Durians are not allowed !!!

Hello All,

I have been away from blogging for a while... not that anyone is complaining :( ... just for your information I was working hard to complete all my pending work in Mumbai so that I could come away on secondment to Singapore!!!

I arrived in Singapore on Sunday, so I have effectively been here for less than three days and in this period I have managed to get lost twice, got sandwiched between the elevator doors, ate some bird (which I strongly suspect was definitely not chicken as touted by the vendor) and almost sent a geriatric to the hospital. Also I find mystefying signs that durians are not allowed in hotels!!! Now that I have your complete attention, let me regale you with my story...

Day 0
First story featuring the geriatric...I arrived at the taxi stand a little after seven in the morning, post a enthralling five a half hour flight in a cramped economy class seat with a little girl about one who decided that my life (and her parents of course) was definitely smooth sailing and decided to rock the boat. The minute her parents sat down she began wailing and I was like "Please God, Why me". Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against kids, I love them, so far as they are all cuddles, kisses and cooing, I am their pigeon, the minute they decide to take on a more rudra avataar, I run for the hills. So, I asked for some cotton wool and resigned myself to listen to the different types of raagas that the tot was practising. After an hour or so I guess they managed to sedate her with a tranquiliser gun and she went off to sleep, but sleep evaded me, have you every tried to get some sleep while travelling on a plane, shifting this way and that trying to find the perfect position for economy class seating nirvana. I still have not achieved it!!! Five and half hours later (more like panch janam) we arrived at Singapore and I sleep walked my way to the taxi stand a little after seven thirty in the morning. I slung my handbag on my back after loading my suitcase in the boot of the taxi and barely missed this old man standing behind me to collect the trolley. God, I was so scared, I was like whoops, I have just been let loose in this country for five seconds and people have to run for cover !!!

Day 1
After resting for a while I decided to venture out to buy a prepaid SIM so, I can make sasta calls to India (Cheap, Cheap, I hear you guys say :)) and a travel card for MRT. That was when I got a bit ahead of myself and decided to check how to get to office via MRT and also partly to get a feel of how it is. I travelled upto Raffles Place(this is the station closest to the my office, btw my train station is called Dhobi Ghaut), and then got horribly lost, I walked in the opposite direction and landed up at a station close to Dhobi Ghaut on another line, did not have the heart to walk back so took a train back to the hotel. I made up my mind to take a taxi the next day and then return in the evening by train so I can get my bearings right.

Day 2
I reached office a little before eight and got sandwiched between the elevator door, some doofus pressed the close button before I could get it. Then he was so embarassed, he tried to lighten up the atmosphere by saying "I am usually a zombie till about ten... and thats at night :p". So I said "Its OK" though for a moment I thought "bas Sen ... tera antt aagaya..."

Before I forget, another one I just have to tell you, I went to the loo and and my bum must have just left the toilet seat and it auto flushed... I remembered an old office joke about employees being asked to take only a 30 second loo break, if the employees takes longer to finish, the toilet would auto flush, the paper would roll back, the door would open and a picture would be taken of the employee and put out on the notice board as a defaulter... For a sec...I thought it really does happen here in Singapore :))

Day 3
Today I left office around seven, grabbed a quick dinner and decided to hit the sack early, but fate decided that I have not had enough excitement in my life. I took the MRT to Dhobi Ghaut and as usual took the wrong exit and landed inside the Shopping Mall(one of these days my lack of sense of direction is going to get me into great trouble) and spent the next twenty odd minutes of my life looking for an exit to get out of the Mall... I went to each of the levels looking for an exit that would take me outside the mall but I kept coming back to the same place, after a point I was nearly close to losing it and suddenly I had a brain wave, I popped into a nearby shop, it happened to be a cake shop, bought a slice of Chocolate Rice Cake, paid S$1.50 (a small price for freedom) and casually asked the attendant directions to the nearest exit ... and freedom. I meekly followed the directions and it is thanks to the S$1.50 Chocolate Rice Cake that I sit here typing... as a free woman !!!

Before I sign off for today here is the reason why Durians are not allowed, courtesy wikipedia:
'The durian (pronounced /ˈdʊəriən/)[2] is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family[1][3] (although some taxonomists place Durio in a distinct family, Durionaceae[1]). Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks. The odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia'.