Equatorial rains!

Hardly two three times I experienced rains in Singapore, Yeah I completed a week in Singapore finally!

Rains are always nostalgic isn't it? Well for a girl like me, after 24 years of life in India, who is in Singapore to study!Wont she be just travelling in the past while just watching rains out of a big window of the room with a cup of cold french venilla capppuccino?

Well not every time!Equatorial rains are different.

I think 'Fark to  hai'!

Rain drops here are big, huge! Seriously. I guess it can hurt the skin. The one I am observing today. There is no 'mitti' and so there is no smell. In fact not even as little as Mumbai. Rains started without even the pre-rain weather we feel in India.No breeze, no wet smell,no dark clouds and no sun!Everything came up suddenly. Equatorial rains I guess!

I wanted a cup of hot cappuccino , I realized there is no CCD over here. I made a cup on my own but there is a difference, right?

There are no radio mirchi stations where 'Monsoon special' songs are put in the air.

There are no puddles to step into and play with the mud over here. There are no masala chai, dal vada or corn stalls to add to the smell of rains!

There are no street kids playing around in this awesome rains. There are no vegetable vendors trying to cover their vegetables with plastic sheets on the streets. There are no kids floating paper boats! There are no officials rushing to the offices or banks with umbrellas and raincoats like Mumbai.

There are no pedestrians walking carefully not to fall into pits.

System ruins beauty sometimes.

'Mom, lets have a cup of coffee and sit in the balcony of our old home?' Talking of habits.

There are no Maggie loving people to share Maggie with me today. Talking of best buddies in India.

Hey Equatorial rains, why don't you just let Indian rains come over here for a while?

From Singapore,with love-2

So here I am again (to harass you people with my posts!) to share my Singapore experience and of course my where abouts.

Living in Mumbai for almost three years and spending my 22 years in Ahmedabad means I love chaos,especially when I love the awesome 'metro city and the mess'' feeling! It does mean that Singapore is a 'Sannatta' for me! Three days and what we (me and three other girls) discuss is how silent is Singapore all the time and keep on laughing.

People don't speak on mobile phones in buses and trains. I felt as if they have taken 'Maun vrat' or they are praying for me, so that I reach safe!I realized though , people don't talk much on phones as incoming calls and out going calls, both are equally costly. They cant afford it like us in India. I respect TRAI! :D

Kids of seven to eight years have iphones in their hands and they keep on using it, music gaming and face-book! Seven years old? Are you kidding me? One of my friends heard kids (4-5 years) speaking words which we can not speak openly in India or we dont speak at all even if we are like twenty five! I guess many more cultural shocks are there stored, especially for me.

Now some awesome things about people out here. They obey rules just like we break them. Imagine my happiness when I was on Zebra crossing and seven-eight cars, coming in full speed stopped for just one passenger and that's me, so that I can cross the road safely. I felt really high!! This happened to me only once or twice in Mumbai-Town. We,specially Amdavadis need to learn this.

People here are very friendly, they wont understand English, better than four years old kid of Indian Vernacular medium but still they talk and give us a possible solution. Though I guess India has this gesture too, we just don't observe it.

Postal addresses here are pain, Avenues and block and you cant have a land mark unless mentioned specially or you have seen the place before. The later one doesn't make sense for me as I am a directionally challenge human being!

The manners-not to throw any wrappers or bottles out side without a dustbin or following all traffic signals even without cars around you, friendly nature with international students. I guess things to learn apart from studies. Of course I miss local trains, food we get in India and cheap rates of food so much that I become home sick terribly.

The other day when I told my roomies- I am missing Panipuri, it induced a cyclone  of home sickness for food! We published a rule that no body will mention any food items in the room or others will lock her up in the washroom! :D

Heights  I know!!!

I guess I am feeling like hogging on panipuri, anyone? :D

PS:Finally it rained in Singapore and I miss Mumbai more!! :/

From Singapore,with love!

Disclaimer: Public demand sir ankho pe, publishing my blog with no efforts to think more creatively or correct grammar or spelling!!As usual!

It will be useless if I wont tell you all anything about my departure from India. Yes, my papa was here, yes yes he came here for work and took the pain to settle me down in NTU, and I ended up pretty smoothly than I was thinking when I entered my huge or say extra large University.

Highlights of the India-Singapore migration Saga:

• I did not cry in front of mom and so did mom, but we both cried inside the room! Papa verified it! :D
• When I landed on Mumbai airport I felt more homesick than Ahmedabad airport could have made me so! The city makes me go hmmm! 
• I was not sleeping since many days, I dint sleep in the flight as it was the last night(before I go back home again) I was some where in the Indian 'atmosphere'!I immediately checked in the hostel and went to the university and the biiiig university made me walk almost ten kilometers on the first day due to lack of  geographical knowledge!Yeah the campus is bigger than India!
• When the flight took off I felt like hugging the 'Mumbai' or say 'the India' I was seeing and cry my lungs out.
• When every one in the flight was asleep including my father, I was watching 'The decedents' and I ended up crying like a fool. :D
• I was more than shocked and scared of beautiful and systematic Singapore and not excited on the first and second day until I met my friends whom I had never seen!It was awesome, most of the time!!
• Friends can make you so positive about my tenure in NTU, I never knew!
• I should mention my bestie Shane and Cubicle partner Z for constantly asking my whereabouts and encouraging me, ah, you too PS!
• I met a friend of a friend and I am happy to say we are gelling up well, you go girl, Dr!!(Decode!)
• My hostel is a kind of pain and yet I sort of like it, if at all it doesn't make me travel too much to reach NTU!
• The walk from my hostel to the near by MRT station(Google! come on I wont explain everything!) is so beautiful that I keep on staring the landscape for the whole ten minutes of the walk.
• I unpacked my bags with a foot swollen and the drowsy pair of eyes, I don't remember, in the 'Khopacha' type place where I have kept what.
• I guess I am mastering the 'cost cutting' fundae of student life slowly!!!Yeah I am salary less!

Lots to tell you guys, cant write here all but of course I can show you some of the pictures I have clicked in last few days, Ah, Did I tell you I got an Iphone 4S as a gift from papa? :)

Here goes the click show!

Yeah this one is clicked by Ms.Bubblegum on Mumbai airport!

 Something my mom bought for me so that I can paint one for Mumbai!! I (heart) Mumbai!!

So here it comes from my 'Singapore Saga', from my university!! A lot many to come!!

This one too!

 A view from the flat where my distant (If in terms of time-20 years,have never seen them1) relative stays!19th floor! I never knew I have one relative in Singapore! :D (A different story altogether!)

You want more still? Well wait for the next blog, straight form Singapore!!  Again!

India, I miss you!

Restless Shooting!

No, again, I am not going to learn shooting or something. I am dead tired with whatever is going on. Yeah it seems this is again a 'RANT' after last 2-3 similar posts, I guess. Whatever happens, blogging always makes me relaxed, so here I shoot from home!

• I am still to meet 'n' numbers of relatives after completing (Infinite minus n) relatives and friends! I crave to stay at home and do some more packing but, no! The irritating factor is delays in get together. People are not free for me so every one will try to meet me in the evening or on dinners and I really cant cope with the all day work!
• Ahmedabad is still not best at Public transportation (Things are improving in areas other than my area!), so when my brother is at college I become helpless without a vehicle! I am really repenting on having this ' Car Driving Phobia'! :/ I am really missing my parents so much, counting hours now! :)
• Documentation! Tickets,passport, mark sheets, offer letters to what not the university people want! I have to keep them up to date and I am not sure how prepared I am! I need you, papa!
• Packing-clothes, utensils,medicines and other zillion things! I hate to see the bed on which I have dumped things to pack! Papa has promised to do it for me as he is an expert, keeps on travelling out of India every month. Still I am tensed!
• Sometimes I feel like throwing my mobile out of the window! So so many people call and I cant even breathe and do my work. I know they all love and care but it is taking too much for me to spend time for everyone and I end up feeling guilty if I don't! :/
• Yeah managing home is super tough and I do 'Pranam' to all the super moms who manage home so well. Without them we are nothing!! Big time realization!
• I have this friend 'Shane', 'Bro buddy' and 'Frock buddy N' who help me to calm down. I am sure they are prepared, have put on helmet to avoid my wrath in upcoming days! They are my stress busters! 
• I have now only 4 days in India before I leave for Singapore. I am really looking forward to explore the new country and study hard! I am eager to meet some friends whom I have never met before! I am eager to go places! I guess these are the factors which motivate me! I have to keep going right?
• Mid night, with heavy heart, tired eyes and a warning from a friend of mine to sleep, I publish the post and sleep tight! Good night :)

Planning for Hafta Vasooli!

Okay I have not completely become The Don-The Mumbaiya Don and so not going to do that Hafta Vasooli which you thought. Just a week and I will be flying to Singapore and So I decided rather than feeling nostalgic and Missing family,buddies and my India, I will plan to spend my 'Hafta' in a rocking and packing (?) way!

My parents are coming so needless to say I am going to indulge into awesome coffee sessions with dad,chocolate sessions with Mumma (Yeah we are choco-freaks!),leg pulling sessions. Above all I am going to make a menu for the whole hafta and enjoy my favorite desi food!  Ah, I wont mention which dishes, otherwise I will be tempted to eat them all right now!

I am missing Mumbai rains but Ahmedabad  rains are not bad this time! So, I kind of get the chance to get drenched every now and then, do I need to say I have the umbrella and still I get wet? :) I am going to do the same for the rest of the Hafta!

Packing- It is painful than even drinking The CT scan drink! :D I am going blank every time I see the big bag I bought from Mumbai and the  mess. I need mom dad so badly for this task. I am left with little things to buy and I hate to leave home! In addition to this boring situation I don't have a vehicle so I have to wait for my brother to come home and the poor (and still huge, strong and ah, demanding) brother of mine has to do the job and perform his 'farz' toward me :D

I am pretty sure mom is going to scold me for not packing anything but I have already rest my case on skype and she must be preparing herself to see the upcoming horrifying packing status :D

Frankly I am missing CCD-Mumbai so much that I am planning to drink at least a cup of coffee everyday for this Hafta! Ah, come on I cant spend my hard earned money on coffees while studying! :D I might learn to brew the coffee though :D

One more plan is to not to harass my best buddies by my 'Nostalgic' and 'Worried' status of mind. In fact I am not going to take tension and think more. Ah, Do I say it often? But this time no option. I want to enjoy India so so much that I don't have time for the Non-value-added activities.

I know this post is entirely scattered but dude, what do you expect from Bubblegum?! I am going to blog such ramblings too and register the whole experience!

PS: I am watching repeat episode of Satyamev Jayate and I am inspired by those dada-dadis who actually live so colorfully after sixty. :)

Random at home!

So 'Shane' after two days pinged me on 'Whatsapp', "Where is the blog?"!

I told the blatant truth of my life right now, everything is so random, relaxing, a bit scary sometimes, tensed and still exciting. What to blog?! He for the first time said,"Write and publish when you feel like!"

Ah, I know I am feeling like blogging again. I had thought of blogging something concrete, a theory or a conversation but the picture is so huge and with so many shades, my mind is full with thoughts. Taking out a thought, nurturing the belief and publishing it as a blog-post is something difficult.So, Bubblegum started blogging about the randomness, as usual.

• Handling home and brother when parents are not home is still difficult. Yeah I have done it many a times before but this time it is clubbed with medical tests, packing, shopping and other house-hold stuffs.Of course My brother has improved a lot on helping side, still. Mom, I love you, Dad I love you, come back soon! :D
• As expected I am flooded with phone-calls and invitations to dine and lunch from relatives. I want to meet them all, but why are they behaving as if its my 'Vidai' after marriage! :O I am going to come back in December, Chill you all. Let me chill down too. :/
• I pick up my camera any time in the room and start clicking. I guess a camera diverts my mind and pokes my creativity inside the room. Less area and still a challenging frame! :D I know I might sound nerd and out of place here.
• I am not sure how is the hostel I am going to live in, but I am looking forward to the hostel life, I have never lived in a hostel. Waiting for all fun! I am eager to roam around in the campus of NTU and use it as much as I can. The only good feeling I am looking forward to as of now.Did I mention seniors over there are already into photography and badminton stuffs I love ? :)
• Packing. I rest my case. Its a mess. I don't care. I need mom dad for this. Documents and photocopies-I don't know when it will get over! I know a push is required but I am taking rest and that's what I am suppose to do! 
• I am sleeping as if I haven't since months. No I sleep for a few hours but the quality is awesome. I am feeling since two and a half years I have never slept off like this. I am home! I really need home!
• I crave for coffees, maisoor masala dosa, pani puri and walks of Mumbai. I am coming back. 
• I have only 10 days now. I am leaving INDIA for a year?! I am yet to digest the fact. 

I guess, ten days and my blog (along with my close friends) is going to witness a superb graph of my moods and feelings!

Are you ready?! :D

I (Heart) Mumbai!

I remember the first day in  Mumbai as an official Mumbai employee (not the one as a visitor!), I was watching television with my other batch matches in the company accommodation. We were watching a famous new channel and they were showing a small film on "Crowded Mumbai". They had painted such a picture that I felt guilty for making it crowded as a part of the "bhid"! I must say,  I was wrong. Mumbai hugged me and I eventually melted like a spoon of sugar in the glass of milk! (Ah, I copied the whole phrase from a story on Parasis ,we were taught in third class, "Dudh ma sakar"!)

The city witnessed a change in me, the awesome growth and additions of dimensions in my personality! The city saw me crying in rain, laughing-smiling, participating in walks to remember, struggling to fit in the corporate world, making new friends everyday, eating junk to healthy food, roaming around here and there, living my life to the fullest!

Mumbai is multicultural. You can feel the real "India" here. You are not of a specific caste or a state here. You are just your own self! I tried to identify some spheres of Mumbai which I touched, felt and loved! I always thought the speed of life and the population will make me tired and I will just leave it soon-as per some opinions I had got in free when transferred. I was wrong. I entered, conquered and indulged like anything in some of these spheres!

Food and Mumbai :Vadapao, fresh fruits at stations, idli-vada-dosa for breakfast, juices, nariyal pani near stations and food corners are main highlights of Mumbai food. Sandwich ice cream of Rustomjee, Chinese of Main land china and  Gypsy , Corns at Matunga and Chaupati, Proper Gujarati food dishes at Samarat, amazing parathe at Bandra , lovely coffee sessions at Barista, CCD and Costa coffee, Cheese cakes at Pizza hut and Costa coffee, healthy sandwiches of Subways and my company canteen,Cold coffee at Leopold cafe, Awesome sizzlers in Colaba! Oh my god, I can go on and on! Mumbai gives food to each class of this society. 'Mumbai' and 'food' are two sides of the same coin!

Monsoon and Mumbai: For both you can use a phrase, " Love it or hate it, you gotta accept it!"! That is fun but. How can I forget those walks to plant with an umbrella and coming back from office without the umbrella! Eating bhutta or Maggie in this season is the feeling I can swear by. The mud puddles actually make me happy!! I love to play with mud ,still!!I love observing kids wearing colorful rain coats, splashing water on each other and ah, those rainbows in water puddles due to oil leakage in it! I love them all!Local train travelling with mess is fun for me!Don't they give a flavor to life?

Hang outs and Mumbai: How can you stay home in weekends. Mumbai offers you awesome places and hundreds of activities! Theaters , movies, sea shores, coffee shops, malls, plays, fashion shows, resorts, spas everything. You name it and Mumbai has it. I love watching plays in town, movies and of course eating and shopping in phoenix mall and infinity mall. How can I forget street shopping-the best boon for Mumbaikars! Be it fashion street, Link road, Borivali, Natraj market or crowford market! Do you love music you have concerts, Do you love craft you have craft shops and hobby ideas, Do you love dramas you have plays to watch! Mumbai has everything!!I love those sights town offers while we travel by taxis-Sky scrappers and clean and wide roads, people in formal dresses in week days and funky dresses in weekends and period- amazingly beautiful sea shores, wet sand and walks!

Local trains and Mumbai: Heart of Mumbai. I have written about them many a times on my blog. I just love them. With economical fare and speed with great frequency, the city makes you feel the wholeness of Mumbai. Those blurry sights of buildings, sea shores and people from the window of the moving train are just like "time travel" dreams!

Buddies and Bombay: Mumbai has offered me my life-my buddies. My company colleges , My office and everything you want in life. They are my life. They are my support and strength. They make me laugh in a second even when I cry like no one is watching! Do I need to specifically name them!?

I used to become very sad on the fact that I am leaving Mumbai for higher education. I still feel so. Tomorrow is my last day in Mumbai. The emotions come out in the form of tears every now and then. I just want to cry out loud saying, "Mumbai, I shall come back!", I can see each building, each person on the road waving "Good bye"! Period. I promise Mumbai, I will see you soon!

Whenever I used to see people wearing t-shirts of "I (heart) New York", I used to think of making a t-shirt of "I (heart) Mumbai"! But then I realized it is much more than the phrase,

"I (live) Mumbai"!

Isn't it true?

Last few days of my first job!

They were crazy! They were scary! They were fun! They were fearful and the last day was tearful! Period.

It feels odd when you sign for the last time on an official document.It feels nothing when you are stuck in clerance procedure of your company. It feels so emotional when an HR person asks you, if you have any complaints and suggestions, you feel like just thanking the company to hire you as a fresh student. Even though you had abused the same company many a times in frustration.It feels super weird when you get phone calls for the "Good bye" mail you wrote to people.

It feels pathetic to take out all small pictures-cartoons you made on cups, paintings,smileys you got as tokens of appreciation from your managers, an Indian Flag, a mug, a small yellow ball given by your senior from your desk. It feels a bit emotional when you empty your drawer and you find a transfer letter for your transfer to this amazing city of Mumbai- A real twist in my life.It feels odd when you realize your visiting cards of the beloved company will be of no use from tomorrow. You feel blank when you drink the last cup of coffee from the Cafe coffee day machine of the office where you had amazing chat-laughter-knowledge sharing and gossiping sessions with so many buddies.

You go mad when you realize none of your buddies are in a mood to bid you a grand good bye and they try to give you surprise. You cant stop laughing when you enjoy with around fifteen odd friends,pizzas,burgers,cokes,sprites and farewell speeches which actually in place of praising you, pull your legs and hands :D

You realize what you are going to miss, when your foe cum friend (Tom & Jerry friends we are!) promises you a cup of ice cream (which is so rare!) and before leaving (when you have forgotten about it!) comes up with a big cup of your favorite ice cream. You go blank when your best buddy-Shane comes to your farewell and gets scolding for reaching too late to meet his relatives! :/ Your colleagues cry, almost and you try to control, your favorite friend cum local guardian couple from office, mails you and makes you cry!

You come back to your room, be online, shoot some mails and sleep like a dog (Really!) but you get up exactly at 7am and realize you have no office to go today! You are officially job less from today!!

The feeling sucks I tell you!! You drink a cup of juice and suddenly you realize what fun you had, you realize you have got the best pals in your kitty and you are the luckiest girl in the world.

You feel no more sad, you feel relaxed and welcome students life, again!

Shift-delete and Sunday!

No, I was not busy cleaning the huge disk of my laptop or something like that. I was busy in shifting my accommodation for only ten days in the city of Mumbai! Yeah my landlord was adamant on taking over his place on first of this month and so, phew, my juniors allowed me to have a 'chhat and roti' in their place!

So, these two days were into 'shift and delete' mission, Shifting huge bags to my juniors place and deleting the 'waste' stuff. It was draining and difficult to filter out which things are needed and which not. I have a constraint, I have to carry all my luggage to Ahmedabad and I am travelling alone, thus I had to reduce my 'baggage' drastically.

Throwing things which were bought by me, and still lying in the corner without anybody touching them.Throwing things which are pretty old and not usable any more. Those plastic containers which were our disposable lunch-dinner boxes and were capturing maximum space in our kitchen have to be thrown out.Those magazines and news papers which were read with sheer passion and interest only for one time and then kept in the cupboard and then they were untouched for months... I am sure they will be screaming and calling me rudely :D I had to get rid of the bunch too.

There were things, I used, I love and still cant take them with me. My dumbbells (Yes, Shane I use them at least 10 days a month!), My fridge (of course I love it!), some of my scarfs and clothes which are old enough not to wear outside and still I love them, how can I forget some books which I bought with love and read (I am sure I cant sell them!), I have some creams and perfumes also which I don't use (sadly it is true, in this department I am a bit girlie), Some amazingly beautiful flip flops and sandles which gave my feet a tough time (and also my back 'a bed rest vacation' time' in past!). I had to throw everything. I am sure I am going to make new memories with my new mess in Singapore! And also a hole in my and my dad's pocket! 


After deleting the mess from my 'neat mess', It was the time to shift. Ah, before that I had a no-sleep night in my room.Frankly I am a victim of 'Change of Home' during my job tenure(8 accommodations in 2 years!), I never felt attached to my room so much. May be I have learnt to live without 'Home' and I dream of a home in a few years which I will decorate and make with my own choice. Phew.


The 'Shift' part was very easy due to two factors. My four bags-Only four and My junior with his car! :) Of course I am happy to shift as I am the senior most in the new place of juniors. Conditions apply where condition is-If they consider me a senior! :D


The whole 'Shift delete' saga ended up with giving keys back to the landlord and ah, due to the negotiation skills of yours truly I could sell a fridge at a good cost! :)

The Sunday which started early in the morning had many happening things in the day. Includes, Shane's neck pain and Ganga Jamuna flowing from his eyes and nose, The Amazing Spider Man (Mr.Peter Parker, I am impressed!), My Rakhi (almost) for bro buddies, a chat with bro-buddy and GLG-1!

Too many happening events, ended up with a head ache. (Bubblegum way!)So the lack of internet at my temporary accomodation and headache both led me to read a book (that was pretty obvious and interesting!) and sleep after a week of horrible emotional and physical strain.

The change is for good and it is the time to flow with-it seems!!! 'Shift delete' saga and Sunday can be fun/pain both, but obviously memories in Mumbai  will never have 'Shift Delete' phase!

They shall stay  forever. Amen.