Last night as i stayed awake, thanks to the really uncomfortable seat in the Malaysian train from Kuala Lampur to Singapore and the loud wailing of the babies in the seat before me, my mind raced past the happenings of the year that is slowly slipping away. A great year it was, 2003: I finally accomplished one of my dreams that of completing a graduate school. The year brought a lot of good things to me. Touch wood!!! I not only got my graduate degree, but in the process made such wonderful friends from the far corners of the globe. I learnt to take risks which might explain this current job that i am in. I learnt to look at the positive side of everything that happens. I moved from the western hemisphere to the eastern one, started the new year on the french alps and will be completing it on the 8th floor of a building like 8 degrees north of the equator. Added 3 more countries to my visited list. Managed to learn swimming and also lose some weight. Most importantly, I upheld my wise decisions to not make any new resolutions but rather am following what the Singaporeans would describe as "JUST DO IT LAH" :)))

To all you folks out there, Here is me wishing you all a Happy and Wonderful New Year!!!

If there was one thing i was scared about eating, that was eating any meat raw. It may be the indian thing, the fact that we do not have any gourmet dishes where we eat any meat raw might be the basic reason. 25 years of your palate being accustomed to cooked meat and the taste of spices with it, doesnt get you psychologically ready to taste the raw ones. While i was in France, my mind played truant and though i was so tempted to try the Steak Tartare, Salmon Tartare and oysters, I was like using my left hand to pull away my right that was reaching out. It was tough, so when my friends were tasting oysters and raving about how delicious they were, i would be eating cooked mussels in curry sauce with freedom ..oops...sorry...french fries.

My russian friend was always pushing me to try this oysters and tartare and as usual i kept chickening out. Tartare is basically raw salmon or steak that is minced and mixed with herbs and mustard. So on this trip to Nice, we went to this nice restaurant down by the beach and this russian girl suggested we share a salmon something. since i was busy looking at the few new french gals that had come into the restaurant, i didnt really catch the "something" part and said ok. So i am sipping this nice red wine when this cool looking dish arrives with the salmon and herbs and i had my doubts, but then i presumed the salmon would have been smoked. You see, the westerners have this concept of smoked food and you would never make out the difference of smoked and raw meat unless you taste it. And i love smoked salmon. So I start eating this and man it did taste good. I continue relishing this and clean off the entire plate. My dear russian friend waits till i finish and then tells me that i just finished eating raw salmon. You must have seen the look on my face.. But hey atleast one of my phobia got cured.. :)

I never tried the steak tartare.. not that the beef in it has to do anything with my decision, but stayed away from it.. but tasted oysters and kinda liked it. And of course tasted caviar one fine day last year and this last sunday I had my tryst with Sushi as well. The last time i had sushi was in the states and i hated it. I just threw up. It had this wierd smell and taste of raw fish.. yuck... well i had the presence of mind to rush to the restroom so i saved face. This time, I asked my friend in singapore to help me out. So he like gets all kinds of sushis and calls me over to his place. I am like okay,, where is the restroom.. is everything ready there and sit at the dinner table and take the first one.. sake sushi.. made of raw salmon.. I take my first bite, ready for the rush to you know where.. Hey it was a miracle.. Well he doesnt live on 34th street.. But still, thank you Santa.. The fish did not smell and I liked it a lot.. So there you go.. my tryst with sushi and everything raw is over and i have come out successful.. Just no one tell my dad about this.. He already kinda looked strangely at me when i told him i ate cooked frogs in france and at the chinese restaurant in singapore. And yes they tasted awesome.. :D

I havent finished my India trip story so i thought i will finish it off now. The best part of the mumbai trip was this time i did not get swindled. Yeah, for the fact that the hotel organised my trips to the airport would be a factor should help. But in the end, i managed not to get ripped off by anyone except the Hotel i stayed in.

The flight to hyderabad was uneventful and so was the trip from the airport in hyderabad to the railway station. My Dad decided to come down to hyderabad and pick me up at the railway station and travel down to Vijayawada. So i get into the station which is all crowded and started searching for my dad. I walked the whole platform like 6 times and no sight of him. Now thats not like my dad at all. So i get all stressed out and started thinking if i should file a missing persons report but then decide to go to the public announcement system. As i start walking towards it. i see him entering the station with 2 bags full of stuff he has purchased at the local market.

He is all excited about the shoes he bought for 140 Rs.. cool ones they were and takes me out to buy another pair for me. This is why i love india, the same pair of shoes would cost me 140 dollars outside.. :). I wanted to buy some books to read on the train. when my dad gives me this real cool book called " the history of Osama bin laden" or something like that.... I am like in hyderabad and there is a curfiew in the old city because of some riots and my dad is walking around the city with this book that has a photo of this man.. God, this is crazy.. I immediately use some papers to conceal the covers. The book was really great though. Read it for the entire 7 hours train journey.

had a great time at home and the journey back to singapore was uneventful.. the airhostess werent that cute this time around.. so i slept it all off.. :D

By the way, I am off to Penang, Malaysia for christmas break.

Whew.. My hands really hurt!!! I spent the last 4 hours in my office mailing 40 new year and christmas greeting cards to all those business folks i met in the last few months. It suddenly dawned on me that my school had printed this greetings and they are free :D. So as usual, the "free" magic caught up and before i realised i was on the way to the print shop to collect the cards. "30 Cards please" i told the lady at the counter, she started counting and then the temptation inside me grew.. i blurted out " can u meak it 40?". well before long i was walking back to my desk with 40 cards and envelopes.

Only then it dawned on me.. how the hell am i going to address them, sign them and post them? Like the PC god that i am.. I think i am but most times i screw up., I opened Microsoft word to do a mail merge and print out labels. I spent like 15 minutes on this figuring out how to do and then realised that if i spend time on this. my friday is all but dead. So i picked up my pen and started addressing each one.. Man.. it was a never ending list but finally i got it done and now my hands pain. I hope all those folks who get my cards realise how much pain i took and call me back with a nice 6 figure job over.. Now that would be a christmas gift.. Santa.. are u listening?.. I honestly was a real good boy this past year. (just like little calvin) :D

My journey to Mumbai from Singapore started almost in a fiasco. I was waiting for my professor at the Singapore airport to check in. The flight leaves at 19:30 hours and the time is now 18:45 hours and still no sight of him. His secretary has been ringing my mobile and asking me if i had seen him cos he had left for the airport like 30 mintues back. I reply negative and poor thing she gets scared about why he hasnt reached the airport yet. I try reaching the mobile but no response. So I finally give up and am the last person to check in. The lady at the counter refuses to let me carry my bag as a carry on. Apparently its 2 kilos over weight. come on who cares about 2 kilos. If i had got 2 kilos lesser and a laptop that weighs 3 kilos as per law thery are supposed to let me in. But what the heck!! I was all stressed out and let them check in my bag praying that it reaches the aircraft before take off. I am one of those who likes to be on time and do everything perfectly so that i dont get stressed up like how i was feeling right then. When i was going through immigration, I get a call frm my professor and i am quite anxious as to where he was. Apparently he is already at the gate checked in long time ago and he didnt see me at waiting for him. Oh Boy!!! Anyways, alls well that ends well.

In I go into this Boeing 767. Quite cozy!. Then i give my cute smile to the nice looking desi airhostess who surprisingle smiled back. Then it reminded me that i am not in Air India or Indian Airlines. It was singapore airlines. :-). so after two more quick smiles while she walks past, she gets to me with the drinks. I ask for something that is not there on the trolley so that she can get back to me again :D. I get another smile and a warm brandy. I get tired of the flirting after some time and start playing with the inflight entertainment system. was kinda not sure which movie to watch and finally choose matchstick men. Nice movie it was. I hate nicolas cage but the movie was ok. Usual expected twist but watchable. Then I see the first two songs of the movie Chalte Chalte ( i kinda like that song sunona sunona..dunno why) and get tired of Shahrukh's stereotypical acting. Ogle at Rani Mukherjee for a while and then watch some pieces of the movie ice age.

I reach Mumbai airport and boy the airport is quite clean. Last time i was there was 2 years back and then it was dirty with no proper system for immigration. All queues all over the place, totally disorganised. not the way to showcause india to a foreigner. I was pleasantly surprised by the organised manner in which the whole process of getting out of the airport was handled. I was out of the airport in like less than 30 minutes. Way to go India!!!

Another uneventful week. I am realy getting bored now. Life has become so monotonous. Get up at 8:00 and be at office at 9:00. Sit at my desk , go for meetings, interview people, set up more interviews for research, report to my boss, have lunch , get home in the evening and watch a movie at my laptop. its getting worse each day. I mean i didnt expect the recovering phase of the flu to be so bad. I couldnt get myself to go out do anything interesting. I know I have a few things to do. I have to book tickets for the Christmas break to go somewhere in Malaysia. I have to go to this diving shop and reserve a place for diving lessons. I have to start my job search. Too many things to do and life has become really monotonous and boring. Anyways, last nite I went out after almost 2 weeks off. We had this party at a hotel sponsored by my office and it was cool. The theme was Bond vs Powers and we had to dress up as spies or as James Bond/Ausitn powers theme. I had this long overcoat and a hat and an Oakley sun glasses. not bad but there were these guys who had dressed up as Austin Power himself.. pretty cool they were and of course the bond and power girls all around.. nice party.

I am flying to Mumbai tomorrow for the conference and will be off to visit my parents. I will be back in Singapore next monday and I have to get out of the routine that i am into now and do something interesting.