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Celebrating Cart’s birthday in Garbatella

It was Cart’s birthday last Friday. It was also the first time that we spent his birthday together in 4 years. Hence it was a special day indeed for the both of us.

We decided to head to Potpourri in Garbatella which is a some minutes away from home.

Mirage

On an unrelated note, I find it interesting that the road looked wet, but when we went closer, its gone!

We first went here with a group of friends some months ago, and though I thought the food wasn’t that extraordinary, I was looking forward to satisfying my meat cravings.

Garbatella is an interesting place for me. For one thing, the style of the buildings are a lot different from the ones you’d see in central Rome.

Mirage
A house in Garbatella

The buildings are quite charming. The doors and windows were smaller and the floors were not as tall. It was as if, it was a large sized doll house. I would have liked to take more pictures of the houses, but it was dinner time and almost everyone was at home. I could see them peering at me through the windows wondering what the heck I was doing.

And after a short walk, we soon we entered Potpourri, the restaurant. As it was Friday evening, it was a lot livelier than when we first went here. Being summer, there were a number of people having dinner at the terrace.

For appetizers, Cart had the falafel while I had the Baccalà. A baccalà is salted codfish which is deep fried in batter.

Falafel in Potpourri, Garbatella, Rome, Italy

I didn’t realise how freshly fried the food were that I burned the roof of my tongue when I bit in my appetizers. Ouch! But they were really really good.

And for our mains, Cart had the Vegetable Couscous

Couscous in Potpourri, Garbatella, Rome, Italy

This was so flavourful to me. Though it looks like curry, it’s not. The taste is milder than curry but it was just as wonderful, the mix of potatoes, eggplants, carrots, chickpeas, the seasoning, the saffron. It was so tasty that Cart had a second helping.

Kebab in Potpourri, Garbatella, Rome, Italy

I had the Kebab. The first time that I had this I was a little puzzled as usually we’d eat kebabs rolled up in a pita bread. Here, the bread was separate in a basket. While I was not too impressed with the kebab the first time that I was there, I absolutely loved the kebab that evening. It was not as oily, the meat was tender and juicy and had a generous amount of tomato and spices. Even by the time I was full, I stuffed myself to finish it. Didn’t want to waste it!

It was just wonderful! And I enjoyed my dinner tremendously. I cant wait to come here again!

Feeling completely stuffed, Cart and I decided to walk around Garbatella to ease the overeating feeling. Moreover, its an interesting place to see, you’d see murals such as these

Murals in Garbatella, Rome, Italy

I like the message at the end of this wall, it said, “you are not alone”

Murals in Garbatella, Rome, Italy

To what I know of, Garbatella is an area where many supported the left party. Hence, the political murals scattered all around. In fact, we stumbled upon an abandoned left party headquarters. It all seemed very Che Guevara to me.

Also, there is a TV drama in Italy called, I Cesaroni. I used to like the series as it showcased a plentiful of Rome’s sceneries. I had fun trying to spot out the different locations in the scenes.

The show was based in Garbatella. And here are Lynn, Xiangwen and I, posing at the school as shown in I Cesaroni back in March.

The school in I Cesaroni in Garbatella, Rome, Italy

Cart and I walked up to the cafe as featured in the show and that’s where we noticed this interesting poster.

I Cesaroni Poster in Garbatella, Rome, Italy

At first glance, it looks like a political poster. But upon closer examination, the man in the poster is actually an actor in the show. This is some sort of a viral poster!

What a really interesting place Garbatella is. I should come here again, maybe in daylight the next time

Check out the streetview below!


View Larger Map

Ps : Happy birthday Cartcart!

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How I see Piazza Navona

The post about Angels and Demons gives me the inspiration to blog about one of Rome’s spot to see – the Piazza Navona.

Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy

I am not an expert of Rome, so I’ll try to describe it the way that I see it. But there is a plentiful of interesting things to see here.

Usually, Cart and I would usually take the tram. Trying to drive and find parking in the city centre is a maddening, frustrating chore.

Tram in Rome, Italy

Taking the tram, by itself is an interesting experience. Each journey costs 1.50 euro regardless of how long or short it is. You buy a ticket from the dispenser and need to get it validated with the machine inside the tram. Grab a seat and enjoy the view. Sometimes you’d spot interesting scenes like this :

Someone getting married, Rome, Italy

And when you are at your destination, you’d need to press a button or the exit doors will not open. The doors aren’t automatic.

Stop at the end of the line which is the Via Di Torre Argentina where one of the first things that you will see is an ancient Roman Ruins where Caesar was murdered.

Cat at Cat Sanctuary, Via Di Torre Argentina, Rome, Italy

This place is also memorable for the amount of cats here. Cats are very special in Rome and below you’d find a cat sanctuary where you  could play or even adopt cats.

If you walk a little bit further, you’d see a statue covered with paper. This is called the Pasquino.

Pasquino, Rome, Italy

What is interesting about the pieces of paper is that written on it is complains about the pope and the government. In the old days, it was probably dangerous to speak out openly. Hence it became a “talking statue” to express dissatisfaction. Could this be the inspiration for “the head” in Art Attack?

Moving further along for a few minutes, you’d see the pantheon.

Pantheon, Rome, Italy

It is impressively big. My guess is that you could stack at least 50 people on their heads before they could even reach the top of the ceiling.

What’s interesting to me about the Pantheon is that on the top, is a dome. And there is a hole in the middle of it. I’m not sure why the reason for that is. But it makes me amazed at how well preserved the pantheon is, despite the risk of rain splashing in.

And moving along the way, you might find a few interesting things :

Rome, Italy

Jerrick and I stumbled upon this little shop selling all sorts of wooden things! He’s a little creeped out by Pinocchio. But I thought it was charming. Did you know that Pinocchio is an Italian Fairy Tale?

Rome, Italy

This statue reminds me of Thief, the Dark Project.

And at length,  we reach Piazza Navona.

It’s easily distinguishable because there are always loads of people here. There are restaurants all around the area and there are also a couple of people selling toys and flowers. You’d have to be careful though, since they can be very persistent in selling their stuff. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you might find interesting buskers :

For me, one of the memorable thing about Piazza Navona is the number of talented artists there.

Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy

I like looking at the different artworks, especially the caricatures that the artists drew, on the spot. As I loved caricatures, I had a caricature of Cart and I done one time.

Caricature of Cart and Rinaz

Piazza Navona is an interesting place to be. I’ve been told that in the old days, the area will be closed and flooded and there were boat races going on. Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy

I wonder how they did that.


Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

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Our home in Rome

For the first couple of months that I was in Rome, it felt as if I stepped back into time in Singapore. This was because of how old the houses here looked like. Cart tells me that, unlike in Singapore, very few houses, if any at all are demolished after 20 years.

Roadside - Rome, Italy

Below is a picture of Viale Ignazio Silone, which is about 10 minutes drive from our home. The first time I was here, I was struck at how similar it reminded me of the places where I used to roam. To me, it really looked like Bukit Timah during the early 80’s.

Viale Ignazio Silone - Rome, Italy

Cart and I live in an apartment just off the fringes of the ring. It’s a typical neighbourhood. And just like my childhood house, it’s rare to see houses beyond 10 stories in Rome. Vehicles park right in front of the houses.

Apartment, Rome, Italy

It’s an interesting neighbourhood. Beside our apartment is a church where every weekend, there will be bells ringing and a congregation will be during its mass. And a few minutes of walking, you’ll find yourself in a little park and a pond where ducks will be swimming. It’s relaxing to see them as well as families picnic-ing here.

Apartment, Rome, Italy

One of the thing which I notice immediately is that unlike a Singaporean HDB flat, strangers would not be able to enter freely into the housing corridor. This is because of the gate below. Visitors need to press the buzzer to talk to the owner and the owner decides to let them in or not.

Apartment, Rome, Italy

Walk up the stairs and this is our house!

Cart and Rinaz apartment in Rome, Italy

And just for fun, quite like the virtual tour of our secondlife home, here is a quick tour of our real life home :

What do you think?

If you liked this post, you might enjoy :

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Angels and Demons amuses me

Cart and I were watching Angels and Demons yesterday evening. Though I couldn’t comprehend the movie in its entirety since it was dubbed in Italian, I found it interesting nevertheless. Even if there were many parts which I found completely incredible.

Angeli e Demoni

For example, the fact that the lead character, Professor Langdon is able to move around central Rome in less than an hour is completely amazing! Anyone who has been in Rome knows of how bad the traffic is here. It intensifies as you go nearer the touristy spots.

So many people at the Spanish Steps
Look at the amount of people at the Spanish Steps

And it will be like winning the lottery if you ever get to park directly in front of your destination since trying to find parking in Rome is extremely challenging. Its not uncommon for a Roman to drive around the neighbourhood for about 15 mins and more, just trying to find parking.

So many people at the Spanish Steps
So much so that the people here does double parking sometimes

There was one particular scene where one of the kidnapped Cardinal gets bound in weights and dropped into the fountain in Piazza Navona. In the movie, it seemed that the fountain was very deep.

Piazza Navona
This is the famous fountain in Piazza Navona

In real life, its quite hard to drown anyone in there. The area is extremely crowded with people and only authorized vehicles can pass through. Moreover, the fountain is about knee deep in water. All you have to do is to stand up.

I am very amused.

Hot Priest

Obi Wan on the other hand, is not amused

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Hello, My name is rinaz

With every new chapter in life, is a good opportunity for a fresh start. So I’ll start a new, as if this is the first entry in my blog.

Hai!

rinaz
No, I dont pose like an Asian

My name is Marina. I enjoy the arts, music and a whole multitude of things. I also enjoy exploring new places. As a kid, I had an extremely inquisitive mind and sometimes get myself into trouble by exploring and wandering on my own by getting lost.

Online, I am known as rinaz. Its nothing extraordinary actually, its just a short form for marina’s. Even the cartoon representation of me came out as a fluke, drawing on Macromedia (or is it Adobe now?) Flash on a bored weekend.

rinaz

Anyway, I am a Singaporean and have been living there most of my life. And life was pretty much ordinary and idyllic. During the weekdays I would go to work and after that meet my good friends, Juli, Hema and Geri every now and then.

rinaz and friends

It was only till a few years ago when things started to be a little more exciting. After my exhillarating trip to Thailand, I decided to take up my riding license. I started to blog and I explored various 3D communities.

It just opened up my world.

I passed my riding test and acquired a scooter after that. I fell in love with riding my scooter. I experienced places in Singapore that I wouldn’t normally go to – even those which I never realised existed! Whoever knew that there was a goat farm in urban Singapore?

ping.sg first anniversary

With the blogging and the online community as well as the motoring community, I met people that I enjoyed being with both online and in real life. It was a great feeling, to be a part of something.

rinaz on a scooter

Life is pretty good.

I met Cartcart on Secondlife. We fell in love and after a whirlwind long distance romance, exactly four years after we tied the knot online, we got married for real.

rinaz and cart gets married

A week after that, I migrated to Italy, to live with Cart.

The first few weeks was probably the hardest. It was winter and cold and deary. A huge shock for me, living on the equator for most my life. I didnt speak the language. Save for Cart’s family and friends, I didn’t know anyone here. I felt extremely lonely.

I could not even do the things I used to enjoy doing anymore. Like scootering. And I feel like I’m missing out on a lot back in Singapore. To be completely honest, every now and then, I get depressed.

Its leaving a whole life behind. Something that you’re familiar with, that you’ve nurtured for years. Its an entire culture shock when I arrived in Italy. And the awareness made me feel very very small. I feel like a nobody here.

i has a ket

But I’m trying to be more positive. And I’ve been trying my best to assimilate to the culture and people here. The first 5 months, I undertook the Italian language course. I still suck at speaking Italian, but its a first step.

rinaz in her Italian class
Me and my multinational classmates in Italian language class

And thanks to facebook, I found a few interesting events that I could go to and meet some people. I even found some Singaporeans here in Rome. Can you believe that?

rinaz and friends
Here are two of the very lovely ladies with Dea.

After all, its a choice that I made, right? Rome isn’t made in a day, and as such, I shouldnt expect to rebuild my life in a snap. It takes time. And effort. Its not easy. But I just have to have faith.

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Part 4 – The Wedding Dinner

To start off this post, I shall put up a picture of me looking coy and demure 😛

rinaz looking coy and demure and shy

Saturday, 20th December 2008

The day started with a buzz. Even though I spent most my time in my room, I could hear all the excitement going on. With the people helping out with the cooking and the setting up of the décor, I was fretting over everything – will everything be al right?

And not before too long, it was my turn to be busy with the arrival of Kak Lili, my new Mak Andam who was replacing the original make up artist.

Her arrival was exactly like how a royalty’s helper would arrive. She came in with her little assistant and was gentle, calm, friendly and she immediately put me at ease. Suddenly I felt like a permaisuri aided with my dayang. For some reason, I felt as if I was on television because it was so unreal to me.

And we started with my makeover. The style of make-up is thick and a tad dramatic but apparently, good for photography.

And all throughout, Kak Lili was generous with her beauty tips, such as dabbing iced water on your face prior to make up, reduces oil and shine.

We needed to start doing the makeover to fulfil the quota of 10 outfits over the two days. Its an overkill, I know, but it made mum happy.

By this time, DK came over to help set up wireless connection.

I wanted to share the wedding with my friends all over and I was keen to do a livestreaming of the wedding. So time ago, while I was at a Tech65 recording, I casually asked if it were possible to do a wireless connection on the void deck. We had an interesting discussion over it but little did I know that DK would actually come and help out. I was really really touched.

Network cable at rinaz wedding
Can you see the cable?

DK took the initiative and bought a very long network cable and from my room on the 9th floor, he plugged one end in my cable and like Rapunzel’s hair, threw the other end to the ground floor.

Network cable at rinaz wedding
The handsome and macho DK

And it actually worked! It was amazing. We had wifi! Thank you so much DK! You rock!

By late afternoon, I had a short break from all the makeover. Kak Lili took off all my make up and I headed downstairs for a meal and also to see how things were going on.

Relatives helping out in rinaz and cart wedding

I really feel touched to see so many relatives and friends gotong-royong and helping out. A wedding is a lot of work and our family prefers to do most of the preparations ourselves, like the cooking. The groom himself was busy setting up the tables and chairs.

The entire void deck looked transformed – before it looked like this :

Void deck at HDB block, Singapore

And this was after :

Cupcakes at in rinaz and cart wedding

The place was not completely ready but it was a big transformation for me nevertheless.

I saw Izah arranging the Cart and Rinaz cupcakes! Cute! Initially, I was supposed to be Izah’s photographer for her blog. Geri kept telling me of how tasty her cakes were and I was intrigued

But the cupcakes was such a last minute idea but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it and I thought that Izah would be perfect. I was lucky that she agreed to the project

Too bad that I did not have a chance to chat a while longer with Izah, but it was time for me to get ready for the dinner reception. Kak Lili was already ready upstairs with two pairs of white dresses.

Kak Lili : This one or that one?

Me : That one! And I want to wear a tiara! The bigger the better! And I will carry that bouquet!

Kak Lili : Ok, ok. Anything to make the queen happy 😛

And then it was time for Cart and I to get down for our dinner reception. By then Cart was already dressed up and looking really smart in his outfit. Kak Lili just did a final touch and slipped a matching flower on his jacket pocket.

When we arrived, there were so many people downstairs already. I saw so many faces of friends, family and relatives. It was so happy-fying to see all of them together, you cant imagine.

There were so many things going on like loads of people wanting to wish their congratulations. There was even a queue for it! It made me extremely amused.

rinaz and cart wedding

livestreaming at rinaz and cart wedding

Here Nicole was holding on to the laptop that was used for the livestreaming.

And then it was time to change into another outfit. My Bollywood Princess outfit. I love it! It was just too bad that I did not get a chance to wear this outfit a little longer. I thought that it was beautiful.

rinaz and cart holding up cupcakes

All of a sudden, someone took out a light sabre and asked Cart to hold it.

Picture by Fari

The evening ended with my close friends and relatives doing a blessing ceremony for Cart and me.

Mak Oteh blessing Cart and Rinaz

Here, my aunt, Mak Oteh is blessing Cart and I with some Beras Kunyit, Bertih, Tepung Tawar and a bit of henna.

Such a beautiful and exciting night. Of course, I did what every bride did at the end of a reception. Which was to pass out on the bed in exhaustion 😛

And I will end this post with a short video of one of the Dikir Barat performance during the wedding. See if you can spot any bloggers that you know in there.

Check out these links

The wedding series :

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The wedding Part 3 – The Solemnization

Thursday, 18 December 2008

Woke up groggy after sleeping on the floor the entire night as to preserve the henna and the mad rush from the day before – retrieving the rings and having them engraved, last minute buying of gifts for our gift exchange, the dinner with Cart’s family as well as finally getting and preparing my outfit for my solemnization.

That was something that I was extremely angry about. For weeks my mum and I had been trying to contact the Mak Andam for updates on my upcoming solemnization. We’ve booked her months in advance. But as the days grow closer, she did not make any initiative to call us, and when we called her back, there was no reply from her handphone nor her house number.

I was already getting worried. I wanted to know what the deal was and finalize the type of photoshoot that I wanted.

It was only a day before my solemnization was that mum and I were able to get a hold of her. When I arrived at her place, she started to mention that she has been sick and that her house phone was disconnected and that her handphone was spoiled. Which actually was an extremely lame excuse. If she had the initiative, she could have used dozens of other methods to contact my mum or me.

But at the point of time, I was just relieved to have gotten my dress, even failing to notice that she did not adjust the dress to fit me, or even bothered to iron it. But I should have seen the red flags to come.

Regardless, it was Cart and my big day. It was exactly 4 years since we first tied the knot in secondlife and we were to do it for real.

I was feeling very excited. Already there were a bustling of activity outside my room, with the cooking and my family and relatives going about. I kept myself busy with making the room more “bride-like”.

Rinaz bridal chamber

This was my room with the gift exchange. My mum sewed the bedspread and the curtains!

In the afternoon, my good friend Juli arrived to do my make up. It was a pact that we did, back in school for her to do my make-up, I saw so much talent in her when she was doing her make up so I booked her, way before I even met my husband!

Hema was there too, to give moral support on my big day. I’m so happy that my two best friends where there and we had loads of girly fun with the make up and gossiping over things.

And then I was done!

Take a look at the before – totally stoned

Rinaz before and after solemnization make up

And the after – fresh, radiant bride.

But we were hurrying for time and and not too long after, it was already time for my solemnization ceremony. While typically, a Malay solemnization would be held at home, I thought that it would be something special to have it at Assyakirin Mosque.

Assyakirin Mosque, Singapore

There were already a number of people there when I arrived. I saw my family and relatives, as well as Mum’s friends who acted as Cart’s side of the family. Cart was already there, sitting at the table across me with my dad, the kadi and the two witnesses.

Cart with my dad, the kadi and the two witnesses

I was ushered to sit down. Juli and Hema were asked to sit next to me and they were flabbergasted because they did not expect to be my best women and were not dressed up. I didn’t realise that I needed one even)

Rinaz and besties Juli and Hema at Solemnization

The kadi started a prayer and then approached me, asking if I agreed to the marriage – which is a final question to ensure that I wasn’t forced into it.

Rinaz signing the marriage document

And then it was Cart’s turn.

The Kadi told Cart of his responsibilities as a husband. Then my dad grasped Cart’s hand and gave me away and Cart had to recite the akad nikah and end it with a firm hand shake.

Rinaz and Cart are officially married!
Cart’s beard was very ticklish

And so it was official! Cart and I were officially married! There were a flurry of congratulations, picture taking, video taking … there were so much flash that we were like celebrities with the amount of people asking to take a picture with us.

Here is a short video of our solemnization.

When we reached back home, we had a marhaban singing for us. And after enjoying the music, the first thing that I did as a wife, was to pass out on the bed

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The wedding Part 2 – The Marriage Guidance Course

The next day, Cart and I headed to Apkim for our Marriage Guidance Course.

In Singapore, it was compulsory for a Muslim couple to undertake the marriage guidance course before marriage, so as to prepare the couple of life after matrimony. Although I’ve already attended in April, Cart hasn’t.

Might as well go again, together this time, for the extra knowledge.

Marriage Preparatory Course at Assyakirin Mosque, Singapore

It was a full day course. We were ushered in an office and found that we were the only couple there. I presumed that we would be in a group. There was no where to hide. And I started to feel nervous again.

We were introduced to the marriage councillor and soon after we started our session.

Cart at Apkim Marriage Guidance Course, Singapore

It was a lot different compared to the Marriage Guidance Course at the Assyakirin Mosque. At the mosque, the lessons followed its various modules, while at Apkim, it was more personalized.

Most of the morning was discussed about Cart’s personality and mine. With that, we were adviced on how we would be able to get along with each other in time of conflict.

And later after lunch, we were asked about some basic questions about each other that made me more aware of each other. As well as advices on finance which was a big reason as to why divorces happen as well as the journey that was ahead of us.

At the end of the day, Cart wrote a sort of love letter to me, about how he was looking forward to our life together.

And I left it in Singapore!

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The wedding Part 1 – The ROMM Interview

In Singapore, before a Muslim couple could get married, among other things, it is compulsory for the couple to complete the Marriage Preparatory Course and then have an interview with the Registry of Muslim Marriages.

To what I know of, the interview was to check that the couple were both sound of mind for marriage as well as to check that the marriage was consensual.

Registry of Muslim Marriages, Singapore

Cart and I were at the Registry of Muslim Marriages, on Monday morning, together with my family.

After registering at the counter, we were all asked to wait outside the office upstairs. This was a very familiar place to me, having gone there a couple of times for relatives’s wedding.

That’s my dad there peeking inside the solemnization room. Inside the room is a raised platform with a dais and about 100 seats facing the dais, for the guests.

Shortly after, the kadi asked for my dad first.

I was feeling a little bit nervous. I wondered what the kadi would be asking me. Was this an examination? And if I did not answer him correctly, does that mean that we would not be able to get married?

It didn’t take too long till it was my turn.

Gingerly, I knocked on the door and entered. The air felt serious. Throughout the entire duration, the kadi didn’t smile, and was sombre. He looked at the piece of paper in front of him, asked me to confirm my name was, my dad’s name as well as my future husband’s name was.

He made me raise up my right hand and solemnly swear that all the details that I had written down was true. I thought it was a strange ritual. Nevertheless, I did as he asked and the interview was over. That was it.

Then it was Cart’s turn and like me, his interview went on smoothly too.

With time to spare, I decided to spend the day buying wedding exchange gifts. We headed to Geylang, which had plenty of good foods as well as nice shopping.

Cart and went to ‘Everest’, a jewellery shop that my mum liked. Mum splurged on a beautiful bracelet and ring and I bought one of my hantaran set and splurged on a heart charm bracelet. Till now, I can’t believe at how impulsive I was.

Regardless, after consulting with Cart over their rings, this is now my wedding ring.

Shiny!