When I was in Singapore...

Wow! I didn't blog anything in September! But something is better than nothing (for a good thing).

Singapore - 9/16
This is the day I arrived in Singapore. My dad was in ICU (2nd day). When I came to see him, his eyes only opened for less than a second, then closed again. He must be sleepy. The ICU room was freezing. Even I chose to squad and cuddle. I was so glad he was moved to a regular room in the afternoon.

Singapore - 9/20
My dad has walked around the hospital, and the two doctors had given him permission to leave the hospital. My dad was so glad. He said the food was boring, and he couldn't sleep well at nights due to noise (and other things). This time he walked out of the hospital building to the house where we rented a room. There was a bit of high slope, so thumbs up for my dad to pass this road!

Singapore - 9/21
Today was the first time my dad took a full-body shower (including head & hair) after his surgery. He felt so fresh, he was very happy!

Singapore - 9/22
Today my dad could talk with louder (or fuller) voice. He still has coughs and sneezed a couple times throughout the day. We went to Sony store in Paragon before having dinner. He was interested in a "seemingly techie" touch phone, the Sony P1i. I consider it hard to use. There was a studio with a huge Bravia TV and sound system in it. He told me to not only pay attention to the TV, but also the audio: whether the bass was nice, the contrast, etc. I think I like them a lot.
He used the Tiger koyok (heating pad) on his shoulder before going to bed at night.

Singapore - 9/23
My dad was excited to go around. But I think he didn't want us (my mom and I) to get bored. So he asked where we wanted to go, and I suggested a bookstore. (What other place is safe to say to dad? :p) There were two bookstores: one is called Kinokuniya, located in Takashimaya shopping center just across the road, another is called Times in Centre Point shopping center. Since we have been to Takashimaya a couple times, I thought let's try Centre Point today. Bad, bad decision. It was far and my dad got tired even just to get there. There was no seat in the bookstore either so he sat outside. At the end of the trip, he was too exhausted, almost could not get enough breath to walk. :( I felt so bad!
The bookstore is rather small and does not have any Chinese book either, so my mom couldn't shop. That's disappointing!

When my uncle suk Nang was here, he saw a nice Elle Paris luggage in Lucky Plaza. He thought of buying it for my cousin, Aibing, but he didn't buy it at the end. My dad told me it's probably because his business didn't do well in general, and he'd try to save money. Now he had made all the efforts to come and helped my mom around my dad's surgery, so my dad is really thankful and wants to pay back his flight ticket. But my dad knows he wouldn't take it, so my dad told me to bargain for the luggage and buy it. So my mom and I went to the store today and tried to bargain. We almost would buy it if I wasn't mistaken for the price. I thought it was more expensive than the price my uncle got. So we sms-ed him. Later he replied that that particular luggage is an old model, so it is cheaper in Surabaya, especially due to the sales going on for Idul Fitri.

Anyways, because we were not satisfied with the first bookstore, my mom and I stopped by to the other bookstore, Kinokuniya. Oh my God! It was very huge. The floor map showed 10+ sections, labelled A, B, C, and so on. Each section is for Business, Management, Psychology, Arts, Literature, etc.. and there is even a section called War. There is a big collection of Chinese books, too. Great! Honestly, I think the Barnes and Noble, or Borders stores that I have ever been, were less than 50% in size and completeness of this store.
Long story short, the books I was interested in getting were..
- a book with collection of stories of children having various Autism and Asperger's Syndromes
- a book titled "Why Penguins' Feet Don't Freeze". It contains short (scientific) articles on everyday's happening that triggers our curiosity (like "Why we look for something around the same places over and over again")
- a book title "Odd Brain". It contains 50 stories/articles, each on different brain 'abnormalities', such as dual-personality. This one seems really fun to read. I hope I can get them in the US.

Singapore - 9/24
I don't remember anymore what we did today. During this last one week, what I did the most was buying my parents' food for lunch and dinner. My mom would be home paying attention to my dad, and I would go out, picked the restaurants, picked the menus, and brought the food home. At first I kept forgetting that my mom had cough and dry throat, so I wrongly bought spicy/tasty food. Then I remembered and bought more soups and vegetables. I wasn't too indecisive, I did it quickly everytime! :) My mom and dad liked the food, too! Yay. But next time, I need to do more than just buying food for them.

Singapore - 9/25
Today, I had to get my flight ticket. My parents started at about 9 am to meet the doctor, while I was on my way to get to Garuda Airline's office. I trusted myself and go to the bus stop to take bus 162. When I read the bus schedule again, I realized that bus going to my destination does not run during the day, but only in the evening! "I am screwed," I thought. I asked someone and she confirmed the same. So I decided to walk all the way back to get to the MRT station. In the middle of the way, I saw a bus numbered 162, so I said to myself, "Hey! It run during the day! Maybe it was an old schedule." I walked back to the bus station, and realized that I got it wrong. Bus 162 during the day goes to a different direction from the one that runs during the evening. "Ah!!" I certainly spent a lot of time just for finding a transportation.

I finally took MRT, which costs less than a dollar one-way. Pretty good. The Novena MRT station I was going to is only 2 stations away from Orchard, and the United building -- where Garuda Airline's office is located -- is just opposite road from the station, so I got there in no time. I finished my ticket buying business in five minutes and headed home. Easy!
Everything went well with my dad's, too. We were set to head home that night!

We needed to get my dad a wheelchair for going from the check-in counter to the gate (in Singapore), and going from the gate to outside (in Indonesia). I learned that this does not cost anything, and they would even escort the wheelchair if you want to. My dad seemed to enjoy sitting on it and being pushed around :). On arrival, the Garuda people were ready with the wheelchair right from the airplane's door. A lady pushed the wheelchair, and made us pass all counters without queueing! We had a privilege. There were only two small problems. There is supposed to be an incoming immigration card that was attached to the outgoing one. I lost mine in the US. The officer called me.. and I told him, "I was in a rush to come home so I left it in the US." He reminded me not to do that anymore, then let me go. The other problem was we had a bunch of medicine for my dad. The officer asked us to show the prescription. My mom had it somewhere but couldn't find it that time. Again he reminded us to have it available next time. He said, "If it's not me who checks next time, you might be in trouble." I guess because they might think we bring in illegal drugs for sale, or whatever. He let us go, too, without asking for a bribe :p. Thanks God, I was so worried.
My uncle suk Nang and my cousing Wejen were ready outside to take us home. I was very glad that they are there. Otherwise we had to take taxi. They care so much for us. Thank you!!

Is it global warming, or it's just Chicago?

Weather has been more and more unpredictable nowadays. I still remember my first Winter in the US. It didn't snow until end of December. In Spring, beginning of May, I had my final exams, and there was snow!

It was Thursday, August 23rd.

Today, it started with a bright, clear, and sunny day. My project team had a send-off lunch for a friend, who will be rolling-off the team end of this month. I came out the building happy, as it was warm outside :). I forgot my jacket today so I felt cold in the office.
Anyways, it was warm and the sun was playing outside. We walked for about 10 blocks (yeah, it was quite far) to Michigan and Ontario. We're going to California Pizza Kitchen, but ended up in Grand Luxe Cafe instead. Inside the building, it looked very similar to Cheesecake Factory. The menu was similar to that in Cheesecake Factory. The model and color of the plastic bag was similar to that in Cheesecake Factory. I was puzzled, but later I found out that both restaurants have the same owner. That explains why!
I had pasta fresco, which I like a lot because it's quite light: spiral pasta, olive oil, roasted eggplant, roasted tomato, etc. I ate only 1/3 portion of it and packed the rest home. A good deal!
Walked back, still bright and sunny. The heat my body generated after the long walk kept me warm until 2.30ish.

Around 3.15 pm, my friend walked towards the glass window, and said, "Oh, look at that!" I didn't realize what he meant, because all I saw was that it's foggy outside. People started to watch outside, too. Then I realized that it was not fog, but a heavy rain with strong winds. On the 26th floor, I could see nothing but.. smoke-looking air. It was a thunderSTORM. Now everybody looked outside the window. Five minutes later, the building alarm beeped. "Attention, attention. This is building security. There has been a tornado warning in the area. Stay away from the glass windows, glass doors, ..."
In another 10 minutes, Rainey came up from the 25th floor, asking everyone to move out to the elevator area, which is in the center part of the building. Ah, my pants have no pocket, so I decided to leave my cellphone there, and of course other things, too. A few people grabbed their bags and decided to go home. I don't know how they'd manage to get out of the building, though. But they were recommended not to take the elevator, so they took the stairs.
There were about 20 people there. Nobody seemed worried, so I was cool, too. I leaned on the wall, and I could hear creaking sounds from the wall. One guy said that it's the sound of the building moving. That's scary :D, but I don't feel it moving so it was okay :)
We wondered how long we had to stay there. Good thing in 20 minutes the alarm beeped again, and we could go back to our place. There was no more rain outside. The sky was still cloudy, but I could see the clean air.

My team had no more bug to work on that day, so I decided to leave home early. I took the 5.16 pm express train. Yes! Express!! I was hoping to get home by 5.49 pm, as the schedule suggested, but due to the rain and probably slicky track, the train moved slowly. Slow enough that I got off around 6.20 pm. I couldn't walk to home right away because it was raining quite hard, and I was cold with no jacket :\. I waited for almost half an hour then started walking. Ahh.. finally. I usually took Williams Ave, the road that's straight out from the station and to my neighborhood. But before I went far into Williams Ave, I saw a part of the road that was flooded, and the water was ankle-high. I wore high heels, so it's a no no. Alas, I decided to turn around back to Nw highway, then took Wilke Rd. It was a really long walk. I arrived home at 7:20 pm.

The next day, I realized that my leg muscles were a bit sore. I've worked out! :D

Hyderabad Trip (2nd Day)

I still remember Aloka's mom came into the room we slept in at 7 am that morning, calling us to get ready by 8 am to take a walk in a park. She said it's going to be great. We were so tired that we didn't want to wake up. I thought for a while.. and said, "Okay.. we'll wake up by then."
:D I kept getting back to my watch, but no one else woke up. 8.30.. 8.45.. 9.00.. ah, I guessed the plan had been cancelled.

The first thing we caught after getting ready is: breakfast!! We certainly woke up late that it was about time for lunch, too -- thus it's a brunch!
The place is called "Little Italy". It's a fine chain restaurant that serves buffet of western food every Sunday morning. A nice break of Indian food :p. I had everything that's custom-made: salad, crepes, pizza, and mongolian stir-fry. The food was delicious! and the price is comparable. This brunch costs 560 rupees (= US$ 14).

The day before we went sightseeing for the whole day. Today was time for shopping.
The first store we hit was Fab India. It was my first shopping in India, but not bad, I got a mini kurta for myself, which costs 560 rupees (about double that of other kurtas, because this one is nicer). It is pink/red in color, has some Indian patterns on it, and has golden linings. It does not have the neatest seamings, but I like it.
Then we went to a department store. I'm not sure what it's called, but it sells luxurious fabrics, rich in colors, patterns, and beads. Very georgeous. The store also sells Indian party dresses. One suit costs between 1000 to 5000 rupees. Even in US dollars they are very expensive.
By this time we were quite tired, but didn't mind to see more, so my friend took us to a craft exhibition. It was outdoor with lots of booths that sold shawls, clothes, clay crafts, other small hand crafts usually for gifts. One friend bought five shawls, for gifts :). Few others bought some shawls, too, but not me, not yet.

That's it! It's time to shower, pack up, and go back to Bangalore. For some reason we didn't go out for dinner, but only had mango. Then we rushed to the pick-up place.
The bus was crazily fast. I was shaken front, back, left, and right--all directions! It made me dizzy, plus I was hungry :'(. At least after 10 hours I arrived back in Bangalore on time to wash up and prepare for the 9 am training.

Ah.. couldn't wait for the day to end and to get rest that night

It's only the 4th day and I'm back to what I've been trying to avoid for 6 weeks

Six weeks ago, I had big big hopes.

Weeks to learn, weeks to change
Weeks to live on my own, weeks to feel that life
Weeks to care for myself, weeks to care for others
Weeks to feel free and happy
Weeks where people hate me because I do something wrong, then I learn
Weeks where people openly give me feedback, and so do I to them
Weeks where people motivate one another, and I am encouraged

I hoped to change... and for you to change, too
But it was six weeks ago

Now I learn
Nothing changed, nothing might ever change
Your live is still the same
Your perceptions are the same
Your words are the same
Live that makes me anxious, perceptions that look down upon me, words that hurt me

Yesterday was only the 4th day since I came back. I cried.
Today is the 5th. I cried.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It's a very tiring day. I had to wake up at 4.30 am to continue my reading before the training at 9 am. My stomach hurt, and I got a little diarrhea (don't know why). I strive to stay awake, as my eyes were a bit swollen and gosh.. it's only 4.30 am. I managed to get to the train station on time, but I was sleepy throughout the training. Lunch was provided and I was extremely hungry (due to cold office temp..), so I ate a lot (like those times in India). I left the office yawning every 2 minutes. "I'm going home and sleeping early," I repeated it to comfort myself. As soon as I got home, I smelled good food. You were cooking.
I felt full earlier, but my stomach felt weird at that moment, so I decided to eat something, but not as much as you had taken for me. Two eyes stared at me, as if warning me if I would reduce my food. The black cloud had come. I would have loved to run away, but there was no other place -- as always. Your words were like sword; your tone was its swiftness. Which reminds me.. you don't do this to your friends, ever. Well, hopefully not.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Is it a favor if I'm not around. Is it a favor if you win. Is it a favor when I cry and you laugh. Or Is it a favor if I were a doll, always happy and smiley, no effort to love and no care to be loved?
Maybe I should take the offer to work in India. Maybe it takes much longer than six weeks for anything to change; maybe.. or will it?

Maybe, I should just let go of my big big hopes.

Hyderabad Trip (June 29 - July 2)

It was 8 pm on Friday. We were on some road.. anxiously waiting for our bus to come. We've got our tickets in hand. We had no dinner, but I figured.. I was not hungry anyway. At around 8.40 pm, the bus came. It didn't look so bad.
It was six of us: Alicia, Aloka, Brian, Hexin, Samuel, and myself. I couldn't wait; in another 11 hours, we'd be in Hyderabad. I have planned to drink very little water throughout the night, so I wouldn't need to get down the bus for a restroom. It's not so bad, except the A/C in the bus was very cold, and the blanket was smelly, so my throat got dry.. :'(. But I slept quite well that night, thanks God.

It's 6 am then. I could see we're getting closer to the city.. but seemed like not yet reaching the city. I really needed to go to the restroom, ah. After another hour, the bus driver declared his final destination. Cool!

So why were we there?
For some people, they wanted to see another city in India; might as well since they're here. For me, yeah.. that, too; and I also wanted to visit my friend's mom in Hyderabad. Not sure how this would happen, but IF it happened, it happened.

The 1st Day: Saturday, June 30
My friend Aloka lives in Hyderabad, so we planned to stay in her house. We took two rikshaws to get from the bus station to her house. My first impression of Hyderabad was.. it's a hi-tech city, has wider and cleaner roads, and the roads are less crowded. Both rikshaws stopped on a small road junction. We then took a 500-meter walk to my friend's house.
Black steel gate, huge garden, tall trees.. and a simple-looking two-storey house with green colored outside wall. "Looks good so far," I told to myself.
Inside.. nice and clean marble tiles, curvy stairs, huge rooms with huge king-size bed in each, a wardrobe and a bathroom in each. Very nice, and very clean. The two ladies and myself stayed in a room. The two guys stayed in another room, while Aloka stayed with her grandma.

All of us took a shower and got ready for a brunch, yaaay, couldn't wait!! Aloka's mom had rented a van with a driver, for us to get around. That was convenient.
The place we had brunch was called Chutneys. We had different varieties of what I believe a common south-Indian breakfast: steamed dosa, uttappams, mango lassi, various chutneys, poori,.. yummy!! What did I have? uh.. I forget :p, but I loved it, yum yum!

Next, my friend took us to Charminar. It's a big tower in the middle of the city. Somebody told me that it's where muslim people are called for prayer. The admission cost is 5 Rupees for Indians, and 200 Rupees for foreigners. It's not very expensive, but I didn't go up the tower. I figured it's good enough to see the city from down there. Some friends who went up took very nice pictures, showing how crowded the area around it was.
Basically the roads around Charminar were kinda closed for vehicles --except rikshaws -- and it was full of small shops. There were also a lot of sellers on the streets who offered us bangles, necklaces, earrings, and other things. They could get buggy, too. One boy asked me where I came from, offered his goods, then kept poking me and asking me to buy something. He followed me even though I have said no and continued walking. He is a nice boy though. We decided not to stay there for long, so we called the driver to pick us up.

The first day was full of sightseeing. After Charminar, we went to Qutub Shahi Tombs. It's a huge garden with tombs for the seven Qutub Shahi kings. One of the kings was Muhammed Quli Qutub, who was the founder of Hyderabad city. The seven tombs are in different buildings and are separated by huge gardens. The buildings are not renovated, so they look very historical. Some buildings are locked, so we couldn't see the tomb inside. Some buildings are interesting, like the one in the picture. There is the tomb, and no ceiling.

I was tired already by the end of touring the tombs. But there is one more place to visit: Sri Venkateshwara temple.
This temple is located higher on the hill, and is fully made of marble. We could see the Hyderabad city from the temple, very nice. They did not allow us to wear shoes or sandals, and to bring handbags and cameras, so we left them in the car and carried our purses only. I liked walking around the temple, and watching the city from the top, but it started raining so it's time to get home :).

I gave myself a good shower that evening. Quite a tiring day. But I looked forward for dinner! :P
We had dinner at a fine restaurant serving northern Indian dishes. We ordered dum aloo, a chicken dish (don't remember what it's called anymore), several plain dosa, and two kinds of briyani. I have a friend from the US, who is really fond in eating spicy (hot!) food. She can chew a small green chili and not feeling it that hot. So everytime she will look for more spicy food. This time, she was satisfied, and so were all of us. The food was yummy, but too spicy for me...

Wasn't that supposed to be the end of the day? Nooo... some people were very energetic. They wanted to chill out in the bar. Apparently there was a new bar near my friend's house, called the F bar. I wasn't happy about it, but it's ok. We didn't spend a long time anyway, only an hour.

That night, the three girls slept on a big king-size bed. We were exhausted, so we slept.. soon. That day was fun. Hoping tomorrow would be, too.

Prices of goods in India

I am always interested in prices of various things among countries. After being here for a few weeks, here is a list of some goods and services I had. Some are pretty cheap, some are about average compared to those in the US. I group them based on some sort of category.
Early caveat here: I didn't buy everything that's listed here ;)

The approx. conversion rate is: Rs 40 ("40 Rupees") = US$ 1 ("1 US dollar")

Lifebuoy body soap: Rs 10 = US$ 0.25
Colgate toothpaste: Rs 56 = US$ 1.4 (my poor Darlie toothpaste I brought from Chicago, had to be let go in the Chicago airport :p, as it's more than 3 oz. liquid, aargh!!)
Bath tissue, 2 rolls: Rs 74 = US$ 1.85

Small bananas (similar to "pisang susu"), a bunch ("satu sisir"): Rs 18 = US$ 0.45
Masala dosa (at a "standup" place, where you stand and eat): Rs 15 = US$ 0.38
Wheat bread, a loaf: Rs 14 = US$ 0.35
Mineral water, 1 ltr: Rs 20 = US$ 0.5
Veggie dish from the food court in the mall: Rs 60 = US$ 1.5
Fuji apples, 1 kg: Rs 73 = US$ 1.8
Steamed rice at a fine Chinese restaurant: Rs 100 = US$ 2.5
An entree at a fine Chinese restaurant: Rs 150-250 = US$ 3-6
King Fisher's beer, a bottle: Rs 150 = US$ 3.75
Mushroom shahi roll in an Indian restaurant: Rs 160 = US$ 4 (this is yummy!)
A shot of Tequila in an Indian restaurant: Rs 250 = US$ 6.25
An entree at TGIF: ~Rs 250-350 = US$ 6-10
Buffet brunch at Little Italy (a fine Indian/Chinese/Italian restaurant): Rs 600 = US$ 15

Drawing book: Rs 40 = US$1 (Isn't it cheap?! I bought several for myself, hehe..)
Shawl: Rs 400-600 = US$ 10-15
Knee-length cotton kurta (an Indian top): Rs 556 = US$ 14

Auto rikshaw fare from apartment to Forum mall, 6 km: Rs 40 = US$ 1
Bus fare to Hyderabad, 10-hr journey in a med-luxury bus: Rs 700 = US$ 17.5

Another thing. Tax is 12.5% in Bangalore (in Karnataka state), but merely 4% in Hyderabad (in Andhra Pradesh state). Huge difference!

There is TGIF near my office. The prices are very close to those in the US, except the place is like a bar -- very noisy and loud, and full of smoke. Urgh, I didn't like it there.
I also find difficulty shopping here, as the general rule is, I should bargain, while I can't tell quality and I don't know what the reasonable prices are for various things :(. However in a way I feel glad because I can practice and not feel so bad if I buy wrongly... as things are not very expensive :p

Whose Feet Are These?

Big toes, long fingers, pinkish nails??

Picture was taken with my Audiovox camera phone, 1.3 mp

It was yesterday. We just finished lunch, and wonder what we should do next. My friend and I had nothing in plan. I wanted to study, but didn't have to be right away, of course. So she said, "Let's get pedicure!"
"Uh, what?"
"Pedicure! We'll get our feet cleaned and massaged and pretty. Let's go now."
"Oh, hmm. Hmm.. naah.. you go. I'll accompany you."
"Noo!! You never got one. It's very cheap, only 5 dollars!"
"Yeaa, but.. not needed. Besides, it may be ticklish."
"Oh come on.. it won't be so ticklish."
Then I remembered a friend who had it before. She is ticklish, and she said it was okay. So maybe it's not that bad, hmm.
"Ahh.. okay, we can go," I gave up and also wanted to try :p

So here it is! Those are my feet, after the pedicure! I wasn't comfortable with the nail color yesterday, but today I feel good about it. My feet were rubbed and cleaned, too. Feels nice :)

I never thought it is this hard to work with different people. Well, 'different' is a redundant word there, because every person is indeed different. I mean different in every way: cultural, religious, technical skills, language, personality..
This group of TWU has trainees from UK, US, China, and India. I notice that people who come from the same country have variances in their spoken English. I learn that even people who have very similar background as I do -- for example, from Indonesia, speak a little Chinese, brought up in similar Chinese culture, went abroad for college -- can be very different from me!
Of course, some things are genetic, but every experience we have in life affects how we think, adapt, solve problems, interpret, and react to events.

Although I have set in advance, a principle that "I'm not better than anybody, so i should be humble," but I fall far from it every now and then. Sometimes it's as simple as "I hope he/she is more open to my suggestions." But not being able to let go this expectation once in a while, affects my interaction with my peers. I also have a problem of "being self-sensitive, instead of environment-sensitive." I'm easily upset of little things people do that I don't like --> self-sensitive. But I never thought that people think of the actions I take and they react on that --> not environment-sensitive.
For example, a few of us went to Hyderabad. One night we went to a bar to chill out in the evening. I didn't like the idea, but it happened after dinner and I had to go with my friend's only car, so .. I guessed I just followed. The policy was that each man has to pay 1000 rupees upfront, while women can get in for free. Apparently the bars here are lacking women. 1000 rupees is about 25 US dollars. So my friends started talking about whether it's worth it to enter, because it was 11 pm and the bar was going to close in an hour, and we might not buy enough drink to cover that admittance fees. There were two guys and four ladies. After some talk, some people agreed to cash-in for 2000 rupees. But I made my sudden remark, "I won't go in".
Ok, so I shouldn't have said that (and there are a number of reasons why I shouldn't have).
That attitude of mine certainly made a stereotype out of me. I know I shouldn't care much about what people think of me, but I should be careful in my expressions, not to offend people or make them feel that I hate them (or what they do, which is the same thing).

I should be the salt and light "in the middle" of the world, which means I should mingle first and foremost.
That time in the bar was just one of the incidents. A friend reminded me that I am often.. oblivious. It's hard for me to tell what people think of me and when they make reactions on me!
Aah.. the next training weeks are going to be tougher and tougher. But I want to learn. This is my training field.

Bangalore Tour (June 23)

It was Saturday, the day after we arrived. Sure enough, the trainers did not want us to have jet lag, so they take us for a tour of Bangalore, for the whole day.
But it was great!! First day out with the whole TWU!
More pictures are here: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559825381uSljKK.

Bull Temple
It's a temple :). We had to take our slippers/shoes off. Oh oh. I guess it's not a problem for some people, but it is for me. Oh well. It's a small temple, just one round walk around a big bull statue. In the inner middle side of the walk path, they put a box for (money) gift. I think one priest was standing there, too. Outside the door, there were a few vendors selling books about temples around Bangalore, and other small gifts.
Next to the Bull temple, there is a garden, with a med-size monument in the middle. The monument is about 10 m in diameter, and 20 m in height. It has carvings of famous Indian leaders around the walls.

City Market
It is a traditional wholesale market (kaya pasar Sambongan di Surabaya), very crowded, lots of people carrying big bags of vegetables (or other things) on their head. The sellers on the street-sides yelled something.. maybe prices. This was where our group got split (of course!). I didn't really enjoy visiting it :p

Lunch
We had south Indian buffet. The plate was made of steel, and it was big, with dividers that look like an animal paw ^_^. First, they gave a small cup of lime juice with honey, very sweet. Then they came and filled in the paws with different sauces (or maybe I should say chutneys). It's been sometime so I don't remember all the dishes :( but there were many varieties: poori, (sweet) almond sauce, fried balls that look like falafel, 2 kinds of curries, yogurt rice. My my.. I certainly liked the food, but I was too full! I think someone said it costs (only) 100 rupees (~US$ 2.5) per person. Oh yeah, it is a good price.

Lalbagh Garden
This one is similar to Chicago botanical garden. It has a bridge with river and lotus flowers, gardens with different tropical trees and plants, and .. a dome-like hill. On top of that little dome (or hill), there is a small temple-like building. I'm not sure what it's for, but we could see the city from there, very nice.

There are a lot of similarities between Bangalore and Surabaya (or other big cities in Indonesia). The small shops and industries (toko-toko, meracangan) on the streets, the road and traffic conditions.. man, it comprises mostly of four things: auto rikshaw (mirip becak bermotor), cars, buses, and horns. I feel it's more noisy than Surabaya.. but maybe because I always ride in a car back home :p hehe.

We went home around 4 pm. Very tired, but very happy to have seen the city. I think I can like it here :)

TWU 2007

There is one open (no-roof) room in the office, and it has a ping-pong table. There the TWU students took picture together. Here we are below. See how diverse the group is.

Well, you probably notice that there are a lot of people from India. They come from both Pune and Bangalore offices. There are six from Chicago, US office. There are two from Xian, China office. There is only one from Calgary, Canada office.


There is one group of people missing in this picture. It's the group from UK. They haven't arrived when the picture was taken. So here is another picture of them.


TW actually has an office in Australia. However they have a different academic/recruiting schedule, so their new hires will join the TWU in August (after my session). Ahh, I'd love to have them, too.

India!

After 19 hours of flight and 2 hours of delays, I officially arrive in India. It's the Monsoon season here. At 2 am, the weather is really good, 25-27 degree Celcius (75-80 degree Fahrenheit). It's not hot, it's not cold, just right to go out without jackets! :D
The airport looks like those Indonesia, crowded and there are many baggage helpers. The buses and roads look like those in Indonesia (at least the ones near the airport). I think I can feel at home here :)
However, this is not true with everyone. A Chinese American friend was actually surprised with that situation. The baggage helper asked for a tip of 20 US Dollars (I guess he just said something), she freaked out. Thanks to my friend, I have some Rupee for his tip. ^__^ ahh, what a night.

Orientation Day

First day of orientation is great.
Lots of time to get acquainted with one another.
Lots of important information.
Lots of great ThoughtWorkers.
Lots of casual clothes (flip-flops, jeans, sneakers, t-shirts).
Lots of energetic people.
They talked about international assignments, hmm :)
One person has gone for a 2-year PeaceCorps project in Tanzania, Africa. Isn't it amazing.
One person has taught English in Japan for a year.
The group is just so diverse. I really enjoyed meeting them :)

Thinking of a new job

Hmm.. I've been delaying to look for a new job for a long time, half a year now. At first, I want to finish my Java training, so that I can put Java on my resume, and talk about it during interviews, even with little knowledge. But training never gets done, there are always other things to do :(.
Recently I've been losing my mind more and more as time gets by. Home is not as 'sweet as I thought it would be, home-sweet-home. And work, as always, does not change. I've decided to not rely on my Java training, but will start looking for job soon.
I pray, too. I tell God, that I would like to have a job in downtown. Sometime to be away from daily dependencies will be good. Besides, I'd like to try meeting more people, maybe talk to some people in the train :) hmm, who knows I can really do that!

So here goes something very interesting.
This happened after my first job interview downtown. I took the Metra train, too, that day. Man, the train was so full. I went it right before it started, and I could hardly find an empty seat. So I moved between the locomotives.. and finally saw an empty seat. The person sitting next to it allowed me to sit down, so I did. The train started, and so I did start a conversation, too, with this guy.
As I started talking to him, I noticed that his head was always tilted to the left, and he couldn't speak clearly. He asked for a piece of paper. I gave him, then he wrote down his name, address, phone number, and this note "labeled disabled". He told me that he got into an accident, and something happened to his neck.. that it couldn't be in normal position anymore. I was so sad, especially with the fact that he mentioned himself as disabled.
We talked about various topics throughout the journey, but a short one every time, because I could not understand him well. I had a guilty feeling because I thought I'd like to continue my study in special education, which is dealing with people with special needs, just like him; but the truth was I could not understand or help this man. What was God trying to show me?

If only I could ask

If only I could ask..
I'd ask for:
less movie
understanding, even if there is disagreement
cooking together
dancing together, or at least come to my dance performances once in a while..
meeting friends together
groceries together
helping hand, with joy
a smile, instead of a sneer
an open door, for me to peek on you and say hello
time, joyfully spent with me (a bit selfish here.. :p)

Yah, it is a lot, but I have none of them. So if only I could ask..

My sharing from this Easter

I am writing this first to my friends in email, but I thought of sharing it with whoever happens to stop by here :)

Dear friends,

I had conviction this Easter weekend, I am changed, and I am.. excited :)
God urged me to share my thoughts with you - all of you, so here it is. I want to share some truths that have set me free and once again assure my faith. Feel free not to read if you don't want to. This is just my sharing, and only when God knocks on your heart, shall it reveal something to you. But as Jesus' death has changed history and the lives of so many people, it can change you, too. So of course I encourage you to read on :)

I never learned before this past weekend, how important Easter is, at least for me. Christmas is always a big thing. Just like celebrating the birthday of our loved ones, or of a famous person, Christmas is celebrating the birthday of Jesus, both a loved one and a famous person. But who celebrates the death of someone?

This Easter I learned a lot about Jesus' death, well not only the death but the whole process that He went through.

Here is history..
In His last days, one of His students betrayed Him and arranged His capture by the chief priests and elders. They wanted to capture Jesus because:
- Jesus made a statement that He can rebuilt God's temple in 3 days
- Jesus made a statement that He is the Messiah (the promised savior), and son of God
- They thought Jesus did a blasphemy to God, because Jesus showed He could do things that only God could, such as those items above plus raised people from death and fed thousands of people with very little food
- Jesus got popular and they were afraid people will be wrongly led to believe in Him
- This is interesting.. Jesus' capture and death was indeed supposed to happen, prophesied hundreds of years before His birth:
"But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed."
-- Isaiah 53:5

So they brought Jesus to the Romans, the ruler at that time. They interrogated Him, but Jesus did not argue. They decided to give Jesus death penalty on the cross. Not yet.. they started with beating Him, spitting on Him, putting thorny crown on His head, and all kinds of cruel things. With so much pain and loss of blood, Jesus had to carry the cross (on which He'd be crucified) to a mountain. It was around noon where He arrived on the mountain. Nails were pierced through His left hand, right hand, and both feet. After three hours He gave up His spirit.

Here are [scientific] truths about what Jesus went through that day:
Before the execution
Jesus was in great fear (He knew His death was near). Not sleeping all night, sweating profusely, that "tiny blood vessels were rupturing in his sweat glands and emitting as great red drops that fell to the ground". This symptom of severe stress is called hematohidrosis.
Torture by beatings
First by the Jews, then by the Romans. The beatings administered by Roman soldiers are well known to be very bloody, leaving lacerations all over the body. Romans designed their whips to cut the flesh from their victim's bodies. These beatings were designed to be painful to the extreme. It would also cause a fluid build up around his lungs. A crown of thorns was forced into his scalp which was capable of severely irritating major nerves in his head.
Crucifixion
According to science, piercing of the median nerve of the hands with a nail can cause pain so incredible that even morphine won't help, "severe, excruciating, burning pain, like lightning bolts traversing the arm into the spinal cord". For someone with Jesus condition, it would have been extremely hard just to breathe once. He'd have to lift the whole body up to take a breath. And Jesus was on the cross.

The pain that comes with crucifixion is said to "include all that pain and death can have of horrible and ghastly—dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, tetanus, shame, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds". So indescribable this agony, that people had to invent a new word to describe the pain --> excruciating (pain from crucifixion).

If Jesus is son of God, why did He go through this?
"Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
-- Matthew 26:53-54
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
-- John 14:6

Aah it's all sad things, Jesus died. If it had been other people, the story will end there, and I will end up being sad, forever. But it was Jesus. He rose on the third day! God's promise has been fulfilled. Before Christ, perfect lamb has to be sacrificed to God, for forgiveness of sins. With Jesus, He became the perfect 'lamb', sacrificed to God for forgiveness of all people. God so loves us, you and me, that He gave His only son so that whoever believes in Jesus as Savior, he/she is saved. Believing in Jesus is enough, for everyone, all the time.

It took me sometime to realize.. that Jesus is alive! He conquered death. He is the God who lives. He was, He is, and He will be. He is in the past, present, and future. He is alpha (beginning) and omega (end). I can now really put down everything I know that is not living: all things I used to pray to, mostly good people who did good deeds on earth. They did not claim they were God, but Jesus did, and He proved it. Jesus was not simply a good man, He is a savior and God.

As I am writing this, I feel sorrowful for Him having to go through so painful a death. I am reminded how much He loves me, that He would die for me. I was thinking.. will I die for a friend who is really good to me? maybe. But will I die for a friend who did bad things to me? not sure, most probably not.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
-- Romans 5:8

Since I believed in Him three years ago, there has never been a time when He disappointed me. Events and people around me disappoint me, but even before I come to Him, He'd call me and welcome me home. He is a true living God, always loving, faithful, merciful. Sometimes I forget Him, but He's there, eagerly waiting for me. He changes me, and my life is worth living because of knowing Him.

I am hopeful that this sharing will enlighten you :)
Certainly what I said can be agreeable, or arguable. But go find what is true. Either you will have more faith in what you believe in now, or you learn that your faith has been on the wrong place all this time. You'll be more glad either way.
I might have not been in touch with you for sometime, too, which is.. bad of me. But again, I disappoint you, while Jesus won't. This email only comes because He calls you. This is one proof. My internet kept getting disconnected earlier that I couldn't do other work. So I decided it's time to write down this sharing since I'm first told days ago. And when I need to look up online and send the email, internet is back :p

ThoughtWorks follow-up

Oh! I guess I passed the first phone interview (just this afternoon!), which is not hard anyway. It was just talking to the HR, and finding common grounds between me and the position (and company).

Now they give me 3 problems.. I have to choose one and write the program, in 3 days. Today is Friday, so it's due next Tuesday. Ah, tomorrow is Easter weekend. I'll have no time until Monday to work on this, but I'll try my best. Excited!! I want to pass this one, too!!

Job search

It's a week since I first applied a job. Got an email from ThoughtWorks, that they have openings for entry-level application developer. Sounds good, and I've known the company since I was in college. Guess what, they will have 6-week training in India for all the new consultants! Ah, what an opportunity! I immediately replied, and saying almost yes to all their questions, such as ability to travel 80%, ability to go to India, etc.
Let's see what happens.

Patty stayed for a week with me. Such a good time '___'

I remember those times back in Cummins.. we used to live together, share morning, lunch, dinner, and evening together. Not only that, we went to volunteer work together, drove back and forth to Lafayette together, well.. at least before she had a car. I remember.. most of the time we cooked together. We used only one cutting board, and she'd use one side, and I the other :) ah, still so fresh in my mind. We watched 'The Others' of Nicole Kidman together. Oh! The Day After Tomorrow, too, in a one-dollar theater :D yeah, I'd only go for one dollar and with her.

Hmm, there's still another one. We went to.. umm I forget the name now, but it's a recreational park, and there's a huge man-made lake, where we rent a paddle boat for two.. and he he he, supposedly compete to go back to station soon, but we took it easy and paddled here and there :D he he he. Man, such a wonderful time. I've been wishing to have those times repeated again.. now.

As soon as I saw her in the car, leaving my house, I got so deeply sad and I couldn't stand it. Why would my good friends - one by one leave me? I mean, not in a bad way, but each of them move someplace else. Well I know it's what's good for them.
Ah pat pat. I certainly hope to meet you again. Meanwhile, so long and all the best.

Disappointing

Aah.. the time of end-of-year performance review has come. Meeting with my manager was okay, but the result was not that satisfying :|
Now I learn that hard work does not always correspond to good reward (or maybe I put my hard work in the wrong place?)
I guess I didn't do such a good job after all, or maybe this job is not for me (should I go look for another one?)