Google PH organized a "Mapping Party" today (Thursday) at Bubba Gump Greenbelt.
The venue could have been better as there was no stage that could have allowed everybody to focus on the program. Also, the sound system wasn't that good and there was only one microphone.
The format of the program was that the moderator would ask us questions and open the floor for questions.
I miss speaking in front of large numbers of people. I loved how my accent was so much different from other's accents but I sometimes fear that I may sound too pretentious and so I would regularly ask people how I came across when I speak.
I haven't noticed it before, but today I kept on correcting myself when I made grammatical errors or pronunciation errors. I forgot to turn off my grammar check.
It was also a sort of reunion for us guys who went to India. It was great seeing them again, but then you realize that you have nothing else in common that you could talk about. Asking about updates on their hopes and dreams which they mentioned in India felt weird in the setting that was created.
Mapping Party
Garuda Mall
I intentionally left out most of the details about my afternoon in Garuda Mall in the previous post. If my memory serves me right, the garuda is like the phoenix, rising from the ashes kind of mythical bird.
The cinema was nice enough. The cost for a ticket is almost the same as that in the Philippines at 110Rp or S$3.5. The commercials before the movie had these permits that were shown with the commercials. At the middle of the movie, there was a five minute break during which people are encouraged to buy more food.
I spent most of my time in the mall outside of it, just sitting and walking, enjoying the strong cool winds. Every now and then, it would drizzle and I would have to enter the mall and sit on the benches inside. I loved the weather in Bangalore. It's almost like Lipa's (Batangas, Philippines). Walking around during our afternoon walking tour was a very pleasant experience due to the weather.
While sitting in the food court and fiddling with my phone, pretending that I am waiting for someone, I overheard this three people talking about me. I was sure they were talking about me because they all looked at me at the same time. They were trying to guess my age.
People kept on staring at me because I don't look like them. I loved it.
Bangalore Day 3: Malls
The third day of my Bangalore trip was a free day. When I checked out of Park Hotel, I didn't have anything planned as I just didn't do any form of research. I didn't even ask the concierge at the hotel for information which worked very well in the past trips I've had.
Having no Rupees, I tried to find a money changer which proved difficult. It's funny that I only changed money 12 hours before my flight. I asked several banks and they all pointed me to a far away place that requires riding a tricycle but then I don't have cash.
Thankfully, Bangalore weather is not that hot so walking under the sun was okay. When I saw a +PLUS sign on Deutsche Bank which indicates I can use my Singapore ATM card, I immediately withdrew money instead of searching for that elusive money changer although it would cost me S$5 more.
I continued walking until I reached Central Mall, a 5-floor department store. After perusing all the floors, I walked further down the road and saw another mall: Garuda Mall. I saw up close a Nano, the very low cost Indian car. I watched Aliens vs Monsters and sat at the Food court and the benches that were all around.
I left the mall at around 4.30pm and walked around near the hotel but decided that I wanted to go back to Garuda Mall but I can't remember the name at that point. All I had was this brochure of a store which doesn't even mention the name of the mall. I got overcharged by the tricycle driver but I just wanted to really ride one. I went back to the hotel at around 7.30pm by tricycle so that I could go to the airport already.
I wish I knew that there was another mall nearby Park Hotel: Lido Mall. Refer to this map
Bangalore: Last Minute
Everything about my trip to Bangalore was very last minute. I thought that it only takes 2 days to get a visa to India because somebody told me, without knowing that the processing time is different for non-Singaporeans.
The formal invitation letter was sent to m4 on a Monday (13 April) afternoon. Upon receiving the letter, I checked the embassy for all the requirements and found out that for non-Singaporeans applying here in Singapore, a minimum 5 working days is required which means I could only get it by Tuesday (21 April), not in time for the conference. The website even states that emergency services are not provided to non-citizens. So I panicked and thought I could not go anymore. But then, Tuesday was an embassy holiday because of the Indian New Year.
Earling morning Wednesday, it took me three hours to just queue and convince the embassy people that I really have to fly by Sunday and I therefore need the visa within 2 days. There were other people who were there with me but got rejected and were asked to go through the normal process. I went back to the embassy last Friday to claim the visa. I booked the plane ticket that afternoon.
On the night before my flight, I was convinced by Jhoana and Smile that I have to make business cards and so I did. On the day of my flight, I bought new leather shoes and had my haircut so that I could look my best.
