Last Sunday early morning, we were at Changi Airport to pick Baba (Prantik's dad) up. He had a sense of pride when he entered our 3 bedroom homely apartment; for it was a stark contrast to his son's previous bedrooms that he rented as a bachelor. Things were in place here, there were no soiled clothes on the floor, no unfinished chips and cookie packets on the couch; fresh breeze blew in as the first rays of the summer sun reflected against sparkling floor tiles. The sheer space can get overwhelming to be honest, and the mirror-wall in the central dining area, adds more dimension to the place. With the orchids in a vase, and the newly added reading corner, we've grown even more in love with this place...I'd almost refuse to go anywhere else!
That evening, Maa-Baba came over to my workplace to pick me up :) So, I showed them around and we had some quick dinner at Thai Express and then headed towards Robertson Quay. Here, we chilled and watched the nail-biting thrilling Wimbledon finals between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Just the previous evening, we had had a bunch of folks, we call the #StrathmoreFolks or the #ActiveSG team over for dinner. Maa is fond of the nice warm, homely group, some of them even from Pune/Maharashtra. So she was quickly drawn in to join the animated discussion; the rest of us enjoyed watching the match from a distance, sipping our drinks and having cheese with figs, pitted prunes and crackers. Some indulgence that. But, at this point, I must add, cheese platters at Da Paolo at Rochester Park and at Mozza Pizzeria at Marina Bay Sands, are my personal favourites, till date. Pran knows where to rush me to, if I'm ever low :D
Monday morning, I got up with a bad, throbbing headache; my sinusitis came in uninvited and for the first time ever, I couldn't get up without feeling giddy. Too bad, I had to visit a doctor and call in sick :(
Meanwhile, my parents-in-law had invited our neighbours over for brunch/lunch. They actually came over to learn how to make Chappatis from Maa :D They bond over "good old days", exercise together in the mornings, share knitting tips and even, celebrate birthdays/attend funerals together. It's amusing to see how warm and friendly they are with Maa; they even take her to the wet markets and ChinaTown shopping area. They reminded me of the unconditional love and buoyancy that my grandmum exuded - It was simply heart-warming to meet them in person, after having heard so much about them from Maa.
The next evening, I headed out with Maa-Baba to the Asian Civilisation Museum. This time round, they had a special display of relics from the Ancient Calcutta Museum - featuring different parts from Buddha's life. Furthermore, there were displays on the South East Asian history, culture, heritage and civilisation. As a student, I was always fascinated by history. I couldn't remember names and dates to save my life, but the sheer magnificence that surrounded all the stories was mind boggling. So the evening spent here, was enriching to say the least.
We had dinner at Sofra's, serving Turkish cuisine - right from pita/sesame bread with hummus; to flavour-filled kebaps, we sure did enjoy our meal. After which, the in-laws went in for a quick foot reflexology session. The gentleman there, remembered them from past years! For some bonds are not fostered by blood... We ended the day with a blockbuster movie - Bahubali at Jade. Primarily, an Indian crowd, it's always fun to watch movies here - for there are always going to be groups of people cracking jokes, commentating and what not - especially, the initial part - so much so, Maa who often falls asleep in the movies, was sitting at the edge of her seat, wiping tears of laughter :D The war scenes that followed were epic, so was their background score and to be honest, I'm definitely not going to miss the next part!
The next evening, after my morning shift, I came home to an empty house. The silence was almost eerie! The in-laws were at the Indian Heritage Centre and then grocery shopping, while I stretched my legs, and read all the kind comments on the previous blog post. I then made some South-Indian sambhar and stuffed okra for dinner. After which, we all had juicy lychees while listening to songs by veteran singers, on YouTube, on our TV - There's a certain charm to songs from that era that songs from today cannot allure.
Thursday evening, post-shift, we headed out and Pran joined us from work, too. We finally got Maa-Baba iPhone6s too :) Finally, all of us on Apple devices. Not to say, Android phones aren't smart enough but I guess our souls are already sold to "i". It was quite an exciting moment, and I got hugs and kisses showered upon. Yaay :P To top it up, Baba decided to treat us to some delectable wine. At Elements again, we smiled, as Pran and I had been here even when I had got Pran his iPhone6, almost year ago. The chicken wings were yum and we couldn't wait to get home to get the iPhones started.
Friday was Hari Raya - a public holiday. I got home after my morning shift. Yea, we often have to work on public holidays but I wasn't as bothered by that. For the poignant truth is there is no fixed time for people to fall sick and gravely sick, often. I wonder how the families come to terms with such morbidity and loss. Next year, on the public holiday, would they go on a holiday or would they mourn the passing away of a loved one a year ago... Their pain is much more, their fear much deeper - so I can have only compassion for all the people I meet that day; even if all the friends and family I know from non-service profession enjoy over the long weekend.
I was welcomed by my school friend and her mum as I reached home; was good fun recollecting fond memories from school time and all the adventures that we were a part of :D
After they left, I quickly made Vegetable Stew to go with the Appams, for the dinner later that evening. Maa had earlier prepared green chilli chicken and corn-palak curry. We had the gang over for dinner - these are people who've been Prantik's friends for over a decade and now, I've gotten to know them as well. Much fun :)
Saturday witnessed Baba being introduced to the fitness and health apps. This was the beginning of the family choosing Healthy Living, Happier Living. And I couldn't be more thrilled. :)
A week of doing the new and revisiting the old.
A week of having neighbours and friends over and chilling with family.
A week of loving my new family.
T-12wks
That evening, Maa-Baba came over to my workplace to pick me up :) So, I showed them around and we had some quick dinner at Thai Express and then headed towards Robertson Quay. Here, we chilled and watched the nail-biting thrilling Wimbledon finals between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Just the previous evening, we had had a bunch of folks, we call the #StrathmoreFolks or the #ActiveSG team over for dinner. Maa is fond of the nice warm, homely group, some of them even from Pune/Maharashtra. So she was quickly drawn in to join the animated discussion; the rest of us enjoyed watching the match from a distance, sipping our drinks and having cheese with figs, pitted prunes and crackers. Some indulgence that. But, at this point, I must add, cheese platters at Da Paolo at Rochester Park and at Mozza Pizzeria at Marina Bay Sands, are my personal favourites, till date. Pran knows where to rush me to, if I'm ever low :D
Monday morning, I got up with a bad, throbbing headache; my sinusitis came in uninvited and for the first time ever, I couldn't get up without feeling giddy. Too bad, I had to visit a doctor and call in sick :(
Meanwhile, my parents-in-law had invited our neighbours over for brunch/lunch. They actually came over to learn how to make Chappatis from Maa :D They bond over "good old days", exercise together in the mornings, share knitting tips and even, celebrate birthdays/attend funerals together. It's amusing to see how warm and friendly they are with Maa; they even take her to the wet markets and ChinaTown shopping area. They reminded me of the unconditional love and buoyancy that my grandmum exuded - It was simply heart-warming to meet them in person, after having heard so much about them from Maa.
The next evening, I headed out with Maa-Baba to the Asian Civilisation Museum. This time round, they had a special display of relics from the Ancient Calcutta Museum - featuring different parts from Buddha's life. Furthermore, there were displays on the South East Asian history, culture, heritage and civilisation. As a student, I was always fascinated by history. I couldn't remember names and dates to save my life, but the sheer magnificence that surrounded all the stories was mind boggling. So the evening spent here, was enriching to say the least.
We had dinner at Sofra's, serving Turkish cuisine - right from pita/sesame bread with hummus; to flavour-filled kebaps, we sure did enjoy our meal. After which, the in-laws went in for a quick foot reflexology session. The gentleman there, remembered them from past years! For some bonds are not fostered by blood... We ended the day with a blockbuster movie - Bahubali at Jade. Primarily, an Indian crowd, it's always fun to watch movies here - for there are always going to be groups of people cracking jokes, commentating and what not - especially, the initial part - so much so, Maa who often falls asleep in the movies, was sitting at the edge of her seat, wiping tears of laughter :D The war scenes that followed were epic, so was their background score and to be honest, I'm definitely not going to miss the next part!
The next evening, after my morning shift, I came home to an empty house. The silence was almost eerie! The in-laws were at the Indian Heritage Centre and then grocery shopping, while I stretched my legs, and read all the kind comments on the previous blog post. I then made some South-Indian sambhar and stuffed okra for dinner. After which, we all had juicy lychees while listening to songs by veteran singers, on YouTube, on our TV - There's a certain charm to songs from that era that songs from today cannot allure.
Thursday evening, post-shift, we headed out and Pran joined us from work, too. We finally got Maa-Baba iPhone6s too :) Finally, all of us on Apple devices. Not to say, Android phones aren't smart enough but I guess our souls are already sold to "i". It was quite an exciting moment, and I got hugs and kisses showered upon. Yaay :P To top it up, Baba decided to treat us to some delectable wine. At Elements again, we smiled, as Pran and I had been here even when I had got Pran his iPhone6, almost year ago. The chicken wings were yum and we couldn't wait to get home to get the iPhones started.
Friday was Hari Raya - a public holiday. I got home after my morning shift. Yea, we often have to work on public holidays but I wasn't as bothered by that. For the poignant truth is there is no fixed time for people to fall sick and gravely sick, often. I wonder how the families come to terms with such morbidity and loss. Next year, on the public holiday, would they go on a holiday or would they mourn the passing away of a loved one a year ago... Their pain is much more, their fear much deeper - so I can have only compassion for all the people I meet that day; even if all the friends and family I know from non-service profession enjoy over the long weekend.
I was welcomed by my school friend and her mum as I reached home; was good fun recollecting fond memories from school time and all the adventures that we were a part of :D
After they left, I quickly made Vegetable Stew to go with the Appams, for the dinner later that evening. Maa had earlier prepared green chilli chicken and corn-palak curry. We had the gang over for dinner - these are people who've been Prantik's friends for over a decade and now, I've gotten to know them as well. Much fun :)
Saturday witnessed Baba being introduced to the fitness and health apps. This was the beginning of the family choosing Healthy Living, Happier Living. And I couldn't be more thrilled. :)
A week of doing the new and revisiting the old.
A week of having neighbours and friends over and chilling with family.
A week of loving my new family.
T-12wks
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