Festival of Ayyám-i-Há

BAHÁ'ÍS ARE now celebrating the Festival of Ayyám-i-Há (“Days of Há”). These are the days between 26 February and 1 March that lead to the holy 21-day period of fasting. It is the time of the year when Bahá'ís celebrate God and His oneness with the joyfulness of gif-giving, merriment, fellowship, and hospitality. In spirit, the festival is not too different from Christmas.

Joyous Ayyám-i-Há to everyone!

By the book

SO MUCH has already been written on two compelling facts about this year's Oscar awards: most nominations being dark-themed and acting awards going to non-Americans. But not much has been told about the fact that several nominations belong to adaptations of fiction books. There's “Oil” by Upton Sinclair (retitled “There Will be Blood”), “Atonement” by Ian McEwan, and “No Country for Old Men” by Cormac McCarthy. Toss in Khaled Hosseini's “The Kite Runner” and Robert Ludlum's “The Bourne Ultimatum” also, although they failed to win as much nominations at the other three.

Several Best Picture winners in the past 80 years of the Academy Award history originated from short stories (Mary Orr's “All About Eve” in 1950 and FX Toole's “Million Dollar Baby” in 2004) and plays (Shakespeare's “Hamlet” in 1948 and Ebb and Kander's “Chicago” in 2002). Rarely have they come from novels. Over the last two decades, only four Best Picture winners began as fiction books: Isak Dinesen's “Out of Africa” (1985), Michael Ondaatje's “The English Patient” (1996), Thomas Harris' “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), and JR Tolkien's “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003). The blog “Strange Culture” lists statistics of the past ten years, noting that only 16 of 50 best picture nominees are fiction adaptations.

I don't claim to be an avid Oscar buff, but the literary stats above are reason enough for me to celebrate this year's Oscars—the year a writer's strike almost crippled the “Golden Boy”!

EPITAPH : Remembering Mama

MAMA PASSED away ten years ago today. What she had bequeathed to us, her eleven children, continue to bind us together to this day: her love for Bahá'u'lláh and the teachings of His Faith, a passion for laughter, and an indelible devotion to family. Even in the final, painful hours of her life, the sense of duty to her children never failed. She hung on until her youngest grandchild Zayca celebrated her first birthday in January that year. And no matter how ravaged the diabetes-ridden body was, the spirit was solid: she died gracefully, peacefully in her sleep three weeks later.

I join the rest of my family in remembering our mother, Zaida Linda Mijares Ancheta (1933-1998), on the tenth anniversary of her passing, with the following words from the Bahá'í scriptures.

O Son of Justice! Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved? and what seeker findeth rest away from his heart’s desire? To the true lover reunion is life, and separation is death. His breast is void of patience and his heart hath no peace. A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to the abode of his beloved.

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, “The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh”

Discovering sinigang in India

Prawn sinigang
Image source: Paul Ancheta

ONE OF the best things about Spencer's Hyper is discovering food ingredients that would have been extremely difficult to find in India. Imagine my joy of finally getting the right ingredients for sinigang, my all-time favorite Philippine recipe, after two years of living in India! I had tried Philippine dishes in two Asian restaurants in Mumbai and Bangalore, but they were too spicy for Filipino taste buds.

Sinigang requires a myriad of vegetables and meats (pork, fish, prawn, or shrimp) stewed in sour broth. In Spencer's, I found organically-grown radish, onions, tomatoes, pumpkin (to replace taro or yam which was not available), string beans, spinach (to replace kangkong), and tamarind—all staple ingredients in this much-loved dish. In the absence of pork, I used huge prawns which were ridiculously cheap at 50 rupees (50 pesos or 1 dollar) apiece.

What a delight to cook my first honest-to-goodness Filipino dish in India!

India's largest Spencer's Hyper unveiled

Visual merchandising at Spencer's Hyper, Kolkata, India
Designed by Paul Ancheta, Haimanti Upadhyaya, & Nilanjon Ganguly
Image source: Paul Ancheta

FINALLY, WE opened it: the largest Spencer's hypermarket in India. After months of intense preparation, the doors of what is also Kolkata's first-ever Spencer's Hyper opened to the public at the glitzy South City Mall on 1 February 2008. It has been a blast since then, with footfalls and bill conversions exceeding anything that the company has ever done (or seen) before on a first-week run. This is easily its strongest store launch ever.

The Bengalis have not since anything like this before: 72,000 swanky square feet of electronics, appliances, music, books, apparel, home decor and commodities, sports goods, furniture, fruits, vegetables, staples, and grocery items under one tall roof. The products all come from various parts of the world, and they all scream for value for money. Buttressed by a clever marketing campaign around the tag line “Taste the World”, streams of shoppers lapped it all up. There is also the “hometown” factor: Spencer's Retail is owned by the Kolkata-based RPG Group, and opening its first hypermarket in the city is almost a homecoming event. And fellow citizens are loving them back.

For three weeks prior to the opening, I joined my team of three diligent and disciplined visual merchandisers in working the aisles, battling vendors and deadlines to create globally themed displays to match the international look and feel of the store. Initially, we thought we would not make the launch date, as the goods were not fully available until the week of store opening. Thankfully, the effervescence of the operations and merchandising teams infected us. The setups went smoothly, and they were fun.

Once during the opening day, I peered into a shopping cart queued at the cash registers. It contained a Levi's T-shirt, jars of Chinese ingredients, and an English-language cookbook on top of sundry pieces of grocery. We did it. We made the shopper “taste the world”!

Chinese New Year

NEW YEAR festivities are now being celebrated by Chinese communities around the world. The festival—the most important in the Chinese calendar—runs for fifteen days starting 7 February 2008. This is the year of the rat; those born in the rat years are said to be leaders and conquerors.

I greeted my colleagues this weekend with an SMS message: “Gong xi fat cha! (Read as Kong hei fat choy!) May the new Chinese year of the rat be cheesy and anything but mousy for you and your loved ones. Rattily, Paul”

Some of the replies I got were not cheesy, but they were cheeky . . . and fun to read!

#1: “Chank chu. Read as Thank u.”

#2: “Same to you. Read as Same to you.”

#3: “Happy new year Jerry!”

#4: “I don't know how you would say it in Chinese but have a great year!”

#5: “Thanks and wish you the same. Cheeeeeese through the year!!”

To all of you, san nin faai lok (happy new year!)! Kung hei fat choy (Congratulations and be prosperous)!

FOCAL POINT : Marie Phillips, “Gods Behaving Badly”

I'VE NEVER laughed this hard while reading Greek mythology! In her first novel “Gods Behaving Badly”, London-bred Michelle Phillips (b.1976) brings together ten Olympian gods to exist in dingy circumstances in modern-day north London. And being gods, they also interfere with the lives of humans—in this case, a nondescript engineer in a star-crossed love affair with a meek house cleaner. With egos the size of the universe and clout the size of an atom, the immortals are forced to eke out a living and struggle to revive their ancient vainglories while getting the star-crossed lovers back in each other's arms. With hilarious results, Ms Phillips succeeds in talking about man’s mortality and blind faith without moralizing. Watch for that colorful episode about a trip to the underworld.

See more about “Gods Behaving Badly”.

The madness in Kenya

I WASN'T aware of the gravity of the post-election violence in Kenya until last night, when I received a truly disturbing e-mail from a fellow Bahá'í whose family lives in the country. What he vividly describes in his letter are the horrors faced by an innocent, confused population trapped in the viciousness of political maneuvering. I am sharing the letter with you below, with hopes for your prayers for divine mercy and intervention.

Dear Friends, Family, and Associates,

I am writing to request your assistance with an extremely challenging issue... As some of you are aware my wife is from Kenya. Our family lives their now... and are in grave danger...

Within the the last 3 days there has erupted a huge campaign of violence, ethnic cleansing and tribal warfare from the alleged rigging of the presidential election leading to the re-election of Kibaki. I will not relate the details as they are all readily available on the websites I include at the bottom of this email... but the basic reality is that the country is entering a state of warfare... Marshall law has been declared by the president... a curfew... riot police are out in streets throughout the country... if you are out past curfew you are beaten or shot... looting and rioting has decimated many of the shops in the town centers... many I and my family would frequent... leaving many without basic supplies to live. The President has shut off all the radio stations... all you hear is the eerie sound of static as you scan the airwaves... The television stations are only broadcasting un-interrupted movies... no news... no announcements... Everyone in Kenya uses pre-paid calling cards for cell phones... and the president has ordered them to stop being sold... He has stopped all flow of information internally... We had to ask our mom not to call her friends and conserve what little credit she has... we now have to call regularly to check on the situation... even the phone networks have been going down... He has shut the water supply off to Nairobi City (the largest and most developed city in east africa)... There are frequent blackouts... The two major tribes representing the presidential opponents are Kikuyu and Luo. My Wife and Family are Luo. Kikuyus are attacking and killing Luos en=masse throughout the country... and Luo are killing Kikuyu around the country... within the last day... mass killings have begun... In Lou towns Kikuyus have begun killing Luos... locking Luo social clubs while people are inside and burning them down... over 50 Kikuyu women and children sought refuge in a church after their homes were burned and an angry mob of youth locked them in the church and set fire to it killing 35... those who escaped were met on the outside with the mob... beaten... and burned to death in a kitchen garden outside the church... decimation of neighborhoods, slums, and villages where supporters of either candidate are being burned to the ground... with people inside... These atrocities are reminiscent of the beginnings of the Genocide which took place in Rwanda (The next Door neighbor to Kenya)...

My Mother In Law in Kenya received word from a friend in government that Kibaki was about to be announced the winner off the election and that she should rush to the grocery store because it was about to get very bad... she sent my cousins to the store to buy what food she could afford... that night 3 local social spots where my family would regularly hang out were locked up and burnt down with people inside... Luckily my family was all at home anticipating the violence to come... They are locked in their small apartment... 2 small bedrooms in a stone apartment structure. They have a small security gate before the front door which they have padlocked shut... My brother in law... lost track of his family when their neighborhood was attacked, people killed, and burnt to the ground... he ran around searching all night and luckily he was able to locate them... they rushed to my mother in laws home... He, His Wife, and Small children had to pass through streets littered with bodies... there are now over 14 people in this tiny apartment... they only have food for a couple more days... the stores are dangerous if impossible to get to... most stores have been shut or ransacked so there is no food anyway... what food is left is being sold at very high costs... Gunshots are heard round the clock and throughout the night...

I paint this picture to give an idea of the severity of the situation... I watch and feel helpless... Many who have watched Hotel Rwanda can remember that feeling of "What did we/could we have done to prevent this..." This is a similar situation... I am not sure of the best remedy for it.. but it is apparent that something needs to be done before the violence, civil unrest and massacres extend any further... How can I sit by and watch another Rwanda or Somalia take place without so much as opening my mouth... and the fact that my family is directly involved impels me to act with determination. Things may get better on their own... maybe in a few days... a few weeks... a few months... but for each day it doesn't... lives are lost... families shattered... and we inch closer to genocide... how many times did people assume that it would probably work itself out in Rwanda or Somalia... and thereby delay their own action... inaction enabled a spark to become a flame and a flame into an inferno.

I am writing to my congress people in Los Angeles... imploring them to press the US govt. and the UN to intervene... The only way to ensure my families safety is to ensure peace in Kenya... Please take a moment to do something... write to your congress person or call them and urge them to address the issue of the unrest in Kenya with haste... Each day that passes people are dying and being ripped from their homes... only 250 people have been documented killed so far... thousands injured and over 70,000 made homeless in 3 days... This does not include those who are fleeing and are undocumented by the statistics. I mentioned hotel Rwanda.. and the vivid picture it painted which brought us all a bit of shame... now picture your family in that hotel... being left to die as other countries get their own people out... this is more than a movie... My family is at serious risk... and I am praying for their safety. Please take a moment and help be a part of bringing about peace... not only for my own families but for all of Kenya...

As 2008 rolls in

IN THIS NEW YEAR,
may you celebrate your birthday
      celebrating the joyous sunlight that will shine on you
      throughout your new year.

In spring,
      may your health increase
      with your wealth.
When the flowers bloom,
      may you not sneeze.
May you find someone to squeeze
      and someone to give those flowers to.

In summer,
      may your feet never sweat
      and may your neighbors offer no threat.
In the scorching heat,
      may your cholesterol and your lease
            never rise,
      and may your cheeks and your stocks
            never fall.

At the time of monsoons,
      when the rains crash and the winds scream,
            may all you hear is the sweetness of a breeze
            and the gentleness of a stream.

And at wintertime,
      when the cold chills come,
      may your family and your home stay warm.

May your colleagues and associates
      treat you with peace.
And if at work you stand in doubt,
      may you stand with wisdom and ease.

Above all, may you continue to smile,
and may your days and nights be filled with laughter.

May that laughter echo 'round you
      and rekindle the hopes of the person next to you
      and lead that person to laugh and smile with you.

And if grief visits you,
      may you rise above it, unfettered and confident
            in the endless grace of God.

May you have
      a fruitful,
            unifying,
                  blessed
                        2008.

Love,
:: Paul A.

TRAVEL TALES : Nightmare after Christmas in New Delhi

WINTER CAN be the nicest time of the year: peppy fashion goes in overdrive, hot food is good, and holiday décor is always cheerful to behold. Early yesterday morning, however, the joyfulness of winter was farthest from my mind.

'Twas the night (morning, actually) after Christmas in Gurgaon (outside New Delhi) . . . and I was preparing to travel back to Kolkata on a 6:00 AM flight. At the guest house I checked in, the water taps in the bathroom were defective—and I realized this only when the hot water I was showering with automatically transformed into the Arctic sea. At 4:15 AM. In the wee small hours of winter morning. Oh yes, ouch.

Bones and teeth rattling nonstop, I managed to dress up under two minutes—not because I was running after time, but because I was quickly petrifying from the cold. Moments later, at exactly 4:30 AM, I was at the foyer of the guest house, waiting for the rental car to pick me up for the airport. The warm woolen muffler tied around my neck pacified my rattling bones and teeth. I was eager to fly back home to Kolkata.

Except that the rental car never showed up. The driver, of course, was also missing in action—he wasn't picking up my frantic calls on his mobile phone.

So what's a man to do when he has a plane to catch and no time left in the wee small hours of a frozen winter morning? Walk to the highway and pray for a cab to show up. My sense of humor was quickly freezing with my patience. See, in Gurgaon, the most posh place in northern India, everyone owns and drives at least one car (read: no one needs cabs in this place). To top that, I wasn't sure how long I'd survive the five-degree temperature at the open highway.

After what seemed like eternity, I found a cab two kilometers away from the guest house. Never mind if its dusty seat dirtied my white jacket and trousers and made me look like a shivering refugee from the Cambodian war; I was just ecstatic to get my shaking bones and teeth out of the cold and zoom like crazy to the airport.

I reached my flight in the nick of time, and vowed to make the holiday season miserable for whoever was responsible for the cab not showing up. Fortunately for that person, I was too sleepy in the morning to exact any form of misery. Ah, the thought of my warm Kolkata bed still gives me bliss . . .

TRAVEL TALES : New Delhi's Connaught Place at night

Christmas at Connaught Place, New Delhi, India
Image source: Paul Ancheta

CONNAUGHT PLACE is the grand, sprawling traffic circle at the heart of New Delhi. On Christmas Day, it was a natural hub for Delhiites, with its park at the center and lofty colonnades housing some of the trendiest restaurants in northern India. Without a map, I still get disoriented with the place, since the buildings look almost the same and the radiating streets that divide the circle into seven blocks are not properly marked. Nevertheless, I had fun taking photos of the place on the night of Chrismas Day . . . and never mind if I got lost in the crowd!

TRAVEL TALES : Christmas Day at the Bahá'í Temple in Delhi

Visitors at the Bahá'í House of Worship, New Delhi, India
Image source: Paul Ancheta

IT'S CHRISTMAS Day, and India is on holiday mode. I thought I should take this precious opportunity to travel to New Delhi, visit the Bahá'í House of Worship, and perform my spiritual duties of worship.

New Delhi is chilly to the bone. It's a fabulous time to be fashionably dressed in layers (and in Delhi, those lovely northerners do know how to dress for winter). At the temple grounds, it seemed that half of the city were here: how encouraging to see hordes of visitors waiting to be admitted into the temple this afternoon! Children, parents, and friends in various attires filled the pathways; an inner entrance had to be used to accommodate the long queues. Later, an Australian Bahá'í youth volunteer told me that 4,000 visitors logged in today.

The late afternoon fog shrouded the temple and made its petals look so surreal. Inside, as I looked up the domed ceiling with its gleaming skylights, I wondered how the architect—Fariborz Sahba—designed a rain-proof (and fog-proof) building without compromising on the natural air conditioning and lighting. I could only marvel at his genius.

The night before Christmas

A Christmas tree in New Delhi
Image source: Paul Ancheta

THANK YOU very much for being with me in 2007. I truly appreciate that you spend time to visit this blog.

It has been a most eventful year for me, one filled with milestones, new discoveries, and renewal of family and friendly ties. I regret that I have not been able to spend more time blogging since moving to Kolkata (my alibi: work immmersion and incredibly poor connectivity). In case there have been any of you besides my sisters who have been checking the blog here and finding nothing new, I truly apologize.

Here's wishing you and your family a happy holiday season and a new year of health, wealth, and joy. I look forward to being with your through my blog and sharing the excitement that 2008 will bring!

TRAVEL TALES : Sunday in the park with Gujus

VADODARA HAS some of the widest tree-lined streets that I have seen in India. Still called by its old name—Baroda—the city, with its universities and museums, is dubbed the cultural capital of the state of Gujarat (north of Maharashtra).

I was here on a one-day business travel, and with a late Sunday afternoon to spare, I thought I should visit the lush, green Sayaji Barg as recommended strongly by my driver. The place is a sprawling park housing a zoo, a planetarium, an old toy train, and the imposing Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery. I had a glimpse of how lazy a Sunday afternoon could get at this otherwise bustling industrial city: Gujarati families gathered together for picnics, couples were napping on the grass, young adults played tag. Tag! this is the first time in a very long time that I saw adults playing tag.

The sights that afternoon weren't exactly rural, but they seemed taken from a 1970s movie scene. Charming.

Blog Action Day: The hills are alive!

Flame tree on the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb, Haifa, Israel.
Image source: Media.Bahai.org

IN A modest solar system, our planet is a small globe. Yet, in the vast cosmic stream, it is a spectacular presence, carved by wind and water, painted with frescoes of sky, draped in root and fruit. It is a planet lush with created things, all humming in harmony in a place called home.

Think what we have been given.

Now think what we have done.

Man-made perils have placed ecology on a dangerously precarious balance, and the global call for sustainable action has never been this explosive. From the destruction of agricultural land to the poisoning of the oceans, our reckless impudence is threatening the future of our environment—the same precious environment that has inspired our own artistic instincts, whose seasons enrich our daily lives with color and texture, whose seas and forests nourish and comfort us, whose valleys and hills shape our song and dance with the sound of their music.

Now think what we could lose.

We either save this world together . . . or we all go together“The hills are alive/With the sound of music!” With these unforgettable lyric from the Broadway and Hollywood musical The Sound of Music, songwriters Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II have immortalized the majesty and organic richness of the natural environment that surrounds us and supplies us with everything we need for life. It is the land we walk on, the air we breathe, the light and heat we receive, the fruit and crop we sustain on!

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Son of the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, has reaffirmed our ecological ties to the environment by declaring that all things flourish according to the law of reciprocity. In simple terms, man is organic with the world. It is man’s imperative to remain interconnected with all created things in his environment with moderation, a commitment to protecting the heritage of future generations, and an awareness of the sanctity of nature.

“Nature is God's Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world.”
—Bahá'u'lláhThen there are the spiritual ties. Bahá’u’lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, has written that “nature is God's Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world. It is a dispensation of Providence ordained by the Ordainer, the All-Wise.” With these words, Bahá’u’lláh declares our essential relationship with the environment: that the grandeur and diversity of nature is proof of the majesty and bounty of God! Our respect for nature and concern for the environment are therefore fundamental, if we are to hold it as a divine trust for which we are answerable.

But the real challenge of our times is this: in order to move beyond our environmental crisis, we must accept our oneness with nature . . . and our oneness of humanity. Unless and until people of all races and nations are “as pearls of one ocean, as rays of one sun”, the problems of humanity, the dangers to our world environment, and the obstacles to sustainability will only worsen. The threats of climate change, amongst others, have made it very clear that we either save this world together . . . or we all go together.

“The earth is one country and mankind its citizens”
—Bahá'u'lláhBahá’u’lláh has written that “the earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” An ever-advancing civilization can only be built on an earth that can sustain itself, an earth whose citizens are unified in universal thought and action . . . an earth whose life-sustaining fabric and beauty must remain safeguarded, protected, and cherished.

Its future is in our hands. On Blog Action Day, think what we can do.

Blog Action Day!

WATCH THIS blog—and thousands of others—on Monday, 15 October 2007.

Fellow Bahá'ís Collis and Cyan Ta'eed have teamed up with Leo Babauta to initiate this Monday's Blog Action Day. The landmark event brings thousands of humanity-loving bloggers together for one day to talk about one issue. This year, Collis, Cyan, and Leo have chosen the environment as that one issue to blog on due to to its exigent state of being.

Before anyone else raises further kill-joy hoots about this project being a product of over-active minds, let me offer a reminder: “If we didn't try now, when?” I am joining the collective endeavor with a message on the ties that bind man and the environment. I hope to see you all this Monday . . . at the blogs!

EPITAPH : Dr. `Alí-Muhammad Varqá (1912-2007)

BAHÁ'ÍS AROUND the world learned today of the passing of Dr. `Alí-Muhammad Varqá, the last living Hand of the Cause of God. He died in the evening of 22 September 2007 in his home in Haifa, Israel, at the age of 95.

In a message released today to the global Bahá'í community, the Universal House of Justice describes the most esteemed member of the Bahá'í Faith as one “imbued with a luminous gentleness, a genuine kindliness and a natural dignity which combined to reflect the character of a saintly personality.” I reflected on these words and recalled my rare interactions with him during my precious days in Haifa. He seldom ventured out of his office due to frail health, but when he managed to attend social functions—usually holy day commemorations—the occasions became memorable moments of deep and sweet affection.

My last interaction was on the night of Breezes & Bridges: The Spirit of Southeast Asia, a musical show that I produced and directed in Haifa shortly before my departure late in 2004. At the end of the show, I approached him gingerly to offer my courtesies for choosing to attend the evening's performance. “Thank you, Dr. Varqá,” I said shyly. He looked at me with the famous broad smile and replied gently, “No, thank you.” I wanted to say more, but the impact of being thanked by someone of his stature was enough to gratify me (and shut me up!). It is a moment I will always remember.

The Bahá'ís are united in prayer for the quick journey of his soul through the next world and all the worlds to come.

The fast of Ramadan

MUSLIMS BEGAN observing the month-long fast of Ramadan last Thursday. This is the the holiest month on the Islamic calendar, commemorating the revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad as “a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation”.

Ramadan Kareem to my Muslim friends and colleagues, with wishes for peace and happiness!

Welcome, Fazal!

Fazal Mato
Image source: Jafred and Christina Mato

SPRING AND summer this year is turning out to be a delightful season of babies. Fazal Heaphy Mato has joined Ariana Songgadan, Elfida Laroya, Joaquin Ancheta, and Liam Fojas as the world's newest brilliant stars!

Fazal—Arabic for “grace”—is the first-born of Jafred and Christina Mato. He said his first hello on 5 September 2007 in Massachusetts, USA, and he may be saying “hello” to everyone he meets as he grows up: see how friendly he looks on his parents' blog. He is yet another global citizen-in-the-making: Mama is from USA and Papa is from Kenya. Twenty years from now, Fazal, Ariana, Elfida, Joaquin, and Aleta Leftwich will serve the Bahá'í Faith with Christina Mato's cello, Arnold Laroya's guitar, Farzana Songgadan's dancing feet, Von Ancheta's singing voice, Mara Fojas' poetry, and Ailsa Leftwich's directorial hands!

Congratulations, Christina and Jafred . . . and Welcome/Ukenereri, Fazal!

SIGHTED SITE : “Bombay Taxi”

EVER WONDERED how drivers in Mumbai manage two of the greatest threats to their sanity—taxicabs and parking spaces?

Games2Win has developed an online game called “Bombay Taxi”, where you get the chance to become a Mumbai taxi driver trying to fit into tight parking spots. The taxis are replicas of the real (and ancient) black-and-yellow Ambassador sedans plying Mumbai's streets. It is fun and addicting, especially since the game ends as soon as you hit even a bit of a car (and a male voice curses at you in Hindi). But that is where reality ends, because in Mumbai, when you hit a vehicle, the driving still continues.

Go ahead, play the game, and be a Mumbai driver!

Welcome, Ariana!

Ariana Songgadan
Image source: Farzana Songgadan

FOLLOWING THE heels of Elfida Laroya's entry to this world is Ariana Lokhandwala Songgadan, first-born of Neil and Farzana Songgadan!

Born on 3 August 2007 in Haifa, Israel, Ariana—Greek for “most pure”, according to her very smart mom (she topped the CPA licensure exams a few years back)—is yet another fruit of the union of Filipino and non-Filipino. Farzana comes from Mumbai, India, and Neil is from northern Philippines. I await the growth of Ariana, another brilliant star with the best of both worlds.

Congratulations, Farzana and Neil . . . and Swaagatam/Mabuhay, Ariana!

Dining with hyenas

“YOU MUSTN'T go to the city,” she barked at him. “In fact, you will not go to the city.” There was silence, then laughter.

The barking and the laughter had been going on for twenty minutes now, and they were LOUD. In between were tales of New York City elevators and problems with the boss. She also wanted him to stop talking to a certain Neal, and he wanted her to drive the car tonight.

No, I was neither engaged in nor eavesdropping at this conversation: it was happening three tables away from me in this almost empty Japanese restaurant. After twenty minutes, I thought it was time to end the disturbing cacophony and finish my sushi in peace and quiet. So I turned towards the noisome storytellers with as much withering look as I could muster. The message was plain: the whole world DID NOT CARE TO HEAR their woes and tribulations.

The hyenas were an attractive young man and an equally gorgeous-looking girl friend. I immediately thought how the most annoying public disturbances belonged to pretty young things: loud mobile phone conversations in hybrid English, screeching Audis, Britney Spears-ish outfits, to name a few.

They easily saw my animosity amidst their animated discourse. He got my message and beckoned for her to lower her voice. She refuted the message and huffed loudly instead, “Some people.”

The battle lines were drawn, but I decided not to pick up the fight. It was useless to rage against nonchalance and youth (and gorgeous looks). If you can't beat 'em, eat your sushi. I gathered my lunch plate and sat as far away as possible and decided to focus on the sliver of salmon on my tekkamaki.

Fine, they got the last laugh (and bark). But at least I got my bliss!

Creature in the dark

AWAKENED RUDELY by my cat Pluto’s agitated leap onto my chest, I peered through the darkness of the bedroom and saw two sapphire eyes glaring like tiny headlights. They were definitely not Pluto’s . . . and they were definitely bizarre. I sat straight up and switched on the bedside light. What I saw was frightening!

A strange creature stood by the bedside table staring back at me. Its oval body was about ten inches tall and covered in gray spiky hair. With a bushy tail and a pointed, whiskered nose, the creature might have been an offspring of a mongoose and a rat. Yet the form was neither feline nor mousy. And it was huge. And frightening.

What was this creature? Lost, did it find its way through my bedroom during a nocturnal romp in the gardens outside my door? I had a moment to scan the pointed, sapphire-eyed face in the amber light of the room. Its countenance was disconcerted and vicious, perhaps ready to bite. But perhaps it was ready to die of a heart attack as well. My curious cat might have given this creature a too-close-for-comfort investigation upon its unexpected entrance, which might have scared the creature and raised whatever natural defense system it had, leading to Pluto landing vigorously on my chest with wits as frazzled as the creature’s.

Gathering the cat, I bounded from the bed and sprinted towards the door. I switched on the room light and looked behind me.

The creature was gone, hopefully back to the gardens and to its waylaid existence with a memory of tonight's bizarre encounter.

Welcome, Elfida!

Elfida Laroya
Image source: Rhea Aquino

ELFIDA ALICI LAROYA is now a member of the whole human race, thanks to Arnold and Çanan Alici Laroya!

Elfida was born on 9 August 2007 in Haifa, Israel—a much-awaited event, as she comes three years after her parents tied the knot in a ceremony I tried to beautify (well, they got me to decorate their wedding!). Based on photos that I have seen on Rhea Aquino's Flick album, Elfida seems to have taken after Arnold's Shah Rukh Khan-ish nose and Çanan's eyes and mouth. Her name is Greek for “daughter of the wind&rdquo, which is most appropriate since her Filipino father sings with the gentleness of a breeze and her Turkish mother dances with the lightness of a feather in the wind. Wait till this little lady grows up to be a singer, dancer, and teacher like her amazing parents!

Congratulations, Arnold and Çanan . . . and Maligayang pagdating/Hos geldiniz, Elfida!

Last day in Mumbai

THE DAY seemed endless. When I thought I had my appointment book all sorted out, the timing went berserk.

• 8:00–9:00 AM: Breakfast with a friend at JW Marriott. This extended to 10:30, which meant I had to move the . . .
  
• . . . 9:30–10:00 AM final inspection of my flat with the landlord. A very sociable man, he chatted amiably with me until 12:00 noon, which was way beyond the . . .
  
• .. . . 10:15–11:00 AM turn-over of the car, house keys, and a few other documents to Shoppers’ Stop. By the time I wrapped this up, it was 2:30, and the person waiting for me for the . . .
  
• . . . 12:00 noon appointment at Airtel was off for an hour-long lunch. My stamina had now worn thin. I should have taken a big breakfast at JW Marriott. By 3:30, I got to close my Airtel telephone and DSL accounts. I was now ready to lunch with a Baha’i friend in Bandra! But did you guess that she had to cancel the lunch as it was beyond lunch time and she had to go somewhere else?
  
• 4:00 PM: With an empty stomach, wobbling knees, and throbbing headache, I sped off to Hyatt for a sandwich, an easy lounge at the sofas, and a tired countdown till dinner with another friend.
  
• 7:00–8:30 PM: Lobster dinner and coffee parfait. I let the parfait melt in my mouth. Pure bliss. But not for long.
  
• 9:00 pm: At the airport with excess baggage. This, I expected courtesy of all those Indian sandals and pouch bags bought for two sisters and three brothers (and their spouses) in Manila. What I did not expect was the unpacking, repacking, and depacking of one big luggage into three smaller ones, so that each would not exceed 30 kilos. Have you ever gone through the security check four times in fifteen minutes with four heavy suitcases? One day, I will write a screenplay on this draining fifteen-minute adventure.

I am now ready to sleep in the aircraft. The thought of snoring is very delicious.

An empty room

After the storm of packing up

DONE. The most overwhelming part about moving on is over. All my personal stuff have been packed in seventy boxes and shipped tonight. Two years of collectibles from Dubai and India are about to see a new home.

Farewell, westerners

ON THIS particular evening, I could say they were all my girls. Gathered around the table at some suburban Indian restaurant were 14 members of the western VM team, and I hired almost all of them into Shoppers' Stop. I am proud of these ladies and even prouder to have joined them for one last supper around that long wooden table.

“Come the way that Paul would dress up!” said the invite. So they came in bright colors and tons of beaded necklaces. The colorful attire spoke about them too. This western team is one the most colorfully ferocious bunch I have ever trained. And those ladies are ready to erupt in vicious laughter. If the afternoon with the northern team was spiked with stories, the evening with the westerners was filled with laughter.

Amidst the hilarity is the throbbing Bhangra dhol drum music played by a Punjabi-dressed waiter. The food was delicious and overwhelming. What is it about Punjabi cuisine? It seemed like an endless supply of food from all the pots and pans in the restaurant's kitchen and the neighbor's kitchen. I had to take out bags of leftovers and gave them to my driver for his week-long supply of lunch.

It was hard to part ways that evening. With food and music and laughter and love, how can I ever forget the night and the team?

Welcome, Joaquin!

Joaquin Alfonso Ancheta
Image source: Aya Ancheta

I HAVE a new nephew, and his name is Joaquin Alfonso!

Born on 21 June 2007 in Manila, Philippines, Joax (read: Wax) is my youngest brother Von's first child with his wife Hazel Aseron. I have been told the baby takes after Hazel's nose and mouth. Well, I expect him to grow up wearing all the denim jeans in the world (like his father does)!

Congratulations, Von and Hazel!

One singular sensation

Aleta Leftwich at 1
Image source: Her mom

AILSA HEDLEY LEFTWICH wrote in this morning to remind me that my cat Pluto is one day older than her daughter Aleta. As the mom narrated in her blog, Aleta's “birth is still a rather clear memory for me, and the last year has really flown by”. I completely agree. It went so fast I did not even hear the airplane that carried the year! (That was a joke, so you better laugh.)

Happy birthday, Aleta! May the days of being a brilliant star bring joy to you, your parents, and Zeddie the Cat!

Snap!

A batch of brilliance
Image source: Kalyani Vaidya

“SNAP!” WAS written on the subject line on the e-mail that carried the picture above. Sent by Kalyani (the woman in red standing at extreme right), the group shot included me with her and the rest of her fellow managers at Shoppers' Stop—and they might as well remember me as SNAP! See, I used to snap at them when they were all training as department managers in the stores. And boy, did they love snapping back in glee!

“Did we not agree to display these westerns according to collection?” “Uh, yes, but they weren't selling that way in this store.”

“Please get those ties on those suits and jackets in one color, like I told you three hours ago.” “Well, they are! One is purple, the others are pink.” “And pink and purple are two different colors.” “Maybe purple is a darker pink, and pink is a lighter purple. They're very attractive, yes? And they sell well.” (That shut me up.)

“Why the heck are these waterfall hangers moved over there?” “Paul, the customers kept bumping on the hangers, so I gave them space.” “But there's no more space for the hangers.” “Yeah, but there's now a lot more space for the customers!”

“That's how we do it elsewhere.” “But we're not Mango, are we, Paul?”

“May I remind you that you're not supposed to own that round table for your department? It's meant for the whole store.” “I don't exactly own it. I just reserve it for my regular use!”

I so loved training these 17 men and women who buzzed with intellectual courage and youthful energy. My tasks were so much easier with them, as they made me pause, think back, and evaluate the training process. They were also amongst the most stylish crowd in Shoppers' Stop.

Months after they left the stores to become managers in the head office, I posed with them in the picture above. What joyful honor to be snapped with this batch before I leave the company!