Angela and Steven's Life Adventures

2011-12-02T20:22:00.001+05:30

I can't believe a year has gone by without posting. We really miss traveling abroad. Steven got a job pretty much right after we returned to our home and started working in the beginning of January. We started to do some more renovating in our home which is stressful and exhausting. However, that part was was finished just in time for my 50th birthday party I planned at the house. I had a great band, Matt's catered, a friend I met in Singapore which now lives in Boca Raton came and my brother John came from Indiana making it extra special.

In April I went to Las Vegas for a small reunion of high school friends and in June to the Bahamas with my friend Nancy. My mother had back surgery so I decided to go up to Indiana to help her out in July. When I got to mom's house she was doing pretty well so my services weren't needed as much, which was good! I got together with a lot of my friends making the trip really nice. Steven joined me that last weekend for the 4th of July. Mom invited me to go to a party that Jim Davis of the comic strip Garfield attended. Mom is good friends with him. I was the only one snapping pictures of him!

In April I joined a weight loss clinic and a gym. I've been losing weight very slowly but I guess that's a good thing. I don't have the money to have surgery to take off the extra skin people get from losing weight too fast. I've lost 35 lbs. as of December and Steven has lost 17.

In April Uncle Phil and Aunt Terri came to our house for a visit from Iowa. They stayed with Steven's Dad and Deana in Ft. Pierce. It was the last time we got to hug him goodbye as he succumbed to cancer July 29th after a tough 7 year battle. The news was so heart breaking. He was such a good and wonderful person and will be missed.

In July we found out my father-n-law has prostate cancer. He went to Indiana for treatments and was gone for 4 months. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving reunion at our house. Treatments are finished and looking forward to a bright future. Another happy note; our friend Ben found out he had lung cancer April 2010. He fininshed his last surgery in August and just got a clean bill of health November 28th!! It is remarkable how well we are advancing in the ilimination of cancer. Now, if we can control the over charging of insurance companies, there might be more hope for more people. Such a scary issued that I won't get in to right now. After living abroad for 5 years, it has opened my eyes to a different view. Also, in April and June I went through extensive tests for my heart but my results turned out good but our pocket book and trust with doctor's is still hurting.

In November Steven and I flew in to Richmond, VA and stayed with Steven's mother, Kathleen. We drove to Chestertown, Maryland to attend the "Downrigging Festival, "http://sultanaprojects.org/downrigging/ and to see Carla, Steven's sister and her husband Frank and we stayed at a B&B.

The month of December has us starting it by going to Steven's work Christmas party at the hotel where we got married! Going to the Nutcracker Ballet and then the 2nd week going to Ben and Tracy's party for the Cocoa Beach Boat Parade. They live on the water on the parade route. Then it looks like parties in Orlando and here.

Speaking of Christmas, we need to get our annual Christmas card out! Happy Holiday's!

Angela

Our Annual Christmas Letter- Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-17T19:08:00.003+05:30

Dearest Friends and Family,

We’re back! All good things must end and our expat adventure was one of them. Traveling and living in Asia for the last 5 years was incredible and we had many bittersweet feelings as we readjusted, but we are glad to be home for good. We arrived in the States in September and made several trips around the country visiting friends and family. We’re sorry if we didn’t get by to see you.
After missing a connection, we nearly started the year off stuck in Dubai, but we reached our apartment just in time to watch the fireworks from the balcony. We aged a bit as we entered India when the immigration officer detained us. We found out that visa rules had changed while we were gone. The senior officer let us in but required Angela to register with the government. Under the new rules, Angela wouldn’t be allowed to reenter India unless she stayed out for more than 2 months. This drastically changed our travel plans from pan-Asia to intra-India. On the plus side, we’d have more to spend on antiques!
Like last year, we went to many weddings, temple celebrations, and festivals. Our favorite was a puja (Hindu ritual) for a baby and watching the snake boat races was a close second. While Steven worked, Angela spent her time getting ayurvedic treatments, taking yoga classes, and going shopping. She also went to the hugging saint Amma’s ashram and was hugged again. http://www.amma.org/.
Our first trip of the year was to Varkala for Angela’s birthday in February. Varkala sits next to the Arabian Sea atop cliffs that are unique to the otherwise flat Kerala coast. It is a laid back hangout for western backpackers and hippies. The many hotels and restaurants are unpretentious and serve (unlicensed) beer in coffee mugs. The beach is beautiful and water gorgeous. We liked it so much we took the train there again for another holiday in April.
Also in April we flew to Chennai over on the southeast coast of India. Angela found a great package deal where we got to stay at a Taj Resort. On our 5 day visit we toured the temples of Mamallapuram (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), took a day trip to Pondicherry, and went to a cricket game. We would have done more except the resort was so relaxing.
We caught World Cup fever in June and watched several of the games at an outdoor restaurant. One night we came across two baby street cats who were cute but sick. With the manager’s urging and perhaps one too many beers, we took the kittens home with us. We named them Billi and Poocha which are the words for “cat” in Hindu and Malayalam. We found a veterinarian who made them better and they in turn made our life better. Knowing we would be travelling a lot, we decided not bring them back with us. We found a loving home for them there but still miss them very much.
Even with Billi and Poocha to entertain us, July found us more and more fed up with India and homesick. We weren’t too upset when Steven learned his assignment and job would be over at the end of August. There was lots to do to prepare for moving.
For our last hurrah, we planned a 6 day trip to Leh in August. Leh is in the upper Indus River valley just north of the Himalayas. We were lucky to go after a cloudburst hit the Ladakh region resulting in fatal flash floods and landslides about two weeks before our trip. Things weren’t quite back to normal while were there but it was a most memorable trip. We landed in Leh at 11,000 feet and only went up.
We visited many of the ages old Buddhist monasteries and palaces for which Ladakh is famous. The history of the area has been well preserved and the unique Indo-Tibetan culture is still active. We drove up to Khardung La pass. India claims it is the world’s highest motorable road at 18,379 feet but modern GPS pegs it at only 17,582. We had good weather and were able to see K2 on the horizon. We took a day trip to Pangong Lake. The lake’s blue hues were amazing.
So here we are back at home. In addition to our U.S. travels, we’ve turned the house inside out making room for our shipment from India. It finally arrived and we’ve been busy unpacking our 69 boxes of goodies. Each box brings back many memories. Staying home together has been somewhat challenging. Things should get back to normal in January when Steven starts his new job at Rockwell Collins.
We would love to hear your updates. Please write, call, or visit us when you can. We wish all of you a wonderful holiday and much happiness to come.
Love,
Angela and Steven

Still Adjusting Part II

2010-11-12T02:11:00.007+05:30

Since I've been home I can tell that I have changed. I'm having a hard time "fitting" in. One area of change is my patience of selfish people, or I guess I should say what little patience I have now. It seems a lot of people don't understand how lucky they are to have so much here in the U.S. and I don't think they realize how most of the world doesn't have or can get what people here can get. I see and hear so many people who live in their little selfish world and complain. I see so many people get so angry over small things and then there's the "control freaks". Who try to control others around him/her. Then again, not many people get to travel as I did and see other parts of the world. So, I guess I shouldn't be too hard on others. I know what I need to do and that is to focus on myself and the good that I do have in my life. I can't say or write enough about how grateful I am for everything in my life. I am blessed for sure!

Steven and I are still unemployed. Steven actually quit for us to come back home. The company has requested him back and are writing a proposal for him to consider. It would be nice to go back to India for a brief time. I need to pick up some supplies of Auyervedic medicines and other things I thought I could get at home and can't. However, he has had several potential leads and interviews so at this point who knows. I'm just waiting and wanting our shipment container to arrive, supposedly around the 19th.

The last 3 weekends we've been to 2 different Halloween parties and to St. Augustine for our Hash group's annual pub crawl. We stayed at a hostel called the Pirate Haus and it was our 12 year wedding anniversary as well! Ha-ha. It actually ended up to be fun because about 15 of our other friends stayed at the same place.

Our next adventure will be going to Indiana to see my family for Thanksgiving. I Plan on having another "gathering" of my friends at some point of my visit as well.

Getting Adjusted

2010-10-29T20:27:00.007+05:30

I haven't really talked much about being home. It's been almost 2 months! I really don't know where to begin. I have all of these feelings in me that I have difficulty expressing. People here often ask me, “how do you feel about being home?", "isn't it good to be back home?" or "I'm just glad you're back in the U.S.". Most don't ask or really care to listen to the experiences we had there. It's mostly our expat friends who want to know more. It seems like most of our family and some of our friends just care that we're back in the "good ole U.S.A.". And sometimes that makes me lonely but yet also makes me feel loved.

It's hard to express the bitter sweet memories of living in and leaving India. I mean, hell, we've trekked in the Himalayan mountains on the West and East side of India, went to a Ashram, was hugged and kissed twice by the hugging Saint Amma, scuba diving in the Sri Lanka and in the Maldives, wondered through several temples, Monasteries and saw their high leader in one of them, saw the 2nd and the 3rd highest mountain in the world, was on the highest motorable road in the world, road a yak, elephant and a camel (several times), sent flowers of wishes in the Ganges River, saw the Taj Mahal, went to a baby puju in a hindu temple and was sang to by the women choir, went to countless temple celebrations and that's just a few of the things we did while living in India!

Yeah, we didn't like a lot of things in India. The loud noises of everyday living, the zillions of people everywhere, the daily loud honking of the cars, mosques, temple celebrations of loud M80 fireworks. We didn't like people constantly trying to get money from us. We didn't like having no friends but was invited to their weddings. We didn't like walking down the street and the smell of urine, trash and the burning of trash. It seems like everything was dirty there. Electricity was off a lot. Little air conditioning and it was around 90 degrees most of the time. We didn't like that we couldn't get much western food and that things were expensive there. And those are just a few things we didn't like about India.

Do I like being home? Yes. Do I miss India? Yes. Would I live there again? Maybe
Our experiences out weigh the bad.

Family in Nebraska and Iowa October 11-18th

2010-10-29T20:03:00.006+05:30

Our next trip we flew to Omaha to see Steven's Aunt Joan. They picked us up and we went walking in downtown Omaha and stopped for a beer and then dinner. After a day of flying, it was exactly what we needed! The next day we celebrated Grandpa's 91st birthday by having a ham dinner that Joan cooked and chocolate port cups and Apple pie for dessert.

Later we went back to the farm in Iowa and visited. Until Carla and Frank drove us back to our hotel room in Avoca. After a couple more visits to the farm and taking or stealing (haha) a door from a man at great, great grandma's old house, we headed to the Coraville Heartland hotel to get settled in. Later we walked around downtown in Iowa City and ate Japanese food with Aunt Terri and
Uncle Phil. The next day Steven and I took the campus bus and walked around Iowa City University. On Saturday, was the big event, the wedding. We had such a good week visiting famiy and meeting new friends. The wedding was just beautiful and overwelmed my heart.

September 28-30, 2010 Family

2010-10-20T04:43:00.003+05:30

On Tuesday my cousin Debbie picked us up Kate's house in Atlanta to take us to her and her husband's house in Canton. I haven't seen my cousin for at least 35 years. We have been staying in touch through Facebook and have been wanting to get together for a long time now. We went out to dinner together and had such a nice time talking until late in the eveninig. Her husband Jeff took us to the airport the next day as he had to go on a business trip as well. It was such a pleasure visiing and getting to know Jeff as well.

The we flited off to Richmond, VA to see Steven's Mother. It was such a nice visit!

September 24, 2010 Singapore Reunion

2010-10-20T04:20:00.006+05:30

We had only been home from India for 2 weeks and we whisked off to Atlanta for a reunion of friends we met in Singapore. All 10 of us stayed at Kate and Andy's house and we all had our own bedrooms!! 2 other couples who lived in Atlanta now, came for dinner on Saturday. Kate and Andy's hospitality was the best!! The girls went out Saturday to the Cocoa Cola museum, lunch and to the Atlanta Aquarium. The boys went to a football game, GA tech and NC State. Then on Sunday we all went to the Body exhibition and out to lunch. All of us girls laughed and talked until late in the night. We had such a good time and I can't wait until next year!

Prepare for Home

2010-10-20T02:53:00.007+05:30

Pictues: Our last evening at Avenue Regent
Saying goodbye to Frances
Saying goodbye to Steven's co-workers
After our trip to Leh, we had 1 more week of living in Edappally, Kochi. We tried to buy a few more things to take home, said our goodbye's and the movers came September 1st. We checked in to a hotel nearby Renaissance Hotel, so we could be close. Our previous movers we were skeptical and a little scared of what they might do to our things. Surprisingly after 3 days of packing, nothing was broken and the movers packed up our stuff very nicely. We gave a lot of our things we couldn’t take home to people who were nice to us while living in Kochi. They seemed so appreciative which was so neat to see!

Now on to the bad stuff. September 3rd was our last full day and we thought we would go to the Taj for lunch and then walk around in Fort Cochin and take in all that we might miss. I had cleaned and cleaned to make sure everything was good. Actually, it was much cleaner than when we moved in. Steven’s work said they might rent out the apartment so I had left a little bit of everything in the apartment. The owner was unable to meet us but said his Son would be there for us to give him them the keys and we said OK. When he came in he already had an attitude talking down to us and was abrupt. He then complained of the stuff being there and wanted to pick and choose the stuff he wanted and stuff he didn’t want. I finally started taking everything out into the hall and said he can have it all or nothing. He started yelling in Malalanyam and started making phone calls. I called our driver and he came with a small autorickshaw truck to get everything. The man was so angry he called our friend/driver names along with names for us. Our driver wouldn’t tell us what he said just that it was not good. This man owned a new restaurant near us called Chak De in Vennala or Edappally. We went there once and it wasn't that good and expensive. I can't believe this person owns a restaurant and belittles others as he did. He would never last in the U.S.!! What goes around comes around! I'm sure it won't be there long! We told Steven's work people not to do business with this family!

Our evening was much better. We went to our favorite restaurant, Avenue Regent, had a good dinner but was disappointed when none of our favorite people were working that evening. The next day Steven's work driver took us to the airport and we said goodbye to Kochi, India

Billi and Pocha's new home

2010-10-02T09:00:00.003+05:30

Billi and Pocha's new home. We will miss them so much!!

Ladakh India August 18-24 2010

2010-10-02T08:37:00.003+05:30

Our Trip to Leh

Jithesh & Athira Wedding Aug 29 2010

2010-10-02T08:30:00.002+05:30

Jithesh & Athira Wedding Aug 29 2010

2010 Nehru Snake Boat Race Alleppey, India August 14, 2010

2010-10-02T08:19:00.002+05:30

2010 Nehru Snake Boat Race Alleppey, India

Athirampally and Vazhachal Waterfall July 11 2010

2010-10-02T08:12:00.002+05:30

Our excursion to Athirampally and Vazhachal Waterfalls.

July 4th Wedding Asif & Aysha

2010-10-02T08:06:00.004+05:30

Another wedding from Steven's work that we were invited to. This was a little different in that we got to attend the event with Steven's co-worker, Atikim from the U.S.

Our Newest Family Members

2010-07-19T10:26:00.005+05:30

Steven and I couldn't resist bringing these 2 kittens home and off the streets of Kochi. We have fell in love them and the bad news is that we cannot bring them home with us in the U.S. in August. We would like to find them a good home.

Poocha and Billi

Just "Stuff"

2010-06-23T10:17:00.012+05:30

This is us with a friend of ours and his friends.
We went to the Mall the other day and Steven tried to hit a few Cricket balls for the first time. He's been wanting to try using the bat and I think he has been intrigued with cricket since we've been here.

This is something our helper made for us. It's kind of like a rice pancake with jackfruit shredded in it. Chekkad???
About 3 weeks ago we went shopping at Fort Cochin and found a few pieces to take home with us and put in our home. We have a few more but decided to keep them in bubble wrap since we're leaving in a few months.

Our new table. We love it, however, we're disappointed that we didn't get the 8 seating instead of 6. We entertain a lot and never have less than 8 people over. Oh well.

India Wedding

2010-05-10T18:26:00.004+05:30

I got invited to my friend Sweetha's wedding. Her family owns a hair salon that I go to.Her father is a TV actor here in Kerala. We had a good time and are thankful we got to attend.

Palarivattom Temple April 25 2010

2010-05-10T17:35:00.005+05:30

Just out and about and stumbled across a temple festival. I love it when that happens!!

Back to Varkala, India April 15-18 2010

2010-05-10T17:18:00.004+05:30

We loved Varkala so much we went back and decided to take the train instead of hiring a driver. Our last experience going by train almost traumatized us so we were unsure about it. However, we did great and had the entire section by ourselves. In Varkala all we did is lay on the beach, drink beers, get a massage, eat and shop. It was wonderful.

Chennai April 2-5 2010

2010-04-20T16:03:00.009+05:30

We thought we would take advantage of Steven's day off work for Good Friday and Easter and go to Chennai. I went last year with Katherine but Steven wanted to go to a Cricket game and go see ruins of Mamallapuram. I got a great package deal at one of the Taj Hotels on the beach. We had a lovely non-eventful 1 1/2 hour plane trip. When we arrived we never wanted to leave! Our hotel was just lovely and the service was spectacular!

We did get to a "sold out" Cricket game, Chennai vs Rajashstan. It was so hot we only stay for about half of the game. Mamallapuram was nice but again was way too hot and we didn't get to spend very much time there. We were misled a little about how long it took to go to Podicherry. We were told it took 1-2 hours and it ended up to be about 3 each way.

Pregnancy Pooja

2010-04-20T15:43:00.005+05:30

We were fortunate to get invited to a Hindi Temple in Tripithura from Steven's co-worker to attend a Pregnancy Pooja. The women sang for us and we were served lunch. It was really educational and we had a wonderful afternoon.

Goodbye Friends!

2010-04-20T15:23:00.001+05:30

February 26, 2010, was a sad evening as we said goodbye to our first and only real friends we have met here in India. They threw a big party at our old Flat common area. We really had a great time and we are so sorry to see them go back to Germany after 3 years in Kochi. They made a big impact on the people around them. Hopefully we will see them again. Goodbye Goening Family!

February 13, 2010 - Varkala, India

2010-03-26T16:29:00.008+05:30

I planned my birthday trip to Varkala this year. Since I can't leave the country, we hired a driver for the weekend and drove to Varkala February 13th. We left at 8:00, stopped for lunch and finally arrived at 2:30 P.M. We stayed at a hotel called Hill View which was right on top of a cliff where there were tons of other hotels, restaurants and shops. After walking around for a couple hours we met up with a few American women who is friends with a acquaintece of mine here. We sat around had snacks, drank beers and talked most of the evening then met a couple of guy from North England who were such a hoot and fun to be around.

Sunday, my birthday, we shopped, met up with Debbie to see her homestay. Then we went to the South end of he beach.
I got a Puja done for my 4 grandparents by some sort of guru, brahamn or maybe just someone pretending to be one of those. I didn't ask, he told me he was going to do it. Anyway, I had to go through this ritual of sprinking seeds and water, covering them with a banana leaf holding it on top of my head and walking to the ocean water to drop them in. It was something that I will never forget. The rest of the trip we swam in the ocean ate tons of seafood, met up with the England guys again to share laughter and more beers.

The end of the trip was special too. I asked the driver to stop at Amma's Ashram in Kollam. It was about a 45 minute drive out of our way. I didn't realize the Ashram was so big! It's a small city in itself. The main bookstore was closed but a small one was open so I bought a few brackets and such. Amma was there the day before. I was sorry to have missed her but at least I've had a hug and kiss from her, that's more than most get!!

I had another great birthday!!

Sorry

2010-03-26T16:13:00.002+05:30

Hello! Sorry we haven't been keeping up with our blog. We left the U.S. to come back to India December 28th. Our plane in Atlanta had mechanical problems making us late coming back in to Dubai and missing our flight. To make a long story short, we got to our India home December 31st and was too tired to go to any New Years celebations but did wake up to see greet the New Year and view the fireworks out our balcony.

We did however have a snag when coming in to Bangelore. India has changed the new Tourist Visa laws. If you leave you have to be gone for at least 60 days. I could have gotten a different Visa while I was home but India changed it on Dec. 23rd and one factor for changing was the Headley guy who tried to blow up the plane stayed in India and I think Kochi right before it happened. Uggg!

Hope you all have wonderful 2010!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T03:24:00.001+05:30

Dearest Friends and Family,

Living in India for the past 2 years has made us so thankful for everything in our life, especially you. After the ordeal with our house and Maggie last year, 2009 was much better. It wasn’t perfect since Miss Kitty had to be put to sleep due an unreported illness. It stunned us and we still miss both cats.

We did so much this year that it’s hard to capture it in our annual newsletter. You can always read about and see more of our adventures on our blog at http://hoosierandmullet.blogspot.com/. For more frequent updates, join us on Facebook.

The high point of the year was our good friend Katherine visiting us in June. Angela showed her the local area and then we all went on a 7 day trip around India’s Golden Triangle (Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra) and added a side trip to Varanasi. It was a wonderful adventure that we will never forget. We saw too many archeological sites, old forts, and then the world’s most beautiful mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. Varanasi was our favorite because it was so different and electric! The cremations on the banks of the Ganges River and the angst of the mourners are movingly indescribable. Angela and Katherine also skipped over to Chennai to see the famous Mamallapuram temples. They met some Chennai hashers that we found via the web. We don’t have many friends in Kochi so we were sad to see Katherine go.

Our other big trip of the year was in September. While all of Kerala celebrated Onam, we went to a tropical resort in the Maldives for almost a week. It was paradise from the moment we landed and were met by the hotel boat that took us to their island. We went on a different excursion each day: scuba diving, snorkeling, island hopping, a sunset dolphin cruise, and a tour of the main island and capital, Male. On one dive we went to a “cleaning station” where we laid on the bottom of the ocean in 40 ft of water and watched 3 huge manta rays with 9 foot wing spans glide by slowly. As they circled overhead, they were cleaned by many small fish. It was incredible and again very memorable.
In April we went shopping in Dubai to reset our visa clocks. As exciting as the malls were, we went on some tours too. The best was dune bashing in the desert. The jeep ride ended at a traditional desert camp complete with local fare, camel rides, and a belly dancer. In the Dubai airport on the way home we saw a famous Keralite: Amma, the “hugging saint.” Angela impulsively darted past Amma’s body guards and a throng of followers to get a spiritual hug.

Our living conditions changed in May when we moved in to a much nicer and bigger apartment. Its only drawback is that we hear construction and traffic noise. Moving—twice—the four large granite elephants we got in Sri Lanka last year was trying. We knew we were in trouble when the movers showed up in sandals and their only equipment was a burlap bag. After they damaged the old apartment we found out that it is customary for the hiring party (us) to pay for the repairs. We chalk it up as another lesson in Indian culture.

Our birthday celebrations were great this year. Steven surprised Angela for her birthday by taking her to a resort south of town. When they learned it was her birthday, the resort upgraded us to a bungalow with our own private pool. The upgrade and their other special touches made the weekend extra special. Then on his birthday, Angela surprised Steven by hiring a boat for a sunset cruise and arranging a special dinner. As is common for us, there was a mix-up and we ended up being the only passengers on a boat that could carry many dozens. We didn’t complain.

We also took long weekend trips when there was a convenient holiday. For Independence Day in August, we went to Goa, a European tourist hotspot. Even though it is close, it feels very different from Kochi. With a proper donation, we made an offering in a temple, most of which are usually closed to non-Hindus. For Gandhi’s birthday in October, we went to Munnar, a hill station town created by the British for their R&R. We saw wild elephants, endangered goats, and beautiful waterfalls.

For our last trip of the year, we are fortunate to be in the US on a long home leave after 11 months out of the country. We arrived home Nov. 21st but turned right around to go to Indiana where Pam and Larry hosted a warm family Thanksgiving. Back at the house now, we are loving our home visit! We’ve gotten to see more family, former coworkers, and many old friends from far and near. We are returning to India December 28th and we hope we’ll have seen you before we do.

We wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous new year.

With love and peace,
Angela and Steven

Back to the U.S.

2009-12-22T00:36:00.002+05:30

Hello! We're so sorry we haven't been keeping up on our blog. Steven and I went back to our home in the U.S. for our home leave. We haven't been home in a year so it's been so nice. We've been so busy while and we feel a little overwelmed. Well, our next post will be our annual Christmas letter because we're just so busy now. Happy Holiday's!

Our 11th Wedding Anniversary November 7 2009

2009-11-13T17:13:00.005+05:30

We celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary by having dinner at the Taj Malabar Hotel at Wilington Island, India which is near to Fort Cochin. It was a very nice evening. Our anniversary trip was really in September when we went to the Maldives.

An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow. ~Author Unknown.

Munnar, India Oct 2-4 2009

2009-10-07T15:46:00.001+05:30

Munnar, India Oct 2-4 2009

Steven's Birthday September 21 2009

2009-09-30T16:51:00.006+05:30

I thought I would surprise Steven for his birthday this year. I never know what to get him, well I do know but it's electronics and he has to pick them out. So, I called a travel company we deal with at times and hired a private boat to take us out for a sunset cruise out in the Cochin inlet in the Arabian Sea. It wasn't what I had planned and then it rained but we still had a nice time. After our boat ride we had reservations across onto the Island of Fort Cochin at the Malabar House.

Maldives Holiday September 2-6 2009

2009-09-22T13:46:00.016+05:30

Our 6 month having to leave the country was coming up in October and we found that Steven had a couple days off from work for a holiday here called Onam, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onam. I then looked online and found a half way decent price (compared to other times) for a 5 day holiday package to the Maldives, so we decided to take advantage it of all other right situations and leave on September 2. Though, when looking at the packages, we found that the shortest and cheapest flights were all on Air India. After having said to each other that we don’t want to fly Air India anymore due to their recent mechanical errors, fatality rates and the uncleanliness. We decided to take a chance and go Air India anyway.

The taxi picked us up at 6:00 A.M. to go on our 8:00 flight, stopping in Thiruvananthapuram which take us 1 hour and then 1 more hour to Male. We got on the plane and Steven sat in what looked like baby puke, which was not only on the seat but all over the seat in front of us and the tables. Yuck! We found another seat but couldn’t get over all of the seats that were broken and TAPED up. OMG!!!

When we arrived in Male, http://.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives, we got our luggage, walked out of the airport right to the Port and in our hotel Sheraton’s boat!

We arrived to our hotel no more than 15 minutes, with a warm reception from some of the staff.
We found that our hotel was on a small island by itself. It was just so beautiful. We were going to upgrade to a water bungalow but found our room just as nice if maybe even better. While there we went on 2 dive trips, Sunset Dolphin Cruise, Island Hopping/Snorkle all day trip and a trip to the main island of Male.
I think the main excitement of the trip was on our last dive we saw manta rays with 9 foot wingspan. We sat on the bottom and watched 3 of them for about 45 minutes. We were taken to this place where they feed on top of a rock and it was one of the most awesome things I've ever seen. A lot of people sat on the bottom of the rock and watched in awe as well.

It was one of those once in a life time trips to do since we are so close because it is so expensive. We won't go again unless we win the lottery!

Our Trip to Goa August 14-17 2009

2009-08-31T17:30:00.011+05:30

Steven had a day off from work so we decided we wanted to go to Goa. Goa is only about 248 miles from Kochi. We found out that there are no more direct flights from Kochi to Goa. We looked in to going by train and it took twice as long. So we decided to go anyway by plane. Our flight left at 9:30 at night getting us in to Mumbai at 11:00. We walked around and tried to get in to the comfy area known as the Crown Club at home but they were closed. There were no places to sit, it was unbelievable! We finally found a small area next to a snack counter and we tried to make ourselves more comfortable along with all of the roaches crawling around our feet!
Our place left at 5:00 AM for Goa which was a 1 hour flight. We arrived in Goa at 6:00 A.M. and our hotel was not there to pick us up. We talked with a airport hostess which called our hotel and said they would be there in 1 1/2 hours. We paid Rs. 500 for a taxi. Our hotel was pretty nice. We were so tired and slept until late afternoon and had a wonderful dinner at one of the restaurants at the hotel. The next day we had our tours
which were Dona Paul Cliff, Basilica of Bom Jesus Church, The Shiva Temple of Shri Mangesh Shiva Temple
and Fort Aquada & Lighthouse. We tried to find the Hash House Harrier's supposedly local hang the owner said they were there once. I guess the Goa HHH doesn't update their website. However, we did make 3 new friends there at Harry's Bar. Flying back to Kochi was easier, making it about a 4 hour trip. The plane made 2 stops but we didn't get off the plane. It was a short and sweet trip. We really like Goa and want to go back however on a different flight getting there.

Here is a link to the rest of our Goa pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IcsmjVy1aJ4

Advice to SB

2009-08-29T00:13:00.005+05:30

Below is some advice for SB that I wrote in an email. SB is considering moving to Kochi. It probably isn't particularly useful for you in your present situation, but it does give some insight into daily life here in Kochi.

I find that India is rather xenophobic. In addition to outright staring at foreigners, every Indian state I’ve visited so far always seems prejudiced against whatever state’s immigrants have “invaded.” It’s not much different than the Cypriots who hate Turks, the Greeks who hate Macedonians, the Singaporeans who hate Indonesians, the Spanish who hate Moroccans, the Texans that hate Mexicans, the Koreans who hate Japanese, the Vancouverites who hate Torontons, etc, etc, etc. In other words, I haven’t ever been anywhere where the local majority didn’t dislike some other group. I think nature has inbuilt these prejudices and they can’t be avoided. If you put two different fish in a tank, they’ll swim around together as a pair. If you put in more of the same two types of fish, they’ll suddenly split into little schools of like and like fish.

I haven’t figured out the gay thing here in India. Most Indians, men and women, seem rather androgynous to me. Women and men are usually segrated so all the guys go around hanging all over each over. Yet no one talks about who’s gay or who is not. Are all the guys on the down low? Or just some of them? Recently, the papers made a big deal about reform of the anti-gay laws. Regardless of all the celebrations in other cities that were shown in the Kochi papers, I didn’t see much acknowledgement of the change here in Kochi. Maybe we don’t go to the right bars…

One of our past times in the U.S. would be to go hang out at a neighborhood bar and drink with our friends. Drinking doesn’t seem to be such a past time here. Supposedly, Kochi has one of the highest per capita drinking rates. If this is true, then everyone must be drinking alone. We’ve learned how to buy beer and liquor at the government run outlets. (They have wine too but it’s all pretty nasty to me even though Angela seems to tolerate it.) We’ve learned how to tell which bars we might be welcome at and which ones are off limits. (Yes, I really have been personally recommended to leave several.) There are even fewer where we actually *feel* welcome. And at those, we feel like Norm from Cheers because everyone knows who we are. I assume the bartenders and servers think, “Here come the rich Americans who leave us tips.” Of course we’re not rich, but who says you can’t buy your friends?

One thing about Kochi is how fast it is changing. I’m talking about big radical changes. When we first moved here, there were 2 state run radio stations babbling in Malayalam. Now, there are many private and state run stations playing a variety of American top 40 hits from the 70’s and 80’s with ads and all. Somebody decides, and “BOOM!” it happens. I just wish I knew who the somebody was. As another example, a year and half ago, everyone just tossed their garbage out in the street and either burnt it every now and then or let the rains wash it away. Now, we have semi-organized city-paid collectors who put all the garbage in a big pile on the outskirts of town and burn it every now and then or let the rains wash it away. Another example is the upcoming “transportation hub.” Within two months of its publicity, a huge 100 acre site was declared as the new terminal for local city, intrastate, and interstate busses, city taxies, and a proposed system of water taxis. According to the planners, the complex will be completed by next April and they haven’t even broken ground yet!

We find it hard to go anywhere from Kochi. There just aren’t enough flights between Kochi and interesting places. Every time we want to go someplace, we end up having to take crappy flights that take 4 times as long as they should. Our last trip to Goa, a mere 400 miles away, took us 14 hours (door to door) going and 7 hours returning. The other issue you need to check is working days. Most companies here in Kochi work 6 days per week. The usual hours are 9 to 5:30 Monday – Saturday. On the plus side, many people seem to only work half day on Saturdays. I have suggested it several times, but no one seems to believe me, that we could be more productive by only working from 8:30 to 5:30 Monday – Friday. People who are paid to think need more time off to not think.

Playground Fun

2009-08-07T20:00:00.004+05:30

I occasionally read trade journals online and have a favorite columnist or two that I follow. Dr. Howard Johnson is one of them. He has a knack for explaining complex phenomena in ways that make the relationships intuitive. In a recent column, Dangerous Games, he decried the “lawyers and politically correct parents” who have ruined kids’ playgrounds. (Yes, Dr. Johnson often gets a little off topic for an electrical engineering design magazine, but that’s one of the things that makes his column interesting.) He ended with a quote I found funny enough to pass along:

People who spend their formative years huddled in the library searching for loopholes in the physical-education requirements for junior-high graduation should not design playgrounds.

Here's hoping that the PC wimpification of the world doesn't get too much worse.

Cricket Contest, part 2.

2009-08-02T14:23:00.006+05:30

This is a continuation of my story about participating in a contest related to the T-20 Cricket World Cup Tournament held in June 2009. See T20 Cricket Contest for part one of the story.

After a week off on our trip through north India, I returned to work refreshed. With the contest going at work, I had followed the T20 World Cup cricket tournament. I only followed until the top 2 favored teams, which of course I had selected, were knocked out. I didn’t really mind not having to try to get the results. We met very few people who could communicate in English and who were also following the tournament. Whether they didn’t understand the question or I didn’t understand their answer, more than once I was given incorrect info about the previous day’s results. ¹

As the tournament end approached, I started to worry about what I would get for the prizes. Recalling the prize I received from the lucky draw (which was probably rigged for me to win) at last year’s company party, I decided that the winner might like a gift certificate from Music World or Planet Music. With CDs costing around Rs 500 (~USD 10) sponsorship wouldn’t be too painful.

Fortunately I found out from Shiyas that the prizes had already been acquired before I went out and got more. He and a few of the other supervisors and engineers had also been tapped as sponsors and had contributed money. While talking to him, it wasn’t clear if my role as sponsor was being supplanted or supplemented, but when I offered to contribute as well, he was very quick to accept.

As with many purchases in India, the amount to be paid was not set. When buying in a shop, you make an offer and hope you are in the right ball park. If you offer too little, you receive either indignation (way too low), a counter offer, or grudging acceptance. If you offer way too much, you get a refund or disingenuous thanks depending on the character of who you are dealing with. If you are just a little high, you get happy and enthusiastic service. I guessed right and was glad I didn’t need to go shopping.

The prizes were going to be handed out at afternoon tea². Since I had gotten off light on sponsorship so far, I figured I would bring snacks to go with the tea. People often bring snacks for the whole office to celebrate the birth of a child or to brag about getting a promotion or a new car or home. I had seen the same snacks at the local bakeries and figured I could manage this over lunchtime. At first the bakery counter clerk was confused by my questions about his goodies and perhaps by my mere presence in his shop. I began ordering a few of these and a few of those and this and that. He caught on quickly and started having fun suggesting things for me. Mission accomplished.

At the appointed time I went down and assembled with most all of the operators, technicians, engineers, and supervisors, about 35 people in all. As expected, I was asked to say a few words and then present the prizes. I don’t know why, but I absolutely believe that Indians think receiving a prize from a foreigner makes it better. Why else have I been asked to hand out prizes many times now, including once by a radio DJ who was broadcasting live at a home show Angela and I attended?

I thought the prizes I passed out were rather cheesy and slightly tacky. However, everyone really seemed to like them. I see the stuff in the “Ladies, Fanci, Stationery, and Gifts” stores around town. The stores are unrelated mom & pop stores, but they all use similar names, often with the same misspellings. Indians’ love of kitsch is also used as part of the storyline in Outsourced³ so I guess it’s confirmed now.

After passing out the gifts, we had our cakes and snacks. The contest organizers provided some marble cake which was passed out first. It was typical Indian cake: dry, not too sweet, no icing, pretty blah in short. I was pleased to see my selection of goodies gobbled up. I’ll know what to bring for my next birthday. (I had difficulty getting rid of the cake I brought last year.)

So over all, the cricket contest was a success with a good time had by all. One of these days, I may even get to go to a live cricket match.

Notes:
1. As the tournament was played in London, the results weren’t usually known by the morning newspaper’s deadline and weren’t covered in the paper we read at our hotel breakfast. The previous day’s results weren’t published either since they were old news by then.
2. Tea time is at 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM. The “tea ladies” bring a cup of coffee, tea, or chai—usually containing more milk and sugar than brewed liquid—to each person in the office. It is often the highlight of my day at work.
3. Outsourced is a movie about a guy who comes to India to improve the performance of an order fulfillment call center which was outsourced from the US. We really enjoyed the movie since we could relate to so much of what the guy goes through.

Traveling in the Month of June

2009-07-30T08:03:00.013+05:30

Katherine arrived from Orlando June 10th. I had 3 local Kerala trips planned out for us. We toured the historic and touristy area in Ft. Cochin, went on a backwaters boat trip, and drove up to some waterfalls and a temple which has more elephants than any other temples in the state.

Next, all 3 of us flew north for our Golden Triangle tour. We started in Delhi at the Shangri-La Hotel which was beautiful! We only had one day in Delhi so we hit the usual historic sites, temples, and palaces. Katherine got henna “tattoos” on her hand at the India Gate memorial which lists (by name!) all of India’s WWI casualties.

The next day we drove 5 hours south to Jaipur, known as the pink city, in the state of Rajasthan. Here we stayed at the Le Meriden Hotel. It was a gorgeous hotel with local musicians who played for us every time we walked in or out of the hotel. Of course they hoped for a tip every time too. The hotel also had dancers and a puppet show for our nightly entertainment, same story. (Later in Agra, we actually purchased a pair of the waist high puppets – we might have been a little buzzed at the time.)

In Jaipur we went to the usual forts and palaces and also went a little off the beaten path to the Monkey Temple. Steven and I have seen the monkey temple on several TV shows including Monkey Thieves and wanted to see if for ourselves. It didn’t look much like what was depicted in the shows, but we still enjoyed it. At one point we were watching a baby monkey with its mother when all of a sudden an older brother or uncle jumped at Steven who was closest.

After 2 nights in Jaipur we drove 5 hours east to Agra in our third state of the trip Uttar Pradesh. Agra is home to more palaces and Taj Mahal, the most famous mausoleum in the world. Our hotel there was built like a palace and it was huge! We woke up way too early to be at the Taj Mahal for sunrise, when it is supposedly most beautiful. After about 3 hours at the Taj and breakfast back at the hotel, we went to the Agra Fort which was beautiful as well.

That night we boarded the train for the overnight ride to Varanasi. The train ride was an adventure in itself. It arrived in Agra late and only got later. We were in a sleeper car but got the crappy bunks parallel to the tracks. If we try it again, we’ll be sure to get a group of 4 facing each other. We finally arrived in Varanasi at 2:00 P.M. about 5 hours behind schedule. Since we were late, there was no open platform and we had to disembark onto the railroad tracks! Maybe we won’t try the train again after all…

Varanasi was one of the most religious and spiritual cities we’ve ever visited. As Hindus believe that being cremated in Varanasi will get you an immediate place in heaven, thousands of people make the pilgrimage each week to cremate their dead relatives on the banks of the Ganges River. Many old Hindus move to Varanasi so they can die there and attain their moksha within the 24 hour limit. Adding to Varanasi’s uniqueness is the fact that it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

We woke up at 4:00 A.M. again to take a boat ride on the Ganges at sunrise. We witnessed the pilgrims and locals bathing in the river and worshipping the sun. We also witnessed cremations at the ghats. After breakfast and a nap, we went to the park where Buddha gave his first sermons and visited the museum which holds the Lion Capital of Ashoka sculpture, which is now a national symbol of India.

In the evening we took a bicycle rickashaw down to the river for an evening boat ride on the Ganges. We saw yet more cremations and ended our ride at an Aarti celebrating the end of the day. Halfway through the ceremony we went ashore and watched from a rooftop. It was the most interesting event I’ve ever been to and you could feel the electricity and excitement all around you.

We flew home to Kochi the next day but didn’t stay long. After doing some laundry, Katherine and Angela flew to Chennai for a 3 day visit. (Steven went back to work and rested.) We went to more temples and sites around the city. We went south to see Mahabalipuram which has various historic monuments built largely between the 7th and the 9th century, and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The last evening we got to visit some hashers at their house and have tea.

We hope you enjoy our pictures!
Angela & Steven
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IcsmjVy1aI8

Moon Landing

2009-07-29T22:43:00.004+05:30

I'm watching The Dish about the giant radio telescope in Parkes, Australia, that tracked Apollo 11 and received the first TV signals of Armstrong on the moon. It's pretty good so far but there was such a hilariously funny poke at India in the movie that I felt compelled to blog about it in real time.

IMDB didn't have the quote in their database, so here's my paraphrasing of it.
Man: "Over 600 million people are going to watch [the landing] on TV."
Girl: "Are they going to watch in India?"
Dad: "Yes, but they are all going to watch it on one TV."

I have no idea if or why a teenage girl in Australia in the 60's would care about India, and it seems a little suspicious that a joke that is still apt today would have been around then. I've heard other jokes with "only one thing" punch lines but don't know the seminal version.

The joke is still funny now because it is very common to see crowds of people huddled around the occasional TV that we see in shops in Kochi. The TV is invariably an old CRT model, maybe 19 inches, hung up in the corner but sometimes just sitting on a table. There will be either a Malayalam movie or the latest cricket or football match playing.

It always amazes me how a TV is one the first things that poor people in developing countries acquire. They'll live in a hut with not much more than clothes they are wearing, a cooking pot, and a color TV! Sing us out Janice....

Dieting

2009-07-18T23:59:00.006+05:30

I've never really felt the need to go on a diet. I'm certainly no Mr. Rogers who kept his weight the same low 143 for the last 30 years of his life, but I never gave it too much worry that my waist size went up or down some. I'm usually between sizes anyway so it's not that big a deal to switch back and forth between them. Things changed when Angela recently started a weight loss treatment program at an Ayurvedic http://www.punarnava.net/, center near our flat.

In part to support her and in part because I some of my pants are a little snug in the waist , I decided that I would follow along with her. I’m not restricting my intake as much as she is and I’m not taking all the powders and elixirs that she mixes before and after each meal. My usual breakfast of fruit, toast, and tea didn't need to change although I try to use a little less butter. At lunch I have the same plateful of buffet fare that I’ve eaten for the past year. Dinner is where things are different.

As Angela is eating no meat during her treatment, we have a vegetarian dinner. In India where the majority of the population is vegetarian, you would think this wouldn’t be too hard. However, since we don’t know what half the available vegetables are much less how to cook them, we are struggling. It’s also hard to cook without using any oil or butter. Stir fried veggies just aren’t the same without some sort of oil.

After a week, her daily treatments are having an effect. They weigh her at the center and said she was lighter. We’re both sure she has lost some weight, but since they have to zero the scale before every weighing, she doesn’t really trust the quantitative results. Qualitatively, I can see and feel changes in both of us. The only downside is that we both go around a little hungry. Otherwise we are doing OK, and given the results so far, I guess it’s worth it.

More Monsoon Movies

2009-07-07T01:04:00.001+05:30

The monsoon rains have picked up a lot lately. After getting off to a very slow start, I think the rain fall amounts will end up about normal this year. (Like I've been here long enough to recognize what normal is....) There is still some concern for northern India, but here in the south, we are plenty wet.

With all the rain, we stayed in and watched more movies. I found Valkyrie interesting. The acting and filmography weren't outstanding but the film still made an impression on me. Perhaps my education has some holes in it, but I was not aware of the German resisance movement. I didn't know movie was based on actual events until the epilogues played before the credits. As usual, Wikipedia has filled in some of the gaps.

The movie closed showing (what I have since learned is a paraphrasing of) the text on a memorial to the German resistance movement in general and the main characters of the movie in particular. It reminds us not to sit by. I doubt we'll closely face such extremes as seen in Nazi Germany or make such sacrifices, but there are still small injustices in daily life to be righted.

You did not bear the shame.
You fought back.
You gave the great,
Forever tireless
Sign of change,
Sacrificing your glowing life
For freedom,
Justice, and honor.
- Professor Edwin Redslob

Source: http://www.gdw-berlin.de/ort/ort-d-e.php

Got Faith?

2009-07-04T10:53:00.004+05:30

Angela and I watched Angels and Demons the other day. I've never been able to suspend disbelief enough to thoroughly enjoy Dan Brown's novels, but his characters always summarize their philosophies in ways that appeal to me. In the movie Robert Langdon says, "My mind tells me I will never understand God [and my heart] tells me I'm not meant to. Faith is a gift that I have yet to receive." (1) I totally agree with this sentiment. If you know of anyone passing out faith, please let me know.

(1) For the full exchange between the Camerlengo and Langdon, look on http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0004644/quotes.

T20 Cricket Contest

2009-06-30T22:14:00.003+05:30

After being here over a year, people at work are finally starting to get used to me. More say “Hello” when we pass in the hallway instead of giving a mumbly nod or staring down at their feet. A few know (or know of) Angela and ask about her. A few are even aware of some of the other things going in my life and ask about them.

Two weeks ago I thought I had reached a new level of inclusion when Eldhose called out to me as I walked by. He was asking me something about cricket. It felt like he was leading to something but I wasn’t quite sure what. I noticed he was fidgeting with some slips of paper as he was talking. In my mind I was excitedly hoping that he was suggesting that I join a group of them that were going to a cricket match. No such luck crossing that one off.

It turned out that he was explaining that they were having a “contest” with the ongoing Twenty 20 Cricket World Cup Championship and was wanting to know if I would like to participate. I envisioned a US style office pool for random betting on the big sports championships like the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals. (What happened to the Magic?!) I thought to myself, “What could go wrong? It might be fun.” So I joined the contest.

Eldhose then searched through his rolls of slips and found the one with my name on it. I have no idea why the slips would already have names printed on them. I felt surprised that there had been some foresight to include me so I didn’t ask. I reviewed the slip and saw that I had to write in names of the top 4 teams and the best players in several categories. Eldhose explained that we’d get points for correct answers and the person with the highest total would win. Uh oh, skill was required…

I pulled out my wallet and asked “How much?” Instead of a figure, Eldhose gave me the confused look that I dread as it usually deflates any chance of further communication. After some probing, he lit back up when I stumbled upon an idea he understood. It turns out there was no “prize” for the contest. They were still looking for some “sponsors” to provide the prizes. I thought, “OK. Cool. The winner will get a t-shirt or water bottle with some company’s name and logo on it. If figure if we’re really lucky, maybe someone has connections to get a team jacket as the prize.”

Next came the hard part. The slip required written answers. It wasn’t multiple choice or random assignments! And the slips had to be put in the box by the end of the day. Where was I supposed to get the answers? I’ve watched enough cricket now to at least understand it as well as I understand any other professional sport—hey! quit sniggering!—but the fact that I wasn’t even aware that the championship was being played gives some idea of what I was up against. I’m not proud of it, but I decided to cheat: I looked up the answers on a sports book web site. Problem solved.

Later that afternoon, Eldhose came to my cabin (that’s their word for an enclosed office) to get my slip. He took it, and with no hesitation asked if I would sponsor the contest. Had I been setup? Either way, I figured I may as well be the contest sponsor. They would single me out to pass out prizes even if I wasn’t the sponsor. If I’m going to pass them out, I may as well provide them too. It is my penance for cheating on the answers.

And then we went on our trip to north India. I’ll finish the story later...
Update: The story is finished: Cricket Contest, part 2.

Our Miss Kitty

2009-06-28T18:13:00.006+05:30

Dear Friends and Family,

I just took our friend Katherine to the airport to fly back to her home in Orlando. We had so much fun and she will be missed by me.

Before I post our adventure in the last 3 weeks, I want to write a little about our babies and about our latest death of our cat Miss Kitty. After reading my writings, maybe it's my need to "vent".

When Steven got asked to go overseas for work in 2005 we had several issues and one was what to do with our 2 cats and 200 gallon fish tank. After much consideration, we decided to trust others to care for our house and animals. We had 2 different house sitters that mistreated them and Maggie died last June with the 2nd house sitter. She was very old and we knew it might happen. Why didn't we learn our lesson from the first house sitter? So, we sold our fish, boarded up the house and are happy not to have bad people in our house ever again.

Last July, Miss Kitty was sent to a good friend and then 3 weeks ago to another good friend. In the middle of our 7 day holiday trip to North India, (actually we were at the Taj Mahal), Miss Kitty's 2nd long term babysitter (only of 2 weeks) called us to say that she has been trying to get a hold of us for several days. She had to take Miss Kitty to the vet and the results weren’t good. She had failing kidney's, urinary infection and had lost a lot of weight. The vet said she was sick for a long time had suggested she put her to sleep and so she did.

I think what disturbed us more than anything was that we didn't know she had lost 11 pounds in less than 6 months and that her eating behaviors changed. We saw her last December and she was healthy. We don't or aren't blaming anyone per se but just don't understand and sorry she died so suddenly. Also, we have so many feelings of SHOCK, hurt, anger, sadness, contempt, guiltiness and disbelief.

We are so sorry Miss Kitty and for Maggie, you will be in our hearts forever.

Life in India-last 30 days

2009-06-05T09:04:00.013+05:30

Hello Dearest Friends and Family,

I'm sitting here looking down at my keyboard and thinking about the last 30 days. And that's when I became astonished and realized how much has happened. It feels like 90 days instead of the last 30 days.

It started with our move and the movers destroying property with our elephants statues. Then the caretakers blocking our hired movers and not letting them move the rest of our belongings because of all of the damage that had incurred. After several phones call asking people to translate and demand they let us in, they gave in. Once we moved in we became frustrated in trying to find help and trying to communicate what we need for example, finding water service, transportation, grocery stores, ironers, repair work at apartment and making appointments, takeout food, mail, internet service, cable service. Also finding faults with our new place with the constant all day power outages, and dealing with all of the noise all day and night from the construction below and in the above flats. Another frustration is talking on the phone here because if they don't understand they just hang up which is most of the time. We miss talking to English speaking people and I miss my yoga class.

Then, finding out our good friend Ted died, we're still dumbstruck and will be for a long time. Later in the month in-between our moving woes we found out Uncle Phil's cancer is back. He has fought long and hard getting rid of the damn thing only 1 year later to find it back! Then after that we got a email from our friend and cat sitter saying she no longer can keep Miss Kitty and to find a new home for her. Trying to find a new temporary home in the U.S. for our cat Miss Kitty was difficult, especially trying to find it from India.
View From Our Balcony of the Mosque

The new month seems promising already!

We're getting excited about Katherine's visit in 5 more days. The day after her arrival I planned local Kerala trips for the following 3 days. Then on June 14th we're off to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and a side train trip to Varanasi and the Ganges River. We come back on the 21th and then Katherine and I will fly to Chennai for 2 days. Then she will go back to Orlando on the 28th.

Our good friends came to the rescue in finding a home for Miss Kitty. We feel very fortunate to have good friends. Wow! Miss Kitty is living with one of my best friends, Cherie. Hopefully, they will all get along and I know she will be loved. Some other positive notes, we found out Uncle Phil will go through chemo again unlike what he said before. Hopefully, it will get rid of the cancer cell. My Mother had successful kidney stone removal surgery. We found a good taxi service and have found most of our needs. I met a new friend here named Betty. We're excited about having our first BBQ party here for our friends from Kent Saturday. We're testing the grill tonight to see if we don't smoke out our neighbors in our multistory condo. Ha Ha. We don't want the fire truck to show up at our party. If it's too smoky, we will go to plan B and grill inside. Well, that's about it for now. We would love to hear from you. Love, Angela

Fort Cochin, India Snake Charmer

2009-05-31T21:58:00.002+05:30

We went shopping today around the Fort Cochin area and came across a "snake charmer". It was the best $2.50 we ever spent!!

We are very sad

2009-05-18T16:15:00.004+05:30

It has been a sad week for us. Our very good friend passed away May 12, 2009. We are speechless but to say that life is so short and make every day count as if it's your last. I put in his Obituary for you to see because it was so touching and in hopes you will say a little prayer. Also here is the link for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,any donations would be very much appreciated. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls.

Theodore Scott Baker
February 07, 1964 - May 12, 2009
Here's to those who are missing and those who are missed. U.S. Army Captain Theodore S. Baker (aka 2th Fairy) passed away at the age of 45 on Tuesday May 12th, 2009, after a short battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in Melbourne, FL.
Ted was born in Lynchburg, Virginia and joined the Army in 1983 after graduating Granby High School in Norfolk, VA. He traveled the world during his 20 year career in the Army, combining Army training and business with exploring new places and meeting new people. He was indoctrinated into the Hash House Harriers in Seoul, Korea, got hooked on it's irreverent lunacy, and jumped in with both feet. Given the hash name "2th Fairy", he went on to start up two new hash kennels,
one in Oklahoma City and one in Savannah, GA.
2th Fairy was a born leader, a gregarious young man, with a sharp wit who caught many people off guard. Those who "got" him loved him. Those that didn't, don't know what they missed out on.
He is survived by his uncle, Jerry Baker, and thousands of harriers and harriettes, all who will raise a toast to our beloved brother hasher (may he go in peace).
Funeral Information
Military memorial services will be held on Monday May 18th, 2009 at 7:00pm at First Landing Chapel at Fort Story, 600 Port au Prince Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23459. (Arrive early to clear security checkpoint)
Flowers may be sent to the address above.
Donations may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, via Team in Training

Moving

2009-05-13T17:54:00.007+05:30

It all started when we knew we were staying in India longer and asked the management company and the owners if we could open and use the 3rd bedroom as the owners have the room locked with their personal belongings stored in it. We also asked for a 2nd bedroom air conditoner for our friend Katherine who is coming to visit in June. It's been way to hot for her to sleep with no aicon. Just last week it was 112 F. They both said "NO". Anyway, I went online and researched rentals in Kochi and found out we were paying way too much. We then knew that we needed to move May 9th when the lease is up so that we would have enough time to sign another long term lease with another place. We had our trip in Dubai planned and only 1 month to find a place. We found that there are really no "real estate" agents here. You can just go up to a place or complex of your choosing and the caretaker will help you in. We looked at several and found a owner who was willing to move us in without having a 11 month lease which is standard. We also knew we needed help finding a moving company due to our heavy granite elephants, (see below) so we asked our new landlord for some help. He referred a moving company which came to the apartment and said they could move us for a reasonable price. We thought this was great!!! The day of the move, in came 6 scrawny barefooted men with dhoti (sarongs) on and 1/2 of a burlap sack. We were skeptable but felt we would leave it up to them. To make a long story short, they broke tiles and several marble steps. The security guards banned the moving company to come back in. After several phone calls and stressful confrontations, they let them in to complete the job. However. they left 3 of our elephants at th bottom of our stairs which was moved a week later and was relatively ok.

We moved in to a brand new 3 bedroom apartment with 2 aircons and are paying much less. Steven and I have stop coughing as
the old apartment had so much mold in the place. Here's a little video I made of our new apartment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhhTzhdFzm0,

It's been challenging trying to find and request new service such as bottled water, taxi's, cleanng help, ironers, etc...
I do miss our German friends we met in our complex but hopefully we will have them over sometime soon.

Bollywood Voting

2009-05-13T17:42:00.004+05:30

Last week the below picture was in our paper, "The Hindu". We couldn't believe they put this on the front page. The people are very famous India actors. There was a comotion about it the next day. Funny!

Train Fire

2009-04-27T22:07:00.003+05:30

This came out of our local paper, "The Hindu". Look at the poor guy tryinig to put out the fire with a bucket.

India Elections

2009-04-27T21:48:00.008+05:30

We are fortunate to be in India as a spectator in India's elections because it was interesing to see the differences between their election and ours. India has their elections every 5 years.

"Campaigning ends the day before the voting day. Government schools and colleges are chosen as polling stations. The day of the elections is declared a holiday and all liquor shops and bars are shut down. The Collector of each district is in charge of polling. Government servants are employed to many of the polling stations. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are being increasingly used instead of ballot boxes to prevent election fraud via booth capturing, which is heavily prevalent in certain parts of India. An indelible ink manufactured by the Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited is applied usually on the left index finger of the voter as an indicator that the voter has cast his vote. This practice has been followed since the 1962 general elections to prevent bogus voting."

We thought you would get a kick out of a picture we saw here in our local newspaper. They are carrying the ballotts across the river.

Dubai

2009-04-18T14:36:00.025+05:30

Hello, Hope you are well and we sure do miss you. It looks like we will be in India at least until November. We missed out on our home leave in April and went to Dubai on April 10th instead for a 5 day holiday. We stayed in a nice hotel in the Deira Creek area of Dubai. The hotel had 12 restaurants and bars in it and several shops. After our 4 hour plane ride, we arrived in Dubai at 6:30 in the morning. We walked around and got aclamated to the area and bought tickets for the 24 hour hop on/off city bus tour. That gave us a quick view of the city plus tickets to Dubai Museum which was informative and a boat ride. Saturday, we got on our bus bright and early to continue seeing all of the sites. The bus took us to the Palm Islands,the Hotel Atlantis and the Burj Al Arab the famous 7 star hotel. Palm Island Saturday night we went on a dinner Dhow Boat ride. We ate dinner while riding in a original dhow boat through the big creek in Dubai and in the Arabian Gulf. Sunday and Monday we had tours planned. First we went on a Dune Safari Tour. They picked us up at our hotel and took us "dune bashing" in the Dubai Desert Conservation Park. There it was quite windy and there was a sand storm. We had sand in every place you can think of. After bashing most of the sand storm had gone away and they took us to a camp set up in the middle of the desert. There we rode a camel, got henna painted, shisha smoking, watched a belly dancer and had a BBQ dinner. Stand Storm Camp
Henna painting Camel Riding
Dune Bashing
Belly Dancing

We got up early to meet the bus for our scheduled "East Coast" tour. The tour lasted all day and we went to 2 different emirates getting to see outside the city of the Dubai and the Indian Ocean.

Since Dubai is famous for it's malls, you guessed it...we went shopping! In-between going on tours, eating good food and walking we went to 4 different malls, 2 of which are famous,The Mall of the Emirates having a snow ski area and the Dubai Mall which had a ice skating rink, aquarium and zoo.

After we goobbled up all of the sushi we could eat, we packed and headed to the airport at around midnight for our 2:00 A.M. flight back to Kochi.

There is a exciting and interesting end to our holiday.

As we were standing at our gate a bunch of people dressed in orange long kurta's and a women dressed in all white walked up and stood in front of us waiting to get in first class. I recongnized the women as "Amma". Mātā Amritanandamayī Devi is an Indian spiritual leader revered as a saint by her followers, who also know her as "Amma", "Ammachi" or "Mother". She is widely respected for her humanitarian activities and is known as "the hugging saint". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mata_Amritanandamayi. I have looked at her website and read several books about her ashram and about some of the people who have met her. I thought she would be interesting to meet and I have tried to find a way to go to her ashram down south of Kochi. Anyway, I ran up shoving and pushing all of her devotees (white hippie people) and body guard swami's away to give her a hug. I got to her and she kissed me on the cheek and gave me a hug back.

Our new aquariums

2009-03-13T08:38:00.006+05:30

We bought a small 30 gallon aquarium last November and just had the 1 goldfish fantail in it mostly because of our trip home. We didn't want to buy new fish when we were going to be gone for weeks. So, recently after finding only 1 half way decent aquarium store we chose mollies for our tank. The molies didn't take kindly to Peaches my gold fish so we put her back into the small bowl. In the mean time, Peaches has grown way bigger than her old bowl. Recently there was a pet show here in Kochi and we found the other tank. We were looking for a end table to it worked out. We even bought a friend for Peaches and that's Little Buddy. Angela

Our Elephants

2009-03-10T11:54:00.007+05:30

For those of you who didn’t hear the whole story, we bought these elephants in Sri Lanka last November. To make a long story short, they sat in customs for 3 months because we didn’t give them enough bribe money then we finally had to give in a little and pay again. Then we had to pay a mover but they just dropped them off below the stairs blocking someone’s parking spot for 2 months. And finally we found help through our new German friends here in our housing complex.

India Holiday

2009-02-24T13:20:00.003+05:30

February 23, 2009
Monday is indeed a holiday. Sreenath came to visit and explained it.

It is for worshiping Shiva for swallowing the poison that came out of the snake during the churning of the milk sea. If he had not swallowed the poison, then it would have fallen to Earth and everyone would have died. Shiva didn’t die from the poison since his wife squeezed his throat. The poison is still stuck in his neck which makes it blue.

Main Shiva temples are the one we went to at Ernakulam and the other one is up in Aluva. There will be pujas throughout the day on Monday and then everyone stays up all night. I don’t know how they will function at work on Tuesday.

The festival we went to two weeks ago was their annual festival. It wasn’t for any particular event. Every temple has a yearly festival at different times, but usually they are between November and March (which corresponds to the best weather here).

Steven

My Birthday and Valentine's Day

2009-02-24T13:00:00.008+05:30

I had several surprises from my husband this birthday and Valentines Day. He outdid himself by getting us a new TV (that's what I wanted. We had a very small and not good TV here in India and since we are staying longer, we really needed a good one and one that we could take home with us.

My second surprise was a trip 1 hour South from here to Mariari Beach Resort. It was so beautiful there. They upgraded our room to a room with a small private pool which made it even more enjoyable. Steven made reservations for us to get massages and we had a special seafood dinner that night. I think it was ones of the best birthday's I've ever had.

Also, another thing that made me have a wonderful birthday was that some of my famiy, Steven's family and lots of my friends sent me cards and gifts here at our place in India and I got several emails. It was such a nice surprise and one that I will remember for a long time.

February 14, 2009

The 3 Events we went to recently

2009-02-08T23:23:00.003+05:30

Dear Friends and Family,
Recently we went to 3 events. The first 7 photos are of a Hindu Wedding we went to last week. The Groom is from the UK and the Bride from Kerala. The parents of the Bride live in our housing complex. The 2nd event is a celebration of a temple very close to our house. We were out walking and stumbled up to the parade. We aren't allowed in the temple. The 3rd event is the Ernakulam Siva Temple Festival in which we got to go inside. It was very crowded but we manuvered our way around and got to see the temple and the grounds. Hope you enjoy! Angela and Steven

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A New Start on Blogger

2009-02-07T12:21:00.004+05:30

If you are reading this blog you are probably wondering what is going on and why are the dates not correct! Well, we have transferred all of our old blog onto this blog. I want to have a journal on this site instead of myspace. So, I have tranfereed everything and we should go forward on our blog journey as of this date.

Steven and I went back to the U.S. November 23rd for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We had dinner at our house which ended up to be very nice with our Turduckin meal. My Mother and Step-Father came down from Indiana, Steven's sister and husband Frank came down from Maryland and Steven's Dad and Step-Mother Deana drove from Ft. Pierce to our house. It was one of the nices Thanksgiving's we ever had at home.

We had a Christmas party December 6th and a lot of friends we haven't seen for a long time came. And it ended up being one the the best parties we have ever had.

Steven also needed to do some work in Melbourne and he didn't get done it time for our December 8th flight to go home, so we had to extend out stay. Trying to get back to India was a different story. All flights were booked solid until December 28th and that's when we flew back to India. There's another long story...

2008 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2009-02-07T12:19:00.003+05:30

Our Year End Christmas News Letter:

“Incredible India!” is more than just a slogan for us now. After a year in India, we can certainly attest that it is incredible. It is incredible in more ways than the ads might want you to know!

Steven moved to Kochi in the southwest corner of India after Christmas of last year and Angela stayed in Florida to find a housesitter. Her mom and step-dad were available so Angela went over in February. We spent a few days sightseeing in Mumbai, where she arrived. The trip made the recent attacks there personal since we had visited the places shown burning on the news. During her month stay, we also went to visit an elephant orphanage near Kochi.

Steven returned to the U.S. in April to renew his visa. His mom came to visit and we all enjoyed the Melbourne Art Show and visiting with friends. While Steven was home we found new housesitters so Angela moved back to India with him in May. On the way back we stopped in Singapore for a quick 2 day visit to see expat friends and to eat our favorite chili crab.

A coworker invited us to attend her daughter’s wedding in the spring. We were clueless about the etiquette for an Indian/Muslim wedding and a little reluctant to go but went anyway. It was very educational for us and everyone made efforts to make us feel at home. Afterward, we were glad we attended, even though eating with our hands in front of everyone was a little embarrassing.

The middle of the year was a low point when we began having problems with our housesitters and our 21 year old cat Maggie died. Maggie was part of us and is missed every day. Knowing we might need to evict them, we came home in July to find the housesitters had abandoned the house. It was a hard decision, but after bad experiences with 2 different housesitters, we sold all the fish, sent Miss Kitty to a friend, and boarded up the house. We are very fortunate to have wonderful neighbors who have looked after the house since then. They have helped us more than we can say.

In August, we drove east to Thekkady to visit the Periyar National Park and Tiger Preserve. The cooler air going over the Western Ghats (3000 feet above sea level) was a welcome change. The trip’s highlight was a tie between seeing a recent tiger print as big as a salad plate and being close enough to a wild bull elephant that our guide felt compelled to put the
magazine in his rifle.

August stayed busy when, after months of living in a hotel room, we were offered an apartment to call home in Kochi. It’s almost posh by Indian standards, and after Angela added her touches, we are comfortable enough. We gained another level of
familiarity with India while dealing with the service providers and the management company for the apartment.

In early September Angela flitted off to Singapore to attend a goodbye party and to visit friends we know there. The hospitality she received from her friends that week was marvelous.

We saw Kanchenjunga, the world’s 3rd highest mountain, from Darjeeling on our trip to the Himalayas in October. We went as high as 13,000 feet to a mountaintop lake less than 3 miles from China. At the lake, we rode on mountain yaks—they
really do use them! We also chugged along on the steam
powered Himalayan Railway or “toy train.”

We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in November. Can you believe it’s been that long? We look back with wonder at all that we’ve seen and done. We went to Sri Lanka to celebrate. While diving there we saw a killer, as in deadly, jellyfish with tentacles so long we couldn’t see their ends. We stayed on the southwest side of the island where the 2004 tsunami hit. It was eerie and educational seeing all of the damage, reconstruction, and memorials. Everyone we met had a close relative or friend who died in it and they all had stories to tell.

Over the year, Steven’s work changed from setting up the production line for the existing products to developing a new product. As part of his agreement to support the project longer, we will receive a home leave every 4 to 5 months. Our first was for the Thanksgiving holiday. Our layover in Mumbai 2 days before the attacks made us reevaluate living in India. We’ve decided it’s safe to return and will fly back after Christmas. With this extension, we now expect to be in India through the fall of 2009.

We wish all of you a wonderful holiday and much happiness to come. We think of each and every one of you often and miss you all. Please email and call. We have SkypeIn numbers that forward to us wherever we are. Better yet, come for a visit!

Love, Angela and Steven

November 6, 2008

2009-02-07T12:07:00.005+05:30

Our next trip takes us to Sri Lanka for our 10 year wedding anniversary. We arrived in Colombo in the morning. Our hotel arranged everything for including our taxi ride 5 hours south of where we were staying. It was weird riding down the coast and seeing damage remenants from the Tsunami from 2004. Seeing it for real instead of on TV had a different feeing.

We south of the town Galle at a place called Apa Villa.

It was one of the nicest places we have ever stayed at and we got spoiled. Our meals were served on our porch every night. We went scuba diving one of the days and the highlight of that trip was the "killer" jelly fish with tenicals so long we couldn't see the bottom.

The Stilt fisherman was another highlight:

October 7, 2008

2009-02-02T17:25:00.010+05:30

Hello Friends and Family,

We woke up at 5:00 A.M. to catch our 7:30 flight to Bagdogra (see map I circled on the Northeast side of India) for our 6 day holiday on Oct. 1st. It was a exhausting trip having to change planes in Delia. "No, no everything will be fine, no change terminal in Delia, your plane right there when you get off", was said by our travel company. Not only did we have to change planes, we had to change terminals and catch a bus in less than 15 minutes. Only if we knew which terminal and where to find the bus would have helped tremendously.

Our driver, Rouj, was at the Bagdogra airport waiting for us and we were off to Gangtok, riding the rough, bumby, winding up mountains, 4 hour journey to our Gangtok hotel. We finally go to our hotel and rested until the morning.

We started out of 8:00 A.M.for our day journey to Tshangu Lake which is in the east region of Sikkim. We were about 2 miles form the China boarder. We got to the lake and it was beautiful, I bet it's even more beautiful in snow fall. It was a long winding bumpy road and a little scary driving on the roads. We road a mountaine yak which ended up being the high light of our trip.

The next day our trip to Darjeeling took about 3 hours. We rode on the Himalayan Mountain Railway on the toy train which was also an experience.

The next city we went to was Kalimpong. There wasn't much there but it was a nice and unforgettable trip. We went on a cable car, monasarary

The view from our window at our hotel in Darjeeling: Mt.

Mountain Yak Ride, Tshangu Lake.

September 11, 2008

2009-02-02T17:10:00.007+05:30

We are lucky to be here for Onam, which is the biggest holiday festival of Kerala. Kerala is the only State in India that celebrates this holiday. "There is a lot more to Onam than being just a festival. Onam reflects the faith of the people of Kerala; A belief in their legendary past, religion and power of worship. It shows the high spirit of the people who go out of the way to celebrate the festival in the prescribed manner and a grand fashion. According to a popular legend, the festival is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali, whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam." This website explains it all; http://www.onamfestival.org/pookalam.html. The festival is celebrated for several days, traditonally 10 days but I think it's usually around 6. (not sure)

Yesterday, one of the divisions of Steven's work was having a Onam luncheon celebration and we got invited. Yes, that's Angela in her traditonal Indian Churidar outfit.
Pookhalam, a flower arrangment

9-13 Course Strictly Vegetarian Meals-traditional Onam Sadya meal comprises of different varieties of curries, upperies - thigs fried in oil, pappadams which are round crisp flour paste cakes of peculiar make, uppilittathu - pickles of various kinds, chammanthi - the chutney, payasams and prathamans or puddings of various descriptions. Fruits and digestives are also part of the meal. The food has to be served on a tender Banana leaf, laid with the end to the left. The meal is traditionally served on a mat laid on the floor. (Whew, glad I didn't hve to sit on the floor.)

Steven and the CEO

September 9, 2008

2009-02-02T17:05:00.003+05:30

Our usual driver asked me yesterday, "how you like Kochi", I told him, like I always say when the Keralits ask me the same question, "it's nice", while grinning and smiling. What I really want to say is, "why do all of you all stare at me so intensely, like I've just landed here from another planet. Everywhere I go you all stare, haven't you seen a white chubby women before? Why do you talk about me in Malayalam? I would love to get to know you and talk to you!

We keep the screened windows open as we have air conditioning only in our bedroom. Everyday just like the "trash" lady, comes a guy on a bicycle that toots a funny sounding horn and he is the fish guy. We have seen or heard this funny sound all over town and never knew it was the or a "fish guy". While buying our dinner, I started talking to a guy who invited me up to his flat to meet his wife and 2 month old baby. Who knew buying fish would be an enjoyable experience. She even invited me up anytime to watch her cook and give me lessons!

I went to "Monsoon Beauty Salon" the other day to get a pedicure and my eyebrows waxed. This place was much better and cheaper than my regular place below our hotel we stayed at, foreverrrr, called Olee. The usual happened at first, all talking in Malayalam about me and the hard stares. Don't they know I can tell when they talk about me? I felt a little pissed off and vulnerable. After an half and hour someone started talking to me in English! It appeared every one in the shop started to warm up and everyone seemed to be smiling and jabbering away and it felt like I became "one of the girls". Instead of waxing my eyebrows, they do "treading". I was a little apprehensive at first and now I don't think I ever want my eyebrows waxed again...threading baby! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threading_(epilation)

My back has been hurting so I looked in the yellow pages for acupuncture. There was only 1 person in the entire state of Kerala listed so I called up the driver and he took me to the clinic. I walked up the brick inlaid step and knocked at the broken handle with string attached door. A girl answered and spook to me in Malayam but quickly closed it when I had a dumb look on my face. Though, before closing the door she pointed her finger to the 2 rows of seats arranged in the back yard. I quickly sat down and waited in the backyard "waiting room" with mosquitoes chewing at my ankles. After a few minutes, a women came out who apparently worked there. She had what looked like stainless steel pot and pans and was washing them in the town public water spicket. I should have not walked but ran our when I had the chance. About 10 minutes later I was called in and pointed to sit in front of Dr. Jolly. He asked lots of questions but not about my health but about how did I get there, when did I come here, where did I come from, etc…you get the picture. Then he said he couldn't treat me until I went to a lab and got blood work done. He said since I was over weight, dah, he needed to know I was healthy. I said "you want my blood for acupuncture?". Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, see you tomorrow, lah. &&%$%$! I ran out as fast as I could....yo, no blood from me!

I'm saving the best for last...our "iron guys". They use the old fashion coal irons. They are at our apartment below almost everyday and they do our ironing for practically nothing, 3 rupees per item!! Which is 0.07 in the U.S. Woo hoo! Toodles, Angela

August 31, 2008

2009-02-02T16:48:00.008+05:30

It's was Sunday and it's Steven's only day off work, what shall we do before my 11:00 P.M. flight to Singapore? Hmmmmm... I know, lets go to Fort Cochin! So, we decided to test or try out a driver we got through the owner of our new apartment. He arrived and we were off on our 45 minute bumpy, horn honking, polluted streets through the city of Ernakulam to Fort Cochin, We decided to go the "you buy we cook" fish restaurant. We picked out our fish and headed to the restaurant where we enjoyed our "special tea", which was...can you guess? And we enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

SINGAPORE

At the Cochin Airport, the manager came up to me and said something but I just smiled and said "thank you". When the airplane doors closed for take off, the entire plane was full except for the 2 seats next to me. I could have kissed the manager if I would have known what she was saying. Let's just say, there are SOME priviledges in being the only white women on the plane.

The plane arrived in to Singapore at 6:30 A.M. on Monday morning. I was greeted by my friends Nancy and Marieke which was a nice surprise as I expected to take a taxi. I split my stay between 2 friends houses, Nancy and Kate's because Marieke needed Nancy's place the last 2 days.
Tuesday, Kate had a girls lunchoen for me at her beautiful shophouse home. Almost all my old friends were there except for Lisa and I even met 2 new ones. I think the best surprise was my friend Sara who said she didn't bring anything so she sang opera for us, WOW it brought tears to our eyes and who knew we had a celebrity in our group.

The other days were filled with lunches, shopping and visiting. I even got to see my hasher friend Jennie.

And finally Friday, evening of Marieke's going away party, which was the main reason why I came to Singapore. Good food and friends. The only thing missing was Steven, I was missing him.

I bought center pieces for the party

My last day Saturday, Kate and her husband Andy fixed me a big American breakfast, yum. Then Kate and I went shopping and we even saw a fashion show. My last few hours were spent laughing and drinking wine with Kate (didn't drink because she had to drive me to the airport) and her neighbor/friend Faye and her husband. My journey ended with Kate taking me to Changi airport at about 7:15 P.M. for my 8:20 flight, (yes, I was cutting it close). What a time I had, It just made me miss Singapore and my friends more but how lucky am I that I got to go back!

August 1, 2008

2009-02-02T16:37:00.006+05:30

A lot has happened since our last blog post. We have not been keeping up with our updates to our friends and family, sorry.

We flew back home to Florida on July 2nd on a emergency visit and when we got to our house, the house sitters had abandoned our house. After 2 terrible traumatic experiences with 2 different house sitters, we took Miss Kitty to our friend Dora'a house in Orlando, We took down our 200 gallon fish tank and boarded up our house. Thank god we have good neighbors who will be helping us out. Also we had so much fun with our friends and family that we did see but sorry about the ones we didn't get to see as there was not enough time.

First, Angela would like to share to all that her 21 year (she would have been 21 July 4) old cat died on June 22. We will miss her tremendously and have already. She will always be in Angela's heart forever.

We arrived back to our hotel here in Kochi on July 20th to start our new life here in India. Angela hasn't went back to help at the school (did she tell you she had been volunteering at a school?) yet as we've been looking at apartments almost everyday. We finally chose one near our old area in Vennala. There were several other nicer places we could have picked but this one is near Steven's work. So, we opted to be closer so he could get home from work earlier and we could go to lunch together, specially since he works 6 days a week. Angela is looking forward to decorating and cleaning it up for guests.

Angela will be going to Singapore on August 24th-30th to go to a goodbye party for Marieke, a friend of hers she met in Singapore when we first arrived there in August 2006. We have lists of things for her to get that we can't get here in India and I know she will have fun visiting and seeing all of her Singapore friends.

Goodbye for now. We will keep this updated and you informed of our weird observations and travels and believe me, we do see a lot of weird stuff that we need to write down and pictures to post.

Angela and Steven

May 28, 2008

2009-02-02T16:01:00.008+05:30

We went to an Indian Islamic wedding on Sunday and had an OK time. Steven was misinformed about how people would be dressed. Steven was way overdressed compared to everyone else. The groom and Steven were the only ones in suits, although he did have a vest on too. Only one boy was wearing the traditional formal sherwani so we were glad we hadn't gotten one. Angela's outfit was more similar to the rest of the women so she only stood out for being white and being awkward with her shawl.

The ceremony was between the groom and the brother of the bride (in place of her late father). Each was seated on a dais facing each other with their family men (father, grandfather, brothers, uncles, etc) seated behind them, all in profile to us. The Muslim priest sat facing us and, Steven was told, gave a sermon on the importance of marriage and working together. He spoke in Malayalam and Arabic. Then he sang a prayer. The groom and bride's brother signed a registry and shook hands. Then the rest of the men shook hands and it was done.

After the men finished, they left and the bride was arranged on the dais. The mother and sisters of the groom presented the bride with a large garland of flowers to welcome her to the family. It looked heavy. Then the groom joined and received a matching garland from the bride's female relatives. They kept the garlands on and had their pictures taken alone and with their families.

After a short break, the bride and groom returned to the dais without their garlands. Any guests that wanted to go up did. It was somewhat like a receiving line except pictures were taken of the people in groups around the bride and groom. We were ushered up and given prominent places in our group's picture. We saw some people secretively hand little bags to the bride or groom. We realized later the bags probably held gifts of gold or money.

After congratulating the bride and groom, people moved to another room for a buffet lunch. It was not extravagant but the food was good. My only complaint was the lack of silverware. We ate a lamb and rice casserole dish with our fingers. There was chicken and rice too. People seemed to leave soon after eating so we did too.

Here's us at a Indian/Muslim wedding.

Here's the happy couple:

The next picture is of the groom's parents giving gold to the bride.

The last picture is 2 children who were following us around the entire time of the wedding. They are so cute!

May 13, 2008

2009-02-02T15:59:00.003+05:30

Update: Dear Friends and Family, We are in the here, in the circled area

Our parents stayed at our house while Angela got to spend 5 weeks with Steven in Kochi. The pictures on the previous blogs says it all. Angela flew back to the U.S. March 7th to relieve her parents so they could go back home in Indiana and to find another house sitter. After spending much time on video skype with Steven, Steven got to come back to the U.S. April 15th to renew his visa. In that time, we found a couple who were interested in living in our house until January. They accepted our house sitting contract and moved in Tuesday May 6th. I'm sure things will go much better this time and we are confident our house and cats will be taken good care of. On the same day our house sitters moved in, we flew to Singapore. We arrived in Singapore Thursday, May 8th at 5:10 A.M. We accepted our friends Nancy and Jim's offer and stayed at their condo. Steven and I had a wonderful time visiting with old friends and eating chili crab in Clark Quay. The time had to end much to early as we had to leave Singapore Friday at 6:00 P.M. to catch our flight to Kochi getting us in Kochi at 10:30 P.M.

We were picked up by a driver from Steven's work and had no idea where he was taking us since Steven moved out of our last apartment before leaving the U.S. The driver finally stopped at the hotel Gokulam Park located in the main town of Ernakulam. The rooms are just okay, rated a 4 star in India standards but would be maybe a 2 in the U.S. The positive things about staying here is the beautiful pool area including the sauna/steam room, gym, the good food at the restaurant and the location. The bad side is the noise of honking traffic at all hours, roasters and a close-by Mosque that sends out loud messages from a speaker throughout the day starting at 4:45 A.M. I guess we will get use to it. According to Steven's location advisor, we will be staying here for 2 weeks until they find us a place. We just got internet yesterday, so please keep in touch. We would love to hear from you.

April 2, 2008

2009-02-02T15:19:00.002+05:30

Travelling and living in Southeast Asia for the last 3 years has made them almost common place for me. They still hold a strong fascination though. There’s something about the huge brown elephant eye staring down at you from the side of its head. I think the elephant knows more than it is letting on about but resolutely continues on in its bondage anyway.

There is a strong demand for elephants here in India. They make the festival circuit going en masse to each temple’s festival. The wealthy rent an elephant as the regal transport for their daughter’s wedding the way Westerners rent a limo or horse drawn carriage. The elephants work moving logs and clearing brush when they are not on display.

In India, a working elephant is worth a lot more than the people it may crush as a rampaging elephant. It always make the news when it happens. The mahouts first attempt to calm the beast down. If that fails, a vet with a tranquilizer dart is brought in. Never would a police officer even think about unholstering his gun (if he even has one) towards an elephant.

Older elephants sometimes do start to look pink. The pigment in their skin fades and they get pink spots. The spots resemble freckles in the beginning and slowly enlarge and merge to form large patches of fair skin. I don’t think the elephant cares. Who knows, there could be a market for elephant age spot remover.

You see lots of elephants turds along the roadside in my neighborhood. They look like bowling ball sized lumps of mangled straw. I see more turds than I see actual elephants. I wish it was the other way around. At least the elephant turds don’t smell and are easier to walk around than the cow pies.

For as interesting as they are, the elephants do tend to cause traffic jams. I don’t think saying, "Sorry I’m late. I was stuck behind an elephant." would work as an excuse in the U.S. I said it the other day and found that no one had really expected punctuality in the first place but that they totally understood and accepted delay by elephant as a reason for tardiness.

And now, some obligatory but related entertainment. You really have to wonder what drugs the Disney folks were on when they created this one. Steven

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nwNPaYoTY8

March 15, 2008

2009-02-02T14:30:00.003+05:30

Steven trying on a tradtional Indian outfit and Angela in her Salwar Kameez she had made.

March 3, 2008

2009-02-02T14:18:00.002+05:30

Sunday was Steven's only day off so we decided to go on a day tour. The driver from our tour company never showed up at 9:00 as planned, so Angela got on the phone and found another company to get another driver for the day. We finally got out of the house at 11:30. The price was three times what we should have paid but we had fun not getting back home until 10:00 P.M. A usual price is 1300 rupees for a day trip, we got charged 4200 Rs by Car Club - don't ever use them.

On the subject of price gouging...it seems like everywhere we go they price gouge us to death. They always ask where we're from and then adjust the price. We have found this very frustrating living here. For example, on our list of things to do was a bird sanctuary. We got there and a sign saying 10 rupees to get it, foreigners pay 100 rupees plus 25 camera fee. We pay and once in the park a guide comes up and said he needs 250 rupees. We ended up walking out right then and there without getting our money back. This goes with most everything.

Outside of all of the price gouging, we did have a pretty good time. See below:

Above:
Kodanad, the head quarters of Malayattur forest division, is known for the 'Elephant Kraal' and is about 45 km from Ernakulam (Cochin or Kochi) and 12 km to the east of Perumbavoor town. Kodanad, set on the southern banks of the Periyar river amid the beautiful high ranges near Perumbavoor and is one of the largest elephant training centres of Kerala.
The elephants are considered as a sign of wealth and prestige and an integral part of Indian mythology and culture. In Kerala, elephants are the most ornamental and auspicious animals and no festival or celebration is complete without an elephant procession.

Stopped for Lunch at Hut Restaurant Thattekady Resort

Cherai Beach near Kochi. We thought it funny to see most people swimming in their clothes.

February 28, 2008

2009-02-02T14:15:00.002+05:30

undefined Out and About in Kochi, India

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February 25, 2008

2009-02-02T14:09:00.002+05:30

Steven & JoseNeighbors house which is very similar to Jose's

Above, Daughter Layona, Mom Telma, Grandma Rosamma, Son Tony and Jose.

We were invited to lunch by Jose, a auto rickshaw driver we met a couple weeks ago. We accepted and Jose picked us up on Sunday. Most know the auto rickshaws as Tuk Tuk's (Thailand) but they call them auto rickshaws here. Basically, it's a motorbike with a seat for 2 in the back. Though, I've seen as many as 6 people in one. On our 1 1/2 hour journey to his "village" he took us to fishing and crab farms and to a cancer hospital. When we got to Jose's village and house we were greeted by Jose's son Tony Anthony, wife Telma, and 92 year old grandma, Rosamma. We met daughter, Layona, a little later. Acccoridng to Jose, she was at a celebration for their neighbor friend who was just introduced in to a arranged marriage. Yes, they still have arranged marriages here. Their house was a an open brick house 4 room house. We were told where everyone slept including where we were sitting which was the son's bed. The family were so nice to us and the food Telma cooked was really good. Telma serrved us, Husband and Son, Grandma ate in bedroom and I never saw daughter Layona or Thelma eat. Afterwards I found out more about the place they lived in and the area.

"Kumbalangi Integrated Tourism Village project is a unique initiative to transform the tiny island as a model fishing village and tourism spot. Here at the Kumbalangi Tourism Village one can fully savour a variety of natural splendours, and paramount to a model tourist village the outstanding ecological balance of the location. The village, the first of its kind in the country is located near the port city of Kochi in Ernakulam District. The model village is a veritable treat to its visitors with the famous Chinese fishing nets and many other sights to savour. As art of the model village project at Kumbalangi, a nearby island near Palluruthy would also have plenty of interesting vistas and activities in the near future. This coastal hamlet without doubt provides a fascinating glimpse of the simple and prosperous livelihood of the villagers, and also unravels the age-old, magnificent culture and heritage of the place. Ernakulam Junction is about 25 km away and Cochin International Airport is about 40 km away." http://www.whereincity.com/india/kerala/central-kerala.php.

February 14, 2008

2009-02-02T14:07:00.001+05:30

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February 4, 2008

2009-02-02T13:10:00.002+05:30

Kerala, Kochi, India

Angela and Steven arrived in Kochi and to our new home Sunday evening. It was a little less of what I expected but with a little of Angela's "touch", it should be looking better soon.

Front of our house

The back of our complex, called the "Backwaters".

February 2, 2008

2009-02-02T12:41:00.004+05:30

Steven met Angela Friday February 1st in the Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) airport. After searching through hundreds of people we finally found our hotel taxi.

Fifteen million people live in Mumbai. "Mumbai is the world's most populous metropolis. The city is located on an island with a deep natural harbour and is the nation's commercial capital. It is located on the west coast of India and is the capital of the state of Maharashtra.The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995, but the former name is still popularly used."

We've constructed the highlights of our 2 day tour below:

Steven at Guhu Beach. Gateway of India which is Mumbai's most prominnet ladmark. It was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911.

Steven at the "Hanging Gardens" named because it is laid on a slope of a hill, placed above a water reservoir. The terrace garden provides a panoramic view of the city and and breathtaking sunsets. The Haji Ali Shrine is located along the coast in the middle of the sea. The mosque is only approachable during low tide because during high tide, especially in the monsoon season, the entire pathway leading to the mosque gets covered by the sea. The mosque is dedicated to the saint Haji Ali.

Dhobi Ghaat is known as the "common man's laundry". The traditional method in of hand washing clothes still widely accepted in Mumbai today for the middle class man. This age old system still persists in thisday and age where new age technolody has embraced the whole world.

Angela and the statue or head of Gandhi. Mani Bhavan is where Gandhi resided between the year 1917 until 1934. Now a museum, possess all his belongings.

January 1, 2008

2009-01-29T16:35:00.005+05:30

GOODBYE SINGAPORE

HELLO INDIA

We were in the U.S. only 2 months but it felt like 6. We we were glad to see and visit with our friends and family. Unfortunately we fell a prey to other peoples' negativity and we are glad to leave them behind. People who somehow got in to our lives. Hopefully, that will change for us.

Friday December 21, 2007

2009-01-29T16:32:00.001+05:30

Back home in the U.S.A. update

Dear Friends and Family,

November was very hectic. Paul and Deb had a welcome home dinner party for us which was wonderful. Steven went on a second interview for the Indian Company but this time it was in their U.S. company in Pennsyvania. And for Thanksgiving Steven went to Iowa to visit family and Angela went to Orlando to visit friends. Someone had to stay home to be with our old cat.

December has been hectic as well. Steven took the job in Kerala, Kochi, India and has already started working as he was asked to go to Singapore. Steven met Angela in Indiana to visit with Angela's family and friends. We also had a surprise party for our Step-Father's 70th birthday which went very well and Larry was surprised.

Steven's Mother flew in for a visit on the 21st and at the same time our 80 boxes of our Singapore sea shipment arrived.

Steven will move to India on the 29th and Angela in February.

That's about all we have for now. Angela and Steven

Sunday November 4, 2007

2009-01-29T14:58:00.005+05:30

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm just now getting a chance to update our lastest and last Singapore Adventure Blog

Here are our Seoul, Korea Oct. 11-15 pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IcsmjVy1aAc&emid=sharshar&linkid=link2

and Kerala, Kochi, India Oct. 17-22 pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IcsmjVy1aBY&emid=sharshar&linkid=link4

We left Singapore Wednesday Oct. 31st on the Singapore Air straight flight to Newark and known as the world's longest flight. I'm rifling through my jetlag-addled brain to think of something to say about our last blog post of our Singapore adventure ending. And here it goes:

We tearfully hugged dear friends at our "goodbye" party given by our friends Kathy, Nancy and Marieke on Saturday Oct. 27 at Nancy and Jim's condo, http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IcsmjVy1aCU&emid=sharshar&linkid=link4, and Sunday we took our last MRT and bus ride. Angela had her last lunch with the girls on Tuesday at the Singapore Polo Club which was another tearful event. Our last night we stuffed ourselves with "The Last Supper" at a chili crab restaurant in Boat Quay, We nonetheless lingered over wine and good company with Angela's friend Lisa and again this was another tearful ending.

We loved not having a car. Singapore's busses and trains and taxis combine to form a mass transit system that's affordable, efficient, and the envy of the rest of the world.

We've been everywhere!! We gasped upon a first glimpse of Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Traveled for Chinese New Year in the busy fast pace of Bangkok. We sailed through Halong Bay and Hanoi in Vietnam, trekked through Penang, Malaysia and Chiang Mai, Thailand. We gorged ourselves with Naan, Appam and sadhyas in Kerala, India, juicy duck at "The Dirty Duck Restaurant" in Bali and BBQ with our good friends in Seoul, Korea, And, oh, yeah! Did I mention Singapore?

Our apartment was fabulous. A luxury 16th-floor condo with a skyline view to the right and the reservoir view to the left. It sounds like something out of a fairytale, and it was.

We made wonderful friends. Friends from all over the world, but mostly and unexpectedly, from the US and from Florida. Friends I'd never have met or taken the time get to know in my previous life, but friends I'll now treasure for the rest of it.

Then, too, there are the glimpses of daily life in Singapore: the handy dandy rubbish chute, the stares, people rush to board the MRT without allowing anyone first to get off.

Thanks to all of you for reading our blog, This blog has been a lifeline, and a catharsis for us.

Tuesday October 16, 2007

2009-01-29T14:55:00.001+05:30

Dear Friends and Family,

This is for the people we thought that would be interested in an update about us:

The moving company came and did the estimate last Monday for our move back to Melbourne and we went way over the companies' budget but they did approve it, yeah. We are coming back with quite a bit of Asia art and souvenirs!

Steven is leaving the company (as planned). His current company signed a contract with a Indian company who wants Steven to come interview in Kerala, Kochi, India http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala. We will be traveling there for a "look-see" paid for by the company Oct. 16-21. It's a resort town and probably one of the best areas in India. It's only a 4 hour flight from Singapore and Tiger airlines has good deals at times. We got back from Seoul, Korea late last night. We went to see our good friends Rich and Vero and the their kids, Richard and Tori, for 4 days. Steven had a interview with Rich's employer, Samsung and according to Steven, it went very well. Singapore was way different than Seoul. Don't know if we like it as it's very big and spread out. The people aren't as nice as in Singapore and we would have to learn Korean right away. A little scary but it would be educational. Steven has applied for a couple of jobs in Florida-really don't know at this point.

Friends of ours are having a goodbye party for us on Oct. 27th. The movers are coming to pack our things on the 29th. We will stay in a hotel here in Singapore for 2 days and we fly home Oct. 31st. We will spend the night in Newark and get on the first morning flight to Atlanta/Melbourne on the 1st .

We will need to stay in Melbourne for at least a couple months to visit with families and friends, plan for holiday's coming up, do something with the house, and figure out what we're going to do with our cats. Miss Kitty can come with us but Maggie is too frail as she is 20 years old which will deter us for a little while at least for Angela.

That's about it for us. Thinking of each and every one of you. Would love to hear from you. Love, Angela and Steven

Saturday September 29, 2007

2009-01-29T14:46:00.002+05:30

Music in the Park by the American Association of Singapore

Monday September 24, 2007

2009-01-29T14:24:00.003+05:30

Steven and I flew into Hanoi, Vietnam on Thursday, September 20th about: 8:00 P.M. We walked around the busy Hanoi streets until we found the restaurant of the famous Bobby Chinn from the World Cafe Asia, http://www.pilotguides.com/tv_shows/world_cafe_asia/bobby_chinn.php. We had a wonderful dinner and got to meet and talk to Bobby Chinn himself! What a great time!
Above: us and Bobby Chinn,Steven,our boat and the birthday cake the crew got Steven.

The next day Friday (and Steven's birthday), we woke up early to could get on the bus for our 3 hour car ride to Halong Bay city. Ha Long Bay, is listed as a World Heritage area and was of outstanding natural beauty. The picturesque "Dragon descending to the sea" Bay has 1,900 or so limestone islets rising from the sea. Our Junk boat was named the "Dragon Pearl". We stayed all night on the boat in the bay. The next morning after breakfast, we went to Drum Cave and then swimming.

On Saturday at Noon we headed to Hanoi. Steven and I went walking around and found the hash bar, The Spotted Cow. We then found the hash "On On" but they were eating dinner so we left and went to see a Water Puppet show.

"Modern, water puppetry is performed in a pool of water with the water surface being the stage. The puppeteers stand behind a screen and control the puppets using long bamboo rods and string mechanism hidden beneath the water surface. The puppets are carved out of wood and often weigh up to 15 kg. A traditional Vietnamese orchestra provides background music accompaniment. Singers of Cheo (a form of opera) with origin in north Vietnam sing songs which tell the story being acted out by the puppets."

Sunday, we went to the Hoi Chi Minh Museum, Temple of Literature and Hanoi prison otherwise known as "Hanoi Hilton". We left Hanoi 7:30 P.M.getting us back to Singapore at Midnight. What a whirlwind trip-should have stayed a little longer!

You can look at some of our pictures on shutterfly by clicking below-you do not need to sign in!!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IcsmjVy1Z9U&emid=sharshar&linkid=link2

Thursday September 20, 2007

2009-01-29T13:26:00.002+05:30

Angela won tickets through Brewertz to Singapore's basketball team's opening game with Melboourne, Australia for Wednesday. We enjoyed getting to see the Indoor Stadium. Below is the stadium and Singapore Slingers mascot the Muirlion

Thursday September 13, 2007

2009-01-29T13:03:00.004+05:30

My First Baby Shower

I gave my first baby shower yesterday for my friend Asha and her unborn baby girl Natalia. Everything turned out really good. I had my camera set on it's (short) timer so, I had to run in the picture!

Wednesday September 12, 2007

2009-01-29T12:57:00.002+05:30

Earthquake in Singapore!
Category: News and Politics

This is the next day, now they're saying it was a 8.4
At Approximately 7:15 P.M. tonight, I was in our apartment and heard our wind chimes moving but it stopped. Then about 30 seconds to a minute later, the wind chimes started again, then saw the blinds and kitchen door swaying back and forth and I felt a little dizzy. I then knew it was a earthquake, grabbed my purse and ran out the door to leave our 16th floor apartment. Angela
Powerful earthquake hits Indonesia, tsunami warning issued
By Paul Watson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
7:16 AM PDT, September 12, 2007

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the western coast of Sumatra today, sending panicked people into the streets as far away as Singapore.

The quake's epicenter was beneath the sea 64 miles southwest of Bengkulu, in western Indonesia. It was at a relatively shallow 9.7 miles beneath the earth's surface, prompting a tsunami warning for all Indian Ocean nations. Indonesia's meteorological agency canceled its tsunami warning around about two and a half hours after the quake.

September 5, 2007 Singapore Deserts

2009-01-17T10:00:00.002+05:30

We finally got up the nerve to buy and try one of these desserts at one of many dessert stalls around Singapore, mostly inside the hawkers stands. Actually, it was really good. I had something a little different than this in Penang, Malaysia and it was good too. Above is Steven and the dessert Ice Kacang, a typical Hawker Food Center (Maxwell Food Center, Chinatown)and an Indian Dessert.

Ice kacang or Ais kacang, literally "red bean ice"), is a dessert served in Malaysia and Singapore. It is also popularly known as air batu campur in Malay or ABC for short. It is sweet-tasting and is primarily ice served with sweet flavoured syrup and jelly. The word Kacang (note that kachang is an old spelling) is a Malay word for bean, and the word "ais" is a translation of the english term "ice".

Formerly, it was made of only shaved ice and red beans. Today, ice kachang generally comes in bright colours, and with different fruit cocktails and dressings. Several varieties have also been introduced which contain aloe vera in some form or another, such as in jelly form. Often, a large serving of attap chee (palm seed), red beans, sweetcorn, grass jelly, cubes of agar agar and chendol form the base. Evaporated milk is drizzled over the mountain of ice. To cater to the palates of the modern customer, some stalls have even introduced novelty toppings like durian, chocolate syrup and ice cream. There are also versions that shun the multi-coloured syrup and are served with just a drizzling of gula melaka syrup instead.

Many South-East Asian coffee shops, hawker centres and food courts offer this dessert. Ais kacang tends to be patronised by tourists and locals alike.

September 4, 2007 MacRitchie Reservoir

2009-01-17T09:51:00.003+05:30

Sunday, we went walking around the reservoir near our house. Can you tell we are fond of monkey's? They are everywhere and we always have fun watching them until we piss one of them off by not feeding it and then some will chase and hiss at you.

August 24, 2007 WOMAD

2009-01-17T09:47:00.002+05:30

Steven and I finally got to go to WOMAD (World of Music, Arts & Dance) this year. We met Angela's friends near the event at Fort Canning Park and got involved in the passion and energy of musicians from around the globe. We traveled to all six to eight stages and listened to different and incredible ranges of global music experiences; from centuries-old traditions to the pulse of contemporary music.

August 23, 2007 Our Bowling Team

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August 15, 2007 Girls Day Out

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Boat Ride on the Imperial Cheng Ho to Kusu Island August 7, 2007

2009-01-17T09:15:00.013+05:30

Boat Ride on the Imperial Cheng Ho to Kusu Island
Category: Travel and Places

Steven and I are out walking around the Harbourfront area of Singapore and decided to take a cruise on aboard the Cheng Ho. It was a very nice 3 hour Sunday ride even stopping at an island called Kusu.

Had to put this in someplace:

This is a picture of our patio with the Singapore flag hanging in the sunset. Singaporeans can only leave there flag out to hang once a year for around 30 days, around National Day.

Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, Cambodia

2007-08-13T16:17:00.001+05:30

Steven and I left on August 3 to see one of the Wonders of the World, Angkor Wat Archaeological Park near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Angkor Watr is one of a hundred or so monuments that remain scattered over an area of about 400 square kilometres or 250 miles in northern Cambodia - the religious remains of a series of cities, built by a succession of kings from around the 7th to the 13th centuries. All civic and domestic buildings were built in timber and have long since disappeared, so not much is known about the lives of the civilians - though some 1,200 inscriptions found throughout the region and the remains of a vast irrigation system indicate the scale and complexity of the civilisation.

You can view some more of our Cambodia pictures at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IcsmjVy1Z6I&notag=1, no need to sign in.

Apart from spending the entire day at Angkor Wat Park, we went to a traditional puppet and dance show, shopped, saw a floating village and ate wonderful food.

Cambodia is the most disabled country in the world. One out of every 236 people has stepped on a landmine.There are 4-6 million landmines still in the ground and everyday a civilian steps on one. Many of the victims are women and children who step on the mine while gathering firewood, farming or tending cows. Half of the victims die, due to lack of medical facilities in Cambodia. The survivors are faced with the difficulty of starting a new life. Most victims are farmers and it is virtually impossible for an amputee to farm.

Singapore National Day Practice, Marina Bay

2007-07-29T10:27:00.000+05:30

The National Day Parade, is a national ceremony in Singapore celebrated August 9, to commemorate Singapore's independence. We have come up on our second celebration of Singapore's birthday and Singapore's 42nd year. They they have 2 National Day Parade practices on the Saturday's before the event celebration. We were out walking around and had no idea what was going on. Before you knew it, we were given hats and glow stick stars and wondering among the Singaporeans. Steven and I lucked in to getting a front row seat in a reatuarant. If this is practice, I can't imagine what the real event looks like. The impressive parade featured tanks, fireworks, mass displays of loud bombs, death-defying stunts by the Singapore Armed Forces parachutists, speedboats, helicoptors and tunes from a 2000-strong combined schools choir. We couldn't see the performers perform on stage but everything else was spectacular.
The Parade has gained enormous popularity and support from the people that it is not unusual to find massive number of citizens trying to get their hands on a ticket, which is released free-of-charge. The government set up the e-balloting ticketing system in 2003, in order to tackle the problem of overcrowding and possible problems that might result. Such ticketing system enables citizens to stand a chance at winning the tickets by registering their e-mail addresses or mobile numbers at the NDP website or phonelines.

Dim Sum Dollies - Esplanade Theater

2007-07-17T05:34:00.000+05:30

Sunday, July 15th Steven and I went to the Esplanade Theater (the Durian shaped building)

to see the Dim Sum Dollies perform, "The History of Singapore". The Dim Sum Dollies are a musical cabaret group in Singapore. The Dollies are known for their loud and colourful costumes, spectacular dance scenes and their comical but incisive approach to contemporary social issues in Singapore. Even though we missed about 20% of what they were saying and the meaning behind it, we still thought it was well worth the money and it was a hoot!

"OK CAN LAH"

2007-07-09T15:31:00.000+05:30

I have to put something in our blog that refers to "lah" as the saying is quite common here and it will be in our vocabulary when we get back home.

Why Singapore can lah?

Can, simply meaning, "be able to", is the Singaporean's monosyllabic answer denoting one's ability to do a required task. It is often used to praise someone for one's abilities or something specific.

"Lah", probably the best-known Singaporean expression, is often added to the end of a sentence for emphasis. This ever-present Singlish tag is a very common suffix that is used almost like a full stop.

Hence, when someone tells you "can lah", you can immediately understand it to mean "definitely no problem"; a strong affirmative!

Singlish is Singapore English, or colloquial English. This local variety of the English language is a product of Singapore's multi-racial society and diversity of languages. There is a natural tendency to mix the various local languages and dialects when communicating in the common language of English. As a result, wittingly or unwittingly, Singlish has become the unofficial badge of identity for many Singaporeans, as a very effective tool of verbal communication.

"Can Singapore bring the Sars outbreak under control, restore confidence, boost morale and get the economy moving?"

"Sure can, lah!"

http://www.singaporecanlah.com/why_singaporecanlah/

Our 4th of July in Singapore

2007-07-09T15:27:00.000+05:30

June 30, 2007

Angela and Steven went to celebrate the founding of the United States with the American Association of Singapore's annual 4th of July celebration at PSA Sembawang (corner of Deptford Road and Admiralty Road East). We had a great time watching fireworks. After fireworks we sat on the lawn ate our hamburgers, hotdogs, drank a pitcher of beer and listened to the bands.

The May Lee Show

2007-07-09T15:23:00.000+05:30

June 30, 2007
Through the American Women's Association, Angela got invited to be on the set of Asia's new talk show on Saturday. "The May Lee Show - Asia's first, regional women's talk show, produced in Asia for the the "modern woman of Asia". It was interesting being on the set and seeing how the set crew works and the taping. Also it was kind of cool to see their make-up person Moira, whom Angela met from an AWA "make-up" class/luncheon she attended back in May. The segment was called "Women Travelers" which will air on August 12th.

Our one day adventure to Johor Bahru, Malaysia

2007-07-09T15:09:00.000+05:30

June 15, 2007
Last Friday June 15th, Angela and 4 other girls got together and made a plan to go to Johor Bahru, Malaysia for the day, since it's so close to Singapore. Our first mistake was not getting on the bus, or I should say not finding it, and then having to walk over the causeway into Malaysia and the second is trying to smuggle DVD's through and getting caught in immigration when coming back into Singapore. Over all, we had a great time but most of all, a very memorable one.

Lion City Hash 1300th and Friends

2007-07-09T14:57:00.000+05:30

Writing this June 11, 2007

Thursday, June 7th Steven and I went to AWA once a month happy hour at a place called The Balcony off Orchard Rd. They told us to bring our bathing suits, (yeah, I'll do that) because they had hot tubs. Anyway, we meet a expat couple from the UK, Sharon and Nigel, who asked us to follow them so that we could continue our good conversation at their hang out at The Fullerton Hotel. Oh, Lisa on the left joined us as her husband was traveling for work.

Mullet and I went to the Lion City Hash House Harriers 1300th Run last Saturday June 9th. Can you believe it's their 1300th, Wow! Here's a picture of Mullet coming in off trail:

Monday June 11th, the girls had a welcome back lunch for our friend Kathy. We all met at a place off Orchard Rd. called Din Tai Fung. Kathy is on the right.

Wednesday, June 13th we all had to talk some more so we met at Clark Quay at a place called Brewertz Brewery.

Vesak Day Singapore

2007-07-09T14:34:00.000+05:30

May 30, 2007

If you look at our blog on May 2nd, you will see that we were in Malaysia for their Vesak Day (Malaysia spells Wesak) but didn't get to see as much as we did here in this temple in Singapore.
Today in Singapore is a holiday called Vesak Day. Steven was off work so we went to Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery and spent the day learning about Buddhism, watching Buddhist devotees and Monks. It's a highly important occasion in the Buddhist calendar, Vesak Day in Singapore commemorates Lord Buddha's entry into Nirvana after attaining spiritual enlightenment.

Our Expat Friends From Korea

2007-07-09T13:39:00.000+05:30

May 28, 2007

Our old and good friends, Rich, Vero (hashers know them as Jammies and Bed Springs) and their 2 kids Richard and Victoria visited us from May 23-28. They are expats from U.S. who have lived in Korea for 6 years now. We had such a good time with them and look forward to going to Korea to visit them.

Jurlong Bird Park Bum Boat Ride

Vero and Rich relaxing on our
Angela and Vero at AWA patio
High Tea at Raffles Hotel

Back Home in Singapore

2007-06-12T04:03:00.002+05:30

Monday May 7, 2007
We're glad to be back home. You can view our Penang pictures at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IcsmjVy1Zyo, Again, no need to sign in.

Tuesday Khakis Hash, Penang, Malaysia

2007-06-12T04:03:00.001+05:30

Tuesday May 1, 2007
Our Penang Friends

Wesak Day in Penang, Malaysia

2007-06-12T04:02:00.002+05:30

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

May 1 Wesak Day Celebrations in Penang.
Though Wasak Day is held in most parts of Malaysia. The day is considered to be very important for Buddhists around the world. Wesak Day is celebrated by thousands of Buddhists across Malaysia. On this day, thousands of Buddhists throng to the temples in the country. It is a day when Buddhists observe the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha Siddharta Gautama Buddha. The day he achieved enlightenment and also the day of his death some 3,000 years ago. Religious offerings are carried out. Rituals such as the "Bathing of the Buddha", chanting of holy scriptures, lighting of joss sticks and ordination of monks usually take place in the Buddhist temples during the Wesak Day Celebrations.