Boss came into office (like she always do) one day and looked strangely in my eyes. "Do you want to go to India?", she asked. "For a holiday? I certainly don't mind if it's free", I replied half-heartedly, without much pondering. At least I always wanted to be showered by the grace of milky white Taj Mahal or be soaked by the holiness of the great Ganges River. Perhaps I should have given more a thought before I agreed; after all, her plans was to send me to India for a 7-month (at least) project.
I don't exactly recall what happened next. Dropped a project that I had spent my last 20 months with. Attended a 4-day familiarisation course on the new business domain (some people spend 2 years in it and still don't know what the hell is going on) of my new project. Read unfamiliar (and thick) tender documents. And so on and so forth.
It's
not a big deal actually; these are after all the usual "perks" when one takes on a new project.
2 weeks of preparation flew like a blink of an eye. And before I knew it, I was onboard the plane that will get me to the capital city of the Karnataka state in 4hours and 15 mins. Although it was nice to be on a first-class seat, I felt really strange. Why? It was just a month ago when I was just stressing my ass out in the Narita Airport. Reason being I was not able (due to a full flight) to get to Seattle for a meeting! |
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Took this shot when I was going for dinner; wyattwang.com's Bangalore is only spent 3 days old.
The future was certainly as uncertain as the blur being depicted here. |
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Trafiic jams are very common in Bangalore. Taken along Hosur Road (near Forum Shopping Mall), hordes of Autos (or Automatic Rickshaws), cars and buses were just crawling in the traffic.
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A typical South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant where people take their meals while standing. I was taking a picture of my butter dosa (Rs17 or S$0.65) and chai (milk tea, Rs5 or S$0.19).
People (in the background) was eating their quick lunch of Indianised Chinese Chow-Mien (Chinese styled fried noodles). Apparently, "Chinese" food (in quotes because it is not that authentic) is very popular in Bangalore and can be found in most restaurants and eateries.
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There are alot of well-kept parks where families can relax during weekends and couples can have a nice stroll. Pictured here is an old man taking a snooze on a hot Sunday afternoon.
- impressions of Bangalore (a.k.a. the City of Parks) |
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Football takes the back seat here as Cricket is the NUMBER ONE sport in India! |
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My apartment in @Home Apartments, situated in Koramangala (southern surburb of Bangalore). Although the apartment (2 room, 1 hall, 1 kitchen) is relatively well furnished, the relatively high prices (Rs2,500 or S$96 per night) simply exceeds my (or my company's) budget. |
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Drying my underwear; an all-important activity during my Saturdays in Bangalore.
It's been nearly 7 years since I last washed my underwear myself (i.e. I last did laundry when I was in my university). |
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Saturdays also mean a good time to clear all those work emails that had piled up during the week. Thus, I usually cook my own lunch of instant noodles with luncheon meat, egg and various vegetables like Chinese cabbage or mushrooms. |
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Had taken this from my room while a Hindu procession went past my apartment.
The Ganesh Chaturthi Festival is coming!! |
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My first ride on an Auto (Rs67 or S$2.57 including Rs15 extra for using the meter) to downtown Bangalore. I would recieve a not-so-hygienic surprise when I reach the Krishnarajendra or City Market in Chickpet (south-western part of the Bangalore City).
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