would you have thought of this?

creative right?

I always enjoy a creative ad. =D Thanks to yanlin for sharing the video with me.

It makes my sick day at home feels better.
I went to bed last night with a heavy head and a SORE LUMP in my throat.
I woke up feeling the same.
and the SORE LUMP turned into yellow gooey sticky phelgm. DISGUSTING, I know.

and now's really not a good time to take MC, but I really couldn't lift my body out of the bed.

really need time to sleep and just relax and recover by today.

have got exciting plans for the weekend~

Taj Mahal

WHEE! yes... I'm backdating my entries AGAIN. As time passes, it gets harder and harder and get back the same feeling, but I shall try.... at least late than never.

So, since i'm at this picture, I shall start with the magnificent Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. Remember I said I wanted to visit all seven wonders of the world in my lifetime? well, that's one checked off the list. = )


It's really B E A U T I F U L. Every little thing is so detailed, crafted to the finest perfection. It's amazing Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Indian and Islamic architecture. Every bit of the marble and the carvings (see bottom left pic) are done by HAND.


I was told by my guide that I'm sitting where Princess Diana sat before, but when I searched for Princess Diana's pic at the Taj Mahal... it doesn't look like the same marble bench leh.




In any case, I did feel like a Princess Diana then, since Mr Goh wasn't with me when I visited this masterpiece built for love, just like Prince Charles wasn't with Diana when she visited. I think the Taj is made even more beautiful by the love story behind it; and how the locals have been so proud of it everytime they speak of it.

-Round and about the Taj-


See how the Taj changes colour (Right column pics). Rinku (my guide) told me this is the 'magic' of the Taj. The taj changes colour with light. At night, if the lighting is good, the Taj will look like it's sparkling, with jewels. Ahhhh... that's magic... And that's the picture of the Yamuna river. Across the river, there's supposed to be a black taj, for the emperor himself, but he did not live to finish building it and his son felt it was too extravagant.... if not, everything about the Taj would be symmetrical. Perfect. I guess it's good that the emperor's tomb is placed next to his wife? at least they're close to each other....

You cannot wear shoes in the Taj, so that's sth to wrap around my feet. And that's me trying to look regal and imagining myself as the empress reincarnate, and that's my guide.


-Taj marble at sunrise, sunset and night-

I bought a Taj marble table top back too... heavy and expensive ah! Here's the marble shop person explaining the different precious and semiprecious gemstones on the marble slabs...


If I ever go back to Agra again, I'd visit the Taj at night... where the magic begins.

Dhoom Machale!

my favourite song while I was in Delhi last year! Bollywood is boom boom boom! Since when did they learn to dance like that?!?

Driving & Traffic in Delhi

En route to Jama Masjid- Delhi traffic



Caught in jam along Delhi-Harayana-Agra Highway



driving outside Agra Fort



like the music?

anyway, to continue where Khan left off, he said

‘People just like to horn. I have 8 different horns in this car. Sometimes police, sometimes ambulance, sometimes bus. To bluff people. To get them to give way to me. And you know, when driving in Delhi, what are the three GOOD things you must have?’

I shrugged and he said,

GOOD brakes, GOOD horns and
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
GOOD luck.

I so totally agree. They have signs like this at the back of EVERY vehicle. some designs are actually quite pretty.

how not to HORN like that??

I had a short driving experience in Delhi too. I drive car without license. ha ha. at night la. ha ha. ok, basically i was just controlling the steering wheel, going at a speed of 30-40km/hr. fwah, tell you hor, they drive without side mirrors one leh (see above horn picture). NO side mirrors.

but still, i controlled the steering wheel leh! steer wrong direction hit the cow/bull



or the horse


or the people,



then HOW?!

Dinner with Khan

I had the most wonderful dinner with Khan tonight (061202). I’ve been trying to get him to dine with me since he started driving me around for the week. His quiet sense of humour, his warm smile and his thoughts and dreams; all of these make him such a nice person to be with. It was very comfortable being around him.

He told me this Germany girl once asked him to marry her, but he didn’t agree cos it would mean leaving his family behind. Shaking his head, he said, ‘I cannot leave my family behind. If she wants to be with me, she has to stay in India with me.’ Being the sole bread winner, he simply cannot do that. And of course, he was not in love with the German girl. Now he’s a married man, the girl still makes her trips to India to find Khan. I can tell he is very much in love with his wife and they have an adorable son – Fardeen, meaning ‘Son of God’. So I said to him, which means you’re god! He laughed.

He told me of his dreams…. Of sending his son to school, buying his own car so he can drive his wife and family around. Bring his wife to see the Taj Mahal every now and then, cos the Taj is the ultimate symbol of love. He wants to start his own business. He will need 200,000 Rs to start one. 45,000 Rs to get a car. And dunno how much to send his son to school. He only earns Rs 3,000 a month, basic salary. The extra money he gets from tips from tourists and he saves every bit of it. For a better life, a brighter future. Those are his dreams.

He loves music. He enjoys singing but he doesn’t turn on the radio in the car because he thought I would be disturbed by Indian music. I should have told him I really enjoyed Bollywood stuff earlier! He learnt how to play the harmonica by himself. At the dining place tonight, there were some people playing the Indian drums and zither and Khan was strumming his fingers away on the table. ‘I feel the music in my head, and my fingers will just start moving.’

He is extremely conscientious and hardworking. He used to be a car mechanic until he became a driver for Manzoor’s tour agency six years ago. When he left the car place, he was jobless for 3 months. No one else in his family works. His father does not like women to find jobs. He is paying for his sibling’s education. Until he met Manzoor…. During the six years as a driver, he learnt how to speak English by himself, learning from the tourists. He reads grammar phrases books. He practices writing the alphabets when he’s waiting for me. He’s learning other languages now. He learnt how to use the computer and the Intenet… all by himself.

He says he is dieting, whenever I asked him if he’s hungry or not. But he is not fat. Just have a slight paunch. And he runs around the park in front of his house every morning.

He likes to laugh and joke. This afternoon, when I asked him if different horns (length of horn-ing, number of times, etc) meant different signals. He laughed and said no and went on to do multiple horns.

More about driving and traffic in India later.

Here’s a picture of my dear friend, Khan.

Thai vs Indian humour

I'm damn bored at work.... can u imagine working on a sunday??

and it doesn't help that the roadshow downstairs is blasting all kinds of hip hop music.

25-11-06 New Delhi

It took me one hour plus to pass the customs (see photo of long queue from previous entry). People were queueing until there was no space to queue anymore and had to stand on the staircase.

While I was queueing, there was this old lady, born in India but became Australian, who is going back to her home country after many many years. She doesn't look Indian though. maybe it's the white hair from the slightly tan skin. She was telling the people in the Q how the markets in Sydney had lotsa cheap stuff, something like a coat would cost 5 usd only. She bought lotsa stuff back for her family. too many bags for her to carry. she had to wear some of the clothes she bought for her sis. too many layers of clothes. good thing she's visiting during winter.

It was 16 degrees when I stepped outside the airport. For someone who is too scared of cold and who has never been to countries during winter, I shivered and gritted my teeth. My hair stands even when I’m in the office and that’s like 23 degrees?

Anyway, my hotel people came to pick me up from the airport. First time I see my name on hotel placard. First time to be surrounded by so many Indians. The roads were dark, hardly lit. The driver played Indian music. I tried to converse with them, but they don’t seem to want to talk.

Another Australian guy was with me in the car. His name is Quinn and he’s here for a trade exhibition. We talked, not very much, cos we were both tired…. He even more since he came from Sydney, transit in Singapore. Had the urge to ask if he’d like to explore New Delhi together with me the next day, but decided not to. I should be able to survive on my own. Hurhur.

TL told me I’d be overwhelmed the moment I cross the customs and I was indeed overwhelmed, in a good way. It’s a nice feeling, to be exploring somewhere on your own.

The adventure has begun.

Incredible India

I am in India!!!!!

See India, feel india, breathe india.

I AM JUST GOING TO BED!

It's 4.30am Singapore time!

I'm glad I didn't take the Sunday flight.

Terminal 2 is velly velly niceee! too tired to post pictures now....

Need to SLEEP!

just a shout out to show that I'm safe. ;)

It was night time by the time i reached delhi. too dark to see anything...

the weather's nice! 16 degrees!

I JUST FINISHED PACKING MY LUGGAGE!! AFTER A LONG AND GRUELLING 2.5 HOURS!!

even though i try my best to travel light each time... I ALWAYS end up filling up the whole luggage.

Before and After of Taiwan Aug 2006

11.5KG


18.0KG

And I was also carrying THREE hand luggages. ALL filled with Taiwan snacks. I had to leave the plane last; cos I had so much trouble getting all the bags from the compartment above.

I wonder what I can get from Delhi this time.

Time for bed!

I is/am welly the excited!!

Panicky Poh

Never trust online reservations, unless they send u a confirmation.

I called to check if the reservation i made for boss is confirmed... and the hotel person told me no such records!! and the hotel rooms are all fully booked! ok, PANIC.

So I quickly looked for alternative hotels to call and make reservations.... and these are all FULLY BOOKED as well!! even all the ATAS ones are fully booked! and they charge exorbitant prices! at least 400 SGD per night! why room rates in India so expensive arh??

Panic panic panic. must have called at least 10 hotels, only to find that there is no rooms available. One hotel actually said they have the presidential suite available if i want it. Of cos I would love to book that, but it's like 800 SGD per night?!?! Kill people put fire ah!!

Heng I finally managed to find one mid-range hotel.... called the hotel up, but the phone reception was damn bad. told me to email him and he will get back to me by tmr. I hope he does man... and i hope the hotel is not too dodgy.

after all this was done, it was already 930pm. haven't had dinner.....

and haven't even booked my own accomodation in delhi!!!!

I don't want to sleep on the streets!!

I'm leaving on sat late afternoon and I still haven't packed my luggage. Haven't settled my accomodation. Haven't set up all the interviews. Haven't got a new laptop for the office/ for me to bring to Delhi. Haven't planned my day trip to Taj Mahal.

Mr goh told me not to be so 'char char' but somebody has already pushed the panic button.