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Winnipeg Folk Fest Part 3 – Thanks for the memories
Some folks in Winnipeg were surprised we did not remain for the Folk Festival.
After all, I’ve been an avid festival goer and volunteer for many years! Even dragged my partner from Bombay back for the 40th Winnipeg Folk Festival in 2013.
However… our focus this trip to Canada was my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary celebrations in Winnipeg, with a side serving of re-uniting with friends in Vancouver, Canada Day with my partner’s sister and family in Toronto and a bit of amusement in London before scampering back to India.
But I gotta admit… this weekend as Facebook is flooded with photos of the Fest, viewing vicariously what I’m sure was amazing music, friends catching up with other friends, the effort and joy of volunteering, the next generation delighting in the unique community environment and activities… yeah I’m missing it.
So decided to relive it going through a few photos from 2013… and to share three: (more…)
Scrambled brain aka a bad case of jet lag
I’m no stranger to serious travel.
Landing in London (Everyday Asia)
As in hop on a plane, jump across multiple time zones for short trips, long trips and some in between.
There was a time when I practically dismissed the jet lag phenomenon. Sure it gets you, but there are oodles of ways to cope!
Top tips:
- Arrive at your destination during the day/early eve, fight to stay awake til a ‘decent’ local sleeping hour and drop exhausted into slumber
- Even if you wake up early, resist the urge to get out of bed… worst case read til your eyes droop
- Keep busy and active during the day! Get out and about as much as possible – especially during the mid-afternoon “I’m dying to just shut my eyes for a min!” period
- Hydrate, eat healthy, avoid / reduce alcohol, no late night eating
Yeah… I know the drill.
However right now I’ve got a serious case of scrambled brain. As in barely functioning. As in I’ve never had jet lag like this. (more…)
And the BAFTA Award goes to…
We landed in London on Friday morning and managed to fit in a couple ageless pubs in Ealing, train, tube and taxi travels, a touristy wander around Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, St Martin-in-the-Fields, saw part of an opera at Trafalgar Square, skirted the edge of China Town, chowed down on fab Caribbean cuisine and rum at Dub Pub in Covent Garden…
However one of the highlights was a stop most tourists miss… the hallowed halls of BAFTA – the British Academy of Film and Television. (more…)
Happy Canada Day!!
For the first time in 13 years, I’m actually in Canada on Canada Day!
We are celebrating at my partner’s sister’s home in Toronto (ok – actually Brampton) with folks dropping by all day and evening. What better way than to celebrate with family and friends?
#ExploreCanada, Vancouver 2015 (Everyday Asia)
For all you Canadians in Canada and abroad – enjoy your Canada Day celebrations!
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So long, farewell!
As we prepared our home for the demolition gang, completed last-minute shopping, we struggled with the internet… Yes… living in Mumbai you cannot rely on having one internet alone!
You would think having easy access to four options (yeah that’s 1..2..3..4…) would be enough:
- My so-called ‘high speed’ internet has been down for two days and counting…
- My partner’s slow but steady MTNL internet was sorta kinda working but now has gone from barely functioning to not…
- Our recently re-charged data card isn’t compatible with my MacBook Air…
- So I’m on my back-up to the back-up to the back-up… using my phone as a ‘hot spot’… however the signal keeps dashing off leaving me intermittently ‘high and dry’ as the city drowns in monsoon floods
Because ultimately the monsoon is the real culprit in this equation. And the poor drainage conditions in this city that leads to regular flooding, damaging cable connections and more.
I’m not sure how often I will post over the coming weeks while we trot around the globe to London, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and back to London… so quick before I lose this precious connection… ciao for now and catch you in a bit!
Looking to London, then Van-Groovy… then Winterpeg… T.O. and back to Big Ben!
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Swinging into Singapore – an ‘alternate’ home
Lately I’ve been caught calling Singapore my ‘alternate’ home…
My original home is Canada.
My adopted home is India.
My work home is often (happily!) Indonesia among many other countries across Asia.
However my international company is based in Singapore. It is my work hub, my frequent hop stop from various countries… and when I’m away too long, I get this itchy feeling… and my fingers reach out to book a flight!
Up in the air – again!
So this week I’m off to Singapore for a mad time chock-full of all sorts of activities. A sneak peak into a few include:
- Zip from airport to an evening of jazz with an old high school buddy
- Co-facilitate a session at a Women’s Leadership Development workshop
- Meetings, meetings and more meetings over coffee, lunch, more coffee, maybe some tea… with hopes something somewhere ‘clicks’ and there will be some interesting next steps
- Slightly mind-numbing accounting and annual file preparation… ugh!
- Feasting as food is just too good! And best accompanied with friends and general fun faffery
- Explore a few whisky hot spots with more than one set of fabulous folks
- Inspect (oops meet!) the new ‘man’ of a dear friend and see how the little one of another is growing up!
- A stroll along the East Coast… just because I’m lucky enough to be staying nearby
Honestly… I can’t wait to get on that plane and plunge back into Singapore life for a few days.
And I know… none of this sounds like a wild ‘explore the world’ kinda trip. It is just catching up on regular life type activities.
Because after all… Singapore is my ‘alternate’ home.
Daily commute from the East Coast to CBD, Singapore
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Sunday stroll on Juhu Beach
OK… I know it is mid-week not Sunday. However I also know we live near the sea yet for some strange reason it is rare to find us strolling by the water.
So we when we arrived on Sunday slightly early for a private preview of Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet, conveniently located at Sunny Villa in Juhu, I took the opportunity to wander along the beach and thought today to share some quick snaps.
For those not familiar with Mumbai’s Juhu beach, it is a weekend favourite for families, blushing couples, energetic adolescents and hawkers… one of the few places free to come out and play. There is a long stretch of sand with plenty of room to jog, play soccer, enjoy a picnic with a multitude of vendors catering to the crowds that grow until sunset the gradually slip away. (more…)
Holi heat, wouldn’t it be nice to ice skate in Amsterdam?
After Holi, the temperature heats up in these parts. What that means now in Mumbai is getting increasingly warmer and humid. And if you are crazy enough to go out and about during the sunny day… let’s just say your sweat will sweat!
Oddly I used to be pretty ok with this. So I thought… til I realised that was because I used to work in nice air-conditioned offices and commute in my nice air-conditioned car. These days, operating from home and generally getting around by walking, rickshaws (and sometimes car) means no such daily respite.
Don’t get me wrong, I do NOT miss -40’c winter, and given a choice between sweating and freezing, I’ll take sweat! However there is a tiny part of me that can’t help but flirt with enjoying a little chill. (more…)
ABCD vs CBAD – “You don’t belong here!”
Most would have heard of American Born Confused Desi (ABCD)… but what about CBAD? Canadian Born Adopted Desi?
No one fits into a simple description. Country of origin and cultural heritage are just a couple of pieces of a very complex puzzle that makes up a person and then distinct people into a community.
I enjoy stories of others, like me, with a longer term embrace of a country other than the land of their birth. Beyond the traditional ‘expat’ is something else. In my case, if it was the reverse – India to Canada – I would be considered an ‘immigrant’. Comfortably settled into my ‘adopted’ country where my everyday ‘lingo’, cultural reference points, life experience and reality is… well… Indian.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise that I tried to join a forum for India bloggers. I’ve seen it featured on many blogs I enjoy so thought – why not give it a whirl?
Apparently I don’t belong. (more…)
London Calling… Watch out Winnipeg!!
There is something just so joyful about hitting the ‘confirm’ button when purchasing long haul flights. That extra thrill that tells you… soon… soon… you will be back to the international airport, whip out that passport and wing your way around the globe to a place where your morning is night and your sleep time is a sunny day!
Yup! We just booked our Canada flights… and decided to jazz things up a little this time with multiple stops. Just because we can. 🙂
Everyday Asia 