The Happy Fish Narratives

Photos: Minnesota on a Summer

jj_happyfish — Fri, 2 May 2014 18:46:00 GMT

Hello, Hyderabad!

jj_happyfish — Fri, 2 May 2014 18:25:00 GMT

I’m going to begin by saying that I’m regretting my decision not to bring my DSLR camera here in India. I came mainly for business so I brought along a lot of work stuff and it’s already an established fact that I’m lazy and I don’t like carrying so much heavy things. But I now know that I should have brought my good camera. Anyone else who’s going here should. It’s a sin not to.

Shiv, one of my new friends here in India, couldn’t have picked a lovelier day than yesterday to give me a short city tour around Hyderabad. The weather was nicely warm. It’s actually very similar to Manila less the humidity. It was a good day to be out.

We only went to a couple of places. We’re trying to break down the sights that I’ll visit since I’ll be staying here for a long time and I’ll have a few more weekends to spend. My little trip yesterday was a great start. We took off at noon and went straight to the Chowmahalla Palace which is located within the Old City.

I’ve never been inside a palace before. From the outside, the Chowmahalla Palace is already majestic-looking. Inside, there are more wonderful things to see. High ceilings, tons of bejewelled chandeliers, colorful floor patterns, everything is just amazing (and expensive). When we came there, the open area where the royal thrones are placed was cordoned off, but I was told that once in a while it would be opened to visitors and there would be some music-playing and poetry-reading.

Around the whole palace would be a lot of portraits of the royal families who lived there, their furniture, the clothes they wore, the weapons they’ve used, the kitchenwares they’ve had, the cars and carriages they rode and much more. Photo-taking was restricted to some parts of the palace so I’ve only taken a few pictures. We spent about an hour and a half roaming around the Palace.

After that, we went to Hotel Sitara Grand to grab some lunch. The place offers a lunch buffet of Indian food which Shiv thought was a good idea because I’d get to try a little bit of everything.

In the past days, I’ve already tasted a number of Indian food because that’s what’s mostly served in my hotel and the company cafeteria. And the people I’m working with, they’d just buy me food and make me try all of them. I’ve had pakoda, samosa, subdana and a number of others whose names I can’t seriously keep up with. I’m telling you, the cafe attendants in the hotel I’m currently staying in may have possibly grown a huge annoyance with me already because I’ve made them pronounce and spell all the food they were serving me for fifty times and I still wouldn’t get the names right.

Anyway, yesterday was my chance to taste the authentic Hyderabadi Biryani. I was impressed. I had the Chicken Biryani and it has this distinct Indian spicyness in there that most food here would have. The rice was done right and so was the chicken, and the whole thing is just flavorful. I also had a bunch of vegetarian appetizers and chicken cooked on different ways. I’ve also tried Butter Naan (Indian Bread) and Papad (a crunchy bread). And then we had dessert. This is when I realized that Indians just love their spices. They love it so much that even some of their desserts would have some spice, even for just a little. We had this little balls of bread on a sweet syrup and the syrup had this subtle gingery taste in it. We ate it with vanilla ice cream. It was really, really good. I asked Shiv the name of the dessert and he told me what it is. As usual, I didn’t catch it. Now I’m thinking I’m gonna ask him again in the office this coming week. Or better yet, I’m just gonna make him write the name down.

After that almost 2-hour feast, we went to pick up Shiv’s wife and daughter to proceed to the Golconda Fort. The whole fort spreads to an area of about 11 km. But it’s not just a walled piece of land. The place has some acoustic surprises for the visitors. There is a spot somewhere near the entrance where if you clap, the sound would clearly be heard on the topmost pavillion. This was a warning signal previously used by the people there to let the royals know if there are enemies coming. Pretty neat.

After walking and climbing around the fort, we decided to take our seats to prepare for the Lights & Sounds Show. The viewing area is strategically placed in a spot where the people will have a good look at all the places where the lights will be lit, including the highest part of the fort. There was a huge crowd last night. We waited for the whole place to get dark and then the show began. The show involves a historical narration of how that place was built and it goes with choreographed colorful lighting on the different spots of the fort. One point you’re looking at the hallway in you’re right, the next you’re looking at the tomb in your left. And then you’d look up because there’d be lights on the highest pavillion. There was also a couple of music and poetry added in the narration. Overall, the show was a colorful historical treat.

We walked a little more around the fort and then we had to go home. At one point in our drive to my hotel I had this thought of how lucky I am to have the opportunity to see and experience all these things. I said a short prayer of gratitude. We have a beautiful world. And I am in a beautiful city. I can’t wait to see more of it.

*First published on my personal blog

The Connecting Flight Challenge

jj_happyfish — Fri, 2 May 2014 16:47:00 GMT

Did you know you could instantly turn into an Olympic runner if you see the words LAST CALL next to your connecting flight number and you’re still on a different airport terminal?

If you’re traveling alone, all you could wish for is a smooth journey. I got the bumpy variant. My Manila to Singapore flight yesterday departed 45 minutes late. This meant less time for me to catch my connecting flight to India. So when I got to Changi Airport, I channeled the Usain Bolt in me and raced my way through 2 terminals and 7 gates with my 7-kilo backpack.

Thankfully, Changi Airport has the Sky Train. That saved me a good 2km trek but I still have to get to my gate. There was a sign that says it would take 18 minutes for me to walk to my specific boarding area. No one will ever consider the walk option if next to that sign is your flight number flashing in red with the words LAST CALL. I dashed like crazy and made it to my gate in about 6 minutes (Thank you, Run Less, Run Faster training program!). I passed the security check panting like a dog, went to where my flight was boarding, and saw the last couple of people get in. An attendant saw me. I asked if it was the correct flight and she said yes. I was so glad I made it that I gave her a high five (because I’m a high five freak). She accepted it but with a laugh. In my head I was like, whatever lady, laugh all you want, I just made a record time racing through the Changi Airport. I deserve a medal. And a shower of confetti.

When I got to my seat, I immediately asked for a glass of water. I think they’re not supposed to serve anything right before flying but whatever. The flight personnel gave me an understanding smile. I was the last person in. I drank my water less the grace and poise of a lady, and got reminded about one of the rules in the movie Zombieland — Rule #1: Cardio. Now I’m thinking, if I were to give anyone a valuable life advise, it would be to get enough cardio exercise. It’s not just for surviving a zombie attack.

**First published on my personal blog.

No Subtitles

jj_happyfish — Thu, 1 May 2014 19:01:02 GMT

I took off my dusty, blue scarf, the only thing covering my head throughout the 18-kilometer drive on a national road whilst on a motorcycle with my new friend, Nachiket. The entire trip was spent with him unperturbedly telling me the non-necessity for a head protection. I folded my scarf as I shake off the thought of how fast we went as people nonchalantly crossed highways out of freaking nowhere. I silently calculated the courage points I have earned for the ride as we waited for our friends in the parking lot of the cinema.

The movie house gradually filled up. Right by the middle is the best spot to listen to the unfamiliarity encircling me. I can hear them speak words that my brain refuses to process. Two weeks prior, I only had a total of 10 Hindi and Telugu words in the bag. It has then skyrocketed to 36. I listened intently to random people’s conversations and waited for a word I recognize.

The first few seconds of the movie played and I got some you-can-do-it glances from my new friends. I momentarily questioned my logic for wanting to watch a Bollywood movie without the subtitles, more so deciding to see it with people who will be closely observing me like chemists waiting for their mixtures to properly react. I focused on the screen. Oh, look! It’s John Abraham. I don’t remember being hugely excited in the past to see someone familiar in a movie. Oh wait, he’s starting to speak random sounds.

It didn’t take long for me to get the general idea of the film. I laughed at the parts where everyone else laughed, cried as the others cried, too. I completely allowed everything to make sense to me, even the scenes where people doing mundane things arbitrarily become participants of an intricately choreographed song and dance. Words spoken weren’t supposed to mean anything to me but they did. I almost believed I speak Hindi.

The film ended and my only thought was what have I just done? I can’t stop wearing a smile. I watched an entire Bollywood film with no subtitles! I should put that in my résumé. For some reason, for something that some people would not even consider a triumph, I felt the greatest sense of accomplishment, immense enough to render my fear of the ride back home inconsequential. I sat at the back of Nachiket’s motorcycle, less the fright of the earlier ride. Let’s freely roam the streets of Hyderabad in high speed, with our heads unprotected! I have just magically learned a new language! I can do anything!

Photos: Images of Siem Reap

jj_happyfish — Sat, 1 Mar 2014 19:59:00 GMT