I really DO NOT Understand them!!

Who don't I understand?
Indians - the way they work, their culture and their attitude towards working.

Yesterday I told my driver that I need the car at 3pm for an appointment at 4pm. (I am using tourist car at the moment, because I am still looking for a reliable driver.)
At 3pm, I called the driver and he said 15mins. I was not very happy but still I could make it on time if he comes in 15mins.
3.15pm - I called again and he told me that his eyes is paining him so he couldn't come.
SxxT!! U can imagine I was already "boiling". Then I asked who will come and pick me? He said "Yah madam, the other driver is on the way" - another 15mins.
Somehow after half an hour, no one has come and I became really pissed. I have my receptionist to call to the boss and complained. He apologised but he blamed me for not letting him know the schedule before hand - that's why all the delayed!! Can u believe it??
Anyway to cut the story short - at 4pm, my "original" driver came (the one with the paining eye) and he wasn't happy at all. Showed me a "black face", because he has to work despite his paining eye. He must be blaming me for so demanding.
Gosh - I mean I didn't need him, arrange other replacement.
Not do-it-only-when-I-called-and-complained. Isn't that the way to work? Or just me? The ppl here just do not understand the meaning of Responsibility??? Do they want me to treat them like a child? Scold them and tell them what to do?

This morning, no driver come at all!!!! Yes I am still at home.
Great great great! The situation with the "un-understandable" driver just became more and more "un-understandable"!


I am extremely angry now. I could just stay at home, but I have an appointment in the afternoon. And I understand the meaning of Responsibility at Work. So no matter how angry I am, I will still go to work. Not like them!!
I really DO NOT Understand them!!

However after these incidents, below is what I gathered:
For me/ or other expatriates the "procedures" to get a pick-up are:
1) Tell the driver what time and place for pick-up
2) Then driver will arrive on time.
2.1) If driver not able to come, he will arrange replacement.
3) No need to call again to confirm, driver will be there.

But for the Indian drivers, they would think like these:
1) Tell me the time, and call me again an hour before if u want me to come on time.
2) If I am not coming, I just would not come. Don't hope I will arrange replacement.
3) Talk to my boss for replacement
4) I will reply: "I do not understand you, Madam."

Ganesha Festival in India

What is Ganesha Festival?
Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. For the knowledge of my dear far away friends - Lord Ganesha look like this:

Maybe u better known it as Ganesha by the cartoon - Lord Ganesha. I posted below one of the stories for cartoon Lord Ganesha.




Anyway if u want to know more about this festival - Ganesha Festival , check out on the wikipedia (my favourite encyclopedia on the internet)
It's quite an important festival of the year here. It was started on 15th Sep, Saturday last week. Today is the 5th day of the celebration. I guess there must be some sort of celebration on the 5th days?? (need to clarify that with my colleagues) But today lots of ppl came out to the streets, singing and dancing, music is very loud at my background now (if u can hear).

As u can imagine, normal day in Mumbai (or the whole India) has already created tremendous traffics on the road during peak period. Today it's worst. Traffic police blocked some streets for public celebrations, stages were built for singing and dancing crowds. And of course lots of Ganesha stature were seen everywhere on the road.

Yes it has created an "inconvenient" for me - traffic jam x 100 times more!!
But there is one good thing - coming Tuesday - 25th Sep - is a public holiday. Yeah!!
Why holiday? Because worshipper will all gather around and "send" Lord Ganesha "back" to the nature (means lakes, rivers or sea). It also means - perhaps 1 billion Indians would be on the streets on Tuesday. Hence that would be impossible to go to work.
Give me an excuse to stay at home and rest. :) Good good Ganesha

Still love it and hate it

I love my cats and hate them at the same time.

They just spilled my precious lunch!! It was 3pm and I was extremely hungry. Made myself a two minute cup noodle. Is was not an ordinary cup noodle - for u maybe it is ordinary. Why?
Because that flavour - xo prawn - was from Hong Kong and India don't have!!
I was so looking forward to my lunch. While waiting for the egg, I took out the noodle and placed it on the table. Like u have expected, my cats came and knocked over my precious cup noodle.
The horror on my face was unexplainable. There goes my lunch. I have nothing else in my fridge, too long to wait for delivery. In the end, I can only settled for two eggs + little bit of the left over cup noodle that I salvage. (I know it's disgusting, but hunger has taken over my "conscious". :p)
Yes that was my lunch for a depressing Sunday afternoon.

I still love it and hate it.

(no no ... this pic was taken long before my depression Sunday. As u can see - I had a good meal. hihi :) )

Love it and Hate it

Busy Busy Busy - have been flying to Delhi-Mumbai every week.
I love it and hate it.

My boss likes to fly Jet Airway but for me - I prefer Kingfisher. The airhostesses are all very beautiful and sexy!! Yes u hear me right - they are "desirable".
A male friend of mine likes to fly Kingfisher too. And he will choose a seat at 19E. Why 19E? Because there will be a seat next to 19E for the airhostess. Oh yes - I just tried it (I mean "the seat" this time round on my way back from Delhi). Not bad at all, I love it but hate it when all the men only looking at the airhostesses but me.

India is such a conservative and open country.
Richard Gere get arrested for kissing the Bollywood star on the cheek in public. (Arrest warrant out for Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty)
While the Bollywood movie shows all kind of sexy scenes - ladies in skimpy dresses, kissing and teasing sex scenes in the movie.
Magazines & billboard full of sexy and teasing messages. So what's all these?
This is what I called - Double Standard!! People love it and hate it.

I reckon the sexy scene in Bollywood movie is far far more than u could imagine. Just watch the trailer below - Doom 2 (yes I watched it - I find it sexy and funny. Why funny? Can't help they are just different from what I know and they are funny. )

I want an iphone!!

Apple has reduced the price for iphone!!
Isn't the iphone beautiful? And co-incidentally my old Sony Ericsson - W300i has failed me. Broken just in time when the warranty expired. Can u believe it? All the cunning phone manufacturer!!
Pity Asia will only get the iphone in 2008, if not that gives just the right reason to switch to iphone.

Apart from the reduced of the price for iphone, Apple also launched a couple of new designs and new product.
The new design for ipod shuffle, ipod classic, and ipod nano.
What interest me more is the ipod touch. U can have all the functions for iphone except no phone and no camera. Isn't that cool?All the products are excellent but it creates a problem - How about my old ipod nano? or my old ipod (in whatever range)?
"Mr. Steve Jobs, can u please take trade in for the old Apple products?"
I personally love this brilliant idea - public can trade in the old Apple products and add a little bit more (ok - maybe more than a little bit) for a new one. On one hand, Apple's sales increases, on the other, Apple can recycle the old products and save the environment. One stone for two birds.

On another note - Steve Jobs - If by any chance you read the previous point then you might also read the next one - Please unlock the Iphone! Is AT&T paying Apple enough to cause overseas Apple Fans so much pain?

And one last thing - if you're reading these points, Steve, can you comment? No one seems to comment on my blog. A comment or two by you would really add something special.