NAMASTE INDIA!!

New Zealand-Fin- Christ Church

2008-09-21T02:27:00.005+08:00

Christ Church is our last stop. It marked the last stop of our Pacific Island journey where all started at Papua New Guinea, transited at Cairns and ended at Church. There were reluctance for us to end what we had started. Church was the stop that we were looking forward to actually. When we landed the weather was quite chilling and as NZ ushered in beginning of its winter season.

Photo: The lunch place in the suburb area

Photo: Holy Gail- where the fans of All Black gathered every Tuesday and Friday

Photo: Night time at the square

Photo: In the park, a little out of the square

Photo: Centre square- the people playing the giant chess

Photo: Square Night time

Photo: Which way? Screw it, time's up, don't bother, got to leave on the jetplane back to "yawn..." KL!!

My next trip, if everything goes alright will be Middle East in November- to Abu Dhabi & Dubai (U.A.E), Muscat (Oman), Alexandria, Cairo (Egypt) & Hong Kong! I will be back.

And...Laos, North Thailand and Myanmar in December.

New Zealand Pt. 6- Wellington

2008-09-14T16:48:00.003+08:00

It was a short stay in New Plymouth. From there, Stan & I resume our journey to Wellington, capital city of New Zealand. There weren't much thing to do in Wellington, as that was the plan. So Wellington serve as a pitstop for us before we made it to our last stop in Christ Church.

Photo: Harbour

Photo: Building...

Photo: Mat Skater a.k.a Sk8er Boi...

Photo: In the city...

New Zealand Pt. 5- New Plymouth

2008-09-14T16:22:00.006+08:00

From one place to another, the end of something is the beginning of something. From the life we had in Auckland, Rotoura & Tauranga, Stan & I resume to a smaller state of NZ; New Plymouth. New Plymouth is the port and main city in the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is also known as "The Cycling City". For my Malaysian friend, I always equate Plymouth with that of Perlis the state of "Indera Kayangan"

Photo: The hotel at New Plymouth waterfront which we stayed for a night

Photo: View of the Water front, New Plymouth

Photo: The 45 metre high Wind Wand on the New Plymouth waterfront

Photo: Backpacker's Haven

Photo: Dickhead in the park

New Zealand Pt. 4- Mt. Whangarei

2008-09-13T16:24:00.008+08:00

So we continue our journey to Mount Whangarei

Photo: New Zealand chill beer after all the free-jump and free-falling. It's a gift

and there is nothing better than just a chill beer

Photo: The New Zealanders' weekend camp-away!

Photo: At the foothill of the summit

Photo: Half way up

Photo: At the top, somewhere...

Photo: After a day-long activities- from interstate driving, near death activities, wine tasting, hot spring bathing, getting lost (and be found again), trolley racing in the cold storage, we checked at this very cool motel

New Zealand Pt. 3- Rotoura & Tauranga

2008-09-08T22:52:00.007+08:00

And...the action begin here! After stretching the bones and tired ass, we were all geared up in this extreme park in Rotoura of N.Zealand. For me, the idea of such breathtaking excitement equivalent to the adrenaline rush of Hara-Kiri- bungy jumping never cross my mind till that moment when I seen it with my eyes. The mood was set, all that is missing were just guts, glory and a dose of devil may care attitude!!

Photo: Snap for a moment: Jen, myself & Stan

Photo: The backdrop of the Extreme park.

Photo: Look's what the sheep drag in??

Photo: No pain no gain! The cranes that took me to the top of the sky I almost touched the glorious sun!

Photo: I was up in paradise before I took the free-falling, in remembrance of Tom Petty's famous song. Mind was empty and the last thing on my mind was "Ah...what the fuck"...Arghhhhhh...with eyes wide open and the weight of me body got sucked by the pulling gravity...towards the lake.

Photo: Feel like heaven, the bliss moment where angel and devil kisses

Photo: With the Kiwi bungy guy, sharing the moment of glory.

New Zealand Pt. 2- The Journey...

2008-09-07T23:32:00.011+08:00

And so, after all the fun and night life in and around downtown Auckland; the driving around, one-tree hill, white house (hooker and pole dancer's s place), Auckland tower, Casino, bar-hopping, Wong Kok cafe, Indonesian Supermodels (this Katherine Wilson is real model) and all the fun stuff, weekend ushered in which marked our long awaiting of New Zealand's best experience; interstate travelling- from Auckland to Rotoura & Touronga.

Photo: Ahh, so enthusiastic that we kick-started our journey so in the dead of the morning, surrounded with morning breeze and coolness. The crew: Mat, Donald, Kylie, Jen, Stan, Sheena & myself.

Photo: A coffee is a must before anything else, so that our eyes is all wide open throughout the journey

Photo: Halfway...

Photo: Welcome to the dog! Somewhere along the way we passed thru' this very interesting diner.

Photo: Stop-over for a photo with the sheeps!

Photo: After 4 hours of long drive, we arrived at small state of Rotoura & Touranga. Evrybody here seems stretching their static bones. And from here, it all begin!

New Zealand Pt. 1- The Best of Auckland 1 & 2

2008-09-02T01:06:00.008+08:00

The end is the beginning...and so from Papua New Guinea, I continue to a new destination; New Zealand. Parudin had left PNG the day before. And on the same say Stan had arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, whom I will spend the rest of my unforgetful times and travel in NZ with.
The NZ trip will takes Stan & myself like a nomadians seeking for newer land; from Auckland to Rotoura & Touranga to New Plymouth to Wellington to Christ Church and back to Auckland! The photo fest that follow in this and subsequent posting will map out the journey we had gone through and the people we spent time with and the things we had done, crazy out of mind or otherwise with as little description as possible so you don't have to yawn through my blog like the old time when I did with all my Indian travelling journals.

Photo: Departing Cairns for Auckland

Photo: Driving up One-Tree-Hill, Auckland

Photo: It's the beginning of winter time and it was getting chill even in the daytime. Lunch time at Indian restaurant, somewhere along the way...

Photo: Raining on London's bar

Photo: Civic Hall

Photo: Met up with old Kiwi friend from those crazy time in India back in 2004-05.

Photo: In the elevator; getting ready for clubbing scene of Auckland

Photo: Infamous tower of Auckland at night

Photo: Auckland- Nightview

Photo: Auckland Casino with Jen & friends

Photo: Mat & Kylie @ Wong Kok cafe after "Feng-Tau" club of Margarita in downtown Auckland

Photo: Everybody Jump!!

Photo: Ah...after all the light and sound...must have slice of pork and chinese tea

Photo: China pro-olympic protest @ downtown Auckland

Photo: Yeah, we hear you loud and clear bro...and sis!

Photo: One world one dream...and stay out of Tibet please...

Photo: Ok, it's time to have a sip of American Coffee

The Pacific Island Journal Pt. 4

2008-08-30T23:59:00.005+08:00

The reason we took a long drive up this long, winding and hard core road up to Goroka-Gera is because there had been unfortunate landslide that practically disconnected Mt. Hagen (further up, closer to the gold mine) with the rest of the PNG. Major supply including oil, gas, foods and bettle nuts are being supply from the Lae or Moresby to Mt. Hagen via Goroka-Gera highway. The landslide had cause much suffering to the local tribes due to lack of food and collapses of houses and villages. When we were there, it was almost two weeks and helps weren't anywhere near. State of emergency were almost declared! Our job is to figure out how to install a pump to channel supply of oil across the landslide area.

Photo: View at the top of Goroka-Gera

Photo: Landslide that cause the tribes to move in seeking for new shelter and food

Photo: In the village, the tribes were waiting for helps and better solution

Photo: I remember at this juncture I met Pastor John, one of the local tribe member or community head who express unhappiness through us so the world can knows what had befallen upon them and that, they were desperately needing some help

Photo: Some villagers. It's a belief by the local tribe to put the mud on their face as observation of grief over something bad...

Photo: Local kids...

Photo: The house of Lord! Their church on Sunday

Photo: Fat-Ass couldn't climb up the sticky and quicksand mud

Photo: A remembrance of sort...we finally figure out the solution to built the pump. The supply continue...and we hope and pray it did help easp up the life of the tribes...

The Pacific Island Journal Pt. 3

2008-08-24T20:33:00.004+08:00

Our mission in Lae is to meet Daryl. And from Lae, we are to live through another mission- the embrace the challenges and long hours of road raging drive to the peak of Mt. Hagen where the operation of gold mine is located. Normal time from Lae to peak of Mt. Hagen are suppose to takes about 24-30 hours.

Photo: We were to start our journey. Crew's photo at the beginning of the journey. The 4WD car is the most robust and will take us through heaven and hell of this so called "Rocky Mountain Way" Parudin snap the photo for us.

Photo: Half way...through the amazing scenaries and landscapes of PNG

Photo: Journey thru' the the outskirt atmosphere of Eastern Highland Province.

Photo: Tough road! The robust 4WD scutlin' bustlin' thru it anyway...

Photo: Are we there yet?? Nope, apparently we weren't even halfway! The mountain kids were having fun throwing stones at our 4WD!

Photo: All hell freezes over! Ask the local and they would tell you that never stop at the village of Dumun tribe! They hurt and even kills for food...Well, heavy downpour and we got flat tyre, smack in between the Dumun village. Out of nowhere in the split second, handful of villagers appreared for the scene...I thought that's about it for the life I had lived thus far...

Photo: Nah!! It wasn't that bad. People are nice and very helpful indeed. Despite heavy downpour they rendered us their warm smile, kind heart companionship and most importantly helping hand. Who say they were nasty?? Not sure, but I guess this is what happen if we let it influence us too much with the doses of information that weren't ours. Well it could be true the Dumun tribe could be nasty, but not for the batch that we bumped into...well enough said, maybe we were lucky, with little help from our friends...

Photo: Sharing a moment donating my "Lucky Strike" cigarette with the Dumum people.

Photo: After giving 50-100 Kina to the policeman in jeep who happen to passed by us, they took one of the villager with them and returned to the location with new tyre. It took us 2-3 hours and it was blessing spending time with the locals understanding their life and surrounding...Yeah the group photos..

And after that, the show goes on....

The Pacific Island Journal Pt. 2 (Bonus Material)

2008-08-24T20:20:00.005+08:00

Photo: Lunch time...

Photo: This is how the basic economic theory work; the demand and the supply

Photo: This "neither look like dog nor cat" is Tree Kangaroo. All they do is sleep and eat! Wonderful...Why I can't be one??

The Pacific Island Journal Pt. 2

2008-08-24T19:49:00.003+08:00

Photo: A view from the top; we were departing Moresby and arriving Lae to meet Daryl which had been anticipating our arrival since we met back in 2007. He already prepared to charm us, promising it would be the best trip we ever had...

Photo: Still view from the top; The view was simply marvellous and awesome. I couldn't resist not to take any photo of it. For a second I want to die and surrender my soul to the beauty of God's creation...which I believe at the end of everything, they will reunite.

Photo: The mural painting of indigenous people of New Guineans at the reception wall

Photo: Hanging out with the local man at the nearby local market. No, I didn't give him the shirt. He asked me what the words mean? And I shoot out of my brain-cell who didn't have an idea about it that it meant "I am the great"...He was happy and we chilled the moment away with fresh coconut drink.

Photo: A walk in with Peter Nuan, a local man through the village of Morobe Province. Here Parudin was "getting drunk" with lot of coconut drink!

Signing Off...Peter

The Pacific Island Journal Pt. 1

2008-08-24T18:53:00.007+08:00

Photo: Cruising down to the P.N. Guinea's infamous capital; Port Moresby

Photo: A day in the life of the local Guineans; buying and trading foods and daily needs

Photo: The Headline news that we were going to be part of it

Somewhere in 2nd week of April 2008, Parudin & I making our historic trips to the Pacific Island. We departned from Changi Airport to Papua New Guinea. Our first stop is Port Moresby, capital city of Papua New Guinea (PNG). This stop is the start of my historic and discovery of that part of the world that is beautiful and yet unknown. What follow suit is unforgetable and memorable road trip to the mountainous gold mine peak through the amazing landscape of the Pacific and unfortunate events that shed tears and emotions

Signing Off...Peter

Photofest (East Malaysia Sabah borneo)

2007-02-24T11:40:00.000+08:00

Nice shot isn't? that's mine! - just an amatuer photographer

Still my shot

At the peak of mt.kinabalu

Sabah Trip (East Malaysia Borneo)

2007-02-24T11:14:00.000+08:00

23 February 2007

Hello my name is Peter and I was dead since September 13th 2006, which was the exact date of the last post, the stupid so called innocent love story.

Now I live again, well, not exactly but what the heck, what's the different?
Anyway, lots had happen during the time I was dead, the black-out era. Everytime when I was about to pen something on this blog or inspire sort of, my effort surely killed by the world's biggest of mass destruction; thy name is procrastination. Once it's launched, the aftermath is even greater, thy name is laziness.

I wanted to write those stuff but I kind of losing steam, from my breakaway trip to East Malaysia borneo, which I climb the highest peak of South East Asia to seeing God clapton live in concert in Singapore. Please excuse my blasphemous remark.
So I was dead? what does that mean? It meant I was tied up with work and travel, so much of that that my blog loses its priority.

OK, to cut the long story short, I will just post up some new photos- hopefully it's sufficient to silence the critics alike.

I will try again to keep the fire of this blog to the building, the wings of this blog on the bird and the alcohol of this blog to the wine, let's cross everything and may my wishes come true!
regards
Peter

Halfway to Mount Kinabalu

Kuantan:Innocent love story!

2006-09-13T12:00:00.000+08:00

Photo: Focal's bad boys

From L-R: Joe, Jais, Fat Guy, Bernard & Lawrence

12th September 2006

The time now is 10.35 pm and I am in my room listening to David Gray’s “A new day at midnight”, with the Egyptian musk Tulasi flavor incense burning-producing the exotic smell roaming the air I breath…and I am writing yet again another chapter of my life. Nothing interesting happens really, just the same old same old story. I am still here. Unless I go live in Africa or road tripping through the South America continent or listening to Buena Vista Social Club in downtown Havana, I consider nothing really happening.

Last weekend I was away to the East Coast of Malaysia. Kuantan, the capital of one of the east coast state, Pahang, suppose to be the biggest state in terms of land in Malaysia (mostly rainforest jungle) is where the event is happening.

I must admit it’s my first time landing my feet on the soil of Pahang or Kuantan. I must admit I enjoyed the road trip or the journey from KL to Kuantan so much more than I enjoyed Kuantan. The scenery and serendipity view of the rainforest greens and hazy view on the mountain side along the highway makes my journey even more bluesy. Joe & I were in one car and Jais, Bernard & Lawrence was in another. We were the only guys that representing our company to this event; Exxon Mobil Road safety competition. It’s a annual event where oil tanker drivers (of various sizes) compete their ability to control the monstrous vehicle and they were being tested on parallel parking, turning point, reversing, road challenges etc. The winner would get to represent Exxon Mobil Malaysia to compete with drivers of Exxon Mobil from all around the world, which to be held early next year in Japan. My company, together with other tank design and fabricators and components suppliers were invited to showcase our pride and joy. Big shots of Exxon Mobil, haulers, fabricators from China, Singapore, USA, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong and Philippine etc were there to check and inspect these toys (the monstrous trucks).

It was a hot and shiny affair. The weather was hot; it burns like hell freezes over. And to make it even worse, the site of the competition was located very near to the East coast beach. Yeah, you can guess how the wind spread the humidity all around us.

Anyway, Kuantan! While the name of the town may sound dull and pretty dead (Yes, you got it all right), it did refresh some early memories of mine. I did associate myself with Kuantan at least for a while and it once really mean a lot to me.

And of course it is about a girl. Now, this was my first crush! The first ever and ironic is I didn’t even know what “crush” means at that time. I was only ten years old. Yeah man, believe it or not I actually had a crush on this teacher when I was in standard 4.

The year was somewhere in 1990s and came along the batch of young bunch of teachers (to be) from Maktab Penguruan (Institute of teaching) something something…

I think if I remember correctly, her name is Ms. Fong and of course she’s from Kuantan. I was 10 and she was either 19 or early 20s. She got short and straight dark color hair (shoulder length) and she would wear normal teacher type of dress or sometime during activities in the weekend she would wear semi carrot light blue jeans and school shirt where the end of shirt would be knotted with the Maktab cap on it. As much as I can remember, she got a sweet face and pretty fair. Of course I was not the only boy who had a crush on her.

Looking back, my God, I was only ten and surprise that I actually did lot of effort to get her attention and of course I did. We did spent lot of time under the tree, near the football field having conversation about family and of course, obviously- about homework. (hell like I was interested) Ha ha..

To me I had that feel good factor, talking to my favorite teacher and of course to her, must had been merely talking to a kid whom puberty is still a long way to come. Foolish I know but it did happen. I actually enjoyed her class and her being around. She would write wishing cards and brought present for me (with hope to encourage me being a better pupil I suppose). And six month period passes like a wind.

My crush was much more different and than I thought. I actually felt sad when I learned that her training period about to end and was about time to go back to…Kuantan!

She signed on my year book and the last I remember I was so down sad that she is leaving. She did give me her lovely photo for remembrance (but was stolen by a Malay guy name Fahmy). I was even sadder then, because not only she is going back, but the only tool of remembrance I can cherish was being stolen as well.

The story didn’t end here. I told my dad I need some money to buy a farewell gift for Ms. Fong and I really wanted to give it to her before she took on that bloody bus back to Kuantan. With my knowledge limitation on geography, Kuantan then seems like a light year away from Penang. So my dad actually took me on the lousy Suzuki 120CC bike (the one that will definitely awaken the neighborhood if he coming back at night) to nearby Lai Lai supermarket to buy some gift. With few bucks donations I got from my dad, I brought a talcum powder (if I remember correctly) as a farewell gift.

The day was Saturday and she was schedule to leave on that very day. And I was very determined to see her for one last time as well as to give her the talcum powder. But when I reached there, it felt like a world is coming down on me when I found out that the bus left. I think I cry or did shed a tear. My first crush crash! I blamed on my dad’s lousy motorbike- for not fast enough. I was so sad when I reached home.

And it was really tough to be that young boy being disappointed that way. And at that time I really hate adults. My mum shows some sympathy but at the same time she was also laughing at the facts that I had a crush on this teacher. And of course the merciless adults were making fun of me. But in the end I think my Mum did say something encouraging or at least hopeful, you know the wishful thinking kind of story to make me convince that I will see her again.

About a month after she left, she sent me a letter- the type of letter that praising me that I was a good boy kind of crap and that I should be concentrating on my homework (and not other silly thing). She said in the letter she liked me like a brother she never had and stuff. I wish I could write the whole letter out but nah, where the hell is the letter I don’t know. The point is she realizes that I had a crush on her and mine was somewhat further compare to the other boys.

It’s amazing that boy at the age of ten can had a crush, on the teacher. Maybe the boy was confused between filial love for Mum, dad & siblings and agape love for friends. Obviously Eros love is definitely not scripted in the boy’s dictionary yet.

Looking back at this growing up story makes me feel somewhat happy. After all, growing up to me is the best time of my life and phases of life I will never stop cherish. The time spent in the wood, river, smoking with friend on top of his roof or with my brother (stolen from dad’s pack- it was Lucky Strike mind you) and the entire silly yet crazy things boys do when growing up. I will do this in another time another day.

With that I say peace!

Love
Peter.

Gym Hype (Part 1& 2)

2006-09-07T09:31:00.000+08:00

6th September 2006

Ever since I lost my six packs or abs or lean body shape (in other word, my slim body la…) nine years ago, I stop having strict discipline for myself in working out or going to gym. Every once in a while I will have occasional determination to really work out and get back in shape, from form 6 to year 1 in university to year 2 to year 3 to India until presently but the determination never really stay more than 3 month. So the accumulated muscles during that particular time would vanish into even more fat I guess.

Occasional determination would prompt me to do things like gym-style work out, jogging, weight lifting, football, badminton (traveling and trekking notwithstanding) but all this just “hangat-hangat taik ayam”. Literally translated to English, it means hot-hot chicken shit. It actually means doing things in the heat of moment (I hope my interpretation is correct).

When I got back from India, every one told me (the things that kind of expected but hurts) that I was getting fatter! So again, the determination started again. I did go for gym style work out for about 2 months then the rest was history. That was exactly 7 months ago. Now I am piggy again. Omar my buddy used to inspire me with saying like “take care of your health when you are young so the health can take care of you when you are old”. Of course everybody knows that inspiration didn’t work as it was suppose to be. Oh how I wish I can turn back time to those football training where the coach will demand of at least 20 round football field before you can touch the ball.

My friends had been trying to drag me to gym for quite some time now, ever since I stop going to Pantai gym for working out and as my fat getting more and more obvious. I know I won’t succumb to their invitation for sure because I know too well my occasional urge of determination. I know it for nine donkey years already. While I reckon the whole gym thingy is good for body mind and soul craps thing, I also thought that this whole gym thingy had become something of a popular culture, commercialize by the industrialist into the whole industry of cool thingy, like rock n’ roll in the 70s. It is the place of young and trendy people hanging out like Starbuck once was and still is. I am not whining or saying it is something wrong. It is what it is. And it was cool.

So anyway, I succumb to the invitation. I told myself to give it a try. What the hell do I have to lose? I mean after months of persuading myself to go back to Pantai gym and of course persuasion was in vain, what do I really have to lose? My friend brought me this trial membership (for one month) to Fitness first and I went. And hell yeah, I am proven right; gym is still being the industry of cool for the young and hip. I know I sound like a old God with rusty philosophical thought that no one want to hear but what the hell, what do I got to lose?

I was quite surprise at the junk of things and classes and trainers they have in there. I mean yeah, I kind of expecting normal set up but it was more than that. Plus, the chicks were something to cheer about as well. The steam room and sauna, the equipments, the trainers, the free drink, the music and basically the whole atmosphere just enthralled me. With all that jazz, I was lost. I didn’t know where to start (I usually know the chain of working out from top of my head to tip of my toe). So like a moronic monkey just fresh out of jungle, I jumble up the junk, no proper procedure, I did from treadmill on one minute to weight lifting in another minute and then sit up, then chest, then drink, drink and drink and then chest, then sit up, then stretching, drink, leg, drink and yeah la, all that crap la.

And fuck; now my whole body is a junk, a big mess and I am aching. Anyway, I am thinking of working out again and this time, I cross my finger that the determination stays for real, this time!

Part 2

Why people can be so cruel? Is desperation a drive for people acting out of their mind, doing things that will hurt another being? Man…where is the love? The world is going down like a toilet flush. We are living is a mad mad world.

No! I am not talking about the United States and the war monger president or Middle East madness; I am talking about smaller spot of human sickness that is haunting our society. Now people will do anything at any cost without second thought of terrible consequences just to live another day to feed their desire or hunger for whatever drugs they were on. Do these people actually think that the world is only evolving around them? That their life is screwed and no one else is?

Anyway, after my gym class the other day, I walked to my car, which parked opposite the building. I was just having this crazy thought that someone riding on the motorbike would speed towards me and whack me to semi conscious death just to squeeze few bucks out of my pocket hole. I mean when in dark scene like that and no one else around, the mind wanders and you cannot really blame the mind since sick things like that is so fucking rampant these day. Women would get robbed and if unlucky enough, got hurt, raped and killed. Guys will get consolation prize of knife stabbing, or helmet whacking before being robbed.

So anyway, I drove off and it didn’t happen to me. Less than 2 minutes I received a call from my friend (the one that invited me to the gym), asking me to go back to the parking lot- someone just got robbed and got injured in the process. I was like what the fuck???

Sympathy for this Malay girl. She was complete shock and she was hurt and bleeding on her palm. She was crying and trembling. The motorbike guys apparently snatched her handbag and she was very strong not to let go her valuable. In her defense and struggle, she felled three time hence the bleeding. Nothing much my friend and I could do but to calm down the tense. It was only her and both of us. We did calm her down, assuring her that we will be with her until police come. We did stay for sometime, my friend did most of the talking while me, did most of the calling. In the end, the police arrived so was her family member. She was still trembling and crying but much better. We manage to trace her car keys nearby.

Shit like that happen everywhere, we all know but lately, Malaysia, especially KL and PJ is just a haven for it. It is like the “in thing” for the desperate and the low life scumbags, punk junkie to do whenever they need the easy way out. I am not biasing. Desperate people include hard life and low income groups and even worse, family man. But whatever it is, they don’t have the right to hurt people that way. Yeah I know I am barking up the wall. While something need to be done, we all need to take special precautious. Guys, base ball bat in the boot don’t always work, so might wanna’ consider pepper spray. And girls, pepper spray don’t always work either, might wanna’ consider base ball bat and some martial arts lesson like Karate or Alkido.

Anyway please take care of yourself whenever you are. Shit happens everywhere and to anyone. It could be you or me or our loved one. Just take extra care. I love you all.

If you came across shit like that, here I include useful number:

PJ Area: 03 7956 2222

KL Area: 03 21460522

Last week and this week had been quite exhausting one. I was in Genting, watching Lobo in concert (part of the “get-together” our company organized for the haulers and Oil companies- so consider partly working partly enjoying la…). I met up with my Mum which I haven’t been seeing for almost 5 months now for a brief breakfast. It was really good to see her. She is still wonderful and such a lively and youthful and fantastic women despite her age of 57. Man, she rocks! Heaven and hell Haha…

This weekend, I will be away again to the East Coast for a regional truck show (in line with my job) and might be going back to the pearl of the orient to be with my family for a week or so. Until then, I am so rock n’ roll with my job and it’s really stealing my time away, at least for now.

Please keep in touch my friends. Again, I love you all…

Carpe Diem!!

Love & Regards,

Peter.

Losing a friend

2006-08-17T12:13:00.000+08:00

[Originally posted in rockstardream blog]

Sometime life is not all about being happy, sometime it is about being sad as well. That makes life the perfect picture. Am I right? I don’t know really. As much as we want to be positive about it, that we want to view life is a much interesting and comical way, we are too will be subjected to the story on the other side, on being traumatize, being shock, depressed and complete disbelief over something beyond our control.

Well, I am sorry today I am writing something that is the truest in life that nobody, if given a choice wants to record it. This is about losing a friend, unexpectedly.
What does it feel like to have a moment talking to a life, drinking, singing and shooting pool with a life and the next moment that life is gone, taken away forever?
What does it feel like to be the last person on earth too sees a life being a life whiles other, the closest and the loved ones to that life being blind about it?
What does it feel like to be the one who sees this life jumping and kicking and screaming the night away and the next thing, lying static, lifeless, a stinking corpse, staring up at you?

And what does it feel to be the one surrounded by the amplifying of the sad tones of mourning and grieving of the loved ones especially the mother?
You just hope that you have the power to undo certain thing so every one that lives can be happy about it. But reality bites- that’s not how life is.
I can ask more and more ironical and universally complicated question about life here and thinking on how should one feel about it but that is not my intention here. My intention is pure and simple, and it base on real experience here.

OK, I tell you what does it feel to be all that I mentioned above because I actually one of the one in the above.

I felt No-thing!

That’s the ironical thing about it. I felt nothing. When I look at the lifeless body, I thought I should have join the band of mourning people, breakdown and cry, being depress and complete wreck or at least shed some tears like all human do, after all he’s a friend and a colleague too, but hell, it just didn’t happen that way and I just didn’t know what to react or to respond.

Then I was thinking maybe we weren’t that close to begin with but still how can I as a human not shedding even a drop of tear? Where are my tears? All my mind was reacting then was just submitting to that event of life, reckoning that this life had gone away, back to the one-ness of life and that hey man, life goes on kind of crap. But it is hard to remain the only soul who didn’t shed a tear and express nothing and acting cool, displaying the “life’s like that” facial expression while the whole world surrounding you breaking down and cry their heart out, howling and breaking the silent and icy night.

I was trying to reason out why I didn’t feel a thing that night? Maybe I was already traumatized by the whole event itself. I mean how often we actually see a life jumping in one moment and the next moment he’s as dead as zebra’s meat. Honestly to God, it’s my first time and having maiden experience to such uninvited occasion- I guess I was just subconsciously being traumatized over it that my whole didn’t know how to respond and to react to it. My whole was a complete blank, constantly lighted by the lit of cigarette.

I thought maybe I will at least cry a little when things are more in place like I am starting to come to terms at all that jazz but hell the time in ER in SJMC to mortuary and post mortem in Serdang hospital, I just felt the same. I was the pillar of strength and comforter to mourners. I guess that’s the least I can do to the loved one, which is just being around and tell the truth and good thing about the deceased to the loved ones.

OK here comes the story of life and death. This is not exactly a Hollywoodmovie but real life. We had clients from Thailandvisiting us for business purpose. And we brought them for a pleasant dinner and later round of drinking and pool shooting. We had a few drink and that’s it. The last I remembered about the deceased one was he was very sober till the very last moment when we walked out that door.

Now that he’s dead, everything he said and did seem to solve the jigsaw puzzle of his death. He kept saying things like “I think it’s enough, I should go away” or “Maybe I should just lay back and raise kids and stuff”. He was enjoying every minutes of his apparent last few moment in life for him. He was singing out of tunes and he enjoys it, he was shooting pool and dances the beat away and that place we visited was actually his strong preference.

It seems like he sees it coming and he really want to do it the last time, drinking away, shooting pool and all in his most favorite pub for one last time before the last goodbye. Even the time of saying goodbye, when we were all entering our own car, I can see the light and smile in his face, the kind that indicate complete satisfaction on life and “it’s about time to go” expression. He even makes sure we all know the way to get out of that place, directing very patiently my other friend the precise way back to the main road before he took on the sharp death cornering, skidded and kissing the body of trees, so hard I think he died on the spot- of severe internal concussion.

Of course at that time it meant nothing and it didn’t make sense. But they say people who about to die see sense the coming of it and hence all the signs they unconsciously did or said. They somehow knew they couldn’t cheat death. Maybe they did see those Nicholas Cage type of angels or Jack the ripper visiting them, inviting them to go home. I don’t know. Maybe.
Being one of the last to see him, and the only sober soul around the wreck souls in the hospital, the best consolation thing I can do is to be around and be pillar of strength and comforter whenever I am needed. And I stayed to the last moment until paying last respect in his funeral the evening after.

He is young and he died at the age of 26, almost the same age with Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones or Janis Joplin. I guess he had live his life to the fullest, all those fun time in college in Melbourne and around Australia, swimming with sharks and open water, bungee jumping, smoking out, whatever and true, the light of his face at the time of last goodbye, to my understanding now, really indicate he was ready to go that he had no regret over whatsoever. Maybe that was the reason I didn’t shed a tear for him. I don’t know. Well he lives and dies young and for those who know him, far, close and well, we will forever remember and cherish him in sweet remembrance of his young face; smart, witty and playful. He will never grow old in us, just like Jim, Kurt or Janis.

Well, few days had passed now and I still haven’t really shed a tear for him. I reckoned his death and somehow someway, I know he went with all his heart’s approval, leaving his body, back to the one-ness of life.

And of course I don’t feel bad for how I responded and reacted to the whole thing. And I shouldn’t. We all have our own way in grieving and mourning and I did just exactly that. Carry on life the way maybe he wanted some of us to be- living the joy of life for him. Maybe he wanted me to celebrate his departure that way and I got him. Ha ha, I don’t really know. I guess I am just crapping and that’s what they call it blues. Well, it was a scary beginning I reckon but I bet the ending is somewhat happy (I hope) even though it was about death.
Before I sign off- I would like to dedicate one song for him- by Elton John entitle “Funeral for a friend/love lies bleeding” taken from the 1974 album:

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, arguably one of my most favorite record.
Live on my friend whenever you are, and don’t stop looking down on us.
Goodbye forever until I join you there.

13th August 2006.
P/s: Thanks Ernie for being part of my life.

P/s 2: I did have a fulfilling weekend though, because I really did carrying on living the usual way. Went to Planet Hollywood with Fara and some of her friends (even though she was unwell but I enjoyed my night, so no need to sorry sorry la, ok babe?), spent Sunday with my brother in Mont Kiara, and his interesting Sabahan friend, Mells and her Japanese friend- which all were interesting people, met Hannah (a make up artiste) which I sometime seen her around but finally get to know him/her (she’s a beautiful lady boy), introduced by Suja and much more which I am looking forward to for another just week. But I will write all this jazz in next post up! Ciao!

I love ya’allJ
Peter.

Photo from Carrie Anne & Michael party

2006-07-26T17:54:00.000+08:00

Me & Carrie Anne

Me & Pili

Me & Suja Yussof

Chris, Li'er, me & Carrie-Anne

India 2nd time

2006-07-24T12:49:00.000+08:00

2nd July 2006

I never thought of coming back to this crazy comical wonderful nation of India when I left on the jet plane on October 2005.

To make a come back for a second place is almost impossible, not because I hate the country mind you, I do love the country and traveling and discovering the country here in facts was the best time I had in my life.

As much as I love the country, but if given time and money, I would rather travel to new places as I wish to make to world my playground. I would love to go to Egypt, Turkey, Dubai, Cuba, and Europe & South America. There are so many places to go and to go back to same place is tantamount to mission impossible, unless I have wife and kids there waiting to be feed and loved, then that would be entirely different story- which apparently not the case here.

Of course I always entertain the thought that it would be so lovely to go back to the place where you once fond for and in love with but seriously never have a power to transform into reality.

Well, chance and fate took me there once and now it took me there again for a second time. And all this took place in less than 9 month after coming back from this crazy nation. The feeling of being in India for second time is indescribable especially when in your mind you know it too well that you wont be able to be back here, at least not that soon.

If last year I was backpacking in India the way of genuine backpacker, with budget guest house, cheap train and buses traveling, meeting and befriended all sort of funny crazy people, this time was exactly the opposite- plane traveling, 4 star hotels, fancy dinner, cabs and meeting serious and dorky people (people in the business sectors).

I must say that this trip was because of my present job but hold no boredom my army, coz I would not bother you a single thing about my job here. Even though I was in suit and tie with in flight traveling and fancy hotels, my soul and heart were the same of the yesteryear when I did my route of western India to Upper northern India.

Honestly prior to landing in Mumbai, I was already looking to breath the air that I was breathing for a year, to be amused by the Indians in the street and to see the rickshaw crooks to try to fool and cheat my money in their illogical way. While all this had been already anticipated, I was also can’t wait to be reunited with some of my friends in my second home in Pune. A friend once say to me that it is always a wonderful experience to go back to the place you fond with, and that is of course to feel spiritually and emotionally the things that we had experience through the time, sweet or sour, it doesn’t matter.

Anyway, before I can share my testimony in India for a second time, I must share with you my first up close and personal experience with Bollywood God-status superstar.

I departed my beloved country to my second home on the 3rd of June and coincidently that was the day he is flying back home.

I was in economy class and for whatever reason I was upgraded to business class. So I was seating on the first row and beside me was unoccupied. While I was fancying the “class” of flying in business class (the services and the gadget installed onto the seat), he walked in and time stood still. Really, it felt that way where people around you just pause for a while and all eyes were on him. And that includes all of the crew members.

His baldy body guard was holding his luggage. My heart beat faster than usual for I can’t grasp the realism of the occasion. I was not his big fan or what and like every ordinary people, I don’t give a shit even if he come and shook my hand but somewhat things are different when someone bigger than life stood in front of you and was about to take the seat beside you. I guess that why my heart were beating unusually.

He is the second God in India after the Big B (Amitabth Bachan). He is none other than the SRK, one of the great Khans. Full name is Shah Rukh Khan.

I am stopping with Alison Klauss’s “When you say nothing at all” playing in the air. I will continue to write when I am free again.

And I am free again (it is now 23rd July). I just got back from Bangkok. But Bangkok piece, I will write once I am done with this. OK, we were in Mumbai for the first 10 days of our trip. We were staying in the backpackers/travelers/foreigners haven. One of the most famous place in Mumbai- the most highlighted place in Gregory Robert’s Shantaram. It is COLABA.

The night of Mumbai the city never sleeps is happening. Everything there seems familiar and it seems like I was there yesterday- the cricket field, the clock tower, Marine Drive (Chowphatty Beach), Indian Gate etc.

On one of the night we were having dinner at Leopold- again, one of the most highlighted hangout place in Shantaram. Somehow all the lives in Shantaram relived in my head once and again, through my imaginative power of sort.

Second city is where I used to belong. It is the Oxford of the East, where lot of young people from all over India, Middle East, Africa, Asia come here for study and eventually work, where Israelis, Germans, Dutch, Italians, Greeks and others in search of better truth of existentiality here for Meditation, where most of the top engineering and IT companies from India and elsewhere is mushrooming here. This place I present to you- is PUNE- where I once live for a year or to be exact, my ex-base.

I just wanna make it short here. Martin, Magda, Sharfi and Trude- thanks for the times together, it’s great to meet again. I enjoyed all the time spent in Mad Grill House & Shisha Café. Smoking Shisha had never been any different-with you guys around.

Pinky, lovely and beautiful Hindi girl- It’s great to see you again. I know it was never expected. I enjoyed the dinner at Shisha Café with you.

The rest of the cities we were in were Nagpur, Chennai, Bangalore, Pondicherry & Delhi. With exception to Delhi, the rest of the cities mentioned above I never been there.

Pondicherry came a surprise to me. It was a one of the state, 4 hours drive away from Chennai. It is a former French colonial. There, still lives some French and they all holds double citizenship. Because of the French influence historically, some older generations Indians actually specks French. And that make French the second language in that city. It is just funny to see Indians speaking French.

I think I wanna stop writing. I just couldn’t do this anymore. I tried my best to write enthusiastically but enthusiasm and inspiration just not here anymore.

I still want to go back to India for my unfinished trip. Places like Kerala in down south, and Leh, Srinagar, Kashmir, Darjeeling in Himachal Pradesh in upper North and maybe Goa (again?). Until I do that, as in pure traveling, only my backpack & my khaki, I will write like how I did on the 12 series of traveling confession in India 2005.

Have a good life and live life interestingly. Goodbye!

Peter

Old Photos Revisited: Meatloaf & Babes (Part 2)

2006-05-23T19:15:00.000+08:00

Tribute to some of my greatest moments (not that there was much greatest moment to be cherish anyway...)- Dull life huh??

Photo: Me with my favorite "babe" Nasha Aziz and Faisal- The time working as Mickey's crew @ Disney on Ice tour- 2003

Photo: This is with another babe by the name of Claire in 2002, during one of the ball night. This babe I came to know in theatre production day where she was a main cast and me, was just a one few liner extra plus behind the curtain guy...Am I slapping myself uploading too many "beauty & the beast type of photos"?? Haha!! I just love me...

Photo: This year is I guess the proudest moment for my parent BUT not for me as it was tentamount to me walking away from freedom (people who knew me know how I live my varsity life). Yes the year is 2003 and it was a graduation day. And the babe beside me is the 6th member of pussycat dolls- as in literally "pussycat" doll:) Haha...OK, she is also one of my favourite babe, nevermind the pussycat story...

Photo: Last but not least, this photo is taken in La Bodega ( currently my favourite wednesday's evening place where the best jazz band is playing) in 2001. I think this outing was with two friend of my whom is now slave to P&G- OTC & YikHun

Old Photos Revisited: The Peter then...

2006-05-22T14:25:00.000+08:00

22 May 2006

Song: Spirit of Radio- Rush

Well, friends, last weekend, I was just browsing through my old photos and I was thinking maybe I could scan them and upload it on my blog, and without much thinking, here some of my old photos- as you can see, the Peter with hair era:) & some, which belong to Peter just without the hair era and of coz, the botak era... To those who know me 1999 onwards- as the botak guy, baldie, "Costello" etc but those who know me prior to 1998- the bad hair day, the grunge jamming, hard rocking era, here's some photos- thanks for the good and bad time together. Have fun yo!!

Photo: 1997, working at Evergreen Hotel, Italian month buffet. (From L-R): Siva, me, Sufian, Jalil, Rez & Wan

Photo: Posing near the main dishes area

Photo: 1998, @ Penang dam, with Kok Wei- good ol' buddy.

Photo: The "Eat, sleep & shit Guns & Roses era"

Still got more photos. Later...(part 2)

Strawberry field forever

2006-05-17T10:36:00.000+08:00

Photo: Dinner @ Strawberry Field (With Barbara, my ex roomie & oh I forgot his name)

The bugger is in the middle

2006-05-17T09:28:00.000+08:00

Photo: Me, D'bugger & Shook (The laughter that shook the world)

A tribute to bugger

2006-05-13T08:42:00.000+08:00

Photo: Jerry Felix (Drummer, hidden) & The Falcons

Photo: Salvador & Me @ Pelita, Bangsar.

Photo: Ramli Sarip & Lefthanded rock the stage!!

Photo: Ramli Sarip, Me, Man Kidal & Yan

Opening Song:- Goodbye to romance- Ozzy Osborne

11.10 am, 12th Friday May 2006.

And so the story of life continues. Oh wait, let me do that again, and so, the story of this seemingly routine life continues, through the rush hour of everyday, chaotic of big city life, mad crowd of people, same old same old faces, surrounding you with nothing but the same old stuff of world updates. And I wonder where will my life go from here? When will my life take off again? I don’t know man…, while there’s nothing wrong with my life now, but somehow I feel my itchy feet and my cat level of curiosity is calling in within me to go explore, go somewhere out of ordinary. Perhaps it’s just me or the cat in me that playing the role of devil’s advocate to poison once again my school of thought that life is not about evolving in the same old geographical places your eyes see and your skin touches but like I told my recently gone off (to Germany) friend that “it’s whole new world out there” and that it seems so close and yet so far because we just couldn’t move because we are tight here on ground by worldly commitment. And yeah, that’s the whole irony of the whole thing. And it makes you just don’t wanna care anymore sometime.

Time travel faster than light yes you may say it’s only a saying- but it’s true. Sometime we do the things we do everyday that we don’t know that actually we had miss out quite lot of thing that if you take sometime off your heavy duty schedule to think and ponder, the thing that we miss out intentionally or unintentionally, is the thing that mean a lot to us.

As for me, my writing might seems melancholy or some will go to extra miles to pity me as depressive. Whatever it is I don’t care and couldn’t be bothered. I used to say and still subscribe to this school of though that life is short and yes my friend; it’s our duty to live life to the fullest. Every losing minute will forever behind us and will never get it back. So friend, sometime despite our busy life, all we need to do is to stop and ponder a while and then get back on that train track of life.

Balance is all we need. So every once in a while, we must do things that satisfy us, satisfy our soul, mind and body.

Bonnie, I thought he will never go and there might be a slight possibility that he might chicken out the whole thing of living in Germany- living faraway for the first time, out of time, out of shelve and out of every familiarity. I know he want this very much and he had gone through fire and ice to make damn sure that this must transpired. That’s why I really want him to fuck off from here, for the betterment of his life- life that I hope one day he will never regret, despite the things that he must let go to move on. Man, shit like that is never easy and will never be and bittersweet irony is, like it or not- life goes on and we must choose one path or the other and there is no turning back. Courage and strong determination is all that it takes to walk-away from the thing we don’t to but must to, and come what may- like time and light, life still, goes on. I am not harboring any thought, I just couldn’t agree more that we must realize the dream we hold dearly, whatever that it is even though we have to cycling through the rocky mountain way. At the end of day, it’s just a decision life gotto take and there’s no wrong or right here- It’s just FREE WILL.

And the longer he actually stays to bother me about playing futsal, even though is the call that I am looking forward and anticipate it- the more I think he will have a second thought. And finally this Yes-Land is all but minus one bugger.

To tell you the truth, I was a bit envy that he is living the life I once lived and the whole airport scene, which at the first seems like a fake party and towards the end really seems like funeral for a friend-love lies bleeding kind of thing actually flashing back that exact moment I had when I took off to India. It was exactly the same. Melancholy, the strange-awkward- don’t know what to do what to say kind of attitudes, whether for the sending off people or for the going off bugger- it’s just fucking same. And how could I not felt it- the blues, the joy of the whole exploration I was about to have is the just few hours away and abracadabra, we are looking through a window, laying eyes on everything that is new, amazing…
But that was just one bit, overall, I am happy this bugger went off finally and behold the world, this bugger is gonna take the yes-land to another level like I once did. So long bugger, have fun of your life and whenever you lost in life or in the city or in the pub or party, just take out the magic card I gave you and remember Christopher Columbus once said- “It’s a whole new world out there” and I always wanna add “Go swim and explore” Salute bugger.

Salvador, a Spanish friend I met in India visited me on his Asia backpacking trip. It was good to have someone from the phase of life you cherished most coming back to you. It’s like you get to hold the piece of shattered sweetest dream you once had. I wish I have all the time and luxury to bring him around but as much as my schedule is holding me down, I tried to do best.

We went to Batu Caves. And hello, I know it’s embarrassing, but Batu caves that day was my first time. Seen it in TV, paper, magazines and even some miles away but to be there, no. never. I thought it was only the staircase that is matter but to prove some of you who might share the same view, it is not. So I did and go extra miles to explore the damn stone caves, rather than merely climbing up the staircase like a monkey do there everyday.

Suja Yussof, the cave warden (a friend I came to know from John Burger’s store, also Amir Yussof’s elder brother) Salvador and myself went on to cave the dark caves of Batu Caves. It was a great exploration and caving experience. It was not only a touristy caving where everything is lightens up for you to see and stone and metal is well constructed for you to walk safe so you could protect dust and bones of red muddy cave from gathering on your docker khaki and yuppie t shirt.

We went all out and as Suja would like to put it, we went against Darwin’s theory of evolution. In a sequence, we walk like a Neanderthal man and then bend like a gorilla, craw like a lizard and last- move like a snake on the ground completely- dragging our body through the tiny hole of caves. It was experimental and something different from Gua Tempurung.

Also one of the event I want to highlight in this page is the week before, I met up with Malaysian’s dinosaur of Rock figure, Malaysian’s greatest guitarist (some might wanna dispute this with Hillary), and one of the Malaysian greatest rock band. We were watching Jerry Felix & the Falcons jamming like every Thursday and out of no where the familiar faces walk in the pub, humbly, in their skin leather pant and flowery shirt, long glammy hair. They were all humble people despite that God status as much as Asian/Malaysian Rock music is concerned. The Papa or dinosaur rock I was talking about is Mr. Ramli Sarip, the leader of the 70s band- Sweet Charity. (Think of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones), the great guitar maestro- Man Kidal, guitarist of the band of Lefthanded and also Man Dayak (drummer) and Yan (bassist), also from the same band- Lefthanded. And so, the house took off their hat and invited them to rock the stage. They performed a slow number of Bob’s “Knocking of heaven’s door” & Rod Stewart’s “I don’t want to talk about it” as well as other rocking numbers from Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

And I guess I must call it off. So buggers, this is a call from me and thanks for being one true blog army and stay tune. Till then, stay true to yourself and don’t be hypocrite. We see each other again.

Closing song- StereokuMonomu by OAG

Writing this page by the pool side in my condo, Pantai Hillpark.

Natalia's Traveling Journal across South America!

2006-04-19T21:27:00.000+08:00

Hi Blog Army,

My apology for not writing consistently. I guess right now there isn't much traveling from my side so not much story and train of thought to share.

As you can see, this is the first time I am gonna actually do this, to interblog. Here I am going to feature a traveling journal of a friend across South America. Personally when I read it the first time I really like it and honestly I can feel the "everything" about traveling/backpacking in her writing. And I ended up read and reread it for many time to come.

The journal also carry a memory when I was reading Che Guevara's motorcycle diary, at the time of traveling Mumbai-Baroda-Delhi. The book was about the young Che, experiencing and exploring the beauty and sceneric, God Sent landscape of South America continents.

Natalia is a friend I met and hung out with during my earlier time in Pune, India. I think it was in late 2004, early 2005. In fact, we travelled together, also with other crazy friends to Goa, New Year Eve 2004. This cute and sexy Colombian girl is one happening chick that never stop to amaze you. OK, enough said- let's enjoy her traveling journal through South America.

..................................................................................................

The Rada family (my dad, my bro and i), in an unusual behave and anxious craziness decided to travel...like Natibo - Visa Expedition in National Geographic Chanel, but in local version we named it "Natibo - USDcash Expedition in Radational Geographic". Initial plans were Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. But in a real dimension of the trip (time, distances and the way back) we got rid of Brazil and Bolivia. Finally we drove 16000km it self only and enjoy thousands of landscapes, places, food and wonderful moments. As soon as we got back, we found out that South America rules!, the roads in several places suck! food in Peru and Argentina are the best, guys in Argentina are much better than Calvin Klein models, Chile is as expensive as Europe and a very important issue: Definitely, indeed, a world wide knowledge is that u need more than one month to do that trip and as soon as u go back u are totally able to send your cv to a bus transportation company (bolivariano o velotax in Colombia) and no chances of not being hired or being rejected your application.! )

In a final footnote of this abstract it is proper to say that a trip of that kind carries consequences on. Skinniness, over exposure of sun (skin burns) (in the desert), extreme tiredness, sleepless nights and very early start journeys.

Introduction: last 21th of December 2005, we left nice Ibague and drove to the southern roads of Colombia, we crossed Cali, Pasto and Ipiales where finally we got to the first costume and found for very first time foreign floor.

Ecuador is a normal country, with very beautiful landscapes thanks to the Andean mountain, full of volcanoes, snow mountains and a general truth: Banana crops, Ecuador is the banana country! despite they have a very annoying accent (perfect for me and my jokes) i found it very similar to the south of Colombia (Nariño state), so my impression was "they are southern Colombians but with passports", ah but also in a low quality version. So i don't want to sound rude or
unrespectful but i just want u to know that ecuatorians and Peruvians think that Colombians are the south American genius, the big potential country, the Cosmo and first world of third world.

Well, over there i learnt a lot of history in every museum, Architecture is just amazing and the guinea pigs are the main course everywhere, so where ever u go, do what ever they do... so welcome rats to your stomach. We were in Ibarra, Quito, Guayaquil and Huaquillas where the costume is. Huaquillas is the ecuatorian side and Aguas Verdes is the peruvian side... i have never been in a worst place than those in my entirely life and in the entirely world. So it wasn't nice my first step on Peru. At this level i must do a historical aclaration.

Colombia during the earliest 90 was bombed by Peru tv channels, i was a kid at that time so a entire generation including my self, picked up a lot of feelings for Peru, i learnt vocabulary, traditions and words and a ghost that never leaves: Laura in America, a talk show that changed forever our perception of Peru because it showed the worst of that beautiful country, the people poverty and the lowest dimension of a society, so we grew up with a standard conception of what Peru was, but personally i kept thinking that that tv talks how was just a play not the real life. Fast, i found out that it wasn't faked, i faced my self with the country of señorita Laura*(see note below). Then i developed a shame and pity feeling because Peru it's too cool to be true, but its ruin by some jerks and i could understand lots of its problems just seeing the essence of its culture, history and roots, and mainly because i found it as the India of America in many issues. Then my nice feelings were also due to my links and good memories of India, somehow i felt i was in India so was weird and nice too. Of course i laughed a lot remembering my childhood and cuz i couldn't believe that Peru was real just at it is.

About the Indian point, just imagine and think of how i felt, first thing, they have rickshaws!!! bajaj Brand and they call em bajajs, mototaxis or motocarros, so same noise, same horn, same feeling when u are in India, second, Traffic is just annoying, they don't know how to drive! crazy, unbelievable, third, national sport is to horn, fourth, smells are disgusting sometimes and fifth how pp look like its just to much! (objects or characters described previously are not a product of imagination but any seem item compared to India its just coincidence)

So away from Indian memories, back in Peru, we went to Mancora, which are the best beaches of Peru but what a shame cuz they are horrible, or lets say that im used to go to the Caribbean and comparing both there is a big loser (pacific!), Then we went to Chiclayo, great city with the full report of Mochique culture, a pre Incan civilization, full of archaeologyc treasures. Chimbote is a fisher-town so that was the stinkiest city of Peru, with the prawn's head pp make fish flour and animal food so its just unbelievable the stinkyness and smell of dead fish. but it was not cuz we wanted to be there, was just a obligatory point where u pass through to Lima. Lima is an enormous city, too poor in its major area but its historical centre its just fabulous, magnifique, amazing, they had a lot of money during the "virreinato of Peru" (colonial times) so they have republic architecture, full of cathedrals, convents, museums, balconies and very beautiful and delightful historic area. Miraflores is nice cuz is the financial centre so buildings are amazing and very luxurious!!! Driving south way we went to Nazca, great area of pre-Incan civilization who made figures in the desert sand, perfectly matched with the sun and the moon in order to be used as a calendar, and only can be seen from high distances so i.e by plane, so we hired a plane and they made the flight amazing, we saw a hummingbird, a seagull, a condor, a monkey, a dog, a parrot, a crocodile, a whale, and more geometric figures.

It was one of the most exiting moments of the trip but we went forward cuz we still got a lot of distance to drive.....We arrived to Tacna the border town of Peru with Chile, we crossed the border and immediately u know that u are in a different world, first world, Chile is the wealthiest country in South America and is the 25th economy of the world pole, also taking care that Brazil is one of the tops and the rest, like our are over the 50s positions so no chances to feel a brotherhood besides the fact that they speak Spanish hehehe. Chile has a strong economy based on crops, mineral resources and fishing industry, Chile is a desert... Atacama desert takes forever and it's like the road-runner stage, when u think u will pass an one hour landscape.. damn! copy-paste, the same landscape for hours so it is very dangerous to drive cuz u cant find a gas station in hours and wind strength keeps u focused in the road. We crossed places where never have rained in the hole earth time so just imagine the place. Chile's food is so crappy that we ate mc donals only jejeje, hard to believe but was better and cheaper. Arica, Antofagasta, Vallenar, La Serena, Viña del Mar and Santiago was our Schedule. Viña was too cool but a shame that there are not beaches available for swimming... waves are to dangerous and fucking cold so no a real mood for the beach!! Santiago is very close and we went to the downtown, the zoo because my biologist bro wanted to, and we left to Mendoza Argentina through the Aconcagua border!!!. Santiago is a nice city, very cosmopolitan, i cant deny it, very good approach to first world, no poor pp, no dirtiness, good subway, good roads, good infrastructure, good services, expensive hotels, expensive and horrible food, ugly girls and flirting guys**.

Finally we left to Argentina, Andeans at that level are quite different of them that we saw in Ecuador or Peru, dryness makes them light brown but still a very beautiful chain. Mendoza is the first city u find in Argentina, it is a great city with a lot off things to do and mainly to buy!!! Wines there are just amazing!! Very well done and cheap!!! Argentina was kind of surprise for me cuz was very cheap and life it's very nice, for example u can have the best meat ever in the hole world, juicy, tender and with a perfect taste plus salad, fries, beer and wine, all in a meal for 3 pp and for just 20 usd!!! Yep believe it or not that's the price that u pay for a very good meal in Argentina. Also besides food and guys, I found out that pp are really kind.. I think they are one of the kindest pp of south America, even when pp used to think that Argentineans were different and not helpful at all, but I think they are amazing pp.

So in Buenos Aires we went to very beautiful places like the pink palace, the recoleta cemetery, el barrio de la Boca and Caminito. El barrio de la Boca is the place where during the 19 th and 20th century, Tango was created and a tango culture was found. Caminito was the exact place where u can have a beer and watch a tango spectacle and all tourist life is developed, also u can find there Boca stadium! Yep, one of the thousand monuments of soccer in Argentina, where Maradona played and more famous Argentinean soccer players.

Buenos Aires was great but we didn't spend much time there so I really want to go back one of this coming days. Finally and finishing our journey in the south, we went by ferry to Uruguay!! Through the River Plate channel, it is the widest river of the world! so it takes 3hrs to cross it, but in the slow ship! We spent a day in Colonia del Sacramento, it is a beautiful and historical city, full of museums and very small, I was wondering how could it be possible cuz it was too small and so many museums, also the spotlights are great and sometimes u can see lights from Buenos Aires. Then we were done, it was 14 th of January so we had only 10 days to go back in a marathon session!!.

So me and my bro decided to step on the gas!! And drive as fast as possible. i was pulled over in Chile because excess of speed mm yes I shouldn't say it, im not proud of it just it happened and my brother too in Ecuador (I was not the only one), but in Ecuador we got rid of the ticket giving to the officer some money but in Chile I had to apologize and tell them that was the very first time, that I was not watching my speed level and I wont do it again. Hehe. Well after a crazy and exhausting marathon we arrived to Arequipa!!!! We left our car there and we took a bus to Cuzco!!!, hehehe dear friends if we hadn't gone to Machu Picchu we had wasted so much effort. It's like go to India and don't go to the Taj Mahal!!

So we went to Cuzco by bus, mm kind of disappointing when u know and have to pay the price to go to Machu Picchu!! Its about 150 usd!! For just one day and not first class service!!, for that price sometimes u think u will have a great service but…mmm….ok I must say that finally it worth it when u realized and don't have to pay anything else.. it worth!!! I started to like llamas and vicunas, they run free there and it is an amazing place with a mystic and a respect feeling. Indeed u must go to Cuzco, around it and Machu Picchu of course, that last visit was the top, the great end of our trip!!

Finally, i don't want to write any more! So I just have left that South America it's awesome! Amazing! It was a great and crazy trip but it worth every km u drive, every place u stay, every food u taste, everything u learn!!

When I got back I was too tired that I said that I would never do that trip again but now if somebody wants me to be a personal guide, im available!! Im a human version of lonely planet south America!!

Thanks for the sponsors of this trip (dad), the car (my dad's), the money (dad's and bro's) and the keenness needed!! (that was my asset)
Please attach comments and reactions!!! Can I apply for any redaction skill Prize? (Pulitzer / Nobel / Asturias xxx?)

Bye I hope u like my tale!!
Nata, experimented driver and skinny underweight Colombian friend!

*by the way she was found guilty and was in jail because she was involved with corrupted transactions of thousands of dollars during Montesino's scandal and several links with Fujimory and its corrupted government

** gender specifications: Colombians and Argentineans both genders are beautiful, super pretty pp, pp in Peru are a shame, not possible to find a nail of a miss universe in Peru, its enough to say that im tall in Peru..., girls in Chile are ugly, guys are flirting all the time but are a defected version of Argentinean guys, ohh Ecuador are a very cheap imitation of Colombians but a better edition of Peruvians but still not good casting and finally Argentineans... heaven....Greek Goddess....Batistuta is the ugliest!!!! i didn't know where to see and who to flirt....the policeman, the postman, the seller, the driver, the supermarket attendant, the waiter, the guy who ask u for money cuz he doesn't have any to eat!!! ohhhhh Argentina.....a fantasy for girls plan or ladies night!!!!! im considering seriously go to Argentina again but without bodyguards (dad and bro)

The Blog is back- Cold day in the sun

2006-03-13T08:53:00.000+08:00

12 March 2006 (2 days to my birthday)

Song: Leaving New York by R.E.M and rest of their songs from the album “Around the sun”

Place: In my bedroom

It has been a while since the last time I did this, updating my blog or writing something meaningful that chronicle my life. The last time I did this was some three months ago when I first came back from India and my 40 days traveling there were still fresh in my mind. Well, obviously, time flies by and it does really fast, faster than the light some might say.

The reasons why I haven’t been writing for so long now is I guess it’s just too hard for me bridge the life I had in India and the one I am living now in Malaysia. The gap is just too wide to bridge and plus, lots of thing had happen and I didn’t have time to piece it all together. To say I don’t have time is lame so I better word it the way that I had been tied down and had been bitten by harsh realities.

After all these months and excusing myself from writing and ignoring my inspiration and train of thought, here I am now- breaking the ice and kick starting an effort to bride this torn life transition.

Song: The Outsiders by R.E.M & Q-Tip, my favorite one in the album.

It’s funny sometime I think that the time I am having and the life I was living had actually come to an end. I thought it was never meant to end the truth is it had come to an end. And so the end is the beginning- The end of something is the beginning of another. Life is like that, it keep on moving and never a time it pause, not even when we blink for a second.

It had been four months now and sometime subconsciously, my mind is still finding it hard that my life is here and is gradually bitten by the harsh realities here. And I think it is hard also to come to know that life is about us facing the eventual reality that if everybody given a choice they would likely to runaway- the commitments. I always love the carefree and commitment-less kind of life, doing what I wanna do, treating the world like a playground and wonderland. So the thought of I living life somewhere out of familiarity, subconsciously is still there. It became blurry at the beginning point of commitment. One by one is ushering in and they, the devil’s tools are gonna sucking me dry.

So I am working now, and in about three day time, it will mark the three months I am with this company. Working is the first chapter of life with commitment. Then there is car and credit card. And that’s it- my arms and legs and neck is tied to the ground of bitter reality. I can now foregoing about the plan of my backpacking, at least for the near future.

If you ask Ceasar, he would surely describe my phase of life now is tantamount to rebuilding an empire. I was working hard and sacrificing my life after graduating for about two years, living life not programmed by society and was without the devil’s tools like credit cards and proper jobs, sustaining life with menial jobs and surrounded by surrounding of high life and egoistic materialistic and future oriented society. That was never easy and I went through it and the reward was the best time of my life- India!

And now, even though I am still all for it, living life in another place, I just couldn’t do it anymore. To do it again is like rebuilding an empire. And I am rebuilding an empire now. Life is short and we gotto live it. Dream may go away but it never shatters. Hence when the empire is rebuild, dream will be back in one piece and I will be leaving on a jet plane. Only time will tell.

This is the fact life for people like us who weren’t born into a wealthy family, feed by silver spoon. I always like to say that there isn’t any money falling down from trees above or coming out of the closet. So for people like me, if I ever want to live my dream life, discovering and experiencing the unknown, the only way to do it is to investing my time and working my ass out and pray-pray, with a little help- I will be there.

I was listening to some of my old CDs and there was this song and particularly its lyric really caught me again. And this is how it goes, an excerpt- “It’s the price we gotto pay, and all the games we gotto play, it makes me wonder if it’s worth to carry on, Cause it´s a game we gotta lose Though it´s a life we gotta choose And the price is our own life until it´s done ” *

This excerpt is in me now for more than one reason, about life and also about a very interesting person I befriended with.

This is just an attempt to come back to my blog and to bridge my life then in India and my life now in Malaysia. And I think this is a good start though it may sound like cold day in a sun. So, this blog had been rejuvenated and with that I invite you people keep coming back. This is to all the beautiful people of all colors, places and gender, whom I met, befriended and in love with, this is for you.

Signing Off,

Peter

· The excerpt of the song if “The Price by Twisted Sister”

* I am also begun to write poem and song again. Please visit www.summerjazz69.blogspot.com

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-12-12T03:43:00.002+08:00

Part 12 (Ending, very bad ending, boring one)

Goa, 1st day

It was a Palorem beach and it was my second time. The first time was exactly 6 month ago. My objective and mission was clear, to have a good life and on that day of my arrival, I started my good life.

The palm trees, the golden sand on the beach, the coco huts, the volatile level waves, the swaying of trees, the beach dogs and everything made me felt like I was there yesterday. After a round of searching for good hut, I settle in on a hut, lay on the front of the beach. A hut that enable me to view the beach and the morning sun and straight up to heaven with a block of any matter. First sign on good life.

Second sign of good life was when I invited myself a good Goan lunch at Kates café. My lunch was prawn curry rice and a cold beer. I was reading the fascinating book and story was about the struggle surviving cancer by Louis Armstrong. It was a very inspirational and emotional book.

Another famous thing in Goa was the full body massage. That’s what I did after lunch. It was a full body massage. Yes it was only my first half day and I was already having the dream life of any man working on the street or in the office, people who have money and cars but didn’t have sufficient time to live youthful life. I was the opposite.

Song: Your winter by Sister Hazel & Yesterday’s gone by Lenny Kravitz

And without I realize it my first day was gone. I was alone and I had a good life. I only spent 30 minutes on the beach.

My all time top 5 Actors

1. Al Pacino
2. Denzel Washington
3. Johnny Depp
4. Leonardo DeCaprio
5. Kevin Spacey

Goa, 2nd day

So the morning has broken. I woke up like usual with the sun still a little shy away from the sky, blues sky, colored by the whitening clouds. I went to the nearest café or hut by the beach to feed myself a health breakfast and had myself a serenity of the morning Goa.

In the café I met a very strong and healthy old man from Israel. We had a very interesting conversation. At one point of our conversation, he was recalled of his bitter youth of the then shaky and war thorn between Israel and Egypt, back in 1973. While his friends attending Woodstock and foreign universities, he was in a tank or sometime on feet fighting with the Egyptians army. It was a tragic memory or sometime a poignant one especially when he think of how his close friends killed in the battlefields. He almost came to tears but somehow he managed to hold back.

Then came along one beautiful girl. She was alone and was wearing sunshade. She walked in the café and seating by herself, watching and enjoying the serenity of the beach and sky. The Israelis left me to rejoin with his fellow friends and so I was alone. I told myself it’s time to hook up with the beautiful girl and so I brave myself to talk to her. I took a last sip of black tea and walked to her table and without even a slight of hesitation I said hi and asked her if I may join her. And not much of her surprise, she said yes and there it goes, I had her acquaintance until the last day of her in Goa.

Her name is Arielle. She is from Vancouver, Canada but working in Cannes, Australia. She was traveling alone. I invited her to a dinner with me which of course she could never deny since I was quite charming at it.

I read Lance Armstrong’s autobiography few more chapters and later in the evening I joined some local kids and some travelers to play beach soccer.

We had a dinner at Sameer café, serving one of the finest steaks, seafood and western varieties in Palorem. I ordered myself chicken steak sizzle and she ordered fish steak. It was a candlelight dinner by the beach. It was a memorable and somewhat romantic night. We shared lot in common especially in music, books and movies. Talking about movies, she was once actively act as an extra in various Hollywood movies. Among them with Ben Affleck in Paycheck, Luke Perry in some TV series and Courtney Love.

Her all time top 5 actors/actress

1. Al Pacino
2. Edward Norton
3. Meg Ryan
4. Renee Zelwegar
5. Nicholas Cage

3rd Day, Goa.

Arielle and I met up in the morning for breakfast. It was also good to have someone around to acquaintance with especially in Goa but without any string attached. We just meet up whenever we both want and have a nice time together engaged in a very interesting conversation. And when either of us want to do something alone, we just split and met up again at promised time.

So after a very delicious breakfast, I rented a bike and so together with her, we cruise the village and outskirt of Goa. It was really nice. We went to a 5 star hotel and suntanned on the beach. The beach was empty and it was only the two of us and the ocean and its lovely waves. It was as only the two of us in the universe. Occasionally we batched in the deep ocean and splashing crazily at each other. I was done with Lance Armstrong and started to read “The Kingfisher” which was also a motion picture starring Robbie William and Jeff Bridges.

We separated for a while for the whole afternoon and we met up again for dinner. This time we went to Marita café. It was a nice little café which allowed you to play your own choice of Cds.

It was also a few tables, lighted with a candle and facing the ocean. Instead of both of us seating facing each other, we were seating side by side facing the ocean, occasionally producing the little waves that hitting the shore and hence producing the Mexican waves. I ordered a prawn curry rice and Goan fry chilly chicken while she was ordering veg. Pakoda and fish steak sizzle.

I then started to play my own set of CD. To accompany the most romantic dinner, I first put Nina Simone’s hits and classical jazz.

The night was long and beautiful. She left the day after that. In Goa I also met up with a very interesting person, a Gary chap from England. He stayed in the hut next to me. We hung out quite a lot especially the time when me and Arielle separated to do our own thing. Most time, we were just seating and hanging out in his hut, smoking hash non stop, listening to good music and had lot of coffee. It was so funny that we were smoking hash for a continuous 6 hours, non stop, one after another. Interesting conversation hold us up together. A lot of thing I did learned from this Gary guy. Like always be nice and to people and be humble, don’t show off.

Gary came from a broken family. And through his youth, he had been to many countries, some with hard life like Greece, South Africa, Germany and etc. He speak Spanish, German and Hindi. He has a knack for language. He used to play in a same team with Ryan Giggs during his prime for Manchester United under 16.

The 4 days in Goa sign off this tiring journal and also my story through my experimental traveling through North of India, Pune and Goa. Honestly I am very tired and bored and who the hell is reading this crap anyway?? With that I say goodbye. (to myself)

Peter Ooi.

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-12-11T21:34:00.000+08:00

Part 11

The infamous Golden Temple

Song: Don’t go away by Oasis

The journey to Amritsar after a week in paradise (McLeod) is like Beetleby & Loki, the angels in Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” that being cast away from heaven to earth for all life and eternity. The road gradually returning to normal and typical Indian road. Pollution and traffic jam were back in operation. The journey took me about 6 hours.

I arrived in Pathankot at 7.30 pm and the sky was already dark. There was no bus to Amritsar until tomorrow morning. And the earliest train was schedule to arrive 6 hours after that. I had no choice but to hung out with my friend, the 15 kilo bag pack, on the floor by the entrance of the railway station. I was already drain out and tired.

Song: Mellon Collie & the infinite sadness by Smashing Pumpkins

I brought the cheapest ticket or the lowest class. I didn’t know it was suppose to be first come first basis. And when the train arrived, I didn’t manage to find myself a seat so I ended up on the smelly dirty floor by the side of the door and the miserable toilet was like less than 10 meter away. I took out a paper and spread it on the floor, hugging my bag pack and fall asleep. I was awaken by a train manager and he was kind enough to alert me of possible thievery if I would to sleep openly like thin with my bag pack. I think it must had been his first time to see a foreign traveler sleeping on the train floor. Because of his generosity, I was being offer a sleeper class until I reached Amritsar.

Song: How you remind me by Nickelback

I arrived at Amritsar dead early in the morning. I was tired from the train ride and lack of sleep. And my bag pack was killing me with its weight. I went straight to the golden temple. Amritsar didn’t really impress me. In facts I hate it so much I wish the day would be over soon. The only consolation on Amritsar which is also one of the best thing was the golden temple.

Golden temple is the most important sacred shrine for the Sikhs, who travel from all parts of the world to enjoy the blissful environments and offer their thanks by giving prayers.

I went to one of the lodging and took a nap on its bench. It was a brief nap but it sure felt like I had been sleeping forever. At around I visited the golden temple. The temple open 24 hours and we the visitors and the pilgrimages had to cover our head with scarf and wash our feet clean before enter to the holy place. Inside, it was huge. I was overwhelmed at its majestic view and awesome architecture. It was the same amazement I had when I first saw the Taj Mahal last year. The time was around 5.30 in the morning and trust me, it was the most suitable time to visit the temple. The sun was barely seen but its light was slightly felt by the sky. So I walked in peace around the temple until I reached the golden temple, which located and floating in the middle of the lake.

I was done with Amritsar once I done with the golden temple. It was around 8 in the morning. I knew that my time is up and something deep inside me had call for me to return to Pune. So immediately I responded to that gut, that voice, the same voice that made me traveling in the beginning. But it was not until 9.30 pm can I board the train to Bombay, which is another 12 hours. Honestly, this was the city made in hell, with all due respect to the beautiful and majestic golden temple. I couldn’t even stand more than an hour, let alone 12 hours. The weather was hot and humid, the place was dusty and chaotic and somehow I felt like the people here were less friendly and more fiercely. I had no choice but to find something to kill time. So after couldn’t figure out what better thing to do, I went to a free guest house, established by the golden temple committee, to take a nap and a round of shower.

In the evening, I went to the border of Pakistan-India to witness the border closing ceremony, which celebrated everyday. It was a fully emotional and charge up performance and march by military of both side. What enlighten me was the powerful march of Indian military. Both seating place was separated by a gate that mark the separation of boundary. The crowds were cheering and shouting in common spirit. The ceremony witnessed a patriotic march by the armies and positive powerful response from both crowds. It also witnessed the lowering of both nation’s flag and the opening of border gate. The whole ceremony took about an hour.

I boarded the train from Amritsar to Bombay at around 9.30 pm. By then, approximately 25 days was already passed since the day I left Pune. I was still in the same trouser, the khakis, the only different was it was much dirtier, brownish and more ripped, on the knee part and on my back as well. My goatie beard was already long and unorganized. My hair looks like circus crown. The shirt I was wearing that day was already stinking and couldn’t get more worst. And so there it goes, 36 hours train ride, through many different places, day and night, rain and shine, all the way to Bombay.

The only highlight I want to put it here was when it was unexpectedly spot check by the local police on us the passengers. Of all my train experience in India I never had such experience and never knew such thing practice. Of course if I wasn’t guilty of any sort, then I shouldn’t be afraid. The problem was I had few grams of hash and another few grams of Marijuana left in my bag and if I were caught, I will either sent to jail and being work over or ripped off financially which either case wouldn’t do me any good. And to make matter worse, they started with my compartment.

The passengers are not suppose to keep illegal substance in the train mainly alcoholic drink but if they got you with drugs, matter could get even worse.

At that time I was seating with few senior citizens on their compartment, which opposite mine and my bag pack was on my compartment. After searching the locals, they were staring at my bag and I was already freaking out as my heartbeat pounding so hard I could hear them cry like a lion. Time stood still as I turn pale and scared of many ugly possibilities. And one of the officer point his baton to my bag pack and asked one of the Indian with his body sign saying, who’s bag?

And all hell broke loose when they pointed it at me. I don’t know why but they just gave me a cursory look and they passed me. No question asked. Probably I was a foreigner and these scumbag police couldn’t speak English and they wouldn’t want to trouble themselves struggling with me over Alien’s language. But still, it scare the hell out of me. I immediately took it and flush it down the toilet.

I felt like I had been gone for many days. The feeling of being back to my base was really something. I felt the connection and sentimental again. The house was messy and there was some new faces but nevertheless, I was home. I clean myself up, shave my head and my bearded goatie and dress myself in completely clean pair of new attires.

I spent a few days in Pune before I embarked on my last stop of 40 days traveling; Goa. And again I embarked on my last destination without anyone tag along with me and I was fine. I will go anyway with or without anybody.

Part 11

Song: Surrounded by Dream Theatre

Somehow I was reluctant to leave Pune after I connected with her for few memorable and eventful days but at the same time I was also determine as hell to finish what I had started, the traveling. Plus, I had quite some money left and thus the objective of my last destination was to spent it all there and to have a good life.

I met a guy who was in India for business in the bus. While we were having dinner, we were joint by a very attractive girl, who also happen to be traveling alone. She looks like a hair stylist or something. Her name was Luca and she was from Holland. We found something in common and the common thing was smoking weed.

She invited me to her compartment and together we darkened ourselves and open up the windows and smoke the night away. It was a weed from Morocco.

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-31T02:47:00.000+08:00

Part 10

Photo: From my guest house rooftop, McLeod Ganj.

4th day at McLeod Ganj. The best day

The 4th day was the best day in McLeod and most probably most magical and most coincidental. It was my 3rd day I didn’t go for shower- the nitrogen coldness of water.

The sun was shining graciously for the first time and it was good, really good. The is a good quote I would like to include it here, from Khaled Hoseini’s “The Kite Runner” , a novel about life of two best friend, each separated by the different class of society but bonded like a blood brother and shaken by the unforgetful incident and eventual Russia invasion in the 1970s Afghanistan. It was a story about friendship, separation, lost time and redemption. This one of the novel that has every guts to pull every emotional string in your heart to sing and sway to the beat of the world. Anyway, the quote goes: “ Better to be hurt by truth than to be comforted by lies”.

It was a beautiful day. So I took a lazy jazzy walk towards the direction of Bhagsu. Walking to Bhagsu felt like walking on the edge of paradise. The street was narrow and are without any sort of fence. The beauty of the nature, mountain, colored by grayish of tiny rocks and greenish grass and bluest of the sky- You wish the time would pause for you to close your eyes, breath in really hard and exhale to the nature in peace.

Thirty minutes after walking without realizing it, I reached a point where the was a waterfall. The water was flowing from the upper of the mountain, running down splashing on the rocks to the bottom of the river. The sun was as high as before and were still shiny. Locals were doing laundry on the waterfall, animals like sheep, goats, donkeys and cows were busying eating grass.

I bum into Elisabeth (Kee’s friend) while on the way back to central McLeod. After a meaningful conversation and a string of walking around enjoying the landscape of beautiful McLeod, we split and that was the last time I saw her. Then I decided to walk like a stray dog, without direction to kill any possible or eventual boredom of being alone. I ate a variety of street’s junk foods.

There was this stall that was selling something that look like baby sausages, black in color. It smells good. I was tempted so I approached the old lady who sells the black sausages. I asked what’s the food like a foreigner but apparently she didn’t speak English. So I just asked if it was a chicken sausage and shot her the look, the please-nod-yes-if-you-think-it’s- chicken sausage look. And she nodded so I brought a small plate. It taste funny but eatable but I was already begin to suspect it was something fishy. I finally decided to asked one stranger standing at the entrance of Peace café and to my amazement he told me it was a blood clog mix and fried with doll. The blood was from the goat. Not that I wanted to puke, but I decided it was too much a piece to chewed. And for two hours of so after that I just enjoying McLeod walking alone, contemplating a lot about nothing.

I decided to rest for a little while by stopping at one of the sidewalk café. The café was playing Elton John’s “Candle in the wind” and “Sacrifice” . I ordered myself a Japanese green tea and lay my back on the wall of the café, looking out to the view of the mountains.

My all time Top 5 singers/Band:

1. Eric Clapton
2. Elton John
3. The Beatles
4. Guns n’ Roses
5. Nirvana

As I was seating sipping my green tea, enjoying myself view of the beautiful and gorgeous landscape. There came along the most beautiful brunette girl I ever seen. She walking alone, smiling at something I don’t know, looking around her surrounding. I can’t express this but the feeling of mine laying my eyes on her that day as far as I can remember, was serene, happy and very smiley even though she was just one of the many stranger in McLeod. Not only she was smiling happily but she was walking with little hopping like a child going to the garden or like Alice going to wonderland. She was dressing an outfit so simple, a jeans and a baby T with cardinal. I kept looking at her, non stop as she was the girl of my lifetime. The more I look at her the more it ring a bell in my head that I somehow knew her.

As she walking by, the familiarity was starting to develop a picture so clear in perfection in my head. I still couldn’t figure out who was she? Was she someone I fall in love in my past life?

And out of the blue and suddenly, …abracadabra, I remember her. I remember the girl and thanks God it was not someone I knew from past life. Yes. It was still the most beautiful real life brunette I ever met in my life; Kathrin from Germany. One of the two babe I met in Udaipur. Just when I thought I was all by myself for the rest of my stay, I saw someone I never thought of seeing again. So I walked to the edge and shouted out her name so loud, at the top of my lungs and in big surprise I couldn’t feel nor gasp. I was actually hoping it was her. And when she turn around and responded to my calling, her blue eyes caught mine and she was uttering my name is slight hesitation.

I invited her to the sidewalk café and we had a drink for a while before I walked with her, cruising the long walk that lead to the Dalai Lama temple. Our view were passing through the view and landscape of paradise.

Strange it may seems, and it really seems like it had been a years since the last time I saw her but the fact was I had seen her only last 2 weeks or so in Udaipur. If I am John Mayer, the guy who sing “Your body in wonderland” and I have the right to cast the girl for my MTV, she will definitely in my MTV.

Kathrin just arrived from Delhi that day when I met her. Her friend, Maria, suppose to arrive day after. We walk in circumference direction in the Dalai Lama temple. As we were walking, we also spinning the “mani prayer wheels” along the way. This wheel is the symbol of Tibet. The wheel is filled with thousands of Avalakit eshwara mantras “Om mani padme thum”. he believer believe that by turning this wheel once one earn merit equal to the recitation of the mantras filled inside the wheels. The wheels has to be turned in clockwise direction and it may find you peace and happiness.

In the temple, Kathrin & I befriended a Tibetan student aspire to become a monk and a 18 years old Swiss girl. It happen that the Swiss girl was staying in the same guest house and if that is not coincidental enough, her room was just two step away from my room. The monk soon-to-be, Jam Yang and the Swiss girl, Florine, Kathrin and I spent the rest of the evening watching the sunset from the Dalai Lama balcony, on top of the mountain.

Then I left them and meeting up with Jorgen & Hannah in Sunrise café which is a small hut café, lighted by neon light, and self proclaim serving the best and cheapest tea in Asia. It was very hippie look-alike shop. In the shop, we met with a white guy, a hippie look-alike. He was kind of eavesdropping at our conversation and occasionally showing some facial interest to join our conversation. His name is Luke and he is 23 years old chap from Melbourne- Australia. He is a self employed and part time poet. He is in India for about 6 month already, with hope to cure his writer’s block. It was a very interesting and full of intellectual, dogmatic conversation, from social economic to politic and illegal war, anti establishment, religion and freedom of traveling.

That night was the last night for Jorgen & Hannah. We celebrated by smoking up with fresh air at my balcony. When the sun shine early morning- they were gone, to Manali.

5th day, McLeod Ganj

After having 2 plates of omelets, hot tea and butter toast bread for breakfast at Sunrise café, I took a walk towards the same way that lead to the Dalai Lama temple. It is the same way where you will walk over and over again, because it was blessed with serendipity view and atmosphere.

At moonspeak café, I saw Maria, friend of Kathrin whom I also met in Udaipur. It was exactly the same place where I saw Kathrin. Together we were walking to the direction of Dalai Lama temple, to the temple, passing through many shops and temples. We were suppose to walk in circumference but somehow we didn’t knew so we ended up walking the other wise. For couple of hours, we just exploring the place and eventually we were back in my guest house. We hung out for a while at my rooftop, and she left after a coke.

6pm, I met up with Maria, Kathrin and Kyle, the American Chinese traveler whom also I familiar with (also in Udaipur) but never talk before. Kyle turn to be a very interesting and friendly guy, just like most traveler.
As the night usher in, we went to Om café, a café that offer us a wide and spacious place that overlooking one of the most greatest view in India. It was so great that the tables was fully occupied. But we were lucky to bum into this lone traveler from Israel who happen to seat alone. Shai was his name. Another interesting guy who traveled to China, Tibet, Mongolia before India. Like many Israelis, Shai started traveling after the compulsory military service. While we were waiting for our foods to be served, out of the blue we were surrounded by the gathering fog. It was crazy like we were stuck in the cloud #9, with nice restaurant in it. We couldn’t see anything further than 5 meter. This place is so beautiful that I began to rethink of my departure date. I was thinking of leaving tomorrow but somehow I was reluctant to go. I just met with the girls and Kyle and we had so much to share in common and interesting topic to talk about and moreover, McLeod is so freaking gorgeous, blissful that I wish I can stuck there forever.

We took a walk after dinner and when we finally reached central McLeod, I decided to break it out to say goodbye to them and the place. And it goes, “ OK guys, it is nice to meet you all here and I guess it is time now for me to say goodbye” and Kathrin with her melancholy face look at me and say: “ Oh no…but you can’t do this Peter, this is so beautiful, you cannot leave…you still have to show me the place”. At that moment I feel like I didn’t really want to leave.

The reason I wanted to leave was because I was there for 5 days already and I think I should have move on if I want to go to more places. Then I realize why the hell should I move since I had abandoned the plan to go to Leh, Srinagar with Hannes? Plus I had too many days remaining in hand and I could easily stay for more. I was ahead of my planned schedule.

Then I wasn’t sure anymore if I stayed more days because of McLeod Ganj or Maria, Kathrin and Kyle. I guess it was both, the place and the people.

As we were walking passing through many cafes and restaurant and Cinema 1, Kyle pull out the schedule of the monthly screening movie for Kathrin and she was like: “Oh no…this crazy hippie movie…, I had watched movie when I was like 14 and it was a crazy movie”

I was curious and I asked, what movie was that? And to my big surprise, she replied Oliver Stone’s Doors. There it was, then and there I decided to stay another day for the movie. It was a movie starring Val Kilmer. It is a movie that I was searching for a very long time already, from Malaysia to Thailand to India. It was a movie I wanted to watch so damn long ago but wasn’t available.

6th day, McLeod Ganj

On the 6th day God made….ah, let’s do it again. On the 6th day, I didn’t much thing but the same old routine.
We met again for dinner at the same restaurant. We went to a fusion performance somewhere down the hillside. They charged Rs. 50 per entrance. Maria and I decided not to go in because we were already late for an hour plus, it was nothing special to us because we had seen better one. So we walked to one of the small shop that serve Chai.

When we finally met again, we went to the direction of Bhagsu. And we stop midway where a little out of the way, there was a place where no one knew. We just lay our back and enjoying the full moon view, listening the night splash of waterfall and talking the night away. It was a silent night, so silent that maybe you could listen to the ant whisper. One dog was with us all the way until we were there, staring at the moonlight. We name him Buddy.

So I kiss the girl on the cheek as a mark of farewell as well a bear hug for Kyle. I left the day after that, after watching Doors and brief drink at Moonspeak café with Kathrin, Maria & Kyle.

7th day, McLeod Ganj

Song: Hurricane by Bob Dylan

When it is the time to go, you will just know it. It is really hard to say goodbye, to Kathrin and to McLeod. I really love the thing that I was doing then. I was quite bluesy as my traveling is approaching to an end. I still couldn’t figure out why I left. I had many days in hand but something is calling me home. I guess at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter and it is better to leave it there to be a mystery, I mean, on my the fuck I left.
When you are traveling, things are very much different.

From the thing you see to the think you touch to the think you feel and from the people you meet to the places you been, it is all fucking different. I couldn’t explain here the big differences but to put in a nutshell, I think we became more sensitive towards everything surrounding us when we were traveling. The sound of nature became purer, the grass suddenly became greener and trust me when I say this, somehow you will grow fond and sentimental with the places especially a place like McLeod Ganj. Everything was like in a movie. When I took that local cheap government bus to Pathankot, I was all by myself, seating by the window and there I was feeling like a bad ending of a romantic movie.

The Donkey was having lunch, on the way to Bhagsu, McLeod

2005-10-31T02:43:00.000+08:00

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-31T02:30:00.000+08:00

Part 9

Photo: Mani prayer wheels

15. 09.2005

There was lots of Hebrew speaking travelers in the same bus with me. Of course these people are without doubt, are from Israel. There were also lot of pretty good looking girls were traveling with them, or at least they seems to stick together. While the guys, most of them have an attitude of ignorance hippie, the girls on the other hand, were pretty looking, almost all of the. Wait. Did I say pretty looking already?? Anyway, yeah, that was it.

I was seating alone by the window and my brother was on the other side. So when I saw raining of pretty chicks on my bus, I was rather hoping that one of them were end up seating up beside me. I mean c’mon…there were about 8 of them and I was thinking how low can be the probability of me hitting one of them. Anyway, my luck was way down low. Not only did I end up with one of the pretty looking chick, but a fat Indian guy.

If there is not enough, he was so big and wide that he took most of the space. And his had a mobile phone that is ringing most of the time, and most of the time it was with that annoying and irritating ring tones. God bless. Tell that to a person who not only didn’t get any of that pretty looking Hebrew speaking girl but a fat sweaty Indian guy with annoying ring tones, and he would show you a middle finger and “da’ motherfucker look”
Shanti Shanti… (Hindi word for calm down or cool down)

I couldn’t remember most of the night. I slept peacefully. And when I woke up 5.00 in the morning, we were already in McLeod Ganj. The weather was very chilly and cool. This place is the most anticipated one and the most highlighted one ever since I started my traveling. Lot has been said about this place, that one should not miss this place if one were to travel the North or as a matter of fact, India. So this place was the only one with high expectation and through out my unplanned 7 days stay here, I must confess that it hasn’t let me down even a bit. That’s why McLeod is place top in my all time top 5 places to visit in India.

My all time top 5 places to visit in India.

1. McLeod Ganj
2. Goa
3. Hampi
4. Manali
5. Udaipur

You will know why McLeod is number one as I write on. With little help from a friend, Mr. Lonely Planet, we found a budget guest house at central McLeod- Kelsang guest house. My brother and I met a very friendly old Tibetan couple who probably about to warm up for morning walk. They were kind enough to walk with us until the view to Kelsang was visible enough. McLeod Ganj or upper Dharamshala, is the home to many Tibetan people who live in exile. It is a home to His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso.

When People Republic of China (PRC) under Chairman Mao invaded Tibet in 1959, lot of monasteries and temples were destroyed and lot of civilians were killed. This was part of Mao’s Cultural Revolution and one of the reasoning given was Tibet was once part of Mogul empire therefore legitimately belong and part of China.
In order to avoid more casualties and to continue defending hopeless resistance, the 14th Dalai Lama decided to leave Tibet and ever since then, together with some of Tibetans, had live in exile in Dharamshala, India.

There, His Holiness established Tibetan Government in Exile and had been vocal in Free Tibet campaign.
Immediately after checking in, we didn’t waste much time, so we jump to the comfortable bed to catch a nap that seem forever and endless. But we were awaken by the sun that shone happily in McLeod. After a shower (the cold shower was extremely cold that it burn like a nitrogen), we went to Kelsang rooftop restaurant for our first breakfast. The view was majestic, awesome, overwhelmingly beautiful. Probably the most beautiful view from the top I ever seen ever since I started my traveling in India. Geographically we were already high above the sea level. Below us was some mountains, hills and houses was built on the body and shoulder of it. And it was colorful. The colorful houses was being surrounded by the mighty and chilly pine trees, and above them was covering by the fog. The air we breathed was chill, cold and few proud eagles were spreading their wings flying in complete freedom. What else could I say apart from feeling like I was in paradise.

I sat down and allowing myself drown by the beauty of the view lay in front of me. That morning in that rooftop, I ordered my first Tibetan food, fried momo. The waiter that were serving us, whom later became our friend, was Suni, a Nepalese guy. We had all the time in the world and we knew that we had nothing to rush, so we enjoyed there for a longer time, having meaningful and educational conversation with Suni. He was telling us about some important historical sting of events that happen in Nepal, Pakistan, India, China and Tibet. He was indeed the guy who know what he was talking about.

The weather was mellow but thanks God it didn’t rain. It was just cold and the inconsistent fog were gathering, at time it was too thick that we couldn’t see more than 10 meter in front of us. As I wandering the bazaar, looking for shirts and other souvenirs to shop, as usual I ended up in a bookshop and I brought Khaled Hosaini’s “The kite runner”, a book I remember my friend sabi was reading. Prior to that, I had spent quite some money on shirts, belt and some incense.

I don’t know what with McLeod, but since my arrival here, I felt that I am at peace with myself. Something so powerful inside was making me feel like I am at the safest place in the world. The Tibetan people, the monasteries, the temple and greatest view of the mountain, the green are all part of the things that make me feel at peace. It was really nice and blissful.

As I was walking I saw someone walking towards me and in that split seconds, while every cells in my brain trying hard to ring a bell, I somehow knew that I had seen and to the extent knew the person walking towards me. It took me less than 3 seconds to recognize them. It was Martin and Ina. Wow, again, India prove to me that it is indeed a very small country or may be the world is really our playground. The last time I seen them was when I was hallucinated, intoxicated and completely in the state of delirium during my supposed last day in Udaipur. Then, it was not a proper farewell. For a while, we both seems to be lost in conservation despite the facts that we were close during all those month in Pune. It seems like I just met a stranger. Our conversation were jerky, sporadic and at time, lost.

Anyway, after the usual generic question of “What’s up?”, “How’s traveling?”, “Where you been?” etc, our conversation kind of blended well to the good old times. It was already their second day in McLeod and they will be leaving for Goa in two days time. So we went to Peace café, for a couple of drink. We brought some fresh friend/steam momo from the street, back to their rooftop to catch up some lost moment in between our traveling. Their view was as majestic as ours. And just before we could plan our plan, the rains come down on us like cat and dog. We were stuck in the room for about three hours and the rain was still on. So martin decided to run down soaking wet to get a bottle of Old Monk Rum, soft drinks, momo (again) and junk foods.

And there it goes, we were stuck for another 2 hours before the clock point to 8.00 pm.
So I went back to my guest house to check out what’s up with my brother. He was stuck too, but in our room. Our neighbor was a 20 year old girl, lone traveler, from Montreal, Canada. She was a nice and social able girl. In my opinion she looks like the 16 years old Diana DeGarmo. Anyway, we were caught in a conversations concerning many topics.

Day 2, McLeod Ganj.

At around 8.30 am, I woke up to the second sunshine in McLeod. I don’t know why but whenever I was traveling, I always wake up too early, sometime even before the sun came out from the hiding. I guess in all my unconsciousness, I wanted to see as much as possible by prolonging the time hence I wanted to breath the morning air as well as to feel it on my flesh. I had a vegetable noodle and milk coffee for a breakfast. There was a bunch of Korean travelers, sat opposite my table. The rooftop restaurant of Kalsang guest house had a very natural and beautiful setting. The one we hung out the day before was under the sky, open air area. Second day, I had my breakfast on the inside. I exchanged books with the guest house, two to two, my Gregory Roberts’s Shantaram to Leo Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God & Peace essays and Neale Walsch’s Tomorrow God to Douglas Adam’s Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy.

Song: Ruby Tuesday by Rolling Stone

I met up with Martin and Ina and together we took a walk by cruising down the slightly wet road to visit the one and only St. John church. It was a approximately 1 km walk. We passed many beauty scenaric views, like the misty mountains, foggy hills, pine trees on the shoulder of the almighty hills, authentic Tibetans monasteries, temple and houses. We also befriended with a dog. This dog, we name him Momo, after the Tibetan dumpling, were following us as in he was our guide.

The inside of the church was unbelievable. The church was already shut down, left only the memory of yesterday. The front yard was completely green, green grass and the green, green trees. There was some cemeteries in the surrounding of the church. So, after we took a few photos, we walk back to the centre McLeod.

Then I met up with my brother to the Tibetan music. The museum was very near to the Dalai Lama temple. The museum chronicle the history of Tibet and how they fled from the cruel invasion of People Republic of China. It also chronicle the life of great Mahatma Gandhi.

While we were in the bookstore, we bum into Kee and his new found French friend, Elisabeth. Soon after, we also bum into Jorgen & Hannah, the German couple we met in Jaisalmer desert during our Camel safari trip.
The road that lead down to the Dalai Lama temple was wonderful. It was filled with sidewalk cafes, confectioner and bakery shops, bookstores, souvenir shops and most of all, the 3 km walk to the Dalai Lama temple was blessed with what I would like to call the walk of life- because it was with the most beautiful mountainous view I ever seen. The objects at bottom of the foothill is like a tiny dust I look through the lens of microscope. The wind was slow, nice, easy and steady. The fog were gathering and moving in lump and the weather was chill. The walk of life is like taking a seemingly endless lazy walk on the garden of paradise, if there is ever a paradise.

Travelers were chilling in their own and respective coffee shops and engaged in their interesting conversation.

In the evening, my brother, Martin, Ina & I went to one of the most interesting place in McLeod. Not widely aware of such place by many people, we learn it through Veronica, the girl from Montreal.
It was like an institution that provide educational opportunity to the young Tibetans refugees. This institution providing some kind of political asylum and protection. The young bunch here are the young bunch that has escaping from Tibet. These people are not allowed to go back to Tibet for to do so, mean they might be facing some cruel punishment or sort of harassment from the government of China. In order to create an awareness of the state of affair of Tibetans to the world, and also to develop their English speaking skill, they organize a daily hourly session for their students to meet with us foreigners who would like to know more about the struggle, pass and present state of Tibetans.

Here’s some fact I acquired from the Lamu, a 25 years old student during our one to one meeting session. Most Tibetans people that are present still there in Tibet are not being allowed to speak and write in their own Tibetan language. The official language is Mandarin and they had the condone them as a official language. In school, they were made to learn and study in mandarin. Most historical and cultural study about Tibet were being banned. This lead to the consequences of the children of Tibetans and young generation being ignorance of their belief, cultural and historical study. They don’t even speak Tibetan.

Those who attempt to escape from Tibet for political reason or trying to seek political asylum in India or any neighboring countries, face harsh punishment.

As of today, they were 85000 Tibetans in India, 14000 in Nepal, 1600 in Bhutan, 7000 in USA/Canada, 750 in Europe/Scandinavian, 1000 in Taiwan, 220 in Australia/NZ.

After the conversational session with the Tibetan students, we went to Jimmy’s Italian kitchen. There was a kind of get-together with group of Irish travelers and a British couple for Martin & Ina. They met in Amritsar. We were invited to join them in the most trendy pub in central McLeod, McLo. This is a pub personally endorsed by Hollywood actor/James Bond Pierce Brosnan.

The pub were playing some of Queen’s greatest hits. We met up with 3 Irish travelers; Ross, Jimmy & Kurt. With lot of beers, good music, great atmosphere, we chatted away the night. I couldn’t remember how long we were chatting until I realized that behind our table there was group of travelers as well. I accidentally turn around and saw an Asian girl whom wearing sweater with AIESEC logo on it. Beside her was another Asian guy. They turn our to be trainees from Delhi, specifically a place name Gurgaon, where I was partying last year.

And yes the world was indeed our playground. These two Asians (Taiwanese), through AIESEC network, knew my friends back home. And I also know some of their trainee friends in Delhi. The Taiwanese girl name was Hermosa, strange name but what the hell. She stayed with Amelia, my friend from back home when she were in Malaysia last year. And there it goes, strangers met and strangers talk away the night like a buddy.
At this time around, I was already drowned quite some amount of beers and I went up to the rooftop. There I bum into Hannes again, for second time. First was in Jaisalmer. He was with group of Israelis travelers and they were planning to smoke some pot. I joint them much later in their room.

3rd day, McLeod Ganj. Goodbye & Hello.

Time moves on so was life. That was it, without even realize it, we were already in the third day. Tomorrow I am planning to leave McLeod even though it was the most beautiful place I ever seen in India. My morning had broken by the shiny morning sun, blazingly shining down its burning light, signaling to the eagles to fly higher and freer. After breakfast, I sent Martin & Ina to bus station for they are leaving for their last traveling stop- Goa.

Then it is my brother’s turn to leave. Third day in McLeod was his last day of his three weeks in India. There he left. Suddenly I felt a pang of loneliness is surrounding me and for the first time since I started traveling- I was actually alone, as in alone- without anyone I really know to meet or travel with. It might sound as a bad thing but I view it and take it as a good thing. I mean I always admire lone traveling and now I have the opportunity to do so. I have all the time of the time in the world to do whatever hell that is appropriate (or inappropriate), who the hell care anyway…

The pang of loneliness was a while only for I couldn’t remember how it felt because soon after my brother left, I took my first afternoon nap ever since I started traveling. And when I open my eyes again, I knew one thing, that I was alone and I didn’t have any idea what to do next. Gradually, I also come to term that I don’t have to leave the beautiful McLeod day after, that I can leave the place whenever I damn please. And I also realize one of the most important in life, that I was really starving and my stomach were drumming. So I need food.
I brought myself to the central McLeod, about less than 5 minutes walk from my guest house. There I met Jorgen & Hannah, having their dinner at Hot Spot restaurant. I joined them for dinner and they invited me to their romantic rooftop for a round of joint.

I pursued my lonely night by treating myself a movie at movie den, opposite Hot Spot. It was like a small room, fully equipped with sound system and giant flat screen. They were showing 7 years in Tibet starring Brad Pitt. Strange though, when I watched it for the first time sometime ago, I fall asleep and I think it was kind of boring. But the second time was real. I was watching the movie surrounded by the real people, real monasteries, real atmosphere and for that the movie almost made me wept. It is like the closest you to the place, the more pain you will experience, and the more related you will felt.

The majestic view at Looseling guest house (where Jorgen & Hannah stayed) that night was more beautiful than beautiful, sexier than sexiness and more romantic that Romeo hiding under Juliet’s balcony.
We smoke two joint, with some acid jazz played on CD player. We bade farewell to the night at around 2 am. I walked back in complete stone to my guest house.

Evening View of McLeod's Sky

2005-10-31T02:28:00.000+08:00

View of McLeod Ganj

2005-10-31T02:23:00.000+08:00

Me & Maria @ The Dalai Lama Temple

2005-10-31T02:13:00.000+08:00

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-29T18:13:00.000+08:00

Part 8

Breakfast: Spanish Omelet, Milk Coffee & Chicken Veg Soup

12.09.2005

Manali literally means the 'Home of Manu'. Manu is the mythological character who is supposed to have survived when the world was drowned in Flood. He then came to Manali and recreated human life. Thus, the area of Manali is sacred and Hindus treat the temples over here as pilgrimage. With altitude of 1950m and 3000m above sea level, Manali is a cold place with sun rarely find its place to shine on Manali. Manali offers the best of northwestern Himalayan beauty, second only to Kashmir valley. The twin towns of Kullu and Manali, approximately 40 km apart lie on the Beas river valley. The Beas river if snow fed by scores of tributaries originating in the glacial peaks surrounding the valley. The highest peaks average 6000 to 6500 m above sea level.

Again, we were promised a semi deluxe bus but turn out to semi crappy bus. It was raining cat and dog that night. The road there were bad and full with pot holes. Plus, the bus driver was a psycho driver with an attitude. He stopped whenever he like and he was pressing the honk more than he hit the brake paddle. Lucky for me, it was not a full bus and the back seat (number of 5 seats) were empty. And needless to say, I conquered the 5 seats as my bed. As the night usher in and we grew much more comfortable in the bus, we started slowly to doze off.

We reached the foothill of Kullu valley at 6.30 in the morning. The bus journey up to Manali was awesome. It was the first and finest of its kind. I never see such magical view in my life. We passed through fruit market where lots of apples were being sold. We also passing through apple plantation, steady rocky mountains stood before my eyes, covered mostly by the fogs. It was cold at the foothill, some 15 degree or something. The road was very tiny- just fit for one vehicle and it was zigzagging all the way. The line of mountain view was beautified by its water fall.

We arrived at the top at around 11.30 am, Central Manali. The reception was crazy and heart pounding. We were awaited by group of opportunist and when they seen us arriving, they were chasing us and jumping and shouting and hitting hard on our bus. At first glance, it looks like a riot or something. I wasn’t afraid but I knew some people in the bus were freaking out. It remind me of Beatles’s riot situation in Japan or the one that happen with Guns n’ Roses during tour. Anyway, it was a false alarm. They were just sticking their ads on our bus and were chasing us to sell us all sort of services. It was still raining and the weather was increasingly cold and chill. The wind didn’t help much either, contribute even more the cold climate. We were breathing fog and bathing in rain water. We took a van to Vaishit village, somewhere around old Manali. With Lonely planet, the bible for travelers, we checked in Both guest house immediately. The guest house was run by an old Tibetan man. What visible from our roof top was the fast flowing Manali river, mountain side, rocky hills and snows covering the peak of every mountains.

If in any part of India, the local will invite you with a cup or glass of Masala tea, then the tradition in Manali is also the same, but the only different was they welcome you with their local specialties; the hash. Manali is one of the largest state in India that produce a quality hash. This probably because of its natural endowment and relatively cold climate.

Still exhausting from the long bus ride from Delhi, we decided to take a rest at Blue heaven café, located alongside the small Vaishit road leading up to the hot spring. We ordered a Israeli foods, Chinese foods and Lassi. The owner offered us a joint, the standard warm welcoming from the Manalian. It was my first drug experience after the Bhang story in Udaipur. It was real good. In Vaishit, Manali, we found a Shisha look alike café and we chilled there with its Nepalese owner and all his band of Nepalese band of young bunch. It was a nice place and we hung out there very often till the last day in Manali. It has a pool table, large room furnished with flat screen TV, layback interior, mattress on the floor and most importantly- we can play our own choice of music. I treated myself a very exquisite dinner, with my own CD played on the air- Buena Vista Social Club. I ordered a Chicken sizzler chips and 2 glass of black tea. After the dinner, the boss and the cook joint us at our dining table, and they started to roll a joint, a fat one, and we started to smoke away the best thing on earth. After dinner, we also shooting pools at Basho for a few game.

Second day also raining but not heavy. It was very down and depressed kind of weather. People don’t talk to people that much. We were all busying shivering and breathing in and out the cold air and gathering fog. We went to Basho for our breakfast. The side that we didn’t went yesterday night was actually a wide balcony, offering us one of the most beautiful landscape towards the peak of mountains, covered with snows and shaded by the fog, wet by the rainy water. Also visible in our eyes was the Manali river, flowing healthily and splashing hard on the rocks. I ordered a black tea and a butter toast omelets. The weather didn’t improve much. In facts it got worse, getting even much colder. So I went to the Hot Spring to bath the hot water. The shower looks like a small pool with a boiling hot water. It looks like one of the emperor’s wife garden in the ancient kingdom of China we used to watch on TV. Lots of locals especially kids were bathing in the hot spring. The moment I dip myself onto the water, I felt a severe burn on my flesh and skin. It was really hot. But after a while, the cold temperature adjusted my hotness of the spring.

We went to Old Manali where most of the happening places were located there. It was a Manalsu café. I can’t believe my eyes and ear for, for a while I thought I was In Europe. The café was very English-ish. The pub were playing a radio station from America (satelite radio). Few tables was occupied, by mostly foreigners and their local friends. The café was fully cover with glass. This café was built above the Manali river and hence the view surrounding us was the life of Manali river. The radio station was playing song from John Mayer and Sinead O’ Connor before I requested to play my own CD, comprising the compilation of Billy Joel’s Piano man, Pink Floyd’s money, CCR’s Bad moon rising, Train’s Drop of Jupiter, Sting’s message in the bottle and lot more. Then I played on REM greatest hits, songs like Imitation of life, Everybody hurts, Man on the moon, Happy shiny people and so on. Other guest were whistling and singing around and the boss was happy with my CD.

My all time top 5 REM song:

1. Man on the moon
2. Electrolite
3. Everybody hurts
4. The great beyond
5. At the end of the world

We ordered Chicken fried rice, Garlic cheese Naan, cold beers and we hung out for about 4 hours. We couldn’t go anywhere because the rain was again, cat and dog. It was a weather that one will prefer to stay put and enjoying good music and good smoking. In the evening we did nothing much but loafing at Basho, smoking joint, drinking, eating chips and shooting lot of pools. The highlight of that night was when I narrowly and competitively beat the local champion on the table. It was awesome.

Last day at Manali was full of sunshine. It is like a festival and celebration for the people for to see a sunshine is almost impossible in Manali. We hung out at Basho for breakfast and smoke our last joint before we bade farewell to Manali and hello to McLeod Ganj.

Manali MountainView

2005-10-29T18:10:00.000+08:00

View of Manali River, That Rainy Day

2005-10-29T18:03:00.000+08:00

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-29T17:50:00.000+08:00

Part 7

My friend, Benny & Martin @ The Tai Mahal

10.09.2005

The time from Jaisalmer to Delhi by train took us 19 hours. Andrew and Kee took 2nd class AC, I opted the cheapest solution, the sleeper lower class. In the train, I met two traveler, who travel the same class and same compartment with me. French guy name Chris and Adam from Wales. We did some ice breaking. Chris was more quiet and cooler type while Adam and I had more things to crap about. Soon after the train took off, I took a short nap that seems like forever. But it was not forever, I awaken 2 hours after that, to find my view from the inside of the train, setting on the empty desert, villages and sometime small town. The class that we were in was the lowest. That means open door, crappy window, little smelly and unorganized, and yes, overcrowded especially where we reached at Jodhpur train station. The majestic view while on the route to Delhi, before the night set in, was simply marvelous. Kids were running around, amaze by the presence of us aliens, waving in complete happiness and curiosity at us foreigners, cows and other animals were wandering around and all in all it was a very simple setting of a small village in the desert, under the clear dusty sky and for a moment like that, everything in my surrounding were peaceful.

On this route, I started out my new book, given to me by Martin & Ina in Udaipur, Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity. This is a book that narrated by a guy in his thirty something. In this book, he chronicle all his bittersweet past of his relationships and his obsession with records and music scene. His recent break up with his girlfriend prompted him to reanalyzed all his past relationship, the whats that had went wrong and while he was narrating about his seems-meaningless--kind-of-life, he also narrated about his fascinating thought about relationship and records. One of the best thing in this book was the “All time top 5 things list”.

In many ways, HIGH FIDELITY is a "guy" romantic comedy, a book about relationships after the age of 30, a book about societal expectations for men, a book about "recovery" from damaging relationships. Along the way it gives great insight into how guys think, male paranoia ("Is he better than me? [i.e. Bigger?]"), male insecurity and fear and sadness. Also the tendency of men to be a little narrow-minded (overly focused [ie, the top 5 lists]) at times, even misanthropic. I love this book because I really related to the main character; we live in a materialistic age where at a certain point you start to feel foolish if you haven't established a "career." Rob's (the main character) a passionate guy, passionate about music -- not a dullard, and yet he remains the way he always was, without much career ambition, content to indulge his passions. I love this book because I can relate to the Rob’s characters especially at the moment of writing this journal.

Rob kind of feel guilty because he was the kind of chap that is demanded by the society, like establishing career of sort and that was exactly the state I am in now. Also because of his obsession on music and how he often judge people by the music collection he had, and honestly that was what I do most of time, on people. What kind of people he or she is if he or she is a avid listener of Jazz or Blues. What if he or she listen to Beethoven or Mozart or phantom of the opera. He is cool if he talks about cultural revolution in the 60s or Jimi Hendrix or if he thought Claptop is God. Sometime I categorize people as boring people if they are not fond with music for living life without music is like a living life without life.

Though our conscious mind are clear but sometime, we still (Rob and I) still feel inferior in comparison to people around us. In my case is to see my friends going so far in their career, measuring their achievement by what’s new materials that brought and the place they visited and so forth. I was talking to my friend yesterday and I was kind of expressing my thought of finding the right girl. For me, Physical look is always not the most important criteria. I think I put more importance in the type of music they listen and type of book they read or movies they watch or social-political issues they know and talk about rather than the mere look. I value much more on their character, attitude, personality and charisma. How they present themselves or behave in this sick society of ours. I love someone that can share common interest or subject with me hence she can be not only my partner but my best friend. Yes, you may say this is childish or selfish but that was me, even now at the age of 25. Seems like a joke but hey, that’s me. And because I see that in Rob and therefore I was so thankful to Nick that in all his great mind he somehow knew a character that are somewhat like me- therefore I am not abnormal.

I really love this book, I do. If you are not the reader, then you might want to check out the movie, which starring John Cusack and Jack Black. OK, now I am gonna feature my first all time top 5 list in this journal.

My all time top 5 books

1. Shantaram by Gregory Roberts
2. Conversations with God by Neale Walsch
3. Jim Morrison: Life, Death & Legend by Stephen Davis
4. Kane & Abel by Jeffrey Acrher
5. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

The train stop for a 15 minutes rest at one of the mid rail station. The sun was already unseen anywhere. Chris and I went down and feed ourselves with some local variety, taking a cigarette break and breathing the fresh air of Indian outskirt. When the train continue its journey, I was seating at the door, washing my eyes with the serenity of the greenery of farm field and life of the villagers. The train passed through lakes, empty fields, hills, desert and all the way until we it stopped again at Jodhpur train station. At the time of stopping I was still reading High fidelity and was listening to:

Song: Be here now, sound of love, beauty, see the sun by James Iha, Jump, Running with devil, Ain’t talkin’ about love, cradle will rock by Van Halen and Ray Charles’s Greatest Hits.

My all time top 5 singles:

1. Tiny Dancer by Elton John
2. Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel
3. Ordinary world by Duran Duran
4. Why don’t you & I by Santana & Chad Kruger
5. Don’t go away mad by Motley Crue

My all time top 5 album:

1. The Ballads by R.E.O Speedwagon
2. Nevermind by Nirvana
3. Child of the light by Ernie Smith
4. Aquarius by Amir Yussof
5. Clapton Chronicles by Eric Clapton

So I put on greatest hits of The Beatles and closed my eyes for the night. The train stopped at Jaipur station at 5am and arrived at Delhi at 11:30. Andrew and Kee parted with me for our own destination. They went to Agra for the infamous Taj Mahal and I went on to meet Maneesh, my friend. I had been to the Taj Mahal somewhere during winter last year so it will be stupid to waste my budget for a second time, plus, Agra is not a fancy one will for more than one and if minus the Taj, no one will probably go there at all. Maneesh was a trainee in Malaysia some 4 years ago and we lived nearby then. Maneesh took me Connought place (CP), Zen restaurant, for a round of Foster beers and fried chilly potatoes. It was a classy Chinese restaurant. The beers on the hot shiny day was really great. Then we went to his house some 50 Km away, in Vasundhara, Ghazianbad. Maneesh’ s wife cooked us a very nice dinner with good appetite. Prior to that, we went to the temple of Lord Shiva. We did nothing much but catching up some old times stuff and moment that gone before our eyes. I met up with Andrew and we took a bus to Manali, which will take us 18 hours miserable ride up the mountain and hill side. Kee met up with a French girl in her early thirty something and they decided to go to Varanasi- the mother of all holy place, instead.

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-29T17:36:00.000+08:00

Part 6

A View from my guest house in Jaisalmer

09. 09. 2005, Jaisalmer day 1.

Nothing much has been done during day one. My brother and I went to Gadi Sagar. It is a tank, south of the city walls, once held the town water supply, and befitting its importance in providing precious water to the inhabitants of this arid city, it is surrounded by small temples and shrines. The beautiful yellow sandstone gateway arching across the road down to the tank is the Tilon-ki-Pol, and is said to have been built by a famous prostitute, Tilon . When she offered to pay to have this gateway constructed, the Maharaja refused permission under it to go down to the tank and he felt that this would be beneath his dignity. While he was away, she built the gate , adding a Krishna temple on top so that king could not tear it down. After Gadi Sagar, we took a long walk to Jaisalmer fort. One thing funny about India or while traveling was you kept meeting the same people you met along the way, people that you thought you will never meet again- and suddenly, boom, out of the blues, you bum into him or her. Sometime India seems to be so small for you keep bumming into people. While I was at the foothill of Jaisalmer fort, wandering around the bazaar, I bum into the handsome looking Austrian guy, Hannes, my neighbor in Udaipur. That night, we had a dinner at our guest house and I started reading Kassim Ahmad’s Hikayat Hang Tuah.

10.09.2005, Jaisalmer day 2.

Day 2 in Jaisalmer is the most highlighted event in Jaisalmer for we were about to do the thing we never do in our life, which is riding on the camel, deep into the desert, and spent a night there. We woke up 6.30 in the morning. The morning was glory as most of the inhabitant in the villages were already awaken. Even the boars, the cows and the goats were starting to get busy with their own business, whatever that may be. We were group of 7 people. The other 4 was a French couple and Juergen and Hannah, from Germany. While on the way to the starting point of the desert, the jeep took us to two of the famous monument. It was there that I got to know Juergen and Hannah better. My brother though that Hannah look like Wynona Ryder.

Outside one of the monument, there was a small hut, with an old man boiling up a tea. We just sat there enjoying our morning tea. I lighted up two bidi, with the play of matches, one for me and one I offered to Juergen. Bidi my friend, is a thin, often flavored, Indian cigarette made of tobacco wrapped in a tendu or temburini leaf and secured with colored thread at one end. They are smaller than regular cigarettes, but more potent. Because they do not have a filter and are wrapped in nonporous leaves, a smoker needs to inhale more often and more deeply to keep them lit. One bidi produces three times more carbon monoxide and nicotine, and five times more tar than a regular cigarette. It is a road to hell as we know it and your lungs is on the frying pan before you realize it.

We reached the surface of the desert at around 8.55 am and the weather was still chilling. Few camel man and theirs camels were already waiting for us to embark a remarkable journey to the deep sahara. I was being given a young and inexperience camel. How I do I tell? The camel was constantly protesting and just when he was at the blink of going berserk, the chief camel man, Gomu, decided to change the young camel with his own personal camel, name Tiger. So, Gomu and his entire team of camel man, namely, Bazu, prem, fakir and Amir, lead our expedition. The sun gradually showing up in the sky, hitting the sky so gloriously, and blazing down on our flesh and skin. It was that kind of typical sunshine or sun blaze in the middle of the desert. After about 4 hours into the desert, we finally saw a big tree, surrounded by an empty land of desert. We decided to take a rest there and the band of camel man, which is also our friend, prepared us a lunch. It was not a fancy lunch. In fact, it was only a meal with too much simplicity in it. They cooked us Bajee, Chapatti and maggi noodle. It was simple yet delicious. I think what make it so delicious was the atmosphere. I mean it was a desert and we were eating a freshly cook food. What else could we ask? It is almost the same with having grill marinated shark or king fishes in Goa. Juergen, Hannah and I took a walk around the huge and hot and bother desert, picking up some very nice desert stone. In the middle of that desert, one guy approached us to sell us cold soft drinks and cold beers. Ha, that was really funny. Though I didn’t buy any beer, only soft drink, the seller was kind enough to lent me his small bike to me, to ride around the desert. Wow, I was wandering, yes, some might had ride a camel in the desert, but what about Motor bike in the desert?

It was a almost 3 hours rest. The camels were hanging around while most of us either talking, taking a short nap or doing our own thing. Me, I was hanging around with my brother’s MP3 player, blasting some classic Malay songs namely Kain cinta putih, Dalam Gerimis and Masih Aku Terasa. The experience of riding into the desert is like straight out of Arabian night fable. The desert citadel is truly a golden fantasy in Thar Desert.
The best thing about the camel ride was when we reached the sand dunes. It has a truly glorious stretch of sweeping sand dunes. We were all amazed by the sand dunes. It seems like all the sweat and burn out finally paid off. We were completely forgotten about all the hardship through the desert, and the ache in between our thigh, thanks to the camels.

Juergen and I quickly befriended with the desert and the sand dunes. We jumped from high above and blanketing ourselves with the sands. It was really nice. After that, I joint my brother to witness the sunset. It was beautiful. When the darkness ushered in and the stars starting to appear on sight, the camel man started to cook us dinner. After dinner, we adjourned to some get-together moment, where Gomu and his band of camel man, gathered around and singing us some folk and desert songs. The wind of desert stared to blow lazily but striking softly onto our skin into our bones, making us chill and shivering as the time moves on to the early morning. With a beautiful place like that, I put on Lionel Ritchie’s love songs- and begun to cherish the time spent with Hannah.

And that’s all- I fall asleep soon after. The magical night of the desert happen to me when I woke up in the middle of the night. We were just sleeping like that, without any tent (weather was clear). So when I open my eyes, looking up the open sky, I couldn’t believe myself what I seen and what I felt. For a brief moment, I thought I was floating in a paradise, and the gravity were pushing me not to its direction but nearer and closer to the swimming pool of bright and shiny starts. That was what I felt. It was the most beautiful view on the midnight sky I ever see in my life, the desert night. I didn’t close my eyes for a long while, enjoying the view and occasional shooting stars.

After breakfast, and after shitting behind some bush, we left the sand dunes, around 8.30 in the morning. This time I didn’t get to ride Tiger but were given Rocket instead. Rocket was ride by one of the French, who left us just before the night roll its curtain in night before.

Just about 2 hours before we reached the surface of the desert again, we separated with Juergen and Hannah. They did longer days for the camel safari while we did only one and the half day. Juergen and Hannah were great and interesting people. Juergen especially, was very talkative and funny too.

With the camel I was riding, Tiger.

2005-10-29T17:30:00.000+08:00

Jaisalmer: When we reached the Sand Dunes!

2005-10-29T17:23:00.000+08:00

The Colorful people of the Colorful nation

2005-10-29T17:05:00.000+08:00

Jodhpur: Larger view on the Blue City

2005-10-29T17:01:00.000+08:00

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-29T01:28:00.000+08:00

Part 5

Jodhpur: Meherangarh fort

08.09.2005

Jodhpur stand at the edge of the Thar desert and was citadel of the ancient Marwar kingdom. This bustling desert city is the second largest city in Rajasthan after Jaipur and has landscape dominated by the massive Meherangarh Fort topping a sheer rocky ridge.
The old city is fenced by 10 km long wall with eight Gates leading out of it. The new city is outside the walled city. We left Udaipur that night, the post bhang lassi night and arrived at Jodhpur, in the dead of the morning, somewhere around 4.30 am. We took a auto rickshaw to Sardar market. The market was completely empty and was without a slight of human being, except for band of pariah dogs, roaming around the market, marking and preserving their territory. The weather was cold and chilly. The dark sky was in the midst of transition to bright sky. There was an empty cart somewhere nearby the clock tower. I was unrest and I laid flatly, my nose facing up the sky and without I realize it, I fall into darkness and my soul left me to his better place until I heard someone were talking. We were approached by a nicely dressed gentleman who wanted to show us his family guest house. The guest house was Gopal guest house. After we clean ourselves and, we went to the rooftop for a round of breakfast. The sun was still shy away from the face of the earth, hidden behind the thick clouds. It was simply amazing/beautiful. There it was, the majestic view of the blue city. There I stood tall and proud and lay my eyes on the blessed blue city. According to the local, The Brahmin used to paint their roof blue but nowadays, every one also follow the tradition irregardless of caste. I ordered a noodle onions, strawberry milk and half fried eggs. We were served by a very cute little girl, daughter of the guest house owner, Shalu. Her younger and playful brother name was Sunir.

The first place we went was Jaswant Thada, the graceful marble cenotaph of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. This main memorial has been built like a temple with intricately carved marble stone that is sculpted by the genius artesian. After hanging around and did nothing but enjoying the atmosphere and surrounding from the top of the square, we left the structure and walk alongside the rocky uphill towards the majestic Mehrangarh fort. The infamous fort was built by titans and colored by the morning sun.

This fort is one of the largest fort in India. This magnificent fort is located at the centre of the city spreading over 5 kilometres atop a 125-metre high hill. Its walls, which are up to 36 metres high and 21 metres wide, protect some of the most beautiful and historic palaces in Rajasthan. To commemorate historic victories three gates are found in the fort. Within the fort, several brilliantly crafted and decorated palaces are found. After the fort, we went downhill through the villages of blue rooftops houses until we found a roof top restaurant. Outside the guest house, there was this twenty something dude were showing us his collection of foreign currency. He was asking about Malaysian notes. We didn’t have anything but a RM 10 note. The trick was, we gave him the note and he invited us to the same amount of RM 10 worth of meals. Well, the funny thing was, the trick work on so many people. We met this bearded, completely Rastafarian guy, name Amir, from Israel. Then I went on to ordered Rajasthani thali and glass of banana lassi after few pages of Shantaram. Then an English traveler were tricked to the rooftop as well. His name was Gavin and his all time number one favorite British band was Queen.

We left soon after and in the evening, we were wandering in the bustling bazaar. We arrived at the guest house around 6pm. I used that time to read up the rest of Shantaram and we had a our dinner at the rooftop before entrained to Jalsalmer that night itself.

The journey to Jalsalmer by train took us about 7 hours. We arrived at Jalsalmer or the golden city at 5.30 in the morning. We took the sleeper class. The ride was smooth and nap was good until we woke up slightly before we arrive. Sands were everywhere- because the journey to Jalsalmer did pass through the desert.

We took a jeep from railway station to Hotel Renuka. After checking in, we went straight to the rooftop restaurant where we met two kitchen helper from Kashmir, Suvinder and Darson. This rooftop offer us one of the most fantastic view towards Jaisalmer fort, one of the world’s finest and greatest fort. This for is now under UNESCO list of endangered fort and it’s under severe protection and perseverance. This fort otherwise known as SONAR QUILA or the Golden fort, rising from the sand , the mega structure merges with the golden hues of the desert ambience and the setting suns in its most colorful shades gives it a fairy tale look. The name Jaisalmer induces a dramatic picture of utter magic and brilliance of the desert. The hostile terrain not with standing the warmth and colour of people is simply over whelming.

We were busying chatting with Darson and Suvinder. It was raining that morning and the weather was kind of chill. Darson and Suvinder was obviously a funnyman. They served us two glasses of hot masala chai.

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-29T00:51:00.000+08:00

Part 4

Udaipur

06.09.2005

That morning after, I met up with Martin and Ina at Dream heaven for breakfast which at that time might be a last breakfast because they were planning to leave for Jodhpur and my brother, Kee and I were suppose to depart for Jaipur. We ordered a lot and that morning seems like a breakfast spree for us. Though it was a huge bill and I was on a budget trip, I insisted to pay for the bill. Ina left us for Monu’s painting session while Martin went to the loo. The most wonderful thing happen when I was alone and when Martin was in the loo.

There she came, one of the beautiful girl I saw twice, yesterday, one at the bazaar and the other time was during dinner time. But this time it was only the blonde, the brunette was nowhere to be seen. It was the third time I saw them and yet I don’t know them. Somewhere inside me, I knew that they were interesting people and for that reason alone, I felt compelled to approach and talk to her. I decided to hold myself together and walk to her place. It was just opposite our table but somehow the funny thing was, it seems long especially the blonde girl was looking at me coming at her. My mind must had been wandering what the hell went through her mind while I was walking towards her? Anyway, I introduced myself and we began breaking the ice. The blonde girl’s name was Maria, and she’s from Germany. A very interesting person. At only 21, she had been to so many places. She had been to Malaysia and she fall in love with Pehentian Island once. She had also been working for one year and traveling in Australia. While I was interestingly in conversation with her, her friend came, yes, the brunette, my definition of prettiness and gorgeous. She was busying snapping off the remaining of her roll. Her name is Kathrin and she is also from Germany. They are heading to Varanasi for their next destination. I was a little bit down. I mean I just met them and we are going separate ways that days itself. I guess that’s the fact. Part and parcel of traveling. You will meet a lot of interesting people while traveling.

There seems to some kind of unexplained bonding that will bring and keep us together. Even though the time spent together was brief, or the fact that we just met, but somehow it felt like we had known for quite sometime. I am not only saying it just because I met two beautiful girls, it happen to all the travelers I met, boys or girls, any country. The bonding was like we are all belong to a same nation. Like United States of Travelers, India branch. It is not a bad thing though, in fact, it is one of the good thing. Through this, you get to learn a lot through the wisdom and life experience of these people. Most of the things were indeed very interesting.

In the evening, Martin, Ina and I were dining at my guest house’s rooftop. We been talking about Bhang lassi for quite sometime and Ina and I decided to take before we left for our respective destination. Bhang Lassi is a special lassi that contains bhang, a liquid derivative of cannabis, which has effects similar to other eaten forms of marijuana. This form of drink is legal in many part of India especially in the state of Rajasthan. Hannes the Austrian guy had recommended that the best bhang we can get is the one from our own guest house. So I took Martin and Ina to my guest house that night, for one purpose and one purpose only, bhang lassi. I asked the runner to prepare me two glasses of Bhang. One was suppose to be kind of surprise gift for my brother. But not surprisingly he rejected it, despite the fact that he was smoking with us the night before. So, before the sun set, I took a one full glass, straight down to my stomach.

In the beginning, I didn’t feel much thing. And when Ina and Martin arrived, I ordered another one, for Ina. I was being warned by the runner that the maximum one can consume is one glass because the amount of bhang he mix was grave enough the send you to bed right away, when the effect take place. So when Ina decided to drink only half a glass- I decided not to waste such thing away and I acted out of my mind and drank away the rest of the bhang. Gradually, I begin to feel that I was being lighter, and my view became blur, and grayish, shady and my mind begin to wander faraway. Dizziness strike and at the same time I become more sleepy. The weather was getting completely dark. I remembered I was making joke with Ina and we were imitating one of the advertisement where it feature a hippo and a dog, dancing to the tune of Beach Boys’ s “The lion sleep tonight” .

And just like that, all hell break loose, hell freeze over- all of the sudden, I became hallucinated. My mind begin to see various images of animals, the characters from the movie, Madagascar. And it all jumble up with super sonic sound and techno-color shapes of geometry, in various color. And it was all moving in a complete animation. From hallucination, I became depressed and developed great sense of paranoia. At that time, I still denied my cosmic trip to the cosmic universe. I tried to convince myself that it was all just a gimmick. But the gimmick was defeated by the realism of my situation. Ina was freaking out and Martin tried hard to calm me down. My body was shivering a lot and I felt a terrible coldness. The supersonic sound was still amplifying in my head, and so are the images kept messing up with my mind. My knee and my arms at time felt like being nil by a hammer and the sound of hammering was so supersonic that I became even more paranoia. Everything scared me including the appearance of Martin. I was jive talking in both English and Hokkien. The consciousness of my mind was splitted by the shady reality and my hallucination. Last but not least, I became afraid and depressed. I started to talk nonsense and losing control of my balance. I felt like an 80 years sick old man because I couldn’t walk by myself unless I was being supported. The whole craziness was begin to contradict myself, my paranoia and my depression. My consciousness was asking me to leave for Jaipur for I had purchase the ticket and the clock was ticking, but my unconscious mind was convincing me that something bad will happen if I ever walk out of that place. If that is not all, my hearing was being block by invisible clouds. I could heard nothing but myself and everything uttered by me was being amplified and echoed. There seems to be disconnection between my senses and my mind. And when the situation became so helpless, Martin slowly took me down to the owner. My brother and his friend, Kee, was there to witness this embarrassing moment of mine. The runner was feeding me lump of butter so to lesser the effect that had been sinking in. The pain was grave. I felt like a sound of thunder was striking my hearing and the running train was hitting through my head, weakening every cells and blinding every molecules in my body. My brother and Kee decided to stay for another day, at least until I regain my strength and composure. On the bed, my state of consciousness was deteriorating. Images kept wandering inside my mind. My feeling changes constantly, from being scare to being happy to being over concern and so on. Even when I was throwing out, it was not just throwing out. The images of my hallucination hallucinate me to puke. It was a goat crawling out through my throat, forcing my throat to open wide- so I could throw everything out on the floor. And in between that late evening until early morning, I kept waking up and dozing off…I was completely in the state of delirium and was completely intoxicated. If only I follow the advice, maybe thing might be different. If only I didn’t overdose.

And when I woke up in the morning, Martin and Ina was already gone to Jaipur. The feeling was indescribable. It is like I was just being born anew again. My eyes still unable to absorb the amount of morning light but I was 70% sober. I felt like a newborn baby. All around me became so new and so serene. It is like the first time I see the world, after a 30 years being locked underground. My skin was so fragile and so tender. This was the only consolation and the best thing ever happen out of the bhang consumption. I wouldn’t say it paid off but somehow I felt like I had been walking for a hundred miles in a desert and then when I reach the sand dunes I was being awarded by tons of cold beer or like I was fasting for 100 days and at the end of 100 days I get to make love with Heidi Klum. The utility was at its height.

Somewhere deep inside I felt some kind of guilt that the farewell I gave to Martin & Ina was my state of delirium and intoxication and full night of jive talking.

They said once bitten twice shy. If you ask me would I do it again, I mean the bhang lassi, I wouldn’t say no, but given the right time and the right place and the right people, I might have do it again but only this time with right amount of shot.

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-27T17:19:00.000+08:00

Part 3

03.09.05

(Song: Everyone by Van Morrison and followed by Wallflower girl by Better than Ezra )-at the time of writing this script

Lake Palace (City palace), when there was a water and shining sun

Lake Palace's view, in the evening

Udaipur is famous around the world as the City Of Lakes or Venice of East. Udaipur is located in the mountains of Aravali range. It is located in the southern part of Rajasthan near the Gujarat border. From Ahmedebad, we took a self proclaim deluxe bus and it took us about 6 hours ride. It was not a fancy ride. It was hot and humid, the road there almost hell and dusty. Though both of my legs were up on the seat in front of me and the window were widely open, I was sweating, my buttock were itching and my back bone were cracking. It all paid well when we arrived at Udaipur’s main town.

Jana, our friend from Germany was already in Udaipur and we took the three wheeler auto rickshaw to Udaipur new town where the city palace is. We checked in the same guest house with Jana, Nayee Haveli. The rooftop of our guest house were unbelievable. It was a brilliant view to the infamous big lake and some authentic building. The lake was dry for the past few years and we were lucky because it was raining heavily few days before our arrival.

So the lake was again re-appear, this time in its own magical way. Lot of local people were celebrating. Some were swimming and some were merely splashing water, regardless of old or young, man or women. The first thing I did was resting my ass on the chair, on the rooftop, setting my eyes on the lake- and also, was to smoke a weed. The feeling was simply marvelous. It is like stranded in an island without a water for 2 days and out of the blue you found a case of beer flowing towards your direction. At the guest house, I met Hannes from Austria, Lisa from Spain, Sunny, a seasonal traveler French lady and other Spanish guys. She later rolled a big fat joint and together she and I smoking the moment away. Immediately after that, I ordered a lassi to soothe my throat and my stomach.

(Song: Friday I‘m in love by The Cure)

In the evening, Carol, Gemma, Jana and I, the only guy, went to a rooftop restaurant for a so called reunion (with Jana) dinner. It was a great dinner. We had the rooftop all to our self. While waiting for the foods to be served, I laid my back flatly on the table, on the corner of the rooftop, just looking up the open sky and space. It was really beautiful and even more magical to see how the stars were dancing, while the wind were blowing, whispering its breath soundly onto my skin and at that particular moment- I knew one thing for sure, that the feeling inside me couldn’t be better.

Our table were set before the magnificent view towards the shiny and legendary lake and its gem, the city palace. It was awesome to see the city palace fully lighted up. It was an unforgetful night with the girls, not because I was with three girls but because I realized I was having dinner at the rooftop of one of the nicest restaurant in Udaipur, staring at the magically floating palace on the legendary Lake Piccola.

(Song: On a high by Duncan Sheik)

“Here’s another thought that kept roaming in my mind from the book Shantaram that night before I put myself to rest, eagerly to experience my maiden morning and sunset in Udaipur. “At first when we truly love someone, our greatest fear is that the loved one will stop loving us. What we should fear and dread, of course, is that we won’t stop loving them even after they’re dead and gone. For I still love you with the whole of my heart, my friend. I still love you, and sometime my friend the love that I have and can’t give it to you, crushes the breath from my chest. Sometime even until now my heart is drowning in sorrow that has no star without you, and no laughter and no sleep”.

I still remember when I reach this part where Lin express this piece of his heartache for his friend, who passed away in a accident, I almost cry. Though my eyes didn’t drop a tears, but my heart was melted away. I was crying inside as if the story was real and connected to me or my pass life. I felt like that at that time because my heart was very sentimental. Some unknown formation of chemicals in my body was developed a feeling that was so surreal that it seems I was a part of Shantaram.

(Song: Daniel by Elton John)

05.09.2005

(Song: Piece of my heart by Janis Joplin)

My first morning in Udaipur. I woke up at around 7am. The view of the city was already clear but it was still filled with natural sound and silences of nature. Jana was still sleeping and I didn‘t want to wake her up (and is the other girls). So I ordered plain omelets and cheese toast for breakfast, put on greatest hits of Janis Joplin and started to sit down to ponder about the journey thus far. Jana joined me soon after.

After breakfast, Carol, Gemma and I went to the infamous city palace in Lake Piccola. City Palace towers over the Pichola Lake. Maharana Uday Singh initiated in the construction of the palace but succeeding Maharanas added several palaces and structures to the complex retained a surprising uniformity to the design. The entry to the Palace is from the Hati Pol, the Elephant gate. The Bari Pol or the Big gate brings you to the Tripolia, the Triple gate. The highlight of City Palace is when we reached the Suraj Gokhada or the balcony of the sun is where the Maharana would grant public audiences mainly to boost the morale of the people in difficult times. The majestic view over the city and the entire lake were really something.

That day, we were suppose to meet up with Martin & Ina (both are from Germany), our fellow friend from Pune, who arrived at Udaipur the day before us. We met up with them at Lalghat guest house for lunch. The weather was extremely hot and burning. I ordered “Dum Aloo” and cheese chapati for lunch. Ina went for a drawing class with local art dealer and Martin, Jana and I went hanging around the beautiful place and village of Udaipur, separated by the lake.

While I was cruising the bazaar, I came across two girls. They were fascinated by a two elephants walking on the street and were snapping a few shots at them. They were good looking especially the one with the brunette hair. At one of the book store, I came across Nick Hornby’s book, one of Martin’ s favorite author and I told him about it. So, for the whole afternoon, Martin and I were just wandering around Udaipur while the girls were busy at their own stuff. Martin and I went to their guest house’s rooftop restaurant, Dream heaven rooftop restaurant. Below his guest house is a art and painting shop. The owner of this painting shop, Mr. Soni, was a very nice and friendly guy. He and his brother invited us for a cups of masala chai and we ended up with Hyena drawing on our skin.

Then, we went to Monu’s painting shop to meet with Ina. Monu is 21 years old and he work at the painting shop. We were seating at the shop, watching local people and other travelers walking pass us. With Monu, we were discussing and exchanging our different set of philosophical thinking. This Monu guy was unbelievably knowledgeable and he know what he was talking about. I felt guilty after that. I mean how could I undermine their knowledge just because they didn’t go to college? He was lamenting about a Dutch traveler he met once and this Dutch traveler were complaining about the pathetic state of our current world. Monu told him that it is time for him to do something, no matter how small they might be, to change the cause. That should has been done instead of lamenting about it. If you don’t ready to do or to offer anything- then we all deserve nothing to complain about anything. Until we are ready to commit, we don’t deserve to lament.

Martin, Ina and I were dining at Dream heaven. Prior to our dinner, we bade farewell to Jana, Gemma and Carol. They left us one day earlier to continue their chosen route. Martin and Ina brought me a gift, a Nick Hornby’s novel, entitle “High fidelity”. We always talking about time and again about the movie we both know and he really want me to read it because to him it was one of the most amazing book ever written.

It was good to ordered a few bottle of cold beers after a hot day and lot of walking and slacking. The restaurant at night had a very nice setting and decoration. They were playing some good music too- reggae music. All of us were ordering their special Thali. It was very special indeed. At the restaurant, while we were chatting about forgotten but interesting conversation, again, I saw the two beautiful girls I seen while cruising the bazaar that afternoon. They were with a guy, definitely an Asian. My brother and his friend, Kee, whom I suppose to travel with, arrived that day. We finally met up in Dream Heaven. Kee went back to the guest house and we went up to the rooftop’s rooftop to have a smoking session. We smoked about two joint and were enjoying yet again the beautiful lake palace. The night was silence but distance away, we could heard some festival were going on.

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-27T04:15:00.000+08:00

Part 2

Hannah & I, on the way to Tona fort.

Train station at Lonavla, that day...

02. 09. 2005

Carolina (Colombian), Gamma (Basque county) and I left Lucky 7, my apartment to the train station at around 7.30 pm. I played Fatboy Slim’s “Don’t let the man” and Blink 182’s “All the small thing” to kick start what would the greatest traveling I ever had in my life. Ya Ting (Taiwan) and Martin (Germany) were there to bade us farewell and wishes us good luck and safe journey for our traveling.

Together with the girls, and my 12 kilo bag pack and sleeping bag, we took a auto rickshaw to Pune railway station. We entrained at Pune station at 8pm. The journey to Ahmedebad, place in the state of Gujarat took us about 12 hours and we arrived at Ahmedebad at around 9.30am.

The train to there was full as usual. While Carol was in another compartment, Gemma and I were in the same compartment. We took a sleeper class. I begin my train journey with the book I read at that time, Gregory Roberts’s “Shantaram”. Shantaram is a very special book brimming with an open honesty that takes you on the journey of the heart. In many ways it's a story of bare survival where the heart beat of India takes the author through the most dramatic events of India and the mind blowing, piece of intellectual philosophies of the author and his band of criminals and friends. So, after about 150 pages, I went to the door for a rest. I open the door and sat by the entrance, loosing up my legs out and feeling the splash of speeding air through my skin. I was enjoying the night scenario of the passing villages and its peaceful towns and thinking of the romantic night with Hannah, which at time, felt like yesterday. I took out my CD player, and put on Lionel Ritchie love songs namely “Stuck on you”, “ Easy”, “Hello” to resemble the night at my balcony. It was a beautiful night. It was indeed serendipity for me as we grew closer to each other. The melody of the song with the night surrounding brought me back to the time where I was fetching her back, riding the wind with Dawson’s super bike from Naughty Angel café, the night of Yerwada market where she was having the shock of her lifetime after being crazily surrounded by the local goons and how I was her hero and companion, getting her out of the madness, our time in Lonavla and Karla caves and the best moment of all, the romantic night at my balcony. I don’t usually include my personal story or mellow-ish of sort in my journal but this one I think should be exceptional because it ran in my mind when I was sitting on that train that night thinking and embracing the moment.

My all time top 5 babe I met in Pune/India

1. Kathrin (Germany)
2. Christine (Egypt)
3. Hannah (Germany)
4. Zoya (Canada)
5. Magda (Poland)

I couldn’t sleep that night. I can’t stop thinking about her, the moments with her and the many possibilities if she haven’t left India. I wasn’t complaining. I was glad to even know her even though it was a short moment. At the height of that night I was smiling and begin to shift my mind to other endless thought like what would happen to me after all nice and beautiful things come to an end and empty contemplation like the beauty and silence of the night. At around 2am, I decided to rest myself and close my eyes for the first time since I left Pune few hours ago.

I woke up 4 hours later and the sun were starting to shine the day and the dark sky gradually gone. Some local passengers started to brush their teeth and other morning cleaning by the sink. I lighted up my first morning cigarette by the door, where I was cherishing good moment few hours ago. Soon after I was being approached by an ear plucker. It was nice to let your ears being clean once in a while.

At around 9.30am, we arrived at Ahmedebad train station and we met up with Carol. From there, the chaotic train station, we took an auto rickshaw to bus station to arrange a bus ticket to Udaipur. Before I move on, here I would like to quote something beautiful from the book Shantaram, which I read night before. In one of the chapter, Vikram said to Lin: “A man has to find a good women and when he finds her, he has to win her love. Then he has to win her respect. Then he has to cherish her trust. And then he has to like, going on doing that for as long as they live. Until they both die. That’s is all about. That’s the most important thing in the world. That’s what man is yaar (friend). A man is truly a man when he won the love of good women, earn her respect and keep her trust. Until you can do that, you’re not a man…”

India: An Experimental backpacking to the North & Goa

2005-10-27T04:08:00.000+08:00

Part 1.

21 October 2005. 15:00, at home in Penang.

I haven’t start writing yet but I have a feeling that this piece of journal will be the longest to put into words. In a nutshell, this piece of journal will touch upon my backpacking trip to the north of India, short break in Pune and Goa from 2nd of September 2005 until I left Bombay airport on the 10th of October 2005. Like many travelers, I had my own share of my experimental experience, train of thought, beautiful places to remember, amazing landscape to cherish, unforgetful journey to ponder and the very special people I met along the way. And for this memorable trip of once in a lifetime opportunity, I will write so that in twenty years to come, I can flash back my memory lane to India. I don’t have anything but my short script I wrote on my diary every morning of my traveling, in different places. India is a amazing country and to travel India is like to travel in a sort of sub continental of the globe. Every state and part of town has its own uniqueness and each with its own diversity of cultural and historical differences. The people are indeed very friendly and at time very accommodative. Lots of things has been said about India and definitely lots of things has been stereotyped against India and its people but for a person like me who had been there, right down to the corner of their villages, traveling by feet, by its local buses, crappy lower class train- my confession is, not all of them is truth. In fact, this country is amazing and my overall traveling were blissful and experimental.

So, without further ado, I would like to continue to pursue my writing of this great experience.

In my dream, I always dreamt about myself leaving my beloved country, to walk and see the world. I always dream of going to places in Europe, Latin America but India has never been in the list. Sometime, the dream was so true that it was almost real and when I woke up to reality, I almost gasped in disbelieve it was just a dream. And of course when this occurred, my day begin with cry of disappointment.

Even sometime when I was in the middle of my beautiful traveling in India, I was afraid that when everything is over and when I open my eyes, I will be crying of my dejavu dream. But thanks God now that I am back in Malaysia and to see myself so two step behind the demand of our materialistic society, to see all my friends advance in their careers with their own set of success like their material possession, I sometime smile in happiness that this was all real, that I am the same old me, broke and nowhere, because this sign and state of life prove only one thing, that I had been there and done that, that I had finally and eventually left my comfort zone, broaden my horizon and live life to the fullest without regret. This sign has shown that the time has definitely moved since I left this country sometime last year and so is my life, but in a very and uncommon way. For that I will be forever be graceful.

So now I rewind to the day I begin my 40 days traveling and let the curtain of my writing roll up for the show is about to begin. It all began back in…

Notice

2005-09-01T17:29:00.000+08:00

Hey Blog Army!!

Just a short notice to say that I will be travelling from 02/09/2005 until 09/10/2005 in Northern India namely the state of Rajasthan, Agra, Shimla, Manali and Dharamshala. And if time permit, I will go to Goa and Hampi again. This blog will not be updated until then. Do come back for more great songs. Carpe Diem, Ciao!!

Annabelle

It is a long, long, damn long and fulfilling weekend!

2005-08-16T19:09:00.000+08:00

Friday I am in love

Hey what’s up people. I hope everyone is having a good time, one way or another. For me, it was absolutely a blast and fantastic weekend. So many great things has taken place, just like my first three months in India had happened and I was glad to be part of everything.

As I am writing this blog now, I really couldn’t believe that my days in India are number and it is really counting. Fourteen days more and I will fly away across the North region of India, all the way to the Tibetan government in-exile, Dharamshala. I guess one year living in the paradise of India had makes time travel faster than light, deeper than the ocean and higher than the mountain. And to let go all this moments and experience is truly uninvited but unavoidable. As melancholy as it may sound and as truly as I wanna hold on, but there is nothing I can do but to see life goes on. So every little hours of my remaining time does really count and I try to live life to the fullest as the final moment is ushering in. That’s why right now, I am compromising my tight budget, for more enjoyable time at the very last minute especially after few month of self-restraining on money-related events.

Anyway, back to the subject of the damn long and fulfilling weekend, which almost satisfying to the core of my heart. While others weekend started on Saturday or some even on Sunday, I started mine one day earlier, which is on Friday.

It was a lazy, chilly Friday morning and my dream was intruded by the sound of my alarm. I was almost glued to the bed, most probably still feeling stone from yesterday’ excessive smoking session with the president of smoking club, The Polish Peter. Anyway, the dream I had must have been sweet and hopeful that I was having trouble to get out of the bed. Then, the evil thought jump onto my mind, urging and tempting me to stay on to what I was doing, neglecting of my responsibility to go to work on that day. I was very tempted but the little will I had in me was moving me hard to move but only hard enough to get me out of the bed to the living room, but not out of the house. The lump of devil’s thought already eating up my head- so I decided to start my weekend on Friday. So I fabricated bedtime story to justify my deed.

I started my happy Friday morning with one thing on my head, to copy all the cool music from Polish Peter’s laptop which I always wanted to do but defeated by a lame excuse such as no time and such. It is a new genre that I am now into, which is mostly chill-out, dance, trance & psychedelic music. I spent about two hours listening to all samples of the songs which is about hundreds of them, if not thousand and ended up with 400 songs.

Following that, I continue to read Gregory’s “Shantaram”, which took my mind and wild imagination to the life of Gregory, sensitivities and his philosophical of him and his bands of friends, enemies and fellow slum dwellers alike. I followed through his life with sometime comedic laugh, his beauty of story telling, the tragic and poignant moments, melancholy love drama through his turbulence life in the Bombay underworld. As I am typing now I am at 450 pages and half more to go. The story is about to begin. If any of you are into reading, I would really like to recommend this book to you. This book contains sublime descriptive passages of life, love, philosophy, less-than-ordinary people of Bombay but yet richer in characteristic and intellectual knowledge. It is full of beauty and charm and honestly, merely words aren’t enough to justify the worthiness of the book. I hope you read it before Johnny Depp takes it to silver screen.

Then decided not to go on with the book, as I was reluctant to finish it. It was too suspense, adrenaline rushing, too dramatic to go on. So I decided to watch few episodes of “That 70’s show”.

Without realizing much, much of the afternoon gone. The darkness was ushering in and the light and sunshine of the day was faded and subsiding. One by one of my flat-mates coming home.

That evening, Jana, the German trainee had a farewell party in about to close trainee apartment, C1. We had a party and it was great. Lots of people were there, trainees and non-trainees, including some of our Indian friends. Salvador, the new Spanish cooked for the farewell. Some of the delightful meals were Pasta, macaroni, Spaghetti, fried rice, chips, beers, vodka and rum and other alcoholic drinks. Xabi, the Spanish guy, brought along his Shisha and was preparing one when the party was at its peak. First it was Strawberry favor, than other fruity favor, and lastly, we mix the tobacco with weed and begin our trip to odyssey.

After a few round of traditional speech, by the drunk Japanese Yoshi and another drunk Norwegian girl, Trude, we proceeded the party to another level. Polish Peter and I decided to leave, and not without a bag of chips, which later at night, our snack for “That 70’s show” session.

Saturday hanging on the rooftop.

I couldn’t remember much of Saturday except for more reading, that 70’s show, smoking joint all-day round, eating and all that jazz.

But in the evening, Ina came to our place and cooked us very fine dinners. Then we were invited to Julian, the new German trainee, whom opted to stay alone, to his own welcoming party in his rooftop. We were impress by the cozy and greenery style of his rooftop ambience and surrounding.

We just hung around, basically did nothing but grooving to the dance beat, of various genre, drinking, smoking, chatting until the late hours, which around 2 in the morning. From Julian rooftop, we went back to our apartment, Lucky 7- to continue to smoke Shisha, weed, and forgotten conservation until around 4-5 in the morning.

Sunday Morning and rocking hard evening!

Despite the inadequate sleep I had, I woke up around 9.30 in the morning. Prior to that morning- I was inspired by Julian rooftop- so I invited the same people to my rooftop for a morning breakfast, which is much higher, broader, windy and more spacious. Ina and I went for a morning shopping and I brought milks, juices, and dozens of eggs, cheese, cookies and all those breakfast jazz. I started to cook and rock the kitchen while everyone still deep in their sleep. I made a very tasty and crunchy butter-garlic toast breads, 5 big plates of Peter’s special omelets- with butter garlic, black pepper, salt, thin- soya sauce and onions. At the end of my cooking, most of the pigs already awaken from their one-night-dead. The last was the stoniest smoker- The Peter Polish a.k.a. Leo.

On top of our rooftop, it was very windy, cozy and the weather was gray and blue. It was again, very serene and romantic scenario that will drive anyone into deep contemplation. All of my apartment mates were there namely Julius (Germany), Polish Peter (Poland), Barbara (Austrian), Benny (Germany), Martin (Germany), and I. Others were Barbara (Germany), new non-trainee who spent a night in our apartment, Trude (Norway) and Ina (Germany).

After chewing and swallowing the tasty omelets, and wetting our throat with juices and milks- we went up to the further up. The views of the rivers across our apartment, onto other side of town, other apartment and its rooftop were nothing but serenity. We started to roll a morning present and passing around the joint. It was great and utmost satisfying.

In the evening, my housemates and I, Sabi (Spain), Ina, Martin (another German) attended a rock concert. The even was being named “Freedom Rocks” 05 and the line up was some of the finest battle of the bands of India namely “Unbound”, “Va-yu” and “Strange muse”. It was so much better than the last one which I attended in EY. The night was a blast and was a truly rock festival. Even the Europeans gave a thumb up to those bands despite the fact that they had seen many rock festival like Green Day, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Foo Fighter etc.

The stage was not so big, enough for a 5-piece band. It was equipped with all the standard light, smoke machine and a simple backdrop. We came late and we missed the first band which the vocalist had a voice of Axl Rose. In facts they did sang two song from Guns n’ Roses; “Civil war” and “Don’t cry”.

The highlight of the night was the second band. The name was vayu. It was a four-piece band with one guitarist, bassist and drummer. The front man has the stage performance of Steven Tyler. With long hair and flowery loose surfing shirt, he and the guitarist and the drummer rock the stage, work the audience, drove out our love for rock music to yet another level. The band started with a song from Pink Floyd, followed by a hit song from Jimi Hendrix. The third was The Doors’ “Break on Through” which is the best song of the night. The rendition of the song was very powerful and full of angst. Then again, a song from Pink Floyd, Steve Morse, Deep Purple before the vocalist sighed in exhaustion. And he said tiredly to the crowd- “Ok, thanks for being here, so the next song I am going to sing is a love song from Bryan Adams…” and immediately being boo-ed by the crowds and thumbs down united-ly by the audiences. It was a joke and provocation. He then continued with a firm shout-“Ok, this is Pearl Jam for you!!” and the crowd again was drown and bathed in their own sweat and swing their arms in the air as they sang Pearl Jam’s “Alive”. From time to time, he raised an Indian national flag, as a sign of celebration of Indian independent day, which is day after. He went on to sing songs from Sting, Megadeath etc.

The third band was more hard core and more heavy metal. It was a 5-piece band, with keyboard. They sang songs like Maroon’s 5 “Harder to breath”, Steve Morse, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd’s “Another brick in the world” and other great band. When he reluctantly sing Linkin Park’s “In the end”, the crowd in the front low loose control and went nut and pushing and jumping on each other like a barbarian, bottles of beers were crashing everywhere on the floor. The empty space were spare for those barbarians which reminds me of my own acts in those gigs I attended some 9 or 10 years ago. Anyway, Martin and I were in the circle of barbarians, and it was quite violent, just like a riot but luckily nothing ugly happen. We were doing this in the spirit of rock, I suppose. The band ends their performance with Van Halen’s “Jump” and the encore was Iron Maiden’s hit song which I didn’t know.

After that, we went to a nice restaurant nearby, Ola. Polish Peter already had a joint ready and we were secretly passing among us under the table. After the dinner, we proceed what we were doing to our own apartment. Again, Sabi prepared for us a round of Shisha and we were playing trivial pursuit. At around, I was quite stone and sleepy so I went to bed just to awaken by a phone call from Tanya, around 9.30 am- to inform me that another trainee has arrived and she would like to send her to my house.

I was awoken again, from the same person, this time by a doorbell. Through the fish eye, I saw the new trainee and she was gorgeous, sexy and blonde despite the fact that I was still half-asleep.

Monday the Independent Day!!

I was semi-naked when I open that door and I was still half at sleep when I usher her to the house. The new sexy blonde name is Susan, and she is from Germany. As everybody was still asleep, I wash up and brought her and show her around, kind of orientation on Koregeon Park, Pune, India, people etc.

The whole field trip was about 2-3 hours. I was very happy to see a fresh eye and fresh reaction to many amazing things of India. She was fascinated, and occasionally grasped in disbelieve when she came across cows, stray dogs, slump, beggars, crazy traffic, key makers, camel and elephant on the street and so forth. We stopped by for her first Indian food and we ordered a set lunch of Thali and many round of Chai. The lunch was my treat, as a token of welcoming.

I found it pleasurable and kind of happy when doing orientation of the city, country and its people to newcomers. I was equally exciting as they were. It was satisfying and paid off when I see those first reaction, excitement, disbelieve, laugh through them. The last time I did this was to another German, Nills the big guy.

We walked from Lane E, along the busy and chaotic with amusement of itself North main road, passing through Lane 5, Lane 6, Pizza Hut, I-way and we stopped for lunch at Thali place, near the chips store and wine shop. From there, we walked pass through Lane 7, up to the bridge and we turned left to Kriyaginagar. Again, we walked through the 100 meters strong bridge of Kriyaginagar, and we turn left for another hour walk until German bakery. She almost see everything as I showed her the unknown places where one will truly see and experience the authentic life of Indian. We even came across the street show by some Indian self-trained professional circus freaks. It was entertaining and I rewarded them with a generous appreciation of ten rupees.

Along the North main road, we met Sabi and Barbara and Sabi on the scooter, Black Martin and Magda and Julius.

Later, we went on the scooter, to Inox to book tickets for Madagascar. It was a very funny movie. Sabi, Susan and I were on the same scooter while Julius, Benny and Julian on the other one. The ride was cool, fast and furious.

Prior to the movie, I brought to one of the best coffeehouse, Barista, which just located opposite Osho commune international. This time it was her treat.

Monday night completed with a very simple yet exquisite dinner invitation by Johan, Swedish guy, who live in my company guesthouse, beside my apartment. He cooked us very fine Swedish pasta, salads and toasted cheese bread, round of beers and Scotch on the rock. It was a great evening. Few more episodes of “That 70’s show” and 3 chapters of Shantaram completed my night.

All in all, it was a good time and the weekend was long. I was happy and fulfilled. 14 days more and still counting. Soon my days here will be over and I will come back knocking on employment, begging for jobs. Real life begins at the end of traineeship and I can already smells that it is stink and I don’t like it. Whatever it is, I had live it through the moments and I had seized it, for that I will feel bless forever without an ounce of regret, whatsoever.

Regards,

Peter

Hey Man...That's cool man...

2005-08-03T12:56:00.000+08:00

Hey Man...Wussup man...

Are you all cool?? Yesterday was cool, man....Really, I am not kidding you, man...it was real smooth and cool man...Do you know about yesterday?? Listen up, man...about yesterday, it was actually, cool man...hahaha..I don't usually talk like this.That's Leo talking. Leo who?? Yeah man..Leo from That's 70s show.

Today is wednesday. Yesterday was Tuesday and my company declared a holiday because of the constant rain and the Monsoon rock, man...Monsoon rock so hard, as hard as Led Zeppelin that my company was so freakin out that they gave out a holiday like a free condom in wal-mart, man...Isn't that cool, man???

Hey-you know what else is cool?? I don't know man...Can you tell me what else is cool??

OK, it all began yesterday when I woke up in the morning. The rain was still down on us and the morning was cold and bluesy. Then, I really wish to have another dream but you know man...when you already awake, everything is not cool anymore man....especially you have to drag your heavy ass to work. But then, a magic call to my van driver makes everything back to cool, man...He told me the company is down for one day-So, I tried for another sleep but in vain, man...

Anyway, I gotto tell you this, man...it was so cool...since I couldn't sleep again, I started my marathon on the "That's 70s show", completeted season 2 and when the night come knocking- I didn't realized that I was in the middle of season 3. Wow, that was really something cool, man...Isn't Leo??

The whole of Tuesday Morning, noon, evening, night were wasted with weed, weed and weed. Peter and I started our expedition to the hitchhiker's galaxie 5 minutes after noon. And that was our first joint of the day. Together with Barbara, the new trainee from Austria, we went to German Bakery for a breakfast. After that, I went to the train station to book my ticket to Ahmedebad, my first pit stop of my upcoming 5 weeks travelling.

It was tiring as I had to wait for almost 2 hours. The first hour was completely in vain because I was waiting in the long line. I was waiting for almost an hour just to be told that the line was meant only for Indian soldier. Well, am I an Indian soldier?? Which part of me look like and Indian? Let alone Indian soldier...Now, that's not cool, man....

Cool or not cool, that's India. I dealt with that almost every now and then. So, no sweat man...It took me another hour to book my ticket on the 2nd of September-2005.

I met up again with the Polish Peter and Barbara in Pune central. We walked back to our apartment and another joint followed. It was great, smoking along the busy messy road. We ordered lots of food and I started the series of 70s show again. We rolled and rolled again, and again. We got real stone and wasted. Then we started a party. We drank some beer from the fridge. It was cool, man...whole day doing nothing but smoking, watching the 70s and drinking, not forgetting eating up...

Before we reached home, we stopped by the wild flowing river. It was great,and cool man...to see the monsoon rocking hard on the river...It was a road full, overcrowded with human being, cars, lorries, motorbikes, bicyckes, auto-rickshaw, occasionally elephant, camel, dogs, cats and Oh....a giant frog- the size of a TWO kittens.Wow, the giant frog was real cool man...because he did nothing by the padestrian walkway but just pretending dead. Maybe he was stone too man....too much Monsoon can really drive a frog goes crazy, man...

The river was flowing fast and hard. Sprinking rain becomes heavy downpour and weather becomes really moody and mellow. It is like the Monsoon God just entertained himself with a very good wines, most probably from the wine shop nearby. I stood up tall and proud on the edge of the bridge- just beside the silver lion (Indian national icon or sort of something important)...And you know what's cool??? The view from where I stood was really extremely crazily sickingly rockingly coolingly COOL, man....

Hey man...hey listen up! In the evening, we smoke, drink and ordered pizza. Did I said Pizza?? It was Martin and Ina who ordered that Pizza. And it was cool man...because they offered me a pizza when I was stone man...Why cool? Because it was a pizza man....and it was free...and the beer too was free except for the weed which suplied by me...

Then, we went to "Fire & Ice". We partied there for a while but we ledt quite early as nothing is new for me and I was quite bored at the music. It was techno and it wasn't progressing. So I couldn't tolerate anymore and I decided to leave.

I reached home at around midnight and I started to watch 70s show again,and joint and beer and coffee.

It was cool and I was wasted, stone, and full of crap yesterday. Even when I am writing now, I am still fullof crap man...and that's cool man...

Actually- It was not cool, man...I used to do this and when it got onto you it will not be cool anymore. U know what I say, Leo?? Oh Man...U only wanna getlazy and wasted and that is no cool at all. So one day is OK but parental advisary- Don't do it everyday. Do it once in a while and that will be good for health.

Hey Polish Peter man...Do you wanna me my Fatger, man??? Hah got ya- Just joking.Sorry, now I am sober and I am going back towork and be productive again after the whole wasted day of yesterday.

I went to bed and sleep like a child. I woke up today and it was not cool man...because I have to drag my ass tooffice and try to be cool again, and that'snot cool man....because I have to pretend to be cool while I am not. I guess that's all about the cool jazz man...Ciao!

Lovingly cool man...,

Peter

For Whatever- Nevermind the update!

2005-08-01T15:34:00.000+08:00

Monday morning blues.

Hey you!
I am back, with my stomach still protesting, since Saturday. Today is Monday and the time is 10:45 and I am seating in my cubicle, updating my blog. I am not only suffering from stomachache and dehydration (from yesterday’s party) but I am also suffering from a weekly syndrome which most people call "Monday Blues"
The weather now is very mellow because it had been raining regularly since last week. Monsoon is at its height I guess.

Peter, the new trainee from Poland arrived last Friday. I met him when I got home from work. Finally, we have the other Peter in the house, after all of the Martins and Thomases- no thanks to the Germans.
Despite his sometime bizarre questions, I kind of like this guy and I think he is a cool chap. Similarities wise, he drink, he smoke and he had a complete seasons of "That 70’s show" and lots of movies in his hard drive.

Bringing down the bridge

Last week was a new experience I encountered with Monsoon season. In fact, it was also a new experience for most Punites as the situation I was about to tell you never occurred before according to one of my manager (born and bread in Pune). According to him, geographically, it was not possible for the event to happen as Pune was protected and surrounded by mountains and hills.

Our company received a note that one of the bridges would be close down by the authority because there was a prediction that the river will over flow unto the main roads. Since that bridge is quite a link to most places (Kasarwadi bridge)- most people were advice to leave the office as soon as possible and it was only 3 pm. The whole office was kind of chaotic as everyone busying escaping the office. The scene is like a last minute evacuation.

Anyway, the bridge was being closed down half an hour than expected. The river had taken over the road and some places, especially the slump area, which close to the river, had been severely hit by a major flood already. Earlier that day, I visited one of the slump areas, near to my company, which most of the kids Omar and I taught every Friday resided. Some hut houses was already half-drowned by the flood-people were moving-with their little equipment, like kitchen stuff, radio, old television and a lot more. The kids, unaware of the panic and worries faced by the adults, was having fun playing in the flood and dancing in the rain. Most of the affected families were being moved to a nearby school. Miss Beena, the head of my company’s corporate social program invited some of the families to our company and offered them a place to stay and some foods to keep their hunger away temporally.

One thing I learned from the slump and the flood is how these people deal with the problem. They were very cooperative, rendered a helping hands to each other, and very smiley despite the fact that the flood was hitting their house-taking away most of their little properties. These people made happiness out of the sadness. They faced the problem like a man. They found remedy instead a more problem and complaints. Sometime we are so blessed that we forgot that there are other people whose living condition is far from sufficient and yet, they were happier than most of us. It is amazing to see Christian complain everyday and harping on all negativity- rather than recognizing the positivity- hence seeing it from the bright side

We were on the road, bustling through the heavy traffic and accompanied by heavy rain. For 3 and the half-hours long, we were stuck and stranded on the road.

Falling in love for second time

Jana, brought a complete DVD of "Sex & the City" (All seasons) from Bombay last week. So I slower down my reading speed on Gregory’s "Shantaram" and continued where I stop- the fourth season. It only took me two episodes to fall in love again, with Carrie Bradshaw. At the time of writing- I still have last season to go.

Farewell of the Crybaby

Christian the Crybaby organized a farewell party in our apartment last Friday. I hate to say this but it was one of the good parties from the good old day. The party was with unlimited supply of beers and snacks (by Christian) and Polish Vodkas (by Peter) and weed (by me).

There was so many people known and unknown. By midnight, most of us were already high, drunk or stone. Yoshi, the crazy Japanese guy were proposing a toast and giving his drunkard impromptu farewell speech to Christian. I said my piece as well despite the facts of our recent heated argument over the differences in our deeds and principals, disagreement, war, controversial emails that make him hated me so much. Honestly for this guy, I don’t hate him even though our sometime stormy friendship had continually deteriorating, sparked and triggered by many issues. But this, he couldn’t understand. Prior to that evening, I told him I would gladly approve him to organize his farewell party in Lucky 7 (my apartment), complete with best wishes and all the flowery words and jazz.

On the contrary- I also wrote that my principal said it was wrong for you to do a party because of his irresponsible act of sudden departure and his failure to fulfil his promises to us, which leave most of us ending up paying huge sum of rent. He ignored my email and thought I was very selfish to deny his party, which was untrue. And he hated me for that.

In my farewell speech to him, which is very short, I said "Christian & I, we are friends. We had a good time together and we had a bad time together. I just want you to know that, whatever happen, we are still friend and farewell to you" . I hope this time he get it that having a disagreement in deeds and principals with you doesn’t mean that I hate him, doesn’t mean that if he fall, I won’t pick him up, if he hurt, I wouldn’t lick his wound. In fact I will do that even though I don’t have a respect for him and I despise his negative attitudes.

The party was great. Cleaning lady didn’t came in the morning. I woke up in the morning, D-tox and dehydrated and was surprised by the messy house, which look like just being hit by an atomic bomb. I cleaned the whole house even though it was Christian’s mess. He came much later and someone told him I cleaned the whole damn house. Eventually I think he get the point which prompted him to expressed his gratitude to me with a firm handshake- very formal.

Paradise for the cow

Ina, Julius, Ya ting and I woke up at 4.30 in the morning to join my colleague in his weekly trekking in Sinhagad fort. It was my idea. Kate was suppose to join us but apparently she was tied up with her moving out stuff.
We took auto rickshaw and arrived at Shaniwarwada bus station around 5.45 am. We took a public bus to the foothill of Singahad fort and arrived there at around 7am.

We had a breakfast before my friend arrived. My friend, Anup, is a trekking freak and a advanced certified mountaineer which entitle him to lead an expedition to any mountain climbing or rock climbing and any other trekking.

FYI, Sinhagad is a hill fort located near the city of Pune, India. The fort rises about 800 metres above the surrounding countryside. The fort has been a strategically important location since at least the 14th century, and has seen many epic battles.

The serenity of the place is unquestionable. At the bottom of the hill, where we had our breakfast, small and fast flowing water was busying flooding up the uneven, bumpy tiny roads, with lots of potholes. The climbing up experience was astounding. The way up was full of rocks, greenest of grass (which is why I say this is a paradise for the cow) and the path up was quite steeping, rocky and at time can be very challenging. I started with minor ache and discomfort in my stomach. I don’t know why every time I go trekking, I will surely have either diarrhea, stomach upset or ache. It must be a jinx.

The diarrhea was getting worse and I climb higher. At one point, I know I must let go- answer the damn call of the nature. So I found myself a bush on the way up and thanks to Ina for her toiler paper, I let go the toxic and the poison-out of my ass.

After that, I got better. We passed through many small huts, some were selling local sweets, some were selling fried Bhajee and hot masala chai and some was just an empty hut. The higher we went the thicker the fog. The rain was perfect, accompanied with lazy wind and morning breeze. At the halfway, which is about 500 metres from the ground below, we stopped for a brief rest. Ina and I started to smoke a joint. The feeling was great. Suddenly we saw some of the cow hanging around and we taught those cows must had been a holy cows since they were in a cow’s paradise. We continued our journey up- the rain getting herder and harder (but still soft on our skin), the fog was getting thicker and thicker, the wind blew harder as well and with all the morning breeze jazz, it makes us so cold. All views from the halfway up on the tiny villages, huts, farm fields was getting tinier, blurrer and eventually becomes invisible, hid behind the gathering fog.

Quarter to the top, we saw a tiny waterfall and we refreshed ourselves by splashing the cold water onto our face and body.

The feeling at the top was indescribable. The scenes from the top, amid the gathering fog, morning breeze, lazy wind, constant rain, few huts serving hot tea and snack/steam ground nuts make me feel so blessed, with such a beautifully endowed, gifted and God-Sent landscape of the hill. The feeling and the view were amazing, super-fantastic and almost unreal. Lots of local trekkers- we greeted each other and had a brief chat, over a hot chai…
Anup, my friend, took us around the beautiful places at the top. He was explaining the historical point of view of each place, which make the place even livelier and surreal. We came to his place, which is known the end of the world. It is one of the edges of the fort. At the edge, with the wind was still blowing and rain still harder, we stood proudly on the edge- looking down at the tiny greens through the gathering and thicker haze. The scene was like those of the scene in "Lord of the ring" where the fellowship throws the ring down the fire. The only different is, the fire here is the tiniest greens and thick haze, heavy rain, cold weather- at about 17degree.
Then, one of the old man approached us wanted to sing us a song, in Marathi. He rapped about 3 minutes, with all kind of body movement and at time he seems like cursing at us. Anup told us the song was about the heroism of the war of King Shivaji. We gave him some money and we left for more discoveries. Ina and I came across two very beautiful small lakes. The closed lake looks like a concubine’s private bathing tub. The rain drop were gathering tiny bubbles on the lake and the fog were moved lazily by the wind and this made the whole scene look like the angels in paradise were bathing-only thing is it was without angels.

The last stop was when we reach the only leftover watchtower of the fort or Shivaji’s then kingdom. It was very high, standing proud at the height of 1200 meter from sea level.

Before we decided to go down the foothill, we stopped by the small hut- to warm ourselves over the fire, having a hot tea with just-friend Bhajee and a one big joint. After 30 minutes and I was sure at that time I was completely stone, reaching the state of enlightenment of the soul, we left the top of the hill. They were some group of individual trekkers on the way up and they were chanting "Jai Shivaji". It means, "Hail Shivaji"
We left the Shihagad at around 11 am with public bus and reached our home, sweet home at around 1pm. The experience of this trip was so much better than the last trip to Logahad. Clearly it was much greener, steeper, rocky and more challenging. This is going to be one of my unforgettable trekking experiences for a long time to come.

Omar’s invitation and moving out!

Sunday evening, two of lucky 7 resident moved out. Tejas moved to somewhere nearby his college. Kate Hudson moved to her friend’s place, which is very near her company and apparently she didn’t have to pay any rent, on top of that she got her own bedroom, bathroom and only two inhabitants in the house with Feng-Shui jazz. One thing for sure, I am gonna miss her I-Pod.

That night, one of my company division- International business division, were organizing a party for one of their staff that had been promoted and Omar’s short trip back to Egypt. The foods were very delicious, cooked by Omar and some of his colleague. The party was held in Adina society, my company’s guesthouse located side by side my apartment. We also invited all of Lucky 7 people but Kate didn’t join us because she was moving away. I brought 2 cigars-which I enjoy smoking occasionally for yesterday’s party. I lighted one after dinner and offered the other one to Sunir- Omar’s division boss. Lots of alcoholic drink- whiskey and rums and lots of smoke-including Shisha. I was high and drunk. It was a good party.

So, with this I think I should sign off for now. I hope all of you fine and best wishes whatever you plan to do. Don’t be negative, whatever you do- be happy and allow me to quote Monthy Python’s Life of Brian- "Always look on the bright side of life,uh-uh.uhuhuh…."

Rgds,
Peter

Pink elephant (The dumbest song)

2005-07-28T12:38:00.000+08:00

Written by Peter

Hey you!
I know you are not watching over me all night
Hey you!
I know so coz’ you ain’t there when I look around the room
Hey you!
You said you see me
But that ain’t true my eyes ain’t see you anywhere
Hey! Hey! Hey!
What you said was just not possible
Coz’ there ain’t any pink elephant
Eating up lemon pie
Hey me!
I know she knew it was a spooky lie
When I said I would be watching over her watching over me
Hey me!
Don’t be dumb
It was just a game of a child
Nobody is watching nobody doing nothing all night
You ain’t see me and I ain’t see you
No third eyes hanging on the roof
And no pink elephant swallowing up lemon pie
Why are we not acting our age?
You tel me...
Coz’ you were the one that started the silly game
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hey! Hey! Hey!

Negativity (Updated Version, July 2005)

2005-07-26T17:18:00.000+08:00

Dear Blog-Army
Foreword

This is an updated version. The song below, entitle "Negativity" is a song that I wrote some months ago. For those who knows me, and Christian- this song is about him, about his negativity. When I first published this song on my blog, some of you already mailed me to ask if it was about him. To those who asked, yes indeed, you were smart and sharp- it was about him. So, you ask, why out of the sudden rush, I re-post this song, complete with all the foreword jazz? It is because of my recent "controversial yet expected war" with Christian. This is not a close secret anymore and this is my blog. I think it is my duty to include detail about the war here.

The song was written and inspired by his sickening negatives attitudes and drives me and I believe almost everyone into great annoyance, irritating or sometime, exasperation. One of my friend (she’s a babe, swing…) shared the same feeling with me as she experience almost the same thing with this guy. She wanted me and encouraged me to mail him my song. I didn’t want to do it then but now I don’t care.

Few days ago, I sent the song to him but that was not the jazz that triggered the war. It was the enclosed email I wrote to him as a rebuttal to my proposition (please see the email after the song, posted up fresh, without any changes and unedited). I reckoned and admitted that my email was strictly blunt, bloody undiplomatic, straight to the point or like my Swedish friend would like to put: " Your email is like a shooting an enemy many times over with machine gun until the enemy dead on the ground and still, the shooting never stop" Paragraph by paragraph.

The email was intended for him and was not meant to be discussed, debate and need no further explanation. It was solely for him, to wake and shake him up to the real world, to the reality. I wrote that mail with clear conscious and offer no apology whatsoever, not now, not ever and not in this lifetime. Even as I am typing this, I still think it is a right thing to do. If I don’t do it, I know few people who gladly do it, either through words or verbal. Hence, my war with him received support and back-up from most people we both know especially those people who wanted to say the same thing to him. If you read on the mail (after the song), you will realize I wasn’t a evil- as Christian would like to put it, I was only playing the role of devil’s advocate. I was the bad guy with good intention. I want him to change but apparently as arrogant and egoistic as he always is, he failed to grasp the hidden message.

Instead of acting like a man, he choose to launch a war with me, smashed in the middle of the office. It was an ugly war and shone out the foolishness and weaknesses of both of us. And now we both act like a little girl- not talking to each other. I will talk to him for one last time, explaining the reason I wrote that email BUT if he still ignorance, then I am sorry for this dude. I was only playing the role of devil’s advocate.

After all, why should I care about him. I will not be seeing this guy again, most probably in this life once my traineeship is over. I couldn’t care less. All I want is for him to change and if he fail to see that, again…sorry dude, where’s my car??

This song and email is and never about other people, it was and is always about him and me. If your name is mentioned in the email, please take my apology in advance.

Sincerely yours,
Peter

Negativity

Written by Peter

People are running, you are walking
People are jumping in happiness, you are squatting with sadness
People are smiling with utmost joy, you are frowning with sheer agony
People are climbing up, you are sliding down
People are blessed with the shining sun, you are merely sweating
People are dancing in the rain, you are in-hiding, afraid of the wet-ness
People-Stereo, You-Mono

Draggin’ me down
Draggin’ me down
Draggin’ me down
Into your shallow negativity

I don’t want to swim in your negativity no
I don’t want to dwell in your discomfort anymore
I don’t want to listen to your petty complaint no more
I don’t want to be bothered by your stupid annoyance

Listen you prank, I am shouting out to you- I don’t want to know everything stinks about you anymore
Listen you shit-head, I am shouting out to you- you are nothing but nuisance
Your problems and your attitudes drive me into exasperation
Listen you knee-jerk, I am shouting to you- don’t give no more any of your pulp fiction
Another one coming- you’ll gone from the face of the earth

Draggin’ me down
Draggin’ me down
Draggin’ me down
Into your negativity

In this life I choose to see beauty, but you want ugliness
In this life I see blue, but you insist on seeing red
In my blessed life, I want white
But in your fuck-up life, you want black
I make love, you make war!

Draggin’ me down
Draggin’ me down
Draggin’ me down
Into your negativity

The Email that triggered the war!
Hi all,

When I sent this email, I wasn’t preparing to debate over mail. My mail was intended to send out my proposition and was not in anyway targeting anyone in anyway. It was unwise channel of communication to debate and argue over an issue. But after a round of heated argument and debate with Christian which ended up with no common understanding, allow me for once and for all, shed my opinion on this issue. After this, you won’t hear from me again.

After Christian’s reply, now I chose to be straight to the point and write as blunt as I can. If my mail hurt anyone or displease you, please be reminded that this email come with NO APOLOGY at all, not ever, not in my lifetime because my conscience is clear.

Christian, first of all, let me remind you that you are NOT the only victim here, so stop acting like the only sole victim. As a matter of fact, I was the victim too...I ALWAYS came early than the actual time, whether or not going or coming back. I always wait for the latecomers LONGER than you do.

So if anyone deserve to go mad and complain like a cry baby, it should be me. Not you. Let me be frank here, you are nothing but a nuisance. You are nothing but negative, you have an attitude problem. You don’t seek to understand people and be peace with people. U need a shrink. U know what...the whole waiting issue is not about respect or the latecomers, I think it is all about you. It is always about you. I am gonna be honest and mentioning name here.

True, nobody like waiting but everyone is tolerating without such a big fuss. True, Omar may be inconsiderate and irresponsible, always late-without a message- BUT in my trainee life, never never any trainee or forbes or chris the van driver himself, or any other passengers or Thomas make a fuss and big issue over waiting. The most we do is Thomas will tell Omar. Sometime he was unhappy over waiting BUT never ever he demanded the van to leave without knowing the other end.

Why?? Because we are friend. And you, your technical laws and rules, have to be this and have to be that stuff is cruel and heartless and no human soul. Take yesterday for instance- the difference between you and me was YOU ASKED THE VAN TO LEAVE WITHOUT WANTING TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH JOHAN AND OMAR- U DEMANDED THE VAN TO LEAVE BECAUSE THEY WERE LATE. YOU DID NOTHING BUT CRYING FOR LEAVING WHILE ME I ONLY ASK THE DRIVER TO LEAVE AFTER WALKED TO OMAR’S DESK AND JOHAN DESK, TO BE SURE THAT THEY ARE NOT COMING.

U think technically you are right, that the van is leaving at 5 sharp and those who come late say more than 15 minute, should be abandoned. Well, I say this to you, technically, there is no technicality. No one have rules that the van leaves at five. It was unwritten law or common understanding. So, DO NOT use this common understanding to impose you self-selfish rules onto others. You don’t know nothing about the van arrangement- so-for God sake, before you start barking again, go and do your homework!!!

And for the matter of clarification, the van is NOT there to serve ONLY us. It is for everybody and all the employees. The trainee end work at 5pm and if there is any employee coming at 5 or 6, YOU have to wait. And that include Omar who is always late. You wanna mess up with him>??? You want him to go and propose to management to wait until 6 or whatever time his is finish?? You think he cant do that?? Do you know who got us the van in the first place?? Again, do your homework…He can do that, and when he does and the van decided to leave at 6, I am gonna launch war at you….mark my words. So remember, the van does not serve only trainee and does not leave at 5. It leave when he is suppose to leave. It is all according to the van driver’s schedule. You and me have no right to determine when it suppose to leave…

Like I say above, this is not really bout the van issue, it is all bout your freakin attitude. U r negative. We are your friends and sometime we want to help you but u are just one egoistic maniac who never want to listen. If I alone think you are that, then I may be wrong. But if you really wanna examine yourself- just ask everyone around you. Ask Omar, ask Christine, ask Johan, ask me….Not enough?? Ask all the trainees, ask Anita, ask Martin, ask Andreas, ask C1 people….not enough?? Ask Chris the van driver, ask the HR department, Ask the thermo guys, ask wasim and the IT department, ask Purohit…just ask every inhabitants you ever came contact with and see what kind of feedback you will get…you don’t know man….but I tell you what, you are merely a joke, a big jokes.

I speak the truth here and the truth hurt. It is up to you to take it from here, positively or negatively. Bernard is the biggest A*shole I meet in my life and yet I have a respect for that man. As for you, honestly, I lost that little respect for you I used to have after I accidentally eavesdrop on your conversation with Andreas last night. Don’t worry, I won’t be a B*tch and I won’t tell a soul. That’s your and Andreas problem.

Respect?? You wanna talk about respect with me?? You are not the right person to talk with me. But since you raise the subject, have you ever respect people?? Have you ever respect about people needs? NEVER…All you think before respect is your vulnerable and fragile health, what is annoying to you-what is irritating to you, which directly and indirectly robbing away pleasure from everyone. How dare you to request Chris the van guy to shut the his window just because the mud and the air irritated you?? How dare you to direct and urge him to drive your way when the traffic was heavy??? How dare you to smash his new car’s door just to throw your tantrum?? How dare you to request the sound/volume in the van to be soften?? Time and again I said, you do not own the van. And that makes you the selfish person…If anyone were to decide the rules of the van, it is the van driver. That’s respect.

Talking about respect…Have you ever respect Chris the van guy?? Ask him for evaluation? Van services may be a service provided by small time company to Forbes but in the vicinity of the van, you respect the driver. This is my value, this is where I came from, this is what my upbringing principal taught me. But in Germany if they don’t teach you this, then I am sad. I hope it is only you but not all Germans. The nearest analogy I can give you is if I were to go to toilet to pee and the janitor is playing radio or chatting something so loud, I will not demand him to soften the radio just because the noise hazardous may be damaging to my health…and I will not ask him to lower down his voice neither do I am gonna ask him to clean the toilet space for me just to make me feel safe and my health protected. The toilet is him and I respect that. But in your case, you will ask him to stop and if he refuse, you will cry to the boss of the boss, like a boy crying out to mama…This is the case for the van with you.
This is what I think about you, as an honest friend. I am not humiliating you but merely stating all of your weaknesses, which made you politically incorrect, and generally dislike by others. If you are smart, you analyze my words and opinion. Take the truth and reckon it and improve it and those I said is untruth then burn it. It is free will.

Do not try to shoot me back or attempt to reply to me. This is my speech to you and I DON’T WANT ANY REPLY. If you do reply. I WONT READ. This is not a debate, this is a one way mail. You can agree with me and disagree with me until the cow come home, that is your problem. I don’t care and I couldn’t care less. I am only playing devil’s advocate. I sincerely hope you see truth and the hidden meaning of this email. And I hope you take it from me as a friend even though the respect is now gone. You gotto change and earn it back.
Last but not least, I had composed a song sometime ago about you, mainly about your negativity and your nuisance. I had talk with my guitarist back home and we are eager to make it a hit song when I go back since my guitarist and I can feel the energy of the song. The below song is about you and is dedicated to you. Enjoy. (Refer to the song above)

Note: This mail was not written in the heat of the moment. It was calmly written. However, it was written by a man that they said "If you drop a drop of watr onto the glass full of water"

Peter

Me

2005-07-26T14:53:00.000+08:00

Name: Ooi Keat Khoon, Peter

Pseudonym: Rock-star

Zodiac Sign: Pieces

Place of birth: Penang island, Malaysia

Nationality: Malaysian

University: University of Malaya, Malaysia

Course: Bachelor of Economics

Favorite Lecturer: Dr. Ali Boerhanuddin & Mr. Lee Hwok Aun

Present company: Forbes Marshall, India

Previous company/organization: JobStreet.Com & AIESEC in Malaysia

Previous menial jobs:

Bartender
Waiter
Dishwasher
Assistant cook (kitchen)
Liner
Ticket seller
Dispatch
Co-Van driver
Book store assistant
Construction man
Surveyer
Researcher
Free trader at flea market

Favorite Pastime: Listening to music, watching movies, writing, reading, surfing the net, contemplating, travelling and chilling.

Favorite Genre of Music: Rock n' roll (60s, 70s, glam rock, progressive rock, grunge, acoustic), 90s, post-grunge,new glam-rock, Oldies, Old school malay/indon rock and glam/raggae and,Jazz, Chill-out/ethnic, Jazz and BLUES!!!

Favorite Movies: NujumPak Belalang, Moulin Rouge, CONfidence, The Last Castle, CinemaParadiso, Roadtrip, Gilbert's grape, The Last Don, Blood in blood out, Braveheart, Can't hardly wait, Forrest Gump, Ghost of Missisipi, LOTR Trilogy, Spinning Gasing, The negotiator, School of Rock, Detroict Rock City, Almost Famous, The Rock, Still Crazy, Gladiator, Mostly Martha, Bill & Ted, A time to kill, Buz Lurhmann's Romeo&Juliet, The client, Airhead, reservoir dogs, The Contender and Pulp Fiction

Favorite Male Actors: Denzel Washinton, Johnny Depp, Gary Oldman & Al Pacino.

Favorite Female Actors: The 3-Kate; Kate Hudson, Kate Beckinsale & Kate Winslet

Favorite bands of all time: Guns n’ Roses, The Beatles & Nirvana

Favorite Malaysian singer/bands: Old Butterfinger, M.Nasir & Amir Yussof

Favorite albums of all time (local & international): Aquarius (Amir Yussof), Let it come down (James Iha), 1988 (Tracy Chapman), Ballads (REO Speedwagon), Child of the light (Ernie Smith), 27 #1 singles (The Beatles).

Favorite Books: Resurrection Day (Meade), Conversations with God trilogy (Walsch), John Lennon in his time (Jon wiener), Jim Morrison Biography (Davis), Veronica, eleven minutes (Coelho), The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons (Dan Brown), Kane & Abel Trilogy, First Among Equal, Sons of Fortune (Archer), The Last Juror (Grisham), Tuesday with Morrie (Albom), Stupid white man (Moore), Rules of the bone (Banks), Shantaram (Gregory Robert)

Favorite website: www.malaysiakini.com / www.rockstarpete.blogspot.com / www.malaysia-today.net / www.google.com / www.rollingstone.com / www.imdb.com

First Concert: Deep Purple

Last Concert: Scorpion

First international celebrity (up-close & personal): Billy Sheehan of Mr. Big

Second international celebrity (up-close & personal): Incubus (the whole band)

First Gig: Rock World 95 (Featuring OAG, Bullock, Acid Rain and other Thrash/Punk bands)

Favorite Gig: Amir Yussof at Bangsar

Unforgettable moments: All those times travelling in Thailand and India, motorcycle inter-state (road trip) with Azlan & first trip to Pehentian island and my childhood moments (those were the days) & High school/university times (to the good old days).

Favorite quote: Do you wanna bark all day or do you wanna bite? :- Line from Michael Madsen, from the movie- Reservoir Dogs.

The reason I came up with this brief biography was because I am lazy and snaking in the office. I think this is dumb, so I am gonna remove it from my blog one week from now.

Note: My grandma used to say, those who write and act is crazy but those who read and watch is dumb.Haha...Sorry dude! Just kidding, where's my car??

Monsoon Fever!

2005-07-25T17:11:00.000+08:00

The return of the innocence

Greeting ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends and enemies alike. My name is Peter and I am back with writing my daily life after being absence for about 4 month, writing nothing and posting nothing to this blog except some poems I wrote. Since I came back to Pune, from Malaysia, to continue the second half of my traineeship with Forbes Marshall, I had decided to give up writing on my daily life, the people I met, the event that took place, the books, the movies, the parties, my train of thought, poems and songs on weekly basis, which I used to enjoy doing.

The main reason I gave up writing 4 month ago was because the life and its excitement I found and experience during my first four months was gradually subsided. The feeling fun of discovery was kind of stagnant. Daily life becomes stagnant, repetitive, routine and sometime dull- even though it may be a fun thing to do in most eyes, like farewell parties and going out at night, but when it become routine, it becomes repetitive. When thing become repetitive, then basically there isn’t nothing much to write hence the giving up.

But nevertheless, some meaningful events happened in between, during my absence to the blog, which I expressed through my poems. Some of them were happy moments, some of them were sad moments, heartache, headache, stomachache, self-discovery and all the jazz.

Part of the reason also because I stopped travelling. So, nothing to report and write. My travelling in and around India is still very much insufficient. Therefore, in April, I already told myself that I am going to finish what I am destined to, and do the things and visit the places I want to, no matter what, come high or water, with or without anybody, I will still go and my life will goes on. Nothing will stop me from travelling- at least I hope, nothing big enough or nothing catastrophe enough to bring me home without laying my eyes on those God-gifted, endowed, beautiful and serendipity landscapes of India and its amazing people. Because of my clear travelling plan, I vow myself to live a budget life, meaning less of going out, less of clubbing, less of expensive dinner and all that stuff. For months, I live my life sufficiently, not suffering, with little money- all in the name of travelling. I cooked very often, or even if I were to order meals from outside, I will order from the cheapest place possible like the one nearby apartment, which sell chicken fried rice for only 25 rupees. That run-down place is "Lucky"

The limited budget never failed to stop me from buying books. Throughout the budgeted months, I still spent money on books. The latest I brought was Paulo Coelho’s "The fifth mountain", "The Zahir" and the soon to be adapted into a major film, starring Johnny Depp and Halena Bonham Carter, "Shantaram" written by Gregory Robert, based on his true story.

The reason I choose to write again, went against my initial thought is because I can, again, feek the energy of the past. I thing that the entire happening thing in the past, especially my first three months, is coming back to me.

Monsoon fever in Pune is indeed a time to revisit the first quarter of my traineeship. Monsoon ushered two new trainees, whom arrived unexpected, in short span of 24 hours. For the past few days, we had a tremendous fun, with parties and new trainees (7 more to come in 2 weeks time), just like the good old day. With all that, plus my upcoming travelling, I feel like my life is back on track, hence the writing and the update.

My Travelling

Like I said in some of my email to you, I was supposed to travel with Erin initially. Erin is a trainee, (not an AIESEC trainee) from Louisiana, United States. We were submitted to the plan of travelling together. We couldn’t be less enthusiastic and excited about it. We started our trip much earlier and both were eagerly and anticipating the moment to come and take us away. But strange thing is, when we were starting to plan, something deep inside me, or at the back of the mind told me that travelling with her somehow will not take place, for whatever reason it may be which in later part turned out to be true. Of course it didn’t matter much to me. The strange thing is, why the feeling? Was it because she is from America and the fact that Americans don’t travel much? I don’t know why, maybe it was just a voice of my soul.

Anyway, as expected and as anticipated from the voice at the back of my head, she ditched the whole plan and pulled out without a solid reason. It didn’t affect me much, just that I need to revise my budget again now that I will be travelling alone.

One fine morning, she woke up and something deep inside her told her that she got to go home. The feeling was so strong, so she ditched the plan, just like that. Well, I am not mad, but for whatever that it may be, I respect her decision and thankful that she told me of her suspected depression or possible breakdown, rather than forcing herself to come travel with me through India- because honestly I don’t prefer to handle ugly scenes during travelling, if you know what I mean.

To cut it short, my brother and friend might be travelling with me halfway through. We might be meeting up in Jaipur, the same place I will be meeting up with Hui Lin and Bonnie. Erin’s place is being replaced by Gemma, also another trainee with a private company, from Spain. Somewhere along the way, I will also be meeting up with other individual travelers, known and unknown.

New Trainees

One fine evening, I came back from my work as usual and to my surprise I saw a huge luggage by the side of the table. It surprised me because we are not suppose to have any trainee until mid of August to early September and we were not suppose to have any returning trainee, be it from travelling or whatever.

The mystery answered two hours after that. The new trainee has arrived, unexpected, just like most trainees in the past including me. Her name is Zoya. She is from Toronto, Canada. Now what I like about her is first, she reminds me of someone I really want to meet in my life. Second, she is outspoken, cheerful, always active and smiley, hyper, sociable, lively and all that funky jazz. After recalling hard whom she resembles, the moment finally paid off. Her smile, her look, her hair, her body, her height, the way she talks, the way she does everything is exactly like Kate Hudson. This is not my opinion. Everybody agreed with me she look like Kate and some think sort of. She just graduated in HR and will be working here for one year.

The second unexpected trainee arrived the morning after. His name is Julies, from Germany. He is very un-German which is very good. If you look at him from the side, he looks like Brad Pitt. Of course, this is only my opinion and I don’t have the gut to ask other’s opinion because I wasn’t sure.

Back to Kate, since Andreas, my German friend/housemate whom I always goes running with, whom I dance naked in the middle of the night, on top of our roof, welcoming monsoon rain some weeks ago and I, is a big fan of Kate Hudson, particularly Kate in the movie "Almost famous" directed by Cameron Crowe and its main song, "Hold me closer tiny dancer" by Elton John…we just couldn’t stop playing the song and just looking at her sweetness dreaming we were looking at Kate Hudson a.k.a Penny Lane.

With the newly arrived trainees, come with hell lots of parties, as well as farewell. It is like Hello to this one and Goodbye to that one.

Last Friday was also a farewell party for Andreas. Co-incidentally, it was also a welcoming party for Kate Hudson. I asked him 4 days before what would he plan to do for the farewell? And not to my surprise, he said nothing much, just ordering chicken friend rice, chips and some beers for the guest. I said it was pathetic and soon after, I got myself into big trouble. Because of friend that we are, I offered him my service to cook for his farewell- for 25 invited friends.

So, I started to prepare to cut and slice the vegetable on Thursday night. It was quite tiring but was paid off by songs of Poetic Amno and Van Halen through our big speakerbox, specially transferred to the kitchen.

I completed the night with a cigar and round of chat with Kate Hudson while she unpacking all her stuff.

Friday night was fantastic. I started cooking at around 6.30 pm and done around 9pm. So, what did I cook?

I was the assistant cook to Barekhat, Jamaican friend, during Anita and Diana’s farewell some weeks back. But for Andreas’s farewell, he was my assistant.

I cooked about 1.5 kg of noodle. I named then Malaysian Hakka salty noodle. Secondly, the 2 kg of steam rice, cooked by my assistant- we named the dish "Yellow rice from Jamaica"

And then there was crush chicken goes to Bollywood. It was my specialty. Crush chicken meat, marinated with soya sauce and black pepper, fried along side with 3 eggs, onions, butter and little bit of sugar. This is eaten together with the noodles and the number fourth dish, which I named it Lucky 7 (our apartment) tomato gravy club forever. It was mixture various type of vegetable namely carrots, tomatoes, onions, papitas, cucumber etc. Gravy was a mix of real tomatoes and tomato ketchup with black pepper. It was great.

Number 5 dish was lemonade-fried salads, garnished with steam salty potatoes. Kate Hudson had the privilege to name the dish, which she named "Fucking Salads".

Last but not least, the best of the best, which goes well with the yellow rice, was Chicken Hyderabadi. 2 kg of chicken, blended with potatoes and the spices use are from the state of Hyderabad, India. I tiredly and passionately prepared it, which in the end- praised by the guest (which is not the thing that prompted me to cook in the first place). Most important it was appreciated by Andreas. At around midnight, I took up a bottle of beer bottle and make a toast. I made an opening and impromptu farewell speech to him, followed by Martin, the dead drunk Japanese Yoshi (always) and others.

We proceeded to a round of shisha. Prior to that lots of beer and vodka had been consumed, as well as cigarette and cigars. I was quite stone already and little bit of high. The finest point was when Xabi, the Spanish guy, mixed the shisha’s tobacco with weed and the usual junkies came around and smoked away the night. And the new junky was Kate Hudson, which when she smoke make her look even cuter.

I woke up dehydrated, but not hanging. That morning was arrival of Brad Pitt’s cousin- Julies. In the evening, there was another party- this time it was at Erin’s house, which situated 45 minutes from my place. It was a welcoming party for a group of 27 Thais people (TATA’s trainees) as well as Erin’s unofficial farewell party.

It was a crazy party and the group of Thais was a great young bunch of party animal. One of the girl, which is very sexy and pretty ( nama aku dah lupa dah…) cooked us "Tom Yam Kai" which means Chicken tomyam. It was great and it was absolutely fantastic. I ate until my stomach almost burst. And again, lots of vodka and beer.

Just like Andreas’ farewell, the usual kitchen people- meaning people who dominate the kitchen during the party time, was Kate, me, Martin and some others. I am sure you know why kitchen it the best place to hang around…

That is just a beginning. I can sense that the cycle of trainee paradise- just like when I firstly arrived 9 months ago, is coming back. My time here is almost up and I am waiting to travel to the north of India. After that, we will meet again- IshyaAllah…

Kindly regards

Peter

Beautiful Day, Beautiful dream

2005-07-11T17:57:00.000+08:00

Written by Peter

It was a beautiful day
The birds were chirping a melody
The wind were blowing the sound of nature
The sun were shining happily
The trees were swaying weakly
The frogs were hopping for better places
And the street were full of happy shiny people

It was a beautiful day
I was smoking marijuana
Entertaining my imagination

I was thinking and I was dreaming
I am walking through the lively street
Full with happy shiny people
Everyone talking everyone smiling

I am in the world’s greatest Rock n’ Roll band
Touring around the world
Selling lots of record
Meeting lots of chicks- scoring almost everyone of them
While making lots and tons of money

I am the biggest and most successful idealist
Living life bigger than it should be
Lecturing and sharing my point of view
To the youth and to all the people
Across the regions and continents

My glamorous ideas and popularity
Is greater that The Beatles in the 60s which claimed to be greater than Jesus Christ
My ideological and philosophical thoughts is more profound than the anti-war sentiments in the 70s
My words and my power is more influential than the Reegan administration in the 80s

I am the youngest and most successful entrepreneur
I am the brightest and most promising corporate dick head
Battling through every stages of life difficulties- like a cancer patient fighting for his survivor
Climbing up every step of corporate ladder- stabbing and killing all sort of bastards and bitches

I am now the most cunning bastard and your beloved bitches- the omnipotent one in this world
People I used to kill and stab along the way
Is now kissing my feet and worshiping me like a God
Betraying their very own consciences, their principal values and their credo
All in the name of money- no pride

I am the greatest rockstar
Making love with the most beautiful girl in the world
I am the world’s biggest idealist
I am the world’s richest man
I am king and I am God
With power and tons of money- but lonely at the top

And then the rain start to rain on earth
And the sun hid behind the dark clouds
The thunder strike through the space between- breaking the silences

The bubble of dream burst like a pop!
I realized I was only dreaming
With Marijuana still burning

It is still a beautiful day
And all I want is to get the fuck out of here
Move on to another phase of life
Where I live a quietly and happily ever after- Cinderella’s dream

With the girl of my dream
And my favorite dog
On my beach house
With my own pub or record store
Across the street

Author’s note: "The end is the beginning is the end is the beginning…."

The Pain

2005-07-11T17:52:00.000+08:00

The Pain

Written by Peter

I was sleeping alone, for another night
And then came along
The pain and the agony

It strike hard, yet so tender
The pain was attacking while the agony was terrorizing
The centre capital of my body
Killing me softly
The pain was grave
And the agony was beyond my wildest imagination

I was shaken in the dark
I was trembling in the dark
I was groaning in the dark
Screaming out for my mama
Yearning for God’s help
Hopefully a divine intervention
But nothing really happen

I was restless, hopeless and shirtless
Eventually naked and defeated
I was alone in the battle against the invisible enemy
The pain and the agony

In the dark and in the darkened room
Everything became annoyed and irritated
The sound of the lovely music seems like drilling my head
The sound of the beauty silence seems like axing my brain
Everything and anything was driving me into virtual insanity

The clock is ticking, but the time never moves
Only the pain and the agony
I was sweating, tearing and my skin turned pale
The pain was smiling while the agony was laughing- so happily
And the time frozen to witness all of these- I almost see heaven

This is not a dream
It was a reality
A reality that I was crawling slowly and struggling desperately
Through the frozen time, indescribable pain and agony
Across the seemingly endless million miles

And thanks God,
Eventually I reached the victory line, ALIVE!

Blast from the past [Part 3]

2005-07-11T14:58:00.000+08:00

Day 3

We woke up at 8.30 am. We had our breakfast across our guesthouse. Again we walked non-stop, for about 7km, across the peaceful street, flowing river, surrounded by all the beautiful shapes of rocks and shining sun. As we were walking, we came across some local tourist touring around with tour guide, explaining everything about the statues, temples and places. I was thinking to myself, what the fuck is these people thinking? Don’t they know that learns nothing but wasting time and money? The best thing to discover historical places to feel and experience for yourself. I mean, how much information can they absorb from the explanation given? At the end of trip, this idiotic will end up with lots of information but will not remember which is which.

In the afternoon, Rambo, Gokce the Turkish girl, Michael the drug dealer and I decided to break apart with the rest of the group and we went to this restaurant called Mougli house. The set up is almost the same with the Mango tree. But only this time the wide view in front of us was a huge farm field and tiny river surrounded by various shapes of rocks, mostly tiny. The sun was on the way down. This café is like a smoking café. I started to roll a joint, which later shared by Gokce, Rambo and Michael the drug dealer- it was his first joint. By the way, Rambo- he’s a graduate from Montreal University, in the field of Industrial Engineering and he is a weed rolling motherfucker. He rolled so much of my joint that he started to feel guilty. But he’s a funny guy. Always mumbling in Arabic and sometime French.

In the café, we met up with a Dutch guy and Leo, an ex army from Israel. He also happens to be an engineering graduate. There is some other guys and girls, all Caucasians. Leo rolled his hash every ten minutes or so. He’s a fucking intellectual guy. Somehow you can tell from the conversation we had.

After getting stone and some sleep, we crossed to the other side of the river and checked in to another guesthouse, to be reunited with the other group of our friends. There it goes again, big number again. Anyway it was of course a great feeling to be reunited after a three long days of separation.

We paid some money for the village guy to cook us a dinner and we did a campfire dinner. Lots of people were there. After dinner, 18 of us, all lying down the empty field, under the million shining star, strong wind and cold air, occasionally catching a shooting star. It was great.

Day 4

Day 4 was the end of trip. Our last day in the great Hampi. All 18 of us woke up before 8.30am for another round of get-together. Again, the village guy cooked us a breakfast- a combination of Indian and western variety namely fruits salad, Tosai, scramble eggs and hot coffee.

That morning was great. I did a quick breakfast and proceeded to the field, lay down under the morning sun, and began to write few lines of my travelling script which I am composing now.
Lars, the Quentin Terantino look alike parted with us and went to Bangralore to meet up with another group of trainee. You remember Michal, the Polish guy who almost got me into a fight with a rickshaw wallah? Yes, he went on to meet up with Michal, Kaske the Japanese guy and Jos, the Dutch guy who look like the lead vocalist of Nickelback.

Jack Nicholson, Patrow and Gokce the Turkish girl went to another city, Bijapur, 6 hours away drive from Hampi. The rest of us went home directly to Pune. In the midway, while dropping off two of my favorite girls at Bijapur, the feeling was sad but then I thought, what the hell…I am gonna meet them again in a day or two but what I never thought was they are leaving for good in a day or two. Sad but true, but life gotto goes on.

That’s all I can tell, another 15 hours of tiring with many blessed moments, back to Pune. The journey was with the same view with lesser people. I was feeling blessed to be seated in between two of my favorite girls. The songs that played on my CD player before the battery ran out was my all-time favorite Malay band- Wings. Songs like "Semalam yang hangat", "Suara kita", " Misteri mimpi Syakilla" and "Taman Rashidah Utama" made my journey even more bluesy.

One part of me was on top of the world and feeling high and happy because of the whole Hampi trip but the other part of me was rather sad, leaving the most beautiful city of yesteryears as well as leaving without the girl of my dream. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a melancholy feeling (and the infinite sadness)- Smashing Pumpkins!

Whatever happen, sweet or sour- this journey or road-trip and my about to begin traineeship will be the best thing happens to me in my life. Trust me, there is so much things that I can’t describe it with words. You know, John Lennon used to sing that money can’t buy love…in the 60s but now that the fact of the song is somewhat irrelevance, I say money can’t buy time, the present time, the time we are living here, and now. Some corporate dick head will tell you that life begin at 40. That will not work for me and I don’t believe in that shit anyway. You may have a happy family and tons of money but you will never have back the feeling of your youth back when you begin your life at 40.

The journey was long, so for one last time in South India, we rolled a joint in the jeep, and say goodbye to Hampi. The time might had passed but for us, we will forever cherish this memorable trip, for a long time to come.

Post Hampi Trip
[The whole part is removed by the author]

The End!

Blast from the past [Part 2]

2005-07-08T19:01:00.001+08:00

Day 2

We woke up as early as 8am. We continue our so-called expedition by walking and discover the historic profile of Hampi ruins civilization, for about 8 hours from one place to another. Our expedition was not only by walking but also involved lots of climbing (to the high and or top of the place) and walking up the steepest route to the sacred place.

First, we walked up to this place. It is like up the Penang Dam but of course higher and more beautiful than the Penang Dam. The journey to the top was surrounded by the greatest views of all, the beautiful nature namely the river, the rocks and best of all, an overview (from the top) of the ruined ancient city of civilization.

About 45 minutes after that, we all reached to the top. We snap lots of beautiful photos from the above. It was very windy at the top of the ruined temple, the monuments are simply excellent and wonderful.

Until that point, I still couldn’t believe what I was doing. But anyway I tried to believe it. The feeling of being at the top, overlooking the many cities of ancient civilizations was amazing. We were so high that for a moment we thought we almost touch the morning sun.

There was this temple, on top of the top, so Omar and I didn’t feel high enough so we decided to climb up and higher. While Omar already reach to the top, leaving me under him, still struggling to be atop. I almost fall to the ground, almost got killed like falling from heaven when one of the edges I hold unto, cracked. You can see the stone fall down and the sound of it hitting the ground was never heard again. I was hooked with one hand on the still edge, just like Stallone in the movie, "Cliffhanger"

God saved me and I am still alive and typing this diary. I had a shock of my life for a brief moment. After the incident, I was calmed and cooled by Gytneth Patrow.

Photo: View of Hampi farmfield from the top

Photo: Gokce & me against the backdrop of Hampi ruins civilization

From the top temple, we walked down to the ground and keep walking through the villages for about another 5km and reached the Monkey temple. The Monkey temple was located at the top of the mountain and we had to climb up the staircase (to heaven). The staircase look likes that staircase of Great Wall of China. We reached the arch (bottom) and came across a resting-place where we met a group of Swiss travelers. After a hot "Chai" (tea) and few bananas, we continue our journey all the way to the top. It was extremely tired but bearable. All tiredness paid off when we finally reached the top of Monkey temple.

We visited the inside of the temple where we saw a priest, giving blessing to those holier than thou wannabe while smoking hash at the same time, with a bamboo pipe. In other word, he was stone, dead stone and nobody give a damn anyway. I didn’t stay longer so I decided to go on the other side of the top, together with Gytneth Patrow, Michael the drug dealer and Omar the Rambo. We were lying on the rock, the edgeless rocks. So you can imagine, if any of us misstep a little, sure we going to fall to the ground, crash boom bang!

From the edges, we also overseeing and overlooking the huge farm fields, the villages and the ever serendipity views of the ancient cities while the wind blowing onto our flesh weakly.

So who was missing? Of course Gokce the Turkish girl. Where can she be? Actually at the time when we were amazed by our surrounding, she was with the priest I mentioned earlier, smoking hash and getting stone. The rest of the journey down from Monkey temple and all the long walks through the green fields, rocky mountain, river etc was kind of taken care by me because she was kind of stone- you know the after effect or the slow reaction after smoking up. I cherished every moment spent with her and I am going to miss her when she’s gone. She’s one coolest girl I ever met after such a long time but she’s going off soon making my heartbreak into million pieces. [smile…ha ha]. This kind of remind me of Elton John’s "I want love, but it’s impossible…" Sigh…

So we were lost and failed our way out. But eventually we did. While we were searching for the way out, we bump into this guy, an old man who spoke only three understandable English words namely Hello?, Grass? And Rs 400. I didn’t say much. I just handed him Rs 200 for about 10 grams and trust me, it was good and it was a great deal.

When we reached to the other side of the river, with coracle, which stopped at a slippery rock, about 5-meter from the shore, I slipped and fall flat to the river. The same unlucky even happened to Bernard as well. We were wet and soaked.

On the way back to the guesthouse, we were starving so we decided to stop at this café called Mango Tree café (fake one, because the real one, which recommended by the LP is located at the other side of the river). It wasn’t bad at all. It was like an open space, equipped with long tables, mattresses and pillows. You can lay down and eat. The best part about this café is the songs they played. Mainly the greatest hits of The Beatles like "Yesterday", "Love me do", "Help", "I feel fine" and a lot more.

Back to the guesthouse, while everybody was busy showering, removing the dirt and the sweat of the day, I met this punk, from the Netherlands. With piercing, tattoos, Trojan hair and joint, he looks like he is one of those hippie who just got back from Sex Pistol’s gig or from Woodstock. He was reading one of Dan Brown’s novels, which I couldn’t care to remember what was the title.

FYI, Dan Brown is one of the novelist that is currently famous with his work, "The Da Vinci code". The Hollywood, particularly the director of "Beautiful mind" and "Apollo 13" is currently persuading Tom Hanks to play the main role in the adapted movie. So, people, better make sure you read the book before it hit your local screen.

This punk guy had been travelling to some of the places including Malaysia. He told me that one of the best things about Malaysia was his Penang trip, the food paradise. Being Penangite, I am, needless to say, proud.

That evening was great. We had some trainees and local friends from Bombay visited us in Hampi. Among them are Sunir, who when drunk in Bombay’s pub during my previous visit to Bombay, shouted at me "a fucking Japanese", his Polish girlfriend, Gabrielle the Mexican girl and some others. Sunir and I having fun sharing about our passion for Rock Music while listening to the likes of Poison, Firehouse, Joan Osborne, KISS etc.

Together we went to real Mango Tree café. It was only a 5 minutes walk to the inside of rural area and from the outside, it looks ordinary and nothing special. But most of us were amazed and appalled by its charm and our feeling was completely different from 5 minutes ago. To exaggerate, I would say it look like the hanging garden of Babylon. The seating area is actually on the floor, on the cold cemented floor, leaning against the steep wall, facing the big and calm river, accompanied by strong yet lazy wind and on top of us was a million smiling stars.

In the café, just by the side of our long table, there is big trees, tied with a swing. So I went up the swing, I felt like swinging in the air with nothing below me, nothing but the river. I feel like I was gonna fall at anytime.

The dinner was great. After that we rolled a couple of joints and start to smoke them. The regular smoker was Gokce, Omar, one Indian mix Dutch girl and I.

I tell you, Hampi is a great paradise and it is one of the recommended areas to travel to in India. This is a weed paradise. For a moment, you wouldn’t tell a different between Hampi and Amsterdam.
Hampi trip has also brought me closer to Patrow. We were so close it somewhat spark a strange chemistry. There is a kind of happy feeling whenever being with her.

I guess maybe it was just Hampi or matter of fact India that it makes it all light and easy for travelling like that. There is no border no discrimination and suspicious of sort that made us all closer like lover freind and family. So occasionally we were holding hand and hanging out together while enjoying the serendipity landscapes (from the top) and the sound of the nature but I guess deep inside, through unspoken words, we both know it means nothing but friendship and companionship. I love to be with her. That’s my sensitivity talking [smile…]

[Remove from original journal]

To be continue…

Blast from the past [Part 1]

2005-07-08T14:50:00.001+08:00

Namaste, last week as I was cleaning up my stuff, I discovered few pages of my writing in my box. It was my maiden journal on my travelling in India. It was Hampi trip, back in November 2004. I realized that I didn't have this on my blog and so, I decided I retype and post it in my blog, into a three part series. The reason I did this is because up to this date, Hampi is the best and the greatest place I ever visit and had left a very memorable memories to me, personally. Earlier, I decided not to upload this journal because it was kind of personal. But as time flies, memories faded and events become somewhat unimportant, or just another phase of life. With some extraction out of the original journal I wrote on Hampi trip, here I posted for the first time my very first writing in India, on my very first travelling which is the greatest trip I ever had, into three part series.

Hampi: The diary of ancient civilization revisited

1st week, November 2004

Day 0

The time is 10:29 and the date is 9th November, in my office cubicle, looking forward to a discussion Mr. Satyadeo Purohit, A GM of Sales & Marketing. He’s nice and intelligent man, not to mention low profile and humble too.

Yesterday was fruitful to both my working and social life. Finally, Thomas and I had been given an assignment to execute. The project assigned was to study and analyze company’s order business cycle, of every stages of production and at the end of project, made recommendations to improve loopholes of every stages to the board of directors.

Beside me now is a coffee, my third one to be exact and it’s not even 11am yet. I guess in a month or two, caffeine will be my new addiction, in addition to cigarette, beer and sometime weeds and hash.

Yesterday was kind of romantic because Gokce, the Turkish girl who looks like Penelope Cruz but slightly prettier and I did something cool and crazy. It was raining in the evening and the rain was the second one since I landed in Pune. Since I had promised to walk her to the end of the road for some stuff, we decided to walk down the long and busy little street, despite the heavy rain. Of course, we were wet and soak but it sparked some unexplained romanticism.

Muddy water, bumpy roads and crazy traffic we went through but neither of us complaining. The even of the night was when we came back from a wine shop, a motorbike almost hit her, followed by the chaotic of road traffic. In the blink of eye and in the nick of time, I suddenly become a Bollywood hero and came to her rescue by grabbing her arms towards me. After the incident, I hold her hand and crossed the busy road. There were unspoken words in the air but I guess both of us know it meant nothing. Or was it something?

As for now I wasn’t feeling so well because my lips is so dry that it began to pealing off and the part under my lower lips is infected by itchiness, numbness and difficulties in moving my lips. I consulted Dr. Iranee of Forbes Marshall and she said nothing serious and one of the causes might be I kissed a wrong girl. Thomas said I might as well forget about kissing the Turkish girl.

That night, friend of Bernard, the one with peculiar and strange behavior like Jack Nicholson in the movie "As good as it get" came to my apartment and will be bumping with us for one week or maybe more. Her name is Gesine Hoinke and she’s from Germany. She looks like Gytneth Patrow in the 1990’s first appearance in ELLE Jeans’s advertisement. She have the attitudes of Jennifer Aniston's character in "Along came Polly". You may think I am bullshitting you again, but honestly I can swear on my precious bike that I wasn’t lying. In Pune, everybody looks like somebody except for me, who looks like nobody except for me.

Day 1

It’s Wednesday and it’s the day that everybody is waiting desperately for, the Hampi (South India) trip. We are supposed to depart from our lovely place at night. Needless to say, the day in the office was utmost de-motivated. Thomas and I took a half-day off and met up with Gokce, the Turkish girl, Gytneth Patrow and Jack Nicholson at the district police commissioner to collect our residential visa. It took us less than half-hour to collect our visa despite some slight commotion caused by group of fucking tourist, mainly British and Irish.

We went to MG road (Mahatma Gandhi road), the famous place in Pune where everything that is classy and branded available to you, that if, you have the bucks. We went to this restaurant, which recommended by the LP. We ordered Chinese varieties and I can’t believe that the Indians can cook very fine Chinese foods. When in MG road, the store I will never miss is the book store which I ended up buying Harper Lee’s "To Kill a Mockingbird" and John Grisham’s "The Brethren" for about Rs.80.
We reached our place at Koregeon Park when the sun goes down. Here, the sun goes down at 5pm. We started to pack and when the time has finally come, we were all ready like a group of children ready for first day to school. Tom UK was the main person organizing the transportation. Tom, the Paul Bettany look-alike did a great job. He hired two TATA 4WD for the Hampi trip. Everything was in place namely the luggage, the chips, the beers and most importantly the people.

Nine of us in one jeep and the others were in the other. Thomas (Germany, the one that look like English football-hooligans, my colleague/housemate) was in front with the driver, Natalie (the Colombian chicks, the one that look like Spanish porn-actress), Dennis (Dutch, the one that look like one of the Irish boy-band singer), Michael (Germany, the one that look like international man of mystery or drug dealer was in second row and at the back seat, Tom UK, Lars (Germany, the one that look like Quentin Terantino but Latin’s version, Magda (Poland, the one that look like a barbie doll) and myself was in the back seat.

On the other jeep was Jack Nicholson, Lothar (Germany), Yoshke (Japan), Gytneth Patrow (Germany), Gokce (Turkey, the one that look like Penelope Cruz but slightly prettier), Veronica (Hungary, the one that look like lead vocalist of Cranberries), Thomas C1 (Germany) and Omar (Egypt, the one that look like Sly Stallone).

The journey to South India took us exactly 15 hours and though it was a long and tiring journey, it was the greatest road-trip I ever had in my life. We departed from Koregeon Park, the trainee paradise, the place in Pune where the rich and famous resided, just like Bangsar or Damansara Height. In India, no matter how develop or upper class the residential is, it will never escape from poverty hence people begging on the street and stuff.

The first three hours was great. Everybody was crazily talking and singing. Tom UK cracked some British dry jokes, mainly about the stupidity and ignorance of the Irish while Dennis cracked some Irish jokes, about the idiotic of the British. We were singing and drinking and the journey was great, enough said. Of course every once in a while, we will stop the jeep for resting, peeing, smoking and stuff. The weather was cold as usual and the road the Hampi was not an expressway but merely a long and sometime bumpy road. Everybody was beginning to get quiet and dozing off after a while. None of us are able to sleep peacefully and comfortably. But nevertheless, it was a great experience. Although I was rather sad because Gokce was on the other jeep, but I try to make the journey as fun as possible. Magda was so lovely. I guess no Gokce, Magda also can do la…

Arms and legs were stretched across each other. Due to the cold and windy weather, Magda the Barbie doll and I ended up needing each other like a lover. She was dozing off on my my lap.

In the middle of the night, we stopped at this small bamboo stall in the middle of nowhere for a cup of hot tea. Members of Jeep 1 and 2 meet again and we were chatting like we just met.
To cut the long story short, 9 hours passed and we reached one of the resting area and the sun start to shine upon us. It was a clear sunshine and seems like a new day has come. Everybody was wide-awake and did the morning stuff like brushing teeth, peeing and breakfast.

Photo: In the middle of nowhere...[L to R]: Magda, Tom & Myself

After a long hours of passing through the huge empty lands, farms, trees and small villages, accompanied by the music of Eric Clapton, Oasis, Suede, Wallflower, Joan Osborne, INXS, and of course, Kaho na Kaho songs and the rest of MURDER songtracks, we finally reached the Hampi bazaar. The market looks like an ancient market, full of traders, cows, businessman, fruit seller etc.

My first reaction was wordless. It was like living in the ancient history. Hampi is a place full of ancient civilization monuments, buildings, and ruined cities leftover. It paints me the picture and images of buildings I used to read about India’s Indus River civilization. It is exactly the same, without slight changes. You can see the river, big, wide and long river, with countless rocks, in various shape and sizes, on top of each other, divided by the great river. The people still do the laundry in the river.

Hampi, as been described in LP, is a thriving travelling center and most people stay for at least couple of days, just to lives and discover the sites of Hampi. Hampi is divided by a great river into two parts and to cross to the other side, we are link by a local coracle rider. One part is the Hampi bazaar itself and the other part across the river is rather quiet and laid back.

Once we reached, we soon find ourselves separated by a group who wants to stay across the river and the other, near the bazaar. Sometime, when travelling in big group, it is good to break into two smaller groups so that it is less chaotic and less organized.

Gokce the Turkish girl, myself, Thomas the football hooligan, Jack Nicholson, Michael the drug dealer, Gytneth Patrow, Omar the Stallone and Lothar stayed at the bazaar, at Shanti guesthouse.
After a check in and shower, We soon travelling to the Hampi bazaar and visiting the ancient places, namely the river, the ancient buildings leftover, the sites, the temple, the villages and lots more.
So, why Omar has been given the nickname Stallone? Not only physically undoubtable, but he dressed exactly like Rambo, with his infamous cargo pant and army singlet, walking around bazaar and in the mountain barefooted, eating and sucking sugar canes and bananas along the way, in the jungle and village area.

We walk and walk non-stop, about the total of 5km. First we walked to the village area and there, we bumped into some local kids.

These kids brought us deep into the jungle saying and convinced us that at the end of the jungle is a waterfall. They told us the distance is about 10 minutes but it took us one hour to reach the inside and another hour to get out. Well, I guess, these people still didn’t understand the concept of time and still depending the sun to indicate night and day for them. The walking through the village and sugar cane and banana farms was great, surround by peaceful views. The feeling then was so great.

Photo: Hampi's ancient ruin temples

Photo: Snapshot of Omar & Hampi kids...

At night, we were quite tired but nothing could stop us from discovering. So we went to this café, similar to the Raggae club in Penang for drinking and chilling out after a quite fulfilling dinner across the street.

The café is lighted by a dim neon and playing only Bob Marley’s songs, decorated by Marijuana plants and poster of Santana. The runner approached us to sell us Lassi drink mix with marijuana for Rs 200, or a hash for Rs 1000- 10 grams or Rs 500 for similar quantity but weeds. Of course none of us interested to smoke joint or hash that night. We ended up drinking only beers.

In this travel, I grew closer with Patrow. I really admire her attitude and behavior. She’s not your regular girl next door. She is tougher and braver than any of us man and she possesses great travelling skills. Not to say she’s bionic women or what but she’s really cool with her surviving skill, mix with her equal lot of feminism. I love her direct bluntness and easygoing attitude. I will write more about the story of her and me in later part.

to be continue...

September Travelling- My route

2005-07-07T12:59:00.000+08:00

This is an updated version. I somehow knew it that travelling with Erin won't materialized. It was at the back of mind when we were planning ahead of time. So, she pulled out because one fine day she woke up and her gut instinct told her that she gotto go back to the USA, that's all, no explanation or solid reason whatsoever. Well, I would have lies that this won't affect me at all. In facts it kind of ruined my original plan. Now that I am hanging tough and alone, the cost of the entire journey will surely increased if I were to travel alone especially accommodation! But for those who knows, my determination is as strong as ever. Nothing will come between me and travelling. Hopefully nothing like death or mother nature. With or without anyone, plan or unplanned, I will go travel. That is for sure.

But now that Erin is pulling out, I will need to revise my routes. I might be cutting down half of the places since I will not have enough budget to travel alone. Well, we will see. Gemma had told me she want to come with me. Others as well include some IC delegates to Agra. For whatever it is, I don't care, I am going!!! U join me or you don't. My way or the high way.

(Pre revision)

Below are my tentative routes across my Northern India travelling trip, for one month and 5 days.

Bombay-Udaipur (16 hrs, bus, Rs400)

Udaipur-Mt.Abu (5 hrs, bus, Rs80)

Mt.Abu-Jaipur (12 hrs, bus, Rs220)

Jaipur-Ajmer (2.5 hrs, bus, Rs113)

Ajmer-Pushkar (30min, bus, Rs7)

Pushkar-Ajmer (30min, bus, Rs7)

Ajmer-Jodhpur (6 hrs, bus, Rs100)

Jodhpur-Jalsalmer (5.5 hrs, bus, Rs95)

Jalsalmer-Delhi (19 hrs, train, Rs216/605, sleeper/3-tier AC)
OR
Jalsalmer-Jaipur (12 hrs, bus, Rs255)- 1 daily
OR
Jalsalmer-Jodhpur (5.5 hrs, bus, Rs95/117) Half-hourly

Jaipur-Delhi (5.5 hrs, bus, Rs220)
OR
Jodhpur-Delhi (12.5 hrs, bus, Rs260)

Delhi-Chandigarh (5 hrs, bus, Rs111)- Every 10 minutes
OR
Delhi-Shimla (10 hrs, bus, Rs190)

Chandigarh-Shimla (4 hrs, bus, Rs71)

Shimla-Manali (10 hrs, bus, Rs170) Every 2 hours

Manali-Dharamshala (10 hrs, bus, Rs250) 7pm

Dharamshala-McLeod Ganj (0.5 hrs, bus, Rs6)

Total hours available for one month & 5 days = 840
Total hours spent on the road= 190, appx 8 days
Total hours available for look-see 530, appx 22 days
Suggestion- Travelling at night hencesaving on accommodation cost and having more day time.

Duration planned and places of interest

1. Udaipur [3days]

- Lake Piccola, Crystal Gellery, Bagole-ki-Haveli, Fateh Sagar, shilpgram, Ahar, Sajjan garh & Sunset point

2. Mount. Abu [1 day]

Nakki lake & Wildlife sanctuary

3. Jodhpur [1 day]

Meherengah, Clock tower & market

4. Jaipur [2 days]

Old (Pink) city, Swari minar swarga, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar

5. Pushkar [1 day]

6. Jalsalmer [3 days]

Jalsalmer fort, Jain temples, Patwan-ki-Haweli, Gadi segar & maybe Camel Safari

7. Chandigarh [1 day]

8. Shimla [2 days]

The mall/Bazaar, Viceregal lodge, Botanical gerden, Christ church & St. Michael Cetheral, The Glen, Summer hill, Chadwick falls & Prospect hill

9. Manali [3 days]

10. Dharamshala/McLeod Ganj [4 days]

Rgds
Peter

Amazing you

2005-07-04T12:57:00.000+08:00

Written by Peter

Seems like yesterday we met
(I remember seeing you yesterday)
But today, a very fine day, you are saying goodbye
So now, what would happen to all the memories?
Was it nothing really happen or
Was it just my beautiful imagination?

Time definitely flies by, like a hurricane
None of us even realize it
Because, I don’t remember much things about you and me
Maybe it was just a dream, meeting you
Maybe not

Three months was like a wind blowing onto my face
On one shiny evening, leaving an unexplainable moments
And gone before even I knew it

There are so little things happen but yet it seems
So many to remember

Of your sweetest smile- that broaden the universe
Of your beautiful melancholy eyes- that seems to absorb the sadness of the world
Of your lovely jazzy voice- that when calling my name, will melt me like candle in the dark

Whatever happens to the time we smoking up together?
Whatever happens to the time of "Naughty Angels"
Whatever happens to the those silent evenings where
We will laugh, talk, share, of the problems amid us
And of you and me, whiskey and hot tea

You may not know this but sweet cherry pie,
You are one amazing person, with unique personality,
Adorable characteristic and charming attitudes,
That I haven’t met in a long time.

Three months Three months Three months
Seems like a brief encounter (with angel) of a day
That made our sweet and memorable memories,
Burned into invisible ashes
To the sea of love
Sky of dream
And the cosmic universe

Author’s note: There will be so many people you will meet in this life, so many people will come and go in your life,
But only a few you will truly remember, for they had left a very meaningful "things" in you that
No-Thing can take away from you
So you will live the "things" until your very last breath.

We the people

2005-06-10T16:29:00.000+08:00

We the people
Written by Peter Ooi.

We, the people are not perfect
We, the people are weak
And when the weaknesses strike like a hurricane
Hit it in between the eyes
Where temptation is at its highest
Like the taste of red wine flowing down our throat
Hemingway’s way

We, the people give in
Because, at that very moment
All matters don’t matter anymore
All matters around you become gray and dark
And it all closing in like the zooming of camera
Hence, the temptation of committing a grave mistake or a sinful act
Empowering you to do what might be satisfying
To your curiosity, your need, your ego and your moment

And so, we carpe diam!
Even though the essence of the essence of ourselves
Had time and again, spoken against it
That it will cost the price of our integrity and principal

But often, we gave in to the great temptation
Thus the grave mistake, again.

Because, we the people are weak

Because, we the people are weak
We often feel sorry for what we had done
Because it had goes against the very belief and principal
We uphold dearly

Because, we the people are weak
We don’t have the will and courage to even forgive ourselves
Forgiving ourselves seems more difficult than forgiving others

Because we the people are weak
We feel beaten and often choose to live in doomsday
Allowing the bitter past to haunt and judge us
And of whom we are at present day

I say No!

Because, we the people are strong
We mustn’t allow the bitter acts to live and drive our present day

We did something wrong, again- so what?
We committed a sinful act- so what?
We made mistakes- so what?
We seize the moment and it ended up with guilt- so what?

Because, we the people are strong
We must have the will and courage to forgive ourselves
And in doing so, move on…
And to forgive ourselves, all we need is love
Love yourself first and foremost

My friend, life is too short to feel sorry
Over the nitty-gritty deeds we committed
Against what is right and what is wrong

Life is beautiful, so beautiful
That’s why we the people keep becoming ourselves, time and again
Forever and a day

We the people are strong
Because we keep becoming, and in the process of becoming
We became the person of who we are
Hence, we the people are human being

Do not kill yourself- love yourself
Do not beat yourself- pet yourself
Do not harm yourself- love yourself
Do not feel sorry for yourself- forgive yourself and move on…

Life is too short my friend
To NOT to love yourself

In the process of becoming
We might have done something wrong along the way
And in the process of becoming, if we don’t like what we are doing
The best consolation prize we can give to ourselves is to
Stop becoming and re-becoming of something else
Something that will make us happy
Because, life goes on no matter what
Remember, we the people are strong

Because we have something so powerful that we could move the mountain
That no other being in the entire planet possess it
And that is the will and courage to love ourselves by forgiving ourselves
In doing so, we re-becoming again, born anew and move on…

That my friend, is the greatest treasure
We the people have…in the process of becoming

Love life a bitch (latest unreleased 2005)

2005-06-03T17:13:00.000+08:00

"I wonder if she'll ever see, the deepest secret in me"
Written by Amir Yussof
excerpt from the song "Fool in love, of the album, Aquarius"

"You moves around the world when you are sober, but the world moves around you when you're stone"
Written by Peter Ooi

Love life a bitch (latest unreleased 2005)

Written by Peter Ooi

"As I walk down the empty street, darkest night
My mind is fucking with my head
My heart is colliding with my soul
For I don't like what my eyes saw and what my heart felt,
I hate everything that is happening now
But I guess it is too late now
To undo the bitter feeling my heart had caused
And now my heart if too fragile to deal with the bitterness of reality

Why is it always end up the usual way
When you start to open your heart
And pour out your greatest feeling
Love life become a sudden bitch
Welcoming the unwanted tragedy
And end up fucking your head, screwing your mind, drilling your soul

Upside down
Is it just me or is it the world?

Untitled

2005-05-18T13:45:00.000+08:00

Untitled
Written by: Peter
(Inspired by God)

I was being shot, many times over
And I fall into the deepest hole
Surrounded by the complete darkness
Darkest moment, total confusion

In the deepest hole, I keep falling down,
Every moment of falling down
Was filled with utmost pain,
Like an arrow, straight to my heart

The red that I saw and felt, now has turned black
Hence my soul bleed profusely
And my heartbeat bang a drum
And I cry tearless tears

And when I hit the lowest of the low
I Crash Boom Bang!
The cancer inside was eating me lively
I was weak, helpless and hopeless

All those words I used to hold dearly
Now means nothing
It has lost its sense, logic and its magic

The God I used to pray is also nowhere
All my screaming and yelling seems in vain
So I was weak again, trembling and shaking like a child
Losing their Mother
So I beg to Him again, to have mercy to this poor little soul
I beg and I beg, now lying on the ground, emotionless and immobile
Begging Him to drag me out of the circle of darkness,
From the misery of this hole
Where I was uninvited and never want to be invited
And I receive No-Thing from the above

I am man, a lost man, a lame man, alone in this universe
All I need is love and all I long is to see the light of day
And when He denied me the very thing I desire the most at times like these,
I become a madman and I went berserk,
For I thought I had lost my soul, the essence of the essence
Man's greatest gift from God.

And so I shouted out my angst and hatred onto Him
Blaming Him (but not myself) for allowing me to be defeated again
In the game of love, and desperation
I called him unfair, unjust for he had forsaken me at times like these

Just when everything seems over
Just when I thought God isn't there anymore
Just when I thought I had lost completely, my will and courage to live on

There He was!

Speaking to my heart, through His angels
I was being lifted, slowly and gradually being pull out of the darkness
The night had now becoming day
I begin to see the light of day
The ray of hope
The love of life

He made me understand things that no one could ever do
Life itself is bigger than the black hole where I once belong

Not only I was being lifted,
I was being taught again, re-act, to see the world and life itself
From a bigger perspective
Life is too beautiful to be doomed

There is God
And He had granted us the most beautiful gift
The Soul, the essence of the essence, the original thought
At times like these, all we need to do is to be out of our mind
And get back to our senses, our soul, our original thought, our truth

The soul will not lie to us, only the mind and heart that will manipulating us
To believe everything that is untrue and negatives

God communicate to us in many ways, and only through the soul, we can listen to Him
That is when we resolve all of our complexities, regardless what
And that is God, a caring God

I was too blind, too depressive and too shallow to listen to the soul or to see God
I forgot where I belong and I accused Him of forsaken me
But the truth was, I forsaken Him

Now that I am outside the circle of darkness, the deepest hole
Looking in
I see myself and life itself the way I used to
That the life is bigger and the universe is more meaningful than the tiny black hole itself

And I am smiling now
I am happy for I had regain the will to survive
The ability to view life in larger sense
The power to rise above all things
To transcend miseries and all negativities that had defeated me

Re-member this
That all is not all until it is all

Author's note: When you are at the lowest of the low, just remember that there is God, a caring God to help you, if you listen carefully to your soul. And to listen to your soul, you must be out of your mind and straight to your soul because the soul is your original thought and therefore will NOT lie to you.

To Quote Neale Donald Walsch from Conversations with God 2:
"When you express your truth with love, negative and damaging results rarely occur, and, when they do, it is usually because someone else has chosen to experience your truth in a negative or damaging way. In such a case, there is probably nothing you can do to avoid the outcome"

Goa: Parolem Beach

2005-03-26T14:40:00.000+08:00