Sizzling Singapore - Part 2

What will you do if you have a tough and important deadline to meet in your workplace when you are on a quick jaunt?

Before answering this question, I am dead cert that you might be tearing your hair apart as to how Part 2 follows Part 3 or did I get my numbering wrong?

Well. Part 2 is indeed on the heels of Part 3 for the moment as a close look up on the title will suggest that the earlier blog was "Scintillating Singapore" and this is "Sizzling Singapore".

For those of you who had missed out Part 1.

When MLAs and MPs dilute away the exchequer with lakhs and lakhs of public money, my spending 15K from my own pocket for a round trip to Singapore is like buying an Audi for Maruthi's price! 

It was a killer deal from Tiger Airways that catapulted my first ever international trip. Though it was just a two-day affair, it had all the necessary constituents to make it an entertaining, exhilarating and enjoyable weekend.

2 DAY TRIP? SINGAPORE? ARE YOU NUTS? 

Yeah. I can distinctly hear your thunderous mental scream and judgement about me. All I can say is before you get to know all the facts, jumping to unnecessary and unwarranted conclusions is equivalent to sky-diving without a parachute!

How many of you has/had heard or seen people travelling to other cities by paying aplenty to catch up with their favorite clubs and matches? 

For instance, I am highly positive that you would have read or even committed yourself (if you are not from Mumbai!) when India played Sri Lanka in the finals of the WC held at Mumbai in 2011. It is equally applicable to all the sports and extravaganzas like IPL, international celebrities performing in selected cities or unique events happening in a major metro. Either you or your friends or relatives would have definitely attended them by spending a fortune to catch them in live as you deeply and fervently love the celebrated individual or the game action. 

If this is not crazy, then what I did was also not crazy. I love travelling. I have read, heard and seen about the marvels of Singapore on different mediums like books, movies etc. How is it going nuts if I merely cashed in on the hefty discount given by Tiger Airways?  

I have logically extended the quick national travels which usually people undergo as I had mentioned above to a short abroad fun trip as undertaken by me to Singapore. It makes perfect sense to me.

If Tiger Airways had availed such a discount then to New Zealand instead of Singapore, I would have instantly grabbed it with both hands. Sadly, it wasn't the case to be. And even if they had, I wouldn't have taken it as I had a sword hanging above my head of a deliverable by Sunday afternoon to my Product Owner so that the collateral was shared on Monday Morning to the client.

So, you mean to say that you finished the work?  I can still hear you cogitating this question in your head.

Read it in Part 3 (No, Not the earlier blog!) to find out how the events naturally unrolled and culminated itself to an exciting finish.

                                                             X--To be Concluded--X

Scintillating Singapore - Part 3

After a good, deep and aching sleep, the subsequent morning was spent in the Zoo and River Safari. It was yet another quite a leg-crying task to go around and look at the beasts who were lounging and basking in the sunlight as if they were the owners of the sun! The Orangutans and other kinds of monkeys were definitely more fun than a barrel of monkeys, definitely pun intended! 

There were also several shows at specified times like The Elephant Show where the gentle giants where showcasing their mammoth talent, pun intended again. An edutainment show where different animals were used to signify and emphasize the need to save the rain forests. IMHO, they were not only fun and amusing but a great learning tool for the young kids as well to practice an environment-sustaining life besides working for one's self and family. 

River Safari was a great experience where you had lots of thrills like The Amazon Ride where you had the opportunity to see exotic birds and animals on a nice boat ride. It also boasted of the different types of creatures alive and kicking in the major rivers like Nile, Ganges, Yangzte etc.  And there was the PANDAASSSSS as well. The bubbly bubbly chubby chubby balls of furs were completely endearing and absolute adorbs. Immense happiness to watch these cutsies engaging themselves in their pranks in their own world. Also, it was also the first time ever that I had seen a real Anaconda apart from the films and Discovery Channel. They were simply beautiful and having a good siesta. River Safari is a total package that ought not to be missed out during your stay in Singapore.

Evening Time was once again left to our own disposal. With one of my friend's guidance, we were able to see the Merlion in the night with the lights. It was a riveting sight especially with the blazing LEDs from the big brands in the background. It was a toss up between Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands and the latter won hands down with a blazing laser spectacle in the night. The view from the top was incredible with the gusts of wind caressing your face like a loving pup's lick. The brief laser display was good but not as vibrant as the "Winds of Time". It was then time to disperse to the hotel and give the crying legs a reason to smile after a long day.

The following day was even more chock-a-block as the day included a visit to the famed Singapore Casino and Sentosa island once again. As I am not even a dabbler of a gambler, it was like sight-seeing in a big and luxurious stock market where people place their odds and bets. With expert assistance from my friend, we played a couple of games and it was time to run into Sentosa. Madame Tussauds was a class act with Modi Ji in a Namaste being the first of several acclaimed and popular celebrities looking seemingly real in wax. It was a great time for the camera to click non-stop especially when they had props and everything. But, there were stark difference from the Madame Tussauds in Hong Kong. Then, a bout of realization that it was location-specific tailor made to the appropriate customer base in the country. Nevertheless, my mom had a fantastic time as it was her first visit to it. The camera went into overdrive when we stepped into the 3D gallery. It was surreal to say the least with your imagination going wild like a stallion running on a meadow. The 3D gallery was wicked cool and definitely worth your dollar spent on it.

With a cracking lunch @ Marche and a decent shopping at China Town, we spilt over into the last day where the time was spent by going to a nearby Amman Temple and a mall which were at a stone's throw from the hotel. The time before the departure was soon arriving. Not wanting to waste our remainder of our valuable time, a very famous I-forgot-the-name-now shopping complex was close to the restaurants which sold electricals, electronics and other useful home utilities. 

With a heavy heart, it was time to depart this smashing city which should be on everyone's - at least those who like/love to travel - list as Singapore is a spectacular and relatively safer place to enjoy her natural beauty together with the architectural and creative creations that makes it a fabulous city for tourists like me. The greatest advantage which was there in Singapore was that many people spoke my mother tongue - Tamil. Also, there were no dearth of Veg food which made me to feel like I wasn't in a foreign and strange land but at home. 

I haven't visited US, UK, Russia, China or Europe or The Antipodeans. So, I cannot give an objective comment anything about them. But, what I can definitely say with certainty is that Singapore is a MUST visit place to have a one-of-a-kind experience that will leave you with full satisfaction and whole fulfillment.

                                                               X--Concluded--X

Scintillating Singapore - Part 2

The Singaporean people were generous in their warmth and their ever-cheerful disposition to help out tourists was something remarkable - be it in the hotel or in the restaurants or the guides - they were a highly disciplined and a happy bunch to direct the confused tourists to the right places. To give you an example, instead of being a surly, rude and inconsiderate person, the polite and amiable guide offered us to book a cab to travel to River Safari along with the entry tickets.

Our schedule kick started with the Night Safari where the animals were discovered in the darkness and stillness of the pleasant night. A good natural way to begin the tour. The majestic highlights of Singapore were yet to be unraveled in all her glory. The surface was barely scratched.

The next day was an extremely tight-packed day with stops at Gardens by the Bay (GbtB) and the iconic Merlion - the country's symbol on the world stage. GbyB is the rara avis that one could inconceivably possible to encounter in their lives - be it the astonishing artificial cascade or the pretty flowers bedazzling the eyes - GbyB is a remarkable feat of human ingenuity that should have really tested the engineering skills when it was being built on such a grand scale with a purposeful intention to not only preserve but also conserve the scenic beauty of Singapore that rightly earned herself the moniker as "The Garden City". 

It was followed by a visit to Sentosa to happily swim, not literally!, with the sharks, jellyfishes etc. in the Aquarium complex. What was the most striking aspect of Sentosa was the "Wings of Time" laser show in the night. It was an incredible piece of showmanship using amazing effects that will definitely leave you to stop dead in your tracks and be left spell-bounded by the stunning real-time co-ordination of various elements to produce a fantastic choreography that will be etched in your brain just like the carvings in temples.

With too much to walk on that one single day, the walks weren't going to stop anytime sooner. Jurong Bird Park was on the next day's schedule. The only problem was that it was cloudy and a cloud burst was imminent any moment then. It did happen while lead to the cancellation of bird shows like Kings of the skies. Luckily, the Rain God had some mercy upon us and let us to be completely involved in The High Flyers show featuring parrots swooping through hoops and their cute antics.

The evening was entirely free. Fortunately, a couple of my friends who did their higher studies in Singapore showed us around this magnificent city. 

On that evening, a quiet and calm boat ride from Clarke Quay was good enough for the senses to deeply relax in the bright lights of the surroundings. From there, our shank's pony helped us to move around the place at ease and we reached China Town.

Unfortunately, fatigue set in before a mini shopping spree could have taken place. It was time to return to the hotel and have a much-needed forty winks.

                                                            X--To Be Concluded--X

PS:
Thanks to Google, the names of the shows and places of attraction could be easily retrieved than from memory. 

Scintillating Singapore - Part 1

It was time for Singapore. 

Hey wait. You said that your travel diaries were over. Where did The Lion City fit in your spiritual-adventure trip? 

I can hear crystal-clearly hear you loudly ruminating through my screen. When you are impatient, even a hospital patient loses their patience.

After losing my dad in my childhood, my mom sacrificed plenty of things to bring up my sister and myself up into well-ordered and responsible individuals in this world. Having slogged for more than 30 years with her sweat, blood and tears, she decided to call it quits from her professional life. What better way for me to give her a grand send-off to this wonderful woman than taking her on a well-deserved treat to Singapore. But why Singapore? Once again, Patience is the key which can unlock any Godrej Lock also!

As Genting Highlands was closed due to renovation, it didn't make sense to me to visit Malaysia by just taking photos @ KL and visiting the Murugan Temple when one of the major attractions wasn't there in the itinerary. Hence, it was an out and out Singapore Only trip for the complete duration with Makemytrip.com.

From my previous experiences, I knew that I had to utilize the full time properly during our stay there. The fantastic Makemytrip.com representative @ Nungambakkam,Chennai was kind enough to give a chock full schedule and a couple of days to explore the place with their assistance or on our own. 

Likewise, I was extremely focused that it was a pure waste of money to spend on a 4-Star or 5-Star accommodation when you're going to be out for most of the day and return to hit the sack in the night. At the same time, I also knew that if I were alone, I can stay even in a cramped or dingy place to sleep. Since my mom was also with me, a decent place to rest coupled with a walkable distance to Veg Indian restaurants was my absolute pre-requisite to the soft-spoken and friendly representative. 

Finally, she closed in on Cherryloft Serviced Apartments near Little India. A quick search on the net gave me the necessary details and reviews about our supposed residing place. I had no problems in the serviced apartments but since this trip was primarily to give my mom a memorable and an unforgettable experience, I ensured that the serviced apartment wasn't bad or even worst.

Courtesy the Makemytrip.com representative, Cherryloft was more than satisfactory when we checked into it after we landed in Singapore. Right from Komalas to Murugan Idly Shop, the restaurants were within the vicinity @ a brisk 15-20 minute walk. Yep. My pre-requisites were met.

It was time to grab a mighty slice of indelible memories from the place which was more like a Second Chennai - a second home - to me rather than an alien place where people spoke their own language that is understood exclusively to them.

                                                   

                                                               X--To be Conluded--X

Aided by Austen - Safely Guided

After a brief hiatus, Vaishnavi Nair Kolli returns. Sounds like Godzilla Returns? Well. Pretty much. But, in her own destructively charming way. Through her new work 'Aided by Austen' (AbA).

The expectations always sky-rocket when a person has given an exceptional performance in their previous outing. Though past track records cannot be taken as an exact indicator for future result deliverance with the same earlier intensity, it still let's the other people what an individual is actually capable in their execution. It becomes even more burdensome and the pressure is immense if you are an up and coming talent in the world.

This is precisely the situation which Vaishnavi faces herself when her second novel 'AbA' hit the stores, Okay Kindle!. Yeah fine. Kindle is also a virtual store. So, technically on a broader meaning, it hit the STORES!! 

Overlooking my niceties on the semantics and phraseology, if you expect the densely layered and complexities of 'Inception' or what-the-hell-happened of 'The Usual Suspects' or the dramatic turn of 'Shutter Island', this book is off your charts. Okay your reading device!  

AbA is a simple, uncomplicated, straight forward and honest-to-goodness story from the creative brains of Vaishnavi who balances her logical brain by working @ Google. Tough task indeed to follow your passion and at the same time, be uncompromising on your daily work. She aces it like a consummate high-wire artist. 

AbA follows the story of a starry-eyed girl - Jane - who is deeply involved with 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen. The book had left a profound impression when she read it as a 9 year old girl to the extent that she starts to equate her real life with the imaginary characters when she does the play in her alma mater where she gets emotionally attracted to her 'Captain'. Turns of events lead to a communication barricade between the lead hero and heroine forms the rest of the plot in this happy-ending romance.

Vaishnavi's writing style has drastically changed (for the good) in her second novel from her fantabulous 'OK Now, Who is my Santa?' where there was a lot of emphasis on 'I'. It was a refreshing style much like Chetan Bhagat's 'Five Point Someone'.

In AbA, she has given a complete contrasting tone of writing in her choice of words and visualization of characters. There was a touch of quaintness and positivism inherently built into the foundation of the narration. I simply loved the line "everyone knows everything". It was more like the vision statement of a future Google!

And then, in the blink of an eye, the story had come to a rosy end. Too quickly.

IMHO, Quantity has no direct correlation with quality. But, when you have quality as your chief ingredient, there is absolutely no harm in focusing on quantity as well.

The length of the book is something that Vaishnavi should seriously consider in her next outings as there were plenty of narrative arcs that could have been joyously or sorrowfully expanded like Jane's childhood, her various exploits at Puppyfeet where she established her career like how she gained the tremendous trust of Xin etc. I'm not sure whether the crunchy crispness in her short novel was a deliberate strategy. 

Likewise, if Vaishnavi INTENDS to write ONLY romantic-themes, she needs to have a clear-cut target audience in her mind - like 10-16 yrs girls or 17-22 yrs girls and astutely position herself to cater to her customer base. By saying this, I am not stating directly or indirectly that guys don't read romance stories but not everyone will like/love them even if they are friends or relatives or colleagues.

Vaishnavi really has to take this tough call when she writes/ types the ideas for her subsequent works to be a dominant authority in what she also does best.

Now, you know why I said "destructively charming" in the first para.

Summing it up, Aided By Austen is yet another bright and sunny read that floods your heart strings with warmth AND make you want to believe that the world is not a cruel & brutal place to live and love. That is the crucial optimism which Vaishnavi brings to the fore in AbA.

All the very best for your new venture. I await it with much and such eagerness. 

  

Vivegam - Limited Smartness

Imagine that you are reading Harry Potter and JK Rowling's name is on the front cover with her lovely picture inside the book.You have read the book and fallen in love with it.You idolize her writing and her. So, you will surely recognize JK Rowling whenever you see her on the roads. Correct?

Wrong. According to Vivegam, the Director of the squad couldn't identify AK in the first scene when he throws a so-called military book on the table and proudly announces that they are following the strategies (written by AK) verbatim as in the book that has enabled them to gain an upper hand to produce successful field results. Does that mean that the Director did not even know who the author was when he memorized the book?

Similarly, the moment when the 2 men in the introduction tells one another that the place is an impregnable fort and no one can enter it other than wind, there is god damn no what-a-wow moment as to who would enter the premises.

There is no question that Ajith is fit as a fiddle and has given his heart and soul to the movie by undergoing hardships in the freezing weather. His James Bond-esque hot quotient keeps on staggeringly increasing day-by-day. Unfortunately, it's the script that does not fit him like a shoe. All the hyper-glorification and apotheosizing makes AK seem like an insurmountable juggernaut who simply quells his opponents by his brute force and mental fortitude. To put it in more lucid terms, it's like The Big Show taking on a 1 month old child. No competition. That's exactly how he was projected throughout the film. 

Even his famed bike stunts weren't up to scratch. It was more like "This Bike chasing scene should be there. It will enrapture his fans" instead  of seamlessly integrating into the script like how he does it in Mankaatha and together with Yuvan's BGM took the whole stunt sequence into another planet! Sadly, in this case, it was a forced rescue mission to save Akshara. 

Speaking of Akshara, she does her job neatly in the allotted screen share though there is tremendous scope to improve to whet her acting skills especially where she cries in shock and pain. Kajal Agarwal has a meaty role to play in the film and she does it with ease. But, there were moments where you will feel where did she disappear and then suddenly she resurfaces like a mouse out of the hole! It's a good thing that she wasn't turned into a forced spy on AK by giving the fossilized defense that she did it to protect their child or even worse - Show her gruesome death to hit back at Ajith like Samantha's character in 'Theri'.

A special mention to the cinematographer who has done a phenomenal job in capturing the luscious and verdant sceneries of the landscape particularly in the "Kadhalada" Song. It had a rich, chilling and refreshing effect on the eyes. 

As we are on the topic of songs, had it been not for Anirudh's high energetic and loud music, 'Vivegam' would have been like a cracker which wants to fully burst but doesn't due to the dampness. With Anirudh's BGM and feverish-toned beats, 'Vivegam' bursts out with an audible sound though not with the intended explosiveness. 

The film could have been racier and better instead of focusing on cheap stunt thrills or labored intelligence or absurd exaltation built into the screenplay. For instance, when Kajal Agarwal uses her eyes using Morse Code to communicate with AK in the climax - Vivek Oberoi also has realization - Yeah! That scene - it should have been eliminated and AK should have applauded Kajal for her cleverness when they were driving before the credits rolled up so that the last piece of puzzle gets wrapped up in the fag end of the movie instead of breaking the suspense there itself with Oberoi's artificial sense of illumination. I don't want to say anything more on Vivek Oberoi. He just didn't fit the character. At All. Maybe, Ajith could have played the role himself. Dual role. 

For the amount of dedication and commitment that Ajith has given here, he really needs a movie like 'Vaali' or 'Villain' so that he could rope in everyone with his astounding performances rather than just be contented to satisfy his fan base. If he is not capable or does not have the talent, then he can unswervingly continue with his current strategy when he chooses his movies. Fortunately, he has got immense capacity and skills. He can definitely wow us with a performance-packed yet commercial screenplay with the right director and story. 

It's up to him. 

Travel Diaries - Key Takeaways & Invaluably Valuable Lessons

Like a woodsman severely perspiring and brutally chopping down a tree with their axes, how many of you had tried or is doing to heavily exert all your effort and strength when you squeeze the bottom-of-the-bottom toothpaste with your Hulk hands so as not to waste away that last tiny weeny-teeny bit before tossing it in to the trash can? 

Those who are extremely proud of your achievements as the main product may not agree with it in the open even though you vigorously nod within yourselves. For those who consider achievements, success and money to be as the by-products of sincere hard-work and intense determination, they will say without any hesitation like me that they still do it with no qualms of regret or compunction in doing that act.

Some people might say that we are stingy. Au Contraire, with our blood, sweat and tears, we had earned our hard-earned money and we immensely value what we had paid to purchase that one single toothpaste. We try to get the maximum out of it. 100% extraction may or may not be possible. But, we strive close to 99.99% just like how the medicinal ads as Dettol inform everyone that their products prevent 99.99% bacteria!  

Oh. By the way. It's a typical middle-class Indian mentality to have the VFM attitude. There is no way that those born with a silver spoon or golden spoon or even platinum spoon would be able to understand it though they might pretentiously and overtly agree to it. Anyway, it's up to them. But, to those who have done it and experienced this situation will definitely know what I am exactly talking about here. 

Why am I giving this big lecture on effective and maximum utilization of resources when the blog title reads "Takeaways and Lessons"?

Well. Life is also like that toothpaste. Unless and until you have exprimired the lessons in its entirety, you tend to squander away the time by repeating the same mistake again and again. No one is perfect. So, committing a mistake is not wrong unless it's a grave one. But, we should have the open-mindedness to accept the mistake and take the necessary steps to rectify them so that it doesn't happen again. 

IMHO, you can error the same mistake for the second time as well as it's a bit difficult to internalize everything at one go. But, when we are doing it for the third time, the mistake ceases to be a mistake and you turn out into a habitual offender. Only God can save the person after then. Before it's too late! And if you happen to be an Atheist, even that glimmer of hope is switched off.

However, to correct the mistake, first of all, you should have the understanding that what you have done is wrong in order to proceed to the subsequent steps.

Why is it important to ensure that your mistakes aren't repeated time and again? 

Simple. At the end of the day, everything in the world boils down to one indispensable fact - Survival - whether you have the stomach to digest this fact or not. Also, every person is unique in their own ways with different levels of tolerance, patience, temper and anger. It naturally follows that if at all you have knowingly or unknowingly hurt/harmed someone (Say X) or X feels/perceives that they have been physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, spiritually or psychologically violated and also possesses a very high anger level and quick-temperedness by/through one of your own repeated same-to-similar mistakes, who knows what might happen to your life. Things can go real ugly if your wife and children's lives are dependent on you. This situation can once again be interpreted as: X had also failed to learn his/her lessons from their previous encounters with their tempestuous anger lashing in their turbulent life.

Unless you don't want to be dead, the bottom line is dead simple : Flatten your undoings at the earliest and turn a new leaf else life has the uncanny ability to put you through the sword until you have acquired the right knowledge to lead a balanced life. 

There are many such lessons which I had painstakingly learnt during my spiritual-adventure travels:

1) Planning is of paramount importance if you like/love/desire to travel, either backpack or group, to reduce your costs. Most importantly, you can have peace of mind without scratching your head as to how to go about from one place to another especially when it comes to choosing your mode of travel.

2) Have the element of flexibility built in your fixed or free-flowing tour itinerary so that in the case of any flight reschedules, you have the buffer time/ day to visit the places.

3) Apply the principles of Idealism to practical life and meaningfully add value instead of holding on to it as one's own identity and strongly desiring that others should also live it in their lives.

4) Personal problems, however important they might seem, are extremely trivial and insignificant in nature which needs to be dealt heads on instead of being bogged down by the weight of the situation.

5) Everything is transient like a passing cloud. So, are our troubles and worries as well. Not at all worth in giving too much emphasis, energy and time to it though the issues need to be addressed. And Oh no no no! It's not some dumbshit intellectual philosophy I came up with. 

 6) No matter what, Meditation must be inculcated as a way of life to not only reclaim your lost energy expended during the course of the day but also have a clearer clarity through self-monitoring and self-regulation.

7) It is better to be differently normal than be normally different.

8) Karma precisely knows when to strike back like an angry King Cobra. Be extremely careful of our words and actions and practice the right ones at the appropriate times. It is tremendously difficult to follow it immediately but to make things even simpler, the 'right' is the objective 'right' and not a subjective one catering to an individual's whims and fancies.

As the wise saying goes, you earn your trophy through practice off the field. You merely get them on the field.

Think positive. Feel optimistic. Be realistic.