A Rat Ate My Backpack

Stupid rat!

Recently made a 3 week trip back to Malaysia and India. Visited both our families, wife’s and mine. Took advantage of Justin’s school Spring Break holidays. It’s now or after the birth of our second child, as when Justin breaks for summer, it’d be too late (and too big) for Anu to fly.


Anu and Justin, at the brand new international airport at Mumbai, India, about to board the plane back to Dubai

Nothing much happened. Had a string of tasks lined up, so it was like a friggin errand trip.

In Malaysia, we visited families in Butterworth, Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur, …OK, just a li'l bit of KL. We spent a total of ONE night in KL, and went back to Ipoh the next day… short of time, plus the family in KL’s caught up in some sort of a family crisis then. Got some flak from Anu and Jipek for making them sit so long in the car for the trip to KL. Justin didn’t seem to mind though. Managed to watch ONE movie with dad and mom, Captain America, in Butterworth. And visited ONE friend, Ajit’s family, in Ipoh.


Justin at the 1919 Restaurant, Ipoh – that plate of rice, with steamed tofu in soy sauce, was the fastest Justin finished a plate of rice, ever, in his four years of existence


Justin, his ‘chau ko-po’ and Bear-Bear, the toy dog, OK, it’s real


More scenes from Jack’s house at Kota Kemuning, Selangor – that Chinese character on the wall happens to be one of Justin’s name, Xin.


In front of Jack’s house, Kota Kemuning


Anu at a Chinese restaurant in Gurney Plaza, Penang


Water feature at the Ipoh Swimming Club

In Silchar, I found that my trusty old backpack (rucksack, whatever) from my university days in the UK, a Mountaincraft backpack with a lifetime warranty, has become a pile of shreds and tatters, compliments of a bloody rat. Half of the straps bitten off, holes all over. This backpack has been with me since 1994! Has travelled with me in like 2 dozen countries in Europe and Asia. Felt like I’ve lost an old friend… RIP backpack, may the rat end up the same way as you did.

Pesky rat also munched big holes in our bank passbooks, and ate some insurance receipts. We hope that’s all it ate. Also discovered that termites made a nest out of Justin’s Mothercare cot. But luckily termites don’t have teeth like friggin rats do. So cot is still intact, save for some tiny little holes. Gave it away to Anu’s sister’s newborn daughter, Mahie.

Silchar was dusty hot when we arrived, no problems with me as I’m used to dry weather. Besides, there’re less mosquitoes when it’s like that. A day plus later, Silchar had a hailstorm (or more like a series of hailstorms) that blew off signboards and uprooted trees, and Ta-Da! …no friggin power for 24 hours (ok, …almost). We were in Fulertal, so we spent our time chilling out in the Barak River… Hailstorm fell two betel nut trees in our Silchar house compound, but no damage to the house. And that’s about it folks!


Hailstorm in progress, Itkhola, Silchar, Assam – ‘antiquated’ version, made with my blackberry phone, easy process, especially with the amount of rickshaws around in Silchar


Caught by the camera – Justin sabotaging the cake, on the occasion of Anu’s sister’s wedding anniversary. Justin’s not a big fan of cakes, but he likes messing with it, and everyone’s too busy to notice


Taking a dip in the Barak River, Fulertal – Justin with his mama (uncle) and maiju (aunt), Anu’s brother and sis-in-law

Oh, and a congratulatory note to the people of India for voting in a strong government. It’s about time they got rid of the ineffective and corruption-tainted present government of theirs. Let’s hope things get better now.

Two Deaths about Mumbai

The Bombay High Court

After staying in Maharashtra for some time, I can’t help but feel compelled to write something on two major events that happened this month regarding Mumbai.

The more prominent event would be the passing away of a controversial political leader of Maharashtra, and mainly Mumbai for the last 40 odd years, named Bal Thackeray, aged 86, on 17th November 2012. Bal Thackeray, the chief of the Shiv Sena party, is a larger than life character, interesting in the way that he was, at one time, the de facto ‘ruler’ of Mumbai, who can with one command, bring the largest city in India to a complete halt.

This is no easy feat. Just imagine, Mumbai, a city of over 20 million people, and the financial capital of India, closed! No taxis, no auto-rickshaws on the roads, no shops, malls or restaurants! And what’s more amazing is that he holds no official position in the government, never has, and has never been an elected member of parliament or the state assembly (according to the newspaper article I read). He is only a newspaper editor and political cartoonist, who founded his own local language newspaper and his own political party. Plus, he has a penchant for making controversial and derogatory remarks against all and sundry, mainly against the Muslims, and South Indians, and North Indians, and revellers of Valentine’s Day, and girls with a liberal (i.e. Western) outlook, against anyone who dares speak against him or his ideas!

Anyway, he was given a state funeral, with gun salutes and a public cremation in a Mumbai park, which was televised life on TV. Two million people attended the cremation, including the rich and famous of India like superstar Amitabh Bachchan and superrich Anil Ambani. Thanks to him, the entire state of Maharashtra, ground to a halt on 18th November, including our dear ol’ Project despite our client having scheduled an important handover inspection on the following day. Where else in this modern world, could this happen, but India??!

The second event, was the hanging of one Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani by nationality and the sole surviving Islamist militant of the 2008 Terrorist Strike of Mumbai where 164 people were killed in a 3-day bombing and shooting spree. He was hanged early morning on the 21st of November 2012, in a hushed up execution in a Pune Jail, 5 days before the 4th anniversary of the attacks.

I will say that this marks the close of two important chapters in the recent history of Mumbai. Anyway, here’re some photos of Mumbai taken last year. Do check back with our past photos of Mumbai taken when we were staying there in 2007.


The Victoria Terminus aka Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, where Kasab and an accomplice killed at least 58 people when they opened fire indiscriminately in the passenger hall in the 2008 Terrorist Attack of Mumbai


Antilia, the CD rack shaped home of the richest man in India, Mukesh Ambani. My then employer, Leighton was building it when we left Mumbai in 2007


The Bandra-Worli Sealink now opened; it was under construction when we were there in 2007

A marriage of another style

Our very own registration, in April 2007, at Bandra, Mumbai. A complete contrast, no relatives and only my work colleagues as witnesses. This month, we commemorated 5 years of our marriage (which we take as the day we eloped from the hills of Mizoram in Nov 2006). Anu, you are the best thing that’s happened to me. With you, I’ve done things which I never imagined myself capable of doing, i.e. taking charge of my own destiny (instead of leaving it to fate). You are the holder of the key to my heart and my best friend, and I love you so. And I truly wish we can celebrate this for the rest of our lives.

From Our Bombay Picture Gallery

A picture of the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghats (open-air laundries), Mumbai, compliments of Eio, our Leighton ex-colleague


Kim pretending to be a construction worker, without much success I’d say


Dad & Kim at an ancient cave temple on Elephanta Island


Dad, Kim & mini train on Elephanta Island




At the Haji Ali shrine – It’s on a small sandbar island connected to the coast of Mumbai by a causeway. It’s supposedly the site where the body of a local pious Muslim, Haji Ali, floated back in a casket and landed after he died while on a pilgrimage to Mecca.


Worshippers at the ISCKON (Hare Krishna) Temple in Mumbai


Gary & Anu at the ISKCON Temple


Anu sulking at the Banganga Tank, Malabar Hill, Mumbai


The interior of the Church of North India, somewhere in Bandra


Anu & Manipuri friend at Bandra Land’s End, Mumbai


The Malaysian trio (Ching, yours truly and Choong) at Bandra Land’s End

Mumbai in Peace Times

The Taj Mahal Hotel, and the Gateway of India, Mumbai

A showcase of Mumbai in calmer times. Just a small dedication to the city of Mumbai, and to the so many innocent lives lost recently in a most heinous terrorist attack… Why do people do what they do? Why the unnecessary carnage?


Dad & Anu near the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel


Kim at the entrance of the Taj Mahal Hotel

The Taj Mahal Hotel was opened in 1903, built by a patriarch of the Tata family, a prominent Indian Parsi family. One of the main reasons why he built this hotel was because he was stopped from entering another hotel on the account that he wasn’t white. So he decided to just screw the British, and build a grander one himself.


Chowpatty Beach


Along Marine Drive (also called the Queen’s Necklace for the string of lights seen from afar at night), Mumbai


Gary & Anu at the Hanging Gardens (Feroz Shah Mehta Garden)


Inside the Knesseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai


The Victoria Terminus railway station (aka Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus)


The Gateway of India at dusk

Our Other Homes in Mumbai

OK, it's December. And I've just completed another sparring match on email with a %#$*! at the office, ...and this time I 'won', ahem. And I'm feeling just a little pleased with myself, so here's to giving myself a little time-off to bask in my 'victory' and post more pictures of our homes in Mumbai, since my brain is still stuck on combat mode...

Our other homes in Mumbai aren't too bad either. Our 2nd home, compliments of the Reliance Industries Group (flagship of the richest man in India, Mukesh Ambani, at last count worth about err …49 Billion USD) at Chuna Bhatti, Mumbai: -


Our bedroom at Reliance Towers


The playground where we used to have our evening walks, except when the breeze blows from the direction of the river, …and carries the stench of a million pollutants…

Our 4th home, Leighton’s Guesthouse in Kalina, Mumbai: -

The common living room


The view from the roof of the Kalina Guesthouse with a Gurdwara in view

Our 5th home: -

...Hahaha (kidding), ...Kim of the slums

Anyway, good times never last forever right? And that’s why we’re here now, in Bharatpur, staying with evil monkeys and #$%^*$^% ^#$*%$^ #%^%#$*!!

The Generosity of My Employer: Example 2

And here's more... Our 3rd home after rejoining Leighton.


The modernistic museum-like Grand Hyatt, Mumbai


Poolside, Grand Hyatt

Anu doesn't like this place because it has a hospital-like appearance, because of its ultra-cool atmosphere (or more like it's always bloody cold in the lobby), and the ultra exclusivity of its food (e.g. like having its mineral water priced at 10 times of the price outside). Not much complaints from me or especially from the rest of my colleagues though - nice Western food, and the Company's paying for it after all - hehehe.


The view from our room




Some of the 'museum' displays in the ultra-'cool' lobby


The courtyard of the Grand Hyatt

No, ...we didn't stay there for too long, 'only' about 10 days, ...unlike our other long-term staying colleagues...

The Generosity of My Employer: Example 1

I can complain a lot about some of the things in the Company (the people, …especially the people). As an organization, I think we are one of the most self-centered group of employees found in a working culture, a far cry from the days working in RBM when the lack of resources perhaps, forced us staff to have a rapport to sort things out amongst ourselves, and to share things. (…Except when it had something to do with Chairman Mao hehehe – see previous entry Depression Mode).

This place, it’s all for yourself, very individualistic, no trying to understand others, no team spirit, etc. The organization could do with some initiative to inject a little more fun, team spirit and morale into the works. It could for example, put me in charge of the organization hahaha…

Anyway, when it comes to generosity, RBM cannot even smell the whiff of a fart of this place. See pictures below of my first home after joining Leighton –


The Marriot Lakeside Chalet, Powai, Mumbai - part of the Renaissance chain of hotels


The view from our living room, with Powai Lake in the background


Our bedroom


The adjoining Renaissance Hotel, Powai, Mumbai


Anu and the 'eternal guardian' of the Nawab Sharif Indian Restaurant, Renaissance Hotel


The interior of the Renaissance...

How much is the cost of this thing? You wouldn’t even want to imagine… And we stayed there for more than a month!