Cuba Libre con las chicas

As Ste celebrated his birthday solo in Zuerich, I was out with the girls for a Valentine's drink ... apologies to my favourite mammal!

Time and tide wait for no ... jellyfish

We walked along the beach behind Bhupi's house this afternoon. The tide had brought in a bumper serving of jellyfish, each and every one a menacing tyre of translucent rubber grounded in the sand.

About halfway down the stretch of beach, we came across a small pavilion tended to by a friendly masseuse. While Gamma and I took turns getting our feet expertly pummelled by the hefty therapist, Bhups seized the opportunity to sink into his signature pensive state.

Quite possibly mulling over complex strategies for increasing people's choices through expanding their opportunity sets. Or some other similarly Sen-esque notion.

We continued the stroll after dinner, this time ambling animatedly down memory lane, poring over photos of the DESTIN days which were saved in my Little Rocket (the new laptop).

A shot of 'Then', at Justin's in Tenbury Wells, in the summer of 2003. And 'Now', as wizened but no less spirited 30-somethings.

Tentative plans have already been tabled for the next reunion, hopefully in summer, at another special place.

Day 2 of Phuket retreat:

- Woke up in time to join Gamma for yoga in the garden, pursued the lotus and overstretched my muscles to the therapeutic and tempering sound of waves breaking gently on the sand. Met the gardener, who was without balaclava (usually his accessory of choice when tending to the lawn, or so I've been told - we're still trying to figure that one out).

- Enlightening conversation with Bhupi about Indian politics ... while G very adroitly whipped up a mouthwatering lunch. Cooed about how heavenly the meal was.

- B took us on a driving tour of some nearby beaches, a vantage point overlooking the bays and an elephant safari park with a young trainee elephant named Tong and a capricious gibbon called Charlie.

- Parked ourselves on the beach. Relaxed, read and napped. Watched the sun set behind an obstructive islet and practiced our chit chatting skills till it got dark.

- Overate at Nature Restaurant, while a pair of gobbing goldfish gazed at as through the telly. The restaurant is decked out in recycled/recyclable items as decor features.

- Adjourned to a local club with a lively band and good music. They played a mix of Thai pop and English pop classics/hits. Boogied on down till nearly 2am, which I hadn't done in ages!

Touchdown Phuket

This reunion was first hatched by Gamma and Bhupi on Yahoo! IM. It was too good to miss, particularly as I was planning to be in the region en route to Singapore for Chinese New Year. Therefore unbypassable!


Here we are now, a month after the idea was first mooted -how's that for efficiency?- having arrived from our respective locations in Bishkek and Zuerich to convene merrily at Bhupi's spacious pad.


Gamma's photographs (thanks!) say it best: Day 1 in Phuket ...

On the move again

Yes, of course I'm excited! I have a date with Gamma and Bhupi in heavenly Phuket on Friday ... and then will travel onward to meet my folks on Monday, in Singapore. It will be really wonderful to celebrate Chinese New Year with the extended family after having been away the past 4+ years.

The flipside to this is, that for a task-oriented, schedule-making, routine-loving person like me, constant change can be exacting on the nerves and energy. I am not the spring chicken that I once was. Resilient, yes, but not invincible. It only occured to me a couple of days ago, when I sat down and thought things through (rationally, as one does) that I have been away at least once every month since last April.

April (Switzerland), May (France, USA), June (Singapore), July (China), August (India, Oman), September (Switzerland, Cyprus), October (moved to Switzerland, Tanzania), November (Tanzania), December (Tanzania), January (UK).

I have many wonderful memories, but this year I'll also have to figure out a healthy balance that will allow me to grow some roots right where I am. To be a part of a community. With Ste, in Switzerland. I would hate to miss out on living Life.

Kitchen scenes

Selena once told me that anyone who can read, can cook. The simple logic being that following a recipe requires the bare minimum of innate culinary flair. Though it would, undeniably, be a boon. To the partakers of the meal most of all.

In (a somewhat limp) defence of my own appalling cooking skills, I should state for the record that I passed Home Economics class in Lower Secondary School. Scoring more respectably in the sections on blanket stitching, nutrition and 'feminine health' in the exam no doubt, but securing an overall pass nonetheless.

I am thus suitably capable of mending my stockings, prescribing prune juice to constipated friends and IDing fallopian tubes in an anatomical chart of the female body. But not boil an egg.

So imagine our good fortune when Abhilasha and Munish came to stay: we have relished every hot, home-cooked meal since their arrival, always a mouthwatering spread ... let me just say that talented friends really up the quality (and flavour) of day-to-day life!