..:: 709. Bangkok Once Again ::..

"feels like home" was the feeling i got when i touched down bkk. though only for the second time, i found myself easy, breezy-ing through the custom and soon found myself in the hotel. told the driver i knew the route, gave him a flat 500baht (usually cab to my fave hotel would cost 450) and he morphed into a F1 driver. we were travelling like 100-120kmph, weaving through traffic and the taxi had no safety belt.

hit the hotel and saw my friend on her shift, lucky me. got a free fruit basket. love their hospitality. she was quite shocked to see i had clothes ready for laundry. "from phuket" - had to clarify before she thought i brought them from singapore.

brought my sis to the affordable (i was told not to use cheap cos it sounded like an insult to the locals) place - banana leaf. it was where i had my first meal in bkk a month ago. seems like ages already...

brought my sis to mbk for first day of shopping. i only bought dvds. second day went to platinum and conquered the 6-storey building in 4 hours, walking through every alley. woohoo~ bought some pretty awesome tees.

wanted to dine at lebua @ state tower but its fully booked :( maybe i should book it for my april trip. talking about it, met some cool singaporeans who love to travel as well. instantly, i decided to join them in apr cos they will be renting an apartment for the 4-5 days. met them at the weirdest place - club after hearing that distinctive accent. best thing when travelling alone, you have to make friends.

still remember my last trip, got to know a guy who owns a hotel in phuket. i was then thinking "dont think i will go phuket that soon", and you never know... hung out with one of the staff from the hotel i stayed during my last trip and now, i get great discount for the rooms and fruit baskets :P it pays to network.

loving my tan and my new haircut, you know it somehow when people come up to you and say you look cute :X was dancing with this she-male and they are really fun people to hang out with. their persona and all, and i am glad that the culture has been accepting to them. joyful people, and i always enjoyed their performances.

clubs closed way earlier in bkk than phuket. music here was shingz on the first night. today was better. wish andrew chow was here, the crowd would love him.

so fast i have already spent a week in thailand. i dont want 2010 to come.

..:: 708. Maiden trip to Phuket ::..

perhaps i will share some interesting stuff and pointers to note for those first-timers like myself, and for those who went there countless times can advise for my next trip.

wanted to take a meter-taxi which we were told would cost us about 450 baht to reach patong beach. the taxi queue was not what i would expect.

the lady displayed a "no taxi" sign. so unlike singapore where streams of taxis would be waiting. we were told we have to wait for 20-30 mins. seeing that we came out of the airport about 8 plus in the evening with no time to waste, we decided to go for the non-meter taxi which we got a slightly better quote 550 baht compared to the standard rate of 600 baht.

somehow the taxi driver knows the singaporean flavour. we were singing to the songs he played through a cd in his car. we were shocked to hear he even had songs by jay chow. then ky and I started whispering, "shit, did he understand what we have been bitching about in chinese?"

first night, ky's couchsurfing friend brought us around the clubbing area, bangla road. OMG, never seen so many clubs in an area before. totally trashed clarke quay + MS road. top 2 favourite must-go clubs: seduction and hollywood (both R&B)

seduction- music mix is interesting, though the fillers he used can be quite irritating, esp when the dj himself starts speaking into the mic to ra-ra the crowd. first floor R&B, second floor house (yucks). enough space to dance, has podiums/platforms for those who need a little more attention. 100 baht for entrance. didnt drink while i was inside though, busy dancing.

hollywood. free entry. 2 sections. both play similar R&B songs. think for one of the section, they repeated the song playlist cos i remember hearing them the night before. wondered how the dj is being paid. drinks quite cheap, wine 100 baht, beer 120-150 baht. liquor about 120 baht.

the tanning was great. laying on the deck chairs feasting on people is definitely an experience. eyes were kept busy for hot bods. finally we got to try para-sailing. damn awesome. ky went first while i was at the boat taking video and pics for her. it really looked scary from the boat, probably due to the high speed. could see her running and taking off with the parachute and flying so high i could hardly see her. just heard her take-off scream. the exhilarating part would have to be when you dropped in height, the feeling of your heart sinking... priceless. as i was rather light, i was going so much higher and the wind certainly helped.

we went in the morning and got a good bargain. 800 instead of 1000 baht. in the words of the operators, its the "cannot-tell-others" deal.

surprisingly my first trip that i did not buy anything back cos the stuff can almost be found in bkk. oh, i love the seafood. the two of us had 5 dishes (same amount as a family of 5 beside us) and we finished everything! ordered squid, tuna, tom yam soup, vegetables and meat.

when i reached the airport for my flight back to singapore, i had interesting encounters. i saw on the board, tiger airways @ terminal 2. however, i was not sure whether i should go to the main entrance which had tons of tourists today. all the tour buses seemed to alight them at the main entrance and the queue was incredulously long. then there were 2 chinese ladies shouting "please queue up, you have to queue up. it is unfair. unfair to the people behind." this went on for 5 mins, really agonising. all the tourists were looking at them.

they continued on their rampage/part-time law enforcer roles.

"if you dont queue up, i am going to call the police. hey you, queue up. people, dont let them cut queue, they should queue behind us, it's unfair"

damn. should have recorded it as my ring tone/alarm, sure wake up. strangely i have to say, the accent really sounded like they were from hong kong. poor ladies. they literally ran to the place where the ang-mos tried to cut queue. in the end, they had to rebutt "we are just standing here, not going anywhere". i stood there, cant help being embarrassed, especially i am the only asian at that area besides them.

after the ordeal, i went to terminal 2 and saw that i could actually entered from there -_- just had to walk down the slope.

then met a group of chinese students from NTU at the queue to collect our boarding passes. recognised them cos one of the girls was holding to a library book from NTU. When it was their turn to check in, one of the girls had a stack of money inside her passport -_-. the staff had to pass her back the money. eh, how blur can one get?

then on board the plane, one of the couple was sitting beside me. he loaded everything up the cabin and then he just have to realise to reach on top to get his water bottle. after a few minutes, reached up again to take his earpieces. so much for lack of forward planning. should have taken them out in the first place. was trying to sleep and when he tried to reach for the cabin, i was hit by his ass.

growls.

anyway hope bkk trip would be more fun!

..:: 707. Going Gaga ::..

Going gaga over my trip! so excited that i shared with the cab driver what i am going to do in phuket. all he did was to remind me to have a h1n1 jab and bring diarrhoea pills. 6 more hours!

finally my lady gaga earphones are recognised! was walking out of the gate where one of the staff stopped and asked me, "eh, heard from my fren that you are using lady gaga earphones, can i take a look?"

i froze. cos i thought no one knew about the earphones except me and my poor friends (whom i made it a point to show them). and finally someone agreed that paying 239 for it is not crazy.

..:: 706. Time of the Year ::..

yes i have finally waited for the time of the year. xmas and counting down to the new year.

even more excited about my upcoming phuket trip. cant imagine i decided to go for it over a couple of drinks. my theory still stands: nearby places are for old age. especially since i am young, i should be travelling far. nothing beats sharing my experience in india. today over breakfast, i shared with my colleagues my india experience. they are amazed by how i can last 1.5 mths with 1.5K. some things you cant buy for experience. like staying over at a local's place and eating home-cooked food. priceless.

after phuket, i am heading to bangkok! 2 times within a month. seriously? my 2nd time there and will be showing my sis around. cant wait to leave her in the hotel room while i club at night. maybe i will bring her to lebua hotel at state tower, overlooking the city from 65 storeys. pls dont tell me you got fear of height...

one of my colleagues was so sweet... she knew i was going to bkk and printed a page from the magazine introducing bkk. now my whole office knows i love travelling and everytime they strike a conversation, they would ask me where i will be going next.

new year, new blog skin! that is taken from manali. one of my favorite places in india and i miss the bakery. feels so serene everytime i look at that pic.

time for new year resolution! shall think over it during my trip.

..:: 705. Hearing Problem ::..

incident 1:

a couple of weeks ago, we had a year-end function where the organisers decided to play "Dont forget the lyrics". Our group unfortunately had to choose between "Dont Cha" or "Umbrella".

We went with "Dont Cha" as a few of us being clubbers heard the song quite often.

Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?
Don't cha?
Don't cha?
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was ____ like me?

we locked in the word "raw" but was told we were incorrect. correct word was "wrong".

Don't cha wish your girlfriend was wrong like me?

mmm. re-played the song and it still sounded more like raw. after we showed them we found "raw" on the net, they claimed that they found "wrong" on the net as well, hence we were not allowed to continue.

incident 2:

rushed down to meet my personal trainer (a Filipino) and he was surprised to see me.

"I thought you not coming already (distinctive filipino accent for this word)..."

"No. I told you I end work at six, will come down after my work"

"Oh, I heard you said you were sick"

*started flashback, to see if my pronunciation was that bad. i recalled he asked whether 6pm was ok and i clearly remembered being very pissed that I have a real job and it ends at 6. of course i only told him that "i end work at six"

the thought of how he mistaken my "six" as "sick" just made my blood boil. numerous words came into my mind but neither of them sounded decent.

i remained speechless and forced a smile.

"its ok then, i got a direct bus back home."

then he went on telling me that he thought i was sick (just have to bring this up again, low EQ or what) and he was going to meet his friend for movie (confirm low EQ).

somehow he just made my decision easier - not to engage him once my sessions end.

..:: 704. December woes ::..

still missing bkk. songs like celebration, hush hush, 3, i gotta feeling... just brought back memories... miss the shopping and my wonderful suite.

went to watch mulan with my sis. so different from the disney animation. the main leads were great. they are so good at having tears welling in their eyes. seems like their tears could drop by command.

the theme song done by stephanie sun was great. sat through the whole song. sad that they did not play the full song :(

bkk... should i?

..:: 703. Bangkok :..



excited about my first trip. taking SQ is definitely a different experience.

hotel was right smack in the busy street. there was no touts for hotels. greatness. but touts to buy "dvds".

visited the palace which was the must-go kind of place and also the reclining buddha.

stayed just beside a club and there were food stalls just outside the clubs. never felt so easy to have supper and go straight up to the hotel and sleep.

food was ok though i didnt go ga-ga over them. talking about that, drag shows were kinda fun! saw a couple of we-men and one of them was lady ga-ga! never failed to crack me up.

bought so much stuff. went there with one luggage and came back with 3 bags.

and i have an inking i will be going back in jan and apr :P

..:: 702. Intoxicated ::..

fri night had a farewell gathering at dragonfly. never mess around with the seasoned drinkers. we ordered shuttles of tiger beers, buckets of heineken, bottles of champagne, 1 x jack daniel, 1 x martell and many shots of random liquor.

gulped down many glasses... being the junior, as usual when taunted by others, you just have to prove them wrong. lucky me. i still can hold my liquor well and not puke like a loser. but my head has never spun that bad. started blabbering rubbish in my colleague's car :X

anyway this week will be great. only one day of work! attending hr conference as an understudy cos i will be the secretary next month :(

tue - formation year-end function at safra. IC for some brain teaser games and also sabo-ed to play the dont forget the lyrics.

wed - branch cohesion. going to minds cafe... still thinking of a morning activity. thought of visiting police heritage center. need to be around town and museums are overdone. any ideas?

thur - welcome bangkok!

..:: 701. Nice people ::..

1. my dear colleague gave me a lift to camp x today.

2. a gal let me board the cab cos she is not rushing for time.

3. my other colleague giving me a lift to camp x tomorrow for an event.

4. many others who will be supporting me for the event tomorrow.

my fren just dropped a bomb saying he did not help me book my ticket to bkk O_O and last checked jetstar's price at 500+

..:: 700. 2012 ::..

the CG is damn good. was late for 30 mins for the show but still caught the important parts. so sad that everyone started leaving after the show... i sat there enjoying lambert's theme song for the show "time for miracles".

even us tv shows are getting more exciting.

grey's... new cardio goddess plus messy love affair. just when you thought izzie is gone, she's back again.

survivor... how can russell find 2 immunity idols without a single clue? initially hated his guts but now i guess everyone is rooting for him cos he is the one who will keep his old tribe foa foa alive, especially since the merger, the tribe is outnumbered by the other tribe. where else can you catch natalie (reads: hot babe) in her skimpy bikini killing a rat and eat it! just 2 tribal councils after the merger, already 2 people have been blindsided.

project runway... 3 amazing ladies with their final collection. just 3 days before the finale runway, they had to create the 13th look on top of all the fitting they have to do. styling all the different models and the order they appear are all the important things to think of. initially i thought irina is a sure win but looking at carol hannah's collection ...

antm... 4 girls down to 2? first time in the 13 cycles. nicole vs laura. i hope nicole wins. she got the natural talent and she got the high-fashion looks. however, her walk leaves much to be desired ...

this week busy on 17th and 19th. should reward myself a massage over the weekends.

friday went on a course on appreciative inquiry. was quite a good course. tapping on positivity in the group/events rather than concentrating on issues to solve problems. lots of experience sharing, hope i can to apply them.

sat went on birthday party at macs for my first time. the mac auntie forced us to burst balloons :( lol. seems like her performance bonus lies on the fact that the balloons she prepared must die die be burst cos she didnt seem to get the hint that we were kinda hungry for our over-due lunch. :P but overall, we had fun and lots of phototaking.

..:: 699. Staff Writing ::..

went for an interesting course today, taught by mr sunny goh, who was previously straits times editor and in defence policy before. shared with us insights in ST and mindef. the difference between staff and stuff writing. manifest and latent objectives, etc.

was late today as i overslept, took a cab, met with traffic jam and overall came up to $26... went into the camp like i usually did, only to be stopped by those on guard duty to ask me to alight outside the camp.

frustrating, usually when i am in my uniform (today in civilian as i am on course), i could alight in the camp. gave up trying to rationalise. understand that "by right" should alight outside the camp but dont "play double standard" in front of me.

anyway, did my fat test sometime back and i only have 9%! my personal trainer was like "wah you so lean". *grins*

pay day has come and i am happy. retail therapy anyone?

..:: 698. Drive ::.

yeah. finally get to book my practical test. sadly two dates available, 31 dec or 5 jan.

31 dec 830 slot, that is like peak hour! was contemplating to choose that and if i pass, i would fulfill my resolution to get my license this year. but i thought i might be travelling that period.

went with 5 jan in the end. afternoon 3pm slot.

was talking to my boss yesterday and she happened to think of the recent ranking exercise (reads: performance assessment). she told me that i did well and must continue with my good work and drive! all the other branch heads were supportive and had great comments. whee... made my day. next year would be a tough year, having to be assessed with people of same rank and most of them are scholars.

*looks forward to performance bonus

..:: 697. Fly With Me ::..

damn. now i have overseas leave but nowhere to fly. cheap SIA tickets to bkk are gone because of school holidays. darn. no remedial classes meh?

tried my luck to book tickets to india but hell, 780myr excluding connecting flights.

decided to text all my travelling friends but mostly no $, cannot clear leave, etc.

now left with 2 options:

bkk - tiger @ $340 or SIA @ $475, the 100+ i can save for 2 more nights but then again price for comfort, still reasonable eh?

..:: 696. Usual Uni Gathering on Tue ::..

never fail to entertain ourselves over couple of drinks (maybe not the drink called governer's something... egg yolk)

never name your child arial (or any similar resemblance) or you risk having people ask "what's your font size?"

it could go either way.

..:: 695. Halloween ::..

attended a fren's birthday party. how nice to have it same day as halloween. you sure have frens who turn up in interesting costumes. i admire the guy who came dressing as ris low with a wig in leopard preens! i almost choked on my vodka when i saw him/her.

club hopping was fun. but serious damage to my liver. gulping down champagne and shots. with the blasting music. missed those days when you dont feel the body is yours. lol. poor fren had to puke into a jug. eww.

went to borders the next day and bought so many magazines! fashion and educated ones of course.

Foreign Affairs
BBC History
HRM
Men's Folio

and got a free umbrella. ella ella eh eh..

..:: 694. Some Girls Need To Be BoomZ ::..

was watching my sister's keeper with my fren... touching show with funny moments in it. the make-up artist did a great job for the cancer-stricken kate. just that the vomiting of blood a bit too much. thought diaz could push herself more,the finale part should be longer and more intense. but overall quite good. felt the pain for kate, firstly the effects of the illness and indirectly causing family dysfunction.

was waiting for cab at cine, it was pretty obvious there was a queue. then this 2 girls (ah lians to be precise) just had to walk in front of the queue and hop on to the cab. the trio in front of me were taken aback and together we looked into the cab. guess what? one of the girls nearer to us showed her middle finger at us.

i mean wtf? does she have to do that? childish and so typical ah lian who thinks she is "untouchable". on the verge of rushing to the cab and opening the door. *breathe*

..:: 693. Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel ::..

MC's new song. didnt get very good ratings but hell i love the song. sounds like she is telling a story.

Betcha Gon' Know



Welcome to a day of my life
The Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, to a day of my life..The Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel

Though the lights were low, i could see you both
in a lovers silhouette
And my heart stood still, i was froze right there
staring down at her red dress
So i bolted out the door, jumped right into the car
it's too dangerous to be in the vicinity of where you are
Rolled down all the windows just so i could breath
can't believe you just actually did that S**T to me
I'm going 'bout a hundred, mascara running < love this line>
Laughing out of anger, but it don't strike me as funny < love this line>
Been to good to you , i've been virtuous and true
to have something like this happen in my own bedroom

Betcha Gon Know how it feels when i get you back
Betcha Gon Know how it feels and your hearts been cracked
Betcha Gon Know how it feels and we fade to black
And you see your whole world collapse
I'm gonna lalalalala laugh
I'm gonna lalalalala laugh
I'm gonna lalalalala laugh
Right in your face boy

So I pulled to the side of the road to fix my face
but i can't cover with make up what my tears want to erase < love this line>
i wake up in a haze, morning dew and sunrays
As i drive i hide my eyes behind my black Cavalli shades < love how it sounds>
A block from the house, slowly creep in the driveway
Tiptoe through the door, but your there wide awake
Your like : Where you been? < start of my favourite part>
I'm like : Sorry but i fell asleep on Jasmins sofa
I could have swore that RayRay called you and told ya
Your like : Are you OK?
I'm like : mmm, alright lil sleep and i'll be fine < in love with how this sounds>
But if you only knew what was in the back of my mind
already stung, but your really gonna find out in time

Betcha Gon Know how it feels when i get you back
Betcha Gon Know how it feels and your hearts been cracked
Betcha Gon Know how it feels when we fade to black
And you see your whole world collapse

This is for real, for real, for real
Oprah Winfrey, whole segment, for real, for real
20/20, Barbara Walters,for real, for real
60 minutes for real

Baby, i had all my trust in you and look at what you put me through You got me all crazy, somewhere down the line your gonna get what you deserve..you F*****G jerk
Your were supposed to save me, my sweet baby
Now we are fading away..but your gonna know how this feels
Even if it's the last thing i ever do
To be continued.......

time to buy her album! other songs i like:

Obsessed (obviously. and yash hates it)
It's a wrap
"H.A.T.E.U." (which stands for "Having A Typical Emotional Upset")
I want to know what love is (remake) and hear her whistle!
Up out my face

..:: 692. Time flies ::..

its been close to a month since i last blogged??

my social withdrawal symptoms are showing...

1. sleeping most of my time
2. enjoyed working on sat where it is all peace and quiet
3. itching for retail therapy
4. received phone calls regarding work
5. indulged in self-pampering treatments - facial, spa, hair
6. watching online shows

i must say the advertisement for the new career schemes looks awesome. wonder if you have spotted them at bus stops... how they link it to 4D number - 1378. so far so good, for the few months work on the new career schemes, i have moved on to get busy with other stuff - study sponsorships. had to hold 5 selection boards and minute all the interviews. but still satisfying to see them getting the sponsorship. i love my job!

caught a great movie (or documentary to be exact) on Vogue - September Issue. damn nice. love the behind-the-scenes. of cos who can forget the 2 incredibly talented women, Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington. how anna as the editor-in-chief dictates the fashion trend and what all the ladies will go ga-ga over... As for the creative director, Grace, if she walks along the street, you might think she is some granny with some crazy hair, but that streak of ingenuity in her... make me go ga-ga.

thanks yash for relieving my symptoms. lol.

i love grey's latest episode. so intense! i love nicole in her commercial! survivor kinda boring with one guy falling out due to health and it has been raining for most of the episodes.

looking for a nice unique coin pouch, any recommendations?

..:: 691. With Juniors Like This ::..

amidst the crazy work schedule and piles of paperwork, you hear your hp ring.

1 new message

"hey you have ab311 audit report? can send me? also include what grade you get. reply me even if you dont have. thanks!"

seems like i owe the person.

..:: 690. Get screwed ::..

never imagine being screwed by a footer.

so many pages, so many man-hours.

hope that oversight doesnt kill.

..:: 689. Eventful Work Day ::..

my colleague managed to borrow a car from her fren and decided to offer me a lift. jam break once and she was so apologetic. being an inexperienced driver, she was worried that i did not know how to reject her offer. overall, we had great laugh (plus the parking)

at work, one of the branch heads was looking for me frantically (or so i was told by the other department). i was so busy answering queries and making edits. finally ran over and heard the staff officers from that department giggling.

"John ar, take this" - said the other branch head.

i looked, it was a box of home-made mooncakes.

when i came out, the rest were laughing. my fren who drove me came over to my table.

"wah so good, my br head was looking for you the whole morning. we had to queue to see her but she said you all wait. i want to see john first. "

o_O. signal to blush.

"we asked why. she said cos you all not as cute"

yes. it was a female br head. still not used to the office "signals". but nevertheless, it's still good to be in someone's good books :)

the sad thing was that my dept had to work till 5am! it was quite a bonding session to OT. a few more hours short of working 24 hrs! sent a mail to my colleagues at 3am haha.

..:: 688. What holiday? ::..

helped my fren to cover his sunday duty. haiz. how to reject him? he used the technique of "a door in the step"...

"i help you cover your next weekend duty?"

who asked me to be single? i supposed being married one would want to use this long holiday.

while on duty... i texted my other colleague and he was like "oh you on duty? i am at duty free. haha"

haha, truly.

been super low-key in social events ever since i started work. from next month, should actively schedule to go out with frens once every week. this month's budget already max-ed out with the facial package.

my other fren just texted me to support his tanning salon. though the package is 1/10 of my facial but half of me wants that tan but other half thinks cancer. been assured that it is safe but these things u can never be sure for different individual.

for non-comedy shows, i really needed a cinema setting to enjoy. tried watching coco before channel and time traveller's wife through online streaming. sadly i never got past the fifteenth minute. yawnz.

on friday, our head office organized a mooncake bazaar. bought over 400 bucks worth of mooncakes which had my colleagues' heads turning.

..:: 687. Comex ::..

woke up super early for some volunteer briefing at ccab. yawnz. then went to comex aimlessly. netbook getting so much cheaper. arghz. to think i bought mine last year for 888.

bought a digital photo frame. cool-ness. another gadget to add to my office decoration. passerby alert.

watched the ugly truth for 2 of the hottest celeb. funny like hell and dirty jokes alert. but the girls enjoyed so i think it wasnt as offensive.

did retail therapy. shiok. bought menscience facial wash which is really good for minimising pores. then tried MOP Lemongrass Shampoo after the satisfying Billy Jealousy (yes, yash dont laugh) and lastly american crew conditioner.

..:: 686. Not the same anymore ::..

went for hr bridging day as a senior and found out that prof aahad and violet no longer with nbs :(

..:: 685. Mum's Call ::..

i was dozing off around 11pm yest night when the phone rang. i saw "Mum" flashing. i continued to sleep.

minutes later, sms came. it was from my sister.

mum's supervisor tried to call us. mum in hospital. suspected food poisoning.

i jumped out of my bed... called back and luckily she was able to talk.

this is what happens when u ignored calls from mum too often.

..:: 684. Its Not Funny ::..

my mum calls me as if i am in a call center. picks up the phone and yelling begins "why take so long to answer".

excuse me. i have a job and probably 10000 meetings that are more important than her phone call. knowing what she wanted to ask me.

"the photos we took at the graduation, ready anot?"

made me wish i have not taken those pics -_-

-------------------------------------------------------------

angry fits 2.

went to shop for my monthly fashion mags.

me: do you have the magazine titled "august"

indian shopkeeper: *looks frantically* no

me: *scans the shelf again as i saw it at clementi mrt stand*

indian shopkeeper: i dont think have. now already september. *grins*

me: *its not funny look*

they totally spoilt my wonderful image of indians back in india.

..:: 683. Mentors ::..

finally airasia replied and gave me a new voucher. fast to shut me up, leaving me no chance to demand free air tickets.

bumped into one of my ocs fren whom we never talked before. both of us recognised each other, he started asking "do i know u?". i was o_O. before we enter the train, he was smiling at me and i thought he looked familiar.

he is now in ntu final year in aero while i am back working. shared army stuff which was probably the only common thing we shared. still remembered our platoons were at loggerheads.

was sharing how i chartered my career and have many people to thank for all the advice. should count my blessing having to find quite a few mentors who not only provided direction but also created chance to make it all happen.

reason why i join the army - there are great people who have inspired me along the way.

..:: 682. Blame Who? ::..

irritated.

tried to book my flight for sri lanka and wanted to use my e-voucher which was supposed to expire on 20 Aug. When I key in the details, the error msg was that the voucher has already expired..

wth.

called the operator who asked me to fill up the e-form and they will reply me in 2-3 days. if by then my voucher expires, who is responsible?

they better give me a free tickets to KL as the connecting flights.

..:: 681. Motivation to save ::..

went window shopping for cars with my friend since last week. in the end, last sat, decided to settle for cerato forte dark cherry. ultimate jealousy. the colour makes the car even more class-ier. back of the car looks like bmw. makes me think twice about getting honda fit. especially with the super low price.

today resisted temptation to shop. finally get to explore ion orchard. crazy crowd at uniqlo which i think its the biggest hit in singapore. knew it when i was shopping in shanghai and heard that they are coming to singapore. a better fit compared to H&M and topman, since the size is more fitted for asians. plus every few months they have new designers for the tees which are selling at affordable 19.90 to 24.90. quality is damn good.

wanted to buy a neoleather purple jacket which cost 99 bucks but on second thought i wont be wearing it that often, hence decided not to buy. popped by kiehls and saw a few facial and hair products which i love and wanted to try. but one bottle of cleanser 150ml, about 40 plus bucks o_O. buy 2 items then can get 20% discount. i avoided the temptation once again.

wanted to go clubbing. but decided to save the money and the cab fare.

saving money is definitely worth it. need at least 500 bucks per month to save for the car!

stuck in singapore. think of saving money. i should stop all the envy that most of my friends are not in singapore.

..:: 680. SMRT ::..

took train to work today and it broke down at clementi. saw the train crawl towards clementi station and then bypass it and stop at dover. all of us had to alight to board the next train. seen the crowd build up at clementi and buona vista. scary. then there was this lady, typical singaporean, must complain out loud about the train then she would feel shiok.

"wah my first time from pioneer to dover take one hr..."

the rest of her tone was as sarcastic and unbearable just like the way she looks.

"the people sitting in the train must be feeling damn shiok can sit so long..."

i was on the verge of asking her to shut up.

"i really tempted to take taxi"

if she complains about the train so lousy, then take cab la. that is why i get mad at people who grumble when people accidentally knocked into them in a crowded public transport like bus or train. if you dont want all these hassle then take cab la!

just that i was wearing the uniform, if not i would have drop casual comment.

tml department cohesion! at bishan park run 5km. what cohesion huh? everyone do their own run.

..:: 679. Nat Day Dinner ::..

something got me jumping for joy last fri. i saved people's careers. cant go into details but my boss congratulated and gave us a pat on our backs for saving some careers as we reviewed their profiles.

must agree to what my boss said, hr is a thank-less job. when you do well, no one will praise u but if something "screws up", all will point fingers at u.

wasnt feeling well in the morning but after i got better, accompanied my fren to go look for cars. window shopping for cars is exciting! currently looking at honda fit/jazz, price at the showroom is insane! about 10K more than those from parallel import. on average, the cheaper rate would see myself paying about close to 700 per month.

national day dinner at marine parade was quite an experience. firstly, it was graced by senior PM Goh and first time i have attended a community dinner indoor. Mr Goh's speech lasted 28 mins and he posted 10 challenges we would face, some of which he mentioned are perils of success. like the education system that has grown and molded talents has seen many moving and staying in other countries - brain drain and also females concentrating on their careers - low birth rate.

was quite amazed at the speed his speech was being broadcasted. after the dinner, i got on to the car and heard the radio reporting about his speech. one of the MCs for the event was an ex news broadcaster.

it was funny to see senior people waving their flags and singing "stand up for singapore" at the volume that i last recalled hearing in primary school. my table had 2 senior doctors and you could get an overview of what is the latest in the medical field by just hearing them talk. across the table was another lady who was heading a few boards and president and ceo of Raffles International, yes you got it, ms jennie chua. for a matter of fact, if you have degree from cornell, you could strike a conversation much easier, seeing quite a few of them have such connection, if not raffles institution would suffice.

then i understand why mr goh didnt want to talk about the achievements of singapore for the past year. stating the challenges left the whole ballroom talking about the issues throughout the dinner. being the only young generation rep for the table, when they talk about getting married and have children, they look at me. talk about education and brain drain, they point at me. mention about dealing with the greying population, they look at me and ask how am i going to deal with people like them.

*gulps* and i thought i was just there for the food.

..:: 678. NBS Convo Ball 2009 ::..

glamour. nothing short of that, well maybe except those who didnt plan to dress to impress. i couldnt even recognise some of the girls with all the dresses, hair and make up. come to think of it, it was my first official "prom". skipped my sec sch one cos i went on a cruise. jc no affinity.

food was ok, given we paid "student price", fish for our table tasted like rubber (even others who came to our table to try said it), everyone was busy walking around to take pics and catch up, so much of the food was left untouched.

animosity. pretty obvious. took pic with everyone except me. the hair and dress were nice but i withheld my comments as i didnt want to appear overly friendly or seen as being hypocritical. it was sad that even till the end of the convo ball, our "issues" were unresolved. i guess when a person dont like u, it stays that way no matter what you do.

anyway, i guess the main highlight was the MC. he was charismatic and funny like hell. all the MTV from the different races and the sexy dance and the "pong pong pong" for the ladies.

joy and laughter. that will be the memories i have for NBS.

..:: 677. Things You Do When You R Desperate ::..

bought some velvet cloth off arab st, only to find out that they were not the right material to be made into blazer.

decided to try costume rental shops. google became my best friend and saviour. called a few shops but they didnt have the colour i wanted. while i was on my national education (NE) tour, i made several calls to enquiry about their closing time and the availability of my chance of getting best dressed. lol.

most of them close at around 6-7pm. i finally reached bugis about 5 plus. quite a mad rush but luckily the costume shops were located within the bugis area. north bridge road to aliwal road to mayo st. finally found one purple velvet.

when i asked my other fren steph wat she will be wearing, she replied "nothing". lol. true, nothing will get best dressed too, so why spend $. but may end up not being conferred on monday :X

blazer - checked
tailored light blue shirt that accentuates my waist - checked
crystal ornaments - checked
goldlion pants to accentuate my legs - checked
goldlion red tie (quite a steal @ 20 bucks) - checked

i hope the hotel is safe for us to have dinner.

went on a NE tour, visited newater factory (insanely boring with occasional chemistry terms). johore battery (interesting to know gen percival was quite dumb). changi chapel (the place that i have been too many times)

at the end of the day, our CO (big boss) asked us to reflect on one thing, what we want to remember and what we want to forget. one officer was picked to "set an example" but he was one of the funniest and wackiest you would ever find.

"i have learnt to grow our own rice"

everyone burst out laughing. then he explained, "40 years ago, people say we dont have our own water, now we do. so the next step is to prove to them we can grow our own rice"

does that warrant a good officer reply? i am sure everyone will remember his answer.

..:: 676. Eclipse ::..

hurhur. is it eclipse or is it dark clouds cos its raining and i dun feel the freaking eclipse.

taking trains to work in the morning rush hour can be a pain in the ass. i secretly wish i could stab those who stand on the right at the escalators.

sunday was spent taking pictures in convo gowns. pictures turned out great. we tried something different. took pics at a busy clarke quay area and had eyes looking at us. we are closeted attention seekers!

mon went hunting for my velvet cloth to make blazer. chinatown has only bright red, pink and yellow while the shops at arab st closed when i got there.

managed to get it tue after work. so cheap. 20 bucks for 2 metres. hope it turns out nice.

..:: 674. awaiting convo ::..

wearing the convo gown and mortar board, i feel like i am beginning the next stage of my life.

finally met up with my mum whom i hid from her that i went india, until she called 2 weeks before my trip ended :P my mum's pretty traditional- those kinds that think everywhere is dangerous and everyone is out to harm me. i always tell her stay at home even boredom (or a spoil ceiling fan) can kill me.

told her my convo plans. take studio pics. treat my relatives for dinner at the hotel she is working. the big big question on my head is WHAT is she wearing. she is known for her lack of fashion sense. meet me wear sleeveless, collarless, shirt and berms with different colour patches. O_O

i decided to go shopping with her, help her choose what looks good in the EYES of others and not what she feels is nice. fleshy at the shoulders, she really needs collar to cover up. she loves sleeveless cos its cooling but i dont want to be reminded of flabby stuff. it was challenging to find something that suits her. in the end got her something like batik which was colourful so that the picture will look nice :) i didnt get to see her (so as she claimed) korean black pants. i hope they are not hideous.

seriously, what is the female equivalent of lounge suit? i got a special ticket for either my mum or sis to sit in the vvip row!! :P power of networking eh. haha. should ask my sis to sit at least she can take a closer shot for me. my mum. hurhur, she couldnt even use sms on phone. sad. i should start a course for her and prob her friends.

it was quite a heart warming meet up cos initially she bought a lot of food (as usual when she sees me). but after a while she stopped eating, and i ask why. too happy to see u that i cant eat. awww... i feel i have let her down somehow, not spending more time with her. k new year resolution.

SATURDAY. shopping, tailoring for my convo ball on the 25th.

SUNDAY taking convo pics with my CHINA GIP friends. crazy bunch. must be damn happening. all our modelesque poses. *jumps for joy*

bought a few magazines to browse through and get ideas for what to tailor. headache.

harry potter was quite a letdown. this time more of preparing the big show down for the last installment.

..:: 675. A leader answers for his men ::..

the chimney finally blew. got chided (the word seems too mild) today by someone. fault and inaccuracy of data making "him" lose face, credibility and reputation (not that serious but the message was targeted as that).

i understand where his anger came from and he has the right to be angry. however controlling and dissipating it through other ways is as important. seriously "he" needs anger management. i dont see a need to shout and scold in order to get "i-am-angry" message across. worse when u are a senior reprimanding on someone so junior (not talking about me).

ultimately the responsibility still comes back to me and i guess the real challenge is to first accept mistakes of others as your own and stand up for them. You may feel angry at your own subordinates but i feel that is the distinction between a great leader from a good one, the willingness to put everything aside and "defend" and "educate" later. i am observing and learning to emulate such traits . not easy. it's so much easy to shift blame.

i have also learnt to use more "we" than "you". whenever my "boys" and I make misakes, i had to make a point to say "we need to improve... though we make this mistake, we should ensure they dont happen again, etc..." i hope the power of "we" makes them feel better.

mistakes. have i been too laxed? am i not training correctly? should i micro-manage? i think i need to be more meticulous. looking at 2000+ names and at least 15-20 fields... WAKE UP! arghz

..:: 673. SAFRA Mt Faber ::..

yeah. finally signed up for gym membership. 5 mins walk from my office. time to get buff up :) facilities are great. many machines, not so many people and wonderful shower facilities. even got jacuzzi and steam room.

was watching tv and saw this school in taiwan using electronic black board instead of our usual white board. it looks like LCD tv that is huge 100" and it's touch screen!

learn through 3D effects, learn how to sing using youtube videos. nice.

dilemma 2: should i disable my camera? hai. no point using BB bold for weekend huh? i love the tracking ball.

today in office, "lucky" was played on radio. i swear i giggled. thinking of our timbre gathering when they said they gonna sing lucky, all except yash think that its going to be britney. LOL. i bet yash was thinking "what kind of frenz i have"...

this time britney was on radio! :) cheers. jason mras step aside!

oh have a song that is spinning in my head. and i guess much to yash's disgust...

LOVE GAME.

let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
don't think too much, just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick

let's play a love game
play a love game
do you want love
or you want fame
are you in the game

10 ways to drive yash crazy:

#1: bring her to lady gaga's concert

..:: 672. SYZ,PDA and dilemma ::..

SYZ concert was great! better than zhang hui mei's in oct. the stage layout was jaw-dropping, the effects were marvellous and the costumes were so out-of-this-world. totally against her usual image. the dance choreography was great. so glad my impulse buying was worthwhile after all. just woke up today and decided to buy the ticket. left only restricted view for 108 bucks.

the kallang mall has no POSB atm! arghz. couldnt buy food. could only go to supermarket and grab some chocolate.

while on the way home in the bus, there was this couple. arghz. PDA-ing. started to go so close to each other and whisper (what we will do for sex). no wonder everyone had their earphones on. the girl had to place her palm on the guy's chest and slide down to his pecs (or the lack of). get a room. didnt they know that foreplay in bus is not allowed?

but then again i think some would not mind, given that the girl was quite hot and the guy is a hunk. worse, ndp so the bus had to go through a diversion route and we got to watch the "extended" (fore)play.

DILEMMA! foolishly i went to sign up with M1, totally forgot that i called singtel to ask my UPGRADE availability and i thought that is when my contract expires. now my current number is only due NEXT YEAR AUG.

Choice 1: Use my M1 new number - the monthly plan with blackberry services is about 70 bucks per month under corporate plan.

Pro: Use my M1 card! which has a nice number.

Cons: Let my singtel card rot and pay the monthly charges like an idiot. Inform everyone of my new number.

Choice 2: Void my singtel contract to pay damages so i can port my number over to M1.

Pro: I get to use my old number and remain contactable even from my long lost friend. No need to pay monthly singtel for 1 year.

Cons: The liquidated damages could be a lot, i think about 500. which is about 40 bucks per month (which i think quite reasonable seeing that my bill always more than 40).

SO HOW?

i heard convo bells are ringing. :)

..:: 671. 1st Pay ::..

this might sound offensive but i finally get my official pay check! graduate pay! looking at my increment i can drool already.

went for ISO9001 training. kinda fun. being the youngest trainee and i got the chance to speak up. need this kind of chance to "prove" to the senior commanders.

was flipping through minutes and saw that my CO wanted junior officers to volunteer more to be the secretary for conferences. i knew most of the time it was "arrowed" but in the minutes it was written "graciously agreed" to be secretary. LOL.

i am all set to get my blackberry (sadly no camera)! purchase concert ticket!

btw there is a new way to tell whether a person has HIV from their face!

interested? ask me when u see me

..:: 670. Prom ::..

not exactly prom, but convo ball. been thinking of what to wear. 8DAYS gave me a good idea...

swarovski crystal tie! how about that. lol. not very ex though, i would expect more, dunno if they quoted the correct price.

Glamberts. lol... i should call myself one since fans of adam lambert are called that.

..:: 669. Reading ::..

reading has not always been my cup of chai. somehow seeing yash recommending good books to read, i feel that i should start reading! we were talking about starting some hobby cos we must have our work-life balance. basically my life now is work weekdays from 8am to 8pm then reach home about 10pm, sleep then the whole cycle begins. weekend spend on playing xbox with occasional invites from friends for gatherings.

yesterday met up with the india peeps and only jaron brought laptop with the purpose of exchanging photos. the rest didnt. i think the rest of us were pretty much sync - come about 30 mins later than the scheduled meeting time, just sit, chill and do nothing else. we were also talking about joining competitions with our photos taken in india. today i had an idea of what to snap in singapore.

the best moments to take would be inside the mrt, while the door is closing, you should snap those who try to rush into the train. lol. their expressions are priceless! best if there is one who didnt make it then you have 2 different expression.

1. the "scared" face - so scared i will get caught by the doors
2. the "tu-lan" face - for missing the train

evening met up with my red cross friends at iluma (where i sighted david archuleta). was great catching up with my friends. went over to esplanade to watch fire works and cam-whore.

spent my sunday to settle some admin stuff. went to IMM giant to buy the 99 bucks 320gb seagate hard disk. quite a good steal, the external hard disk is pretty sleek. then to chevron, wanted to get the new uniform but not out yet so in the end i got an army bag to put my gym stuff. then i went to Lot 1 to get xbox games and a radio-cum-ipod player for my office.

as usual, refused to pay my overdue phone bills that came up to 950 bucks. in the end, got a pre-paid card to last me till my pay day which is this week! thur and fri on course - my life couldnt get any better.

tml is a big war and much fire to fight. hope i survive. training for ahm soon!

..:: 668. Feeling Good ::..

the version by adam lambert just kept spinning while i work in the office. if only i could blast the music lol.

work is strangely fun and enjoyable. though i have been OT-ing. had 2 days of "freedom" cos my boss was on leave and on course. busy answering questions from some major.

lunch can be a powerful networking tool. just sit with the senior officers and listen to them talk, u can learn quite a lot. learn who to "look out" for, how to survive office politics, how i should handle difficult situation or what to do to get things done. very interesting.

sad. this year no mid-year payment. economy bad, govt decides not to give $. gotta wait out till year end, hopefully. managed to claim my india air ticket. now settling my transcript so i can get my emplacement faster and get more $.

finally got my perm staff pass and issued free uniforms and accessories. dunno why i get excited over such stuff. just that sense of belonging and ownership perk me up.

weekends playing xbox with the new 42" tv. just got my emporio armani specs!

..:: 667. U Know U Miss India When... ::..

k. decided to do away with the "friends" kind of label cos its so cliche.

work has been hectic. left office around 8pm everyday but somehow i find myself loving it. quite surprised i am looking forward to work and i dont whine when i have to work late. anticipating my next task which is to settle scholarship matters, documenting the applications, scheduling them for interviews. i think the real joy comes from being able to help people in their career and development. i am also excited about the courses i get to attend in a few weeks time.

tml morning have to brief CO about my number-crunching task. my ma'am sort of pre-empt me about making a bad first impression by providing unreliable figures. *hint* check through thoroughly the numbers and the names. somehow i need to commit them to memory cos i got "grilled" to know the details of the serviceman by my fingertips.

the missing-india feeling is still there and i know it especially when i

1. still convert stuff to rupees and lament about how expensive things are
2. never seem to find ginger milk tea to be able to match up taste of chai, not even talking about the price (5 rupees)
3. spent my weekend watching dvds i bought in india
4. glance at mens health and think of 100 rupess (3 dollars) version in india
5. find myself having the urge to talk to indian people and miss the ultra fast talking speed
6. want to say "joo-lay" but no one understands
7. long to watch cricket match
8. zoom into news about india - like in the straits times, mountain journey of faith. a hindu pilgrim beginning his journey from baltal base camp to srinagar's amarnath cave shrine in kashmir for the annual pilgrimage... its in the guidebook! lol

lastly
9. constantly check for tickets to go india. anywhere in india!

..:: 666. The One With Still India ::..

14. i miss throwing things aka littering. i bought some otahs on the way home and so tempted to just throw in the bushes. i think i am really singaporeanised. even in india, littering seems uncomfortable. we could eat something and contemplate throwing out from the train. even the locals encouraged us to throw.

'there is no bin you know' was what they said.

dunno is it taxi drivers going through courses or what, they become strangely friendly and talkative. so far, i have taken 3 cabs since i came back and all the drivers loved to chat and talk non-stop. i needed that power nap but they just kept talking. perhaps i should stop telling them i went india cos that would usually spark the conversation.

crazily went to meet yash and ky for dinner at LITTLE INDIA. just when i swore not to touch indian food, the crazy gang decided to eat indian food and drink chai. really cannot compare to real india-indian food. the fish tasted like it has swum from india, so tough.

over dinner we decided unofficially to go kerala during the coming chinese new year. as usual, we love to just-say. maybe i should really book and the envy might just kick in and people will start booking. :P

going for wopc (warrant officer promotion ceremony) soon. so excited, hopefully next year i can be the secretary, sure lots to learn. loving my department, my immediate boss just a cute female boss, and the CO such fatherly figure.

..:: 665. The One With Incredible India ::..

shall backtrack some of my entries. touched down this morning at 7am and had a mad rush to go to work. got briefing by my boss which took 6 hours and everyone was "congratulating" me on my new post being "challenging". ya i get the hint. in charge of careers of few thousand men and women is no joke. at least i can take pride in managing careers of others.

left office at around 7 plus and i was so freaking tired that i had to take a cab back. morning: airport to home to work cost me 54 dollars and back home it was 15 dollars. i seriously miss the 1 dollar auto rides in india...

at home out of a sudden, i dunno why, there was a surge of emotions. flashbacks of what i will be doing if i were still in india, the nice people that i have met just resurfaced. i cried. yes, i also cannot believe. i guess the girls probably cried or teared at some point during the trip, but mine though was a little late but still noteworthy. i didnt cry when i came back from my 6 mth trip to china but a month in india was enough to garner that much tears. i guess i was forced to move out of my comfort zone, explored and had really low expectation (initial reluctance to go india), but ended up being surprised by the culture and its people.

another testament that i heart india is that i rather spend some time blogging my best moments in india than to sleep though i am freaking tired.

things i would miss in india:

1. hagging over price for auto - ultimate fun to see them calling you back or laughing at us when we quote ridiculous price. usually i just laughed with them.

2. 55rs (S$1.50) all-you-can-eat thali. enuff said.

3. 20rs (less than S$1) for 1kg of mangoes. the satisfaction you get from peeling the mango and eating it without cutting is priceless.

4. hoping into clubs in goa for free. party all night, having dj knowing our fave pokerface song. staying just 50m away from the club and 200m away from the beach is just pure heaven.

5. bumping into real hardcore backpackers and hearing their stories. overland trips that lasted few years. those were the people that made me feel like travelling full-time. haiz. also made me realise my ideal partner must love travelling. there is just so much to learn from...

6. my nepalese german baker. shant reveal too much details but i wake up early every morning for this. i meant the pastries.

7. staying in the temple at amritsar. communal eating and just basking in the shining golden temple. watching people so religiously and faithfully praying... their devotion is just a sight to behold.

8. guessing whether the couple is from an arranged or love marriage. met 2 completely different couples. one where the wife loves travelling, even while her station has reached, she was still looking at the pics i took while the husband was nonchalant, completely not interested in travelling.

the other couple who completely took us by surprise when they offered to let us stay over at their place. we didnt look friendly to each other until that mango juice spilled. their hospitality really touched me. the couple with a 5.5 mth son was in delhi for 6 mths before we met them on the train back to bangalore. the couple cleaned the house, made two nice beds for us. the husband even went to buy lunch for us, later groceries to cook dinner and when they knew we have supper in singapore, they made another meal around 9pm. their son was so endearing that i didnt know i could make so much funny noises to entertain the child.

9. naturally be meeting nice people. they were probably the ones that made me cry too. i felt so at home and the bed, it was one of my best sleep. i think what moved me was also their love story which i thought you could only see it in their bollywood movies. girl being older and of lower caste system, parents wanted to arrange marriage for her and told the guy that she was dating. the guy confessed his love and proposed. married "illegally" for the first time before getting approval and understanding from their parents in the second formal wedding. now seeing them fight for their happiness and they truly are enjoying having each other and with their son, no amount of words can describe that feeling.

10. nice weather of manali and scenery from leh. waking up to see the himalayan range, what more can you ask. walking around the neighbourhood, greeting strangers "joo-lay", everyone seems so friendly, even yash could hitchhike without problems.

11. good looking people at srinagar though jammu and kashmir got NO freaking phone reception due to security. guys were more rowdy but they were rare species of good lookers compared to the places we have seen. even yash was drooling and checking guys out. :P staying in a houseboat was fun though the toilet was a bit creepy. having birds watch you bathe, shit and pee just made me feel that the birds make pretty bad audience chirping away while i shit.

12. the AC train rides. should have taken more of those but definitely less of their on-the-board meals. we laughed our heads off everytime they serve main courses - egg briyani, veg briyani, veg thali. always the same thing for lunch and dinner x 2 days. people in our cable understood why we laughed but the poor waiter might be thinking we were laughing at his accent.

13. funny encounters. things you can carry with your heads. so you think you can squeeze (in a vehicle). funny pronounciation.

where is the payphone?
oh ma'am. tart floor.

tart? or so we thought.

third floor.

..:: 664. The One With O Leh ::..

22hr jeep ride to leh was no joke. left manali at 2am and reached leh at 1230am. the ride was sick, literally. didnt realise we travelled on one of the highest pass in the world. couldnt acclimatise, suffered from mild acute mountain sickness (AMS).

but it was all worth it when we were here. everywhere u could see the himalayan range. we were on a shared jeep, each person 1500rs cos the mini bus no vacancy and state buses not in operation yet. was in the jeep with a french lady, a belgium and a czech guy and 4 other indian nationals.

reached leh at 1230am, autos were nowhere to be found. had to approach a tout who brought us to a nearby hotel at old fort road. managed to bargain for 250rs for a double room.

stayed in hotel mayflower for the first night cos not enough rooms at hotel t-suru. finally met our first singaporean couple who happened to be jaron's salsa partners at jitterbugs.

together we booked a jeep (1550rs each) to nubra valley which was awesome. went through the highest motorable pass in the world and started snowing. i think the diskit monastery was the best out of the diskit-hunder-sumor-panamik trail. hunder was like a desert but much cooler. sumor cant remember lol. panamik is a miserable hot spring. hotel snow palace at hunder was a killer, except for the hot pink room, the dinner (all-you-can-eat) was 200rs which of cos i cant eat much cos its spicy and boring. breakfast - toast and egg was 100rs. insane.

seems like yash had a great time alone in leh lol. oriental guesthouse is the place to be. great view, incredible breakfast (omelet, cheese rosti), lcd plasma tv, 22 inch samsung lcd for internet and a library with lots of books...

sadly the rafting pass not opened yet :(

took a state bus to srinagar. so much better. and it only cost 500rs.

..:: 663. The One With Manali ::..

ha. forget about waking up at 4am to watch sunrise. left the temple at around 1pm and donated about 150rs. thinking we could catch the bus to dharamsala at 3pm (which was what the ticketing officer told us last night), the bus to dharamsala was actually 12pm. as usual, we were not surprised by the "anything is possible" in india which could well be their tourism tagline.

we could either transit at pathankot then take another bus there to dharamsala. alternatively, we could take a 12-hr ride to manali which was on the way up to leh. since dalai lama would be at dharamsala on sun and it was monday, i thought we could go up manali first then come down later.

230pm bus. i had to climb on top of the bus to secure our huge backpacks and a whole lot of butt abrasion, bumpy ride, ANOTHER puking woman, we finally reached manali at about 6am.

i was totally not prepared for the weather, freaking cold and i was in my singlet and berms lol. my face turned blue immediately, and lucky there was the pipping hot chai to keep my sanity. took an auto (which was rare in sight) to old manali.

found tourist nest guesthouse which had nice room and balcony for 400rs per night. wondered around and found a german bakery with a hot dude. after random conversations by yash, found that he was actually training to be a singapore gurkha but had insufficient money to pay to go to singapore. that explained his buff bod which i thought he got it from carrying sacks of flour since gymming isnt the kind of thing they do there. there were lots of people from nepal working here in summer and during winter, they would all flood to goa.

weather is so cooling, its like aircon 24/7. good thing there was tv in the room so we could catch some bbc news. visited the marketplace which was flooded with the locals. shopping spree as usual, bought shawls as gifts and another empty bag to store all the gifts.

going to book a mini bus to leh which cost 1500rs each. ouch. but considering the 300rs and the savings we got from the interstate-my-ass-in-a-bad-state bus ride to manali, it was alright i guess.

embrace myself for colder weather (thinks of barbarella chantel thomas) and rafting!!!

i miss my pastry...

..:: 662. The One With Amritsar ::..

kena cheated by the guidebook... lol. no straight train from chandigarh to amritsar. unlike what the book wrote, 1 hour by train. it is a lot faster to take the bus. in the end, we had to take an interstate bus first to jalandhar (about 2-3 hours, cost 85rs) then we took a transit bus which was surprisingly A/C (aircon) which took about 1.5-2 hours and reached around 1pm.

the bus ride was as usual exciting. when travelling in india, never sit near

1. the exit or window
2. any female/mother, especially those who look thin

cos they puke! the bus ride was so bumpy. jaron and i were sitting at the rear of the bus. when the lady approached the rear of the bus with "i-want-to-puke" face, i knew i was going to experience some drama. i tried to open the door but to no avail, then the bus conductor kept yelling in hindi (like hell i know what he meant) and left me frantically to look for other door switch. my friend just woke up in daze and another guy translated "open the window".

i looked at the gap, how can the lady reach the window without her puke landing on us? she was not in a state to move to the back seat with retractable window cos we had our luggage with us. she puked near the door in the end and the bus had to stop somewhere so that her husband could rinse away her "remains" using the water available at the street well.

then the bus conductor came up and blabbered hindi at me again. must be cursing this time, though i felt like hurling hokkien vulgarities at him since no one knew but i forgave him for his lack of common sense.

when we reached the sikh golden temple, it was "wow". we first checked into the supposedly free lodging for travellers that was within the temple. after the stay, we were supposed to give some donation in any amount. it was like a dormitory layout and the place was packed with backpackers who really travel full-time.

there was this russian guy who hitch rides all the way and has been travelling for three years and counting. yash was there to flaunt her malay with the russian who knew basic conversational malay. there was this chilean guy who is on his buddhism route and out for a few years as well. another swiss with his wife travelled overland using their bikes for 3 years too. such amazing people, impressive. as usual, awkward questions had to be endured (insiders would know :P).

the hunt for chicken king (a restaurant) failed miserably as expected. wanted to resort to hand gestures and body language to "charade" chicken king but thought they would not get it anyway. still not feeling well to eat our first meat since 1 week. loaded on oral rehydration salts and felt much better.

finally useful and friendly policeman came to our rescue as we were trying to bargain to get an auto to bring us to attari-wagah border (also know as the india-pakistan border) to see closing of the border. we were smart to get the auto at 250rs return without waiting charges.

basically we went there to sweat. the place had high security so no bags were allowed. the stadium was divided into male and female sectors. the female sector had room for movement while the male as usual was under packing order. if u are ever claustrophobic, india is not for you. guys love to put their hand on your shoulder, back as they move along. if u are seated down, most are clumsy enough to hit you with their knees, legs, whatever. quite a number of people trying to sell the ceremony dvd and not getting the hint that if we want to buy, we would have gotten it long ago. damn those houseflies.

ooo. the parade and ceremony were interesting. the footdrill that the indian soldiers do, not for the girls. such high kick, i thought they were doing gymnastic or ballet kicks. when the soldiers "face off", they looked like they were doing tap dance. damn funny. you can see them "act macho" march towards each other (india and pakistan soldiers), then suddenly raised their legs and did a little tap dance and shake hands. there was this compere who kept shouting

Bharat Mata Ki Jai! (Hail Mother India!),
Hindustan Zindabad! (Long Live India!), and
Vande Matram! (Hail to the Motherland!)

all the crowd got rowdy and started to shout and roar. before the ceremony, songs were played and you could see girls (including aunties) coming up to the area to dance. girls would carry the indian flag and run up and down like they were in olympics. jaron and i just stood there and sweat. oh no, and get pushed around.

since they loved to squeeze, i found myself some "drying agents". wiped my sweat whenever another guy tried to squeeze in front of me, since most of them surprisingly still wore long sleeves (more cloth to dry my sweat)

at night, we went back to take pictures of the golden temple. the sight is amazing... we could see people bathing in the holy pool, bodies of all shapes - gave the temple a different dimension. but the fun and interesting part was actually when we went to their dining hall for communal eating. the place was open 24hrs, serving dhal curry and chapati. it was nice seating with the rest eating. saw a cute little boy serving us water. after the meal, the temple volunteers signalled us to have some chai. inside the temple, we had to cover our heads and being guys, we were not used to covering our heads with cloth. the cloth kept coming off and we looked insane. yash was there giggling at us but found herself being giggled at by a weird man. HAHA. the guy sat beside her and had 3 big bowls of chai and still mesmerized by someone. maybe its me. lol. but i am sure i didnt look like a transgendered hijra (known as third gender, neither male nor female but mostly dressed as female). i goggled hijras and saw a picture of hijra holding a banana, lol. wth. you often see them doing their "rituals" on the train, known within us as the "claps claps", they expect you to tip them and rejecting them is bad luck. i chose to ignore them but the train is how big to "siam" them?

..:: 661. The One With Bikaner and Chandigarh ::..

took a 5hr bus from jaisalmer to bikaner (150rs), the horn was amazing. lol. recorded it as an alarm tone for my phone, another irritant for yash. hee hee.

realised the buses love to customise their horn sound.

had 2-3 hours to spare at bikaner while waiting for our train at 5pm. went to this rat temple which was like 30km, took an auto which cost 300rs. we forgot to ask about "waiting charges". lol but luckily he didnt charge more in the end.

the rat temple. gross. can see lots of rats sleeping and running around the temple. though if they run over your feet, you will have good luck but i praying hard i dont have one running across me. they dont look as cute as your tom and jerry kind. they were feeding on what looked like masala dosa or potato-like stuff, drinking milk. just the whole bunch lying at a corner made me queasy.

during the train ride, we experienced sand storm. the locals were looking at us weirdly as we were trying to take pictures and videos while they were hoping we could wind down the windows asap. lol.

chandigarh is so much like singapore! with road dividers! and traffic lights that people follow. potted plants and lampposts along the streets. less honking. so sad we have to leave quite fast.

oops. time up. gtg.

..:: 660. The One With Jaisalmer ::..

arghz. entry didnt manage to be published so now have to rewrite. hate rewriting entries, lost all the 'steam'

the very smart trio booked a 3D2N desert safari once we checked into the himalayan guesthouse. nothing cooling about the guesthouse, in fact all we could feel was hot air. quite amazed by their touting skills, a guy got to us even before we alighted from the bus. got us to his jeep and drove us straight to the guesthouse.

for 650rs per day, yash managed to negotiate 2 free nights for the price we pay. perks of being a girl. (in yash's defence, its the nego skills)

we were told that there are 3 other English girls and 2 Americans going with us. hur hur. and also 2 Swedish girls. in the end, they were non-existent, except for a very nice asian american guy, nic.

desert safari. freaking hot. camels apparently cannot walk during 12pm to 4pm. hence we had to sit under trees that did not provide much shelter. you cant sleep nor read so pretty much, we either listen to the guide's rags to riches story (how an american couple saved his life, gave money to him to buy 3 camels so he can become his own boss).

heat can do some serious brain damage. after catching a bad-rhyme hindi movie,

i wish you a good life.
i want you to be my wife.

we were entertained by some of the guide's rhyme.

camel college, full of knowledge.
no curry no hurry.
something lassi then varanasi.

we also had our own fun after visiting so many villages and most of them just had people running after us begging for money or items.

our little version:
no free chai (tea), no free lunch
i have a hunch
the next village, i would punch

but i suffered a mild heatstroke. needed oral rehydration tablets and stuff. lost appetite and felt feverish. sucky feeling. had nice rooftop chat with other tourists from france, holland, japan, hongkong. amazed how they can just quit their jobs and travel.

i am missing home already :(

..:: 659. The One With Udaipur ::..

travelling by train is definitely more enjoyable. i can see myself sleeping better on train than sleeping on the bus. reached udaipur early in the evening and managed to find soni paying guest house (tell me one that dont need to pay).

the room was so-so but the price was 200rs for a triple bed so it was worth it. but everything didnt matter as much as soon as we hit the roof. gosh, the lake palace looked amazing with the glittering lights... started to drizzle as we were up in another roof having dinner. the electricity was cut and the town was in darkness.

the daylight comes and it was weird to see the (dried up) lake palace. decided to be adventurous and rented a bicycle to find lunch - all-you-can-eat thali for 55rs. funny things happened. guy got beaten up for no reason. lol. our little secret.

took a 12hr bus ride to jaisalmer (transit at jodphur) which was 300rs for a non-AC seater. damn bloody noisy. people just loved to quarrel. then in the morning, there was this boy who puked and the "stuff" kena my leg! gross. there are windows HELLO...

there was this smart tout, who guided us where to go before the last stop. dunno how he managed to get onto the bus. we managed to bargain to get a 650rs x 3 days for a 3D2N desert safari and 2 nights free at the guest house. =)

going with an asian guy from US, chatted at the rooftop with a Hongkie as well as a Japanese couple.

weather is damn freaking hot!!! 43 degrees or more. could feel my toes burning. hope tml camel rides would be fun. and the night wont be too cold.

..:: 658. The One With Aurangabad ::..

wah didnt know results out so fast! scrolling carefully one by one to see my grades. but was pleasantly surprised. got what i had expected so i was pretty much excited and happy. finally graduated. got A+ for hr metrics. unexpected but it pays off to be active in class i guess. thought my quiz was a goner but luckily everything turned out well.

had the best last sem but was also one of the most dramatic ones. worked with people whom i were eager to do project with but in the process, we might have disappointed each other in some ways but that is the learning process like what everyone says. i also have learnt: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. handling conflicts with friends requires ultimate tact since it will come around to bite your a** and also to prevent future awkward moments.

it just feels weird to know a person who doesnt like you. whether you should pretend the person does not exist, or continue to be friendly knowing the person dont really care.

anyway back to happy moments. all my alone journeys are quiet exciting. i left the hostel at 7pm to catch my bus to aurangabad at 8pm. the bus agent told me that it would take like 15 mins to reach the place to board the bus. as usual, the cab driver said he knew where to go and ard 730pm i got worried that we have not reached and decided to call the bus agent to tell the cab driver how to go to the boarding venue.

the cab driver didnt want to take my phone! wth.

in the end at 8pm, he managed to drop me at where i bought my ticket which was not the boarding venue. i was freaking pissed and had to pay the drive 250rs to not-my-destination.

luckily the bus agent was nice to ask me to take a seat to wait for the bus who will make a turn to his place. at 930pm, the bus never came. so i had to hop on to one random bus which brought me to another place for a connecting bus to aurangabad. totally different bus companies and i think they dont really care which bus u paid for.

in the end, all turned out well. i paid for a non-AC semi-sleeper and got an AC (aircon) sleeper bus. after all that trouble, i cant complain with that unexpected free upgrade.

as usual sleeping with a male stranger is nothing new. this time i had 2 different guys. but the "dolphin" bus (name of the bus) was really good, had good clean pillows and offered blankets. at about 5am, my bed mate alighted and another boarded. luckily i chatted with the second guy, cos he stayed near the hotel which i was supposed to meet yash and jaron. he brought me to his house for breakfast and his wife made great chai (tea). then he drove me to the hotel where i was so excited to see yash and jaron.

took a tuk tuk for 20rs to get to the government bus station for a bus to ellora caves. we decided to stop midway to explore the daulatabad fort which was like a freaking great wall of china. climbed thousands of steps and my legs almost gave way from the so-long-never-exercise period.

we then hitch a "car-pool" ride which squeezed 8 people in one cab to head to ellora caves. each person only 15rs. second day we visited ajanta caves which had more paintings and like ellora, after a while, the caves looked similar. we just gulped down tons of water...

most hotels in india have this 24-hour checkout system. doesnt mean you can check out anytime :P it meant you have to check out 24 hours after you checked in. and need to ask whether there is electricity the whole day. some places i stayed in, they switched off the electricity at certain times of the day. without fans in the freaking hot weather, we couldnt sleep on the second day when the fans went off at 5am!

our next destination: udaipur to see the lake palace. woo! going there is difficult.

we took a bus to jalgaon which cost 40rs and took about 1.5 hr. took a tuk tuk to the railway station (10rs) to find that there is no direct train. but there are a lot of bus agencies so we found "Hamsafar" which helped us booked a bus to Indore (300rs, non-AC sleeper, depart 9.15pm, arrive 5am; 7+ hours) and then train to Udaipur (410rs, non-AC sleeper, depart 8am, arrive 7.15pm; 11+ hours)

looking forward to my first inter-state train experience.

so sad, adam lambert didnt win american idol but will definitely support him. his live performances are so much better and engaging than kris's.

..:: 657. The One With The Heat ::..

i think the heat is making me sick. been drinking lots of water but the air is still so hot and humid. breathing was difficult especially when i was on the train.

caught the bollywood show which i couldnt understand what they were saying but roughly knew the plot. surprisingly dont have the mass-group dance that i used to see. cos the movie was in hindi, everyone was looking at me, thinking why is this guy watching a hindi film lol...

the salvation army hostel was alright... with breakfast, each night is about 200rs. today visited the mahalaxmi dhobi ghat (sounds like singapore's dhoby ghaut)... it is a place where people do mass laundry. saw a lot of people beating the dirt and washing and drying the clothes. my very own underwear could be there since i have sent some clothes for laundry. and i saw a small hole from my mr quiet shirt :( probably from the previous wash...

went to chowpatty beach which was nowhere near the standard of goa beaches. its like family gathering. so crowded even on weekday 4pm. got lots of stalls and i finally tried the paan which was a leaf wrapped in many stuff (paste, mints, cherries, desiccated coconut...

took a bus and enjoyed the sights... rush hour everyone heading home. i am preparing to load an album entitled "things you can carry with your head" lol... u will be amazed... my first attempt to jump up the bus failed :( the bus went too fast and there was an old man in front of me and i didnt have a free hand to grab. waited for more than 30 mins for a bus... took shots of people jumping up and down the bus. damn cool. u can practically alight anywhere... when the bus stops at the traffic junction, you can just jump lol.

..:: 656. The One With Mumbai Day 4 ::..

wanted to go to the "crossroads" which according to the lonely planet guidebook, it is the biggest shopping mall in mumbai. when i started to make my way there from mumbai central station, a shopkeeper told me it was closed for renovation :(

went to a nearby city central mall, boring like hell lol. cannot even fight my house's compass point or even bukit panjang plaza despite having like 4-5 floors. went to their electrical store "croma" which is like our harvey norman, courts, etc. bought a headphone from sennheiser. damn solid sound and bass. loving it.

my fren was driving me around and happened to chance upon this bollywood filming... so many people standing around and of course i wouldnt have known who were the actors/actresses.

my first day there, they were actually counting the votes for the election so once in a while you hear announcement from the loudspeakers informing the public the parties and their vote count. interestingly, everyone who voted had an ink marked on their left middle finger. this is done so that they could only vote once, the ink would last a week. i guess its just too many people to have proper documentation...

in the evening, my fren brought me to this members-only royal bombay yatch club... so atas.

i also went to catch doomsday. gosh the cinema experience was truly incredible india...

1. before the start of the movie, i had to rise for the national anthem O_O
2. half way through the movie, there was an intermission. ??? the lights suddenly went on and i thought what happened.

but the good thing is that the seats, they have this roller so you can slide and make your seat incline. damn cool. =)

doomsday just full of blood and gore. head and limbs being cut off, bodies run over by vehicles. at some point, i thought i was watching fast and furious with all the car racing and heads flying around.

one more day left and i must go the the chowpatty beach and try their desserts and snacks!

..:: 655. The One With Exciting Mumbai ::..

gosh, must share with u all the scary "excitement' i got...

i boarded the bus fully AC (aircon), expecting to find my inclined seater that i paid 800rs for. instead i saw rows of beds and when i saw an indian man on the bed i was supposed to be on, i was a little puzzled.

my ticket showed 12A and when i looked at the wall, it was labelled 12A, 12B. i thought 12B was the bed below cos i knew mine was the upper deck. when i bent and saw the label below, i was stunned. 11A and 11B.

worse, upper deck had little room for movement and it was like a freaking single bed for 2 guys! sian 1/2. the person bluffed me!

but the good thing was the bus was not full, so the guy moved to other bed, but that was not before he almost dozed off and breathed down my neck literally!

that was not the scariest part, i kept asking the bus conductor where i could drop cos i wanna drop at colaba. they didnt answer me, just uttered some hindi words which i cant find in my map. then i was sitting at the lower deck looking at the signboard... there was this couple who was going to alight so i asked them how much longer would it take to reach colaba, they told me another hindi "station name"... then the bus moved and made a turn, after some distance the bus conductor walked towards me and asked me to alight. Then i told him i got a luggage at the storage compartment which i needed to get down to take my luggage. he gave me the confused face and hurried me to go down. then he ran back to where the couple dropped and only then i realised he had actually left my bag there... i regretted then not to put my luggage up but i wasnt allowed cos no space...

i lost him half way as he ran. i looked confused in the sea of people. luckily i went straight out to the street and saw the couple. they were on the phone apparently trying to call the bus company cos they saw my bag. phew. they also shared a cab with me and told me it only took 40rs to reach my destination. never felt so relieved...

but once i alighted, i was swarmed by so many people trying to recommend me hotel and gain commission. so hard to ditch them. frustrated with that heavy load... and hotels in mumbai are so expensive. managed to find a real cheap 450rs per night. the rest were all 600 and above and its NON-AC :( the room standard i saw was like in bangalore kind just slightly better.

buildings in mumbai are damn nice, esp the taj mahal palace. walked and explored colaba, fort and churchgate area. my first experience of jumping off the train, it was so fun. also standing at the edge of the door-less train was exciting. sipped high tea and had great sandwiches and chocolate truffle recommended by lonely planet.

tml chowpatty beach and mumbai biggest shopping center!

..:: 654. The One With Goa ::..

finally caught american idol top 3 and america's next top model finale. gosh. surprise kris garnered more votes than danny... but kris really more original in his version of "heartless" and many of his songs. i hope adam is the one who trumps with one million more votes... excited about next week. hopefully the internet and computer are good enough...

really amazed by allison, she has the look that can go international. teyona :( dun look sweet in person, only does well in photos. lovin allison's walk in the runway, surprisingly great. but as expected cycle 3, 6, 9 and now 12 they have a black to win. so coincidental.

spent almost a week in goa now. been great. super relaxed. sun sea and the beaches. chilling out on the deck and ordering food and drinks while reading. visited calangute beach, then to baga beach and also anjuna beach and the flea market.

it's really good to talk to the local people and often we got free rides to wherever we wanted to go. i guess i was lucky travelling with a girl. every corner, guys with bikes will stop and ask whether she needs a lift. well lucky me. bikini on the beach sure draws lots of attention. felt like trying parasailing but havent got the chance.

partied 4 straight nights in a row. free entry, just popping cheap drinks... beers like kingfisher their local brand...

rented a bike for 300rs for 2 days and rode illegally. scary experience with heavy traffic and they all drove really fast... currently staying at marlin guest house which was so comfy and 5 mins away from all the clubs and nowhere near noisy dogs.

heading to mumbai this friday night, hopefully it will be as fun. overspent on shopping for gifts :(

..:: 653. The One With Kushalnagar-Mangalore ::..

took a bus from mysore to kushalnagar. decided to go there over breakfast lol. made a call and this helpful guy said we could go there without a permit though the guidebook said it was needed. cost about 75rs.

the area is the closest feel to tibet, very peaceful and serene. very different from the india we have seen so far. of course there is a chinese feel to it but they cant speak chinese at all, english was quite limited only those stall owners knew. we stayed at this great hotel (finally not hostel), with hot showers... at night when we slept, it was so peaceful, even though there were chanting and prayers early in the morning, we could still sleep till late morning.

in the day, we walked around the neighbourhood, explored their schools (secondary and university), temples. looked so grand. ky was on a monk hunk hunt where we stood outside our hotel which was a cross-junction between the schools and the prayer area. took pictures with both cute little monks as well as ky fave "hunks" who do not look like monks at all.

very cleansing meals cos its vegetarian and whole lot of rice and noodles.

decided to go to Mangalore as a pit stop before we head to Goa. initially wanted to go Gokarna but the only bus takes 8 hours and will reach there at 9pm :( not a good timing. and ky hurt her back from the bus ride to Mangalore which was so bumpy all the way.

while she rested at the hostel, i roamed about. went to this kadri temple which the guidebook recommended... there was this holy pool where mostly guys swimming in it. took some photos as they looked excitedly at my camera. took pics of the 1000 year old bronze statue. decided to sit near the entrance of the temple and observed how people enter/exit and pray.

when they go in, they would touch the step and then their chest(heart), as they come out, they would exit sideways then face the deity to avoid showing their back. touch the step again and chest.

was reading my guidebook where the kids from the holy pool recognized me and became excited with the guidebook again. there was this indian guy who approached me and asked me where i wanted to visit. he said he could show me around on his motorbike since he was staying near the places i wanted to go.

coolness. so i daringly went with him. took video and pics along the way. he pointed out to me the famous ice-cream shop near the bus interchange! he brought me to see the sultan's battery where i could take a boat ride to the opposite island. he shared with me how to get there, by bus 16 and an auto-rickshaw would cost about 40 rs. i thought he was "informing" me of the tips/charges i had to pay.

then he brought me to this gorgeous temple which was not in the guidebook. the buildings all glittered in gold. he showed me around and taught me what angles i should take my pictures. amazing. he also brought me into the temple and introduced the different gods they have and the custom they follow while praying. very interesting! then we met random people and i was also shown around the marriage halls that they have. nice... and it was marble-flooring.

at the end, it was around 8pm and i gotta head back before ky starved. lol. wanted to pay him some money but he declined politely. i was amazed. tried to stuff in his pocket but he returned to me and said he just wanted to show me around and hope i had fun. 0_0... such nice people...

now waiting for the sleeper coach to go GOA... excited about the beaches, another scenery different from what we have seen. and i can get to do some shopping!

..:: 652. The One With AI ::..

gosh. rock and roll week is totally made for allison and adam. they were great together. caught their duet on youtube, nice!!!

adam's solo as usual pawns everybody else.

..:: 651. The One With Bangalore-Mysore ::..

now in mysore, some internet shop, freaking hot. missing yesterday's weather already...

lunch was great. we had been trying to get to MG Road but to no avail. chanced upon this indian hunk who guided us to the internet shop yest. after surfing, we went back to the shop to have lunch. had fried fish and rice (a lot of rice but very nice)100rs + 20rs ... tried masala cola (20rs)which tasted better than ky's masala soda. lol.

then again lots of walking from the shop past KG road before we decided to hop on the bus (5rs) to MG road. when we reached there, we happened to see the tourism office at church street so we went to check out where else we could go. MG road good for shopping, is like orchard road and a few pubs and stuff. 15 mins walk you can reach commercial street selling more pasar malam kind of stuff. tried some fruit that tasted like coconut, 10rs for 4 pieces pics to be up on facebook hopefully.

we also had macdonald's coke float 25rs. we went to have dinner at nearby restaurant which was empty, maybe dinner at 7 plus is still early for them. had tandoori chicken (80rs) yummy. then decided to try smoking shisha (200rs)... went over to Le Rock, a rock pub and had Fosters. (120rs)

we tried to bargain for auto-rickshaw to bring us back to our hostel since its night time. 4km, we got 70rs for a ride, which i thought can still be a little cheaper but it was below our reservation price of 100rs, we were happy. our area, chickpet, unlike the street name, no "chicks" - all men.

left our hostel early at 9 and reach the bus station ard 930 to catch a bus to mysore. they should rename the place as my(butt)sore. sat for more than 3 hours of bus ride. tried for the youth hostel which was dirt cheap 45rs per night but its 4km away from the city centre. 100rs for the auto-rickshaw which made me wonder if it would be better if we pay more to stay in the city area at least transport would be easier.

there is a festival going on at 4pm. now waiting to check into the hostel... more updates soon...