Choti Bharat Yaatra (Little India Journey)----With Good Friend Maria Cristina Ong.... :) :) :) :)

HAY GRABEH THE DAY (March 15, 2008)!!!! So nakakapagod!!!! Well I was supposed to go with Pei Mei that day, but she told me the night before that she wasn't available for personal reasons. Luckily, my good friend Maria Cristina Falls....este Ong....was available....I SO OWE YOU THAT DAY TINA!!!! THANKS SUPER!!!! Kasi ganito yun. I needed to interview some Indians for my freakin' Fil paper due to lack of sources. My topic was all about Indians in the Filipino community....There. The interview started out roughly....but things became smoother after a short while....BUTI NA LANG....hehe....so ayun. It was sooooo fun....because I got to do my homework while having fun, plus bonding time with Tina....hehe....YEY!!!!

Trip summary:
1. Went to Khalsa Dewan Sikh Temple but they didn't let us in....busy daw
eh....tsk tsk tsk tsk....sayang....
2. Went to Assad Minimart to interview a Filipino employee....then we each
bought VIMTO, a raspberry flavored soda....hehe....
3. Went to the store next door....interviewed the storeowner....then I bought a
money envelope with a coin worth 1 Rupee (rougly 1 peso din) for my dad. My
dad likes to collect coins kasi....you can say he's a numismatist....haha....The
envelope is just like the Chinese angpao/ampao, pero it has more
designs/colors....it has the same purpose, money for luck. Ayun.
4. We went to another store next door (no photos available kasi di daw puwedeng
magpic sa loob). After the interview, we bought Rosemilk (yes, rose flavored
milk, a delicacy in India), first time namin parehong uminom nun, then
nickname namin ni Tina sakanya ROSEMILK MAN (for Ateneans and other
"fans" of Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things....HE'S NOTHING LIKE
THE ORANGEDRINK-LEMONDRINK MAN....)
5. Went back to Assad Minimart....kasi nakalimutan ng lolo niyo (ako yun....)
yung Samosas at Ladoo na pilit ipakakain kay Tina....HAHAHAHA....(samosa
= the Indian empanada, with vegetarian filling. ladoo= it's one of India's version
of the Filipino "kakanin". It's sweet, coconut-y, nutt-y, and curr-y, kasi it has
spices in it, one being curry....haha....)
6. Went to Assad Cafe to eat....We ordered Naan (Indian flat bread), Chapattis
(Indian flat bread, pero iba ang texture with the naan) and Chicken Masala to
go with the bread (Chicken Masala literally means "spiced chicken". Basically
it's just chicken with curry and other spices ). After that, we sipped out Vimto,
ate the samosas and shared 1 ladoo....
7. We went to a third store na katabi ng Assad Minimart....well, all the Indians
were busy eh, tapos walang mabili, so we left the store....haha....now, off to
the Hindu Temple....
8. We had a procession to the Hindu Temple....buti na lang the high priest
(Ashok Maharaj, maharaj ang title niya)could accommodate us. We
interviewed him on the second floor, with all the statues. He was a fun person
to interview....know why in a moment. He was surprised too when I talked to
him in my stocked-Hindi phrases, words and terms. Then picture picture with
the gods....then ayun, we went home....hehe :D:D:D:D....tapos realizing we
had no pic of us together....we had one in the LRT station....

TOP 10 CONVERSATIONS FOR THE DAY:

10. Gilbert: "So Little India is a fairly small community, smaller than
Chinatown....then baka mashock ka sa amoy ng mga spices nila...."
Tina: "Surprise mo na lang ako pagdating dun, para may adventure di ba??"
Gilbert: "Ok, basta dapat mong kumain ng Indian food. Haha...."
Tina: "Um....I'll try...."
Gilbert: "YEY!!!!"

9. Gilbert: "Mamaya pupunta tayo diyan (points to a street sign) sa Mahatma
Gandhi Street. Anjan kasi ang Hindu Temple."
Tina: "So pumunta ba si Mahatma Gandhi diyan??"

8. Gilbert: "OMG....anu tong menu (pertaning to the mejo pricy Indian food)"
Tina (akala I was pertaining to the unfamiliar food): "Eto oh, a more familiar
menu" (hands the other menu, kasi hindi lang Indian food meron
dun sa Assad Cafe, meron ding Filipino and Chinese food)
Gilbert: "NO!!!! KAKAIN KA NG INDIAN FOOD!!!! BWAHAHAHAHA"

7. Tina(looks at some packs of nuts): "Gilbert tingnan mo!!!! Ang mura ng mga
nuts dito!! Wala pang 100php per pack!! Sa
Ongpin mga ganito, same pack, mga more
than 100php na!!"
Gilbert: "Oh, bibili ka??"
Tina: "Hindi."
NOTE: The funny thing here is that....3 times nangyari tong conversation na ito in
3 different stores that all sell nuts (first sa Assad, then isa store ni
Rosemilk man, and dun sa store na walang pumainsin samin dahil busy
sila)....haha....

6. Gilbert (to Ashok Maharaj (AM)): "Namaste (means hello), ok, so for a brief
introduction, (hingal hingal), hahahaha....so again, for a brief....
(hingal hingal)....hay, for a br-....whoa!! (hingal hingal) Omaygad it's
hoootttt....hahaha....(hingal hingal) I'm sorry....hahahaha....whew....
(hingal some more)"
AM: "Relax....haha...."
Tina: "(giggles)"
Gilbert: (isip sa sarili: I. Don't Feel. Any Pressure. Right Now. Only....HEAT....)

5. Tina (referring to the rosemilk): "Wow, ang sarap ng rosemilk. Sa una, di mo
alam kung anu yung lasa, tapos after nalunon,
may after-taste nung rose...."
Gilbert: "Yap, sarap nga eh, first time ko rin to....always wanted to try it, and
now I did....sarap...."
Tina: "Onga eh, parang naaamoy mo yung rose sa lalamunan mo...."

4. Tina: "Hay, mang-iinterview ka ang formal ng language mo, marunung naman
palang magTagalog yung mga Indians."
Gilbert: "Ayaw mo nun, formal interview."
Tina: "Formal ah, pero biglaan ang interview mo...."
Gilbert: "Ayaw mo nun, formal ambush interview...."

3. Gilbert: "No no, I only speak LITTLE HINDI...."
AM: "Oh, you speak little, but GOOD Hindi........SPEAK!!!!
COME ON....SPEAK!!!!"
Gilbert: "Uhhhh....(starteld, starts to blabber something in Hindi....then stops)"
AM: "Go, speak some more!!!!"
Gilbert: "(panics more....blabbers things again....then....) I only speak little
Hindi...."
AM: "(nods, and smiles.)"

2. Si Tina napaluhod sa kalye....habang naglalakad
Tina: "GILBERT!!!!!!! WAIT!!!!!!!!!!"
Gilbert: "OMG!!!! ANU NANGYARI SAYO?!?!?!?! Buti tinawag mo ako kundi
baka naiwanan na kita!!!!"
Tina: "(hingal hingal) IKAW KASI EH!!!!"
Gilbert: "Anu ginawa ko sayo??"
Tina: "NAGPAPATAWA KA KASI EH!!!! Tapos iniimagine ko yung mga
sinasabi mo!!!! Ayan!!!! Muntik na akong magcollapse!!!!" (I was telling her
jokes kasi, recalling funny moments of the day, and imitating the Indian
accent earlier....)
Gilbert: "OMG I'M SO SORRY!!!!" (pero nagpatawa pa rin ako afterwards....
haha, sorry Tina, I couldn't help myself....hehe....)

1. AM (shows a long cloth that seems to cover something): "Under this cloth is
the Guru Granth Sahib (GGS). It's the holy book of the Sikhs."
Gilbert: "Wait, this is a Hindu temple, but why do you have the GGS here??"
AM: "Oh, everybody likes the GGS, so we borrowed this from the Sikh
Temple. We even have it in 3 versions. One in Gurmukhi, one in Hindi,
and another in Sindhi."
(Tina and Gilbert were wondering if AM could show them the GGS....but.... )
AM: "If you get this book, and throw it, or disrespect it, the Sikhs will come
with their swords and they will HUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU!!!!"
Gilbert: "OH MY GOD........." (buti na lang di ko tinanong....)
Tina: "ANO?!?!" (buti na lang di ko rin tinanong noh, Gilbert....)
AM: "It's actually A GOOD THING, because the Sikhs are just showing their
respect to the GGS. So again, if you throw it, or do something bad to it,
the Sikhs will come with their swords and kill you!!!!"
Gilbert: "Owkiei.... (still shocked, fearing that an angry mob of Sikhs is outside
with their swords)"
Tina: "(shocked....tapos, NR na lang sa gulat....)"