Spring break...

So it appears that the sun is here to stay!! It still needs to warm up a little bit before I'm totally happy, but for now, I'll take the bright days! Spring is here in full force - flowers blooming everywhere, birds chirping at dawn - I'm sure Sunny misses the little baby rabbits from Peoria, though!

Set of Mahjong tiles

We kicked off the Spring break in style - by playing mahjong for a straight 4 hours! Yes, that's right - mahjong!! I've started playing not too long ago, and I must admit, I'm completely hooked! I've even bought my very own mahjong set! With all the winds, dragons, flowers and seasons, it is very, very Chinese - and the tiles are more substantial than playing cards, giving the game a real solid feel! I'm not going to try explaining the game here - it's quite complicated, you really have to play to get a hang of it - besides, wikipedia does a good job of going over the basics! Anyway, on Friday, we started playing at 3pm - very fluid, we had people leave and new people join in - until at the end, it was my good friend BH, me and our husbands - yes, we actually managed to pull in our husbands too!! What an afternoon! I don't know if it was the glass of wine I had, or if it was staring at those tiles for so long - I was distinctly woozy by the time I got home!

Saturday was swimming day for Ajey and Manasi. Usually, we have our driver on Saturday, but this weekend, we decided not to call him - it gets really stressful once he's here and waiting, it's almost like we have to go somewhere right away! So, we were all very relaxed - didn't leave for the pool till almost 2pm! Our compound does have a pool, but it's an outdoor one, and won't be open for another month. Since it was another nice day, we decided to take our e-bike! Ajey and I both have fond memories of zipping around Pune on our bikes, so one of the first things we did here was to buy an e-bike! We haven't really used it as much as we thought - let me correct that - I haven't used it as much as I thought! After being practically glued to the seat of my Kinetic Honda for 4 years of college, I am surprisingly shaky on this one! I haven't yet ventured out for a solo ride - the only times we've been out is all 3 of us together. In September, that worked out fine - but Manasi has since hit a growth spurt, and it looks like we'll be buying another bike before the summer is out!

Of course, the weather changed on the way back - so we decided to stop for coffee at the Pacific Coffee Company. Cue my rant against fancy coffee shops! Almost everyone I know - my husband included - are big fans of Starbucks and the likes! I'm sorry, but I just don't get it! First of all, all this coffee terminology is absolutely beyond me - espresso, cappucino, latte, mocha, frappucino, mochacino - the list is endless, and all I really want is a simple cup of coffee! Since I don't know any of the words, I never know what to order, and I always, always hate what I get! And the sizes - when did 'small', 'medium' and 'large' disappear from our lexicon? Starbucks has tall, grande and venti - well, 'grande' is just French for tall, and Google Translate tells me that 'venti' is Italian for twenty - am I missing something here? No offence, but I'm going to stick to my regular tea - or should I say, steaming cup of chai tea with a hint of spices and a dash of cream? Sounds better that way, doesn't it?

We stayed up late playing cards at a friend's house, so Sunday was obviously a slow-starter! Left to my devices, I would have lazed the day away - but Ajey had plans to go for a bike ride, and he managed to guilt me into going with him. I'm so glad he pushes me into these things - I always have a great time, and end up feeling really good about myself! The plan was to bike around Jinji Lake in Suzhou - this is a huge artificial lake in Suzhou, and it is pretty much the center of Suzhou Industrial Park - our compound is located on the SW corner of this lake. I had my doubts - I wasn't sure if I could make it all the way around - but, in the end, it was really easy - it took us about 70 minutes, with only 1 stop on the way! There's even a walking trail around the lake, I'm sure that's really scenic - so now that is the next thing on our to-do list!

To round off Spring break, we're heading to Xi'an Thursday night. I'm really excited - ever since we came to China, I've wanted to go to Xi'an! Also, we're taking an overnight train there and back - that should be quite the adventure too! I'll be back with that story soon! Happy Spring to all of you!

Book Week at Dulwich

All week long, our school has been celebrating 'Book Week'. Lots of parents volunteering to read, authors Cindy Savage and Neil Griffiths came in to talk about their books, a story-writing competition and the grand finale - 'Dress up as your favorite book character' on Friday! Book Week is an amazing way to encourage young readers, and to introduce parents to the immense variety of children's books that are available today. The Book Fair stocks favorites from my childhood - evergreen Enid Blyton and cherished classics like Anne of Green Gables and Oliver Twist - as well as the contemporary Harry Potter, Magic Tree House and How to Train Your Dragon series. Books have always been my weakness, and I am never able to resist buying a couple whenever the opportunity presents itself - this year, I got Little Women, which was missing from my collection, and a couple of Classic Starts for Manasi, who is growing to be quite the reader herself!

Dress up day was unquestionably the highlight of the week! Of course, deciding what costume to wear caused much bickering and squabbling in our little household. I'm quite sure my idea was the best, not to mention, the easiest - braid Manasi's hair, put her in an Indian dress, hand her a pot - voila, Shanti from Jungle Book! Ajey was holding out for one of the Disney fairy characters - preferably Tinker Bell! Manasi hated both our ideas - she was leaning towards Cruella DeVille, but lost interest after I told her that there was no way she was coloring half her hair white! Alice and Dorothy, apparently can only be blonde, so they were out, and so was Hermione! Jasmine and Mulan, though black-haired, are too fancy! The whole thing was threatening to end in tears, when I found an old dog-eared copy of Grimms Fairy Tales - of course, Little Red Riding Hood!

Like everything else, for costumes, this is China, you're in luck - you head to the costume maker with a picture of anything under the sun, and get your costume custom made! Here in Suzhou, the costume maker runs his business from a one room workshop, in a dingy back alley close to the glamorous Wedding Street - yes, the same place I bought my beautiful qipao a few weeks ago!! Anyone who needed a costume for Book Week ordered from here, and he had several beautiful costumes ready and waiting! For Manasi's costume, all we really needed was the red cape with the hood - but the picture we had showed a beautiful blue and white striped skirt, with a white blouse and blue waistcoat - so Manasi wouldn't settle for anything less than that!

Little Red Riding Hood

Friday morning began with a crisis - the basket that Red Riding Hood was supposed to carry was nowhere to be found! I suspect Manasi took it outside to collect flowers or leaves and then forgot it somewhere, but I held my peace and ended up emptying my sewing basket for her to carry as a prop! Disaster averted! Oh the problems we have! Bus drop-off was fun, seeing all the kids still fresh in their costumes! Of course, there were tears for the few who hadn't planned to dress up! The school even had a parade for the costumes - in the theatre, each class was called up on stage, and the children talked about their costumes! There were quite a few Harry Potters and Hermiones, and Red Riding Hood, Dorothy and Alice were also quite popular! Some of the costumes were really elaborate - one boy had gone so far as to get a Tintin haircut especially for the day! The teachers were all dressed up to - the standout costumes were Horton, Captain Hook and the librarian dressed as Cruella - yes, she had a wig with half white, half black hair!

Egyptian Day

It was all really fun - getting the costume made - with this tailor, your imagination is pretty much the limit! They can make everything and anything - it's almost a little unreal! I still wish for simpler times though, when dressing up meant scrounging through your closet to find something suitable, and then embellishing it at home to make the best costume ever! Manasi's school had Egyptian Day only about a month after we started - they have a ton of dress up days here, makes it real hard to keep up! At that time I had no clue where to get an Egyptian costume for Manasi, and I didn't know anyone who could have taken me either - so we just winged it! One of my kurtas, a shiny belt, dangling earrings and some over-the-top eye makeup - Manasi was as Egyptian as could be! And we had so much fun deciding what she was going to wear! All that's gone now that we know the costume maker!!

Anyway, Spring is almost here - tantalizingly beautiful sunny days, and then torrential rain! Can't decide if I should turn on the air, or leave the heat on! For me, the best way to enjoy any kind of weather is as always, with a book or two! So, in honor of Book Week, Happy Reading to you all!!

Bringing up Generation 'I'

As every generation discovers in time, the hardest job ever is to be a parent. When you're kids, nothing a parent does seems to make sense - it's only when you're on the other side of the fence, when you catch yourself acting exactly like your parents did, making rules and laying down the law - that's when you call your parents and say "Thanks for all the tough decisions you took, thanks for all the bad tempered words you put up with, thanks for loving me no matter what - now please, please help me with my kids!" The truth of the matter is that once we become parents, every decision, every thought is concerned with what's best for the kids - and yes, through all the passionate declarations of 'I hate you' and 'You're the meanest' and 'This is sooo unfair' - there's the hope that one day when they have children of their own, they will understand (as we did) the all-encompassing love only a parent can have!

So why 'I'? Well, Incredible for one! The world today is not what it used to be - today's kids face astonishing pressures and challenges - the weight of the world is literally on their shoulders - and in the headlong rush to perfection, it is becoming harder to step back and be just a kid! As for kids of expat parents like us, the additional stress of having to start over every few years, while dealing with a new culture, and more often than not, a new language! Third culture kids is a relatively new term, but is an apt description for so many kids today - striving to assimilate their parent's culture and their own identity into a coherent unique personality! Incredible? Why, yes!

Also, 'I' for Indulged - every parent in living memory has wanted their kids to have everything that they didn't have when growing up. Be it dance or music lessons, a new bicycle or simply, the freedom to play outside. I look around me today, and I see parents for whom money is no longer an issue. We can afford almost everything our children could possibly desire, we love our kids, and we shower them with gifts! Not to mention the grandparent factor - when I was a kid, I expected nothing from my grandparents other than a bedtime story and undivided attention. Today, Manasi has to only mention that she likes a particular doll or movie, and as sure as the sun will rise, one of her grandparents will buy it for her. I've given up trying to explain that it is not that particular toy that she really cares about but only the thrill of its acquisition! Indulged? Over-indulged, I would say!

The 'I' generation - I for for all the IPads, IPods, IPhones and all gadgets which have brought the Internet to our fingertips! Everything is online, everyone is online - but I'm a paranoid parent - there are cyber dangers lurking behind seemingly innocent corners.  I find myself reeling before this onslaught of technology - struggling to find a balance between protecting my daughter and allowing her to be tech-savvy! 'Keeping up with the Joneses' takes on a whole new dimension - of course, I want my daughter to be cool - but at what cost? Do I really want to give her unsupervised Internet time to chat with her friends? Do I really want her to search the App Store for new games? It's not that that I don't trust her - I do - it's the Internet I don't trust!

The Internet 'I' brings up a the next one - 'I' for Information! The scope is as rich as it is diverse - from Barack Obama's State of the Nation address to the issues in Syria to the Energy Crisis! Last term, Manasi's class worked on a book about Egypt - through research and discussion, they learned about an entire culture, right in the classroom! Of course, living in a foreign country, studying in International schools, and traveling to so many different places all play a big role in this Information Explosion! Naturally, there's such a thing as too much information - kids these days seem to be growing up too fast, grappling with issues well beyond their years. I can't control what my child hears on the playground or on the school bus - the only thing I can do is to reinforce the sense of right and wrong, and then do everything possible to keep the lines of communication open! The Internet is not going anywhere, neither is the Information it provides - so listen to what your child is telling you. You might hear more than you bargained for!

Before I had Manasi - I remember reading an article about giving your kids roots and wings - Identity and Independence, anyone? Independence, they have in spades - trying out their fledgling wings, already soaring far above us, promising to reach dizzy heights. Identity is a bit tricky. In this environment of global culture, the traditional forms of identity - race and nationality - seem to be dissolving. These kids are truly global citizens - they don't carry the baggage of prejudice. Robust family values, a strong moral compass will give them roots - their identity will be their very own!

At the end of the day, being a parent is essentially a one-way street. You nurture your children, you worry about them - and after all the sleepless nights, and moments of unfettered joy - you step back and watch with great pride as they claim their rightful place in the world. After all, for any generation, isn't the reward of parenting - parenting itself??

For parents everywhere...

A Vietnam vacation

Vietnam...seems an odd choice to go on vacation, right? Well, to be honest, I wouldn't have thought of it either until a few friends who visited a resort there absolutely raved about it - and after our hectic Cambodia vacation, I really wanted something relaxing. So, Vietnam it was! That was the easy part. Then started the booking process - I cannot begin to explain how stressful it is to get tickets to fly from Shanghai for the week of Chinese New Year! I had run into the same issue in October - that time I thought it was because I had left it too late - but no, doesn't matter - expect to pay an arm and a leg if you want to travel during those 2 weeks!

Also, the driver and the maid were both on vacation at the same time - so Sunny had to go to a kennel, and we had to take a train to Shanghai the day before instead of driving straight to the airport. The train, of course, is really very convenient - half hour from Suzhou to Shanghai, we barely had time to get settled! We had a day in Shanghai, and we were planning to spend it at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum - as luck would have it, the Museum was closed for just that one day for maintenance. So what else can you do when you're at the Metro stop for the Sci-Tech museum? Why, AP Plaza is located right there - so we shopped! That's right, like we had done on all our previous visits to Shanghai, we shopped!

Lobby of the Royal International

Our hotel in Shanghai was the Royal International - picked solely based on proximity to Pudong, and the availability of an airport shuttle. Although it was quite a run-down neighborhood, the hotel was decent. It actually had a Vegas air about it - very flamboyant decor - pink exterior with the words 'Royal' in a flowery script in neon! They were understaffed because of the New Year, but they assured us that a shuttle would be available at 6:15 am to take us to the airport. Sure enough, 6am next morning, we get a call from reception, asking if we had ordered the shuttle. Whew, sigh of relief, the shuttle is here - except, it wasn't! We waited for over 30 minutes in the lobby, waiting for this shuttle to arrive 'any moment, now'! Wow, flashback to India! Finally, we just had them call us a taxi, and we made it to the airport barely in time for our flight! Again, why had I picked this hotel - because they promised us an airport shuttle!!! Now if this had happened in the US, the hotel would have surely picked up the tab for the taxi, and probably offered us breakfast too! Here, all we got was a surly apology!

It's a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City - only 4 hours. The Vietnamese visa is kind of like visa-on-arrival. I had applied to an agency online, and they had sent me an approval letter. At Ho Chi Minh, more dollars were paid, and our passports were duly stamped! We had a short layover before our next flight, but we resisted the temptation to go out into the city. We did have an unexpected celebrity sighting at the airport - Christine Ha - she just won Masterchef US, and we had been watching the final episode just couple of weeks ago! After much back and forth, Manasi and I took a picture with her - hey, I'm already having such a good time in Vietnam!!

A short walk brought us to the domestic terminal , which could not be more different than the international! The international terminal was - well, international! The domestic, strangely enough, was reminiscent of the dusty, sepia-tinted pictures from the British Raj days. It was like walking in to a railway station in India! The Vietnam Airlines flight was not too bad - I just don't like small planes, never have! As soon as we landed in Cam Ranh airport, all doubts were laid to rest! Our hotel was waiting for us - there was my name in big, bold letters - and they had cool face towels and bottles of water for us! They were meeting some other people too, and as soon as everybody had their luggage, we set off!

Our resort - the Vinpearl Luxury - is actually located on an island, the Hon Tre island. The closest city mainland is Nha Trang, which is a good 30km away from the airport. So it was good that the hotel had arranged to pick us up! It was already dusk, but the drive must be quite scenic. I hadn't expected so many hills! We were first driven to the Reception center on the mainland, and then by yacht to the island. A little bit about Vinpearl - they actually own the entire Hon Tre Island, and they have 4 different attractions there. The Vinpearl Luxury, of course, which is villas. The Vinpearl Resort - the big hotel. And then the Vinpearl Amusement Park and the Vinpearl Water Park. The 2 parks are open to public, and a cable-car is available to make the crossing. For the resort guests, there is an option of yacht or speed boat.

By the time we were shown to our beach villa, we were quite exhausted, but also very hungry! Being vegetarian is really hard when you travel to these exotic places. The restaurant in the resort didn't really have anything we could eat, so we decided to head to the Amusement Park to try the Food Court there. Did I mention that as guests of Vinpearl Luxury, we had the run of the island?! We were in luck - we found some really good fried rice at the food court. Back in the 90's, University Circle in Pune had all these Chinese food stalls - believe it or not, the same exact taste to the fried rice! All that was missing was the Manchurian gravy and the American Chop Suey! Not only was the food good, we had an awesome view! The cable car towers were all lit up - they looked like an entire row of Eiffel Towers - with the the little cabins bobbing like so many Chinese lanterns. And the fresh sea breeze! Heaven!

The next day, after breakfast, we headed to the Amusement Park again. Once upon a time, I really loved going on all the rides - the wilder, the better! Now, a carousel is pretty much all the excitement I can handle! Manasi, on the other hand, is just at the right age for all these fun rides. She is quite fearless, and even when she's afraid, she still wants to go on the ride! So she did! Including one, which, in retrospect, she absolutely should not have done - I'm going to call it the Wheel of Death! That's right - she's in that wheel - which did one entire 360 degree turn, rotating all the time. So at one point, she was basically hanging upside down high up in the air! Ajey went on that one with her, and he was pretty shaken too! Enjoyed all the other rides though! The only thing she wasn't allowed to do - surprisingly, was to jump on the giant trampoline! You now what - she just went on the Wheel of Death - I'm sure she can handle a trampoline!!!

The Underwater World was next - when was the last time I was in an aquarium? It was pretty cool - they have one of these tunnel things that you walk through so that the fish are swimming all around you. They had a couple of sharks - strange to see how all the other fish swam away quickly whenever a shark approached!! The real attraction at this place is the Mermaid show - we actually saw that on our last day here. What is the Mermaid show? Well, they actually had 2 'mermaids' in full costume, tail and all, wave to the spectators for 15 minutes. And the place was absolutely packed!!! It was unbelievable - all this crowd - not just kids, mind you - pushing and shoving to see a woman dressed as a mermaid!! It's not real, people - just a woman in costume!!!

We still had one more attraction to visit before we called it a day - the Musical Fountains - now who can resist that?!! The setup was pretty good - the fountains had a backdrop of artificial rocks, all the better to show off the pretty lights - plus, they had stadium seating for the audience! The show was titled 'A Journey around the World' - started off prosaically enough - seriously, if you've seen one of these shows, you've seen them all!! Then much to our surprise, they played 'Dhoom', a very popular Bollywood number - now that, we enjoyed!!! 

The day after was Waterpark day - again, Manasi wanted to go on all the rides and slides - and she did! It was actually the first time for all of us at a water park, so we were really looking forward to it!As in the Amusement park, a couple of rides were a bit edgy - but mostly, it was all fun! Today was also the day we had decided to take the cable car to Nha Trang. So after a short afternoon nap, we headed back to the Park. Much to our dismay, the queue for the cable car stretched on an on - made sense, people were heading back home after spending a day at the park. Then we noticed another queue - 'for Vinpearl Guests only' - we pretty much were able to walk to the front of the line and get on without any waiting!! On the other side, things were equally crazy! There were tons of people waiting for cabs - and once again, the Vinpearl Luxury worked its magic - we were in a cab and on our way within minutes!!

Nha Trang is a pretty standard tourist town. Lots of boutiques, lots of restaurants, lots of vendors! The taxi driver dropped us off at a busy intersection, promising to meet us there in about 3 hours. We browsed through a few stores - lots of crocodile skin products - purses, belts, and even whole crocodile skins! Now that would be a good conversation starter!! I own a number of things bought in US with the label 'Made in Vietnam' - so I was looking forward to picking up some good bargains. Did find something I liked - and the label said ' Made in Singapore'!!! Is it just me, or is something really weird here??!! Dinner was pizza at an authentic Italian tratorria - the proprietress was Italian, settled in Nha Trang for 15 years - followed by dessert at a French patisserie across the street!

Last day here - Ajey found out the gym offered yoga lessons by the pool. Well, the yoga was done, but they had an 'Iron Ball' training if we were interested. It sounded like some heavy duty workout, so I was a bit reluctant. Showed up on the beach, our instructor brings out this box with 10 iron balls in it, all stamped 'Made in France', and starts explaining the rules of Iron Ball - which basically is petanque, a hugely popular game in France! So, five years after we leave France, here we are, playing petanque on a Vietnam beach! Life is strange!

After checking out the Indoor games - bumper cars and such - and the unforgettable Mermaid show, we went to the Resort side of the island to have lunch. Our side of the island, the beach faced the mainland, so the waters in the bay were really calm. Here, it was the open sea, and the high winds made for a spectacular sight! Loved how the hills came down almost to the beach level. It started to rain, and it did get quite chilly by the time we headed back to our villa. Spent the rest of the day lazing around, packing and moping that the vacation was almost over!!

We once again had an early morning flight back, and this time the shuttle was right on schedule! The hotel even packed us a breakfast! The flights back were pretty uneventful, but we still had to go through one more adventure before we reached home! We landed in Pudong airport, our train back to Suzhou was from Hongqiao airport. Both connected directly by Metro Line 2, we thought its going take tops 1 hour. It didn't. Yes, we missed our train. And yes, it was the last train back to Suzhou. So now we had 2 options - find a hotel and catch a train in the morning. Or find a transport back to Suzhou. We decided to find a taxi - of course we had to bargain - didn't make it to Suzhou till almost midnight. For some reason, this driver refused to take us home - he was going to drop us off at the Suzhou railway night. Only, after the last train is gone, there are no taxis to be found at the station. Thankfully, we had asked this driver to wait with us till we found a taxi - which was almost an hour after we reached Suzhou! Staggered home, freezing cold and starving! 

So there it was, our vacation in Vietnam! Would I recommend it? Most definitely! The best part about Vinpearl, what made it stand out was that we were free to come and go. Most resorts hold you captive - once you're there, you have to eat at their ridiculously overpriced restaurants and pay exorbitantly for drinks. Vinpearl had its fancy restaurants, but it also had the food court in the amusement park - a can of beer charged at $6 at the resort was $1 at the park! Plus the amusement park and the water park means there is something else to do other than the beach and pool, especially if you have kids with you! I would have liked to see a bit more of Vietnam, though - maybe a day in Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi? We were in Vietnam, but for all practical purposes, we could have been anywhere!

We're all back to our routines now - already counting the days before our next vacation! When? Where? Only time will tell...

Shopping for shoes in Suzhou!

We're gearing up for Chinese New Year here in Suzhou! The Year of the Dragon is drawing to an end, and the Year of the Snake will begin on the 10th. Already, the fireworks are deafening - and the city has taken on a very festive air! Too bad we'll start the weekend with snow and rain - but what's a little bad weather when you're celebrating with family and friends!!

Ready to go!

Last week, we attended a Chinese New Year dinner party organized by Ajey's office. A really huge affair - about 800 people, all employees at the Cat Wuxi facility. ISE spouses were invited too - and what better reason to go shopping than a formal dinner?! To be honest, I was panicking a little - my idea of formal wear has always been a saree, and believe it or not, I do not own a single Western outfit! But wait a minute - this is China - and sure enough, Wedding street in Suzhou has hundreds and hundreds of dresses to choose from! Seriously, I have never ever seen so many wedding dresses in one place before - from the simple to the hugely elaborate - a feast for the eyes! Luckily, I found just what I needed - a 'qipao' which is a traditional Chinese full length dress - and double luckily, they actually had it in my size! That was almost too easy!

Now, Ajey had his heart set upon wearing a Chinese jacket. I had thought this would be the easy part - especially after how quickly I found my dress! It was not to be - we trudged from one menswear shop to another asking for 'zhong guo de yi fu' - Chinese clothes - but in vain! We were definitely not expecting this - in India, traditional clothes for men are so easily available, and we thought it would be the same here in China! There was this one jacket that Ajey liked, (actually, it was the only jacket that we found) - only it was priced at 2000RMB, about $350 - a tad more than what we were hoping to pay!

On the verge of giving up, Ajey was resigning himself to the idea of wearing a regular suit when our driver took us to Tailor street! And there they were, all manners and types of Chinese jackets, custom-made at a very reasonable price. This was 2 days before the dinner, and we realistically didn't expect to get a jacket tailor made on such short notice - but again, this is China where anything is possible! So for a small surcharge, we got rush delivery on Ajey's jacket! Next year, we're definitely going to be better prepared!!

As for me, I had the dress - but no shoes or jewellery to go with it! Usually, I don't care too much about these things, but this time, I felt I owed it to my pretty, pretty dress to accessorize! I was still on a high from getting the dress so promptly when I set off for a day of shoe shopping with my friend NK. There are so many shoe shops here - I was quite excited! What I didn't realize - it's still winter here - so most of the shops are stocked with boots and other winter footwear. Not a single pair of pumps or strappy sandals to be seen!!

Worse, the ones we did find, were all too small - now, I wear a 38 and NK 39 - so by no stretch of imagination do we have giant clown feet!! And the heels!! What is it with Chinese and torturing feet?? True, foot binding has been banned for over a century - but I'm sure these ridiculously high heels do just as much damage! I thought I had a found a perfect pair - when I tried them on, my big toe was perfectly aligned with my heel and my knee. No kidding - toe, heel, knee, all in a straight line! If I trip (like I often do when wearing high heels!), no ordinary sprain - I was sure I would snap my ankle!! After few hours of being made to feel like Cinderella's step sisters, trying in vain to stuff our feet into dainty, petite shoes we called it quits!!

The next day, we did what we should have done in the first place - headed to the Suzhou flea market. This is a veritable treasure trove, and surely deserves a whole post to itself! Needless to say, within minutes I found not one, but two pairs of shoes which not only matched perfectly, but also were available in my size! Earrings and a beautiful clutch were just as easy to find - and finally, I had everything I needed! A quick trip to get my hair and nails done, a little help from Manasi, and I was ready to leave! Last time I spent so much time getting dressed was probably at my wedding! Thanks, BH, for coming over to take pictures - made me feel super special!!

The dinner was held at the Wuxi Intercontinental - dinner along with a show performed by some of the employees! We had been seated at the vegetarian table as requested - and were we in for a surprise of our lives! The appetizers included foie gras and grilled fish - but also a cucumber salad and fava beans! The main course started with a dish of shrimp - with their eyes and tentacles intact!! The next to appear was an entire fish - what is it with the eyes, people?!! Then came a soup and finally, some boiled leafy vegetables - couldn't eat these either - they had been boiled with pork stock! The piece de resistance was the chicken - artfully arranged with its wings, feet and wait for it - the entire head, beak and all in the center! Completely took away any appetite I had left!

The food fiasco notwithstanding, Ajey and I really enjoyed the evening. Ajey's Chinese colleagues really appreciated both of us dressed in Chinese traditional clothes - so, it was well worth the effort!! After numerous toasts, we came home to wrap up our evening with what else, daal-rice and yogurt!! And next year, I'm going to take dinner with me, and then have them serve it to us - at the main table!!!


Until next time, xinnian kuaile - happy new year!! Signing off...

Just another morning...

It has been a wonderful morning so far! After I dropped Manasi off at the bus, I went for a long walk along the lake - winter is relenting - not freezing anymore, merely brisk and invigorating! Then yoga, followed by my Mandarin lesson. I even managed to wrap up a couple of items on my to-do list that had been languishing for ages! Phew - now I need a nap!!

Meanwhile, back in the real world - has anybody else noticed that news about the trial for the accused in the Delhi case have slowly slipped off the radar? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, maybe the TV news are covering this? After the tidal wave of public fury and outrage, it would be a shame if the case just fizzled away and true justice was denied! On the other hand, would anyone be truly surprised if the perpetrators got away with just a slap on the wrist?

What a dichotomy - only to be found in India! This is a land where the Goddess as Lakshmi, Durga & Saraswati is venerated and worshiped in a majority of households, a country which has seen powerful women such as Indira Gandhi hold center stage - and yet, this is the same country where millions of women struggle to live with a bit of dignity and respect. Women's rights, what's that?!

And while it is easy to blame everything from Bollywood movies and TV soaps to the chauvinistic attitude of Indian men, isn't it true that we women are our worst enemies most of the time? Instead of bemoaning the lack of support from society, I think we are best served by standing up for ourselves. True, society needs to change, attitudes need to change - but this change needs to happen from within. I am not talking of dramatic and drastic upheavals - just simple things, like a mother being able to sign her child's report card for school!

In a society where men and women are genuinely treated as equals, there would be no need for 'women's rights'. Surprisingly, China has much to teach us in this respect. 'Women hold up half the sky' is one of Chairman Mao's teachings, and the Chinese seem to have taken it to heart. There is no special treatment for women - and totally absent is the condescension and patronizing attitude so prevalent in India.

I'm going to get off my soapbox now. Everything that needs to be said and then some more, has been said about the condition of women in Indian society. Adding my two cents to the clamor doesn't do anybody any good. Coming back to the Delhi case, I sincerely hope that our judiciary decides to make an example of these sad excuses for men, and sentences them most severely. That would certainly be a step in the right direction, and hopefully, the beginning of a new era of respect.

Farewell, 2012!

The New Year is already a week old - 'Best of 2012' lists for everything under the sun have been eagerly devoured, new resolutions made and perhaps, already broken! And once the frenzy has passed, it always comes as a mild shock to discover that the calendar may have changed, but the business of living remains just the same!

2012 passed by in a whirl - it was ushered in with predictions of doom and disaster - and I can only say I'm glad that the year didn't quite live up to the hype. Most importantly, the world as we know did not end - thank you, Mayans, for all the speculation - loved the nail-biting will it, won't it suspense! The London Olympics and the U.S. Presidential election undoubtedly were the highlights of the year - the former once again demonstrating the resilience and triumph of the human spirit, the latter reminding us that be it the U.S. or India, in politics, the ends always justify the means!

Hurricane Sandy brought New York and a major part of the East Coast to its knees - the devastation unleashed by Mother Nature left thousands homeless, with damages of billions of dollars. Thankfully with the help of early detection technology, the death toll was at a minimum! And with deepest empathy for those affected by Sandy, a cynical side-note - the storm certainly tipped the balance of power in President Obama's favor, sweeping him straight into the White House!

The destruction caused by humans is no less - conflicts rage all over the world, especially in the Middle East. The Connecticut school massacre - every parent's worst nightmare - if kids are not safe in a U.S. elementary school, where in the world can I find a haven for my family? Malala from Pakistan and Nirbhaya from India - 2 ordinary girls subjected to senseless, undeserved violence - highlighting the plight of women in today's society. It was heartening to watch the protests in Delhi - is it too much to hope that justice will be served? I guess I have to take back my words - 2012 did turn out to be as bad as promised...

On the personal front too, I will always remember 2012 as the year we laid our beloved Snowy to rest. 10 years of companionship, 10 years of pure love - gone in an instant. I miss her so much, every single day. What she was to me, what I still feel about her - I have no words.

In midst of all the gloom, there were a few bright spots too! Our move to China has been a huge success - professionally for Ajey, and personally for us! Our extended family is all doing well, and our ever-increasing tribe of friends continues to be our mainstay during all these changes. Christmas vacation in India was so much fun - relaxing times with family, and thanks to the Shreyas gang, a rousing New Year's party!

And now to look ahead - what will this year hold? No resolutions - well maybe, just a few usual suspects - exercise more, eat healthy, less spending, more blogging! On that note, let me wish all of you a very Happy New Year! Hope it brings you and your family all the happiness and joy in the world!

Signing off...