a proper note on my india trip

Ok, I am finally back home. Now a week after, I finally get hold of myself to write, sigh… what is there to write about? well, India, in short is a beautiful place, at least that is the way I perceive it…

On the day I stepped down from the plane, I was greeted by the driver, he smiled and sent me to the office. Oh, before that, the immigration officer, um… like usual all government servants are not friendly, you hardly get a smiling face when they are verifying your passport, so never mind…

So, on the way to the office, cows are everywhere, the roam the land, just like what HL told me… but I am fine with cows you know… it’s ok to see them everywhere… but I would like to tell you, the way the drive in India, man, it’s horrible! There is almost no traffic rules in existence, and the use the honking device to it’s maximum… cannot drive in silence for 5 minutes… and I also figured that the radio is not in use while driving, since you cannot hear anything, it’s only honking everywhere…

During the week days, it was plain working for me, no time to go anywhere, but I managed to go shopping on Saturday evening and Sunday. On Saturday, after work I told the driver to drop me in this place known as the new market, it’s pretty near the hotel I stayed in, so I went shopping for stuff, needless to say, I was a foreigner, and the reaped me off… what else is new? Paid a lot of money for some stuff, but never mind, got some pretty stuff too… for instance, I bought a green saree for myself… ha, I have no idea when I’ll wear it, but heck, I but it since it’s pretty… bought some shawls, shoes, tea leaves, bangles, anklets, and many more stuff…

On Sunday, I went to the Victoria memorial, lovely place, they won’t let us take photo inside, so I took a few snaps outside… met this 2 indian men, from Hyderabad, so they told me, they said “can u take a picture of us” and “we want the print out, so how can we get the print out?” in the end I emailed them, and they took a total of six pictures… it’s funny how they go on vacation without the camera, and then ask others to take photos for them… I know I won’t do that…

these are the two indian men i met outside victoria memorial...

After that I went to Salt Lake City Center, a nice shopping place, but is crowded with human… I should’ve just done my shopping here, at least it’s fixed price, and the prices are more reasonable, but never mind la… and I had my henna tattoo, they called it “mahndi” (if I spelled it correct), paid 100 rupees for it, pretty cheap tho’. Buy more stuff and then tired and all, went back to the hotel, content with all the purchasing that I’ve made…

The following Monday I had a different driver, so he took a different route to the office, but I quite like this new route, because there was a stretch where, you have horses feeding by the road side, and also some goats and sheep too…

So far, what I’ve written are about places, it’s nice and pretty there, but India is not really a nice place to be in, the people are poor, well, most of them are… food is scarce for the poor, and most of them still lives by the road side… in the morning, you can see people taking baths by the roadside… man, I thought those days are over… the gap between the rich and poor in India is very wide… the rich are rich rich, and the poor, hardcore poor… it’s sad to see children begging for money… the old has no place to stay, and they are so thin, it’s obvious they had nothing to eat… but I was warned that I am not suppose to give when they come begging because then, the whole bunch will swarm in and hope to get something off you… so in the end I didn’t give… but on the last day I was there, on my way to work, at the traffic light, a kid with a blind man came to beg at the window, and I figured since I am in a car, and the car will move, so even if I give, the rest won’t swarm in, so I gave… and you should look at the joy in their faces…

So, that’s all from me, about India, let’s hope my next trip is to a more pleasant country…

the victoria memorial, beautiful building, made of marble...

Kolkata July 14, 2007

Today is a Saturday and after a year, this is the 1st Saturday that I have to work… what a shame… ok, that’s not the point…

I have not written anything since I came to India, reason being I am so confused… I cannot describe this country, it’s joy and misery all in one… the hotel that I stayed in looks like a palace, the room is huge, one of the best I’ve stayed in…

Outside, it’s a different world… people are begging, struggling and suffering… people had not enough to eat, people sleeping by the road side… on the way to Kolkata, in the plane I was reading this piece of article about sugar cane farmers… more and more farmers are committing suicide because they cannot make enough to pay their debts. People kill themselves so that their family members can get some sort of subsidy to pay off the loan… if the remain alive, they will not get this subsidy from the authority… one man left behind a widow who earns 20 rupees per day… that’s 600 rupees per month, if they don’t fall sick… I was almost in tears, and the steward was worried of me, keep asking me, what else I want, how am I, etc. they even gave me a small bottle of red wine to take away…

Now every time I ordered an expensive meal (not that I purposely ordered, but it’s just expensive, imagine 2 scrambled eggs cost you 225 rupees), I will feel so guilty, breakfast at the hotel costs around 500 rupees, and dinner can cost as high as 1000 rupees, enough to feed a family for a month…

On Thursday, when we went out for lunch, a girl was begging for money outside the car… I didn’t look, it’s pitiful, I was with some colleagues, I was afraid that I’ll be in tears. Then yesterday, an old man, only has skins to clad to his bones, was begging outside the car, came by my window, I didn’t know what to do, I wanted to give him some money but I was afraid, that more will come, and I didn’t want to give the driver a wrong impression, that I am this silly (although I am silly) gurl, cannot wait to get rid of her money… but this old man really touched me, I can’t stop thinking about him, I felt so bad that I was so cautious, I should’ve just given him some money…

“Dear God, please bless this place, bless the people, break the stronghold, give them revival Lord, protect them and reveal to them Your plans and Your Kingdom, that they may experience the Love, and that they may have a hope and a future, Amen”

my trip to terengganu

so, hubby came back after 2 months... and i picked him up from the airport in the middle of the night... saturday was more sleeping and resting, oh, we went to watch fantastic 4 rise of the silver surfer... the one that budak kecik missed...

sunday we drove back to kt... but since we woke up in the afternoon only, we started the journey late and took us over 7 hours to reach kt... what else is new? upon reaching, his sister fed us as if we were piggies...

on tuesday, we took the ferry to redang, it was a blast... the place was beautiful... didn't do much there tho', we were just resting and relaxing... lazing around... feeding the squirrels... oh, and snorkelling, i am not good with waters, so i snorkelled near the beach, but the fishes, oh wow and mighty... they are lovely...

went back to kt on friday, and then drove back home on sunday and amazingly the ride home took 9 hours... we stopped everywhere, to buy stuff, keropok, akok, baulu, ikan masin, etc etc etc...

nothing spectacular happened, but i must say, i enjoyed the week, relaxing... yum, looking forward to the next trip, me planning to go either to cameron or melaka when hubby comes back again...

hubby going back to qatar again this weekend, so a few more days to go, and then i'll be single again... so friends, get ready to ask me out to yum cha! ok, signing off now, bye!!!

budak kecik

she finally made her grand visit, and i was so tired, i am still tired after so many days...

met her on friday, she took the train to subang and we went for makan at subang parade, i wanted to go to Friday's but i was worried that we can't finish the food... so in the end we went to delifrance instead... don't eat the fish&wedges there, lousy, eeew!

we went home, and then went for coffee at my favourite cafe, i introduced her to the encolato, and in case you don't what that is, it's steaming hot black coffee over icy cold mint gelato, yummy... then reach home at midnite, and we chat 'til 2. fell asleep, and i am sure i was snoring, but she's too tired to notice, so nevermind...

woke up at 7, saturday morning, get ready to go out and i realise i can't find my camera... gosh, took me over half an hour to find a camera that is sitting next to my bed... me plus her and our glasses, we had 8 eyes and still cannot find that huge camera... what is wrong with us? anyway, drove to central to meet sashi, and what else is new, we were late and pity that boy, standing there looking left and right, up and down, cannot see us, and we were standing in front of him, took him a good 5 minutes before he sees us... aww...

after breakfast, we took the monorail to titiwangsa, and the journey was like lightning, before we know it, we are already there... we talked and laughed all the way there, people must think that we are crazy...

eye-on-malaysia: sashi is afraid of heights... yeah, believe it! he is climbing up and down at site for his inspection and testing and he expects us to believe that he is afraid of heights? no way! so he cannot avoid, he went on eye-on-malaysia with us, we had a private cabin, 6 rounds and that is all we get from our ride... and you should look at sashi, don't even dare to look down... me and budak kecik was laughing 'til tears rolled down our cheeks... ok, ok, no tears, i am exaggerating...

then off we go to KLCC for lunch and then went to aquaria, and now i am a mama turtle, that's what i like to call myself... i adopted a turtle for good cause, and i call it "tippy", i am sure tippy will grow up strong and big, and re-populate the turtle tribe in the world... i hope... i sincerely hope that this move will succeed, it's so sad to see the turtles dissapearing...

dinner at the saujana on mr. pancit, and this time, he was punctual... amazing right? but he didn't get the tickets to f4... and on a saturday nite, no way we could get tickets, so we went home after dinner...

reaching home, budak kecik was sleeping soundly, while i chat with hubby online... when i said she was sleeping soundly, i mean soundly, ok...

the next day, we went to ikea, bought some stuff and then i sent her to pudu jail... nah, not true, i sent her to the bus station to take a bus home, and i went home... believe or not, this is the 1st time i drove to pudu, and it wasn't that bad...

as of today, i am still tired, and sick, and it's raining in india!

budak kecik and sashi grinning from ear to ear, inside our private cabin on eye-on-malaysia...

me and my weekends

hello all, i am finally back in action... well, actually after my operation the other day, i have gone back to work, but work is now demanding too much of my time, hence i cannot write too much...

to all those who bothered to ask, how was i, i am fine and thanks for your concern... to those who didn't know what was going on, well, read my previous post...

some of you may already know, hubby has gone to qatar, and this is already the fourth week he is gone, so all my weekends are rather dull... the weekdays are easy to pass because i am so over loaded with work, the weekends, gosh they are long...

i miss him so much, i never thought i'd ever admit this but i really miss him... i always thought i was that kind of person who can live whether he is near or far, but the reality seemed to show otherwise... sigh... still counting the days before he come back... the problem is, i don't know when he is coming back...

ok, like usual, on a sunday like this, i am sitting the my regular cafe having my coffee, so there was this few person sitting on the next table, and they caught my attention... actually i wasn't even listening until i heard one of the woman said, can i have the catalogue, the waiter was like ?, and then she sounded very annoyed and said, you know your book where i can make my order? and the waiter went, oh, you mean the menu? and she said yes... and then after all that hassle, she ordered, "limau ais" and the waiter went ha? and again annoyed she said, you know, tea, with some limau... the waiter said, you want iced lemon tea? she said yes...

i was controlling my laugther, so bad of me, to laugh... but then what really pisses me off is that, if you cannot speak english, speak mandarin la... what's the big deal, i spoke mandarin when i place my order, not because i cannot speak english, but it's simply less formal... you are in a cafe, not a hotel or any high class place or what, what is there to show off... and then when the poor waiter delivered her "limau ais" he was cursed again, all the poor guy did was, smile at her, and she told her friend, smile what smile, wait until i slap him, aiyo! and she said that in mandarin... i was thinking, try to slap him and see what i will do... well, the fact is that the waiter is this young boy only, probably a part-timer in this place, and all he is trying to do, is earning a decent living, and this woman just walk in and behaves like some pain in the a**...

and then, she was having a laptop, just like me, as usual, i play games, and i don't know what she was doing, i couldn't be bothered, with a woman like this, come on... and then, her boyfriend, or husband or whatever was curious and told her to teach him how to operate a computer, and she like hero showing off... click here click there, then scolding that man, telling him like why i said left you click right, but the problem was i heard her said right!!! so instead of left clicking that poor man was right clicking and getting scolding for no reason, and i was like, at the tip of my tongue, wanted to tell him, come i teach you... hehehe, but i never did that la... why bother with other people's problem...

just came to my mind, i am not that bad after all, i treat people nice when they are nice, i am only nasty to bad and nasty people... so who say i am bad? hmm... i am a nice person... ok, give a pat on my back and say "well done, silly, you are nice!" ok ok, enuff of those silly thots, lets get back to life... ok, signing off now and i am going back to my games, bye people!