Just in case I die in a plane crash today or tomorrow....

I know the likelihood of anyone dying in a plane crash is FAR less likely than a car crash (and I take the car almost everyday, and I'm still alive (woohoo!) so the likelihood of me being in a plane crash is LOW), I still harbour disturbing thoughts of dying in a plane crash and not being able to say goodbye, allocate my "assets" (3 kate spade bags, 1 gucci bag, 1 diamond ring... :P) properly etc.

So.

Because I'm leaving on a jet plane in a few hours' time, I just wanted to say, 2012 has been a great year for me. I'm very thankful for the good karma we've experienced in Bombay so far (no psycho drivers or thieving maids, no flood in the apartment or mushrooms sprouting in Monsoon, warm and friendly people in general), the friendships built, endured and even strengthened (through the modern technologies of whatsapp, Facebook and email), the wonderful sights that India has to offer (places visited so far: Bombay, Pune, Delhi, Goa, Darjeeling, Kursheong, Uttrakhand /Himalayas, Neemrana Fort), the general sustained health of my parents, the opportunity to try new things (cooking, marketing, volunteering and teaching English), the luxury of buying books and magazines w/o having to be concerned about the price and the chance to finally have a fitness regime.

I love my life. I love my family. I love my friends. And I most definitely love PJ. :)

On the allocation of my "assets" in the event that I do die in a plane crash (or whatever accident), you will have to refer to the "will" that I've verbally communicated to PJ. Essentially, all my items to be donated (PJ can keep a few for memory's sake), jewelry to be sold and money donated to charity (or PJ can keep the pieces, too), bags to be given to Flo & Char (assuming they survived the monsoons) and all cash (both savings and insurance payouts) to my parents.

:)  

A-Z of Mumbai: P is for Paining

Every country has its unique form of English. In Singapore, we call it Singlish, where our sentences are punctuated with "lah"s and "lor"s and mixed with Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin and Hokkien.

In Mumbai, there's Bombay English, one of which includes the term "paining". 

Example of usage:
"I stepped on a piece of glass. Now my foot is paining."
"Her daughter did not get good grades in school. Her heart is paining."

We pointed this out to an Indian friend and he was very surprised that "paining" is not considered a proper term and that the rest of the world says "My foot is in pain". Nonetheless, I can see why "paining" is a term that makes sense. It's happening now, in the present, hence adding the "ing" sounds logical. Yes?

Some other forms of Bombay English:

"Tension" 

Example of usage:
"She has a lot of things to worry about. There's a lot of tension in her."

"Tell me"

Example of usage:
You dial a number or enter a shop. The person on the other end will usually say, "Hello. Yar. Tell me."

And the list shall continue as I find more interesting terms/phrases.