Decluttered.

I know it's been long since i've last touched this space. It's almost a month since we've came back from our trip. One awesome trip indeed. I'm basically busy bumming around ever since i'm back. Well, other than bumming around, i did some job searching and major de-cluttering of my house, which btw, i felt damn proud of.

Pretty successful in terms of job search considering I managed to get a job which helps my resume look better in some ways. But i'm starting to think i'll be dreading work pretty soon although i'm kinda looking forward to start work for now. Excitement probably due to excessive bumming period. Heh.

Damn successful in terms of de-cluttering my house. Friends who visited my sty before knows how cluttered it is. And after many years of rubbish pilling, Fiona finally motivated/ instigated me to clear my room. I can't believe the amount of rubbish i threw away. But i guess it's a good start. You know, new job, new de-cluttered room. It's really true when people say if you want to de-clutter your life, you should start with your environment. Pretty damn true. 

Anyways, Phiyornah and I went on a short Bintan trip to celebrate Julius's 21st. It was a short but fun and worthwhile trip. You can read more on her blog.

P.S: I've finally developed my photos from my lomo. Turned out great minus the fact that ample sunlight is much needed. 

Creatures.

Okay. The creatures i'm talking about here are animals i've seen here in India. Like how you expect, cows, cattles, ponies and dogs litter the streets of India. Every 10 feet or so, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of life, anything other than human and plants. You ALL should know that i'm an avid animal lover, minus the fact that i love cutting them up. It's been a real pleasure to be able to see them roam freely on the streets and living cohesively with human beings. Imagine how it'd be like in Singapore; people would be scrambling all over if there's a cattle loose on the streets.



Sometimes, i just love staring at how people interact with these creatures. I remember on the day where we were leaving Delhi and i was waiting for K outside the guesthouse. There was this group of men sitting along the streets talking and a herd of cow passed by. The man sitting nearest to the herd lifted his hand and patted one of the cow, to my amazement, the cow simply stood still and allowed the man to do so while the rest of the herd carried on moving. You may think that there isn't much to be amazed on, but i thought this truely showed how much mutual trust there is between man and the creatures.


I mentioned in the taste bud entry that our houseboat owner had a newly owned lamb. It's true okay. We were there when they bought the lamb. So far, they really took care of the lamb well. As in, they'll bring the lamb into their own house whenever there's rain and protecting it like some newborn, something i thought rural people simply couldn't be bothered with. So, it was a rainy day and everybody was sleeping on the floor of the houseboat, including me, K and the lamb. The lamb was sleeping happily beside Sam's dad, how cool is that! Imagine my dad willing to sleep with any of the strays i bring home. Hehh.


I love the close proximity i could get with animals during this trip. Though i really detest the fact that K hates it because animals are dirty, they really are, but that doesn't give you a reason to hate them okay. Maybe the lamb knew that it wasn't really well-liked by K, it decided to give K a present. (When we left the owner's boathouse that day, the lamb was indoor and K stepped onto the lamb's shit. Hehhhhh.)

Random goat from the streets.

Herd of buffalos roaming the streets.

I always wonder how they know where to go without anyone guiding them.

Shaka.

The lamb our houseboat owner bought from a passing hippie.

Damn spontaneous can.

Taste Buds - Indian Chapter 2.

Now, i'm looking forward to dinner, to every meal left here in India. I have to be honest, i got sick of eating nann everyday. We practically had nann and different kind of gravy, which by the way tastes amazingly the same, for every meal during the first 2 to 3 weeks of the trip because it's the cheapest food you could get. They have an array of gravies you can never finish ordering, but the interesting thing is that, it all tastes and looks almost the same. But i have to admit, it can be damn delicious and mouth watering. Or maybe it's mouth watering due to the fact that we're really mad starving by the time the food arrives. It normally takes what feels like 20 minutes before your food is served, which in Singapore's standard is considered snail slow.



So after that few weeks of nann meals, i surrendered and ordered western or oriental cuisines. A decision i still come to regret. I've concluded that Indians simply can't cook anything other than their own cuisine. It's like eating a whole jug of salt whenever i order anything else. Goodness, you have no idea how much H two O i need after each non-indian meal.


At the beginning of this entry, i mentioned that i'm looking forward to every meal left here. Why? It's because i'm really loving the food that the Mumtaz ( houseboat owner's wife) is whipping up. It's really oh-so-delicious homecooked food you won't get anywhere but here. I'll definitely miss this part of the India trip.


There was this day where K went off to play cricket leaving me with Sam's sisters, mother and his newly owned lamb. So i sat in the kitchen with his mother and attempted to master a few dishes. Their kitchen are amazingly hazardous i'd say, but it's a wonder how they keep things clean there. Well, when i'm back, we shall see if i did master anything from that small observation session. :D