so so long since last update. cos i lazy and plus no boring time to activate my bloggin mode. but now, i have le. managed to get a day off today and right now because i tell them i want to book my driving BTT. so many around already got their license liao. when's my turn!? *word wrap* k.. let's start like a month ago to start toking about my india trip... india... the first thing that cught my sight was this seemingly wierd WATER COOLER. what's so special? hmm.. ehem. it's like a water tap with a basin and at the right of it is a stack of plastic cups held on a steel ring that is mounted to the tiled-wall. try to imagine abit then think again, that's NEW DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT... well, then the next thing that greeted me was this slogan that was pasted onto a concrete extrusion from/of the ceiling saying: "INCREDIBLE INDIA". i thought: it really is... haha. hmm.. no racism, but INDIA surely didn't smell like indians back here in singapore. dun think they apply the same oil our indian friends in singapore do. or maybe different parts of INDIA has different practices. the arrival is sorta rushy and messy. hurriedly we go through the customs, heading towards the building exit. along the way saw many ARMED personnel holding on to their newly modified AK (those you see in CS) with FULLY LOADED transparent magazines (that's why can see it's FULLY LOADED). Singapore army NEVER load our weapons like that. it's TSR for us! walking and walking through the crowd of people waiting for their whoever they are waiting for. while they looked at us with curiosity. hmm, i think they wondering why singapore ARMY so small size! upon exiting, the very first thing that shocked me was that... it's colder outside than inside the AIRPORT! hmm. then the next thing i heard was the horning of cars, buses, trucks, lorries etc... all kinds of vehicals until i also dunno what they are called. (never learn in kindergarten before!) the first impression was that: wah.. what a rowdy place. rude drivers. but never did i know that horning each other there is actually considered a kind and courteous gesture... *diaox* later during the stay in INDIA i even realize that MANY vehicals on the road actually invite or plead you to horn them! *diaox diaox*. the journey from DELHI to destination BABINA CAMP is about 15 hours of ride plus short stops for meals. it was a night travel and the horny drivers just irritates everyone until i cannot sleep well. not to mention even with all the horny gestures, we still caught up in an accident - minor one, lucky. meals... wah.. jia lat. i really cannot tahan the food there. supposedly prepared by restaurant cooks. but i still think it cannot be eaten. so many people rather eat combat ration than the FRESH RATION there... haiz. it's curry curry and more curry for everyone. and there is this speciality which looks like roti prata and named "nun" is served EVERY SINGLE MEAL i mean EVERY!! serious... dunno why, they just can't seem to do without it. actually it doesn't taste nice at all. to me, it's worse than eating plain bread and roti prata is 9999999999 times better... a bit exxagerated, but it's somewhere there la! ... sorry ar... i think it's just us Singaporeans la. becuase one of the nights on which we had "happy hour" the indian army were also invited and there was buffet style dinner served. and of cos, "nun" was there. they all queued for it like it's bird nest shark fin abalone lobster.. but it's just toasted flour. see.. when we really hungry and all the conmbat ration finish liao we really no choice but to eat the INDIAN CUSINE there... but you see... most of the time what we take is what we throw away... the place we train in is clean and hygenic la. very impressed. i think they have done a very very good job in this area. the accomodation is amazing given that it's out in field in the middle of no where. we had toilets that could flush, hot water to bathe (but must fight for it cos will use up), bedding facilities and even "air con" and much more. efforts to beautify the place were also recognised. not bad not bad at all! =) going outfield... aiyah.. feels like singapore actually. EXCEPT theres significantly less vegetation and of course travelling from place to place is long and long....but it's really a terrific place to film some war movies... stand anywhere in BABINA training ground you can see minimum 3000m 360 degrees - it's so big and empty. you dunno where to start. the more amazing thing is that there are actually villagers running around the place. and... they seem to be running at 20km/hour to 30km/hour consistently all over the place and bare-footed. such remarkable feat... and to think SAF soldiers have to wear boots lor... most of these vilagers are kids. imagine they grow up to be come soldiers!!! wah... impressive! had bilateral training, saw each other's tank, praised each other's vehicals... bla bla... restricted content. o_O .zZ then finally get to leave the dreadful place - BABINA CAMP - and return to this place i also dunno what lah. but yes return trip is another 15 hours - wrong! - more. because now is R&R so got anyhow go places. i think i go india one time enuff le. cos first time go already see TAJ MAHAL, so no regrets already. even went to visit GHANDI at his house cum work place... even better! no regrets really. the rest of the things.. hmm.. dunno leh.. i dun really look forward to seeing or knowing. first the TAJ MAHAL was actually a bit of a dissapointment. indeed it is a magnificient structure. but the interior.. haiz... only allow us to walk one SUPER SMALL round around the center of the hall-of-the-dead. it's so small only maybe twice the size of the circle in the center of the basketball court!! can you believe how dissapointed i am?! haiz. the technical stuff of the history and achitecture also impressive lah... but shan't say here to bother you. GHANDI there, nothing much to see lah... one big garden in the center and a place to see where he EXACTLY WAS SHOT DEAD AT. that's about it. of cos plus his political life and blah blah.... din have time to READ everything. the other places that i we went were all those sourvenior and antique stalls. very much like singapore's YU HUA YUAN located at china town near the ex-OG. the result? nothing to buy. anyway, i hate buying things there.. seriously, they no heart one. cheat money. everyone. even at the hotel also like that. HOLIDAY INN SOMEMORE! but in a way it's fun lah. see i was sold 5 fake necklaces for 500 rupees (rs) approx $4 each. i thought it's quite a deal considering he wanted to sell me all 5 same for 500rs, now i bargained to have 5 different ones. but i soon realized that if you reject him enough times, he will BUG you and LOWER his prices until... guess!!! 12 for 100rs. no joke. i sad. i angry. i feel stupid. but they really look pityful lah. haiz. give it to them lah... (self-console) so now we all know. and then we started to bargain all over the shop. something 1200rs can drop until 600rs. someother thing 5 for 100rs can drop until 4 for 10rs. amazing right. ha... fun in some ways lah. i dun dare to buy. but i have to buy something back as a certificate of travel lah... so i bought a 800rs KARMA SUTRA! do you all know what is it or not? is not for the trip, i won't know what this thing is. but i'm glad i bought something unique and original at least. =) soon, it's boarding the plane again. so excited. not because got chio kong jie, but because of the 3 letters "SIA". just makes me feel like home again. and this time.... MUHAHAH finally got NON INDIAN FOOD!!! BLACK PEPPER BEEF WITH POTATOES! YEAY! haha... yum yum. unlike INCREDIBLES and BRIDGET JONES, there were no more nice show on the trip back so i slept my 5 hours away in the plane... so happy touched down early and lucky din make les and phong wait too long. so good to smell singapore again. and the week goes on and on... this time no 1 week break le lah... think everytime to good ar! this time immediately monday book in le. yuppers. and so fast.. it's today le!