Final Fantasy Versus XIII

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Sunday, May 11, 2008 ♥ 4:53:00 PM

Greetings!

It has been a long time since I’ve last updated!

I’m back from India and home has never felt so good!

Well actually I’ve been back for about 2 weeks now; it’s just that there was so much catch up to do that I do not have time to write a post!

So here I am typing out this post telling you what happened when I was in India.

I was in India for 2 weeks due to our ‘beloved’ SAF and we had to prepare lots of things in advance before the trip.

My luggage in total weighs close to 30kg!

Thank God my ‘beloved’ paid for everything otherwise I will go to the zone in my neighbourhood to pay a visit to ‘you know who’.

Training was good followed by the rest and relaxation period.

Let me tell you about how I feel about India.

India society is messed up. True it’s a rising economic power but from the way I see it, there is a still lot to be done. The moment I exited the airport, there was an incredible smell that I cannot forget. The streets are broken and dirty; people piss and shit anywhere and whenever they like. Oh yes there is the constant flies buzzing around you and did I mentioned about the incredible smell?

Indian merchants raise the price of their wares to exorbitant amounts and almost all are out to cheat you. It’s very hard to find a decent and honest merchant. As long as you are a different skin colour and don’t speak their language, you become instant money jackpot!

Can you imagine I paid S$3 for a can of lemon tea just because we stopped at a pit stop while traveling?!

There is always a constant mob of salesman made up of kids and teenagers showing their Taj Mahal souvenirs and wanting you to buy! A tip if you’re going to buy anything in India: start bargaining by cutting off half of the asking price, e.g. Rs 40 is the price; ask for Rs 20 or less. You’ll be amazed that they will be willing to sell even at that price! Not that I am stingy, but they are really trying to rip us off with every opportunity that they can get.

I’ve been to many bazaars in India and for 1 piece of shawl the price literally fluctuate up & down. It’s sad that the teenagers and kids have to work whereas people of the same age back in Singapore are enjoying their life in school. It really makes me think how fortunate we are to be born and live in Singapore.

I’m going to score straight As when I go to Temasek Polytechnic man!

It is really depressing to take a walk down Indian streets man. Seeing the despair and the rundown buildings really makes you down while shopping. I’ve saw houses belonging to both rich and poor and it is really a large gap between the rich and poor. The rich gets richer while the poor gets poorer. The poor never seems to get out of the vicious cycle of poverty. I’ve seen 3 generations in a family living in a broken down make shift hut by the side of the road when my tour bus was caught in the New Delhi jam.

Sorry to burst your bubble Miss Cindy, but that is what I feel about India.

On the bright side, we went to Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal.

Both of them are really beautiful. The structure was so beautifully designed and majestic and it really reflects the riches and power of the rulers during their time. I can’t help but wonder what the hell happened to India over the years. I’ve uploaded the photos so take a look, I’ve commented on them.

I had 4 days of leave from our training in India and I took sometime to catch up with my family and also visited College East.

I went back to College East on Tuesday and was surprised to see a laptop sale going on.

I was like…WTF! We didn’t have that back in my batch!

Truly College East is moving from glory to glory!

I met Adam & Chester at the life lobby on the first floor while I was on the way to meet them. They invited me for lunch but I declined, only finally accepting their treat for a drink.

We catch up on what is happening and we had a good talk together.

As usual Adam tries to ‘introduce’ some girls to me but I refuse the offer, LOL.

We went back to Sun Centre of Technology, where I met some ex-students that I helped to teach with Susan, Andy and Andrew. It was good to see some of them displaying their talents in the various projects and competitions that they participate in.

I pray that they will become successful and most importantly able to further their studies in polytechnic man!

Seeing them makes me wish that my ORD is next week man!

I really can’t wait to go back to school and finally doing what I really wanted to do. I’ve waited for like 9 years (including next year) to do it man!

Recently my bunk has been real crazy about Magic The Gathering. Yes you heard it right; we’re so bored that we play card games!

Now now before you try and think we’re immature, let me tell you something. Magic is a very deep and fun strategy game so if a 3 years old can kick your ass in it; it means that he is a very good player. Want to know more? Check out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic:_The_Gathering

Finally, enough talk. Time to show you some pictures.