward to try out the zillions of restaurants that are begging to be tried out here, go loafing around generally and yes some cheesecake too! And going looonnng walks after pigging out! Talking nonsense and laughing our heads off at jokes that don't remotely qualify as funny.

Here's to new experiences and good times! And to a great friendship! *Clink*

Love,
Shub

*Just don't start staring at pretty girls passing by while I'm taking a pic and trying to get you to look at the camera, okay? That's almost as bad as the Bar None type embarrassment! :p

Idhar Chala Mein Udhar Chala

Traveling around is one of the things that I love to do. Exploring new places, seeing different and lovely sights and eating new stuff is something which gives me an all time high! So, when I saw this tag on this post, I decided to tag myself :D

As per the tag, I have to list down three destinations from the list of the new wonders of the world that I would like to visit and also the ones that I have visited so far.

So, Here we go......

List of places among the Seven Wonders of the world that I have visited -

1. Taj Mahal, India


Visited the Taj, when I had gone for trek around Dalhousie about 1.5 years back. Also took photo sitting on the marble bench infront of the Taj. Apparently it is a very famous spot to take your picture with the Taj in the background. I was also very lucky to have seen the Taj just before and after the sunset. It was lovely!!

List of three places among the Seven Wonders of the world that I would like to visit -

1. Machu Pichu, Peru


As per wikipedia, this ancient and deserted city is referred to as the "The Lost City of the Incas". I would love to visit this place and check out the amazing architecture. The location and the breathtaking scenary around is tempting enough to plan a trip to this place.

2. Christ Redeemer, Brazil


The view from the top and Rio De Janerio are reasons enough. I don't think I have to elaborate on this.

Well, just interested in the above two for now.

Apart from these places, I would also love to visit these places -

1. Bora Bora


The white sandy beaches just look so inviting. I want to go there now! Total bliss. Just sitting on these beaches and sipping on some orange juice sounds so relaxing and refreshing.

2. New York City


Very curious about what the fuss is all about this city. Watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S, few episodes of Sex and the City, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna are reasons enough.

3. The Grand Canyon


I am an ardent admirer of nature and would love to visit these natural wonders known for their sheer size and landsape. In particular, I want to stand on the newly constructed Grand Canyon Skywalk and view the canyon.

4. Kenya


Aah! The thrill of visiting a wildlife sanctuary and where else but in the place where it all started - AFRICA!!!

5. Lakshadweep


Once again, the white sandy beaches. Plus it is much closer to home and a cheaper option than going to Bora Bora ;)

6. Greece


I have heard a lot about their culture and very curious to check the place out. Once again, the many secluded white sandy beaches are a huge attraction for me.

7. Switzerland

The Alps, the picturesque European countryside, the view from the train and Snow! Thank you very much Mr. Yash Chopra.

That's all I can think of right now. In return, I am tagging Pills (who, btw is one heck of a travel companion. We had a blast on our previous trip together), Amaunet and of course Shub!

Also, inviting applications for a travel-mate who is equally enthu about visiting all of the above places :D

Hee Hee

Got this in a forward.

I can so empathise with this guy!

This and That

My favourite food (Pizza) + My favourite show (F.R.I.E.N.D.S) + One of my favourite people (G) came together last evening. We had such a great time! It was just great to catch up with each other after a long time and do what we do best. Yes, Talk and Talk!

**************

People of marriageable age should take a good look at themselves before they have expectations about their prospective bride/groom. After all, appearances do matter in arranged marriages.

**************

I always get confused when I have to send a "bus card" of person A to person B through SMS. Do I first 'Select' Person A on my contacts list, go to 'Send Bus. card' and then key in the number of Person B or should I do it the other way around ? I have done it a couple of times before. But, each time I have to do it, I still get confused :-?

**************

Why on earth do they air toilet cleaner ads on TV during dinner time, when a majority of people like me are in front on the TV while having dinner ? All of them have this before-after theme. Who in their sane mind would want to look at a dirty commode ?? YUCK!!!!