Cafe Monza at Kharghar

I was gone from Kharghar for about two months and when I came back, several developments have happened here - Cafe Monza being one.

Holiday Vacay Round-up: New Year in New Delhi

23 Dec 2012 to 07 Jan 2013

This is a part of the Holiday Vacay Round-up Series. For Goa, the Christmas destination, click here.

After spending Christmas in Goa with co-vols Sue and Rosie, and her twin Penny and Pen's BF Tom, and my friend Leah and fellow CouchSurfer Sumin (who were both hosted by my former CS host Warren), I proceeded to New Delhi, where I'll celebrate the coming of 2013 with fellow Filipinos and VSO volunteers! Plus the wedding of Minrose and Shishir (which provided an opportunity for us to wear sarees!) and Rajie and Pras' housewarming party!

Holiday Vacay Round-up: Christmas in Goa

23 Dec 2012 to 8 Jan 2013

WOW. I was gone for a really long time! Now that the Christmas and New Year holiday vacation is over, it made me realize how loooooong I have been travelling. So far, this is the longest on my record - 17 days! There are also many firsts and records in this journey that took me back to Goa in the West, then to the freezing Delhi in the north before I moved further northwest into a more freezing Amritsar (Punjab) and to the relatively pleasanter weather of Jaipur (Rajasthan) in the northwest/central India.

Here's an account of the Goa episode:

Sequernim Beach, Candolim, Goa (north)

VSO India International Volunteer Day Celebrations

6-9 December 2012

YEY! VSO India celebrated the International Volunteer Day (IVD) through a series of events and activities in Delhi. It's a day to honor all the international volunteers all around the globe. As part of the celebrations, in-country volunteers based in States outside Delhi were called back to re-unite with Delhi-based volunteers for a day of fun and stress-free sessions of games and reflections.

(some) VSO India in-country volunteers and Country Office Staff

Indian Marriages (some explanatory notes first!)

I believe it was when I read Chetan Bhagat's "2 States" (a book based on the story of his marriage) that I have truly been interested to learn more about Indian marriages. Coming from a place where the so- called "love marriages" (though we never called it like this) is the norm, the idea of "arranged marriages" in India seemed an almost alien concept to me.

Fully booked

To say that my train to Kolkata from Mumbai has many passengers is the understatement of the century. Well, at least that is the case on the sleeper class bogie of Gitanjali Express that I am in.

I should have known it this morning by the very very long line of the passengers queued for the second class carriage or the general or the unreserved class. This was not the first time I saw the line moving and this morning's was indeed longer and more frantic than before.

SRO at night time

Of course, the Gitanjali Express is not dubbed super fast for nothing. It only takes 30 hours to reach Kolkata from Mumbai. Other trains I have checked that matches my schedule range between 32-36 hours of journey from Mumbai in the West to Kolkata in the East. (The hours of course not include the delays which happen with trains often.) I believe this is the reason why there are a lot of passengers in the Gitanjali. It's the Durga Puja season or the Duhserra (Dasara) festival which is widely celebrated in West Bengal, the state of Kolkata, an everyone wants to make it home.

Lost ticket scare

This morning, I was losing my mind as I frantically searched for my train tickets for the East India vacay! How can someone lose five tickets being showed off at Skype just two nights before?! The answer: forgetfulness blamed on stress and lack of sleep!

Ok, ok. Erase the stress part. My stress levels, I believe, is gradually going down as I have completed most of my tasks for YUVA Urban and for VSO and I have already secured my tickets for the five inter-state trains spanning thousands of kilometers and tens of hours on a non-ac sleeper class triple bunk. As Amanda commented on the Indian Rail system, "I'm just so amazed that it works!"

I sooooo love bus commuting

Three hours after I left the centre, I am still sitting on a bus, traveling. In days like this, I miss the overcrowded and dilapidated killer buses ruling EDSA in Metro Manila. For the simple reason that they are available in multitudes, almost 24/7.

It was the first time that I have taken an AC bus from Kharghar to, well at least I though I was heading to, Dadar. After almost an hour's waiting at the train station for the CST-bound train that never arrived, I decided to catch the bus. I actually wanted to take the Thane-bound train then catch a fast rain to Dadar but was advised by colleagues not to do so.

The Agra Fort and Taj Mahal on Video

9 September 2012

It's really about Agra Fort and Taj Mahal. This sounds like "World's Funniest Home Video" to me but how else can I put it? :)

Here are some clips I took during my trip to Delhi and then to Agra and Taj Mahal. The playlist includes videos from Agra Fort, blog yet to be written, and several videos of Taj Mahal from the entrance to a bit of a close-up. Enjoy!

The Taj Mahal - Finally!

9 September 2012

Before coming to India, I only know a few things about this sub-continent and what stands out among these is the Taj Mahal. I barely know the story about Taj Mahal before I came here, only that it is a must-see monument, one of the seven wonders of the world.

Oh hello there!

Bodh Gaya: the journey to Nirvana

30 September 2012

Ok. Actually, I just can't think of an apt title at this moment that I am writing this. Hahaha :) But, yeah, you can pretty much say that this post indeed is about the journey of Buddha, not necessarily into Nirvana but in the achievement of enlightenment. Also, this will be about the journey of me, Juls and Amanda as we tried to understand what Buddhism is and how it has began here in India.

my favorite of the snaps at Bodh Gaya:
the "pilgrims" with the Giant Buddha

Stress Attack like five years back

While I was lying on the mat thrown over the conference room floor and everyone surrounding me while massaging my numbing limbs, feeding me biscuits and making me drink sweet an salty water all the while telling me to relax, all I can think about was the scene more than five years ago when I have suffered from the same, uhm, condition.

Back then, the stress and lack of sleep and a more or less blatant disregard for meal timings was due to an unfinished undergraduate thesis and woes of college and org life. Today, it was mainly due to worries about my tasks at hand, which I need to complete if I dared dream of a long Eastern holiday next week, coupled with tiredness from the almost daily 3-hour journey to an from my Mumbai office and my place in its neighboring twin city. Maybe it's also because of the hassle and also partly due to again, an almost blatant disregard for eating on time and healthily.

Vitamin C overload

Weather in Bombay has been very weird recently. From what was dubbed as the worst monsoon season to an abrupt change towards higher temp and humidity, everyone thought the rain's almost over.

I left Mumbai on a rather hot evening as I made my way to an even hotter Bihar morning 30 hours after. With the unforgiving heat in Bodh Gaya and a more understanding Varanasi weather, I thought my body will adjust well upon my return to a supposedly hot and humid Bombay. While on the way though through rural Maharashtra, the wind was cool and there was even mist from the rain that has just abated. While it was a pleasant train journey, what I was more concerned of is how my body would react. True enough,y fear was not unfounded as the next day, I started sneezing and coughing.

Well, actually, it wasn't just me. As the wearer has been erratic ie. rain then heat then more rain then hotter heat, pretty much half of the office are exchanging dry cough sounds. I guess coupled with a still weak immune system, I am more susceptible than the rest of the team.

Bodh Gaya: the land of Buddha's enlightenment

30 Sep 2012

Oh yes! The stuff I used to hear from my history teachers is now coming into life! I am, at present, in Bodh Gaya, where prince Siddharta Gautama, later popularly known as Lord Buddha, was said to have achieved full enlightenment.

Modak madness (mock-up gold star!)

Yes, as promised, Pallavi (my line manager at the Mumbai office) has given me not one but two gold stars for the mock-up madness the other day!

Of course, it's not literally a gold star but a sweet called Modak, the favorite of Ganapathi aka Lord Ganesha! And, it came with a bonus gold-wrapped chocolate! Yey!

Mock-up madness

Today, I felt like I was back in school and I was going crazy trying to make a mock-up of the resource mobilization brochure I am preparing for my organization.

Paper, scissors, glue and ink-stained hands after, tada!!! It's not yet final and, thanks to Sachal (VSO comm officer aka my comm mats go-to critic), Juls (co-volunteer and lay person POV critic) and YUVA staff around the centre for the patience while I show off the mock-up with matching enthusiasm of a 1st grader who just got her first gold star!

The Real Bombay Rain

Ever since the monsoon came to Maharashtra last June, I have always had a great time with it. From the distinct earthen scent of the cracked soil getting watered for the first time in months, to the roaming in the rain with teenage girls, on to river rafting while getting even more soaked in the ravaging rains, and to a 7-hour bike ride with friends to a really cool (literally and figuratively) hill station.

Recently, however, the rain seems to bring me more harm than good. First, it affects my work schedule going to work in Dadar (as I need to travel about 40kms) and I refuse to go when it's a downpour, to protect myself and Aspi from risking getting wet. Second, if there was no choice (i.e. it was not raining when I went to Dadar but it was raining going back), and if I am unlucky, the rain will be heavy by the time I reach Kharghar and walk towards the Centre (auto wallahs are difficult to get past 9!) and I would end up getting wet and sick the next day! Third, if I am really unlucky, like last night, the trains will not be working and I would have to sit in a bus for a 6-hour journey through the flooded and crowded streets of Mumbai.

My First Tiffin

3 September 2012

Since I got a free tiffin container from my purchase of three soups at big bazaar last Sunday, I decided to prepare a tiffin for my work in Mumbai. And, as I haven't had an egg in the past two weeks, I prepared an omelette, with carrots, potatoes and onions!

Omelette: my first tiffin!

I was so happy when, except for some overflow, I managed to make the egg fold into a perfect empanada-shaped omelette! Of course, the overflow served as breakfast, although it now looked like the Rajie-popularized scramlette! :)

Reliving good habits

So yeah, it's confirmed. My rashes were not dengue or malaria-related. Nor is it allergies. Best conclusion, the auto-immune skin disease was a result of stress+sickness+weak immune system put altogether.

While I may not be able to control my stress triggers, I can at least take better care of myself. Ergo, returning to good habits such as sleeping early (I'll try) and eating properly (love this!) to make my "recovery" faster.

Yoghurt with Muesli, Melon and Krackel Choc Bits

Hello South India (video version)

15-21 August 2012

Yep, by some miracle and after cancelling my Goa and Bangalore legs, I managed to get over the malaria scare and book a foreign tourist quota (after getting denied twice!) ticket to Chennai, state of Tamil Nadu, South India!

Chennai Central Railway Station