Saturday, November 12, 2011
Highlights...
#ibmcsc India 14 Made this video to capture the memory. Alas, all good things have come to an end. Goodbye to friends who were strangers just 4 weeks ago. Au revoir, ciao, hope to see you again.
Goodbye, Chennai
#ibmcsc India 14
This is it. The last few hours to cherish and savor Chennai's smell, sense, sound, taste and touch.
Friday went by so quickly and so will Saturday. I started Friday morning with a walk to the Marina Beach to dip my toes in the water of the Bay of Bengal. The walk was quite pleasant, the sun is already out. The water is not cold -- can be warm at times. The beach can use some good cleaning in order to be suitable for bathing. Back later in the day, I went to Express Avenue Mall, doing some more shopping. Clean and shiny mall like American's. Stepping outside and you face a different world -- the real reality. I then walked back to Kailash passing several interesting sights.
Later on at night, we gathered to recount good stories. I showed the team the video that I made. It was well received by the team. I also took more photos later that night--part 2 perhaps?
We went to the other restaurant (Krisna) in the New Woodlands hotel again. Full circle. It's the same place where we got acquainted for lunch and now goodbye dinner.
I stayed up late and so woke up later on Saturday morning and so did not have my final walk to the beach as planned. Bummer. So I just did the normal routine: shower, breakfast, chatting with remaining members.. Fred and I then did the last-minute shopping: Pondi Bazaar, Fab India, City Center etc. Then back at the apartment, and I'm trying to catch up with the final blog now for the trip. Goodbye Chennai, hope to see you again..
Can't resist taking more pictures:
This is it. The last few hours to cherish and savor Chennai's smell, sense, sound, taste and touch.
Friday went by so quickly and so will Saturday. I started Friday morning with a walk to the Marina Beach to dip my toes in the water of the Bay of Bengal. The walk was quite pleasant, the sun is already out. The water is not cold -- can be warm at times. The beach can use some good cleaning in order to be suitable for bathing. Back later in the day, I went to Express Avenue Mall, doing some more shopping. Clean and shiny mall like American's. Stepping outside and you face a different world -- the real reality. I then walked back to Kailash passing several interesting sights.
Later on at night, we gathered to recount good stories. I showed the team the video that I made. It was well received by the team. I also took more photos later that night--part 2 perhaps?
We went to the other restaurant (Krisna) in the New Woodlands hotel again. Full circle. It's the same place where we got acquainted for lunch and now goodbye dinner.
I stayed up late and so woke up later on Saturday morning and so did not have my final walk to the beach as planned. Bummer. So I just did the normal routine: shower, breakfast, chatting with remaining members.. Fred and I then did the last-minute shopping: Pondi Bazaar, Fab India, City Center etc. Then back at the apartment, and I'm trying to catch up with the final blog now for the trip. Goodbye Chennai, hope to see you again..
Can't resist taking more pictures:
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
PR - Presentation
The last couple days, lots of things happened. The PR shoot for IBM. Not sure I was comfortable with that. I do like getting together as a team to express our feelings. Everyone was very enthusiastic and had lots to say. Martin is our spokeperson though. He summed up very well how we all feel about the program, each other and our projects. Suddenly, the dreadful feeling of all good things must come to an end crept up to me. And so I'm speechless for today trying to write the blog!
Here's some pictures for that occasion.
On Wednesday, we went to Kalakshetra for the final presentation. Madam Samson was there. The reception was fantastic, beyond my expectation. The interaction was very lively and everyone looked satisfactory. We were invited to lunch the next day. Imagine that breaking bread with the most famous person that I know in India... I'm so honored.
We went out to dinner with Govind and his wife. Very lovely couple. I enjoyed their company so much. Returning to the apartment, I joined Jana and Susanna for our last happy hour gettogether. I will miss them and hope to see them again! Next summer, Susan invited us..
I love you all Susanna and Jana!
Here's some pictures for that occasion.
On Wednesday, we went to Kalakshetra for the final presentation. Madam Samson was there. The reception was fantastic, beyond my expectation. The interaction was very lively and everyone looked satisfactory. We were invited to lunch the next day. Imagine that breaking bread with the most famous person that I know in India... I'm so honored.
We went out to dinner with Govind and his wife. Very lovely couple. I enjoyed their company so much. Returning to the apartment, I joined Jana and Susanna for our last happy hour gettogether. I will miss them and hope to see them again! Next summer, Susan invited us..
I love you all Susanna and Jana!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Walking in Chennai..
I've been taking more walks now -- I feel that walking is the best way to see the city. So waking up early on Monday, sensing that it would be a warm day, I took a walk to the City Center. Another 1/3 mile would take me to the beach -- but I just turned around. Perhaps on Friday? For lunch, I decided to walk to the bakery below Kabul that I saw. Still want to find a good baguette in Chennai! They don't have any. They do have some puff pastry rolls and pies. The shopowner (I assume) was very helpful and chatty. I asked her about a number of policewomen that I saw while walking there; she said that they are traffic police! It's like one station at every 10 meters! The traffic still looks the same though...
On the way back, I stopped at Nigiris, a convenience store that we as a team frequently visited for western food. Saw Nutella there -- got to tell Fred and Jana. I walked down every aisle (not that many), and looked at every item in the store. Chatted with a couple from Switzerland, who has a "winter" house here in Chennai. The husband is an Indian, retired engineer, with a Malaysian wife (who thought that I'm Malaysian also -- got that a lot, non-VN they think I am). I settled for a couple cups of noodle. Tangy Chicken (but it has masala and just as spicy as you can get). I practically stayed in my room after that; enjoying 5th cross street from the balcony of my room. Had one cup of noodles as my dinner -- that's good enough for today. Fred did find Nutella at Big Bazaar in Express Avenue Mall -- a big, shiny mall, not too far from here. I looked up Google Maps for its location and how to get there-- another destination for me tomorrow!
Early Tuesday morning found me walking north on CIT Colony II Main Road (as supposed to CIT Colony I Main Road - the street naming system can be strange, as if there's a competition) toward Express Avenue Mall. The traffic at 6AM is fairly light -- I can cross the street safely. There were some early morning joggers and walkers; a few men in sarong (?) standing around watching me walking by (and snapping pictures..). It's fairly easy to get to the mall -- It took me a brisk 20'. However, it is definitely not a pedestrian-friendly walk! The Gowdia Mutt Road (extension of TTK) is strewn with .. well.. not PC at all for describing. May be that's why I was fast -- practically running away whenever I saw one. So I don't think I want to walk there any more -- the walk to the beach is better. I returned to the apartment within the hour to be on time for Yoga -- om, it's time for calmness ...
.
On the way back, I stopped at Nigiris, a convenience store that we as a team frequently visited for western food. Saw Nutella there -- got to tell Fred and Jana. I walked down every aisle (not that many), and looked at every item in the store. Chatted with a couple from Switzerland, who has a "winter" house here in Chennai. The husband is an Indian, retired engineer, with a Malaysian wife (who thought that I'm Malaysian also -- got that a lot, non-VN they think I am). I settled for a couple cups of noodle. Tangy Chicken (but it has masala and just as spicy as you can get). I practically stayed in my room after that; enjoying 5th cross street from the balcony of my room. Had one cup of noodles as my dinner -- that's good enough for today. Fred did find Nutella at Big Bazaar in Express Avenue Mall -- a big, shiny mall, not too far from here. I looked up Google Maps for its location and how to get there-- another destination for me tomorrow!
Early Tuesday morning found me walking north on CIT Colony II Main Road (as supposed to CIT Colony I Main Road - the street naming system can be strange, as if there's a competition) toward Express Avenue Mall. The traffic at 6AM is fairly light -- I can cross the street safely. There were some early morning joggers and walkers; a few men in sarong (?) standing around watching me walking by (and snapping pictures..). It's fairly easy to get to the mall -- It took me a brisk 20'. However, it is definitely not a pedestrian-friendly walk! The Gowdia Mutt Road (extension of TTK) is strewn with .. well.. not PC at all for describing. May be that's why I was fast -- practically running away whenever I saw one. So I don't think I want to walk there any more -- the walk to the beach is better. I returned to the apartment within the hour to be on time for Yoga -- om, it's time for calmness ...
.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
No tip.
It was a warm day today. We stayed inside, enjoying the sunny weather, until closer to the time that we need to go to pick up the dresses, about 4:30 PM. Turned out that Golden Bazaar (T.Nagar) is only around the block from Pondi Bazaar. I was amazed how we can find the tailor shop again, considering last night with the rain and today with the crowd! It was like the entire Chennai was out shopping since the rain has stopped. We managed to find the alley and since I looked at the front of the shop carefully enough, we found the basement entrance to the shop. We stopped along the way at different shops for Jana to look for a petticoat. The shopowners seem to like having pictures taken. One of them insisted on me taking his picture -- almost while he was sizing the petticoat on for Jana to judge. They were very funny and friendly. The dresses were indeed ready for us. A bit small-looking but they do look great considering the price.
We then went to the Saravana store next door.. (again the old one, not the new one), to look for a set of salwar kameez for my mother. The shop girls were very friendly, and also like to have pictures taken and they liked to see themselves in the pictures! Somehow, we were assigned a personal shopper. She can speak some English and was very helpful. Without her, we wouldn't be able to navigate through the different stories of merchandise: clothes, accessories, cosmetics etc. They are so cheap here! Imagine OC swap meet price divided by 10!
For future reference, paying for purchase is very confusing. First you would have to put your items in a small plastic colander. The colander will make its way through different stations around the cashier counter: a girl will total the cost into a receipt, which then to a guy to whom you would pay, then to the packaging station where they are put into a plastic bag, then sealed. Very easy to be messed up! I noticed a huge sign that said to check your items before leaving! The single queue is surprisingly fast considering the amount of people! (remind me of lines to get in a popular Disneyland ride -- With all that chaotic movement, we seemed to get a fast pass somehow! Thanks to our friendly and lovely personal shopper!). And she did not want any tips either.
We had dinner at the same hotel as yesterday. The waiter recognized us and insisted us to order something else beside dosa - but Jana and Susanna like dosa! I settled for mushroom fried rice. Susanna ordered plain butter naan; he suggested her to order paneer or masala to go with that. After much discussion, he reluctantly put our order through. Except for the naan, the food came rather quickly. Faster than McDonald's here! As like the last time, we are attended by several waiters. They made sure that our need is taken care of! And no tip, they insisted. Later, Roy reminded me that we may have missed the point that they always say No at first and you would have to go back and forth in offering -- at least three times.. Hmm.. I remember that training now, but completely forgot that at the time.
We had the same level of service from the rickshaw driver on the return trip. He carried bags for Susanna and me into the apartment! Nobody did that to us before. (Now I felt bad too about haggling from 200 to the final price of 140).
Trying on the outfits in the room, I'm pleased; very well-fitted. Though I am worrying that the clothes may be tight after washing. or well, may be I can just hand wash and hang dry them. Overall, I'm happy, it was a good day with the weather and the shopping experience...
More pictures:
We then went to the Saravana store next door.. (again the old one, not the new one), to look for a set of salwar kameez for my mother. The shop girls were very friendly, and also like to have pictures taken and they liked to see themselves in the pictures! Somehow, we were assigned a personal shopper. She can speak some English and was very helpful. Without her, we wouldn't be able to navigate through the different stories of merchandise: clothes, accessories, cosmetics etc. They are so cheap here! Imagine OC swap meet price divided by 10!
For future reference, paying for purchase is very confusing. First you would have to put your items in a small plastic colander. The colander will make its way through different stations around the cashier counter: a girl will total the cost into a receipt, which then to a guy to whom you would pay, then to the packaging station where they are put into a plastic bag, then sealed. Very easy to be messed up! I noticed a huge sign that said to check your items before leaving! The single queue is surprisingly fast considering the amount of people! (remind me of lines to get in a popular Disneyland ride -- With all that chaotic movement, we seemed to get a fast pass somehow! Thanks to our friendly and lovely personal shopper!). And she did not want any tips either.
We had dinner at the same hotel as yesterday. The waiter recognized us and insisted us to order something else beside dosa - but Jana and Susanna like dosa! I settled for mushroom fried rice. Susanna ordered plain butter naan; he suggested her to order paneer or masala to go with that. After much discussion, he reluctantly put our order through. Except for the naan, the food came rather quickly. Faster than McDonald's here! As like the last time, we are attended by several waiters. They made sure that our need is taken care of! And no tip, they insisted. Later, Roy reminded me that we may have missed the point that they always say No at first and you would have to go back and forth in offering -- at least three times.. Hmm.. I remember that training now, but completely forgot that at the time.
We had the same level of service from the rickshaw driver on the return trip. He carried bags for Susanna and me into the apartment! Nobody did that to us before. (Now I felt bad too about haggling from 200 to the final price of 140).
Trying on the outfits in the room, I'm pleased; very well-fitted. Though I am worrying that the clothes may be tight after washing. or well, may be I can just hand wash and hang dry them. Overall, I'm happy, it was a good day with the weather and the shopping experience...
More pictures:
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Shopping in the rain...
#ibmcsc India 14
Again, another experience not to be missed when you're in Chennai: shopping in the rain. So our Saturday plan is to do some exploration at Marina Beach, then meet with Sangeetha, who works for Susanna's NGO at 2-ish. Then she will show us the local shops and tailors -- none of the high-end tourissy place like FabIndia or City Center...
Susanna, Martin, Dilminder and I walked to the beach -- in 45'. Not that it's a long way. Just dodging traffic and potholes slowed us down. The sun was shining! Finally. It was fairly warm and the beach is .. practically .. deserted.. We actually did not get to walk on the sand.. just this nice long paved path... Some curious school girls from the nearby Queen Mary's College ventured over and struck somewhat one-sided conversation. Susanna got an ice cream bar from a pushcart. Kudos to her for supporting the local business.
As we walked on northward, the sky is darker and so Dilminder and Martin decided to go back. We, the women of IBM CSC India 14, went on to see some more memorials and parks. There was a group of 8th graders on field trip wanting to take pictures with us. And so we were, part of a tourist attraction as well. Rain started to pour, and just about time that Sangeetha called Susanna for the meeting location.
We got into a rickshaw -- no shelter from the rain there, since the backseat's was wet! After 20' of maneuvering over the traffic of Chennai (in the rain -- you know what I mean ..) we got off to relieve the driver of having to hustle for a few more feet. No ideas where we were, and whether it was the right place, we seek shelter in a major store, Saravana. There are several stories of fabrics, clothes, ready-to-wear saris, salwars. I was pretty tired and naturally grumpy when wet and hungry. Luckily, I did make a sandwich so hunger wasn't a problem. Couldn't do much about the wet bottom -- just had to wait (and you can tell that it's not going to be any drier quicker with the rain and humidity...).
After several miscommunication conversations later, we found out that Sangeetha was waiting for us too at a different Saravana shop! There are like 3-4 of them.. Geez... Anyway, after meeting Sangeetha, we thought that the trip was worth it. She took us to some "hotel" (restaurant) for a nice meal of dosa and coffee (100 rupees total -- more expensive since it's in an A/C room) . Susanna ordered a mosambi juice -- sweet lime but tasted like sugar-cane juice. A bit tepid. I had a sip, then worried afterward, whether it was wise or not.. So far (16 hours later as of now..) so good.. After the tummy was happy, we were led to some fabric store, after navigating thru streets full of potholes (water...) and people. This is a real authentic local Indian shopping experience! The shop was full of fabric, and you can get really confused here. I quickly pointed to some display items and purchased 3 sets! I should be more well-dressed as an Indian now! Susanna and Jana took a bit longer, but we all walked out of the shop very happy. Sangeetha then introduced us to Master Suresh -- her favorite tailor. We were measured from head to knee. Apparently, the pants (salwar) are one-size fit all! I wanted to have the dress (tunic rather) lined, and with zippered. I was amazed at how inexpensive that was -- 3 complete set of tailored salwar kameez, beautiful fabric: only 2500 rupees total! around $50! Less than a simple blouse at Talbot's! No wonder people here are so well-dressed! Outside of the shop, I quickly snapped pictures to make sure we can remember the location (in addition to the business card!). Hopefully, we can find it back again today at 5pm!
More pictures for your enjoyment:
Again, another experience not to be missed when you're in Chennai: shopping in the rain. So our Saturday plan is to do some exploration at Marina Beach, then meet with Sangeetha, who works for Susanna's NGO at 2-ish. Then she will show us the local shops and tailors -- none of the high-end tourissy place like FabIndia or City Center...
Susanna, Martin, Dilminder and I walked to the beach -- in 45'. Not that it's a long way. Just dodging traffic and potholes slowed us down. The sun was shining! Finally. It was fairly warm and the beach is .. practically .. deserted.. We actually did not get to walk on the sand.. just this nice long paved path... Some curious school girls from the nearby Queen Mary's College ventured over and struck somewhat one-sided conversation. Susanna got an ice cream bar from a pushcart. Kudos to her for supporting the local business.
As we walked on northward, the sky is darker and so Dilminder and Martin decided to go back. We, the women of IBM CSC India 14, went on to see some more memorials and parks. There was a group of 8th graders on field trip wanting to take pictures with us. And so we were, part of a tourist attraction as well. Rain started to pour, and just about time that Sangeetha called Susanna for the meeting location.
We got into a rickshaw -- no shelter from the rain there, since the backseat's was wet! After 20' of maneuvering over the traffic of Chennai (in the rain -- you know what I mean ..) we got off to relieve the driver of having to hustle for a few more feet. No ideas where we were, and whether it was the right place, we seek shelter in a major store, Saravana. There are several stories of fabrics, clothes, ready-to-wear saris, salwars. I was pretty tired and naturally grumpy when wet and hungry. Luckily, I did make a sandwich so hunger wasn't a problem. Couldn't do much about the wet bottom -- just had to wait (and you can tell that it's not going to be any drier quicker with the rain and humidity...).
After several miscommunication conversations later, we found out that Sangeetha was waiting for us too at a different Saravana shop! There are like 3-4 of them.. Geez... Anyway, after meeting Sangeetha, we thought that the trip was worth it. She took us to some "hotel" (restaurant) for a nice meal of dosa and coffee (100 rupees total -- more expensive since it's in an A/C room) . Susanna ordered a mosambi juice -- sweet lime but tasted like sugar-cane juice. A bit tepid. I had a sip, then worried afterward, whether it was wise or not.. So far (16 hours later as of now..) so good.. After the tummy was happy, we were led to some fabric store, after navigating thru streets full of potholes (water...) and people. This is a real authentic local Indian shopping experience! The shop was full of fabric, and you can get really confused here. I quickly pointed to some display items and purchased 3 sets! I should be more well-dressed as an Indian now! Susanna and Jana took a bit longer, but we all walked out of the shop very happy. Sangeetha then introduced us to Master Suresh -- her favorite tailor. We were measured from head to knee. Apparently, the pants (salwar) are one-size fit all! I wanted to have the dress (tunic rather) lined, and with zippered. I was amazed at how inexpensive that was -- 3 complete set of tailored salwar kameez, beautiful fabric: only 2500 rupees total! around $50! Less than a simple blouse at Talbot's! No wonder people here are so well-dressed! Outside of the shop, I quickly snapped pictures to make sure we can remember the location (in addition to the business card!). Hopefully, we can find it back again today at 5pm!
More pictures for your enjoyment:
Friday, November 4, 2011
Kailash neighborhood.
As usual, I woke up quite early -- 6ish.
Today, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. It's a very nice neighborhood with large villas. There is some important government official living nearby; last night on the way to dinner, there were a crowd of soldiers, cars, drivers and a news van in front of one of the villas.
I like the leafy shade trees, the ornate wrought iron gates. I was bothered by the heap of trash; am terrified of the stray dogs roaming the streets. Sometimes, they howl at night.. kinda scary.
There is also a nice park 2 buildings away. I like to walk there, but it's only open at certain hours of the day. There is also an early Yoga class where they would yell and laugh at the end of the session. I'd like to join them, but not sure how.
My plan for today is to explore the city more. Marina beach and naturally more shopping. The sun is out today, at least for the moment. Hopefully not too hot even. but if it's not raining, then it is good.
Naturally, can't end this note without a slideshow:
Today, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. It's a very nice neighborhood with large villas. There is some important government official living nearby; last night on the way to dinner, there were a crowd of soldiers, cars, drivers and a news van in front of one of the villas.
I like the leafy shade trees, the ornate wrought iron gates. I was bothered by the heap of trash; am terrified of the stray dogs roaming the streets. Sometimes, they howl at night.. kinda scary.
There is also a nice park 2 buildings away. I like to walk there, but it's only open at certain hours of the day. There is also an early Yoga class where they would yell and laugh at the end of the session. I'd like to join them, but not sure how.
My plan for today is to explore the city more. Marina beach and naturally more shopping. The sun is out today, at least for the moment. Hopefully not too hot even. but if it's not raining, then it is good.
Naturally, can't end this note without a slideshow:
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