Throwback - My life as an expat

I'm doing spring cleaning in the office when I discovered what I wrote on 2^nd June 2012 when I was still working as an expatriate in India. It was a diary of what I did the whole day on Saturday, 2nd Jun 2012 in Delhi before taking a flight back to Vijayawada via Hyderabad. I did some macro photography that day using a new lense that I bought in KL. 

I was up at 6.15am by the noisy traffic which can be easily heard loud from my room on the 3^rd floor of the company Safdarjung guest house. I stayed lazy in bed till around 6.45am, tossing to the left and right enjoying a time, doing nothing. I deserved to have a lazy morning in bed after a whole day stress at works, meeting with Minister, RT&H and NHAI, a day before. It was quite a challenging task to deliver what their expectation and the given target dateline. However, before I went to be last night, I concluded that the meeting was good though there's a lot of loopholes and opportunities being open up or may be interpreted by both parties.

Life is not rigid, anyway. It has its own flaws, therefore nothing to be worried so much about. I had decided last night with my thought before my eyes slowly closed for a deep sleep that “I deserve a good Saturday’s off”! After 2 solid hours in bed in toying around with TV channel and Internet, I forced myself for shower as time has approaching 9.30am. At 10.00am, Arun asked whether I want my late breakfast, a dossai with chutney. I nodded my answer with huge smile on my face. Black coffee or white? asked Arun further. A dossai and white coffee please, was my affirmation. Anyway, the breakfast that was prepared by Arun was really good. I miss his cooking after sometime.

Ram, who was assigned the full day to drive me around, drove me to Saket Mall. I went straight to get a ticket at PVR Cinema, Select City Mall for a 13.20 hour show, Snow White & The Hunt’s Man. Twice I asked the ticket boy to confirm the ticket price on INR350 (RM20) is a ticket for 1 person, not two. Yes maam! Double than KL for a seat that you can comfortably slide nicely? Better worth it!

Heading straight to Zara boutique, my sanity told me not to waste more money that I might regret later. Thus, determine to get only 2 blouse (maybe 3), 1 pant and 1 shoe. Do I need any more shoes? Do I really want a new shoes after I bought 4 pairs in Karachi? Hmm.. not really. With sad realization, decided to spent some time alone reassessing how many pieces I should take from Zara after finish a must stop pit “fabindia”.

Here I am again in fabindia boutique that I fall deeply in love since my first visit to India in 2009. How I wish, there’s an outlet in Malaysia as not able to come here, touching the soft & elegant fabrics will saddened me most. It will be huge loss if I were not able to visit and shopping in this outlet. I end up with 3 shawls and a cotton caftan while witnessing an annoyed scene of a mother and daughter (Indian), both conversing only in English so loud, especially the daughter who ordered her mother around. In the end, she only spent INR6,430 for all the scene that she caused. I had nauseate feeling when she asked the cashier twice, "are you sure there's no discounts given when I bought more than 3 pieces? Its INR6,300 right? She must be new here. There’s never a sale in fabindia!!!

Stepping outside fabindia, my thoughts goes straight to a yummy raw sashimi at Ai Restaurant seated on the next mall, MGM. Crossing a small passage at St. Oliver’s boutique, I was disappointed to see that the whole area being sealed for a renovation of a new store. There’s no more Ai’ Restaurant there. Feeling frustrated, I saw a Chinese cuisine restaurant on the same floor. Maybe I should settle for Chinese soup noodle. Time was approaching 12.20 noon but the manager allows me to sit inside though business only started at 12.30 noon. While waiting, I took out my Nikon and the new macro lense, "Nikkor" taking a few shots of a nice cutlery and purple ambiance of the restaurant. It was tomyum soup and special shanghai rice and noodle combination that I chose for lunch. The food was pretty okay.

My lunch finished right before the movie started. With good movie, good food, good shopping, my Saturday was finally concluded as a good day out alone in Delhi city.