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B-B-B-B-Birthday Celebrations – Quintuple style!
My mother went into labour as ‘trick or treaters’ knocked on their door the Hallowe’en of 1969. She would say how, as her contractions came, she wished I might hold off just a wee bit til after midnight… By 5am the next day she was cursing but got her way as I welcomed the world on 1st November.
Over the years, I’ve met others born on 1st November and occasionally we even celebrate our birthdays together.
For my 40th birthday, enjoyed a ‘triple treat’ birthday with:
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Triple hit – 1st November babies (2009)
A “young” friend (left in pic) who has such a zest for life, we bonded instantly when we met a couple of years ago. We share a love of good music, laughter and more!
- Yup – that’s me in the middle!
- An “old” friend (right in pic) – we met in France in 1988. I’ll never forget one party in Mumbai where a guy I just met ever so kindly took it upon himself to ‘introduce’ me to others (thinking I’m a newbie firangi to India)… to discover practically everyone else there and I knew each other from weeks… to months… to years… By the time he came to my “old” friend: “We’ve known each other for over twenty years – I think maybe 23?” He went “I give up! Who the hell are you???” (more…)
Braving malls, masks and gifts… Jakarta’s Block M Square and Pasaraya Malls
I’ve already confessed to paultry posts about experiences in Jakarta. I’ve also admitted I’m not a big fan of shopping or malls… This post braves both!
Before I left Bombay for Jakarta earlier this month, my partner requested I buy us a mask or two and replenish our empty ‘gift cupboard.’
Why masks? Well… it has become one of our ‘things’… we’ve separately collected masks here and there. So when we came together, our masks did too.
Glimpse of our masks…
Cooooofffeeee! Part 2
Clearly my 1st Starbucks experience in India was utterly sub-par… So why bother with a Part 2?
Well… as is often the case in life… there is more to the story!
1. Bandra Reclamation Starbucks – Part 2
Embroiled in local tussles regarding bribes… ahem licensing issues, apparently the power cut issue is only one symptom. One hopes that whatever lafra (a brilliant Hindi slang word that roughly translates as ‘trouble’) is going on is resolved soon. (more…)
Cooooofffeeee! Part 1
I’m a coffee addict! I’ve also had a wretched time for a week with BOTH of my internet services doing a “Now you see me! Now you don’t!” game, making getting anything accomplished doubly difficult! (Also explains my blog absence too!)
So, I thought, why not check out the new Starbucks that opened down the street?
Bandra Reclamation Starbucks
In Asia, typically there are three things you can count on from Starbucks (or its equivalents):
- Reasonably reliable Wi-Fi
- Blissful cool from powerful air-conditioning
- Drinkable coffee
All desirable things… right? So out I strolled in the sunny 36’c warmth (that 96’F for my American friends).
What did I find? (more…)
Rathod the roach killer
Rathod the roach killer!
I’m cool with chipkalis (geckos/lizards) and can even live with a spider or two but I absolutely detest cockroaches. I’ve been known to squeal like a little girl and leap up on chairs, beds, anything!
Which is why I’m a huge fan of pest control and get it done regularly in our home. Which generally works… except… for some strange reason when my partner rehearses his role as “Rathod the roach killer.” Magically they appear to torment me. Then when the performance is done, they scurry back to whatever dank dark hole they emerged (I don’t want to know!) (more…)
Daily Prompt: Home Sweet Home 2
Daily Prompt: When you’re away from home, what person, thing, or place do you miss the most?
I travel – at least once a month – typically for a couple of weeks. So ‘being away from home’ is a fact of life.
My concept of ‘home’ has two dimensions:
- Home of my birth – Winnipeg, Canada
- Adopted home – Mumbai, India
Yet my answer for both is simple – family and friends. And warning – this post is unabashedly sentimental! (more…)
Music Musings – Chic Gamine
This week’s feature is from my hometown of Winnipeg (and Montreal).
Years ago in Manitoba there was a remarkable all female acapella group Madrigaia. So when, on a visit to Winnipeg, I heard there was a new incarnation, pulled my parents, brother-in-law and friend out to see Chic Gamine at the West End Cultural Centre. I was utterly captivated, bought their self-titled CD and proceeded to play it (more than once!) for friends in India.
Chic Gamine (Photo: Rebecca Sandulak)
They are quixotic, winsome, wryly witty, multilingual (English, French, Portuguese, German…)… when I listen to their music, can’t help but break out into a giant smile! (more…)
Bangalore house envy
I experienced a serious case of ‘house envy’ in Bangalore. I had the pleasure of being invited in my one night to two homes plus the guest house and… I gotta admit… the spaciousness compared to our cramped – I mean cosy – flat in Mumbai is extreme. The bathroom alone in the cheerful guest house is bigger than our guest bedroom!
Guest house living room
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not suddenly going to up and move to Bangalore and I love our place, however it did prompt thoughts in choices we make in life and the circumstances we adjust to in living arrangements. (more…)
One night in Bangkok… I mean Bangalore!
Having literally just breezed through Bangkok airport on my trip back from Jakarta to Mumbai, I find myself throwing jeans and a t-shirt into a small bag for a quick trip tomorrow morning to Bangalore.
I admit it… I have a special fondness for Bangalore… and I can’t wait to be back after years! (more…)
Bollywood baby birthday bashes
Have you ever been to a 1st birthday party? In Bombay, particularly when there is a link to the film industry, these seem to be very much ADULT parties!
My 1st introduction to what I’ll call the “1st birthday phenomenon” was years ago at the Spastic Society (now known as ADAPT – Able Disabled All People Together) in Bandra Reclamation.
The father was the director of the film Leela and it was his pride and joy’s birthday! Was the little guy to be seen? Well… he did make a sleepy appearance for a short while but then retired. Which was perfectly fine because this was very much an adult bash – brilliant fun full of all sorts of interesting characters.
Fast forward more than a decade later and I popped into another 1st birthday celebration in Bandra during my ‘bonus time.‘ Bereft of my partner who was busy with a film shoot in Goa, I landed up by my lonesome wondering what to expect.
Cake cut, signal for “adult” time!
The princess of the evening did an admirable job of smiling, chortling, being oohed and aahed at, tossed giggling into the air. In the earlier part of the evening there were puppets, games and other activities for the little ones. However after the cake, the mood clearly shifted from being a “general” admission party to time “parental guidance” at a minimum… it was clearly time for the adults to pick up the pace and strut their stuff.
Shots made the rounds along with the snacks, casting agents rubbed shoulders with actors, much merry industry networking took place. Now… lest I sound cynical, the parents of the enchanting birthday belle are truly lovely people and fully appreciated the irony that their gal wouldn’t remember her 1st birthday at all.
The adults clearly enjoyed the babes bash! And I’ll admit, I was no exception…
With Irrfan Khan, one of the many adult celebrants!
No these weren’t wild nights of debauchery however both were parties as much (or more) for the full-grown celebrants rather than the tiny tots.
Have you been to any “adult” baby birthday’s lately – Bollywood linked or otherwise? Or is this phenomenon unique to Bombay?
Related posts:
Everyday Asia 