a India Rant and Raves: December 2006

India Rant and Raves

Globetrekker's life in India starting Oct 06 ... a first hand account ...

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Internet down for 8 days !

Since 9pm Local Time on 15Dec06, the internet in my hotel room has been down..... and OMG today is already 23Dec and 8 days without a proper internet connection is just.......... killing. There are services available but you know just not shiok 'cos it's not using my own laptop and not in the comfort of my room.............

Well hopefully it will be up soon......

Am now sitting in the lobby of another hotel using the wireless internet here....... :oP

posted by Globetrekker @ 9:42 AM 0 comments

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Strikes across India

Yeah, no need to work liao. Strike loh !

Yesterday say many parts of India having strikes, basically to protest against privatisation plans and to demand new labour laws.

Well I don't blame them, they are fighting for their own rights. They are campaigning against privatisation of state run companies and the move to allow foreign investment in banks. Well for a country to move forward this has to happen right ? Open up and all. Globalisation and all. But of course this leads to job losses in many areas, so well no one is happy to lose his/her job.

Was driving back from buying fireworks (now this is a totally different blog entry altogether) with my mates yesterday when we were held up in super duper heavy traffic across the bridge over the railway line (err, okay that's the only way I know to return home, if they ask me to go by another way, I wouldn't know too, ha ha) and ha ha, I got my camera with me. Not very prominent pics amidst the crowds but you get the idea lah.

Spot the opportunistic photographers on the rooftop ? D**m should have brought my 350D with me.

Err, maybe our Mr C*** S*** J*** should come here for some training ?

posted by Globetrekker @ 7:45 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Did you p*y the postman ?

The other day I was asking one of my colleagues of this perennial problem that I have, to have my mail sent from Singapore and to find, I mean to discover that some of them were missing, whether in whole or in portions. It's amazing man, some of my mail I know I would get did not come, some came within 10 days of posting from SIN, some a whole month later, another one came with the papers but not the significant contents which included a self inking stamp, d**m it. This is a harrowing experience, to have no stability even over the postage system !!

So yea I consulted my collegue how did he manage this ? Without a second thought, he just said "Did you p*y the postman ?"

Coming from a place like Singapore, seriously the one biggest thing I hate about this place is the c********n. Simple things like that also need to go "settle" yourself. Ok maybe I am pampered by Singapore's clean efficient system I admit.

Ok.................. better go and check how many rupees I have left to p*y to facilitate my mail to prevent my next Apprentice DVD coming in from ending up in some postman's son's house.

posted by Globetrekker @ 5:19 PM 2 comments

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

A can of cock please........

Ok I know this is crude........ but in part 3 of the series of inflight misuse of English (and the final instalment) I have to cover this !

------

Cabin Crew asks passenger "Sir what would you like to drink please ?"

Passenger "Yes can I have a can of cock please ?"

Cabin Crew "Sir you mean a can of coke ?" while trying to suppress her laughter.

------

The above 3 stories / jokes are not meant to cause malice nor against any particular religion, race or nationality and is meant to cause no harm. The airline mentioned is not implied... but.... aiyah, what the heck ? Those who know me know what airline I am talking about. Kan na sai.

I still have a carton of cock in my fridge though.

posted by Globetrekker @ 9:57 AM 1 comments

A wonderful birthday with lots of blessings

2831miles from Singapore but plenty of well wishes coming in thru msn, email, sms.

Thanks my friends.

I set up an "honour" list to those who remembered my birthday today 12 Dec 06. From Singapore unless otherwise stated.

1. Dad
2. Mum
3. my Bloodter (somewhere on the causeway)
4. my cousin Huilin
5. my auntie Adeline
6. Eugenia (Melbourne)
7. Yen Ping, Tan
8. Jacintha
9. Ying Huei
10. Hoong Goon
11. Yen Peng, Ang
12. Roger Koh
13. Wee Meng
14. Daryl
15. Sam
16. Yin Kiat
17. Limin
18. Ester
19. Wilson (London)
20. Elizabeth (Melbourne)
21. Shannon (Shanghai)
22. Larry
23. Lin Nah
24. Shawn (Brunei)
25. Justin
26. Anthony Khalsa (Amritsar)
27. Lakhanpal (Amritsar)
28. Varun (Amritsar)
29. Tushar (Amritsar)
30. Rishi (Amritsar)
31. Hardeep (Amritsar)
32. Vimal (Amritsar)
33. Rashmi (Amritsar)
34. Sunita (Amritsar)
35. Vikram (Amritsar)
36. Rajiv (Amritsar)
37. Shirlynn
38. Lawrence (US)
39. Linus
40. Cassandra (Brisbane)
41. YiHui
42. Maurice
43. Melvin
44. Richard
45. Ajit Mehra (Amritsar)
46. Linda
47. Emily
48. Murad (Uzbekistan)
49. Salil (Amsitsar)
50. Phobe (New Zealand)
51. Emily
52. Jamie (Mauritius)
53. ..........................

posted by Globetrekker @ 4:56 AM 2 comments

Monday, December 11, 2006

Sex after take off ?

"Sir would you like to have some drinks after take off ?" asked the cabin crew.

"Oh it's ok" the wife beside the man abruptly cut into the conversation between the cabin crew and the male passenger. "After drinks we've have some sex"

As the neurons raced in the cabin crew's mind as to what the heck she meant, she quickly corrected "oh sorry I meant after take off we'd like to have some snacks"

WAH HA HA !

PS : look at my pose (I mean post) on the earlier day to understand that we are in the topic of misconjured English.

posted by Globetrekker @ 9:34 PM 0 comments

Sunday, December 10, 2006

"I am chicken, she is maaaaaaa"

"Sir and Mdm, which lunch set would you like to have?"

"I am Chicken, she is errr, maaaaaaaaaaa"

Once again, the different use of the English language conjures up opportunities for laughter. This was a conversation overheard between the cabin crew and two Indian passengers male and female. ok, first better have a disclaimer, I don't claim to have the best English language use or want to criticise anything but just sharing this experience for laughter's sake, story ends here.

So yea, our 2 dear friends are clearly challenged in the English department, and it was really quite funny for someone to say "I am chicken, she is" and I think "lamb" was not in his dictionary yet, so........... affectionately he imitated the lamb sound.

I mean...... this is so cute. ha ha.

More fun incidents coming your way, stay tuned. :o)

PS : ok, now someone criticise my Hindi please. Ek Toe Tin Char Punch Chay Sat Art No Desk ?

posted by Globetrekker @ 6:49 PM 0 comments

Thursday, December 07, 2006

The foggy morning


ON Wed morning just before I left Amritsar for Singapore...... seriously I got a shock when I opened my door in the morning at 730am.


I mean, I was expecting fog at this time of the year, and people have been telling me the fog can be so bad that you can't see the vehicle in front of you, and in times can't see the person standing in front of you (leaves me to wonder "really"?)

But yes, it was still a shock to see that, I mean to realise that I can't see the normally 2 "malls" opposite the hotel where I stay. It was just .......... fog.

Now this is going to be perennial problem for me for the next 2 mths !


That's the carpark shrouded with the misty stuff.

And I was to realise that this thingy didn't clear till around 2pm everyday, when the sun came out strongly. Then when the sun sets at around 5pm, wah lah. Till next morning.

Anyone got an Infra Red goggles to spare ? MINDEF ? I need it for driving man.

posted by Globetrekker @ 9:26 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

I am Home !

ok, to write a post about not being India in an Indian blog, funny right.

But yea, 5 and half hours at 35000ft, about 4500km, enduring the searing humidity once again..... I am home. In Singapore, finally, ooh I see aerobridges, no power outages, good taxis, lifts.....

Short stay though, 4 days, in fact less than that, literally 82 hours and then back to lovely India.

Just enuf time to finish 1 x Char Kway Teow, 1 x Hokkien Mee, 1 x Kway Chap, 1 x Mee Goreng ....

Stay tuned.

posted by Globetrekker @ 11:31 AM 0 comments

Monday, December 04, 2006

Kulcha Land




This must be one of the food which is specific to Amritsar - Kulcha. You know what is "naan" right ? Kulcha is like naan but stuffed with fillings like potato etc. Makes it super delicious and certainly one of my favourite authentic Amritsari dishes.

Never seen in Singapore though, or should I be walking about more in little India ?

There's a nice quaint little store near the city office called "Kulcha-Land" woo. If you think along the likes of "Disneyland" then I'm quite sure you are waaaaaaaaaay off, but yeah the Kulcha there is nonetheless nice, only about INR15 each (in sharp contrast to the INR25 at the hotel).

Kulcha !

posted by Globetrekker @ 11:16 PM 0 comments