adopt your own virtual pet!

Hmm... Just tot this was cute to add in my blog. Have fun playing with Nekkie!

HSBC... the world's local Bank...

Ermm is this slogan correct? Hopefully it doesn't mean the Indian local bank version. Today, I have finally received my debit card and my bank account number after 2 months here? I think the lengthy delay is partly due to my company's admin people and also the inefficent working procedures of HSBC in India. Yeah... Hadn't received the full amount of my last month's pay and had been surviving on the advance handout (cash from cash cheque).

Well... as I alwiz mentioned, people here never fails to surprise me... here comes....

I mentioned I received my debit card right? The PIN should be sent in separate letters and luckily it did arrive together on the same day with the debit card but in different mails. How lucky... no need to wait... Let me show you my PIN (IMPORTANT : Do not disclose your PIN to any person, not even the Bank staff)....

Can you see it? No? Did they use any high-tech invisible ink? Should I catch the new James Bond movie to learn new spy skills to decode this PIN?

Hmm... oops... its blank... the Bank has such high security that it doesn't tell the printer the PIN to be printed for its customers. Looks like I've still gotta wait sometime before I can use my debit card to withdraw money from the ATMs... so I still gotta spend my remaining cash carefully.

An view of the surrounding area of my project's site.

Just been to my project site for the 2nd time (1st time was when I just arrived in Bangalore) to do evaluation for the showflat that is under construction currently.

Just wanted to show you pple the interiors of Garuda Mall just in case you all are wondering how Indian Shopping Centres look like.





Garuda Mall photos


Yeap.... they had Mark's & Spencer here too like what I've mentioned in my 1st entry. However, they do not sell those lovely cookies like Singapore ones.

On Monday, I had accidentally sat on my specs and caused it to bend a little. Just wanted to share with you people the kind of life I get here... ("screw") ups & downs.

I asked my driver to send it to any Optical shop to see if they can help me bend it back properly. Before lunch, my driver returned with the specs... still not properly bent. So I guess I had to go personally to tell the optician how it should have been done.

When I reached the shop, the person say that they do not have the necessary equipment like the simple plyer. I would have to leave my specs behind for him to send to the workshop for fixing. Ok... just leave it with him...

The next day, when my driver collected back the specs, it is still not really twisted back properly. I had to scout the whole MG road and Brigade road for optical shops. I remembered when I was just strolling along these places, optical shops are everywhere. Strangely, that night... all these shops seemed to have disappeared. Managed to find one optical cum watch shop. The guy examined my specs closely for sometime and tell me it will break if he tried. I asked if I could borrow the plyer, I'll do it myself. He said he dun have plyers. Duh... 2nd shop that dun have plyers. Can't believe how they adjust spectacles.

Got to another shop along MG road. He said his technician had gone home and locked his toolbox. Duh... I decided to try my luck at this shopping centre called Garuda Mall as my driver said the shops close ard 9 to 10pm... it was only 8.45pm then... Gosh... the only 1 optical shop is closed. =(

Finally today, I went to find the one at MG road (technician gone home that one). To my surprise, the shop is closed! Closed on a Wednesday daytime. Maybe scared that I'd go and find them. Anyway, found another optical shop along MG road. The boss was once again another one who is reluctant to help. Until I persauded him to just lend me his tools, I'll do everything at my own risk. He only then agreed to let his helper bring me to the basement. This helper is a young chap. Very eager to help. However, he is overly cautious about handling my specs that he didn't really bend it back properly too. I took over n try. He was nice to remind me on which part of the specs i must be careful not to apply too much pressure as it may affect its alignment to an extent where the lens will not be able to be held in the frame.

Yeah... learnt something new... He got impatient looking at me fumbling with it that he decided to kar kar lai and bent it hard...and he managed to kinda fix the specs to my satisfaction. He was nice guy who refuse to accept tips from me... Hmm.... Moral of the story is... in India, everything can screw up in ways you could not have imagine. However, most things will eventually work out and works out better that what you expect (maybe after too much disappointment, your expectations dropped too).

Very longwinded hor? hehe...

Okie people, finally got myself to post another entry....

It has been over a week since my last entry... Well, I've managed to accumulate enough materials to blog now.

This is Bangalore Central Shopping Centre. One of the newest ones around here I guess. It is basically one big mega mall where it is a departmental store spreading over 6 storeys I think. It sells everything that a normal deparmental store will but it is not really a Hypermarket. However, the supermarket on the topmost floor does have some vegetable which I hardly see elsewhere. I managed to buy my first "Bai Cai" from there. Its called "Exotic Phakchoy" on its price tag... yeah..considered exotic enough over here.
They taste quite nice with my oyster sauce. I also managed to cook garlic fried rice too. This is the second attempt and it finally got the taste of garlic unlike the 1st attempt.






Looks like they are celebrating Christmas like back home in Singapore? Hehe... nah... it was Karnataka Formation Day on the 1st Nov recently. Only till last week, the people around my area started the mini celebration with lights and getais... yah... "Getai"s like our 7th month festival like that... they set up stages for people to sing and perform on the streets. They also celebrated their Elephant God, Lord Ganesha together. 2 birds in one stone...

Well, it does make me think of the chirstmas lightings along orchard road.. heard that the lights are on already to create the festive season atmosphere to make Singaporeans spend..

Here's a "Uniquely India" kinda photo. A bus with roses stuck to the sides with scotch tapes and also colour papers stuck on the wheels. Wonder if its related to the State Formation Day celebrations.


Over here, they do have unique buildings which catches my eye too. This is a castle-like building along St Marks Road. I liked the castle stone wall kind of design. I think we might only see this kind of designs in Singapore when they clad up a busstop along Orchard for some advertisement.

Yes... Its been quite sometime since I last upload new posts. I guess I'm getting abit lazy in trying to find photos or any themes to post in my blog. I realised that I'd better post something here or I'll start to lose the interests of people popping by my blog and see the same posts all the time. =)



Took some photos last week during lunch time at the places I went for lunch during working days. The first 3 photos are from Koshys Restaurant off St. Mark's Road. Koshys is quite a old established name in Bangalore I reckon as they also have a few confectionaries in their name. I ate a grill meat platter... really alot of meat.. beef, mutton, chicken, chicken liver, bacon and egg. It is also served with bread n butter... all for abt S$10.

Next is the Japanese Restaurant "Harima". They serve Japanese set lunches with quite a few choices. Teriyaki beef/ Teriyaki Chicken/ Tofu etc.... I forgot the other choices.. hehe. The food is quite nice... but it's quite costly too... it's about S$14-16.

Over the past weeks, there were also gatherings organised by the Singaporeans (they call themselves "Singaloreans") and their Indian friend, Saritha.

On the 29th Oct, they celebrated Chris's birthday which fall on the 30th Oct. We have a fest at his place with all the wonderful food prepared by his wife Margaret. We had popiah and fried hokkien mee which makes me start to miss the singapore food.

On 1st Nov, Karnataka Formation holiday, we went to our indian friend's place. A nicely decorated home at Saritha's place and she prepared some curry crabs for us. (Rare to see crabs availiable in Bangalore). Had some good fun 'dancing' after the dinner and desserts.


Look at everyone crowding around the table for food....