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Singleton, GlenDronach, All Malt, The Belgian Owl
Part of tasting notes from a monthly private whisky club in Mumbai, India. Our January 2014 session was cancelled, so pulled out brief notes from an earlier 2013 session – missed taking photos so have borrowed with credit to the source.
Tasting Notes from 16 May 2013
Following our standard format, we blind tasted samples before revealing the whisky. This month featured: Singleton, GlenDronach, All Malt and the Belgian Owl. (more…)
What is your most memorable multi-lingual story?
This is a “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” type posts… as I really do want to hear your best multi-lingual story…
Wanna go to school in Ireland? (Photo: Carissa Hickling)
My most memorable multilingual experience was in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the early 1990s. I was there for an academic conference, staying with relatives and catching a bus to the campus each day…
On one bus trip, the driver had a wide smile, jovial manner and a comment or two or three for just about everyone getting on and off the bus… in different languages! By the time it he was on to the 5th language… I simply had to ask his story. (more…)
Dreaded Address Updation – Foreigners registration in India
I quietly slipped into Bangalore for a couple of days… where the topic of “foreigner registration” in India came up.
When you move, updating your address is a necessary bother anywhere in the world. But in India, it can be an incredibly painful process. I changed apartments nearly two years ago and it took only three months to get my bank to update it, another two months for my mobile service provider… however in a baffling twist, I became “Mr Hickling” in the process?!
To “fix” that, one needs a form, an indemnification letter requesting changing gender on 1 Rupee legal stamp paper, passport sized photos, original proof of gender with certified copies and apply in person to present the evidence. I guess the fact that I’m unmistakably female, haven’t undergone a sex change operation and someone somewhere incorrectly selected “Mr” instead of “Ms” in their system is entirely irrelevant?! (more…)
Zero to Hero Week 1: Behind the scenes (blog style)
I’m a late to WordPress’s “Zero to hero: 30 Days to a Better Blog” however decided to fast-track my way through select steps. Here’s a compressed version of the 1st week…
Photo taken in Bandra, Mumbai
Day 1: Introduce yourself – My very first post was “Every Day Adventures in Asia (Mostly)” (29 April 2013)
Day 2: What’s in your name – I started just with “Every Day Adventures in Asia” and added the (Mostly) as I expected would share travels to Canada and places beyond Asia too. The tagline “Stories of a Canadian living in India, traveling around Asia” came many months later as my way of making just a teensy bit clearer who I am and what this blog is about.
Day 3: What’s on your mind – Honestly, when “Every Day Adventures in Asia (Mostly)“ began, I didn’t have a full-time job and hadn’t quite taken going ‘independent’ seriously yet… I’m a self-confessed workaholic so having extra time on my hands was a dangerous scary thing.
And while it was great taking a ‘holiday’ and I readily found interesting pursuits, there were limits. I still needed to DO something, ANYTHING to not get completely rusty with working towards deadlines. As I always enjoyed writing, used to share all sorts of stories of my travels, every day life with individual friends and family, thought “Why not start a blog?” (more…)
Kicking corruption – Screening of “Jai Bhim Comrade”
I’ve shared how there seems to be a subtle shift in India… a frustration with crippling corruption and ridiculous red tape of bureaucracy… and a will to see tangible change. So when a friend – Anand Patwardhan, well-known activist and documentary filmmaker – approached my partner for help organizing a public showing of his politically charged film “Jai Bhim Comrade” (naturally with no budget!), my partner was undaunted and determined.
He was also very clear:
- If he could get all the permissions needed through sincere effort and above-board application process, duly providing legitimate documentation for requirements, he would go ahead with the event.
- If one single hand reached out for money to line their personal pockets, he would not only halt the process immediately, he would make a very loud and public stink too! (more…)
Urban Village – Potted cats
I’m a closet crazy cat lady! However sooooo cannot keep pets with travels… so indulge my desire for critters by visiting the friendly neighbourhood cats in the “village” just outside my building.
As I’m a generous sort, am sharing some random pics of potted cats…
Check it out! I have a pot ALL to myself. Na! Na!
So what? Our pot is big enough for a threesome!
Anyone want a potted plant with cats??
Related posts:
Mute – Screaming Silently
I love this crazy maddening country India that I live in… however, as a ‘firangi’ (foreigner), I cannot vote and therefore, have no say.
Often this makes me feel mute – not having the right to voice my opinions and frustration at certain situations. Or more positively, am restricted against playing a direct role in being part of any kind of political change. Fair enough, I chose to retain the citizenship of my birth – Canada, so this is the result.
This morning, my partner forwarded a marvellous film short that speaks to this. “Mute” is by a new company based literally around the corner for us called Handloom Picture Company. And while it directly talks of our circumstances in Mumbai, there is a universality to many elements in the message – it is worth checking out. (more…)
The government owes me money!!
The new year greeted me with first one then two communications notifying me that the government owes me money! This should be cause for celebration, right? After all, its like a bonus $20 found in an old pair of jeans or shoved between the cushions of the sofa… Ah… not quite so simple here in India my friends… (more…)
I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions!
While I enjoy reading other’s 2013 reflections and 2014 resolutions, I must admit, I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. Unless you count vague promises to yourself of things you know you will never do. Which is why I got such a kick out of this image a friend sent me – rather apt!
No clue of its ‘provenance’ but rather amusing…
However, I do have goals and I do set out to carry out certain things too.
10 accomplishments in 10 years (more…)
Burning the ‘old man’ in Bandra + a Canadian connect to ‘Auld Lang Syne’ – Happy New Year!
I wish you all the best for the coming year sharing two traditions:
- From Bombay, the burning of the ‘old man’
- And from Scotland via Canada to the US, the popular ‘Auld Lang Syne‘
Burning the old man
All around Bandra you can see straw stuffed old folks hanging around at street corners. You might just be accosted by youngsters demanding money for the old man. To do what? Well burn him, of course! And the money? Why to have some fun, what else?!
“Aunty! Uncle! Gimoneyferolman!!” (more…)
Everyday Asia 