What: Arjun Basu’s 140 character Twitter stories, follow him on www.twitter.com/arjunbasu, free.

Why: “Your place is a mess, she says. I honestly wasn't expecting you, he says. And he sighs and says, This is where you start changing me, right?” This and more couple-ts, updated on a daily basis.

When: You want to give love the bird.

Fast, frenetic, fashionable and sometimes furiously loud, Hong Kong is one town this Scouter would cheat on her beloved Mumbai for. Here are details of her dirty weekend with the other city by the sea.

Eat

It seems like every nook and cranny of Hong Kong has a restaurant. They tuck themselves amongst office buildings and surround the signature “travelator” in Central, and can even be found buried under froths of tulle at Kimberly Street, a stretch of bridal stores that hawks dresses in bizarre colors and also delish Korean restaurants.

If you’re an herbivore looking for good Chinese food, Three Virtues in Kowloon is your best bet. This restaurant is exclusively vegetarian, offers a huge selection of dim sum for lunch (highly recommended) and also mock meat dishes that are astonishingly tasty.

Also super charming is ABC, a tiny restaurant in Sheung Wan cooked food market, located in what seems like a rundown food courtbut serving up authentic, home style Italian dishes. Try the pasta in red sauce. Finally a shout out to Pret A Manger, the British sandwich chain that we were ecstatic to find all over Hong Kong. Be sure to step in for an egg salad or sweet potato falafel sandwich if you spot a branch.

Start jotting: bpb got KOH’s (InterContinental Marine Drive) recipe for Thai green curry straight from executive chef Paul Kinny! Made not with “pav bhaji vegetables” but with kaffir lime leaves, basil, heart of palm, water chestnuts, a hot pot of this yum curry (and other Thai treats) he recently cooked up for twenty strangers at bpb’s Turning Tables. Chef Kinny, it was rice to meet you!

Vegetarian Green Thai Curry

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

What: Ovalekar Wadi Butterfly Garden, Ghodbunder Road, Thane (W), call 9820779729, Rs 50 entry fee, addition Rs 25 for tea and breakfast.

Why: Hidden behind potholed streets and half-completed construction sites is two acres of lush garden where over 70 species of naturally-bred butterflies reside, including blue tigers, peacock pansies and orange tips. Get a two-hour guided tour by garden owner Mr Ovalekar, who is sweet and earnest enough to set off butterflies in your stomach. Read more here.

When: It’s that time of the mo(n)th. Guided tours every Sunday at 9.30 am, call ahead to confirm.

What: Bombay Production online music station, visit www.bombayproduction.com or ask for your favorite tracks at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , free.

Why: Harp on about this new website which streams a random and super fun selection of Hindi songs, divided into 14 categories including Disco Fever, Silsila, Kalyanji Anandji, Ghazals and different decades. bpb sings special praises for the quick download speed and kitschy, poster-inspired user interface and looks forward to personalised playlists.

When: You want a boom with a view.

Kanye, Fiona, Sophie, Rosi, Lauren and others gang up to make your first month of 2011 a little a more musical. Enjoy!

Download the podcast or hear online here.

Across The Universe – Fiona Apple
Broken Leg – Bluejuice
Murder On The Dance Floor – Sophie Ellis Bexter
I’ll Try Anything Once – The Strokes, OST Somewhere
Sabse Peeche Hum Khade – Silk Route
Hazy – Rosi Golan
All Of The Lights – Kanye West
Teardrop – Massive Attack
Dice – Finley Quay
Turn Your Lights Down Low – Lauren Hill

Have a favourite song? Send us your recommendations to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and if we love them, we’ll add them to next month’s track record!

Two planes, one autorickshaw, a ferry and a Sumo: these are what it took for this Scouter to find paradise. Walk on the beach, hike through the forests and dive through the clear, clear seas, and you’ll discover that love came to live on Havelock Island, Andamans.

Eat

Black Beard’s Bistro sits amongst fallen trees on a wide beach, a spectacular setting for their seafood specials. We suggest you steer away from pastas and pick your way through Bengali dishes instead, paying special attention to the prawn masala. Fish you a happy meal!

Black Beard’s Bistro, Emerald Gecko Resort, Beach #5, Havelock Island, Rs 500 for a meal.

If you want a break from all that fresh seafood – really, why would you? – visit B3, a trendy, split-level restaurant that serves a mean burger, creamy hummus and fresh foccacia bread (ask for the Goan sausage version, which is not on the menu). They also do good white snapper, serve wine and beer, and live music on Friday nights.

B3, at the jetty, Havelock Island, Rs 350 for a meal.   

Havelock Island is not exactly party central – most places serve only beer and wine, and wind up by 10.30 pm. But if like us you need a Screwdriver to complete your vacation, the bamboo-lined (and fully stocked) bar at Barefoot Resort is your best bet. Foot the bill!

Barefoot Resort, Radhanagar Beach (#7), Rs 300 for a large vodka with orange juice.

Stay

The above-mentioned Barefoot Resort is a nice mix of luxury and Havelock’s untouched vibe, with airy (and air conditioned) cottages made exclusively from biodegradable materials like bamboo and palm leaves and furniture sourced directly from Bali. The bathrooms, however, are mercifully modern. Along with the bar, the resort also has a decent restaurant that serves Indian, Chinese and Italian fare and will happily cook up fish you catch at sea, as well as a massage center and a super efficient reception staff. Plus, the resort is situated just off Havelock’s prettiest beach, Radhanagar.

Barefoot Resort, Radhanagar Beach (#7), visit www.barefootindia.com, rooms start at Rs 4,500.

Voyeuristic Pleasures

There is a new strip club on the block and it is populated with skilful illustrations, mythical hero Ram, and stories of little known characters from Indian folklore. In short, Pushpuck.com is a fun website for comic lovers and history buffs to spend an hour (or four).

Move Aside, Spiderman!

Animator Umesh Shukla, creator of Pushpuck, claims to be inspired by the epics he heard from his mother and grandmother. These are expressed in strips like the Forgotten Tales, which consists of three different stories set in the land of Ayodhaya, with King Ram as the common thread.

Tarak, Lahoo, and Shantal, It’s Nice to Meet You

The cool thing about Pushpuck is that it introduces us to the lesser known heroes of stories we’ve all heard before.  Tarak is a poor drummer boy  who welcomes King Ram back from his exile by playing the dhol; Lahoo wins the favour of the mighty king – and his personal bow and arrow – with his sharp skills; little Shantal embarks on a quest for her own identity after learning about her deceased father.

These unusual story lines, along with good illustrations and a clutter-free user interface almost make up for the weak and often amateurish writing. Push(puck) past that, we say!

Read online for free at www.pushpuck.com, or download on iTunes.

What: Shop for Christmas stockings on SoKistan, visit www.sokistan.com, delivery within 3 to 5 days, start at Rs 1,000.

Why: Somewhere between the Strait of Perpetual Vagabonds and Sea of White Stitches is SoKistan, a foot-shaped country more magical than even the North Pole. Yule see. Dreamed up by Belgian designer Valerie Barkowski (also founder of Bandit Queen), here you can buy anti-slip striped tubes, combed cotton crews, Persian motifed knee highs.  
When: You want to knit pick.

What: Sweetheart chair by Pink Elefant, email Suhasani Paul at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the Facebook page here, Rs 15,000.

Why: A deliciously adult offering by toy design studio Pink Elefant, this double-backed, single-seat chair is the perfect place to tell Santa all about your secret desires. Available in festive colours like green, red and white. Chair men!

When: You want to baby sit.