Day 164 : The Rajasthan Gift!

My parents celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary a few days ago and I wanted to give them a nice little gift. For their 25th anniversay I had sent them to Bali, for their 30th anniversary I had taken them to Europe, so for their 35th anniversary, I thought they could do a round of Royal Rajasthan.

As of today, I have booked everything - the tickets, the hotels, the car - and in the process, got a mini virtual tour of the various destinations - Udaipur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikarner - myself. It is indeed a gorgeous place and one that I would love to visit myself some day!

They will be leaving at the end of September for a 9 day trip and am super excited for them! I can't wait for them to get there and be wowed by the place (and am hoping, also by some of the palaces turned hotels that I have booked!).

Here's to my parents and their 35 years of togetherness!

344 more to go. 

Day 163 : The Bus Driver!

Today was Madam' class presentation and parents were invited. The theme her class followed was that of "Community Helpers" and Madam's role was of a bus driver.

When I reached her school, I saw her telling her teacher that contradictory to what the teacher thought, a bus driver wearing a cap is a terrible idea.

Anyway, after that initial hiccup (Madam won the argument, by the way), she came on to the stage, confident and full of smiles, minus a cap, and said her lines into the mic. She made me proud!

I also enjoyed meeting her classmates, who grilled me with questions like "How was our presentation?", "Was it good?", "How good?", "Did you enjoy it?", "How much?" etc. etc. I used to see them quite often earlier when I had drop Madam to school in the morning. But now with the school bus on, I don't get to see them at all. So it was good "catch up". One little girl whose parents had not attended the presentation, even adopted me as her mom for the day. She hung around me most of the time, and even waved to me from the stage while dishing out her lines. Adorable!

Proud mom. Happy day!

The bus driver on the stage!

347 more to go.

Day 162 : Crime Fiction!

Early on, my dad had instilled an interest towards crime fiction in me. Recently, I had been lapping up book after book of thrilling investigations and the latest two are Ian Rankin's "Even Dogs in the Wild" and Michael Connelly's "The Black Box". Both took off with a slow start, but soon became engaging, fast paced and absolutely enjoyable.

To my dad and our shared love for crime fiction!

348 more to go.

Day 161 : Maheshinte Prathikaram!

That, my dear friends, is the title of a Malayalam movie that I have fallen head over heels in love with. Which is a rarity these days, given how most of them are all style and no substance. This film, the title of which translates to "Mahesh's Revenge", is a super simple yet super intelligent film. So much so that I keep watching parts of it over and over again! And it's the debut film of its writer-director Dileesh Pothan, how cool is that!

Today, am just happy that I finally found a Malayalam film, after ages, that I 100% adore! Dileesh Pothan has a fan for life!

339 more to go.

Day 160 : When Mom & Daughter Paint Together!

Super exciting day because I got back to oil painting after a gap of seven years, and Madam joined me with her water colours. That's two things to feel great about - me getting back to my favourite format and me enjoying our favourite activity together!

She painted a flower. I painted her.

Mom & daughter painting Duo

Madam's creation

My creation

And looking at my picture of hers, she exclaimed "I am SO beautiful, Mummy!". Which, am guessing, is probably her way of complimenting my artistic abilities.

340 more to go. 

Days 155 - 159 : When the Going Gets Tough...!

This work week was probably the most hectic work week I have had this year. Reason being that my biggest deliverable for the year as well as a 4 - day training that included a case study presentation, all came at the same time.

So I don't remember much that happened over the last 5 days that disappeared in a whirlwind. But I can probably still recollect five things that were good.

1) The food at Basilico, the Italian buffet place at Hotel Regent, where we had the training. (Clearly I have my priorities right).
2) The fact that I actually completed my biggest deliverable for the year, on time and with precision, irrespective of the training that took up so much time.
3) The fact that the most appreciated part of the case study presentation was something that I had come up myself. Incredible ego boost. Also, much needed to feel good about the time and effort investment that went into it.
4) Some good folks I met at the training, whom I enjoyed interacting with.
5)  The incredible feeling of relief that washed over me as the training and the work week drew to a close. I was so relieved that I went back home and slept right away for a couple of hours. It was exhausting. But it was over. Phew.

Tough week. Am glad it's over but am even more glad that I enjoyed chunks of it.

Day 154 : BFG!

Today we went out on a family movie outing - to watch The BFG, Th Big Friendly Giant. Given that it was directed by my all time favourite director Steven Spielberg, I had nothing to complain. And it was fascinating to watch Madam completely hooked to the screen for two hours. Clearly taking after her mom as a movie buff.

I loved the animation, the story, and really, just the Big Friendly Giant. He really was the cutest big thing.

From my first Spielberg film "Close encounters with the third kind" to the "Bridge of Spies" and now "The BFG", I shall always remain a die-hard Spielberg fan!

346 more to go.  

Day 153 : Cycling!

My biggest regret from childhood probably is that I never picked up cycling as a kid. But then since regretting doesn't really take us anywhere, every year, I embark on a "I shall learn cycling this year" mission every other year. I try for a day and give up every time, until, the next year comes by and I make the same oath.

Today was that day of attempting cycling, for the year 2016.

But interestingly, seems like my inconsistent attempts over the years have finally paid off, because I could easily cycle without any issues starting up (if my memory serves me right, starting up was the biggest issue in the last round). So yes, I could easily start, without too much wobbling. I could easily cycle too. Only flip side was that I could easily cycle in a straight line alone. Come to a curve in the path and am all wobbly again.

Oh well, one gotta keep something for the next year. But for today, am super duper happy that I was cycling like a Pro. In a straight line.

Special thanks to the husband who supported me all the while! We are so gonna crack this next year (or maybe the year after).

347 more to go.

Day 152 : Madam's Art!

One of my favourite activities with Madam is painting! Sometimes she plays along and sits for hours on a painting, sometimes she obviously has other, seemingly better plans. But today, she sat patiently for a while and painted a tree with colour pencils. It was exciting because it was probably one of her first efforts at a non-abstract piece of art. And it was all her work - I only had to guide her verbally, she did all of the drawing / colouring on her own.

Pretty painting, proud mom, tired daughter.

348 more to go. 

Day 151 : Tae Bo!

Am back home from China and I couldn't wait to start again on some normal workouts. It's been long - other than some yoga - since I got anything intensive done and I was feeling pretty unfit. Yet, I couldn't figure what I should do - everything felt a bit... meh.

And then I remembered Tae Bo! A mixture of Taekwondo and Kickboxing developed by Billy Banks, I had practiced it a few times many months ago and had since completely forgotten about it.

So yes, I did 40 minutes of kickass Tae Bo and felt oh-so-awesome! Definitely something to be done more frequently!

349 more to go. 

Day 150 : Multi-lingual Movie Marathon!

After a few meetings in the morning at the Shanghai office, I was on my way back to Singapore.

On the flight, I chose to watch a Bengali film called "Monchor" and a Punjabi film called "Ambarsariya". Even though neither was exceptional, I enjoyed both - they were engaging and entertaining enough and I was quite happy to have actually watched two films in languages that I usually do not watch.

So yes, today is for my multi-linguistic movie marathon!

350 more to go. 

Day 149 : Reactions to Trailer!

A reward awaited at the end of another long day of meetings in Shanghai. 

A LOT of comments - with compliments and best wishes - on the film's trailer -  a lot more than what I had expected, were waiting for me!

So back in the hotel, I spent almost an hour going through each and every one of them, smiling throughout. 

A happy ending to the day, no doubt. 

351 more to go. 

Day 148 : A Birthday "Abroad"!

I woke up in China today, on my 34th birthday. The birthday is shared with the husband who, needless to say, wasn't too happy that I would be away on his birthday. Of course, I was quick to point out that it's my birthday too. Anyway, here I was, so I thought I might as well enjoy it. And honestly, it ended up being quite a nice day!

Firstly, I had woken up to a gorgeous view. The Shanghai skies had cleared for the first time in all my visits over the last year - there was no haze at all, and it presented a beautiful view from my hotel room on the 46th floor.

Inspired by the view, I spent about 40 minutes doing Ashtanga Yoga. Then I called home and spoke to the husband and Madam. Madam seemed rather disappointed that she woke up and didn't find me, and she asked me to get back home immediately. "You come home. NOW." And when I told her that I couldn't, her exact words were "What kind of a mother are you?". Oh dear. Sometimes I wonder if she is 3.5 or 35.

Anyway, back in the office, I was surprised with a birthday cake by my lovely colleagues. I was so super pleased that I had two pieces of it - it was pretty yummy too!

The Cake

Post the day long meeting, they then took me to an Indian restaurant, where I had some good Chilli Naan and Goan Prawn Curry and topped it off with Masala Chai. And as we all know, topping anything with Masala Chai makes me the most happy!

Unfortunately work wasn't done for the day as we had a few meetings to go post dinner, but I discovered this lovely library at the top floor of the hotel, and used that for the meeting.

The library at JW Marriot - isn't it cosy?!

Back in the room, it was more emails and powerpoints but I was happy. It was indeed a happy Chinese birthday after all!

352 more to go.

Day 147 : The Trailer is Out!

Here it is, the trailer for the film - finally out!

Obviously, that makes my day like nothing else! :)

353 more to go. 

Day 146 : Birthday Celebrations!

The husband and I have our shared birthday in two day's time. But as luck would have it, I will be travelling to China tomorrow and will be back only well post the birthday.

So we thought we will have our celebration in advance.

First we had a celebratory dinner with our usual gang at Canopy in Bishan Park (that was actually a couple of days ago) and it was immense fun!

Today we went to the temple, together with Madam, because every celebration needs to start with a note of thanks to whoever it is that has designed all this.

Then we took Madam for her favourite activity - the animal rides at United Square - followed by nuggets and juice from McDonalds. That's "celebration" for her, irrespective of occasion.

And then, late at night after tucking Madam into bed, the husband and I went out for a glass of wine, some cheese and a lot of conversation, to one of the nice restaurants in Club Street. That was our celebration.

Thus wrapped up pretty much all the celebration for the 2016 birthday. Small and sweet!

354 more to go. 

Day 145 : Catch Ups & Movie Talks!

Today after work, I caught up with my "film gang" minus the actress - i.e. I met up with the two folks of my three-member gang - which basically meant the two actors of Aravindum Aarumugham. It was a general catch up but whenever we get together we take off right away on the topic of movies. We discussed everything from the best and worst of Malayalam and Tamil cinema recently to who should be cast in my I-will-make-it-someday commercial Tamil film.

And like every other time we do this, I enjoyed this immensely! Most of my works start post inspired conversations like these!

355 more to go.  

Day 144 : Thillana #2!

After a long gap, I got back to dance today and decided to learn a new Thillana. 

I started on it and within 15 minutes was panting like a dog. Not because of its difficulty level, but because of how quickly I seemed to have lost my stamina/fitness level with the reduced exercise the past couple of weeks. Ugh. Why does maintaining fitness have to be so difficult?! 

Anyway, the good news is that I went through about 2-3 minutes of the 9-minute piece - it took me more than an hour with ample breaks in between, but any progress is good progress, so there. 

Yes, today shall be about starting on my second thillana, irrespective of some clear challenges. 

356 more to go. 

Day 143 : From Eastern Europe to Latin America!

I am on top of the world!

Because I just got confirmation that we got into not one, but TWO more festivals! The Kosovo Film Festival and the Cine Pobre Film Festival in Mexico!

Seriously, how awesome is that?! Can't stop smiling!

357 more to go.  

Day 142 : IT'S A WRAP...FINALLY!!!

Yup, the title is in capitals.

It is because as of today, my film "Pularum Iniyum Naalekal" is completed! 5.1 surround sound mix, DI, subtitles all of it locked and loaded!

And that my friends, deserve a lot of CAPITALS!!!

So happy!

358 more to go. 

Day 141 : A Volcanoe & a Floating Restaurant!

In our previous trip to Bali, we had paid a visit to Mt. Batur, an active volcano in Bali's Kintamani region. We decided to revisit the place this time - it would be educational for Madam and a new experience for our helper. But in my quest for making the visit "different" from the last time for the husband and myself, I searched for restaurants in the vicinity that would be of interest.

Most folks go to the viewpoint in Kintamani to take a look at Mt. Batur and the lake around it and have lunch at the only proper restaurant there. So I was looking for something different from that. In my search on the internet, I found out that there is a floating restaurant right on that lake. According to the folks at the villa, it is apparently a little known secret simply because it takes a longer drive to get there vs. the viewpoint, and the road itself wasn't supposedly the best. But a floating restaurant sounded awesome, so we decided to check it out!

The drive to Kintamani was beautiful - it was mostly away from the touristy routes and yet, presented some lovely sights like the famed terraced farms (the big steep ones, different from the ones next to our villa), the pristine, non commercializes parts of Bali and finally the volcano and the lake at a distance that we caught from the "viewpoint" area. We then proceeded to the floating restaurant and I realized that roads were not at all bad as the folks at the villa made it out to be - clearly standards for roads are different for Indians and Balinese people.

Anyway, coming to the point, the floating restaurant and the view it presented were beautiful (once again, the pictures do no justice)! And the weather was cool and breezy and just about perfect.

Mt. Batur as seen from the floating restaurant

The floating restaurant

 And what topped that view? The food! We gorged on a lot of things but my personal favourite was the nice & spicy fried fish that came with two awesome sauces and some cut onions with lime, chillies and coriander which was simply the best! We all agreed that this was the best food we had in Bali this time - especially given how cheap it was!

Back in the hotel, we lazed about for a while, had some ice lemon tea and some local snacks and then went out to the Ubud centre one last time. We walked around, shopped a bit and got ourselves another round of local Balinese cuisine. This one, unfortunately, was nothing to write home about, however, we were very entertained by the fact that the staff were all glued to the TV watching a melodramatic Hindi soap dubbed in Bahasa Indonesian. Not only were they glued, but they were ooh-ing and aah-ing because seems like the hero just returned to the heroine after a bout of disappearance. To make the experience even more Indian, this Balinese restaurant also served "Indian Chai".

Back at the hotel, I helped myself to a glass of wine, watched a few more fireflies, read my book and tucked myself in happy at the thought of a holiday well spent.

359 more to go. 

Day 140 : Swept Away!

I woke up to another beautiful morning in Bali!

Post breakfast, the husband and I went on a short walk around the neighbourhood - through the farms, along the streams, dodging a variety of fauna on the way. Then we chilled out at the villa for a while, before taking off the Samaya resort to have our lunch at their Swept Away restaurant - my find from TripAdvisor.

We tooka  taxi to Samaya resort, with a short break at the entrance of Monkey Forest to see the monkeys - the monkeys here are known to be unruly, so we didn't go in any further, especially as we were greeted by loud cries and shrieks from fellow tourists who presumably lost a purse or a hat or some such thing thanks to one of the abovementioned unruly monkies.

Samaya resort was in a very quiet area of Ubud, but perched on a hilltop, with rooms and restaurants at various levels of the hilltop. It presented a amazing view - one which is done zero justice by the this picture below.

View from Samaya's reception area

To get to the Swept Away restuarant, which is right at the bottom of the hill, we had to take a buggy. Madam was delighted by that! She exclaimed her "car was so cute!" and "Wheeeeee"-ed all the way down.

Swept Away was right next to a beautiful river with rapids - it is the same river that much of Bali's white water rafting is conducted. While the restaurant itself is a few feet above the riverbed, they had a little path all the way down to the river. We walked down the path and splashed our feet about in the clear, cool waters.

The river next to Swept Away

And soon I realized that Swept Away not just had the best location - it actually had the best service as well as the best food! We ordered some black rice with chicken, pasta with chilli prawn, fish & chips and grilled chicken and mashed potato for Madam. They were all, A.W.E.S.O.M.E. Even Madam who is a poor eater otherwise, breezed through her chicken & potatoes ! Their drinks were really good too - I ordered a mixed fruit juice followed by a mocktail called "Oh My God" - a mix of orange juice, ginger and mint leaves - and truly went "Oh My God, it is so good!"

The staff were very good as well. They noticed that Madam had a fascination for the fish in the Koi pond right next to our table, so they got some bread crumbs for her to feed them. They were also super attentive and always making sure we were happy with the food. All in all, it was an amazing experience!

After yet another buggy ride along the steep hilltop, we were back at the villa. We relaxed for a bit and then went on to get our full body Balinese massages, offered free by the villa. How awesome is that!

So the husband and I got an hour of super relaxing massage next to the swimming pool . Then Madam and the husband hit the pool, while I caught up on the blogging with this view as well as the afternoon tea - ice lemon tea & banana fritters - to go along.

I had this beautiful view for company while blogging in Bali!

We felt pretty lazy to go out for dinner and we didn't fancy another night of dinner from the villa, so we ordered in some food from Warung JB - a restaurant close by. I got myself some Crispy Duck, a specialty in Bali apparently, and it was out of this world!! I was a bit apprehensive at first as I never have had it before, but oh my God, what a mistake! I definitely want to give another go at it before I return to Singapore.

Then the husband and I opened the bottle of wine we had picked up from dutyfree. There was also some excitement trying to get rid of a lizard that had entered the room. But after all that quietened down, I settled down with my book #2 - one by Ian Rankin, with my wine for company, and with the sounds of the crickets and frogs as the backdrop. It was, once again, perfect.

360 more to go.   

Day 139 : Surprises of Ubud!

It was a day of surprises, to say the least.

Firstly, I woke up to Surprise no. 1 - this fantastic view of the terrace farms right from our room!

I honestly had no idea I had booked a villa right in the middle of some of the famed terrace farms of Bali! The Airbnb profile had not given that away - or at least I didn't see anything of the sort.

So this basically meant that I was absolutely delighted at what I saw and couldn't stop raving about it!

View from our room at Inang Villa

Over our breakfast of eggs, fruits, toast, banana pancake, juice and tea at an equally adorable dining area at the villa, we saw ducks, roosters, honey bees, farmers, rice being laid on the floor for drying, young boys training for sports, old folks fit as army men/women and what not. It was almost like every single thing fascinated me!

View from the dining area at Inang Villa

Post breakfast, we took the free shuttle service and made our way to Ubud centre. We hung out around the Ubud palace, shopped for a few trinkets in some of the 1000s of little shops, had some Balinese food and topped it all with ice cream.

Which brings me to Surprise no. 2 - while we were having our lunch, I heard a voice behind me "Shilpa alle?" ("Are you Shilpa?"). It was a lady who had recognized me from my sitcom Athazham! While I blinked at her open-mouthed, she went on to explain that she is living in Singapore, is visiting Bali with her family and has watched all the Athazham episodes. She also went on to add that everyone in her family, including her brother and his family in UK, are all "fans". Needless, to say, I was super duper surprised and of course, rather pleased about this unexpected "celebrity" moment. Being recognized in Bali from an online sitcom - seriously, who would have thought!

When we got back to the villa, we were served hot ginger tea and yummy banana fritters, which apparently comes free every afternoon - that would be Surprise no. 3!

After enjoying that lovely evening tea and fritters, Madam and I made our way to the swimming pool. I had sent our helper out on a half day tour, so at least she feels like she had seen around Bali. The husband and I had done all the touristy spots in our previous visit and were not keen on repeating them, especially with Madam in tow. So the helper went off to see Tanah Lot and the Royal Temple, while we chilled out at the villa.

The pool at Inang Villa

After spending a considerable time in the pool Madam and I felt rather tired. So we ordered food early and she immediately dozed off after her dinner.

It was once again pitch dark outside, but I stepped out to the balcony to gaze at the stars and was rewarded with Surprise no. 4 - Fireflies! There were a few flying around, blinking on and off, just a few metres away. I was so excited!! I rushed back in and switched off the lights in our room so that they can be seen better and then dragged the husband out.

He and I spent some time enjoying the sight of these wonderful creatures, with darkness all around and the stars above and it all felt oh-so-perfect!


361 more to go.

Day 138 : Sounds of Bali!

After all the messy last minute deadlines at work and packing that never seem to end, we left for Bali! As always I gifted myself a few books from the airport bookstore, Madam helped herself to a couple of sticker, colouring and activity books and all of us, including our helper who is accompanying us this time, got some tea and juices to go before the flight.

The flight was pleasant - Madam slept through it, so I started on my first book - Shamini Flint's "Inspector Singh Investigates : A Curious Indian Cadaver", which turned out to be a light, engaging, fast paced entertainer. The husband and I also decided to start on the "sinful" part of the holiday and ordered some instant noodles in the flight.

Soon, we touched down at Bali and was welcomed by its new airport. I have been here twice before and the memory was that of a rather tiny airport but the new one is humungous and sparkling, in line with all the new airports these days. Immigration was quick & easy and we were picked up by our driver Ketut who took us to to our villa in Ubud.

We passed by the main streets of Ubud centre and I immediately fell in love with the line of quaint, cosy restaurants, boutiques and cafes on either sides of the narrow road. There is really a very nice, old world charm about this place! Soon we left the "centre" behind us and were heading more and more into the interior or "the village" as Ketut liked to call it. First came a few houses with the shrines at the entrance and then paddy field after paddy field (we guessed that's what it was since it was pitch dark outside and we couldn't make out a thing).

Soon we reached Inang Villa and what struck me first as we got out of the car was the change in sounds. There were no vehicles and no voices except our own. But there were a myriad of other sounds - that of crickets, frogs, birds, flowing water and the breeze. I glanced up at the sky and sure enough, there were more stars up there than we could ever see from Singapore . I decided then and there that this was a place I would be happy to stay in forever.  

We checked in to our two bedroom unit - Madam was quick to pick "her room", enjoyed the lovely welcome drink, drove out a lizard who was hanging out in Madam's room, ordered some fried rice and fried noodles in for dinner, and tucked ourselves into our beds. As I snuggled up with my book, I was amused to hear roosters crowing in the middle of the night!

Needless to say, I slept a very happy sleep.

362 more to go. 

Day 137 : 5.1 Surround Sound Mix Locked!

Finally it's done!

After months of dubs and redubs, screener sound design and mix, trip to QLAB, more redubs etc. etc. etc., finally the 5.1 surround mix for Pularum Iniyum Naalekal has been completed!

Phew! HUGE milestone and so happy it's done!

363 more to go. 

Day 136 : Eka Uvacha!

Yup, she is back. This time with very pro-papa comments.

But first...

Me (reading out a story) : "And her heart was filled with happiness."
Madam : "But my heart is not filled with happiness."
Me : "Why?"
Madam : "My heart is filled with JOY!"
Me : "Oh.. ok,.. "
Madam : "My heart is filled with joy... KinderJoy!!"

When her dad was away on a business trip and I took her to ballet class...

Dad: "How was your ballet class?"
Daughter: "It was good. But not too much fun without you there, Papa." (Such love!)


"Mummy, when you go to office, you go out of my heart. But Papa is always in my heart."
(Needless to say, I rolled my eyes to no end with that one!)

364 more to go.

Day 135 : Dream Team!

Over the last few days, my cinematographer-editor had been spending a lot of time at QLAB, working with Sinoy, Jyoti and Sinoy's assistant Sai on locking the 5.1 surround sound. And every day he would give me detailed updates on how the working sessions went. It sounded like a lot of fun and I felt like I was missing out on it! Also, this was the first time so much work was happening on any of my films without me being present right there. So what's happening this time around is not something am used to at all! I definitely felt sad for missing out, and maybe even a tad jealous!

I had casually mentioned this during one of the update sessions - how I wished I had been there for this last leg of work. I also had regretted not getting a picture with Jyoti when I was in Mumbai and I had not even met Sai on my trip as he was on holiday then.

Anyway, long story short, to cheer me up, this is what these awesome folks did. They actually sent me a picture where am part of the team!

Before

After

The editor clicked the photo and photoshopped it add me in, our VFX expert balanced the colours, and the sound team were such great sports and played along all through! How awesome is that?! Apparently it took several takes since the angles, distance, etc. had to be perfect. But everyone did it!

Needless to say, I couldn't stop smiling for a long time when this "little surprise" came in!

I find myself incredible lucky to have the opportunity to work with these folks - not only are they awesome at what they do, they actually go that extra mile to make someone feel inclusive and happy.

Dream team, this!

365 more to go.   

Day 134 : The Dream!

The husband had been running a company of his own for five years now. And just achieved a milestone - with pre-series-A funding!

I have seen him through the journey - right from when he was having the initial ideas about a startup, through the ups and downs of actually starting up (some of those downs being really, really tough!) and now standing where he is now. I couldn't prouder and happier for him!

So here's cheering for his dream.

366 more to go.