The Colorful Blooms of Bayshore Park

We all suffer from longsightedness occasionally. Our eyes wander around things far off so much that  we often miss out of the beauty surrounding us completely. There is a saying in malayalam that goes "muttathe mullakku manamilla". (Meaning the jasmine in your own garden doesn't have an enchanting fragrance").

So today morning I set off for a stroll around Bayshore park discovering that fragrance. It was indeed a very refreshing walk. The air was clean after a rainy morning and the earth smelled fresh. My new DSLR gave me company while i went on a clicking spree.

I should mention two people on this blog. My husband for presenting me the DSLR i have been waiting so long for. We bought it last month to celebrate 2 birthdays (mine and his) and our anniversary.

Dedicate this series to one of my favourite teachers at school, the one who propelled us to look at the beauty of nature around the campus. My interest in life science (biology)  and nature has been because of him i guess. This series is for Mathew Sir.

Clicking was an easy job. But after that came the task of finding some details about each of these flowers and plants and a little this and that about it. Googling the names for some of them took long, then came the task of finding details of their botanical names and family. I hope that its come out clear and neat , the way i intended it to be. It has been couple of days of effort and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed preparing this.

Bayshore is famously green.  Being one of the biggest condos in Singapore,with lots of trees and open spaces. It is one of the biggest reasons that we moved in here - the open space and greenery, the trees and flowers , fountains, beautifully maintained.

There were flowers in all shapes sizes and color. Starting off on a series of blogs that will bring together the blooms i saw at Bayshore. Walk with me around the condo and have a look at the vibrant colors around. 

Straight out of the elevator and into the lobby , i was welcomed by the tender looking bright red flowers that bow onto the walk way near the taxi bay. I dont know their local names or the indian ones, but they sure look pretty.
Botanical Name - Ruellia Elegans from the Family : Acanthaceae.

Ruellia Elegans!... Elegant indeed.

 They are used mostly as ornamental plants. Some vareities of this family are medicinal but some others are known or suspected to be poisonous too.

slightly improved image of the same flower 

Their bright colors attract humming birds and butterflies. It is true as i could see couple of humming birds and dragon flies around. Could not get a click of that though.

Red flowers near the play area pond make a beautiful sight.

Walking down towards the taxi stand , there are these giant trees which give a typical rainforest look. They are all over Singapore. Most of the trees around the condo have their names kept in a board near by. All of these trees have parasite plants over them. Some are orchids (non flowering) and others are creepers.

Bougainvillias..opposite the shopping complex. Though they hang over the open canal with some slurry water, these flowers change the image and look of the place completely.

Bougainvillias or Paper flower

Botanical Name : Bougainvillia spectalis. These plants belong to  the family Nyctaginaceae.

 Kadalasu Poovu in Malayalam (Paper flower)

These flowers are mostly limited to their ornamental usage. They grow indoor also with limited sunlight and bloom all through the year. The sap from their stems sometimes causes itch.

to be ctnd....

the best of lullabies

Kannin vaathil charathe...kanna ninne kandotte?
Ennathoro mutham njan ...thannotte?
aararo...araaro...araaro...ariraro....

My latest like among the Lullaby genre in Malayalam. Sid likes it too and has this sparkle in his eyes when i play every time.

These songs are extra melodious. The one song which is my all time favorite and one that i have been singing for Sid from his first days is the one from the movie "Vatsalyam". I sing this almost every other day in the last two years and that too on demand. Goes like..

Thamara kannan urangenam...
Kannum Pooti Urangenam...
Achane pole valarenam
Ammaykku thanalay marenam
Ambili mamante kombilla kombane kayyiledukkenam...

The beautiful lyrics make is more meaningful , blend with K.S Chitra's gifted voice; the song is so mesmerizing.

There are other old songs as well...making a note of ones i have heard and can remember right now for people looking for collection.
---  Alliyilam Poovo...Mangalam Nerunnu.
---Kilukil Pambaram from kilukam
---Unni Vavavo from Santhvanam
---Ven nilavo chadanamo...from Pingami. Dont know if it can be classified exactly as a lullaby though.
---Paatu padi urakkam njan - from an old movie named "seetha".
---Unnikale oru kadha parayam - cant make my mind whether to classify this as a lullaby or a sad song :)
---alurangi arangurangi...from mamati kuttiyamma
---vaavavo vaave .... ente veedu appunte veedu
--- Rari rariram Raro..padi raakili paadi ..from onnu muthal Poojyam vare. G. Venugopal's amazing deep voice making it even more magical. Wonder why he dint come up as big a singer like others of his times.
---chanchadi aadi urangu nee...from makalkku. i wish it was a malayali singer rather than Adnan sami for this one.
---muthumani thooval tharam...from kauravar
---manasin madiyile from Manathe vellitheru
--- there is one in Pappayude swantham Appoos which i am not able to recollect. And its not olathumbathu. There is another song as well which is a sad lullaby.
Additions are welcome...


But the one song that tops all of these is of course what every Malayali must have heard and grown up in...
Omana thinkal kidavo...
Nalla komala thamara poovo..

The famous lullaby was composed by Irayiman Thampi, for the new royal baby,  who later became His Highness Swati Thirunnal Maharaja of travancore. No wonder the man was a art lover - famous for his passion for paintings, music and dance.

Changing times

For someone whose best company has been his laptop, mobile and internet; it was a pleasant surprise when he walked in home after a long tiring day at work with a bunch of roses for my birthday. Classic case of evolution i must say. From being geek to...whatever!
January is a month of celebrations for us. First the wedding anniversary, then comes my birthday' followed by his. All in adjacent weeks.

the endless wait

I guess its a waiting period for me in all fronts. There are just so many things lined up...and just not happening or time just not passing by!

The sabbatical decision has been one of the best i have taken till now. After 9 years of working straight out of college , it is a good break indeed. I am getting to do things i have been not finding time. More importantly i am getting time to see Sid grow and enjoy my second pregnancy without the official "jhanjhats". The sweet nothings had made it beautiful. But among all these what i have discovered is the freedom and independence my work life had given me. I appreciate those 9 years better now. Cant wait to get back to work ; re-energised.

Last time i blogged about the new member in the family i guess after i crossed my 4th, and there was a lot reading and research happening for the baby. Second time around I feel more comfortable and less worried about a lot of changes. The only anxiety that is there is of how I would deal with double the naughtiness and trouble at home :) . Another 5 months to go before i get to see one more set of tiny toes. Cant wait to get the first glimpse!

In a week i will get to know what baby its gonna be. Its as exciting a wait that can be. I pray for a healthy child - boy or girl. Would be an added bonus if it were a girl ; given my soft corner for the X chromosome. And if otherwise, i would be prepared in these 5 months to handle 3 men at home. AAHHHHHH!

One more week to go before my sister, bro in law and darling niece arrive for vacation. Its gonna be an awesome chinese new year for us i hope. :) The planning and preps are in place. Now its just the wait.

Reminded of an old melody...hum intezaar karenge...hum intezaar karenge....

tamaso ma jyothir gamaya...

sid just started school. may the life be his best teacher, may we (raj n i) be his best guides, may his teachers show him the right path...to the light.

when all that philosophy ends, its a trauma of its own. More than Sid getting used to school and learning to be on his own with teachers and new friends, it is on me to get used to being without him! Since the dengue episode and shifting to singapore he has been my world. My full time company and my full time engagement.
Today , i have left him at school for the first day and now that i am home, i just cant get him out of my mind. Though i am here, i am not. He is most definitely crying and throwing a tantrum out there. I find myself consoling me that it is only for his own good and that he will come out of this and start liking it. So will I.
Come on the big clock on the wall...please strike 12!

Wake up..

When i woke up today evening after a "short" afternoon nap my husband asked me to watch Mr. Abhijit mukherji (of the pranab mukherjee fame!!) being ripped apart by Arnab on a chat show for his "anti women" comments.
I did not feel like watching it. Why ? I feel "Rape" is just india's fresh craze of the season. Like cricket, IPL, scams  and many many more. For a nation that awaits constant drama, for its people who love to jab and suffer from short term memories, for TRP crazy TV channels and masala flavoured news papers, for the road side gup shup...its just a new flavour of the season. I see so many many protests - online n off it, activists, editorials on papers, tons n tons of rape and molest cases being dug out...right now i feel sick and tired of it.
For thousands of people (women included) who in our country feel women should have a "decent" dress code , stick with our "glorious" culture , be "homely and tamed", haaah...Mr Mukherji is only 1. Why trouble him Arnab? Probably his remark would deny his father a second term, nothing more to it! Hail India.

Oh yes, the assaulters do deserve capital punishment, be publicly hanged, stoned to death...anything. they just dont deserve another chance. But what punishment do you give others..the not so obvious culprits?

India, each day your women, her self respect , dignity gets "attacked " and "compromised" everywhere - on the road, at work, at home...just about everywhere in the hands of strangers, some who call themselves friends, some who are relations, some through relations of the heart. For she who copes with all this with "dignity" and silence survives when she copes to move on with a supportive family and friends. The ones who don't go many ways..some become rebels or are labelled so esp when there is an influential touch to the case; some are labelled as "deserving the treatment" due to their own "immoral" acts which include dressing and having a life style which do not stick to the Indian culture , few others catch the eye of the nation, sometimes as in this case become the nations tragedy after Nargis from mother india. It is only a matter of time before India forgets her "Amanat" who is now battling for life in another nation. Hail India.

Is this the history and glory of the so called holy land? It makes me wonder why most of the sages worshipped were men anyway. Did they leave their family at hands of a woman to continue their spiritual journey?

Does india only shelter and accept saree clad traditional women who stick to their kitchen, husband n co and produce heirs as shown in the long list of "kkkkkk" seriels ? I hope India wakes up some day...Hail India.

I will choose how i live my life. Period.
I will choose what i eat, dress how i like (even its just 1 Mtr Long), go where i want. Your half open shirt , flimsy white dhoti or a low fit jeans is just as provocative. It does mean there is a character problem. I can live as much as you do. Shoo away you B******. I deserve the freedom. I , the people. I , the woman. Just as any one of you.

My heart is with Amanat and with the anger of thousands of women who have gone through similar trauma. I can only promise you that i will try my best to tell the men in my life to give women the respect and freedom she deserves. Always.

mere yaar ki shaadi hein!

The guy in the red and checks shirt...got married today. :)
Sitting there in the mandap, with my little Sid, I  was recollecting our journey of 15 years or more ...together and apart. To me friendship, jovial, enthusiastic and a shoulder of support through thick and thin... is all him. He defines those words. There is so much more to write, but sometimes the words just don't come out. It is simply more beautiful to keep it locked up inside. To my best man and his one best woman...the beautiful lady named Anu...May you both have a wonderful life ahead.