Day 4

So I'm all alone in the apartment. Erwin has a meeting with some people and since I'm not needed, I opted to stay back. I was initially supposed to meet up with Jacob at 10am but he got delayed and only arrived at noon, where upon he only stayed for less than 10mins before rushing off.

I'm meeting him again at 2pm, hopefully this time he'll be on time. We're supposed to go check out the "bigger" printing house, check to see if the references are done and also get the folders. Hopefully this will all be accomplished today before everyone else arrives.

Since I'm alone, I went to buy some snacks and water. Jacob had shown us a small supermarket yday and so I went there. It's only one straight road from the apartment and then one right turn. Easy enough to find and not get lost.

I've been here four days already and still, I'm not familiar with the ways. Erwin on the other hand is like a native of this place. I suppose it's coz it's his 2nd time here.

I'm dying to take pictures but so far...there's no opportunity or I forget to take the camera. Plus...what's the point of carrying the camera when I'm alone? Who's going to take pictures of me? I sure as hell can't trust strangers on the road. Maybe when the team arrives and we move to a more scenic place, then I can take pictures. Sighs...

This is my update for now. I don't know if I'll update again later. I've been so bored with work that I've been youtubing bloopers and series'. Lol!

Day 3

So I got out of the apartment today. Jacob and Vasu (local organisers) came after lunch. We had a short meeting then we split into two groups, heading to different directions to do different things. But before that, I broke a mug; accidentally pushing it off the table when closing the laptop. Jacob commented that there’s an Indian saying that when someone breaks a glass/mug, there is good luck/something good is about to happen.

Well…I’m assuming the “good” thing that happened to me is that I finally got down to sending the over 700 files to be printed. I managed to get a good deal (with Jacob’s help) of Rs.1 per print on one side, so that comes up to Rs.2 per sheet. That’s half the price of the usual print. Also managed to look for some folders.

However, my joy and relief were short-lived as when I told Erwin (later on) that even though the printing rate is cheap, it’ll still cost a lot coz it’s over 700 files, with an average of 20 pages per file, he said Rs. 1 is expensive! Multiply that by roughly 3 copies each file…what do you expect? He said I should have gone to a big printing house as I’m bound to get it cheaper there. He said I am not assertive, and that he notices that I usually just accept things as it comes along. I take that as attacking my personality. I argued saying I did look around but he just refused to listen. In the end, my mood was spoiled. I told Jacob and Vasu about this and they both told me that the rate I got was as cheap as it would be. No other place would go lower even if it was a big printing house.

To ease my mind, Jacob agreed to take me to a “bigger” printing house tomorrow just to check the prices. He doubts that they would go lower than Rs. 1. Also, he and Vasu both said that Rs. 1 was indeed really cheap and yet, Erwin compared it to the rate in the Philippines!! Grrr!! Anyhow, I’m going to check the other place tomorrow just so that if anyone else asks….I can tell them I’d done my homework!

Dinner was good and I had my first mug of alcohol with Jacob. Kingfisher beer. I think I drank it the last time I was in Chennai. It’s not as strong or gassy as Tiger.

Sighs….chatted with Vay and Trish for a bit. Am still moody so I guess I’ll have to sleep it off. Other colleagues are arriving tomorrow night…so I guess my quiet time is over. Well…at least I’ll have some female support.

Boring Day 2

So it's Day Two of being in Bangalore. And well....BORING!! Spent the whole day sitting on the couch, in front of the TV and laptop, working. Going through more than 700 e-files has taken on toll on my back and eyes! I'm done with the files and no way am I looking at it again!! I'm just sending it out for printing. I don't God-damn care what people say or comment after this coz they weren't the ones coursing through 700 over e-files!!!

Lunch today was butter chicken masala and it was YUMs!!! There's still balance, so I'm having it for dinner.

Plus of the day was this morning when I Skyped with my family. There's no webcam at home but they could see me thanks to my laptop camera! First time Skyping with them and how wonderful it is considering my local SIM is still not working!! I don't know if I got cheated or I have to 'recharge' i.e. top-up my card.

I'll probably be going out tomorrow. There's an update meeting and that would probably be the last meeting before everyone else arrives and the market starts!! Sighs...I'm going to miss these quiet days of just sitting in front of the TV and working. No small talk. No pressure. No stress. Lucky Erwin is not a workaholic.

Time seems to be dragging. Every time I look at the time, it's still early. Hmmm...

Familiar sights and sounds

It's only been a day since I arrived in Bangalore and already, things are coming back to me. The non-stop honking of every vehicle on the road; the passing of the train, whether I am in the city or in the village; the imbalance in the number of men and women; the time difference; the food.

I was dreading coming to Bangalore but, I will admit that it is a change from the norm. Of course, there's no specific work hours or meal time. We just go with the flow. "Lunch" was around 4pm today and dinner for me was at 9.30pm. Also, I kinda like the 'tourist-sy" feeling. In Malaysia, I'm 'Indian' but here, I'm Malaysian. I look like anyone on the road especially here in Bangalore where the girls are fairer than the girls in Chennai. Not that I am THAT fair! But my dressing gives me away; and also the moment I open my mouth.

But then again, when I went to the money changer today, he didn't even ask for my passport or ID. Erwin had to produce his! Lol! I did notice some old ladies looking at me, probably commenting on my 3/4 pants and top. Well....I wasn't the only one dressed in modern clothes. Everyone, male and female were all in western outfits!!

One thing that I am proud of is the fact that I went out the whole day in 3/4 pants and 3/4 sleeved top with a jacket tied around my waist, and I didn't feel cold. I only felt cold in the Auto coz of the breeze. My mum was soooo insistent that I was going to suffer! Lol! But thank God for the heated shower coz the water is simply icy and I probably wouldn't have showered without the heater!! Well....I can't very well NOT bathe for 2 weeks! yuck!

So...day one is almost over. Day two is going to be work day; with the rest of the days being spent on more work. Sighs.

Let's hope that once the Tribunal is over on the 6th, I'll get a chance to go around and shop on the 7th and 8th. I REALLY want to see the big Shiva statue but I heard that it might be far away. Oh well..

Greetings from Bangalore!

Hello hello from Bangalore, India! So after much dread, I finally boarded the plane to India. Dear Trish took half a day off work yesterday to send me off. We had lunch together with my mum, then we went to fetch my sis from college and then headed home for a final pack and change of clothes. Dad also rushed back from KL just to see me off!! So sweet!

We checked in fairly early and I had nearly two hours to kill. But once I said goodbye to everyone, my flight to KL was delayed for nearly 40mins!! Aiyoh!! And of course...though I had a window seat, next to me was an Indian guy who thankfully didn't smell but was coughing and clearing his phlegmy throat the entire flight!! Ew!

Then when I reached KLIA, I had only a short time before I had to board the flight to Bangalore. That also...I was told the wrong gate and had to rush from gate 4 to 8!! Grrr!!

Thankfully, though my row was a three seater, it was only me and Erwin (my colleague) and he had the aisle, me the window. :-) I also had my own TV compared to the last time when it was a general TV right in front.

I had so many things to watch, read or listen. I could have chosen to watch HP7(2), Spy Kids, Toy Story etc. In the end, I chose a teen flick for easy watching. The flight was 3 hrs and 40mins, which could have allowed me to watch two full movies. But alas, I feel asleep.

Many people told me that Bangalore would be very cold. Sure enough, when we touched down, the temperature was 20 celcius. It was also raining but surprisingly, I didn't feel THAT cold. I could stand it.

Upon reaching the apartment where Erwin and I were to put up, I found that the place had no fan. Only air-conditioners!! Thank God there's a heater as the water is like ice!

I cooled my room for a short while before sleeping the whole night with the air-cond switched off. Not that it matter, coz apparently, the electricity kept going on and off.

This morning, after a short meeting with the local organisers, we went to walked to the event venue. After that...Erwin and I took an Auto to Brigade Road I think, to get our local SIM and buy water. Just looking for those two things alone took us nearly 4 hrs!!! There's no 7-11 or mini-mart where SIM cards and water can easily be purchased.

Plus...being a foreigner, getting a local SIM card is a hassle and it apparently takes 24hrs to activate the card. :s Also, we went to a few places to check out the exchange rate coz we needed to change our money.

Having skipped lunch, we ate at...McD's!! Lol...we figured that it's safe and that the next few days would see us eating solely Indian cuisine.

We walked so much today and also under the rain!! I'm hoping my legs won't punish me tomorrow and that I won't get sick. Touch wood!!!

Till my next entry when I find the time and when the electricity and WIFI permits me to do so.

Flying off again

Wow....how time flies. My last entry was about my preparations for Diwali and in a blink of an eye, Diwali came and went, my one week leave that I had waited for, for so long ended too. Now, I'm exactly a week away from returning to India.

3 years and 10 months ago, I boarded a MAS flight and went on my first single, overseas work trip to Tamil Nadu, India. In a week's time, I'll be boarding another MAS flight, this time to Bangalore, India. I spent a month in Tamil Nadu. This time, it's just two weeks.

Already I can feel the difference between the two trips. Back then, I had just started working and was a subordinate. An assistant. This time, I feel important (not that I didn't feel important back then). It's just that this time, I'm considered experienced. Having handled a conference where there were more than 1000 women, this time should be a breeze. After all, we're expecting only 300 people. Lol!

Also, back then, I stayed in a hostel-type accommodation, 2 hours away from the city. This time, I'll be staying in a service apartment, located in the heart of the city. Later, when I move into the college hostel which is nearer to the event venue, I'll still be within the city grounds. Not bad! Plus...Bangalore is supposed to be THE IT hub of India. Let's see how well my Internet connection will be.

Of course....since I'm soooooooo family oriented, I'm having a hard time digesting that I'll be away for 2 whole weeks. In a whole other country. In a different time zone. I suppose I got this from my father who always had this hard-to-leave-family moments whenever he travelled with the band.

But then...I'm sure I'm going to enjoy myself. After all, even though I'm there for work, everything is paid for! Food, accommodation, communication, transport. All I have to worry about is shopping money of my own!! Haha...not that I intend to splurge like I did last time. I'm not even sure if I'll have the time to shop. But I'll definitely get little souvenirs, as memories of my trip. Not forgetting lots of pictures!!

Well...I'm not sure when's the next time I'll write another entry. Perhaps when I am in Bangalore. Who knows?

:-)

Diwali preparations

Diwali, or Deepavali as it is known in Malaysia, is just two days away. I'm on one week leave and I feel as though the days are just flying by.

So two Saturdays ago, Vay and I decided to make muruku. For years, we used to go to my grandma's house to help make the muruku. Last year, we decided to make our own and well...it didn't turn out that well as it turned out too hard. Though we got all the ingredients right, we fumbled with the one "ingredient" that would hold all the other ingredients together: WATER. Our muruku lacked water. Lesson learned!

This year was Round Two. We were determined to nail it this time. We got all the ingredients (remembering that water was crucial) and this year...we had helpers!! Trish and Kiran volunteered to help shape the muruku i.e. using "serious-looking contraptions" to press the muruku into shape.

After scalding my hand while trying to mix the dough with my bare hands (the coconut milk and water had to be boiling), the dough was ready to be pressed. And this was when the fun began! As Vay and I demonstrated the right way to use the muruku device, both Kiran and Trish had the O-M-G look on their faces. Kiran kept "shrieking" as she tried her hand at pressing the muruku dough out of the device. Her device apparently had a "mind of its own" as the dough just kept coming out without her having to press anything. She got used to it after awhile.

Trish was the total opposite. Not only did she get used to the device quickly, she also managed to press out quick neat and nicely shaped murukus. Kiran too had her "moments of good coordination" and by that I mean, she managed to produce some nicely shaped murukus. Vay was in-charged of quality control and transferring the pressed murukus to me. I was solely in charged of frying them.

After 3.5 hrs of laughing, sweating and getting our hands dirty, we managed to make more than 250 murukus!! Now that's quite an achievement! But...I think the most important achievement was getting validation from my mentor a.k.a. grandma.

So after clearing the house and packing the murukus into tins and bathing, off to my granny's house I went. All my aunts were there and of course, everyone tasted. And the verdict?

Drum roll please.........

All gave me the thumbs up!! One aunt even said that mine was better than theirs, and they too had done theirs that very day. But the mother of all comments came from my grandma, who said: "Very nice. So next year, you can do for us also lah!!!". Woohoo!!! :-)

That was two Saturdays ago. Last Saturday, Vay and I did our clothes shopping. This was indeed last minute as we just didn't have the time and it has been raining every evening for the past two weeks. Anyhow....after inspecting every shop there was in Little India, we finally bought our clothes at Kamdar!! And that too with added discount!!

So we're sort of done with our Diwali preparations. We decided not to buy any cookies or cakes etc as we decided to save $$ this year. As it is, starting from yesterday, our days are packed!

Yday = birthday dinner

Today = Diwali BBQ

Tomorrow = Diwali eve and dinner

Wed = Diwali

Thurs = Diwali dinner

Phew....as you can see, it's all eat eat eat! Lol!

Here's wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali!