I peeped into the living room, shyly, as Ma called out to me.
'Come, Minu, tell Uncle hi...'
I bashfully crept up and hid behind my mom, tugging at her saree pallu. I peeked out from behind her and smiled at the man who was a new uncle at home.
I had never seen this man before, in my 6 years of life.
He took out a box of colour pencils from his bag and stretched his hand toward me. 'These are for you, Minakshi,' he said and handed them to me.
I took the box - it had 24 colours! I then mumbled thanks, still suspicious of this new relative. Who was he? Why had I never seen him before?

'Colour something and show uncle,' said Ma. I wondered why she was referring to him as 'uncle' and not 'mama' or 'chitappa'.
I nodded and went to my room and tore a page from my school drawing note, and then remembering I would later have to ask Ma to stitch the pages together (again) as the pages were coming apart because I'd torn a page.
I drew a butterfly, what I was an expert in drawing. A big one. Bright, beautiful wings. I used each of the 24 colours in the pack.
I ran out into the living room where 'uncle' was. I showed him the picture.

'Beautiful!', he cried in appreciation. I looked at Ma. She smiled approvingly.
'Oh, Lakshmi,' he said, ' I need to make an ISD call, where can I make one?'
'The booth is at the end of the 3rd street from here,' said Ma. She then noticed the confusion in uncle's eyes.
'Maybe Minu can take you?'
'Of course. Will you, Minu?'
I looked at Ma, wondering how she could let me go with this stranger, 3 streets away from home. She nodded, as if reading my mind, telling me 'It is safe. Go with him.'
I couldn't believe my ears. She was letting me go with some stranger! What if he kidnapped me, or worse still, wanted to hurt me?
I had not much choice now. I ran to the door, and shyly called 'Uncle!'

He got up and came with me. I took him to the shop where I waited inside the booth and watched the little fan getting stuck and working again, while he spoke on the phone. Whenever the fan got stuck, I used a cone made of a flyer in the booth and twirled the fan around, and it would work again.
He was done. We walked out of the booth, and he paid the bill. Then, noticing me wistfully looking at the jar of toffees and candies, he asked if I wanted a Dairy Milk.
'No!' I vehemently answered, worried about the consequences at home. (Ma would scold me for eating it without offering Somu, my elder brother, still at school)
'Sure?' he asked. I nodded.

He then went over to the counter and spoke to the man with brown teeth there.
And as I looked, 'uncle' got a cigarette and lit in a box with a switch nearby. He drew in, and a ring of smoke came tumbling out. I immediately choked, and coughed. I pinched my nose to block out the smell.
He held out his hand. 'Let's go.'

I looked at him. He held out his left hand, still smoking with the cigarette in the other.
I just turned and ran with all my strength.
'Minu, Minu, wait!!' I could hear him yelling.
Overcome with fear, I ran even faster. This man was out there to kill me. I ran until I reached home and hid in the safety of my mother's arms, while she wondered why I was panting, and where 'uncle' had gone.
Remember I wrote a post with a happy It's-sunny-again feeling? Darn, it's raining in this wretched place again. I've been in room all day, not even stepping beyond my corridor to go to the canteen, managing lunch with damned Maggi. And now that it's dinner time, I'm wondering if I can even go out and find decent food.

It's been raining ever since I woke up at 7 in the morning and nodded off to sleep again. It was still raining at 10 when I switched off the alarm, in a vain attempt to wake up 'early'. It was still raining when I finally got up at 12 30, and ever since. How, really, how, can it rain in a place like this? My first December in Singapore, and the rains have been really pissing off.

Went to Sentosa yesterday to show my cousin around. We were ushered at 6 for the magical fountain laser show at 7 40. Gosh, the place was so crowded it looked like a cricket stadium in India during a ODI. Wily pushcart sellers sold ice creams at exorbitant prices which we were forced to buy out of boredom of waiting, for the simple reason the authorities wouldn't let us out of the arena. The show was good as usual, and was really nostalgic of my first month in Singapore, when our seniors took our entire batch to Sentosa.

Otherwise, the beach was as usual, useless. My cousin's first reaction on seeing the water was 'Hey, idhu thaengina thanni, beach illa!!' (It's stagnant water, not a beach!), and I couldn't disagree with her. There was the (I'd say fake) 'Southernmost point of continental Asia' where one 'island' was connected to another 'island' by a swing bridge (and below the bridge was the thaengina thanni) and we went there only to discover that technically, the southernmost point was another tiny island in the sea. Ok, I know I'm confusing - welcome to dear Singapore!!

Christmas eve's outing was a lot of fun. We first went to Boat Quay for dinner, then went on a boat in the Singapore river, seeing Singapore's 'sights' - the Merlion, Esplanade, you know, the usual touristy blah. Though quite ashamed I'm seeing it in my third year here, I was relieved I'd finally 'lived the experience'. After that, we were treated to amazing Haagen-Dazs ice cream - oh dear God, heavenly!!! I then went to a Midnight Mass for Christmas - my first ever. The church was extremely simple, and that was surprising! I had expected a more cheery, brightly decorated church, but this one was down-to-earth simple and sober. I listened to whatever was read out with not much idea of what was going on - but the nice thing was I could understand everything that was said for the simple reason it was in English! 'Twas nice!

Goodness, it's 8 pm already. Canteens would be closing down, and the rain shows no signs of stopping. My late night walk plans will be foiled, I know. I should find some dinner.
Oh yeah, belated Merry Christmas, guys!!
I stopped short on my tracks. Looking at the nearly-clear, rainless sky, I saw, for the first time in Singapore, a beautiful sky - the most beautiful one I have ever seen here. Brilliant, bright stars, and a naughty one twinkling and smiling at me! I kept looking up and walking, mindless of where I was going.
Who made the universe so beautiful???
Thanks, Corbis, for the picture.
After two days of endless rain in Singapore (third highest ever recorded, triggering floods and landscapes - ouch! Can Singapore stand it?), it's finally a bright and sunny day.
I woke up at 8 and looked around the room. I could actually see sunlight streaming in!! Thrilled, I decided to sleep for longer to celebrate the sun's outing after 2 miserable, depressing days.
And then, they come.
It's not the first time I write about these guys (Even in my year 1, here! and a couple of casual references here and there), but it's a wonder they make me write about them again and again. The guys mowing the grass.
Funny, in year 1, I thought they were cleaning it :P

These guys promptly come only when I'm sleeping, be it early morning, afternoon or evening. The point is (not that I sleep all day) but that they come when I'm sleeping. Nothing can block out the noise and I woke up with a dull gritting headache this morning. I wish I could record the noise and play it so you can hear for yourself how annoying it is, and wish why they can't just leave the grass as it is. And, the whole ceremony goes on for hours, that I can't hear the music my comp is playing, when my phone rings or if I have dropped something. The men are right below my window..unfortunately for me, they are a whole floor below, but I seriously wouldn't mind finding my lost window grille key, opening the window and jumping out to pull that noisy machine out of their hands and breaking it.
I wish! That's all I could do. Right now I can only grit my teeth and live with it for a few minutes.

Wait... they've stopped!
Now I realise my music's been blaring so I can hear it over the noise.
I suddenly feel like some noise going all my life has stopped.
Chal.
Chal.
Chal.


I smile to myself, glow inside every time I hear the noise. It's ages since I wore an anklet. Oh, rather, it's the first time! (I've never worn just one!!)
And I'm just like this little girl, looking at my right leg from time to time, and grinning!
I feel like a lady!
Well, colds don't really stop some people! So the author didn't care, got out, drank cold orange juice and got better!! She has hardly been around in her room since Monday, this week being the one when she's been out all day, every day of the week, and has spent shocking amounts in travel, that she has to make promises to self about keeping her expenditures tight.
So, on Tuesday went she with two friends to a place called MacRitchie Reservoir for a 'Tree top walk.'
Now, the tree top walk seemed to be an extremely interesting idea, as one has to walk many kilometres into the forest (yup, Singapore has forests!!!!) and reach the suspension bridge that goes above the trees.
The website promised some very interesting sights, including extremely beautiful fauna, flora, blah, blah. Author got wildly excited to see beautiful plants, and got ready at 7 in the morning to leave.
A journey of almost 2 hours including one in a random bus going randomly through random parts of Singapore finally ended when the horrid bus spat the three of us out near the jungle. And there began the walk.
They were welcomed!!!


The three walked past them and found that they'd not walked into the forest, but back into the main road. Author thinks some of these creatures might have even laughed.



Not letting such starts deter them, they walked on....



... past confusing sign boards, past hopes of food for three starving souls, and reached the flight of stairs leading to the suspension bridge...






To the bridge, ahoy!! The beholder of stunning sights, flowers, plants and rare creatures!

















Oh, the bridge is in sight!!!

























Ah, here comes the bulb... the bridge is like looking from the third floor of an apartment! The trees are barely tall!!
(Now, now, don't be cheated by the picture, the angle may make the trees look taller!)















There... (meaning, theeee....ere), the water you see is the water in the reservoir!! Check out the view, whoa!









Well, alright, it wasn't as bad, but still wasn't as expected.
Slightly disappointed, but still enthusiastic, author and her sleepy friends drudge on, walking on slippery, rocky, hilly grounds training army men (whom the author saw and found amusing too!)....



... and got hopelessly lost.
Finally, one of the trio walked up to some army man and asked him for directions. And guess what, they had to walk 5.5 km to reach the damned 'exit'!!!
Starving, tired, sleepy, they kept walking, finally reaching a 'map' (those misleading maps they have in MacRitchie, take the author's word, never trust them!!)
The trail the author and her friends took weren't even visible in the map, God knows where all they had walked!


Worst part about walking in a 'forest' is when you realise you're right next to civilization, but have to keep away because it's 'Private property - do not trespass'...
Golfers, get a life!



Author wonders how a 'fence' separates civilization (a golf course, that is!) from forest, and how the separation means hours away from food!








God showed some grace... 250 m to the main road!!! See that clearing? That's the bloody main road!!!
Author was so tired and jumping with joy, that she didn't take any more pictures. Whew, what a trip!!!!
PS: People viewing the blog in Firefox may have some skewed pictures - pardon me, I got tired of trying to rearrange and making them look better!
Young ladies shouldn't catch colds. At least not when exams are over and it's time to eat ice creams, get wet in the rain and go to beaches and play in the water.
Achhooo!
Excuse me.

Guess what started curing my cold? A few sips of heavenly cold orange juice!! :) Reverse medication or something?