Life just gives you time & space; it's up to you to fill it.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Kids Mania

Have you ever wondered what it takes to bring up a child? I never had to so far, but now seeing close friends having babies in their arms makes me think a little more. I consider myself a kid-lover and have had a wave with most children. But, assuming that my perception while entertaining the kids has only been that they are someone else’s possession and my responsibility is only to be with them while they are happy, could be an important point of consideration for liking kids. It is so easy to just dump them in their mother’s hands when they throw a tantrum and not be bothered about their screams and cries.

The past weekend saw me meeting a variety of kids in all different ages and this is what led to the blog. One particularly interesting almost 2-year old girl was so sweet when she was in a good mood, but could turn into a little devil when she was not allowed to do what she wanted to. Her wants ranged from climbing on a dining table to take away anything that was there, munching plants from pots, opening CD cases to find her favourite CD and eating anything that elders were having. It was fascinating to see her in action the first few times especially when it was in someone else’s house. But, when she came to our house and was rummaging through all the articles, I was beginning to lose my patience. It was becoming difficult to keep her in one place for a few minutes. No wonder the parents had given up trying to keep her quiet.

At the same time, I was amazed to see a 4-year old girl who was maturing so quickly. I was intrigued by her thick Australian accent and yet the strong Indian-ism in her. She seemed really proud to be an Indian and was confident that she was going back once she grew up. She even claimed that her being in Australia was just a holiday and she was actually living in India, while the reality was that she went to India for a holiday and had fallen in love with the place. Made me wonder what was going on in that little head of hers. Her knowledge of cars and passion towards her favourite colour – pink, amused me. She wanted her father to drive a pink car!

Then there was this 1-month old baby boy. If you thought babies this young could only eat and sleep, think again. He had his own attitude too. His mom’s attempt to put him to sleep alone in a room went futile all the time. He wanted constant chatter and somebody’s lap to enter deep slumber, what an odd necessity. It was also interesting to notice the strange faces he was making and made me think what was really going on. That is when somebody remarked that it is a general belief that God speaks to babies and makes them run errands for Him; which is why they smile sometimes, seem tired at other times and make strange expressions. We would never know if that was true, unless babies could speak and tell us what they are going through. Can science do that, trap the thoughts and translate them?

I have never really thought about having my own kids, but now it has brought me one step closer to reality. It is no more all play, but behind the scenes action of parents and the way they bring up the kid matters a real lot. I have learnt that although many things are inherited from the genes, how important it is to condition them externally.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Test Detest

The number of tests in life is endless. One of the most important amongst them for me was my driving test. I had learnt driving formally while I was really young but that was Indian driving where anything and everything was possible on the road. I was taught to hold the clutch all the time and use the brake more often than I used the accelerator for who knew when a cyclist would be under my tyre. The cars that I was used to driving were the little Maruthi baby cars. Even though I had been chauffeured in bigger cars, I never once thought how they should be manoeuvred. My speed had never exceeded a meagre 50 kilometres per hour. With all this restriction I managed to get my Indian driving license without much ado, probably because I was not asked to drive a car during the test. Imagine the drivers in a country which gives licenses to people without testing their driving abilities; no wonder chaos is the other name for Indian roads.

But, little did I realise when I got my Australian visa that my driving skills would take me nowhere in a place other than India. Once I landed in Australia and had admired our new car, the excitement took over me and I wanted to put my skills to use. I can very clearly remember the day I first started our car and drove a little distance and the expression on my husband’s face. He didn’t have to ask me but his face spoke it all – “Who the hell taught you driving?” But, I refused to give up and kept driving with all my will. I knew it was futile to go on like that and hence after 15 minutes I conceded defeat and requested to be taught driving all over again.

After this came the written test for the Learner’s license which was a breeze. I kept terrorizing the Adelaide roads for about 6 months after which I decided I should take a real test of my newly acquired skills. From their experience all my friends advised me to take the help of a driving instructor before taking the test. I took the advice and booked an instructor. On the first day of my driving lessons, the instructor asked me to drive a distance so that he could assess me. At the end of the assessment, the instructor had the same look on his face as my husband. I felt a sense of déjà vu on seeing his expression. He said he would need about 3 classes to teach me lawful driving.

On the day of my driving test, my instructor decided to have a mock test to see if I was capable of passing the test in the first go. I am not sure if it was nervousness or overconfidence that made me drive at a speed of 70 in a 50 zone, enter into the round-about without seeing left or right and stand on the wrong side of the road blocking on-coming traffic. Sure enough my instructor wasn’t happy and had decided my fate. When the final test time arrived, I was shaking knowing what was going to happen. Fortunately for me the test officer was a cheerful person and tried to relax me for almost 10 minutes into the test and the rest of it went by him telling me what to do and assessing me at the same time. Once he asked me to park, I realised that I was actually in a test for the past 30 minutes and the nervousness came back to me. The officer went through his notes to decide what he should do with me while I was biting my nails and waiting for his verdict. My instructor and he were speaking in a foreign language which led me to think that I was doomed. But, my relief knew no bounds once he declared that I had just passed the test. For once in my life I could drive with more confidence than ever. Hopefully no more funny looks from people once I take over the wheels!

Monday, June 05, 2006

Gold Coast - Part 4

Come Sunday morning and we were ready by 9 a.m. anxious to drive to Brisbane. It took us about an hour to get to our friend and guide’s house. From there we went to Mt. Coot-tha, which was similar to Mt. Lofty in Adelaide. It gave us a panoramic view of the city. Close by was a botanic garden which had different types of tropical plants. The next stop was at South Banks, which was in the heart of the city. We were excited about seeing the man-made beach. The beach was a small one, but a marvellous creation for kids. They could enjoy the beach even without having to go there. We decided to have some Mediterranean food at Kapsali before walking into the city.

The lunch turned out to be a really long one that went on for 3 hours, mostly talking and enjoying the company. After that we walked along River Brisbane to the city to the Queen Street Mall. We purchased some souvenirs and had some Danish gelati before trying the City Cat. The City Cat ride was a breath taking one. It made us fall in love with the Brisbane city. We had a sumptuous dinner cooked by our friend’s mother. It was a lethargic drive back to Gold Coast, not quite prepared for the last day of holidays.

The guys had arranged for a kayaking and snorkelling trip for Monday morning. We were to be picked up at our Apartment at 7:00 a.m. We were all set and packed by 6:45. We left our luggage in our car and waited for the van to pick us up for the all new adventure. The drive to the beach where our kayaking journey was to begin was about 15 minutes. The water there was much more calm compared to the beach in Gold Coast. We were 11 of us including our coach on 6 kayaks ready to row. It seemed a bit scary to explore deep waters not knowing an escape route in case of disaster. But, with time and company, kayaking became enjoyable and the water less intimidating.

We stopped at an island where our coach set out a breakfast that was incredible for wilderness. We had muffins, fruits and cereals just like a normal day. After this, we got our snorkelling kits and lessons on how to look for fishes. It was delightful to look at fishes in various colours and patterns, and amazing to see that nature had so much to offer. We were floating in the water for about an hour trying to catch sight of as many fishes as we could. After that, we set out kayaking to another island. This was the 4th largest sand island in the world and was called the Stradbroke Island. We walked along this island to the beach, only to find the huge waves that would tempt any surfer. Our guide was telling us how during a day there were 150 surfers in this place.

It was now time to head back to where we had started from. The trip lasted a little less than 5 hours, and was a truly amazing one. We got dropped at our apartment where we used the sauna, spa and shower to refresh ourselves. By the time we had freshened up, we were famished and were again on the lookout for a good restaurant. We decided that all our taste buds longed for pizza, and thought La Porchetta was the best place to go for good food and value for money. The pizza was indeed yummy and kept our ever-hungry stomachs quiet until we got back to Adelaide.

We were strolling through the busy mall doing some window shopping and enjoying the last day of good weather until it was time to drive back to the Airport at Coolangatta. After checking in our luggage, we were reminiscing the good time we had and all the different things we had done in the past 4 days. The journey back to Adelaide was a relaxed one, trying to recuperate for the next day’s work and routine. On the whole, the trip was a thoroughly enjoyed one where the focus was on fun and adventure. The company was good and made the journey even better.

Gold Coast - Part 3

Saturday was a lethargic day. We decided to spend the whole day in the beach, in the waves that we never get to see in Adelaide. We first went shopping for some swim clothes to protect us from the sun and then entered the beach with a million other people. Looked like the whole of Brisbane was in Gold Coast! The water was rough and required the presence of lifeguards. We went under and over the waves, played some beach volleyball and got thrown out a few times, all to our excitement. By this time we were getting hungry and hence decided to walk back to our apartment to have a quick lunch. The guys made wonderful sandwiches while the women were taking a shower and then it was the women’s turn to setup the table and clean it later. The lunch was very relaxed and was one of the best moments of the holiday. After a bit of a siesta, we got ready to go back into the beach. The waves were even rougher in the evening and the safe area to be in the water was becoming smaller and smaller. That did not dampen our spirit and we continued jumping in and out of the waves. The life guards sent out a warning that they were leaving at about 5 in the evening and that is when we realised that most people had left the water. We got out and went to our apartment’s sauna, swimming pool and spa. We did a tour of these 3 places in that order about 3 times and then decided that it was time to have a shower and choose a place for dinner.

Gold Coast Beach

The cuisine chosen for Saturday night was Lebanese Kebab. We had wraps and strolled around to check out the night life. The place was pretty crowded and the parties were on. We wanted to have an early night since we had to drive to Brisbane the next day, so we came back to our apartment, chatted for a while and then hit the bed.

Gold Coast - Part 2

Movie World

We got up at 6:30 in the morning (early for a holiday) and decided to go for a jog. The jog didn’t last for too long for some of us, although the inviting waves kept us busy for the next one hour. After this, we got ready like diligent children to go to Movie World – one of the 4 theme parks at Gold Coast. This park is at a 25 minute drive from Gold Coast. We were at the entrance at 10:00, just when the gates opened. The first ride that caught our eyes was the great Superman Roller Coaster. Even before going in, we were all excited about it. We decided to take in the rides nice and easy, so we started with a sober Batman Ride II, which was a simulation tackling all the enemies and helping Batman in Gotham City. By now, the guys were getting anxious about the Superman ride and so we decided to go for it. The ride was breath-taking by all meanings. It lasted for just 30 seconds, but those 30 seconds were the time when we felt we were being tossed up and down and travelling against gravity. The thrust of 0 – 100 kilometres per hour in 2 seconds sent all sorts of insects in the stomach, not just butterflies!

Superman Ride

Once it was over, we had a huge sigh of relief. But, that was not it, there was more to come. Strolling through the lanes of Movie World, we noticed that there was a huge line gathering in front of a theatre. We realised that this was for the Shrek 4D Adventure and decided to try it. The show was good telling us how Shrek and the donkey rescued Princess Fiona from the ghost of Lord Farquaad. The 4 dimensional approach worked really well with both the adults and the kids.

After the show, we decided that it was time for more adventure and wanted to try the Lethal Weapon ride. The sight of it seemed scary, looking at people going upside down gave us all sorts of imaginations. But, the daring group that we were, we decided to take up the challenge. It was certainly longer than the Superman ride and hence the adrenaline flow lasted more than we expected, although it wasn’t as scary. Slowly we were getting used to the different rides and felt like we waned more. We stopped at a street performance of Scooby Doo and then ventured into something called the Looney Tunes Spooky Roller Coaster. All of us thought that it was going to be a kid’s roller coaster and that is how it started. We were at ease until our car went up in an elevator of sorts and suddenly from nowhere we were being pushed down on our back and rose up at the same speed, going zig-zag with a beam of light pointed at us. It ended up being a real hit especially when it was so unexpected.

By now we were starving and were searching for a good place for lunch. There was this Nachos place where we had some vegetarian Nachos before continuing on with our adventure ride. We went to the Looney Tunes village and had a look at the different rides they had for children. It was amazing to see what a world they had created. It was then time to go for the Police Academy Stunt Show. It was held in an open air auditorium where people were requested to assemble half hour before the show. The guy taking care of the seating arrangement was hilarious. Without uttering a word, he was able to keep his audience enthralled. The show itself was superb and it was shocking to see the type of stunts the guys performed right in front of our eyes. The helicopter burning scene was once of the most spectacular.

After this show, we needed more adrenaline rush and hence decided to try out the Wild West Falls Adventure. This was another roller coaster, but with a change. It was all in water and the ride was really smooth making us wonder if it was actually a roller coaster, until the great drop into the water. It was a nice end to the truly enjoyable Movie rides.

After coming back to our apartment, the women voted to check out the Friday Market and the men voted to try out the spa and sauna in the building. After our respective activities, we were searching for a good Thai restaurant for dinner. We couldn’t find one and hence decided to go for an Indian cuisine that night. The restaurant was called the House of India. We had 4 banquets and shared it among the 5 of us. The food was tasty and the ambience was good. That night was a long one, when we went home and played Uno – the card game – until 2 a.m.

Gold Coast - Part 1

It was a pleasant Thursday afternoon in Adelaide and the 5 of us were eagerly awaiting the time we would be boarding the flight that would take us to Gold Coast – the Land of Beaches! The Jetstar flight was scheduled to depart Adelaide at 1445 hours. We were at the Airport 1 hour ahead and had to wait in a long queue to check in our luggage. That was probably one of the busiest days for the Airport, when people were travelling to meet their near and dear ones for the Easter weekend.

Once we boarded the flight, we switched ourselves to the “holiday” mode and were totally excited about the place we would be visiting. The journey lasted about 2.5 hours and went on smooth. The Coolangatta Airport was a small one focused mainly for tourists who didn’t have to drive down from the bigger Brisbane Airport. The luggage came on time and the guys were excited about the upgraded Holden Commodore offered by Avis. As soon as we came out of the Airport, there was a feeling of inexplicable joy and expectations of the place we had all so much heard about. The first instinct was that the air felt humid and warm, just like our home town. Maybe that added to our happiness.

It was a half hour drive from the Airport to Surfer’s Paradise, the place where we had booked our Apartment. The route had suburbs named after Florida’s famous beach locations such as Miami, Palm Beach, Mermaid Beach etc. Our Apartment – imperial Surf was located on Esplanade at Surfer’s Paradise, facing the wild Pacific Ocean. We were to live on the 11th floor for the next 4 days with an excellent view of the beach and a comfortable living area. After admiring the beauty of the apartment, we set out to get grocery to support us for the forthcoming days and dinner for the night. It was a unanimous vote for Pizza and we decided to go to La Porchetta, and ordered 2 large pizzas for 5 hungry people. One was a normal vegetarian one and the other a gourmet pizza. They were really yummy and satisfied our hunger for the night.

We decided that now was a good time to walk along the shores of the beach. The weather was pleasant and the winds calm. It was a beautiful walk after which we decided to go back to our apartment for an early night. A day of adventure and action lay ahead of us.