I watched Slumdog Millionaire earlier this week, which proved to be quite a delightful experience. It is up to the individual to analyze whether the film glorifies poverty or portrays the real scenes of those often swept under the carpet.

You be the judge.

I felt the movie was able to capture the essence of living in the slums in Mumbai, India, framed by a kaleidoscope of colors. The outdoor toilets, the manic fascination of Bollywood stars, the rancid discrimination of people burdened by their caste and of a love a boy could not erase.

It tells the story of Jamal, who enters the wildly famous game show, “Who wants to be a Millionare” and ends up getting every answer right. He gets investigated by the local authorities for suspected foul play, simply because an uneducated man from the slums could not possibly know so much.

Or have remarkable luck.

It is written..

Jamal unveils how his life’s experiences led him to answer all the questions correctly.

Of how he and his elder brother, Salim; trawled the streets and peddled on trains after being left homeless and orphaned. Of how they survived on ingenuity, making money being traveling salesmen, makeshift hawkers and tour guides. Of how they were used by the syndicate and of how greed robs people of their innocence. Of how some memories he'd rather not have..

And of how the dynamics between brothers can shift as a result of greed.

the 3 musketeers

Best of all, I admired the longstanding connection that Jamal and Latika shared. It was wonderful that the film ended on a positive note because so much had sandwiched between the 2 “butterfly lovers” enroute to happiness.

Stick Insect and I also headed to Aston’s, a quaint little western food place over in pseudo ghost town Cathay (4th flr). We had the spaghetti Bolognese and the beef steak with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. With its affordable prices, the place has a reputation for snaking queues so you are advised to go early or at odd times to avoid the mealtime crowds.

However, the food was nothing to shout about. I am, after all, a very traditional woman. Give me Chinese food anytime. Crystal jade..!!!

We ended our day over at Secret Recipe, having the Tom Yum Noodles, a sad rendition of an iced blended chocolate, an even more deplorable chicken ham and cheese spaghetti (which Stick Insect insist resembles vomitus).

The cakes we had were also seriously disappointing. The raspberry cheesecake was mildly passable but the complimentary brownie was something you would have chucked down the toilet without any guilt. There was an oil slick surrounding the poor thing which left me suspicious of an oil leak. Terrible.