See???? I just couldn't stay away from this space. It has barely been a few hours of much needed down time... But here I am, sneakily keying this in from my son Ranadip's laptop while no one's looking!
Our cabbie here definitely did not speak Marathi - he spoke the local lingo - Singaporese ( not to be confused with English!!!) . Take it or leave it. This 'uncle' ( all elderly cabbies are called uncle by the locals) was a really, really talkative chap ( most of them are), but he blew us away by discussing Goddess Durga at length. " I am half-Hindu and half- Chinese", Lim Choon declared happily, and went on to no narrate a series of extraordinary events in which Durga had played a key role! Next came Sai Baba in a cameo. Our man Lim is now convinced it has to do with his past life and is planning a visit to India soon.
Other than Lim, Singapore remains like a blancmange with cherries on top. Walking along Clarke Quay, and past the Ruppee Room ( Bollywood hits blaring), it was almost surrealistic. A great big full moon hung over our heads and the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc ( yummy on a night as sultry as this one), definitely heightened the experience. I love blancmange - errrr - Singapore. It is safe and anti-septic, quite unlike any other destination on earth. It lulls me and I can handle its pristine pleasures for between four to five days - max. In this hospital -like ambience,it has to be some genius who came up with a bar called CLINIC. It is designed for people with a morbid sense of humour - people who get their kicks seated in wheel chairs around tables that have I.V. drips as decor and wardboys ( bar tenders ) pour 'injection shots' straight into waiting mouths. 'Nurses' ( nubile waitresses) rush around taking orders, and operation theatre lights add to the display which includes a long bar featuring a neon sign that reads 'Dispensary'. There is also a 'doc' on duty for patients requiring immediate and urgent attention.Why tempt fate - life is dangerous enough!
More Singapore stuff tomorrow. I received frantic calls and text messages from various tv channels based in Mumbai\Delhi last night - something about Balasaheb threatening Mukesh Ambani and SRK. Fill me in, you guys. Even though I am strictly 'off duty' till mid-Feb, it does not mean I am THAT disconnected \indifferent to happenings back home. Keep the news rolling, okay??
Ciao for now!
We dont want you to stay away from this space for long :) Cheers
ReplyDeleteI reconciled myself for missing you for a while. This is a dam plesant surprise.Have a nice trip and keep blogging.Don't worry. nothing untoward or sensational has happened in your absence.
ReplyDeleteBy the way Ms. De your Bar CLINIC, sounds more the workmanship of a lunatic than a genius!Sorry, but i dont think u can pass off any kind of ludricity as avant garde art.The thought of a hospital atmosphere can put any one off, so why would i want to go to one, even if it just looked like one, to chase the blues or then just chillax with friends! not happening at all!Wondering what made u go there!? Jst a question!
ReplyDeletehi shobz and viewers...pls go the link and vote for the bollywood movie of the decade
ReplyDeletehttp://blognikhil.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/vote-for-the-movie-of-the-decade/
Shobhaa, thanks for keeping in contact with us blokes sitting back home. I love you taking us along on your sojourns. Well back home, yes, u already know about developments in the Mumbai where some famous bloke keeps making a comment on the city at regular intervals, thus keeping the oxygen supply running for Thackereys by giving them a chance to pounce on the remark and hog lime light for themselves.
ReplyDeleteHere my neck is feeling sour after the frequency of my hanging it in shame has increased. I do that every time some high and mighty puts our country to shame in front of the world.
This time it the Generals of the Indian Army.
Come back soon:)
ReplyDeletechetan 2 ststes review..
ReplyDeletehttp://blognikhil.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/2-states-chetan-bhagth-book-review/
sobhaji,
ReplyDeleteBack home , everything is fine ,ji except for a few outbursts from a senile old tiger against SRK etc.
Would Singapore have some sort of medicine to cure him and his ilk?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou will find more of Lim who knows more of Hindu Gods in Singapore. Check out if you can, for a Grand festival called "Thaipoosam" today!
ReplyDeletehello shobha,
ReplyDeleteyes.. lots happening lately in aapli mumbai... balasaheb lashing out at mukesh ambani and SRK... well as usual all the elite have started thackeray bashing and the marathi manoos is also dragged in at the same time... well i aint no intellectual , but i dont understand why all this fuss over the omission of players from a country with whom we are on less than friendly relations??? please explain...
You should be already aware that because Shah Rukh Khan said Pak players should be allowed in India, on Friday, Sena activists tore the posters of "My Name is Khan" in Thane and ordered the theatre-owner not to screen the film.
ReplyDeleteThe Sena earlier announced that it would disrupt IPL matches if Pakistani players were allowed to participate.
Sena spokesman and MP Sanjay Raut said: “He (Khan) should sell off his bungalow in Bandra and go to Karachi or Islamabad to play with them. If he includes Pakistani players in his team, he should watch out for the consequences.”
But Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe assured Khan & all Pak players police protection.
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You are 2 1/2 hrs ahead of us. Did you by any chance attend the Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra, Puccini’s La Boheme in Esplanade today ?
Singaporian cuisines have funny names....Oseng-Oseng Wortel, Atjar Tjampoer, Nasi Goreng, Keredok...
Tried any of these.
Have a nice time.
Upload 'night safari' photos for us.
Every Tamilian would love to be in Singapore today to witness the 'Thaipoosam' festival. Too many coconuts to be broken...processions...
Bon voyage !
jhaakaaaasssss!!!
ReplyDeleteSena may go overboard, but the issues they raise is not to be ridiculed. What is the necessity for the stars to go overboard about Pakistani cricketers? And Bal Thackeray conveniently omitted his friend Bachchan who also expressed the same sentiments.
ReplyDeleteenjoy your trip.. and have fun...
ReplyDeletei just got to know that u have a blog...the blog simply shows that ur indeed a writer...i like the writing style
ReplyDeleteHey Shobhaa
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your stay here in Singapore. Don't leave the place without visiting Pan-Asia bar at City Hall.
Cheers!!
Tanuj
Our cabbie here definitely did not speak Marathi - he spoke the local lingo - Singaporese ( not to be confused with English!!!) . Take it or leave it.
ReplyDeletehahah..i see how it was conviniently ignored by the readers. Well in mumbai it is going to be Hindi. and you know you have no choice but to take it
Hi Ms De,
ReplyDeleteI've been a fan of yours for a very long time. You are not afraid to call a spade a spade and thats what I love about you. I also love your colorful choice of words and the way you describe your day to day happenings.
I eagerly look forward to reading your juicy blog everyday !! Way to go !!
cheers,
Krithika Ramanathan
नमस्कार,
ReplyDeleteबाळासाहेबांच वय झालं, आता असल्या बालिश प्रतिक्रिया सारख्या येत राहतिल. तुम्ही तुमचि सुट्टी साजरी करा. वय झालेल्या माणसांकडे दुर्लक्ष केलेलं बरं!
Dear Ma De
ReplyDeleteHow could we live without u?
oh..sorry sorry "How could we live without ur blog?" ha..ha.
I have read a lot of your writing for many many years but haven't yet got a chance to express my absolute delight for your writing.There is so much of soul in your writing and you rock as a lady!! So keep rocking and writing!
ReplyDeleteAnd of course you are a style diva, which I believe by now you would have heard for the zillionth time.:-)
P Adhikari.
www.fashionfifthavenue.blogspot.com
Ma de,
ReplyDeleteSRK wants pakistani players to play for his kkr he said sports should be left alone well as of now he is paying the price for supporting pak players no idea how it will effect his release but his timing was wrong and remember you had slammed him for not speaking during 26/11 i think when he has to open his mouth he doesnt and when he does he pays or will pay a good price.
my take on the issue is we are not happy with the attitude of pakistan with regard to 26/11 like it or not we cant behave all is fine .Even though pak players have not done anything wrong but the fact they are from pak they have to bear some loss ditto Australia ( sena have warned the same with regard to Aussie players ) as of now it is best to not take risk and wait till things get back to normal as for giving security to players we all know anything can go wrong , play safe is what i will tell SRK and others for their own good.
Dear Shobhaaji,
ReplyDeleteEven though you are off duty till mid Feb please be in contact with us regularly as no body knows what happens tomorrow in any field in the country which require your comments.Regarding Balasaheb's threat or criticism of Ambani for his comments on Mumbai the aged politician is in need of psychiatrist's counselling and treatment too and we pity at the degeneration of his brain due to age which results ocassional irrevelant and meaningless outbursts.
Yesterday Latha Mangeshkar ji's CD on the sanskrit compositions of Anaamacharya Kirthanas ON Lord BALAJI was released by the Governor of AP and CM of AP at Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam,Tirumala,AP and the sale proceeds of onme lakh CDs in first phase was donated to TTD as her contribution to provide gold plating around the sanctum sanctorum.
Being a Marathi from Mumbai she contributed to TTD in Andhra pradesh.So also being citizens of the rest of the country many contributed for the development,progress and welfare of the Marathis as well as other Mumbaites.Is Balasaheb going to criticise Latha ji for contributing to non Marathi speaking area?
Mam read my blog and put your comment too
ReplyDeletehttp://aniruddhasowale.blogspot.com/
Sounds like a fun place to dine.I bet the cocktail came in an IV bag with a straw.Apparently SRK is a target for showing some Pakistani players a bit of 'support'.
ReplyDeleteJUST ONE QUESTION.
ReplyDeleteU can say I am a fanatic of Mrs Shobha De for her bold and sovereign personality. Ekdum BINDASS! Although this is the first time I writing a comment.
However, I do not know why the MEDIA in our country(India) are so jealous when a Marathi person speaks a word. They do not want us to express our views. Do they mean that we are just extremist by putting on a opinion. Last time when Shri Balasaheb expressed his elderly views on Masterblaster the whole country attacked his thoughts. Even now, although SRK is acually wrong in making pro Pakistani statements the media is supporting SRK and not the Balasaheb. Is it just becoz the later is MARATHI.
Hi Shobha
ReplyDeleteSaw your interview on ibnlokmat..
It changed my opinion about you
so much and removed so many
misconceptions...i am more a fan
of you ..your thoughts were so honest,bold , clear and i know the reason you gave that interview to a marathi media...i am proud of you a "110% maharashtrian" "fierce maharashtrian" "tigeress maharashtria" :) ...specifically i liked how you freely said english media is arrogant even though your career is mainly in english media...salute the guts in u ..
Also i saw the interview all 3 times it was telecast to hear you again and again and also becuase to see your smile...its a dhadkan smile..missed a heartbeat everytime u smiled...u still can kill men :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell, the CLINIC seems to be a sick idea indeed that probably came out of a sick mind.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, have you read a column that appeared below yours in STOI recently, according to which Singaporeans have given up some of their basic freedoms (guaranteed as fundamental rights by the Constitution of India) in order to have peace and quiet, in addition to material progress? If so, what do you make of it?
Also, what kind of a language is 'Singaporese' like? A mixture of English and Chinese or, like Indianse i.e. the speakers' local language translated directly into English?
Here, the Shiv Sena are back to being the chauvinists that they always have been.
wallah! madame on wheels... AGAIN! :)
ReplyDeleteAiyyo this clinic thing seems so so sexy.. I am thinking, if it was in india it would have been seen as a thematic ladies bar for people with a high and deviant sexual appetite.
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SRK bola ki he will rope in Pak players in his team... "Kolkatta Knightless Riders" and that left mr. Thakray fuming.
Similarly the big Ambani spoke about poor taxi drivers being attacked. And said Mumbai belongs to India or something like that... And obviously, he was met with a lot of fataka mooh-tod jawaab from Shiv Sena... "Marathi people have as much right over Mumbai as Mukesh Ambani has over Reliance companies,"
Like that happened.
Whenever I come back from Singapore9my son lives there)--it takes me days to settle down as one comes back from a well disciplined country to----.
ReplyDeleteThe Thackery clan is having it out.I am not bothered as to who is saying what.What is bothering me is that who is NOT SAYING AT ALL.
What is CM Chavan waiting for?Why is he not taking any action? Why is Centre quiet?
I am 200 percent Indian first and last.
ReplyDeleteI need your participation to complete a survey on Important Criteria for Blog Evaluation.
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Send flowers and gifts to Singapore through our website and leave a lasting memory at the celebrations of your loved ones. Convey your deepest appreciation for your dear ones by delivering the right flowers and gifts for the right occasion.
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hi shobhaa ,
ReplyDeletedear fantastically article written on
my name is mumbai ? in the deccan chronicle it really a superb write up and i like the flow of your say trust me mam and happen to see your blog address so i thought i would leave few words for you about your experience intelligence style simplicity a real transperent article writer of decade.
take care
abbas
hi mam singapore is a lovely place so small and soo tidy well organised and hygenic trouble free place to enjoy. its a dot on the globe and with a radius of 45 km.been their twice and its real a good place to have peace and fun.so hope u will enjoy and have fun mam take care
ReplyDeleteabbas.