08/10/09 THE HOPELESS DREAMS...

I and a friend left Kuching International Airport at about 1615 hours on the 21 Oct., 2009. It is an air bus flight. The check-in was perfect. As usual I took the Economic Class, and the plane suppose to take off by 1745 hours, but due to some confusion in the ticketing and directing of the passengers, the flight take off had to be delayed due to missing nine passengers. The captain announced that the ground crews are trying to locate these missing passengers. As we were waiting, I chat with a cute stewardess by the name of Nurol Anis, which jokingly I said her name should be Nurul Manis, and she deffended that her name is Nurol Anis, and registered as such. In fact I purposely just said so to break the ice.

(2) Our discussion focused on her career as the stewardess, the different before and after the out going CEO, Idris Jala. She seem a bit unhappy about MAS Scheme of Service, whereby her contract take five years and thereon she has to go for interview, some exam and testing before could be absorbed as permananet staff. MAS retiring age is at 45 years old. Now I know why MAS flight assistants are always young guys, not like others. Along the way, I did also talk about my bad experience with Air Asia, during my last month flight back from Sibu, where the flight aircon was shut down, while the passengers were all on board. Kids were crying, people were sweating, some lost their temper and began heated argument with the flight attendants and supervisor, wanting to be disembarked which was denied for quiet sometimes. I did suggested to the flight attendant that the passengers be given some mineral water to indicate their sense of responsibility, but ‘indifferently’ I was answered ‘who's going to pay for the drink’. I fact I said I’m willing to pay for the drinks, since the flight was only less than 50 percent full (I guessed).

(3) The flight was smooth, the landing was smooth. Upon landing I rushed to have some Rupees at the exchange rate of RM1: Rp 12.34 (later at the hotel at Chennai, I foundout the rate was RM1.00: Rp 12.20).

(4) I boarded the MH180 to Madras now called Chennai. Upon entering the flight, I could feel the heating condition of the cabin. And it seem that my Sibu experience is repeated here in MAS, an international flight. It take probably about 20-30 minutes to rectify the problem, but the passengers and including the air attendants start sweating. I wonder, and I believe, since the plane had experience such a problem even before the passengers being called in, why not rectify the issue first before boarding are being allowed. My concern is the restless-crying kids, and pity the helpless mothers, while working hard to comfort the kids, they sweat profusely. I can feel the anger burning in their chest! We aim to be a modern State by 2020, now I could see, all over we are going to have a Hopeless Dream!

(5) Nonetheless the four hours flight was good, and I just take long nap. Though we departed at about 2130 hours (Malaysian Time), we landed in Chennai at 23.00 hours (Chennai Time) as if we were just flying for 90 minutes. Upon entering the arrival hall, the scene of over populated India is obvious. People are queing waiting for whoever, just like the old day Subang Airport.

(6) As usual upon arrival in new places, my psycho-analyse mind and photographic eyes began to work, searching for trends and photographic objects. I tried to look for a theme, for my Blog, and Hopeless Dream probably the best for this Journey.

(7) Since it is late nite, we quickly check into the Le Royal Meridien, and as a guest I was booked into a nice room. The room is perfect, with soft white pillows and dressing, all fine Indian cotton, I believed. Though it was 2400 hours, Chennai Time, but biologically it was already 0230 hour (Malaysian Time). I can’t sleep, so start to look for the power point to write. I can’t used my Computer due to incompatible socket problem. I just flipping over the TV channel, and of course none I could understand. All are in Tamil. This in Tamil Nadu (the Land of the Tamil).

(8) I probably dozed off at about 0100 hours, and woke up at 0400 hours. Again feel miserable as I couldn’t use my computer. I also didn’t bring any reading materials because I want to save space to get some from here later. Well at this age, the mind and the body seem no more able to jive nicely. I have a hanging head thereon for the whole day.

(9) I have nice breakfast at about 0700. All Indian foods. I have nice Apam, Dosai, with lots of curry. Everything curry. The vege, the mutton, the fish, all curry. The foods are really sliver (amylase) draining, but due to my health problem, I need to control ‘my mouth’.

(10) At 10.00 hours, we left for a meeting. A technical presentation on the mission that I have in hand, that is to turn around one of the investment that could caused many people in trouble, which is now being push to me to handle. I hope, of which sometimes ago, that this investment is a Dream for us to control some sector in the State, I wouldn’t fail or ‘Turn it Up Side Down’, making it a Hopeless Dream…..

(11) The discussion was smooth. Nothing impossible seem to be in the way. Technically and experience wise the potential partner seem to be perfect. I just concluded that the process to gain 100 percent capacity of our investment must be made in 18 months not the 36 months as proposed, and all parties interest must be well taken care. All cost and pricing must be look from providing gain to all parties and this initiative must be viewed as long term partnership. We need expansion soon thereon.

(12) By 12.00 hours, we conclude, but I reserved making further commitment. I left the ironing to my colleague to do the minor lobbying on the cost and pricing. We then paid a visit to St Joseph Church, among the first church built by the Portuguese in the 1700s. The Church location gives a good view of the Chennai City, the fourth largest in India, with 8,000,000 population.

(13) At the main ground, over looking the City, the Golden Christ Statue was erected, with white mother Tertesa on one corner. He seem to bleed, crossed to death, cried by some women, over seeing the polluted, hard lives crawling far down under the Mt Hanna (?). Some devotees were praying to him. I wonder, is this not another Hopeless Dream….Christ dream of bringing prosperity and happiness to mankind, while the devotees are ‘dreaming’ for his blessing, yet far away, all over, there are just Hopeless Dream…..poverty, misery, depression……………………worst abuse and indifferent!

(14) Thereon, we have nice Indian lunch. Again curry. And here, I tried dried-fried salted chilly. The taste is great, and surely good to be taken with porridge and or soup. But here, they serve with Papadom and that sweet porridge-like desert.

(15) At 1330 hours we rushed for the airport to head for Madurai (probably to differentiate with the Indonesian Madura, they add in i), a nice jet flight on Brazilian made plane. At the airport, I saw the true colors of Indian population. The facial, the skin, the body built, the body language are so diverse and unique of their own. The ladies in particulars have broad beautiful dark black and or brown eyes. Their thick eye lace make them look pretty great. Those with sharp nose seem to have wide thin lips, that make their smile look so sweet. In the plane, there is one stewardess whom look more of a Malay feature, and her name spell HoneyFa, which I pointed to her that her name should sound Hanifah and be spelt Hanifah, and she agreed, of which thereon, I receive lots of lovely smiles from her which make my colleague begin to be ‘jealous’. I dozed off to her smiles.

(16) We landed at Madurai, and thereon we drove for another 150 minutes toward the South to the Tuticorin City by the coast of the Andaman Sea. We rest at Sangar Sagan (Sagan Beach) Guest House. Along the way, the dry sub-tropical climate, seem to make everything dry. We took the just built HighWay, passing through lots of ‘City-size’ villages. This is a flat dry land area. We can’t see the hill and mountain as far we could see. People are growing corn, sugar cane, banana (exceptionally growing very well), and all sort of orchard farms. Goats of various types are abundant. Sign of poverty and poor quality of life are ramphant. People (esp. women) had to collect water a distance away and carried them back home in plastic jar carried on their head. I wonder, rather wasting all those money in war and arm race, pretty bad that the people lives and welfare are treated secondary. I wonder as well, the politician that decide on this resource allocation, are they really sure of the security trait or just another political game: making the people dream for electing them a Hopeless Dream!

(17) In the early morning I walked around the Guest House, which forms part of the Bird Sanctuary. First time I saw wild peacock, the Indian National Bird, with full of colors. The Birds Sanctuary is meant for the Migratory Birds from all over the world, but since this is the dry period and not much water bodies around (dry marshland), the place seem to be flooded with big black crows. Then I was joined by the Edec Official, Mr Sitaram, to the salt making areas. First time in my whole life to see how salt being made, and it is the easiest technology on earth: draw in the salt water into the salt pan (pond) depth about 1-1.5 feet, then let the sun do the rest; which later human being just push the crystallized salt to the edge and pill them off ready for transportation elsewhere.

(18) The salt making business, I would say is simple, and in fact I was touch to see the people working in this open-hot environment. I could not imagine the ‘sticky feeling’ of those salt water over their bodies since though I just stand at a distance, I could smell the fishy odour of the wind.

(19) At about 0900 hours, we tour the Integrated Agro-chemical Mill and thereon we were guided to tour the Tuticorin City. A port city with lots of mills set-up.

(20) At 1415 hours, after the Indian Lunch at the Guest House we drove back to Madurai for the flight back to Chennai. I met the same HoneyFa and her colleague stewardess, Asihya. Nonetheless due to hectic and hot trip, I dozed off along the way. I woke up when Asihya serve me the early diner, then we chat for a while. I saw her photos that I have taken the day before while waiting for the flight from Chennai to Madurai. The way she treated me remind me of the old day courteous MAS services (1970s-1980s), but now it seem, MAS just serve with the On-the-Air-Smile!

(21) We landed back at Chennai at about 1900 hours, and Mr Sitaram insist to take us for a dinner, though I’m full, but as a matter of respect, I just go at 2030 hours after check into the Grt Grand Hotel. At the counter, we were received by two contras Indian ladies personality. One from Tamil Nadu, the other from Assam. The Assam lady looks mid way Japanese-Chinese, while the Tamil Nadu looks neither Japanese nor Chinese, my term I used on her was ‘just look like here’! They smile to my remark and began to give way for conversation. Well, I just want to break the ice for all my other friends whom are with me, and thereon they take their que!

(22) Chennai dies at 2200 hours.....and at 0600 hours next day, I took a walk along the street at the side of the hotel. Just as I walked into the street dire faces rushed and held their begging hands to me. This is really a disturbing feeling, and since I have been warned not to attend too much to these 'guestures', I just walked passed and see some road side stalls making and selling Dosai (Tosey). Since this is Saturday, the City seem to sleep longer, and would only woke up at 10.00 hours.

(23) The Streets in Chennai are pretty green with lines of Rain Trees. To any Third World Standard, I would say people in Chennai has high respect over Street Greening. Nonetheless, the dust and rubbish which seem to be not properly attended made the City lost the score. I hardly could see well organized rubbish area in most of the Streets.

(24) At 0930 hours, we depart for more organize Country Side Tour. We visited the Crocodile Farm, the Famous Temple Archeological Site, the Craft Village, the Art Gallery, and one stop at Man Shirt House.

(25)The Craft Village is the most interesting to me. Here, there are various architecture of homes being built, with each symbolizing the key region of India.The Kerala architecture attract me the most, with the roofing resembling the olden Malays 'tebing layar', with verandah at the door step and nice water front (drain) in the compound. The verandah serves as the common meeting area for the family and the guest, I believe. Nonetheless, the home seem to form a nice linked house with good court yard both infront and at the back. Our tour ended at 1730 hours and we have a nice clean up before exploring the night side of Chennai.

(26) Our nite tour began at 1900 hours. We walked along the Thyagaraya Rd. If not because of the vehicular and those shopping complexes lighting, the street is a perfect dark alley. There is no night live in Chennai.

(27) We just spent most of our time going through nice cotton clothing. Jean and all those Cowboy Like shirt are nice and considered cheap. We have to retreat for the hotel for our dinner, nice prawn, mutton, fish briani rice.

(27) Few things that I have learnt form this visit:

(a) The Indian, due probably to Feudalism practice in their Hindu (and probably Buddhish) culture, need serious supervision in every aspect of their assignments. Without which, they would not get thing done correct, and when such thing happen, they seem to pass down the blame to the lower heirachy. The love to argue, and in any argument, some body have to be blame!

(b) Construction, production, and probably retail and hospitality relatedprofession would be the best for them. I have a strong believe, the plantation sector would make them fail badly.

(c) I would say, camparative to the Third World Cities: Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, and Saigon that I have visited, even comparing with Kuala Lumpur, Chennai is pretty 'clean city'. No sign of 'red light area' is presence. Which make me concluded that it is pretty safe to roam around the town. Probably the oly problem are the street hungry people.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
25 Oct., 2009