Bonnie & Clyde

Tried this a Pizza Hut. It’s lemonade peppered with spices for masala curry. Nasty. Don’t ever, ever try this at home.

Clyde arrived (finally!) and I decided to take him to the Elephanta Caves on Elephanta Island. The caves date back to 600AD, dedicated to the God(dess) Shiva. Actually, I don’t know whether Shiva is a ‘she’ or a ‘he’ as the sculptures portrayed Shiva very erm, ‘neutrally’. Our journey from Colaba to the island took us an hour each way so I can imagine the monks paddling till their arms fell off in their little sampan to meditate and pray.


Where the ferry dropped us off, it’s a few kilometres walk to the base. The train service wasn’t available when we arrived so we huffed and puffed our way there


Gimme a sign


It was a long and winding road up. For kids and old folks (like me), you can be carried on a chair by 2 men for a considerable sum. A bit like olden days slavery so tempted as I was, I didn’t. Anyway, there were vendors selling stuff all the way up so I thought it would be more interesting to ‘observe’ and 'appreciate' the 'culture'. *ahaks*


Entrance


Like Tomb Raider lah


Wah... like a sneak preview of Angkor Wat! The sculptures hewn out of solid rock and most were defaced by visitors


Guardians of the door


See thru that doorway, there’s an urn-like thing in there and Indians remove their shoes, climb the steps, enter and pray. I suspect it’s the ashes of the monks. Or something


Pillars

There are ways and there are ways to survive in India.


Fruit sellers under the unforgiving sun along the train route to Elephanta Caves


Kacang puteh seller is busy elsewhere so he just placed his goods, a price tag beside it and a tin can for customers to put the money in


Toy sellers like these approach you everywhere, even at traffiic light junctions. Sometimes in the form of little children


Mamak selling cigarettes, sweets and betel leaf in a make shift window store


roadside barber. A fiery one too, He looked like he wanted to bash me up for snapping his photo hahahah


I noticed weighing machines placed along the Haji Ali mosque causeway. Women could remove their shoes and weigh themselves for a small fee

This beautiful mosque in the middle of the sea can only be reached during low tide. During the high tide, the causeway is submerged and it gives the mosque a very surreal, magical and isolated look


The causeway, the crowd and the beggars


Close up. Legend says that saint Haji Ali died while on his pilgrimage to Mecca and his casket surprisingly floated back to Mumbai (then Bombay). Somewhere inside the marble mosque is his tomb


The tower is as far as we can get. Don’t think we babi eaters are allowed so we didn’t even try

Being the last day of some festival, our driver was reluctant to bring us to the usual tourist spot temples as it was crowded and the roads were jammed. Instead, he brought us to Bhanganga, where the recently passed on were incinerated and prayed for 100 days. He told us a downright sick story; in the olden days, the Indians used to place corpses near a well, spread ghee on it, let the vultures get ‘em and then collect the bones. But due to some erm, ‘unusual attention’ some locals paid to female bodies, they decided to burn them after all.


This is the pond where they pray


Nice and shady


Steps leading to the pond


The bodies are placed on top the metal rack, covered with wood so you don’t see the body at all except when it sits up during the burning, you gotta use a stick and beat it down. Eeee seram.

Feeling estatic with having the driver for a day, we happily threw away our ‘must-see’ list and went along with where he was willing to take us. This was our first stop, since it was also the farthest in South Colaba.


The Afghan Memorial Church of St. John the Baptist was established in 1847 AD as a memorial to those who fell in the First Afghan War of 1843 and Sind campaign of 1838


Mercyful


Altar


Archway

Honking to India, is what dahl is to chapati. :)

We attended our regional shoot of the year, an ad which profusely cost the client USD3 million, shot periodically over 5 weeks (still ongoing), directed by critically acclaimed international film director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) with Indian superstar Shahrukh Khan as the lead. It wasn’t our board, but we dropped by just to see if shoots were conducted similar to Malaysian style.

It wasn’t.

For starters, there were massive amount of people in the studio; entourage, talents, extras, crew members, runners and agency were all over the place. There wasn’t a dedicated section for each group. There were, however, an elevated space exclusively for the FD, FD’s family, chairman’s wife, our ECD and other VIPs. Shahrukh sat there of course, with 2 bodyguards in tow. There’s something about men with guns that makes me nervous.

It was an intense and serious shoot, hand phones were put on silent mode, the crowd spoke in hushed tones and crew members tip toed around the set. We were used to more attention and being more purposeful than this so we left after a couple fo hours.

I was surprised to see Shahrukh was much smaller in stature compared to what I saw on TV. He must be only 5’9”, extremely slim, muscular with very big biceps, a very small waist and a very toned ass. Oh, and a waxed chest. Yes, it showed through his form-fitting open-necked shirt and tight pants.

I can’t reveal any pictures or names here as the shoot is still ongoing (not to mention my camera didn’t capture any decent pics sans-flash). Will post more info asap. Promise.

1. This is a New Zealand production, from a country where sheep is the majority.
2. It kinda hollywood style, so dont worry for all you guys who are not use to any other type of movie besides hollywood's.
3. It goes the same route of horror comedy, like evil dead. Lots of gory stuff and cracking jokes about it.
4. Speechless. A sheep driving a van? Mutated sheep farts a lot? So can use a lighter to trigger the methane gas and cause explosion?

I was laughing so loud!

I spent a good half of yesterday at Landmark, a popular discount book store. Kopilighter was lurking somewhere on his own. As usual, I had my ipod on as I lose myself in the titles.

A young Indian chap, at most in his late teens, approached me and asked me to read the sms on his hand phone. It looked like Spanish or Brazilian to me. I promptly told him I don’t know the language and put my headphones back on.

He asked again if it was English. I said no. He asked me what language did I think it was and I said dude, I don’t know. He wondered aloud what race I was and I said Chinese, but the message is not Chinese either. At this point, his accomplice from another aisle asked what was the problem and they both began discussing about languages like strangers with bad acting skills. I got really annoyed and put my headphones back on.

They musta realised I was not biting and left at some point.

Later, I bumped into them and they avoided me and hurried off.

What were they thinking?! Stick to someone your own age, man. :)

Not bad I say, considering the limited ingredients and utensil I have to use.

This is a popular Indian snack, the veggie burger. It looks like KFC Curry Crunch but it is actually fried onions, green chillies and potatoes. When we ordered in, Kopilighter was most gracious and persuaded me to chip in so we can buy for everyone as well. And so we did.

The food came, he invited everyone to share and they did. Nobody said a word of thanks but it's alright coz we are not waiting to be thanked anyway. It's just a simple act of goodwill until... the office shark came by and said:

Shark: Sometimes you people can do something good too.
Kopilighter: *baffled*
Bonnie: ‘Scuse me?
Shark: Why should I excuse you? (not smelling the smoke yet)
Bonnie: YOU ARE RUDE!!! Just say ‘thank you’ and I will say ‘you’re welcome’!

He scampered back to his dungeon of darkness and did not emerge till much later.

I chose to call him shark coz according to other colleagues, he eats everything in sight, good or bad, even food that’s not his, including my Diet Coke in the office fridge. And I have reasons to snap back k. A week ago, the following convo took place:

Shark: So... how long have you been in this line?
Kopilighter: 9 years.
Bonnie: 13 years.
Shark: 13 years!!! If I were you I would own a business! And if I’m still working for someone after 13 years, I would kill myself!!!
Kopilighter: *speechless*
Bonnie: Well, you are 29 so you have another 5 years to start planning (he thought I was referring to business, but I meant otherwise).

Did I mention I work with an ineteresting bunch? :P

See this, Clyde?

It’s my midnight snack, a whole MARs bar, something I haven’t eaten in years. In bed too.

YOU BETTER COME QUICK! YOUR WIFE NEEDS HEEEEELP!!!

I think our apartment has bad chi coz there is not a single night I did not dream. I dreamt of everything, even people I have not been thinking for ages. The dreams come in fuzzy, complicated episodes and there’s usually 3 episodes per night. I don’t remember much except:

1) Clyde and I had strange m&m’s-like growth on our armpits which bloomed and produced metal spoons.

2) An ex colleague who lost a child recently lost another. They were inconsolable.

3) 2 colleagues wearing all white and disco-dancing ala Bollywood style, asking me to join in, which I didn’t and ran off (you gotta admit this one is scary! :P).

4) Kopilighter and I were given choices to either go to:
a) NYC to collect our awards
b) India to work

And I kept telling him that awards aren’t important. Work is so let’s go Mumbai. Eeeee... what’s wrong with me??!

If I remember anymore, I will update this thread.

Watch a HonKong movie. Forgot its English title; something about acting.

Directing, story, humor, even the acting is just average. However, I kinda enjoy it.

Maybe it's because there's some favoritism over the main actor, also dont know his English name. Normally others cal him "Jim Sir". Yes he is the one played as an instructor in the movie "Muk Tao", some sort of a motivator to employees of a company. Could never forget the way he said,"Point!" Bonnie loves his act too.

He's a stage performer, also a standing comedian. Should had some very tough time in the pass (Who doesnt? For a stage performer). Only recently his standing comedy got some fame which brought him to a series of good things, and of course income.

The show is about a policeman, about acting; basically is kinda similar to a Stephen Chow's movie. No big deal supposedly.

But, when I watch his larger than normal kinda acting, suddenly I felt sad for him. I don't know. Maybe not him alone. Probably for all those in this acting profession. Or even for all people, you and me.

I realise as a actor, it's not always his own call for when to laugh and when to cry; when to be happy and when to be sad. It's all the director's call; maybe also the writer's. It is ok because it's just about shooting a movie. But what about us? The "real" people in the "real"world.

Do we have the freedom to make the call too?

Have we lost the ability to physically express our mind or emotion or heart?

Or we just choose not to express, or show something else on our face so we could not be predict, or we are a well mannered person or we are a acomodating person?

Whatever reason.

The hardest character to act in the whole wide world is actually ourselves.

Teeth are ok. I m fine with them, especially when they r well serving me.

Only sometimes, just sometimes, when one from the whole squad got nasty; refuse to work properly,or stay quietly at its place as i like it to be, one's teeth could give their master a glimpse of hell.

It may not be the kind of pain a doctor would rate as grade 10; nor discomfort that would send you unconcious; it's the little by little, constant, irritating, patiently sand your will power and spirit into dust. When it comes, though it might go, but you know damn well it will be back in no time.

It's like setting up a small motor poking into the deepest, most sensitive part of your tooth with a needle. The battery seems never run out.

Finally got rid of it.

The feeling is like cuting part of your bone outta your body.

Just when I thought everything is different in India, I am proven wrong. The sun that shines on our paddy fields shines on their turmeric farms too.

Being in the ad industry (and every other competitive industry I guess), females are scarce. I have been told by a male visualiser in the early 90’s that I was the FIRST female visualiser he has ever met. My friend tells me I am the ONLY female creative on a telco account to last 5 years. And over here in bollywood, I am also the ONLY female creative and the second female in the entire office.

It is not surprising I come across SAMs (Superior Alpha Male) all the time. These types don’t listen, overight my decisions and talk to me as if I’m a child. Afterwards, they feel stupid because they realise I was right and they try to bulldoze their way around pompously. As if I didn’t make things clear in the first place and now the solution came from them. And then they call me a bitch.

Apologies are out of the question but I am fine by that. Afterall, they are nobodies to me. I take it in my stride because I am a firm believer that professionalism should rise above petty differences. I rant and curse (and possibly blog about it heheh), but after a hot shower, a hug from Clyde and a good night’s sleep, I’m back at work.

I feel sorry for them.

(more interesting facts on Mumbai)

1) ... Indians like drama. They will debate heatedly over the slightest issue, stage a dramatic walkout and can still be the best of friends afterwards. They don’t believe in holding back which I feel is mighty healthy.

2) ... Indians don’t answer the phone with “hello” like everyone else in the world. Instead, they get straight to the point with “aah, tell me.” Takes some getting used to. :)>

3) ... that there are a lot of ‘dry’ days, days when alcohol are strictly not sold ANYWHERE in India for religious reasons. When that happens and you are thristing for a beer, you gotta go underground.

4) ... India is so overloaded with printers and books are relatively cheaper here. Also, a 4-colour printing of 12-page brochure can be printed and delivered in 2 days.

5) ... the thing they do with their heads is a form of approval and respect. It universally means “yes, sir” or “ok, I understand”, etc. So don’t make fun of them ok. :)

I have to say sorry to Clyde coz I made a boo-boo and forgot to tell him he needed a visa to come to India. And he's having such a hard time in KL with the maid, tooth and work problems.

Wish I could be there for you. :'(

(interesting facts on Mumbai)

1) ... that single / 2 / 3 guys are not allowed into clubs. Apparently the ratio of girls to guys is 1:5 and club proprietors do not want too many blokes hanging around. So at least 1 girl must accompany 3 guys.

2) ... the local drivers cruise around with one hand on the steering wheel and another on the horn. Honking, unlike in KL, is encouraged and accepted as a way of life so there’s no dirty looks from fellow road users. In fact, most vehicles have a “Blow OK horn” at the back.

3) ... beef tastes awful here as most locals are vegetarians / Buddhists / Hindu. So what they do not eat, they do not excel in cooking. 99% of menus does not include beef. :(

4) ... Indians eat late. They don’t take breakfast, lunch at 3pm is common and dinner parties start at 11pm. Who says Chinese wedding dinners are bad?

5) ... the dogs near our apartment howl EVERY night at the EXACT time? Locals say dogs howl when a spirit passes. I refrained from checking the time or peeping out the window coz... I dun wanna know.

Tagged along with the MD yesterday on Gandhi’s Day (HOLIDAY YEAH!!!). We were promised a scenic tour and true enough, it was a breathtaking Kodak moment.


On the way up, I saw some makeshift dividers. Pretty innovative I would say ;)


Greenery


Beautiful lake


Closer view


The bridge from the dam to the waterfall


The waterfall starts from here...


... to here. If you look closely, there’s a nekid bloke somewhere...


A local spotted sun bathing


More locals


The road less travelled


The path leading back was slippery and steep. I was told it’s even worse during monsoon season


Hooka Hotel


A Chinese what?!! (apparently ‘hooka’ is a kind of smoke, like the Shisha in BBP, KL)


We stumbled upon this by accident actually. It’s a bit foggy today, but you can see the entire Ambi Valley on a clear day


I didn’t dare venture where the other tourists stood, otherwise I would have gotten an even more panoramic view. Guli tadak bawak ;P