My Once In A Lifetime Journey In Salem, India

Hari Raya Celebration in India

2008-10-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

October 1st 2008,
Ate lemang, Nasi Empit, 'Wet' Rendang, Cookies, and Layer cake at the senior's block in the evening.

Satisfying meal!

October 2nd 2008,
Smell of Satay woke me up at around 9a.m in the morning. My neighbor and peers were grilling satay they prepared a day earlier for the Raya feast soon after that.
Brushed my teeth and bathe and waited for the feast to begin. Nothing happened. So I continued my sweet sleep until 11.30a.m when Razali rang my doorbell. Woke up and got ready for food!
Took some pictures.
Feast begun. Great food. More people came soon after that. I ate from beginning till the end.

Here's some pictures of the food:

Reserved....Sorry again....Internet is not stable for uploading of pictures.....haiz....

Today October 4th,2008 My Screwpine Plant(Pandan) Finally Fell & Surrendered To The Heat In Salem!! Condolences..

2008-10-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

I woke up today realising that my Pandan plant has gone yellow and when I tried to regenerate it by applying some soft pulsing pressure on it, the leaves came falling down. SAD...

The roots are still fresh though. So I'm trying to regenerate it by changing the soil. Hopefully it will survive and reborn like phoenix rising from the ashes!!

Salem PIDC hostel fellowmen, pray for my Pandan Plant if you guys want to savor the fragrance of pandan in your condiments!! LOL...

Here are some pictures of it:
In loving memory of my Pandan Plant(Hopefully not!!)

Sorry again folks....still can't upload pictures!! Haiz...

FINALLY I HAVE A SKULL!!!

2008-10-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

First of all i want to thank the kind and helpful seniors here!!
I'm so ashame of myself because a senior gave me a skull but until today I don't know what his name is. So lame...lol

Well a skull actually costs Rs300 here if I'm not mistaken. Correct me if I'm wrong batchmates.
I got mine free thanks to that senior.

Here's some of the pictures I took of it:

Sorry folks. The slow & unstable internet connection here does not permit me to upload the pictures. I promise to upload them when I have the chance! It's an 'acceptable' skull....not perfect but I think there's nothing to fuss about as it's FREE!!!

MY 1st MOONCAKE/LANTERN FESTIVAL IN INDIA

2008-10-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

I'm lazy to write lengthy stories these days....
Here's a synopsis of what happened:
1.)Preparation of food by the seniors in the afternoon.
2.)Food ready by evening. I go to the banquet with my 'equipments'(big bowl, fork, & spoon)
3.)Ready to dig in......FINALLY DIGGED IN........Scrumptious meal!! Food Glorious Food!!
4.)Took some pictures. Played some games. Light up our lanterns.
5.)Took a walk to the medical college and finally to the hostel of students from China. Chit chat with them. The moon was special that night. It was encircled by a ring of light. Was very beautiful.
6.)Walked back to PIDC hostel. Had mooncake brought by seniors who just came back from hliday in Malaysia.
7.)Played some sports-football and badminton.
8.)Retired to bed.

I forgot where I saved the pictures. Maybe I deleted them unconsciously. Sorry folks!

Dental Materials: Cube Assignment

2008-08-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Every first year student in Vinayaka Mission's Sankarachariyar Dental College and Penang International Dental College(PIDC) twinning programme will be given the same assignment of making 4 equivalent perfect cubes of sides=1inch using Dental Plaster or Plaster of Paris every year. The equipments provided are: a parabolic-base rubber bowl, a spatula, a plaster knife, a jug of water, and of course Plaster of Paris(a type of gypsum product otherwise known as beta calcium sulphate hemihydrate).

Method:
1. Make sure all the equipments are clean and dry.
2. Fill the rubber bowl with a measured amount of water(ml) according to that recommended by the manufacturer of the Plaster of Paris.
3. Using a spatula, scoop some Plaster of Paris which has been weighted according to that recommended by the manufacturer to suit the water-powder ratio(w/p ratio) and sieve it into the bowl of water by tapping the spatula with fingers. The powder will dissolve in the water.
4. Continue to add the powder until the powder soaks up most of the water in the bowl.
5. Mix the solution with a spatula(spatulation) slowly(to allow a longer working time) for at least 1 minute until a smooth consistency is obtained.(colloidal state)
6. Pour the colloid on a glass slab or a marble tile that has been applied with "vasoline" and start shaping it into a large cube which looks like a tofu using both the spatula and the plaster knife.
7. Allow it to set when it's done. The colloid will harden as it loses its water content(crystallization occurs). The cube will be warm as an exothermic(heat-releasing) reaction is underway.
8. When the cube has cooled, remove it from the glass slab or marble tile.
9. After a while, cut the cubes to smaller sizes with the plaster knife. Make sure not to cut more than or 1 inch.
10. Using a sand paper, smoothen the cube until each side is 1-inch in size.

Trip To Yercaud Hill Station

2008-08-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the 16th of August 2008 i.e the day after India's independence day, the 9 of us(me, Jia Huey, Wendy, Shanice, Kun Mun, Ruzanna, Mimi, Wawa, and Fatehah) went to Yercaud Hill Station on our own. Me being the only boy in the group, made me felt quite awkward at times. There were some adventurous things that I would have done if I were alone but I had to take care of the wellfare of the 8 vulnerable "Roses". LOL. Nah...They were very strong and independent. We departed from the hostel around 8.45am. We actually agreed to gather at the hostel's common area at 8am sharp but girls being vain beings, it took quite some time for them to get ready. Then we took the public bus from the college to the New Bus Stand in Salem town where we took a bus to Yercaud. A number of buses ply from Salem to Yercaud and back. The only mode of travel from Salem to Yercaud is by bus. It takes an hour of negotiating 20 dangerous hair-pin bends to reach the peak. We have had our share of experiencing it, standing in the public bus, packed like sardines for an hour until we reached the hill top. Wendy had nausea and vomitted in the bus but into a plastic bag of course. Luckily Shanice brought the plastic bag, or else, the poor indian lady sitting on the floor of the bus where Wendy stood will be wet by Wendy's 'juice'. LOL. Anyone would have got it(nausea, vomitting, and headache) if they were in a cramped condition with little ventilation like the one we experienced. So, Wendy, don't be embarassed or down k. Haha. When we reached the top, all of us went to a sundry shop to buy chips where we also hired a tour guide to bring us around the places of interest in Yercaud for only Rs800.

In Tamilnadu people talk only about Ooty and Kodaikanal as hill stations. No mention is ever made, even in passing, of Yercaud. Majority of the people even refuse to accept that Yercaud is also a hill station. Yercaud is, in a way, the poor man's Ooty, much like elandai pazham being the poor man's apple! If Ooty is the queen of hills, Yercaud is the princess! For the people in the Northern districts, suffering for centuries due to poverty, drought, famine, hunger and heat, the only silver lining is Yercaud.

Yercaud which is 1515 metres above sea level is 333 sq. km in extent. The maximum temperature is 29 celsius only. The population is 32,746 and most of the people are tribals.

One is gripped by fear as the bus negotiates the hair-pin bends: one breathes easy only after seeing the greenery on either side of the road signalling the end of travel! It is very scary if one looks down through the window! All along the route, monkeys playing pranks and violet flowers on trees makes one wonder where one is. There is greenery all round - this is a new experience, for the city bred. The forests make one energetic and enthusiastic, like a child.

Yercaud is yet another example of how the British appreciated India's natural resources better than their locals. Yercaud is famous for coffee and pepper in much the same way Ooty and Kodai are famous for tea. The English used Yercaud as a summer retreat and their legacy is all over the place. Rows and rows of houses, much like ants moving in files, dot the entire hills. The number of places to be seen in Yercaud may not be many, but each one of them is really worth the visit.

One of the important places is the Pagoda point. The Pagoda Point, is so known because a number of pyramid-like structures abound here. The Anjaneya temple is believed, by the locals, to be very powerful. One can get a full view of Salem from here. The lake on the hill of Yercaud is just beside the Pagoda point. Its also very near the bus stand, so you will see the lake before you arrive at the bus stand. You can go boating for Rs.70 for a 3 seater boat or Rs95 for a 5 seater boat. The one kilometre lake is surrounded by trees all round. It is a pleasurable experience to go boating in this lake. Depending on one's budget, one can take a two-seater or a six-seater boat. There're many stalls surrounding the external area of the lake which sells local fruits, snacks, and other local delicacies. I have yet to try the fried green chilly(a unique local delicacy here) as I was afraid of getting a stomachache although I really wanted to.

Right on top of the hill stands the Servarayan temple in which Lord Servarayan resides with his consort Kaveri. This deity, the local people believe, is the guardian angel for the 67 villages in and around Yercaud. This temple is inside a cave and one has to bend and go in. People go inside in batches of three.We managed to go about 5 metres only into the cave because the cave was very low in height and it was wet.(It was difficult for the girls and even more difficult for me as I'm quite tall(6'1").) The scenery at the top of the hill(the highest point of the hill) was the best amongst all the view points in Yercaud. There're big compounds for outdoor activities and old british-era buildings surrounding the place. The cave extends beyond the temple and the locals say it extends all the way to the Kaveri in Karnataka, a distance of 480 km. Very few have explored the full cave. To the south east of the temple is a very old well and it is a wishing well!

The locals believe if they are able to throw at least one stone, from three picked up from the temple, inside the well, with their backs to the well, they will succeed in whatever they plan to do.

If one walks down from the Temple, one reaches Killiyur falls. Water, falls from a height of 300 m. During the rainy seasons, the locals say, these falls are very dangerous. That was the reason we didn't go to the falls. Next to the Servarayan temple is the Raja Rajeswari Amman temple. There is also the Jothi Samadhi ashram. The massive Rajarajeswari idol is installed in a sitting posture, and 4.5 feet tall. One can buy prasad, gem stones and lucky stones. There is also a hall for meditation.

We also went to "Gent's Seat which was higher than "Lady's Seat" in altitude where beautiful sceneries of the surrounding area comes into picture.

One can get a full view of Namakkal and Salem from the "Ladies Seat". There were many monkeys at the "Lady's Seat". Here we met a friend of the founder of our university and he was weird and funny. Haha. He asked us to take pictures of his car instead of the place! LOL.

We also went to Anna Park which is just opposite the lake. It was a quiet place to relax. The garden 's considered very beautiful and full of flowers for a place in Tamilnadu. Visitors can also purchase flowers here for only Rs5 per pot. Cheap isn't it.

The British legacy continues in the form of a boys' higher secondary school Montfort. This school is for the elite - the tuition is about a lakh of rupees per annum. The student who comes out of this school is an all rounder. The boys are trained in sports, politics, music, in addition to the curriculum. Some of the celebrity alumni of the school are ex-speaker of TN Assembly PTR Palanivel Rajan and the present hero Vikram.

"October and November are the best months here. Foreign tourists are more during the other months. Since Dassera holidays are in Oct., there are a lot of tourists from Bangalore. In Nov., tourists from North India visit Yercaud, taking advantage of Diwali holidays. Yercaud is less expensive than other tourist destinations and is preferred by the middle class. By car, the expense is Rs.400 only, for a full tour of Yercaud. Travel guide charges are Rs.150 only - the entire family can tour Yercaud on a budget of about Rs.1000. Ours were cheaper as we paid only Rs800 for 9 persons. Earlier, we were only supposed to pay Rs700 but we gave the guide another Rs100 since we took more time than what he offered. Tamilnadu Hotel offers rooms at very economical rates and reasonable food price for a tourist attraction site. There we had our late lunch at around 5pm.

Cardamom, pepper, orange are the main crops in Yercaud. Seasonal fruits are produced in plenty. The majority of the local population consists of daily wage-earners in the coffee estates. 30% of the houses were built during the British Raj. The British legacy is there to be seen and felt in a number of places. A number of hotels built to International standards are well ensconced among trees. To enjoy every bit of nature in this hill, the British paved roads and built dwelling units. If the early architects of this hill station were to see the roads today, they would be shocked! The roads are pathetic - full of craters, ill-maintained, uncared for. The only hope is, Yercaud gets its fair share of the Central Government's increased budget for tourism.

The English who returned to their native land, after India's Independence, would certainly have felt a sense of anguish and a tinge of sadness at being forced to leave this wonderful place, surrounded by Nature!

At around 6pm, we walked from Hotel Tamilnadu to the Bus stand in Yercaud. It was cooling and I had the chance to gaze at the nature and architecture of the place but the girls were exausted. LOL. At the bus stand, we experienced a scenario we thought we would only see in Indian movies and dramas but they indeed happen in India(people squeezing and struggling to board a bus just to secure a seat down the hill). We were very shocked indeed. Due to this, we didn't manage to board the bus. So we searched for alternatives. We asked around for "Call Taxis"(vans for hire as they call it here) to leave the place but all of them demanded for very high rates. So we waited for a while, when I decided to call the tour guide earlier who offered us better rates to return to our college. But soon after that another bus came and we decided not to wait for the van and boarded the bus. We had to stand again but thanks to a very kind guy who offered me his lap, I was seated. Haha. I pity that poor guy! I don't know why he was so kind to me but anyway, I really appreciated it. The lady sitting next to him offered to take my backpack for me and later I found out that she's a medical doctor from Chennai who goes to Yercaud once every week to treat the locals there.

After a very tiring day, we managed to reach Salem safely. Thank God! Haha. There, the group splitted. Ruzanna, Wawa, Mimi, and Fatehah wanted to head back to the college first as they had to do their prayers while me, Wendy, Shanice, Kun Mun, and Jia Huey wanted to go to the ATM. At the ATM, I activated my ATM card and wanted to check my bank balance when my ATM card was retained in the machine due to some problems. Then I called Si Yi on Shanice's phone(Thank You Shanice) so that Si Yi can help me inform Mr. Rajesh(the person in-charge of opening our bank accounts) about the incident. Then, we went to Saravanan's Bakery to buy some breads before we headed to another bank(State Bank of India) where Shanice and Wendy withdrew some money to pay the hostel rent. Next we decided to dine at the town since the college cafe closes at 10pm and the time was already 9.15pm. So we ate in Saravanan's high-class vegetarian south indian cuisine restaurant. The food there was quite delicious and the service, cleanliness, and presentation of food was also very good. We enjoyed our dinner there and would probably dine there again. LOL. After that, we headed back to the hostel by an auto(which costs us Rs175 instead of the usual Rs150 due to the rain), drenching wet in the heavy rain. The town was heavily flooded due to the unsystematic planning of drains by the authorities. At the end, we managed to arrive back in the college hostel safe & sound. Despite all the troubles that we encountered along our journey, we enjoyed ourselves very much.

Huuu....What a DAY!!

August 15, 2008: INDIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

2008-08-15T03:17:00.000-07:00

INDIA FLAG

A bull I saw on my way back to hostel from Cafe Malaysia

Drawings using powders(I think it's called Ranggoli. Not sure though) around the flag pole in front of the Medical College & Hospital.

More drawings. (Wendy's in da house! yo! LOL)

HAPPY 62nd INDEPENDENCE DAY TO INDIA!
Sincerely from Jerry

August Babies Party Thrown by Seniors in Malaysian Hostel, Salem, India(The photos are not in chronological order)

2008-08-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

The fantastic decorations put up by the seniors in just one day, manually!

Everyone waiting to dig in.

Decorations blewn by the caressing breeze last night.

The stage where the birthday boys and girls performed. The senior in the picture is Evan I think. LOL. Didn't even ask for his name.

Ice breaking

More decorations

Food glorious food!

The dogs were excited to join the party as well.

There were more food. This is just a portion of it. (They had food for vegetarians, vegans, omnivorians, and carnivores. Haha)

The dogs again. They were busy bodies. Naughty and playful! They were pampered by the seniors.

There were salads, desserts, cakes, pudding, spaghetti, fried rice, fried chicken, beverages and more. They prepared all the food by themselves! The cake was delicious!

Last touch before the event starts. The lads came to us with tags which means we were invited.

Busy as a bee. Kun Mun(the one in red) was skypeing with her mum and "annoying" brother(LOL), Ruzanna(with tudung(scarf)) chatting with her 7 years long relationship boyfriend(Amazing isn't it to be able to last that long), while Shanice(with spectacles) messages someone using her cellphone. They were actually waiting for the party to start.

The construction workers completing the new hostel block I'm about to shift into.

Wendy and Juliana I think. ( Juliana's leaving for Malaysia for her holidays. She was heading to Chennai that night itself and take the flight to Malaysia the next day)

SORRY FOR THE POOR QUALITY OF THE PICTURES. THEY WERE TAKEN USING THE CAMERA ON MY PDA. FORGOT TO BRING MY CAMERA.

p/s: I want to take this opportunity to express my greatest gratitude to all the seniors for throwing such a wonderful party and for inviting us, and also for your warm hospitality. And to the seniors who approached me to talk to me that night, thank you very much and that gesture meant alot to me. God bless you all!

THE VIDEO TAKEN THAT NIGHT. SORRY FOR THE BREAKS! THEY'RE ALL ACTUALLY ONE VIDEO.

Our First Trip To Salem Town On Our Own(7 of us)...The photos were posted backwards in chronology. Just to make your life a little bit more miserable.

2008-08-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

An alley leaded us to a small compound where we went before heading back to New Bus Stand(Place where we took bus back to college)

Three goats I saw near Spencer's(The other one did not fit the picture as it was quite far apart from the two). One of their legs were tied up. This is something I see in every goat that I see here in Salem but I don't know the purpose of that. Shall find out one day for your general information purpose.

Busy, crowded, and stinky Salem town. This photo is taken near New Bus Stand where we arrived.(Si Yi is in the picture)

Streets of Salem, India

Golden Dragon Restaurant where chinese cuisine is served. We did not went in though.

The building with pink entrance is a 'teacher's college' if I'm not mistaken. Notice the shop beside it( It's an ADIDAS shop!!) Definitely a rare sight in Salem, India!

Overlooking Spencer's

The Mini Mart opposite Spencer's. This is where I bought rotten apples that look good on the shelf!

A small bakery in the Mini Mart opposite Spencer's

Baskin Robbins!! It was closed when we arrived. I wonder if it's still operating. I personally don't think many people here in Salem can afford such luxury.

A private clinic in town. (Diabetes specialist and research centre)

A stall in town. Picture posted merely to depict the hygiene of the local people dwelling in Salem Dusty Planet.

One of the many sundry shops available in India. It's more like a counter where you ask for something, and they'll get it for you type of sundry shop, unlike those we have in Malaysia.

The sundry shops sell prepaid cards and top-ups as well. That's the main reason we stop by those shops.

A lift in some kind of Plaza here. There are many education agencies here.

The walls of the basement's made of bamboo.

Me and Si Yi explored the plaza.

Some kind of Plaza here. Nothing to see though.

Kaayi Kari(Vegetables)

Humongous pumpkins

Local "Fruits & Vegetables" Market

A nice view of the town

Kaaval Nilayam(Police Station)

An auto at a cross junction.

More fruits and vegetables

New Bus Stand

A beverage stall at the New Bus Stand

The first auto I travelled on around the town. The seven of us(Me, Pang Teng, Shanice, Kun Mun, Wendy, Jia Huey, and Si Yi(front seat)) squeezed into one auto! The journey to Spencer's costs us Rs60. On our way back to New Bus Stand from Spencer's, it was only Rs50 for an auto.

The backseat of the auto.

The public bus we board to go to New Bus Stand where Salem town is. It must be a bus without a number. Or else, you will be chauffered to a far far away place..LOL

Dirty "restaurants" along the streets. I will never eat in such places.

New Bus Stand

Garden Outside Medical College & Hospital Facing the Entrance to the University

2008-08-11T04:08:00.001-07:00

MORNING VIEW:

NIGHT VIEW:

Garden Beside Malaysian Hostel

2008-08-11T03:15:00.000-07:00

'Water' Fountain but without the water. LOL

Nice Pathway

House made fully of 'Atap' leaves beside our hostel. Place where the construction workers live I think.

Clamp sculpture in the garden. I think the Pearl that was suppose to be in it has been stolen.

Flowers in the garden. A miracle for them to survive the hot weather here.

Vinayaka Mission Medical College & Hospital beside our hostel. There's another medical college behind it. That's where we go for anatomy lessons.

Vinayaka Mission's Pharmacy College located just beside our hostel.

The building behind is the other medical college where we go for anatomy lessons. In the picture too is Kun Mun in black and Jia Huey in light blue.

A mongrel dog living around our hostel. I name it Domilo(After my dog at home Domino(a Mongrel) and Angelo(Sausage dog) because it has the colour and face of Domino and body shape and ears of Angelo)

Untrimmed grass

Spencer's Daily Needs' Mart

2008-08-11T02:18:00.000-07:00

The Entrance(Ruzanna is in the picture)

They sell apples here but very expensive. Price ranging from Rs70 to Rs130 per kg.

Fruits and Vegetables Department

Can hardly find green leafy vegetables here except cabbage and 'paku pakis'.

Kandaswarna where 'Odyssey'(Stationery and book shop like popular and MPH) is.

Some Photos I Took

2008-08-10T09:47:00.001-07:00

The Bangalore Airport Logo(Picture taken from logo on the luggage trolley)

Departure Hall. Place where we waited for our domestic flight. But this photo was taken when I have just arrived at Bangalore Airport and was heading to the check-out counter.

Waiting for something to happen. LOL. No idea what to do next. After that, an Indian man asked us to go out of the airport but we hesitated and finally went out after being informed twice. Later, we got to know that we have to actually go out of the airport and re-enter through another gate to the check-in counter for domestic flights.(Communication barrier leading to misunderstanding. Haha) The temperature outside was 23 deg. celcius. Was windy and really good weather.

The big LV briefcase outside Bangalore International Airport. Also present in the picture is Jia Huey, my friend and coursemate.

A part of the hall where we waited before we checked-in for our domestic flight to Coimbatore.

At the landing or taking-off field of Bangalore International Airport(The picture was taken on the transit bus)

Getting further from Bangalore International Airport and nearer to Jet Airways airplane to Coimbatore

Rear wing of Jet Airways domestic jet

Front part

The fan blade of Jet Airways(picture taken at the side window of the plane where I sat)

Another Day in Salem, India

2008-08-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

7th August 2008:

I woke up at 6am and the sky was already bright like 8am in Malaysia. Went to the toilet and resumed my sleep after that as I had nothing to do. Woke up again at 8am to prepare myself for breakfast at 8.30am. We were supposed to meet the agent, JPA officer(Another lackadaisical person(a woman), who does nothing but dream and look useless. Sorry but that's the truth), and college officers that time. So me and my friends(11 of us) went to Cafe Malaysia to have our "supposed to be free breakfast". But when we went to the cafe, none of the mentioned big shots were there. And we had to pay for our breakfast! I had only a tosai and two Vadai(indian donuts) which costs me Rs22( Rs15 for tosai and Rs6 for 2 vadao but the operator charged me extra Rs1 as he didn't had Rs1 change and said he will compensate me next time. I doubt he even remember me the next time I purchase from him! Haha) So after breakfast, we discussed on where we should go for registration and finally concluded to go to the hospital to ask around. At the receprion counter, I asked the receptionist where the administration office is and she smiled(they are all very friendly here if you are friendly to them), shook her head(a gesture of ok in India), and asked me to wait while she said something in Tamil to another Indian man who later made a very long phone call at another end of the hospital. I think the receptionist didn't understand what I was asking and I have to admit that I don't understand her very much either. We waited and waited and waited without much gain and I looked at the man earlier and he was talking on two phones at the same time! Fantastic isn't it!! Two phone handles, on each side of that man's face and him talking to two separate people at the same time! The first time I've seen something like that. Too bad I didn't take a picture of him. Haha. Soon, we got fed-up and left the hospital to our hostel. I did however informed the receptionist that we were leaving already just as a gesture of being polite. Haha. Must give good impression of Malaysians here to uphold the dignity of Malaysia. Haha. Suddenly become very patriotic after coming here. Love my country more already. LOL. After resting for a while in the hostel, an Indian lady, something like a female warden of our hostels came to ask us to gather at the PIDC lecture hall in the hospital. I changed into formal clothes and waited for Si Yi and Pang Teng but later changed back to informal attire(3/4 pants and T-shirt) when I saw them wear informally and after the warden gave a nod to Pang Teng when he asked whether their attire were ok or not. So we headed to the hospital on our pity pair of legs of another 1km journey. We were shocked when we entered the lecture hall which was located at a very corner of the hospital when we saw parents and other Indian students inside formally dressed! The JPA officer commented on our attire and asked us the reason we wore that and it was obviously a miscommunication with the warden!(Maybe nodding here is no while shaking head here is yes. Haha) So, thick-skinned, me and my friends went into the hall and stood at a corner as there were not enough chairs for us to seat. Soon some women brought us chairs and we were finally seated.(The women here are very strong and are capable of doing anything from cooking to construction of buildings! I'm not joking! People here in India like to carry things on their head. Haha) As usual, we waited and waited and waited for something to happen. Haha. Soon, a lecturer wrote something on the blackboard using CHALK, which content welcomes us 1st year B.D.S students and it was our inauguaration day and we did not know about it! Soon, we were asked to write down our names and signature on some papers which were passed around and we waited again after that. By the way, the PIDC lecture hall is airc-conditioned and has built-in stereo speakers and LCD projectors but the sad thing is that we are not going to have our lectures there. Haha. Only PIDC students have lectures there. Our lecture hall is not air-conditioned and doesn't look as nice. I took some pictures of it and will post it here in future. After a while, I heard some chanting coming from the entrance and soon a Brahman(Indian priest) came in followed by the University founder with his trademark sunglasses together with a few lecturers and university personnel. Soon an Indian religious ceremony commences with the Brahman doing some rituals with coconuts, incense, and lots of flowers to worship Lord Vinayaka or Lord Ganesh(The God with an elephant's head). Another first time experience! The big shots were given flowers after the ceremony and each of us were given a sweet by the Brahman. Soon the principal who was the MC that day did some speaking and introduction and invited all the big shots to give a speech including our very own Malaysian made JPA officer and Nugrahan agent. Earlier on, the founder had to leave the University early because he had another inauguration ceremony to attend in another college. After all of them has given their speeches and advices to the students, the principal commented on the top student in the Varsity who scored all distinction in all subjects being a Malaysian JPA sponsored student. He's the only one who has achieved that so far in the history of the Varsity. I felt proud for that senior and Malaysia too at that time. I was determined to achieve the same when I heard it. Haha. I hope I can do it! After that, we were asked to introduce oursleves. Malaysians went up first(that's us). I greeted them in tamil!! Finally, my Tamil language course in KTT is of some use. Then it was the indian students' turn. Most of them were from Kerala(A southern state in India). Was told by the Nugrahan agent that Kerala is the most beautiful place in the southern part of India, something like Phuket with boathouses and is a popular tourist attraction, when we were waiting at the Bangalore airport for our domestic flight to Coimbatore. There were also NRI(Non Resident Indian) students from Canada and Dubai. There were of course students from Salem as well. After that, we went for lunch in Cafe Malaysia again. This time, lunch is provided so we didn't have to pay and I took the opportunity to take lots of food. I took 5 pieces of fried chicken, 3 pieces of chicken curry's chicken, an egg, two types of vegetable, and a fish. i of course ate them with rice. The rice here is different from those in Malaysia. It's like basmathi rice but not exactly the same. It's different probably because of the arsenic percentage in it.(Indian paddy has higher content of arsenic coz the ground water here used to water the paddy fields are high in arsenic percentage.) After that, we went back to the hostel for a quick rest and headed to the lecture hall next to a series of offices at the 5th floor of the hospital. The lift in the hospital was very slow and a friend of mine made a funny statement which accused Indians for being slow when they run errants due to their slow lifts. LOL. In the lecture hall, we were greeted by the male warden of our hostel and Mr. Ratesh who was in charge of helping us with opening of bank accounts. The warden gave us some list about rules in hostel and the things we are provided in the hostel together with some forms to fill. He also helped us to get our handphone's indian prepaid card. The plan we took was the 'Lifetime Plan' by AIRTEL(telecommunication company like Maxis and Digi in Malaysia) but I didn't know and still don't know how it works and what the call and sms rate is as we hardly understand what the indians say due to their thick Indian accent when they speak english. After that, we were given some briefing and instructions to fill in some forms to open our bank account. We handed our traveller's cheque to Mr. Ratesh and signed them in front of him. I even banked-in an extra Rs100 given by JPA which was not accepted by 2 shops as it is very old, dirty, and has holds in it. Then, I went back to my room in the hostel with Si Yi to check on my laptop as I had forgot to lock it in a safe place. When, I exited the lecture room, the warden asked me to match the photos we gave him with its respective owner's photostated passport. Wendy's photocopied passport was missing but instead, Mimi had 2 copies. It was a mistake made by Nugrahan. So after helping the warden out, me and Si Yi headed to our hostel and we met our seniors who were heading to the lecture hall we went earlier for inauguration ceremony to meet the JPA officer and Nugrahan agent. Back in the hostel, I was lucky as my laptop was still there and I quickly lock it in a safe place. Then we ran back to the lecture room and hoping to meet the seniors too on our way to inform them that the JPA officer was here to survey whether we are really short of money here or not with the allowance that we get from JPA every month but we failed to meet them. When we got back to the lecture room, we got our sim cards and I was asked to pasy Rs300 by Ruzanna as money to bribe the police in India so that they will process some documents for us.(the agent told us that in India, without bribery everything will come into a halt and no one will be doing their job.) I wasn't fond of the bribery thing but had to do so as I had no other choice. After that, we went back to the hostel and there were no more programme arranged for us after that. During dinner time, we went to Cafe Malaysia again and this time, our dinner was provided. So, we ordered lots of food. I had chicken fried rice, an omelette, fish massala, and a big bottle of mineral water. The chicken fried rice was also RED in colour, very similar to Sichuan Chicken Rice. I waited all day from the moment I placed my new sim card until around 10pm Indian time before my phone's credit was activated. When I went back to hostel, Si Yi helped me to configure my laptop so that the wireless facility is available for use. We had a couple of problems at first but managed to rectify it. So double happiness! Wi-fi was enabled and I could call my family via handphone at a cheaper rate! So I called my mum but she did not answer probably because it was very late already. It was around 11pm Indian time which means it was around 1 something in Malaysia. So I called my younger brother's cellphone and a half-sleeping-half-awake boy answered the phone. He did not paid attention on what I was telling him and seriously, I was quite irritated. I'm not sure whether he passed my message to my mum( I doubt it as my mum didn't get the message) but I managed to get my mum via phone the next day.

I'm Back!!

2008-08-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

After that, we went on board "Kumar Tourist Bus"(A bus arranged by the University to chauffer us around Salem town. It's also the same bus which brought us to the Varsity earlier) and we did not know where we are heading next. Haha. We are really driven around without any knowledge of what we are about to do because no one told us anything. So every second is a surprise! LOL. Soon, we arrived at a shop called "SPENCER'S". Its actually a mini mart which sells groceries and common consumer's products but there's really little variety to choose from. And the things sold there is extremely expensive. In fact everything here is more expensive than in Malaysia. Food sold here is almost the same price as those sold in Malaysia and the cookies and biscuits sold here are rather expensive too. So we started exploring the whole shop like pests, reaching every nook and corner. Haha. We discussed on what to buy and where to get certain items after we explored around. We hung around the mart for quite some time but most of us just managed to get a few items that we needed. I bought only 5 items: a dishwash, dish scrub, clothes scrub, detergent powder, and a pail. The pail here in India is also very different in shape from those available in Malaysia. The detergent can't clean the dishes well maybe because of some reaction between the dishwash and the terrible water quality here. After washing using the detergent, the dishes becomes oilier and then sticky before it becomes ok. Washing an oily mug here takes almost 3 minutes! I'm not joking!! LOL. While waiting for others to finish purchasing their necessities, me and some friends went to another newly opened mart just opposite 'SPENCER'S' to check what's available there. Before we do so, we went to the bus to put our shoppings. The mart was quite big but it sells only food products and just next to the entrance is a small bakery, a very small one more like a stall which sells slices of cakes, some bread, ice-cream, and beverages. I managed to get only 2 packets of chips(LAY'S and BINGO) which cost me Rs40. My friends on the other hand bought hangers which cost them Rs300+ for only I think 5 hangers. Really expensive! Luckily I brought my own from home. LOL. After that I entered the bus and have a rest as I was very tired for staying awake from 5th of August to evening of the 6th of August! The time was around 7pm already when we left Salem city. Along the road, we were able to see the night life of the locals here in Salem and the various kind of shops here, but we were yet to experience it. Will definitely plan a trip to experience it! Haha. It was something new to the eye. Haha. At around 7.30pm, we arrived at our hostels and soon headed out to 'CAFE MALAYSIA' after we put our shoppings in the hostel to have our dinner. Cafe Malaysia is about 1km away from our hostel, just next to Vinayaka Mission's Hospital. It's all inside the campus. The campus is quite big with 5 main buildings and a few Malaysian Hostels(The Malaysian Hostel where me, my friends, and PIDC students live is pink in colour and octagonal in shape! U.S has pentagon, we have octagon! Haha.) So, we have to walk for about 1 km everyday to the hospital from Monday to Saturday for class when class commences. When we entered Cafe Malaysia, there were only a few seniors in the cafe. Only 2 tables were occupied and we made the 3rd. Haha. Maybe it was already very late or maybe its because the food there is lousy, I thought. So, we headed to the counter to place our orders. We asked the cafe operator whether our dinner is free because we were supposed to be provided free food for 3 days but they were not sure as the agent who accompanied us here and were supposed to look after us on our wellfare and programmes here and the college's officers had not informed them anything. But they asked us to place our orders first. So being greedy beings, we thought that we might be given free dinner when the operator calls the officers to confirm and so we ordered the most expensive food there with drinks as well. Me, Si Yi, and Pang Teng ordered Sichuan Chicken Rice which costs Rs40 a plate and big bottles of Mineral water which costs Rs8. The girls on the other hand ordered Sichuan Chicken Noodles. After that, we waited at the table for our food to arrive. We were shocked when our 'most expensive food' arrived as it is really RED in colour. I'm not kidding! Really red as in red and not light red or anything! Red like the red on the skin of 'CHAR SIEW'(cantonese roasted pork). And it was very spicy! The non-indian food here is spicier than indian food except 'egg fried rice' which is chinese normal fried rice. While we were eating, 3 seniors came to greet us and introduced themselves. I remembered only Angel because her name was easy to remember and she was the most outspoken and beautiful one among the three. Haha. No offence ya for the other two if you all happen to read this blog. They are PIDC(Penang International Dental College) twinning programme students and will leave end of this year or next year(I'm not sure. Sorry!). After walloping that plate of spicy rice(it was a huge amount of rice served. People here eats large portion of rice! They can eat rice alone without any vege or meat! I think it's because they are poor and they can survive with carbohydrate only as they have to do hard labour or estate work which requires lots of energy and the glucose is burned up quickly. I pity them when I see them having only rice to fill their stomach. Malaysians are so lucky!) we were told that the dinner was not free! BOOM..That's the consequence of being greedy! Haha. We ended up having to pay RS48 for our first dinner here in Salem. It's around RM4.00 in Malaysia. After dinner, we headed back to the hostel for a good night's rest.

Continuation of Salem...

2008-08-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

The shops here in Salem town are very small and quite run-down. The shopping "mall" itself is like a small mini mart only. LOL. Like 99 Speermart and econsave but variety is less. The town is also very different compared to those in Malaysia. The shops are all along narrow roads. Everywhere is dusty and full of sand. I finally experienced "sand storms". Haha. Sometimes the breeze here is quite strong but the breeze is not cooling but warm and it blows the sand along. So our body is never clean and comfortable. We are always sticky and "sandy". Haha. But its a great experience because I get to experience life in conditions different from those in Malaysia. I learned new things and new culture. The people here are very friendly and likes to stare at us. Haha. But their pace of life is very slow because they do things very slowly. Like my friend from KLE Belgaum puts it, "They are like 'kura-kura'(tortoise)". Haha. We went to a mall which has a store called 'Odyssey' which sells stationeries. We went in and everyone was eager to buy things and even held the stationeries, mostly A4 paper and testpads but placed them back when one of us said that our seniors know a place which sells the same stationeries at a lower price. I think the sales assistant was disappointed & pissed-off by looking at his face expression. I felt quite bad and it was quite an embarassing situation but we managed to walk out of the shop safely. LOL. Then, we went down to exit the mall but Pang Teng and Si Yi wanted to go to the washroom and so we waited outside the mall. There I took some pictures of the town and also the teacher's college opposite. One of my friend was blocking the way of a two-wheeler(motorcycle as they call here in India) who was trying to go out from a parking lot. He looked at us for quite a while but did not say a word. After some time, we noticed that he was actually trying to go out and gave way to him. He just shooked his head like all Indians here do and smiled. It was quite funny. LOL..

Opps...I have to go for dinner now. My friend has just called me... Will update again tonight. More great things are coming!! So don't forget to read my next blog...HAha.

Finally, I Can Access The Internet!

2008-08-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

5th of August:
The day of departure. Was an emotional day at the airport but managed to handle it. I did not shed a tear. But I was hesitant to leave my family and friends in Malaysia. Entered the departure hall at about 8.45pm. On board of MALAYSIAN AIRLINES MH192 at about 9.45pm. "MH" means "MALAYSIAN HOSPITALITY". Took off at around 10.10pm.
MALAYSIAN AIRLINES steward and stewardess was very dedicated in giving us comfort. Their service was first class. Really enjoyed the flight. Managed to watch "IRONMAN" which I missed in the airplane. I asked for many things from one of the stewardess and later found out that MAS airplane to INDIA does not have playing cards. Haha...They served dinner on the plane for us. The Menu was Lamb coiffer and vegetarian set. Since I cannot eat lamb, I chose the vegetarian set. It comprises of eggplant in curry and rice. Was quite delicious, but I think the Lamb's even more delicious since SI YI(my friend) ask for another helping of the Lamb after he walloped one. Haha. The flight seems very short although it's almost 4 hours. I think it's because of the "MALAYSIAN HOSPITALITY" of the MAS steward & stewardess. Keep upthe good job and THANK YOU ALL!

6th of August:
Arrived at Bengaluru Airport(Previously Bangalore Airport) at around 2.15am(around 11.45pm Indian time) Bangalore Airport looks a little bit like KLIA but just smaller. We had to go out of the airport to make a detour back into another side of the airport that is just separated by a glass barrier. It was good as we got the chance to experience the cool weather of 23 deg. celcius of Bangalore. Outside Bangalore Airport is a huge LV briefcase. Then in the airport waiting for our domestic flight to Coimbatore at 6.30am Indian time, I talked to Pang Teng, Si Yi, and the Nugrahan agent. We talked about the place we were about to go, Salem. In the mean time, the others slept at the benches in the airport. It was a long and cold wait as the air-conditioning was on full blast. Me and Pang Teng did not dare to sleep as we were worried that our luggage bags may be stolen or sabotaged. Si Yi on the other hand, watched a movie in his laptop. After a very long wait, the JET AIRWAYS counter finally opened. Again, we had to wait in a long queue for our turn to check-in our luggages. The domestic airplane was an experience of a lifetime. It was the first time I flew in an airplane with fan propellers. Haha. Was quite scary and noisy. I sat near the window right next to the wings and the fans. The view was quite beautiful from the plane as the plane flew at a very low level. The breakfast on the plane was however very disappointing. The only food that I found familiar was the bun, butter, and strawberry jam. The strawberry jam tastes awful and the butter was too salty while the bun was hard as rocks. The main dish was an Indian delicacy which I did not know how to eat. Haha. The plane was very small too. So we cramped quite a bit in there. Anyway, we managed to touch down safely despite the vulnerable condition of the plane. The weather in Coimbatore was cool as in Bangalore but at the same time it was hot too due to the intense heat of the sun. Weird huh...2 in 1. LOL. Coimbatore Airport is a very small and run-down airport with no air-cond. After collecting our luggages. we were greeted by Mr. Ambros from VMRF who gave us each a flower. He made a weird statement of me by saying that I look like Bill Gates. How on earth am I of any resemblance of Bill Gates. I don't mind though if I could get his fortune by looking like him. Haha.
We headed to the allocated bus to chauffer us to our destination and for the first time, I saw luggage bags being transported on top of a vehicle secured only by ropes. My luggage was damaged earlier when I landed in Bangalore maybe due to the undelicate touch of some lackadaisical workers and crew in the airport, and I was worried that the bus attendant will make the damage worse and probably cause my belongings to fell off the bus roof top. HAha..Luckily, no such thing happened. Along the way to Salem, I can see mostly brown and yellow colour only along the road as the place is covered with mostly sand and dirt. It was very dusty and hot. Very similar to a dessert condition. The scenery along the road that we passed by was really different and eye-opening. There were some nice places too along the road but just too few. Haha. We can see AIRTEL logo almost everywhere we go. Airtel is a communication company in India similar to Maxis and Digi in Malaysia. The drivers in India are superb!! They like to honk and honk and honk. You can hardly have 10 seconds of peace without a honk!! Haha. I think it's some sort of tradition here, or maybe it's a must for them to honk when they learn how to drive. LOL. And the way they "Potong Jalan" is really incredible. The buses will overtake a lorry for example eventhough a van or motocycle from the opposite direction is already approaching very near it. And the best part is that the bus will honk the van on the opposite direction and the van is expected to stop for the bus to overtake. shocking isn't it. And the other great part is that the rate of accidents here are very low!! Amazing isn't it. haha. All that said, we still managed to arrive at VMRF safely. When we arrived at the hostel, we were further shocked as our hostel hasn't been completed yet. The boys had to stay temporarily at girl's hostel. I'm one of them. The hostel don't look quite polished as it appears in the pictures. haha. But the facilities provided in the hostel is somehow worth the money being paid I would say. every hostel of 8 rooms will have a pantry equipped with a hotplate, a fridge, a microwave oven, and a water dispenser capable of generating clean cold and hot water. In the room on the other hand, there is an air-cond and a water heater in the bathroom. We are also provided with hangers, door mat, dustbin, mug, bucket, curtains, bulbs, ceiling fan, chair, table, cupboard,pillow case, pillow, mattress, bedsheet, and of course the beds. Everyday at around 4pm, the housekeepers will clean our rooms under our supervision of course as they don't have the key to our rooms. Laundry service is also available in the hostel and they charge around 3rps per clothing if I'm not mistaken. Our hostel is in the campus and the campus is quite big and long...haha....After placing our luggages in the hostel rooms, we were chauffered to town to buy our necessities. The town was quite disappointing but we managed to get a thing or two. The price of the things sold here is however very high. Things here are superbly expensive. 1kg of apple here costs us 190rps that is around RM19. 5 hangers costs us 300+rps that is around RM30.

I'm quite tired already. Will continue again next time.

Here are some photos I got from Nugrahan CD:

2008-07-25T04:37:00.000-07:00

Tamil Nadu Map

Laboratory

Lab again

Dissecting Room?

Canteen Kitchen (What a waste of space!)

Cafe Malaysia

Staircase to "Heaven"...nope...Staircase to Hostel

Hostel Room & Bed

Hostel Room

Hostel Bathroom

Hostel Wi-fi Cable: 24 hours enabled wi-fi!

Old Hostel Room with Air-Cond

Some Pictures of My Future University

2008-07-19T03:26:00.001-07:00

Birthday of My Blog

2008-07-18T04:02:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...
Today 18th of July 2008 marks the birth of my first official blog!!
Happy Birthday Blog....haha

Well, first and foremost, this blog is created to post pictures and experiences of my upcoming life in India. I hope Salem's not the only place that'll appear in this blog, because I would like to visit other places in India as well such as New Delhi, Bangalore(I'll be in the airport on the 5th of August but not the city!), Chennai, Kerala, Manipal(thats where my KTT housemates will be!! I'll miss you guys!), Mangalore and Davangere(my KTT classmates are studying there and also some KTT friends), and Belgaum(some KTT friends and also the one who triggered me to 'give birth' to this blog....You know who you are!)

Alright, for a start I'll post the itinerary of my upcoming journey from Malaysia to India.

Time & Events

1800 - I'll arrive at KLIA Sepang

1830 - I'll get some important things done for my flight

1930-2000 - This is the time for my family and friends...(So friends, If you guys intend to send me off, please come before 8.00pm because I'll be very busy with some JPA procedures after that. Thanks!)

2000-2015 - Briefing by JPA officers

2015-2200 - Imigration procedures to board aeroplane

2210 - Depart to Bangalore International Airport India

2330(Indian time) - Arrive at Bangalore International Airport(I'll be waiting there for 5.5 hours for a domestic flight to Coimbatore...I don't know what to do there....probably will be robbed or lose something in between that long period of boredom!!)

0500 - Check in for domestic flight

0630 - Depart to Coimbatore(Coimbatore is two states to the left of Salem if you view the Indian map from the position normal people will view a map...By the way, Salem is in the state of Tamil Nadu)

0900 - Depart to Salem by bus(approx. 2 hour journey)

1100 - Arrive in Salem (After that will be registration processes and college stuffs)

* The name of the higher education institute I'll be enrolled in is "Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation Deemed University"...gosh...what a long name!!

I hope it will be a place worth going!! So India, here I come!!

p.s : special thanks to Ms LHX for the blog idea thingy!