Day 133 : Star Birthday!

The husband was on a business trip in Bangkok, so it was just me and Madam enjoying a Sunday together. In the morning, we set off to my brother in law's place and realized that he and his wife had bought a handful of gifts for us! Reason? The husbands and my upcoming birthdays and oh just by the way, early birthday gifts for Madam too (her birthday isn't until the end of October!)

So Madam got a beautiful white dress for her birthday that came complete with a dainty purse and a tiara, all of which she loved. I got a handbag and in appreciation of my moviemaker self, a clapper board and a scrap book that looks like a clapper board. The husband got a shirt and wait for it... a polaroid camera! I, of course, told everyone that the camera will be mine. 

Because, really, no amount of digital photographs are ever gonna match the beauty and adorableness of a physical photo, especially one with the lovely look and feel of a polaroid photo! 

All the gifts, captured in three different pictures. 

After spending some time there, feeling grateful for these great folks and falling in love with the gifts, Madam and I made our way to the my favourite temple in Toa Payoh. Because, incidentally, it was my "star birthday" - i.e. the birthday as per the Malayalam calendar (so, yes.. I did get a handful of gifts, rather unexpectedly, on my birthday!).  

Madam and I reached the temple even before the shrines had opened, so we spent some time walking around first and they we went followed the priest as he opened each shrine and did the prayers. The weather was lovely too - cool and breezy, and the both of us had a lovely evening together. 

So that's how my "star birthday" was spent - showered with a lot of gifts, a lot of love (must mention that my parents, uncles, aunts and cousins all wished me one after the other - in fact, apparently my uncle and cousin had a race between them as to who will wish me first! How cute is that!), a lot of quality time with Madam and a lot of smiles. Perfect.  

367 more to go. 

Day 132 : All the Good Folks!

I got two lovely notes today.

One from a total stranger who had watched my sitcom series Athazham, and then proceeded to find my old blog, and then found me on Facebook and finally wrote me a note that was complimenting and supportive. She had a lot of nice things to say and it was sweet. Obviously gestures like that make me feel all nice and happy! 

Another one was from a friend's wife whom I had met for the first time recently when they visited Singapore, and whom I had updated about Madam's tumor story. She wrote to me saying that she didn't know how to react then, but she wanted to extend her love and support. She had a lot of genuine and lovely things to say - my favourite being "The scenery on your path will be different than you imagined, but not any less beautiful". I feel like I made a friend for life! It is just amazing how people rally around in tough times. God bless her kind soul! 

Last but not the least, I had the opportunity to spend some time with two aunties, who had welcomed me with open arms to their lives and homes when I first came to Singapore as a lost 16 year old and when I visited Singapore Kerala Association for the first time to rediscover my heavily missed Mallu roots. It's been almost two decades since then and I have always been in touch with them. One of them had migrated to Perth but was in town for a few weeks and I went to visit her today. I obviously had a great time, but it was great to see how Madam took to them too! She drew for them, sang for them, narrated stories for them and in return was showered with chocolates.

So yes, today was all about the good folks around!

368 more to go. 

Day 131: Withdrawal!

We wrapped up the last bit of patch up dub at the studio today, After I sent the final VO file out, realization dawned upon me - that was probably the last bit of work from my end for the film! I would still need a couple of rounds of review of final sound mix and DI colour, but other than that, I think it is all done.

So of course, I immediately started to experience withdrawal. Which only goes to show how much I had enjoyed the process of making this film. So yes, there are withdrawal symptoms, but here's to having so many fantastic memories that would last this lifetime!

369 more to go. 

Days 123 - 130 : 8 days, 8 pointers.

I am taking the lazy way out and combining posts for a few days. For a week, to be precise. Which is really awful but that's what am doing. Mainly because, after I got back from Phuket, everything has been a whirlwind. I no longer remember what I did every day. Plus of course, I procrastinated the blogging every day that now things have become old enough for my memory to start failing.

BUT...  I can find 7 things to be happy about. Or in other words, there are 7 things that I can remember that am allocatingfor each day.

So here we go.

1) I got back to dancing and practiced the Thilllana and Bho Shambho again.

2) I got back to Fitness Blender after a really long gap. It used to be one of my often visited channel for workout videos but recently I had been more into yoga and dance. But somehow I felt like some strength & cardio training were calling out to me, so am back at Fitness Blender. So far, am enjoying it.

3) I met a friend from school - "friend since 1991" to be precise - who was visiting with his family. I took them to National Gallery where his adorable daughter and my own Madam had a whale of a time. They were true blue foodies, so my treat to them was at my favourite restaurant Saha and they loved it! The fish curry, the chettinaad chicken curry, the hyderabadi biriyani, the mini uthappams, the dessert with nitrogen (as we called it), were all terrific!

4) I had my mid year performance review and I was told by my manager that he has nominated me for a "Emerging Leader Program" at work, which I think is his way of saying that I have done well so far. So, pretty happy about that.

5) Madam came up with a few more gems, Sample this :

Me : Don't be naughty, I'll give you one "adi"! (adi = whack)
Madam : You can't give me "adi". Because you are my buddy.

(Yup, now she rhymes when she talks back).

6) The husband and I had a date night after ages! I don't even remember the last time just the two of us stepped out. We went to Club Street and got ourselves some Italian food and wine. Felt good!

7 ) When Qlab started to work on the film, they noticed some serious quality issues with the dubbing in certain scenes. That's not surprising because the "dubbing studio" till now has been a random room in the actress' house. So they requested for some redub and since we are so close to completing the film, I didn't wanna mess up the redub of these last bits. So we dubbed in a real studio which was a very cool experience!

8) Last but not the least - I read three books. All three I loved! I wrote a little review on Facebook which am shamelessly borrowing and putting here.
In order of how much I loved each...
#3 - "Hector finds time" by Francois Lelord. While not as awesome as "Hector and his search for happiness" mainly due to many unnecessary strained attempts at humour, it was still a fun read and many a time, an eye opening one too.
#2 - "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion. An absolutely delightful find - especially thanks to the incredibly adorable character of Prof Don Tillman. Had real fun reading this very fresh romantic comedy!
#1 - "My Grandmother sends her regards and apologies" by Fredrik Backman, the same genius who wrote "A man called Ove". These two now are my most favourite books of all time. Incredibly imaginative, "My Grandmother...." makes one laugh, cry and think - all in a sentence. Not once, but many many times. Narrated through the eyes of a quirky seven year old, this precious little book combines fantasy, wonder, magic, joy, dreams, hope, love, life and much more! Mr Backman has a fan for life!

So there. 8 days squeezed into 8 pointers. Lazy post, alright.

370 more to go.

Days 120 - 122 : Picture Perfect Phuket (Continued)!

It was the perfect holiday. I spent good time with the husband and Madam as well as our friends who joined. I read a lot, ate a lot, drank a few glasses of really good wine, chilled out by the pool, listened to the waves, did yoga on the beach to my heart's content, and sent a silent "thank you" out to whoever it is that painted the gorgeous colours in the sky every dusk and for me having the privilege to be able to witness it.

I think more than explaining it all, the pictures would work better again.

Yoga on the beach (something I'd been wanting to do for a long while)!

The pool & sea at Outriggers Laguna Beach Resort

The lagoon view at the resort, drenched in rain

View of the resort from the lagoon

A canal in the lagoon

The resort at dusk

A "kissie" during sunset

One of the many beautiful sunset moments

It was so beautiful, even Madam had a "Titanic" moment

:)

378 more to go. 

Day 119 : Picture Perfect Phuket!

I guess today would be best explained with pictures. So here we go.

Dad & daughter mesmerized by the view we woke up to

View from our balcony

A humungous monitor lizard in the lagoon 

When you simply can't take your eyes away from the wonder of an ocean

Ready for the pool!

Madam builds sand castles while her mom dreams away

Sunset from the balcony

Dad & Daughter

The colours of dusk

More colours

And then, a baby elephant visited the beach!

Need I say more?

381 more to go. 

Day 118 : The Sound of the Waves and The Joy of a Day Bed!

We are in Phuket!

I was a bit nervous prior to the trip because of Madam's first plane journey since the tumor episode - air pressure, brain pressure, you know.. all that jazz. We first really noticed her symptom after a plane journey, when she shivered and couldn't walk. So I had good reason to be nervous, but it was a smooth eventless journey. In fact, I think she really enjoyed it - walking with a look of importance through the airports, buying herself painting and activity books for the flight, spending time on those and giving her general opinion clouds (as seen from the flight), oceans (as seen from the Phuket airport) and stars (as seen on the car journey from the airport to our hotel in Phuket).

We got to the hotel - Outrigger Beach Resort - by about 8:30pm. It was an expansive place, beautifulyl decorated and we were greeted with a cold towel, a small jasmine garland and a welcome drink each. As we walked towards our beachfront room, I heard what might probably my most favourite sound in the world - that of the waves crashing against the shore.

The room was amazing - really huge and looking right at the waters - the beach was only a few metres in front! Madam immediately took to her day bed, which was the best corner of the room with three glass windows looking out to the ocean, and decorated appropriately with a Mickey Mouse quilt, so she establish ownership pretty quickly and refused to part from it.

The Room, The Day Bed & Madam

As it was late, we ordered some room service and hit the bed. It was the perfect start to the holiday. With Madam tucked away on her gorgeous day bed after a successful plane journey, and the soothing sound of the waves that rocked me to sleep through the night. Bliss!

382 more to go. 

Day 117 : The Forgotten Day.

I am writing the entry for this day after a few days' gap and I can safely say that I don't remember a thing about what happened on the 14th of July. Mainly because, it was all a whirl - the packing for the holiday, the large number of things to do at work before the holiday, and even trying to catch up on sleep because I was feeling really fatigued after the Mumbai trip.

Nett, I don't remember what happened. But I can also safely say that it was a good day because it was only day before the first family holiday in 9 months. And sauch days are usually all happy days!

383 more to go. 

Day 116 : Fancy Dress!

It was Fancy Dress day and Madam rocked it, in her own way.

The husband, the helper and I accompanied Madam to school. Once we got there, I quickly dressed her up in her "vegetable seller" costume and then we proceeded to the auditorium to watch the ongoing.

Madam came to the auditorium, together with her class, looking rather upset - reason being us leaving her behind with her teachers and friends. But she cheered up once she saw us and then joined her class happily.

Soon the event started. I was hoping that the other children's performances would inspire her to say her lines well. I had trained her to say "I am a vegetable seller. I sell vegetables because they are good for your health" (she added "and strength"). Then her dad added "Aloo lelo. Sabzi lelo". But I wasn't sure whether she would be comfortable enough to go up on stage and talk through the mic.

Many of the kids had dressed up as teachers and they would sing ABCD or say the numbers as part of their performance.

Soon it was Madam's turn. She very confidently walked up to the stage with her basket of vegetables, grabbed the mic like she has done it a million times and began.

"Hello, I am Eka. I am going to say ABCD and numbers. A B C D E.... "

There was clearly some confusion in her mind on the nature of a fancy dress event. Either that, or we were dealing with an identity crisis. It was hilarious!

The teachers and I waved to her and pointed to her vegetable basket. Then she got it. So she switched gears and said....

"I am a vegetable seller. I sell vegetables. They are good for health. I have aloos. I have carrots. Thank you." And then she smiled broadly because she knew she aced it!

I was indeed a very proud mom!

Waiting for her turn!

Vegetable selling teacher, apparently. 

384 more to go. 

Day 115 : Much Excitement!

It was an awesome day for several reasons.

1) We got into another film festival called Eurofilm! It's a small online festival, but any acceptance is encouraging. I got the news first thing in the morning, so this was a great start to the day and also a wonderful way to top the post production experience of the last few days!
2) After being away for 6 days, I was finally on my way back home and I couldn't wait!
3) I breezed through the check in and immigration at the Mumbai airport, checked out their lounge thanks to my Singapore Airlines Gold status and bought a couple of games for Madam, who had specified that I needn't bother going back home without any gifts for her.
4) I enjoyed my flight - first by watching "Ki & Ka" and then by taking a nap, sprawling across the three seats I got in an empty flight.
5) I was surprised by my dear husband at the airport. I had no idea he was coming to pick me up, so I was overjoyed to see him there!
6) I got a reasonably exciting welcome back by Madam - she first hugged and kissed her father, and then hugged and kissed me, and then readily asked for her gift. Priorities. Sigh.
7) I prepared her "fancy dress" for tomorrow. We were just informed yesterday by her school that there is a fancy dress event and she needs to dress up as a "community helper" (e.g. doctor, teacher etc.). I had known about the fancy dress a week ago but there was no indication of a theme then. So I was overzealous and had prepared a fairy tale costume for her before I left, which has now gone completely waste! Anyway, this time I prepared her to be a "vegetable seller" - with a basket full of vegetables and a dupatta-turned-sari as her costume, in true Indian style. I was smug that I managed to put something together within 30 minutes and in my humble opinion, it looked good enough.
8) I started to pack for our upcoming holiday to Phuket. It's our first family holiday after Madam's surgeries, so it is a big deal.
9) I caught up on several emails from work. I was out only for four working days but it's like skies have fallen apart. There's still a ton of work more to get completed, but at least am glad I cleared a bulk of the emails.
10) By the time I went to bed, I was super duper happy, and super duper grateful. For the festival, for the family, for the upcoming holiday, for everything.

385 more to go. 

Day 114 : All's Well That Ends Well!

We got to Qlab early and spent the whole day there. I shuttled between the DI studio and sound mix studio and it was wonderful to see how the work progressed. By 10pm or so, Biju wrapped up about 80% of the DI and by 2am, Sinoy wrapped up the the sound mix for the key scenes that combined sound design, dubs and background score. It was amazing to be in the studio and see your film in the rich colours or listen to your film in a 5.1 surround atmosphere! I felt elated!

And what was more awesome was that at the end of it all Sinoy, who is a man of very few words, softly said, "The dialogues...". From his tone, I thought he was about to say that there are far too many dialogues in the film or that their quality left much to be desired. So I braced myself.

But then he progressed to say "The dialogues... they are so fresh. Not heard anything like this before. And there is so much to learn in this film. It is one of those that stays with you for long."

Wowwwww!!! I was so stunned! Those were the words from a national award winner who has worked on 100s of big films!!

Needless to say, I grinned non stop for the rest of the night!

There is much work left - the complete DI, the final subtitles, the final credits roll, the full final mix - both 5.1 and stereo versions and even some redubs since Sinoy said the tone of certain dubs weren't great. So yes, it is still a long way to go, but for today, am on top of the world!

If this isn't the perfect end to this fantastic trip, what is?!

386 more to go.

Day 113 : Break Day.

Today, being Sunday, was a holiday for the folks at Qlab. So I made my way to the editor's home to meet his wife and children. I had known him for years, but it is the first time I got to meet his gorgeous family.

Over a rather expansive spread for lunch, we caught up and had the rather overdue conversation. It was lovely meeting his wife and his two daughters were adorable. He also showed me around the area he lived in - which was far from the crazy crowds of the city and nice, lush green locality complete with parks, hills and two waterfalls! It was beautiful!

On the way back, we dropped by his cousin brother's place. I know the latter from before, given all our common interest in film making and it was good to catch up with him and his wife as well.

Dinner was a creamy dessert of custard apple with condensed milk from a very popular shop near the Haji Ali mosque, another beautiful part of Mumbai. The mosque is located in the sea with a narrow path that leads to it from the show, and that which gets drowned during high tides. How wonderful!

Tomorrow is my last day in Mumbai and it is expected to be jam packed with the DI and sound mix work which has been lagging thanks to Sinoy's unfortunate illness.

Fingers crossed!

But for today, I enjoyed the break day and a relaxing Sunday.

387 more to go.  

Day 112: Mumbai and Colours!

About 60% of the DI of the film was completed today and we had a great review session with Biju. It was also a great learning session as we could see a lot of the issues from the shooting stage being brought over to the colouring stage and creating unique challenges. Like, how do you fix a scene which had a sandstorm in the background? I guess in a proper shoot, they would not shoot until the skies clear but then, we are hardly "proper". So well, colour correcting that has been tough and several details has been lost. Bummer. But the film looks good now and I felt pretty good about the whole thing. 

Unfortunately Sinoy continued to be sick and was not available for the mix. But Jyoti stepped in as a savior and prepared the dry mix of all the elements - sound design, foley, dubs and soundtrack. So hopefully when Sinoy is back, it wouldnt take long to complete the final mix. 

Which also meant that we had some free time, so the editor took me around a drive aroud Mumbai - Marine Drive, Juhu, Hanging Gardens (the Bhelpuri I had from here was terrific!) etc. My favourite, of course, was the skyline and ocean and the drive through and around the Bandra Worli Sealink. I had been to all these places before but every time I am here, I fall in love with these sights over and over again. There is so much character to this city! 

We also went to the adorable Mt. Mary church and I was so fascinated to see the sale of candles in various shapes for offering at the church. This practice isn't unusual in India and we see tiny houses and cradles being offered in temples around the country when people want a home and a baby. But here they have taken it to another level - there are currency notes (for money, of course), self explanatory structures that say "office", cars, books (for education), legal notices (for winning legal battles!), and my favourite - "TV and movie star" wax models for the next generation stars. These wax models wait in huge baskets for someone to pick them up and offer them at the altar of Mt. Mary where they will melt away and be remolded to new shapes. It was like a basket full of dreams waiting to be realized. So sweet! 

After a dinner of Crispy Schezwan Dosa (I am not sure why am ordering everything Schezwan these days, but it was yummy), I hit the bed like a pile of rocks. Touring around in Mumbai on the bumpy nonexistent roads in a tiny zen without a working aircon really does get to you. But then that makes the experience all the more special I guess! 

Tomorrow is Sunday and Qlab is on holiday. I will be returning to Singapore on Tuesday, so I have only one more working day left in Mumbai and have my toes and fingers crossed for the completion of the film! Hoping for the best!

For today, am in love with the colours my film as taken and the colours of Mumbai. 

388 more to go. 

Day 111 : Work, Bestie, Bollywood.

I could hardly get out of the bed this morning! The traffic and heat and humidity and the travel over the bumpy roads really get to you after a while. But then I keep reminding myself that I shouldn't be such an obnoxious NRI. 

So I got up, got breakfast and today, instead of going to Qlab, I decided to first visit my best friend from school who is now settled in Mumbai. We had been besties since I was 8 or 9 years old and the love continues strong till date! 

I spent a couple of hours with her, catching up, playing with her adorable little son, stuffing myself on the yummilicious tomato rice and tea that she made for me (she actually remembered that tomato rice used to be favourite during school days and how I used to happily lap it up whenever she brought it for her lunch). I hadn't met her in the last 3 years or so but it was like absolutely nothing had changed between us. In fact, we had so much fun that we even readily forgot to take a pic together! She and I could simply pick up where we left off and I finally left her with a rather heavy heart!

Then it was time for a visit to Jyoti to pick up another round of sound files and drop it at Qlab, even as he left for getting more foley work done. We travelled to Qlabs, only to realize that the sound designer Sinoy was on sick leave. Bummer. But we were pleasantly surprised to see that the colourist Biju had completed more than 40% of the full film already and I was quite pleased with the look of the film. I mean, now it actually looks like a film! 

I also got a chance to meet Amit, who owns Qlab and had a very interesting chat with him. He was evidently an expert in post production work and film making and is trained in various technical aspects like editing, cinematography, sound  and even direction. He also gave several insights into Bollywood - the good, the bad and the ugly. Sample this - there has been an instance where a director insisted on a fridge of a specific make and colour for a scene. Even though it was only in a passing shot. The crew suggested using just a mock sample but he wanted a brand new one of a specific brand. It appears in the film for 5 seconds or so. After which it was shipped to the director's own house for his personal use. Wow. 

After meeting with Amit,  I got some quick dinner (my pick was something called Triple Szechwan Fried Rice and am not quite sure why it is called that) and then hit the bed, full of gratitude for yet another day of being here in Mumbai, working on my film, meeting some excellent folks, and having a good break.

389 more to go. 

Day 110 : Catch Ups, Work & Gratitute!

I started the day catching up with the husband over whatsapp. He tells me that Madam is happily back in school after her holidays. Today was the first day back to school and apparently she was quite delighted on her way and back, which is awesome! I missed being there but clearly that's alright, and I felt less guilty! 

Post the chat, I did 40 minutes of decent yoga, freshened up and then made my way to the hotel's buffet. I readily stuffed myself with uthappams, dosa, chutneys and two cups of masala tea. 

Soon the editor joined and we made our way back to Qlab. First we went to Biju, who had just managed to convert our film into the number of different frames that he need to correct - which was approximately 157,000! Leaving him to figure out the massive task ahead of him, we joined Sinoy who was still waiting for the sound design from Jyoti. Nett, it seemed like there was nothing much for us to do at Qlab. 

So I went to meet a dear friend, who played the critically acclaimed Pallavi from my film Mausams, and who is now a proud mother of a pair of ridiculously cute twins! Her house was close by and we spent a couple of hours there - catching up in person after a gap of two years and fawning over the twins. 

Then we stopped at a small restaurant for a vada paav in true Mumbai style and went back to Qlabs. 

Jyoti was already there with the sound design and Sinoy was placing them on his system. We reviewed Jyoti's work and Sinoy showcased a few tricks up his sleeves regarding sound design, and once again I was overawed. These guys are simply too good! 

I spent a few hours at Qlab and then made my way back to the hotel, full of gratitude for the opportunity to work with these folks. 

390 more to go. 

Day 109 : Mumbai & Qlab!

After a shopping spree of three books from the airport and two movies and a light breakfast of dosa and vada on the flight, I finally reached Mumbai, in a rather super duper excited state of mind. The editor came to pick me up and after a brief stop at the hotel for me to check in and drop my luggage, we set off straight to Qlab. 

Qlab was on the same street as other bigwigs like Yash Raj studios, Ram Gopal Varma's Company studio, Balaji studio and I couldnt believe that I was about to work there! I felt like I was really in Bollywood! Qlab themselves have worked on about 6000 films so far, from Hollyood to Bollywood and it is one of the frontrunners in the field. So yes, I was clearly in a state of hyper-excitment. 

I first met Sinoy, the national award winning Sound Mix expert (he won the award for Gangs of Wasseypur) and was so pleasantly surprised by how humble and down to earth he was! His assistant was on leave and he himself placed all the soundtrack files and a few such set up work and was so patient when, despite our best efforts, there were mistakes at our end in some of the files. His main mix would only start once he receives the full sound design from Jyoti, the new sound designer, so for today we focused on the needs of each of the scenes and the basic set up with BGM stems and dubs. 

Then I met Biju, the colourist and he took us through how he would be approaching various scenes in the film and I was amazed by quickly and creatively he enhanced many of the frames! I felt like I can say anything I wanted to enhance the visual and he would be able to achieve it. Incredible stuff! 

After spending some time at Qlab, we stepped out to a nearby mall for lunch (which was an awesome thali at Maharaja Bhog), and then proceeded to Jyoti's house, which was his base for the initial part of sound design. 

He took us through his work, which I thought was downright amazing, especially since he had done it within three days flat! His attention to detail was incredible. He would have added in sounds like that of a small fountain somewhere in the background which I may not have even noticed. I was truly wowed. 

By the time we got done at Jyoti's place, it was already 6pm and it took us close to two hours to get back to the hotel through the infamous Mumbai traffic. 

I was tired after the long day, but managed to do some light yoga, ordered in a grilled fish and masala milk (which was awesome!), started to read one of the books I had bought and hit the bed. 

By the end of day one, I was no longer nervous. These were clearly not just genius people but genuinely nice folks. My little film is in the best hands and am a very happy person! 

391 more to go. 

Day 108 : Prayers & Preparations!

I was expecting it to be a mad day with work, packing, last minute chores to run, and also attending a family prayer that was to be held at the Toa Payoh temple.

The prayer, which lasted a couple of hours, was a perfect way to calm my nerves before the journey to Mumbai tomorrow. I felt so much at peace!

All the last minute office work's done.

All the prep for Madam's school reopening is done.

Instructions have been given to the husband, the helper, the in laws on various payments, prep for Madam's ballet class etc.

The bag is packed.

So am prepared as prepared can be.

392 more to go. 

Day 107 : Gulp, It's Here!

Yup, it's here. The confirmation that the production house will be working on our film from this Wednesday, July 6th until next Monday, July 11th.

And am gulping, because it is kinda a big deal. A HUGE deal, in fact. Because these are national award winners, folks who have worked on some of the biggest Bollywood products including Bajirao Mastani. And am expected to work with them and tell them what I want for my film, as its director.

Which really, is the biggest deal ever for me.

The news was confirmed after 10pm, and I booked my ticket immediately. Or at least I tried to. For the first time ever, Singapore Airlines didn't accept my credit card and then made double bookings and I finally had to call their helpline. It is almost like there is no end to the obstacles we will face for this film.

The whole confirmation, booking etc. .were all rather last minute by my usual over-planning OCD liking. I wasn't expecting to get such little notice. But now that it's confirmed, there was no looking back.

I have to pack. I have to prepare for Madam's upcoming fancy dress next week as I won't have time after I come back. I have to go for a prayer at the temple that's been arranged for tomorrow. I have to also pack for our upcoming holiday to Phuket next weekend (the first one since her diagnosis) as am not going to have much time for that either. I have to complete some office work. I have to complete the blogs so far. I have to figure out some subtitling work that's come in. All in the next 24 hours.

In a nutshell, I am freaking out. Both in a slightly bad way and a tremendously awesome way! This is Super Exciting!!

Am just hoping that all will go well the next few days. Going all the way to Mumbai and nothing working out or being stuck in the rain or something like that would be the worst thing ever.

So am keeping all my fingers and toes crossed. And just hoping the Universe has something planned out for things to fall in place. Somehow.

393 more to go. 

Day 106 : Birthdays!

I put up a surprise party for a friend on her 30th birthday. OK, fine. It wasn't much of a surprise because her husband couldn't keep the secret.

But a party is a party and more than the friend, Madam was super excited. She wanted the house decorated with streamers and balloons so that it successfully looked like a 3 year old's party vs. a 30 year old's.

She also took the lead in blowing out the candles and singing the Happy Birthday song, stuffed herself silly with the chocolate cake (she actually picked up every single alphabet on the cake and consumed it) and had a real gala time.

Yup, a fun party that was!

394 more to go. 

Day 105 : Malayalam Drama!

Once upon a time, I used to be an active member of the Malayalam theater scene in Singapore. That was, well, quite long a time ago. In fact, since then, there has not been much activity in the overall Malayalam theater front either. It had pretty much gone into hibernation.

So I was very excited when I realized there's going to be a Malayalam drama event - four short plays over one evening. I gathered my usual "Mallu gang" and four of us went to watch this historic event.

And it was fun!

Firstly, it was so good to see all the familiar faces from my Singapore Malayalee Association days. It used to be my home away from home for many years and I have a ton of friends there still.

Secondly, the plays themselves were well attempted, especially the first one called "Tadaka - the Dravidian Princess" which I enjoyed.

Thirdly, anything and everything that's done together with the "Mallu Gang" is fun, even if that means joking in our mother tongue and cracking up silly for no reason.

All in all, a wonderful evening!

395 more to go.

Day 104 : The Mess.

I had mentioned here that a major production house in Mumbai will be working on the final sound mix and the colour grading for my little film. 

But for that to happen, first they needed all the current sound files to reach them in a certain format. Over the past couple of months, there had been much work, rework and to and fro between my sound designer in Dubai, my editor in Mumbai who is helping with all this and myself in Singapore. And after shedding a ton of blood and sweat, a precious hard disk with the latest sound files reached my editor in Mumbai and he took it to the folks at the production house for a check. 

And the folks at the production house readily rejected most of it. Seems like the product of our amateur ways is well... not exactly usable in Bollywood. 

That was, needless to say, awful news. 

But then they were nice enough to direct us to a new guy in Mumbai to help us out with the sound design (pretty much from scratch, I believe). 

So, that's what's happening now. 

The new sound design guy is working the sound design. 

The sound mix engineer will not be around from 15th, so he needs the files to reach him by 8th or so latest, so he can work work this before he leaves. 

The colour grading guy isn't available at the same time as the sound mix engineer, which means we have to work out a schedule such that all this can be achieved over the few days I can take off work and be there. 

I have been just sitting and waiting until I know when I can book my travel to Mumbai.

My editor now tells me, after a gap of two months, that the subtitles file I had provided isn't usable and he needs the new one pretty much in the next few days.

Oh, and also, it is pouring cats and dogs in Mumbai and the city can shut down any time apparently. 

In other words, it's all a bloody mess.  

But somewhere underneath all the mess, there is a lot of excitement. I am actually happy (and also kinda amused by all the mess). I am looking forward to the time when I can finally go to Mumbai and work with these big shots of the Bollywood industry, and complete my little film. 

Maybe that experience will make all this mess completely worth it.

396 more to go.