Ambiguous Insanity...

Dead!!

2008-01-29T06:14:00.001+09:00

Mann this blog has been dead for quite a while now! Completely forgot about it....
Lotsa stuff to write about...will get to it soon...as soon as the laziness ends...

How much is enough...

2007-09-24T19:08:00.000+08:00

There's never an end to how much you can 'want'. And it doesn't quite help if you work in the very store that sells all your wants...CHEAP!!
After my winter holidays back in India, I got a new job at an Computer / Electronics store. Now my wish-list has always been quite long, favoring more towards the tech-shiny-gadgets side. Things on the list include - MacBook Pro, 25" Wide screen LCD, Fender Stratocaster etc etc. Now barring the Fender, the store sells practically everything else. At as an employee, I get everything at cost price! I was always aware that stores make a lot of profit on their margins, but actually working there gives you the true idea of what's happening. Most high end gadgets have a profit margin of at least $500!! Ah...and the fact that I can buy these at cost price...ah..thats killing...

Apart from work, not much has been happening. Just been hanging out with friends. Here are a few pics of all the nonsense everyone's been up2...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adityasen/tags/birddinner/show/

The Bong Connection

2007-07-31T22:37:00.001+08:00

Here's an advice to fellow travellers. Never help out a 'bong'.

For the uninitiated, a 'bong' is a slang for a typical person of Bengali origin from Calcutta. To clarify, even I am a Bengali. But as I've pointed out numerous times, there are two types of 'bongs'. There's the Bengali, who are normal people, your everyday person. Then there's the Bangali. This is your typical Calcutta bred bong, who's major attraction in life include eating fish rice, doing 'adda' with friends in the local 'para', and sleeping. I'm not really gonna elaborate further, cuz I could write an entire book on the distinctions between the two. Now back to what I was saying, never help out a 'bong' (read: Bangali). A bit of background first. With the boom of numerous low cost carriers in India, a new fleet of flying customers have emerged, most of them from the bottom half of India's surplus middle class. And majority of them are first time fliers.

So this time when I went back to India, I was flying from Chennai to Kolkata. As I was checking in, a 'bong' couple next to me were having difficulty conversing with the check in staff. It was apparent that they spoke nearly no English or Hindi, and were desperately trying to figure out what the boarding passes handed out to them meant, why did the nice lady bending the counter take their luggage from them, and why wasn't the so-called airplane they heard of anywhere in sight. As the airline staff didn't speak any Bengali either, I offered to help out, explaining about the security check, the boarding process etc. Typical of bong behavior, they started called me 'lokhi-chele' (blessed child). And after that was sheer misery. The couple followed me everywhere I went. As I was sitting in the waiting area, they came and sat beside me, one on either side. I was constantly bombarded with questions - 'What is your name?', 'Where are you coming from', 'Why are you travelling alone', 'How much did your tickets cost', 'What did you eat for breakfast'.....the questions were endless. I tried to be as polite as possible, keeping my answers to a minimum one word or one sentence. I tried to make an excuse that I had to call someone, so I pretended to head off toward the public telephone. But they followed me wherever I went!! I came back and sat down, still bombarded by their questions and observations. They were mostly interested as to why I was studying in Australia, and why didn't my parents accompany me on my trip. And then came the dreaded question a bong in such a situation I was hoping wouldn't ask...but there it came..."You know I have a daughter your age. She's just like you. Maybe you should meet.." AAAAHHH....I quickly pretended to have a headache cuz of all the travelling and shut my eyes as if to sleep.
They didn't quite shut them up, but it did quieten them down.

Time came for the security check, and they had to create a scene there as well. As I passed through the metal detector and waited for the security personnel to frisk me. And these two 'bongs' came rushing in and stood behind me. The guard kindly explained to them that they had to await their turn, as it was to be only one person at a time. But they refused to see the logic in that, bringing up another series of arguments on why it should be so. Ah! It was a surprise they weren't kicked out of the airport there itself. Once on the flight, I headed towards the seats next to the exit as they had more legroom (the airline offered free seating on a first-come-first-serve basis). And as expected, they also came and sat down right next to me. Their handbaggage consisted of jute bags filled with various kick-knacks , which they placed between their legs. The air hostess came and asked them to keep it in the overhead compartments, as keeping anything on the floor next to the emergency exits were prohibited. And there started the next series of arguments - 'Why should we hand our baggage to you?', 'Why can everyone else keep their baggage on the floor', 'When we travel by train nothing like this ever happens'....I was having quite a hard time to control my laughter. During the flight i feigned the usual 'I'm sleepy' routine, which surprisingly worked this time.
After that there were more arguments between them and the air hostesses, which I listened to heartily behind my fake sleep! Once the plane landed they started a ruckus on why it was taking them so long to open the doors and so on....it was total madness!!!

I'm never travelling with bongs again....

Spotted On A Wall.....

2007-06-11T00:21:00.000+08:00

Heights of self motivation....
Spotted before start of semester exams...

Interestingness...

2007-05-27T05:22:00.000+08:00

Its 5:22AM on a Sunday morning. Its 9 degrees outside, and I've got the heater set on just right. But the fact that I'm sitting right next to the window, with the breeze blowing in means that one side of my body is frozen, and the other side is slightly over-warm cuz of the heater.

The room's a complete mess, books, papers, cups....evidence of the countless cups of coffee and tea that have gone into me, are scattered here and everywhere. My computer screens in front of me are cluttered with countless open files with information ranging from routing protocols to power shortage crisis in Uganda. I've been in the same orange t-shirt and beige shorts since Thursday evening, and a glance at the mirror a couple of hours back says that I probably shouldn't go out like this, else I'll certainly be perceived as homeless.

The reason for all this? I'm on the last week of my semester. And by far, this is gonna be the worst week I've ever had. I have to give a presentation on Monday morning, followed by three networking certification tests in the afternoon. On Thursday, I have a final exam on Perl Scripting, followed by work, which I'm most likely to skip. Why? Because on Friday I have 4 assignments to hand in, including a case study. Oh, and I may have missed that I have two more certification exams after Monday. And yes, the rest of the final exams following the week after.

So at this point my life seems interesting enough. I hope everyone else is experiencing similar 'joy' where they live.

Cheers

An Inconvenient Truth...

2007-04-28T04:00:00.000+08:00

Global Warming. Our effect on the environment. Climate changes. We all know what these are, how are they caused, the consequences etc. "An Inconvenient Truth" is a documentary I just finished watching less that 5 minutes ago, and I was a bit shocked by the facts it presented. It doesn't highlight that much what you and I already know, but what are the reasons we aren't doing anything about it. Facts about climate shifts, rise in water levels etc. I already knew, but this gave such a deep perspective into every aspect of Global Warming, that this film is not just something you might want to see, but as one poster rightly points out, '....its a necessary film'.

the poster reads : "by far the most terrifying film you will ever see"

If you haven't seen it, do so. If you have, recommend others to watch it. It really gets you thinking. To get you started, here's a peek http://www.climatecrisis.net/trailer/

A fire...a fair...and another fire!

2007-04-18T16:02:00.000+08:00

This is just getting a bit ridiculous now. If you're been following posts from before, you'll have noticed on how many times the fire alarm went off in the student village (3 i think...), about cops chasing cars crashing into fences (read previous post) and the like. So I bet it won't take a genius to figure out what happened during my lecture on Tuesday morning. Yup..another fire alarm! And by this I was like..."not another one...!!". So in usual fashion we were all evacuated from the building with the warning sirens all jangling above the head. But it probably must have been someone's shoelace on fire or something, cuz 15 mins later were all all back to out classrooms. But I think the best line that day was "I know the fire alarm is ringing...but shud we just finish this chapter first?"

Next in line was the Career Fair. To be honest, it looked more like free shopping spree than a career fair. Each and every booth was lined with employers who had tables full of pens and chocolates and stationary and all the nitty gritty nonsense. Some were even standing outside the stalls with the freebies...luring the people in...and then dropping the one liner, "Here's something free for you....now I don't suppose u'd be interested in working here"....Well if I worked there I know what my job would be....go to other career fairs and hand out freebies...hahahah...

More pictures of the career fair are at "Career Fair 2007"

And yes...there is still another fire story!! Was at the city today, waiting for the bus, when smoke started coming out from the bin next to the bus stand. Probably someone dropped a cigarette in there or something. And literally within minutes of me sitting there, the fire department came rushing there, sirens blaring n lights flashing to put it out! *Sigh*...gotta get rid of this fire phenomenon following me everywhere. Least I know I'm safe in the city tho...

Work Work Work....

2007-04-15T14:10:00.000+08:00

My head's probably gonna explode soon. This semester is like a huge maze....keep walking and every corner you take its just more work to do. You think you've completed everything, and there comes knocking something you've missed, or some more work. Assignments....tests....reports....quizzes....lab work....AAAAAHHHHH!!!! Come to think of it, my head exploding would probably be a good thing.

Last couple of weeks I've cut down my working hours drastically, cuz there's just so much work. And here's the best part. No one at work, my supervisor, my boss...no one notices if I do come in to work or not. Thing is, since the place where I work is so big, most of the times I don't meet any of them. I just clock in, go to my aisle, do my work, clock out and go home. So the fact that I've cut down on my hours seems to have gone completely unnoticed!! But then again, less work means less money, so I have to really buck up on my work and get back on track as soon as possible.

And if you've been following my previous posts, you'd have read about the two fire incidents, and all the other chaos that happens in my flat. So keeping in the spirit of things, we had the cops blaring in our backyard at midnight. They were apparently chasing someone in a stolen car, and the wise chap managed to run through our fence and into the housing area. I didn't get to see the car first hand, cuz the moment we stepped out, we were shooed to stay inside out flats. But I'm told by those who did get a decent look at the chaos that it was quite a dashing car. Now what I don't get is if he was being chased by the cops, why did he come in through the fence. To give you a bit of perspective, the fence lies atleast 45-50 mts away from the road, with a lot of debris and trees in the way. He must have been a really good driver to avoid all those trees.....but then again, he must be a really bad driver, cuz he did crash through the fence and get caught!!

Ah well...back to the books for now....

"You must be half mad!"

2007-03-23T07:32:00.000+09:00

5AM. Friday. The alarm is turned off. Temperature outside reads 12 degrees. The sky is still pitch dark. And here go two guys, dressed in clothes fit for a hot summer day by the beach, cycling away each minute as they bicker about the cold. 15mins later they're by the river side, still shaking from the cold winds, only to hear from their coach .... "I've gotta hand it to all you guys here. Cuz you must be half mad to get up so early and come down here in the mornings"!! Not very reassuring as you can see....

This is what I've gotten myself into every week. University Rowing. Couple of days a week, a handful of us guys and girls meet at a boat shed by the river, lift out long and heavy boats, carry them into the water, knee deep mind you, plop them down, while carefully trying to avoid all the jellyfish lurking around. Then comes about 2hrs of training, where we're taught to row on different types of boats, and master the technique. Today, being a bit colder and windier that usual, it was concluded that it probably wasn't too safe to head out into the water today. So our coach decided to give us the '...you must be half mad...' pep talk. Now I did do some rowing back when I was in school, but that seemed more laid back compared to this. I was just informed that irrespective of how good or bad I was at rowing, by the end of the season, i.e, sometime around September, we would all be entered to compete in the state championships!! So there's a lot to work for. I do throughly enjoy the sport, but while it may look easy, its quite physically demanding. And thats not quite my strong point. And the fact that I have to get up before the sun rises doesn't quite help either. But this year has been different. I seem to be getting more things done (least i hope so), but still find myself with a reasonably good amount of spare time, which can't be a bad thing....

Here's the million dollar question....use this time to row? or to snore?

I guess I'll take my chances with the jellyfish....

So wats my name...

2007-03-11T16:52:00.000+09:00

It really is fun when your boss can't pronounce your name!! You can get away from doing most of the hard work!! Australians find it fairly difficult to pronounce my name, and usually shorten it to something they can pronounce more easily. Recently, we got a new manager at the store where I work. And he just can't seem to take a crack at my name. The other day I was working in one of the aisles with a colleague, Katherine, and he comes there to ask one of use to clean up a spill. So looks at me, and goes...."Uhdi...Adyi...Umm......oh never mind! Katherine, can you clean up the spill?" Hahahaha......And this has happened a one too many times. Work has suddenly become more fun lately.....

Uni's open again, and its quite a hectic semester. I've been bombarded by assignments and weekly examinations right from the start of the semester!! On top of that I've joined the university rowing club, and they start practice at 6am in the mornings!! Which means I have to get up by 5:15 each morning, and cycle to the river side, go for practice, come back, and then head off to Uni. But what's scary about rowing is the jellyfish!! The first day of practice, we took out the boats to the river, and since it was early in the morning, we just went straight into the water and plopped the boats down. After practice, when we were getting out of the water, I saw the whole riverside was spotted with dead jellyfish!! And a glance into the water really gave me a shock. There were scores of huge jellyfish floating all around! So I asked my coach, "Do they sting?"....he scratches his head and goes "Umm...well....probably they...umm....I don't think so". Now that wasn't quite a reassuring response!

The start of the semester has been good so far....let's see how it goes...

The Stuff Dreams Made Of....

2007-02-18T01:51:00.000+09:00

Back in the day I loved reading story books (still sorta do :P).....usually Enid Blyton books, all her 'mystery books'. There was the Famous Five....the Five Find-Outers and many others...but I can recall the stories from most of these series. And what I loved most was the portrayal of the English country side, and their way of life - The lush green countryside or the cool breeze by the riverside, scones for tea, pie's for breakfast..... And all these books were written in such a way as to make you want to want all of that....living that kind of life...and of course, coming across a mystery or a disappearing Prince now and then wouldn't be too bad!

Yesterday evening was one of those evening where one can describe the weather as perfect....a slight cloudy overcast, bright light, calm breeze...it was just right. So my friends and I set off for a cycle ride down by the river. Just a relaxed ride, three of us, more of 'strolling' with out bikes. We went a considerable distance from home, and along by the river, came across an old jetty, probably once used to cast off small boats. Leaving our bikes by the sand, we just took a walk down the jetty...talking about pretty much everything under the sun. The breeze picked up quite a bit, and there we were, three guys dangling our legs over the water....chatting up on one topic to another....right from what fish we could probably pick up from there to what out dream retirement homes would look like!! And it was after a long long time that I saw the sunset over the water....something that used to be a daily thing back in Cochin. What was meant to be just a 10minute stop ate up close to an hrs time! I just took a walk down towards the end of the jetty and looking back at it was just like an illustration of one of the old Enid Blydon books....couple of kids sitting all immersed in their otherwise non nonsensical conversations....over the water....watching the sunset. It was just the kind of thing that one would dream of doing when flipping through the pages of those old books! So I guess one day u cud probably get what u dreamed of....

Btw....on a lighter note, I've just been reminded that 'the stuff dreams are made of' is Sleep...and I should probably get a bit more of it.....lolz...

Aussies & The Mallu's...

2007-02-09T03:33:00.000+09:00

I remember back in the day when I first came to Kochi I was always amused by the clothes people wore there. Especially the Mallu (short for Malayali / Keralite) men! Formal wear to them was a starched plain shirt with a Mundu. Now I'll never forget the day when I guess I was 9-10yrs old, and my friends and I were having a game of soccer in the building compound. Halfway through our game, the building gates opened and in came a shiny new Mercedes S-Class. The driver sitting inside looked pretty business-like with a white shirt and a pair of sunglasses on. While normally we would just continue with our game, we all stopped to see who was coming in with such a fancy car. The car pulled up to the side, the door opened, and thats when I think I must have burst out laughing inside my head.... Out came the guy, with a crumpled mundu paired with over used bathroom slippers!! It was quite a hilarious sight.... We were probably expecting shiny leather shoes...but this turned out to be your usual average Joe!

Forward nearly 10 years later, I'm here in Perth, waiting for the bus on the way to work. Along comes a shiny red Mazda RX-8, and it stopped right next to the pizza place. And lo comes out the driver.....a shirtless guy, wearing just beach shorts...and barefoot!! At that point I just flashed back to the Merc incident in Kochi and counldn't help but laughing out. People around me must have thought I must have gone bonkers!! But I've noticed that over here, people are less bothered about their clothing than anywhere else I've been....you walk to the mall and there are people walking around barefoot all the time....not cuz they can't afford shoes, the flashy cell phones with them are a dead give away on that...but its just cuz they don't want to! Even at the store where I work, we constantly get people walking in shirtless....barefoot...or in their beach wear.....and no one really cares!! I'm usually staring at them thinkin 'wats their problem'....but it doesn't quite seem to bother anyone else. They even enter public toilets like that!!! And these people walk out of the store with nearly $100 in groceries....i'm sure they can afford some footware.

But I guess its just the way things are here....and i'll just have to get used to it like everything else...

Photos are up...

2007-01-30T01:25:00.000+09:00

Alrite...the snaps from Australia Day & Jap food outing are up on Flickr....(if you dunno the link its on the right somewhere...)

Australia Day...!!!

2007-01-27T00:45:00.000+09:00

So when it comes to National Pride, Ozzies & Indian's share one thing in common....as 26th Jan is Republic Day in India, its also Australia Day here. I'm told its in celebration of the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney in 1788 to set up a colony here. Its a national holiday here, which made the already empty streets look even more deserted. And the weather wasn't too forgiving either, reaching a hot 35degrees with a warm breeze blowing throughout...

The high point of the day is in the evening, where there is a spectacular fireworks display over the river. So before that I headed out with my friends, who introduced me to Japanese food for the first time. All my friends are from Malaysia, and were apparently quite well versed with Japanese cuisine. We stared off with 'Sashimi'...a plate of freshly cut raw seafood served with Wasabi & soy sauce. I was a bit taken aback at first, because the fish is 'totally' raw!! From tuna, to prawns, to octopus...there was a wide variety of fish there. For the main course I was served a seafood noodle soup (i'm not sure what it was called), a spicy soup with noodles and various fish, including whole prawns, mussels & some other fish i'd never seen in my life before!! Being my first time my friends also got me to taste some other stuff, including cold noodle soup, and sticky rice with avocado & fish eggs wrapped in seaweed. I must say....i'm certainly hooked on to Japanese food!!

We then walked down to the river and watched the fireworks, which went on for half an hr. I was told to be careful of the 'crowd' there, because its a day when apparently everyone comes out to watch the fireworks. So I was all geared up to do some pushing and shoving, but I was quite disappointed when I got to the riverside. True, there were more people there than one would normally expect in Perth, but I've seen more people gathered at a 'non' busy day at the Kolkata book fair!! Hehe.... The fireworks were quite well done, and they even had helicopters flying around with huge Australia flags fluttering in the sky...

Since I don't have a cam, I can't put up any pics of the day...but as soon as I get some of the snaps from my mates, I'll put 'em up...

Dhoom 2 : Review...

2007-01-14T01:05:00.000+09:00

There are dumb movies, and there are dumb movies...and then there's Dhoom 2. I think I've already said more than what the movie deserves....

Season's Greetings?? Yeah rite....

2007-01-10T01:35:00.000+09:00

And the holiday season is fading away.... Christmas decorations coming down, people drooling / fretting (as applicable) over their gifts, back to the daily routine...

So what did I get during these happy times?? I got myself...two...metallic and rubbery....round and slightly worn out....cycle tyres!!!!! Yea...not one..but two!!! Okie..here's the story. My work timings have been quite odd of late...usually all the way till 11pm. And as the wonderful city of Perth does not offer reasonable public transportation beyond the hours of 6pm, I have to cycle to and from work. And I found nothing wrong in chaining my bike to a post outside the store. Till a few weeks back that is. I come out from work, my bike still chained to the post. Just missing a few minor details....tyres...gears and brakes!! Talk about good Christmas spirit huh? A call to the local bike shop the next day told me that if I had to get replacements...it would costs me quite a bomb! So here's what I came up with. Uni is over, hols are on...and most students at the housing are either on vacation or have finished their courses. As a result, the bike shed is filled with dozens of cycles...most just rotting away. So grabbed a couple of tools, and along with my friend, we salvaged parts from various bikes...wheels...gears...brakes etc etc. I just hope that the bikes we tore apart were actually abandoned. If their owners do come back at the start of the semester....oh well...too bad ;)

And let's not forget the portable music player! Oh yes...another Christmas gift... I was sent a 'Chinese Ipod Wannabe clone'....or more commonly known as a 'Chipod'. These cheap Chinese players have recently been flooding the market, mostly on eBay. Anyhow, I got one of 'em from back home. Build quality was quite poor, but beyond that it seemed pretty OK. So I plugged it in, and it 'Claimed' to be a 2GB player. But as I started pouring in files beyond a couple of MB's....the files seemed to get corrupted. And every time I tried to play something, the player would automatically restart. Couple of hrs of tweaking...internet searching and I finally found the problem. What our clever Chinese friends have been doing is this....they 'claim' to sell 4GB players...but where GB is not GigaBytes but GigaBITS!! And 4 GigaBITS = 512MB!! And they 'hack' the software to read 2GB or 4Gb or whatever, while the actual capacity is less. So when you try to pour files into this 'non-existent' space, the files get corrupted!! When you format the player...it overrides the software hack and displays it true capacity...in my case 50MB!!! Yayy for me!!!! (for all you ppl plannin on gettin such 'chipods'...do take a read here). So I guess there is some substance in the saying...'Made in China...Made cleverly...verryy cleverly ;-)'

Cheers...and hope everyone else had as good a Christmas as me...(,")

The long update....

2006-12-19T01:32:00.000+09:00

Okie...It's been really really long since I posted something. Mostly cuz I was too lazy to sit down and type :P

A lot's happened over the last month. Exams got over. Did fairly well I can say...over and done with 1st yr!! The dreaded aussie summer is back...and tapping in on the occasional 40degs during the day, which I wouldn't quite call 'comfortable'. As it was the end of the semester, some of my friends have finished their courses and quite a few have headed / are heading back home for good. There were a lota good times there....

err...incase you have no clue about the people that have been mentioned below...you might wanna read this

I've also shifted residences, as my old place was getting renovated. In the midst of shifting / ppl leaving for home...those last few weeks were probably the best times of the whole year!! I think Marcus & me would have irritated out flatmates more in those last two - three weeks than we did the entire year! Some of our 'accomplishments' were....

'Stealing' Haiqiong's mattress and locking her out of her room! I think that entire 'event' lasted over a couple of hrs!!

Not to forget the time we took her room chair out for a spin on the road!!! I'm not sure...but I think she had an exam the next day!! Hahaaha.....and of course, we conveniently locked her out of the house when she went to recover it!!

Ah...those last couple of wks were good fun! And not to forget when we all went on a raid to grab whatever freebies we could!! When residents leave to go back home...most of 'em have a lota stuff they have to dispose off in a very short time. So they leave it do be donated to second hand shops and the like. So when we noticed all this 'stuff' lying around....we all made a dash for it and got out hands on some pretty neat stuff!! I got myslef some much needed new crockery / cutlery, a water heater & even managed to pick up some study material....Victor picked up a free printer for himself!!! (Which I think he donated to Hai....)...I think everyone picked up something or the other. If anyone were there watching us go thru all the stuff left there...i'm sure they would have thought we were some poor homeless kids who never had seen stuff like this before...Hahahahah.....Here are the pics of the 'raid'...

Well now we've all been shifted...and sadly we've all been put into different flats till the time the renovation is complete. Hopefully, most of us would be back in the same flat again...and the madness would continue!! The summer has not been overtly exciting otherwise...mostly keeping myself busy working at odd hours....but nothing much otherwise....

I wish I was an Illegal Immigrant!!!

2006-11-24T02:12:00.000+08:00

Looks like there are two ways go immigrate & start livin' the good life here in Oz.

a) You can do all the hard work, get decent grades, get into a reputed university, work hard for 3-4yrs, get a job, and work hard all the way from there
b) Come into the country as an illegal immigrant & let the government take care of all your needs!

Apparently the second method is much easier than it seems! There was this news story up on TV the other day about an illegal immigrant here in Perth from Chennai (Madras). Now if you're caught as an illegal immigrant, you are detained by the Government in their special detainment facilities, until they decide 'what to do with you'. Now these aren't the 4x4 one window jail type cells your thinking about. Uh-huh. Its a nice apartment, with a kitchen, living space, bedroom, television, and not to mention the swimming pool. All heavily guarded of course (read: sarcasm). Now the law also states, that, If under some condition (medical grounds I presume), the counselor at the 'detainment' center gives the go ahead, these detainees can be allowed to live outside, in the community.

Now here's where it gets interesting. Our Indian friend here, has somehow caught on to a loophole in the system, and now lives in a well equipped apartment close to the beach (obviously with the standard equipped swimming pool and all that jazz), has a car to transport him around to wherever he wants to go, has two self-hired bodyguards for his protection, and to top it all off, gets an allowance from the government for his daily spending needs!!! The news clip shows him spending an ordinary day heading out to McDonald's, driving around the city & taking strolls at the beach. All at the tax payer's expense!!

Now which option should would you go for? a) or b)?

What next...!!!

2006-11-11T09:12:00.000+08:00

It had to happen sooner of later!!! Computers seems to be doing everything these days....it wasn't long before one world come along and tell you to mind your language!! Hahah....

Check out http://www.missdewey.com/. Miss Dewey is an interactive search engine, where she comments on what you search for!! I typed in Curtin University, and she says 'So you're planning to do a bit of studying I see'.....!!!! More than anything its amusing.... Try and type in some offensive / abusive world and you'll she what she has to say. She told me 'Mind your language!! hasn't your mother ever taught you anything?'!! Hahaha...... And there are some really witty inputs too....a search for India got me 'With all the cost savings these days, its no wonder I was coded overseas'.....!!!

And its so cool looking at the time the coders must have spend designing this site!! I type in 'hackers' and she gave me a one minute speech on the wrongs pirated software!! And the neat part is she doesn't always say the same thing for a similar search....

I just hope all future websites don't have her in it... (",)

So I look like......??

2006-11-07T03:31:00.000+08:00

Its amazing at what sort of websites are out there! The first 'ridiculously interesting' site I came across was deathclock.com. This site claimed it could predict your date of death based on some basic inputs such as date of birth, age, weight etc etc. But yesterday my friend showed me MyHeritage.com. Now this place has a 'face recognition' tool.... where you upload a pic of urs, and using its 'oh so sophisticated' methods, it maps out which celebrity you resemble the most! Now different pics from different angles seemed to bring out different results (unsurprisingly)...But there's also a meter which gives the percentage of closeness....
So here are my four closest matches... (might take a bit while to show up on a slow connection)

Yea...apparently my closest match is John Mayer with 74%!!!! hahhahaaha...... (Don't ask me where the resemblance comes from (,") )....To me the surprise element was Abhishek Bachchan....lolz...I have no clue how it found the other two matches....

But if you ask me....I think John Mayer he looks more like me, dontcha think ;-)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...

2006-11-02T15:15:00.000+08:00

Just happened to stumble across this delightful blog...written by a group of fellow Calcutta'ians. They post various everyday quotes n overheard phrases.....all that have some sort of humorous angle to it...
Each one is bound to bring a smile....(",)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Some random clips...

"Baby Bank. Deposit your babies here and watch them grow with interest.

-- Ad in Salt Lake, Kolkata, for a creche/playschool."

"At a Budapest zoo:
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY."

"The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong:
GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE."

The World Rally Championships!!

2006-10-29T06:32:00.000+08:00

I'm not much into motorsports....but anyho....I went along with my friend for the final leg of the world rally championships in Perth. The Perth leg of the WRC has been going on for the last 19 years...and this was the last time that it would be held here. The crowd was spectacular and so were the cars (obviously!). You'd expect just young teens and other fanatics to show up, but everyone from age 5 to 55 and above were there....The biggest attention grabber I think were the Miss Rally Australia Finalists..who were mingling with the crowd! Get a feel of it from the pics....

the crowd

the 'ol rally cars

miss rally australia '06 finalists..

marcus havin his share of the fun!

To see all the pics....go here

Back on Flickr!!!

2006-10-25T21:30:00.000+08:00

I've relocated my photo albums back to Flickr!!! (Uni's allowed access again!!) So very soon I'll close down the previous albums and move 'em all to flickr

Rat Attack!!

2006-10-10T02:16:00.000+08:00

Eating a snack at 1.30AM in the morning is never a bad idea at all!! My flatmat, Marcus and I found oursleves quite hungry, and sat down to much on a snack of ham n cheese sandwich & an apple pie! Not to forget steaming cups of English tea....

Following the usual chit-chat as I was passing by the refrigerator, I got a stench coming from around there. Now people in the flat had been getting this smell for sometime, but never really got to figuring it out what it was. Marcus came up and joked that probably there was something dead behind the fridge, and yanked it forward. An lo!!! There lies a sqished rat!! (Think it could have been a mouse tho...). And the fun began!! We called out the girls and they had their share of shrieks and screams!! Civilized as we are, we decided on cleanin it up...which was more of entertainment than housework.....anyhow...I think the pictures shall speak for itself....

The Squashed Soul...

Getting it cleaned up!

Scaring the girls!

Me doing my share of cleaning!

Getting rid of the rodent...

And thats all there was left of the poor soul......

Omkara...

2006-09-25T04:46:00.000+08:00

Its not everyday that you get to see a hindi movie thats a class apart. Bold dialogues in a Marathi-Bihari-Hindi dialect is Omkara, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. There isn't much of a change from the original Shakespeare storyline, with the basic plot intact, but it comes with really good screenplay & strong music. I doubt the music or the movie would have mass appeal in India, as its not the usual boy-meets-girl three hour drama nor is the music set for dance clubs, nor is it a family film.
Saif Ali Khan plays 'Langda' (lago) and is most convincing on screen. Its nice to see a good adaptation of a good play turn out good on the big screen (there were a one too many 'good's' in that statement). Anyhow, a must watch.

The Vindaloo Case...

2006-09-06T17:22:00.000+08:00

One of my tasks at the supermarket where I work involves doing something called 'prezo', which essentially is bringing old stock to the front display, and clearing out bad / damaged goods from the aisles. Its quite an easy really, just that it takes really long to do. Its quite common to find a product in the wrong shelf at times, cuz sometimes customers just leave it there. Now there's been something funny happening here, and I really want to get to the bottom of it....

I run through 'prezo' about thrice a week, and every single time, irrespective of which section / department I work in, I'll always find a bottle of 'Patak's Vindaloo Simmer Sauce' misplaced in one of the shelves!! (For those who are wondering what Vindaloo is, read this). Now this one bottle has so far been located by me in the fresh foods section, the natural health section, the beauty and cosmetics section & the canned food's section. In other words, wherever I do prezo, I always find a bottle, which I then pick up and move back to the Indian food's section. For the first couple of times this happened I thought it was mere coincidence, but this is just happening too many times now! I've been trying to formulate as to why this keeps happening. So far i've come up with the following

A customer is playing an extremely good prank week after week
The vindaloo bottle is intimidated when placed with other Indian food's and looks to relocate itself amongst more pleasant surroundings
There are couple of mutant rats loose in the store from a failed scientific experiment, who have an affinity for Indian food, and are looking for means to open the bottle
The bottle is supposed to conatain a secret message for the secret service and I always manage to relocate it, causing chaos in the department (No wonder the Iraq war is still on!)
My boss places the bottle in the shelves where I am to work before I arrive to that after I'm done & the bottle isn't there, he knows i've done my work properly
I've gone completely crazy and have a good imagination..

So that's my list of probably suspects. Its happened just too many times & I'm bugged now. I'll try to put some sort of a mark on the bottle next time to see if it's the same bottle that keeps popping up everywhere. I'm not really too sure how that'll help solve anything, but it'll give myself something to do and think about for a week! I must also add that I did find a packet of Sherwan's Indian Butter Chicken Masala alongside the bottle once....hmmm....

As an end note, I've seriously gotta stop watching so many mystery / crime / fiction related movies!

To the bongs...

2006-09-06T00:37:00.000+08:00

You think you've left it all behind. The smell of rosogolla's. The ladies with their huge red 'bindis'. The talk about adda's & calling each other's name ending with 'da' (for men) and 'di' (for ladies). But no. They're everywhere and you just can't find a place where they don't exist. The Bongs (aka. the Bengali's). My dad once said that in any city or town in the world there are two bengali's, then they will surely get together and celebrate durga puja. I'll take that a step futher. '.....till will surely get together and celebrate ANYTHING!'. Haha...

Anyhow, jokes apart, last saturday was one of these celebrations, which I presume didnt have any special occassion. It was just for fun. It's been really long since I last took part in something that had stage rehersals & things moving according to a itenary. But it was fun. My friends & I teamed up to play a bit of music for the crowd. I wouldn't call it a smashing performance, but then again we didn't get booed of the stage either! But watching other performances were fun. It was fun to see the Indian-Aussie kids randomly switching perfectly crafted bong with perfectly crafted english. Aunty's talking about the usual 'what their son did at school', people scrambling about to find the next guy going up on stage, the spicy chicken biriyani being served for dinner...for a moment there, it felt like home. It felt nice to be part of all that, being in a different country and yet doing this just the way it was back home.

I'm pretty sure I'll see something very familiar during durga puja, which I presume is not too far away. In the meantime, you can check out some pics from that day....(only pics of me!! haha)....Click here

A night at the movies...

2006-08-15T00:24:00.000+08:00

I landed up at the cinema the other day, that too to watch a hindi movie! The movie, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehena, wasn't really great and is not really worth mentioning. But what was interesting was the audience that came to watch the movie. Being a hindi movie, I naturally expected Indian's to show up, and they did, but it was quite a sight. Be it back home or here, when we Indian's turn up for a movie it has to be a gala affair...but apparently here it was even more so!

There was not a single poster or banner about the film anywhere to be seen, but nonetheless everyone was queued up for a full house. What was most interesting were the 'categories' of people who came in to watch the movie. There were the usual working class, 9-5 types, speaking a mix of english and hindi. Then there was the older generation, presumably most of them being parents of the working classes, who had now obviously settled down in Perth. They were the most recognizable Indians, with their sari's and long earrings! And finally there was the uni-skl group, with their flashy cell phones, and nike shoes, showing off their well crafted aussie-english accents. It was actually quite a sight to watch the parents talk to their kids in hindi, and they replying back in english...haha. But whatever said and done, you can't deny one thing. Sharukh Khan is still the king no matter where Indian's land up. The usual cheer of the audience when he makes his first appearence on screen, the 'aww' and 'ooh' when he dances to a song....You can change probably everything, but you can't deny us Indian's our four-hour long Sharukh-Amitabh movies!!!

Bacon & Gamma Rays...

2006-08-11T13:40:00.000+08:00

You think you know a person, and then again you don't. Someone landed up in perth this week...all the way back from the desi land. I'd known him to be a proper poster boy - good in studies - well laid out kinda guy. So I met up with him to just help him settle down, get on with the basic shoppin etc etc. Now as far as I knew him he was a vegetarian, as are most families I know back in cal. But the first thing he looks for in the store is Bacon & Ham. 'I've never tried ham before', he says!! And then he pop's up again - "err...do they sell alcohol here?". OMG!! He's been away from home less than 48hrs, and his path to self righteousness has already begun hahahaha....

Couple of days back was rakhi, the Indian festival where the sister's tie a band on their brother's hand for goodwill & protection. Well, a friend of mine here, whu's also from India, recieved a whole bunch of these 'rakhi's' from his sisters / cousins back home. Now along with one of them was a card, which had a dried leaf stuck to it. The card was witheld at the Australian Quarantine Bereau because the 'dried leaf was a potential quarintine hazard'!!!! He was insted sent a photocopy of the card, along with a letter that said that if he wanted the card back he would have to pay $48 for gamma ray treatment before it could be 'decontaminated' and handed back to him.....all this for a card that cost less than 0.50c!!!!

Aussies are just plain paranoid!!!

Looks like i'm gonna get cut off!!!

2006-08-07T22:42:00.000+08:00

My uni has always had a restrictive policy on internet usage...Stuff like downloading music etc was banned, cuz let's face it, it's illegal!! So yeah, can't argue there...

But now they've even started limiting access to other stuff such as email and blog sites!!! If this carries on, I probably wudn't be able to post here anymore. I already get a message that "...the material you have requested is unlikely to be related to teaching and learning, research & development..." Can you believe this!!!

Whr hav all da people gone? Long time passing...

2006-08-01T22:50:00.000+08:00

U can't get past the fact that there are too many people in India. I mean....we're just having a huge party back there aren't we? And that's probably the first thing that got to me when I came here....'Where are all the people'??? But then, just like everything else, I got used to it, and it really didn't seem to matter anymore. Until yesterday...

It was just about 6:30 in the evening, and I just got off work, and on my way to the train station, and as usual I didn't meet anyone on the way. But this time there wasn't even the occassional car pass by or anything. A bus did go past, but it was completely empty. Anyho, as I got to the train station, there was no one there either. Usually there are like 2-3 people, but there wasn't a soul around today. Along came the train, and again, not a soul! Trains here usually have 3 bogey's, and they all wizzed by with no one inside, except for the driver ofcourse. I got off the train, and onto the bus back home, and again - I'm the only one in the bus!!! There have been instances before when I was the only bus passenger, but not on this bus route...there's always a few people around. And it was only 7:15pm!!!!

It was one of the strangest nights ever! I was once told that the population of Calcutta was more than the population of Australia....I didn't really belive it before....but i'm pretty certain now that its true...

I need food...

2006-07-24T11:39:00.000+08:00

Right now, I'm sitting in one of the comp labs at uni, irritated and hungry as hell!! I got up early (for a change) and headed off to campus to enroll myslef for my classes and plan my timetable as I waned, before all the good timeslots got filled up. Firstly, the schedule didn't look too pleasing, and the fact that on wednesday's I would be attending classes from 8AM to 8PM didn't help brighten my mood either. Anyho, after I sorted the timetable to somewhat my liking (xcept for wednesdays), and as soon as I was ready to leave, it starts raining! So I try to waste some more time in the lab, looking at people's faces, writing emails to people I didn't know were still alive...thing's to keep me busy.

It's been nearly three hours now, and it still hasn't stopped raining. on top of that, I didn't have any breakfast this morning either cuz I planned to go shpooing soon after I finished....If you look at it, when you have all the time in the world to spare, nothing interesting happens...but when you wnat to do something, then there are like a million things that stand in your way!!!

I'm gonna stop writing in more junk now. If the rain does not stop tho, there'll be a part II to this entry...if not, I'll probably be digging myslef into some long awaited Breakfast - Lunch....Brunch...

The Bong comes calling....

2006-07-15T17:46:00.000+08:00

Never ever give a typical Bong a job at a call center - It's just an invitation to disaster. Couple of days back I got a call on my cell, obviously from some guy trying to push sales of some new cell phone plan. Now as I had nothing better to do, I guess a little chit-chat with this guy wouldn't hurt!...Here's how the conversation went between me and the BOF (Bong on Fone)

BOF: Hello sir, am I speaking to Mr. Aditya Sen?
ME: Yes

BOF: Hello Mr. Sen, I'm calling from GoLive Cellular
ME: Ok, and?

BOF: I've just called to say that you're existing plan rate has been reduced as a special offer for you
ME: Thats great! But unfortunately I'm not with GoLive

BOF: I understand that sir. But this reduction applies on your existing plan itself.
ME: Ok. Thats great

BOF: Mr. Sen, from now on instead of $29 a month, you shall pay only $28.95!
ME: What? You reduced 5cents? Thats no reduction!

BOF: Along with that your existing call rates have also been dropped by 10c per minute
ME: Thats good then

BOF: And Mr. Sen, do you make international calls? If so, where to?
ME: Yeah, I usually make calls back to India

BOF: Thats excellent. Because our international rates to India have also been dropped by 13c per minute
ME: Thats good

BOF: Mr. Sen, if you don't mind, can I ask you a personal question?
ME: Sure

BOF: Are you an Indian?
ME: Yes

BOF: I'm an Indian too!
ME: Yeah, I kinda figured that out already

BOF: Can you speak bengali?
ME: Yes

BOF: Oh! aami o bangali. aapnar shate bangla te kotha bolte paari? (I'm also a bengali. Can I speak to you in bengali?)
ME: Yeah. Whatever suits you

BOF: Khoob bhalo. Acha Mr. Sen, aapnar ki kono mobile phone aache? (Very Good. Ok Mr. Sen, do you have a cell phone?)
ME: aami aamar mobile phone thike kotha bolche (I'm speaking from my mobile phone itself)

BOF: Oh! tale aami aapnake iktu bhool khobor boleche. Aapni kon provider'er shaate aacho? (Oh! Then I think I've given you the wrong information. Which provider are you with?)
ME: Three Cellular

BOF: Aapni monthly koto pay koren? (How much do you pay monthly?)
ME: $29

BOF: Ayeta oonek bhool hoiche. Sorry Mr. Sen, aami bhablam apni landline thike kotha bolchen (This is a big mistake. Sorry Mr. Sen, I thought you were speaking from your landline)
ME: Ok. Nice talking to you. Bye

BOF: Mr. Sen, aar ekta jinish jigesh korte paari? Aapni ki student? (Mr. Sen, can I ask one more thing? Are you a student?)
ME: Yes

BOF: Aacha. Kon university te porein? (Ok. Which university do you study in?)
ME: Why do you want to know?

BOF: Aami bas jigesh korte chai ki aapni ki Central Queensland University chenain? (I just wanted to ask if you know about Centeral Queensland University?)
ME: Haan. Jaani. Kano? (Yes. I know. Why?)

BOF: Univeristy 're theek ulto deeg aamar Mama thake! (My uncle lives right opposite the university)
ME: [cuts off the phone]

Can you imagine this guy?? Firstly he gives me wrong information. Then he blabbers on in bong. And then he starts telling me where his uncle lives!!! Sheesh....If I'd stayed on any longer, I would have probably known what he had for lunch too!
I keep hearing on how companies are planning to shift call center operations out of India to some other country. After this conversation I can see why!

Holidayz...

2006-07-09T01:35:00.000+08:00

Its what you wait for all semester...the holidays! There are all these plans on what you would do when the hols come, and how you could finally do the things that you just couldn't get to doin cuz of all the studies piled up. And now that they're finally here.....i'm bored!!

Its been over a week, and I've done nothing but watched tonnes of movies or gone out with friends. All those plans of learning something new, trying to pick up some new solo's & riff's on the guitar.....just doesn't seem to happen. And to top off the boredom, I don't have internet access from my room anymore. I wonder what people did back in the old days, when there was no internet, email or instant messaging?!?! Luckily i've managed to find myself a part time job, else i'd totally go mad!! Lesse how that goes...starting that in a couple of days.....

Crash...

2006-07-03T23:46:00.000+08:00

After a really long time I saw a movie which was more that just some slapstick humor or some college guy running after a girl. Crash as a film is just one of those which makes u sit down after the end and think about what just happened. The movie is centered around racial discrimination, and depicts the lives of several people, whose lives get connected through the various events that occur.

After watching it, I did followed up with some reading on the film. Turns out it bagged the best film of the year at the Oscars in 2005, and at the same time was dubbed as the worst film of the year! The only movie which I can think of that had the same effect on me so far was Man on Fire, another great film. Both are defininitely a must watch...

Alien Droppings....

2006-06-26T15:54:00.000+08:00

You kno what I tend to miss most about roadtrips back home? The excitement.... You take a long drive out of town in India, and on the way there are the colourful trucks which are almost breaking down, the occassional village every 20kms or so which is bustling with activity, the sumo's and safari's jam packed with families heading off on a vacation....things that keep you awake while you're in the car! But here.....its just straight road all the way. You travel for 20kms or so, on roads absolutely aligned to scale, then take the occassional left or right, and then move again for the next 20kms. And on the way, you'll only see farmland with sheep or cattle, or dry barren land for miles around. So its absolutely essential that you have friends / family in the car with you, else you'll be stiff bored.

I headed off with my friends up north, about 250kms to a place called 'Cervantes'. There lie these structures called the Pinnacles, which are essentially limestone pillars which rise up from the sand. There are thousands of them scattered around the sandy desert, and its quite an amazing sight. Its not what you expect from looking at the pictures. Apparently someone thought they were stones dropped by aliens...hahah. What got me amazed was that here was a sandy desert, with minimal vegetation, situated right next to the ocean!

as you can see, the color's of the desert kept changing with the sunlight

It took us about 2 1/2 hrs to get there, we stayed at one of the self contained holiday homes. I've heard of a one horse town, but Cervantes is what I would term as a half horse town. The population must barely be a few hundreds, with just a couple of houses, a few shops and a gas station. The town is named after a ship which was wrecked there, which in turn was named after Miguel de Cervantes (Author of Don Quixote). So it wasn't surprising to find references to Don Quixote everywhere, such as the Don Quixote cafe closeby. We also stopped at the Lake Thetis, is famous cuz it contains Stromatolites (absolutely no idea what they are). On our way back we went to the beach, which was called 'Hangover Bay'. It was weird standing right next to the water with an entire desert behind you.

thats my friend ensuring we don't starve at night!

The night was cold, but it didnt take long for the day to heat up next morning. Before heading back home, we decided to take a look at Jurien Bay, which we thought would be somthing similar to Hangover Bay. But it was a full fledged town, and one of the most prettiest I've seen in a while. It was really like those country side town's you read about in books, with nice lil row houses, children playing on the beach, small cafe's lined up.... I even managed to see a couple of seal's swimming about in the water! Couldn't get a clear picture though, they really weren't too willing to pose for a snap. But the sight of the water, people fishing, the sand....it was like being back home in Kochi.

So it was back home then, the trip was a nice change after the exams. One thing I have to mention is about the kangaroos by the road. They were all dead!! Well, it seems that they just get too excited looking at the car's going by the road, and the moment they get too close...bam! Dumb animals...

To see the entire set of photo's...go here

Photography...

2006-06-23T07:19:00.000+08:00

Its amazing to see the hundreds of thousands of photographs that are put up online. I've been browsing a lota photo sharing sites recently, and here are some of the really amazing pics out there...

Makes me wanna grab a camera and start clickin away...
Be sure to visit:
deviantart, flickr, stulberg, scx

Note: The pictures above may be copyright of their respective authors. The pictures were taken by, in order of apperance, ~kea, ~borissov, ~theteng, ~lenw, ~staged, ~podobycko, Simon Lyatokov

Chilly Ideas...

2006-06-16T11:31:00.000+08:00

So I'm on my way to my exam at 8 in the morning, and I didn't take the bike as usual cuz it was toooo cold to ride. So I pop in the earphones, and tune into a local radio station. The guy on the airways tell me that its 3.1 degrees, and its "Nice bright & sunny". I look up...sure its 'Nice bright & sunny', just that I guess the heat is on low. Does the sun come with a temeperature contol or somethin? And then there's the whole day-night cycle which gets runined. Come 5:30 and the sun's gone home. Cumon....does the sun have to work half time durin the winter?? He's already got a disfunctional heater, on top of that he decides to call it in early.
Maybe I should write to god to turn the thermostat up jus a lil bit....

I'm not a big fan of the cold. Sure, its better than being sweaty and smelly, but bone chilling cold isn't too great either. Here I am padded up in three layers of clothing, hands and legs fully covered...the works. Infact, I got so much padding, that I'm sure I could easily withstand a bullet fire or somethin like that. It wouldnt penetrate through....i'm pretty sure of that! I guess nations should fight wars also in these temperatures....they'd either be too depressed to fight (it does get depressing in the cold) or they'd save millions of lives cuz the bullets wudn't go thru all that warm clothing!!

Maybe I should run for president....

Ol Friendz...

2006-06-09T16:47:00.000+08:00

Seems to me that this is the week of reuninons.....Recently I've gotten in touch with my friends from way way back....right from when I was in the 2nd grade!!

Ah...who could forget those ol skl days. Thats the one diff between uni and skl. In skl you knew everyone, and everyone knew you. But once u step into Uni, all that changes. You may meet a whole bunch of new faces every day, and never see them again!! From my 1st skl back in cochin, I'd nearly lost in touch with everyone....kept in touch with just a few, mainly cuz they were the only ones whu wrote emails n stuff. But I guess once ppl started using IM's....no one really bothered to write emails to each other anymore...

So I was just browsing thru hi5 couple of days bak, and found one of my old classmates. Got in touch wid him...thru him got in touch with others...it was like a chain reaction! It really felt nice to talk to them again. And we spent hrs just talkin bout the ol skl days....I remember this one friend of mine had a really short temper, and I'd make it a point to exploit it.. I'd sit right behind him in class and just before leaving skl at the end of the day, when we had to all stand up for the national anthem, I'd tie his skl bag to the chair!! And that'd really get him furious.....and while he was busy untiying his bag, I'd run off......Was chatting with him yesterday, and we both had such a big laugh over it....

Come to think of it, I'd always do stuff like dat, but somehow never got into trouble for it! I remember another time back in the 5th grade, my friend had gone up to the teacher's table for somethin. So I picked out a pin from the notice board next to me, stuck it in between a piece of folded paper and placed it on his chair so that it wud face up... when he came back...he sat right on top of it!! And he jumped back up quicker that he sat down......But at the end of the day we just laughed over the whole thing.....lol...

Ah...whoever came up with the idea of Instant Messaging was a genius....without it I wud have never been able to cherish those ol memories....

Ubuntu...

2006-06-07T00:01:00.000+08:00

##SPOILER: NON GEEKS MIGHT GET BORED....##

Finally got rid of Windows once and for all...yep...after sticking to Windows as my OS for over 12years, its now my 'secondary' boot-up list...

I needed a change. Windows Vista seemed a good change from XP, but one glance at the min specs (2Ghz, 265MB Vid Mem, 1GB RAM....), and I knew that it would be a couple of years b4 I get that config on my table. I'd recently read that I could actually emulate OS X Tiger on the PC, so I had that in the back of my mind. But that would require too much work....and with exams coming up...hmm...not a good idea.

Linux was always on the cards...first have it a try in 1997, but never really stuck on with a distro because of some problem or the other. Only twice can I recall that I used a Linux Distro extensively.....first was Fedora Core2, for about 2months I guess, and then Ubuntu Breezy Badger for around 4 months. I was really impressed with Breezy, was almost flawless. But lack of wireless support, and no NTFS write support became a hindrance after a while. So I was forced to let go of that too.

The latest Ubuntu distro - Dapper Drake was released on the 1st of June, so I said, what the heck? I'll give it a try. Downloaded the ISO, and most impressive was that the Live CD and Install was combined into one! Well, to cut it short, everything works flawlessly. From network to wireless to NTFS write support....ooh yeah....and it seems to have sped up my comp too!! (Even if it didn't, I would like to believe that it did...)

So yeah...been using it, and loving it!!! Here are a few screenshots....

and yeah...i'll try to keep this blog tech-free in da future....(try)

Gotta Love Wireless....

2006-06-01T21:11:00.000+08:00

The only downside of living on campus is the internet restrictions....I cant get my daily dose of music downloads!!! So my music collection has kinda stagnated since I got here....

But now I've found a way to get back my daily quota of new music....I still can't download, cuz of the restrictions, but just because I can't that doesn't mean every single student who attends uni can't. They've got connections at home, and do what they have to do with them. So as I was sitting through my stats lecture today, I turned on the wireless in my notebook and just did a causal scan of all the computers connected to the network...and voila...i'd hit a jackpot!!!! There were over 100 computers on the network with shared data, with everything from games to movies...and most importantly...MUZIK!! So yeah...in that two hr lecture...I copied over 3Gigs of music onto my comp....I should be good for about a month or so now....lol...

Today was also the Chinese children's day, following the traditional dragon boat festival that was yesterday. My chinese housemates took into the festive mood, and cooked traditional chinese dumpling sorta things (dunno the weird names...) yest, and another grand dinner today....ahhh....chinese festivals = good food....and from what I hear...there are plenty more coming up.... (",)

Haich...

2006-05-27T23:47:00.000+08:00

I remember when I was in the primary skool, we used to always make fun of the kids who made mistakes (I wasn't being mean..I'm sure we all did it..). And we would always pick on the improper pronunciation of words. I remember there was this guy in my class who couldn't say 'six' for some reason, and kept sayin 'sis' each time. And the whole class would be in an uproar when it was his turn to recite numbers!! He went 'sisty one....sisty two...sisty three.......' Trust me...it was utterly hilarious.
Apart from numbers, letters and words were another bunch of favourites, and never a day would go by without someone being corrected by out teachers for our incorrect pronunciation. And since this was in South India, where people had a heavy accent over their speech, it sounded even worse....there was 'yay' for A, 'yee' for E, 'haich' for H, 'Ezed' for Z and so on...So my ears are kinda sensitized to picking up these 'weird' pronunciation of letters & words, now even more so since my chinese roomates keep asing me to correct their english...

Now since I landed in aus, I've had some really funny experiences. I found that the words & letters are spoken just as I was taught not to!! People here say 'haich' for H...something which I was told was totally wrong....and most of the times I cant distinguish between their a's and their e's. The sound so much the same....

Its funny cuz back home people had this notion that 'we have to learn to speak english the correct way, just as they do in english speaking countries', and here I find that it's totally different. Maybe there is no correct way....its only as correct as you want it to be. But then again, aussies are decendants of the Brits.....and when the Brits speak english...ah lets not go there... (",)

So I'm a Black Person....

2006-05-23T01:16:00.000+08:00

Funny. I always thought my color was red. Even blue would do perhaps. Not black....

I'd kept getting fowards in my mailbox to take some 'tickle' test which would reveal my true color, and tell me more about myself. Igonred the first couple of mails, but then when I kept getting the same thing from different people, I said what the heck.
So after answering some 15 questions as on where I would like to sit in a plane (window/aisle), what I do in my spare time and stuff like dat, it was concluded that my color was 'black'. They even gave me an analysis of myself....that my "...unfaltering determintion and natural elegance impresses people....' How in the world did they come up with that based on my judgement as to where I want to sit in a plane?!?!?!

And there were a whole lot of other 'tests' which they claimed would give me an insight into myself. Like my 'Confidence Test' or 'Which is the smartest portion of my brain' test. Sheesh... First of all, I wonder who came up with all these tests..and secondly....there are actually people who believe in them!! And you can even pay them to give you a 'thorough analysis'. I wonder who would be dumb enough to do that!!

But its got me thinking....if there are people who would part with some of their money for stuff like this...I could set up my own 'online fooling people' website........thats a thought...

Caffeine: Hot & Steaming...

2006-05-18T02:00:00.000+08:00

I know many people who (including me) love a nice hot cup of coffee. Its the world's most popular form of beverage & also the most popular drink in the world, barring water. And one can't just get enough of it....

Now for the past couple of weeks my flatmates have raised the issue of whether coffee is bad for health or not. I like my cup of black strong coffee, and so does another flatmate of mine. But the rest of them don't drink it...not cause they're bothered that it's a health risk, but cuz they cant catch a good night sleep if they do! Anyhow, I decided to do a 'lil research on how bad or good can coffee be....and I came up with some really interesting stuff...

To sum up....here's what I got. Coffee can cure heart disease, reduces risk of type2 diabetes and parkinsons, cure liver diseases, help enhance mood, get rid of headaches but could also cause ulcer, increase the 'risk of cancer', speed up body metabolism and bring about up eating disorders. So basically, if I were to sum that all up, I could say, drink coffee to live longer, while you die along the way....

Its so hilarious...every single article I read that told me coffee was bad for health, I read two more stating the exact opposite!! And each one claims to be 'scientifically researched' by bla bla university or institute. Heck I even came across a site which told me coffee is better than fruit juice cause fruit juice contains large amounts of Vitamin C and carbohydrates which can result in diarrhoea, tooth decay and abdominal pain!!! If you don't belive me, you can read about it here.... The only consistent finding was that a) It generates lack of sleep and b) It is not suitable to consume during pregnancy....But beyond that each of the articles cancelled the other out...

So the best conclusion is....if you want your cup of coffee, go for it, after all, they say its good for the heart. And for those of you who want to stay away from it, do so, cause it may just end up killing you..... ;-)

Oh No.....NOT AGAIN!!!

2006-05-10T17:39:00.000+08:00

What is it with dis place and fire alarms?!?!?!

Less than 2wks back, the fire alarms in my flat went off, but it turned out to be a false alarm. And today, at about 5:00 PM after I just got back from class, there it goes again. That same TWEED TWEED deafaning noise from the smoke detectors!

My inital reaction - 'But no one's cooking anything dis time!!'. It took me a while to figure out that the alarm didn't trip off in my flat, but it was from somewhere else. And there was a hint of smoke in the air too. So as usual, in come the RA's....evacuating everyone out. This time there was no false alarm...the girls in the flat above mine were cooking rice, and they ended up burning it...which filled the entire place with smoke....

Now how could someone possibly burn rice in a rice cooker is beyond me!! And that too coming from the chinese...whom I presume have had enuf practice cooking it (",). The usual gala followed...fire brigade....fire fighters....bla...bla...

The good thing was that there was still a bit of datlight left. Unlike last time, I managed to get some decent snaps....Though I dont think the fire dept was too pleased with one Indian kid holding a cup of coffee in one hand, snapping away pictures with the other, while they were busy wid their work....Anyway...atleast got a few decent snaps in the bargain...

So I've come to two conclusions after all dis...

Don't get surprised if I hear the fire alarms again....Its kinda normal now...
Burned rice smells reaaaaalllly bad... (",)

More Interesting Sites....

2006-05-07T16:32:00.000+08:00

Two interesting blogs I came across....

Classic Cartoons - Remeber all those old cartoons that used to air to TV b4 we had stuff like Animax and all the jap cartoons? Ol favourite characters such as Wiley, Spike, Daffy....We'll here's a blog dedicated to them...and this guy actually puts the entire cartoon in pics...Awsome blog...
To-Do Lists - Another interesting blog....To-Do lists that fall under all categories - wish lists, pro's lists, con's lists, movies to see lists....you name it and its there. Check it out...

I scared off Google!!

2006-05-07T02:26:00.000+08:00

Well...looks like my name does not bring about the No.1 result in google anymore. Heck...it doesn't even come up in the 1st page!!

I was wondering why I was up there anyway....ha ha...
But if you join my first name and last name together....the entire 1st two pages link to pages that give my details, or link to various forums where I've posted in, such as flickr.com, thinkdigit.com etc etc....Same works for Yahoo serach too...

Hmm...I wonder why thats so....

Multicultural Nite...

2006-05-06T22:33:00.000+08:00

Its been a good evening. The housing community here organized a 'Multicultural Talent Show'...where they got people to come up and perform something. And the crowd turnout was pretty good....and why not, when there's free pizza goin around (",)

The weather has thankfully warmed up a bit, and the air has calmed down. There were some good performances on, with people from different nationalities performing.....There was a 'bollywood' style dance by a group of Indians.....they actually won the best act. A nice selection of songs by an Aussie mate...(I presume he wuz an aussie).....two soft number duets by a guy from Singapore n an aussie girl. I too chipped in with a couple of songs with a friend of mine (had to mention dat lol!). But it was nice to see that 'Mudiya Tu Bachke Rahi' and 'Dhoom' were popular with the crowd here too....No gettin away from us 'desi's' eh?

But my camera was a disappointment again....cell phone camera's just dont do their magic when its dark....so no pics up to post....mayb next time...

Something to smile about....

2006-04-30T13:46:00.000+08:00

I got a good reason to be a 'lil bit happy....
If you search for my name on google, my details actually turn up No.1 on the results page!!! Not bad eh....

Sunday at Freo...

2006-04-23T15:10:00.000+08:00

Gettin up at 7:00am on a sunday morning isn't exactly my thing, but I was asked by Hai to accompany her to Fremantle to do some shoppin. Fremantle, or Freo as its called, known for its fish 'n chips & markets, is the largest metropolitan retail center outside Perth, and something like a twin city to perth. A 45min bus ride got us there...and Hai set out on her shopping spree...

The weather was just perfect with a steady sea breeze blowing and it wasn't long before the streets were bustling with people and the markets were swarming with people. This place I am told is famous for its markets & there is always something happening. There were street performances at every nook and corner, someone singing with his guitar, someone playing the saxophone....I could have spent hours just walking around.

Now females as they are...Hai took ages to decide on what to buy, after over a kazillion consultations with friendz over the phone that is. Anyho, once that was done, we took the time to walk around and just get a feel of the place. Restraunts lined up everywhere, majority of them being Italian, Comedy clubs filling up with people, the smell of strong coffee from the cafe's, the sight of the cranes busy at work in the distant shipyard...it was splendid.

There also happened to be a car show on that day, so we saw some fabulous cars pass by.....american muscle cars...vintage cars....special editions.....and it took me quite a while to realize that it would be nice if I got a couple of pics of the cars. So I really didn't manage to get too many....

We also stopped outside one of the markets where there was a big crowd gathered up. Some guy was putting up quite a show, getting people from the audience to voulenteer and basically showing everyone a good time. His major act was when he got up on a tall unicycle...put on a blindfold and juggled flaming torches!! That was some talent there.....He gave everyone this story of how he's saving up money to go to Europe n all dat jus to get people to give him some money for his performance. Dunno if his story was true or not, but it sure did work and he must have gone home with a heavy pocket!!

In the evening I again found myself in Fremantle, not in the city center, but along side the river. This was in East Fremantle, where the homes & villa's along the river am sure would cost much more than what I pay for my candy!! And not to mention the oh-so-expensive looking boats and yatch's docked in the jetties. I went with my friend to meet up with some other's for an early evening Bar-BQ. The thing in this place is that every park has public Bar-BQ's set up for people to come and use absolutely free of cost...impressive. All in all it was good fun, and I got to meet a whole lota ppl...

If only every sunday was as interesting....

Why can't I eat when its only smoke???

2006-04-21T20:41:00.000+08:00

Normal evening. Shut my books. Headed to the loo...needed to clear the lunch and make space for dinner. I sit down comfortably, reading the weeky newsletter (trust me...dat's the best place to catch up on some readin). And then it goes....TWEET TWEET TWEET TWEET TWEET...
....the noise is absolutely deafaning!! I clean up as quicky as I can, pull my pants up and rush out to the corridor...and the place is filled with smoke!! (not that much smoke tho...little less than wat ur imaginin rite now...). But enuf to set off the smoke detectors. I run into my room...pick up my wallet & cell phone (yeah...they're the essentials rite?). I swear I had this tiny inkling to pick up my laptop too...but my common sense got the better of me and I rush out to the kitchen.

And lo! My two flatmates are standing over the stove, one choppin veggies, and other cookin up somethin. I'm like..."wat the hell you guys doin? there's a fire!!". And they go..."relax. it's just smoke. We forgot to switch on the exhaust.."

I'm heading back to the loo. Got some unfinished business.

CRASH!! BANG!! The door flies open. The housing residential assists (RA's) step in...all geared up in protective clothing....screamin "Every One OUT right now!!"
My flatmate goes..."Relax. There's no fire. Plus I gotta finish cooking my dinner"

Needless to say the words that came out from the RA after that weren't exactly pleasant. 20 seconds later we were all grouped up outside in the cold, along with residents from other flats. Less than 2mins later the fire brigade comes in, lights flashing and all dat jazz.

Picture pefect moment. So pull out my phone, and start clickin away. Prob is that cell camera's don't click too well at night. Anyhow, got something out of the commotion. My Malaysian flatmate also got me to click his snap beside the fire truck so that he could give his folks back home a good scare....

Well...after a 20 min wait in the cold, we could finally all go back inside. The alarm was turned off, but still needed to be recoded or somethin. So I'm under order that I can't cook anything till the alarms are fixed. So I'm writing this (and starving) while I wait for the alarm to be reset.

What a night....

And I'm starvin....

Meet the extended family...

2006-04-21T18:19:00.000+08:00

I thought I'd introduce everyone to my roomies....gonna be wid them for a long time...so here's a brief bio of each...

First up...the ladies...

Chen Haiqoing a.k.a Hai : big sis of the house... -- She's the eldest, but looks something like 17... doin her Masters in Economics, and struggling really hard with her English books. That's cuz she's presently doin a Uni English Bridging course to get her English skills up. And it goes without saying that she's the best cook in the house. And I guess she's the only reason that the house stays clean...lol....every minute she gets she's got her apron on and she's wipin some grime and dirt off somewhere...
Gao Ru a.k.a Rugao : she wishes she could cook!! -- I won't mention her about her English speakin skills...cuz there won't me much to write about!! I'm not tryin to be mean here, but it takes repeating a sentence about 3-4 times before she understands it. And she's the only one in the house who can't cook. So she's struck a deal with Hai....She does the washing up, and Hai does the cooking!! As for studies, she's doing her Masters in Education, and already holds a teaching degree in Biology....intellectual types..
Danniel a.k.a Danni : moody...veerryy moody -- Can't pronounce her Chinese name... Yongest amonst all the girls, she's doing her Masters in Accounting. Spends most of her time complaining about her weight (tho she's thinner dan 70% of girls I kno), and about her pimples....sheesh...girls!! And she spends the rest of her time translating her notes into Chinese, studying from it, and then translating it back to English!!! You might wanna keep away from her in the morning's...she's the most cranky then...and you would also wanna keep away when she's got a basketball in her hands...

And the dudes...

Marcus : err...who saw him last? -- Never bothered to ask his Chinese name. He's the happy go lucky types....and makes his presence felt everytime he's at home. Coming from Malaysia, he can cook up a couple of good dishes too. Doin his Masters in Finance & Marketing, he's totally outgoing and lively. Its usually hard to find him at home....let alone his room. Had mentioned about him in my previous post when he left me stranded with my bike on the way to the city....
Victor a.k.a Shyao Way : quiet outside, burning Michael Jackson inside... -- For some reason he loves sipping honey and hot water...He's either in his room all da time, or playin basketball. And when he's in, he locks himself in his room, turns up either Backstreet Boys or Michael Jackson, and sings....err make that screams out to his heart's content. Then he comes out with a subtle look on his face as if he just got up from bed...lol.... His real name is not Shyao Way btw...thats just what the girls call him, which translates to 'Little Flower'...just to tease him...;)
Nigel Kenny Fong Young a.k.a Nigel : confused & paranoid -- The youngest in the house, he's doing his Bachelor's in Electronic & Communication Engineering. He's the only Chinese in the house who can't speak the language, since he's been born and brought up in Mauritius. So he blabbers in French & Creole. Loves to take the opinion of a 100 people (if he had his way) before doing anything. Listens to James Blunt day in and day out...and loves watching Japanese cartoons...even if he doesnt undertsand them...
See Yen Kuang a.k.a Ivan : in smelly hibernation -- He's the most peculiar of all I've ever seen. Till to date no in the house has seen him cook a meal, or eat vegetables. He survives solely on coffee, bread, sausages & tinned fish. Not that he can't cook, its just that he's (apparently) too busy. He's doin his Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering. And its been three months since he got here, but for reasons known only to him, he still lives out of his suitcase. The only time when he comes outa his room is if he wants to catch a bite or go to church....Will hafta find out more about this one...

So there you have it. Thats the whole bunch. I had actually planned to put up their pics too, but the girls are kinda photo shy....and the guys...well...I never bothered about it...
Maybe I'll put it up someday...

The Ghostly Trail

2006-04-17T14:17:00.000+08:00

Went looking for a ghost yesterday...
Didn't find him (or her)....

I was at the Yanchep National Park yesterday, about 50kms north of Perth. It was sorta an easter sunday picnic, and free food ;). The park was a beautiful place, greenery all around, situated beside a lake, with the ocean not too far away. Anyho...my friends learned that there was a 'haunted house' closeby, and there was actually a path leading up to it. So we got a bit adventerous, and set out after lunch to look for it.

The trail was well marked out in the beginning, and we passed by many fellow trekker's on the way. Then there was a point where the trail split up into two. On the right was the track that circled around the lake and led back to the park. On the left was a narrow trail leading somewhere else. A quick check on the map, and we headed out on the left trail, where the 'haunted house' was supposedly standing. This path was more rocky than the original trail, and not all the level either. At times we kept going up all the way, and then it was downhill again...

We all figured that this track too would eventually circle the lake too....but later it became more obvious that it wasnt to be so. The only conversation that we had was how this 'ghost' died. Was it a he or a she? We concluded in the end that it had to be a 'she'. The thing was that all throughout the way we saw pink ribbons tied up or lying next to the trees. So we kinda thought that maybe a girl was being dragged along the way by her murderer, and her pink ribbon got stuck on the trees (i guess that's what comes from watching too many movies!). Another idea that sprung up was maybe she died of breast cancer, as pink ribbons were also the symbol for breast cancer... And yet thing that was puzzling us was there were two triangular signs pinned up to the trees every 100 meters or so. One was just plain yellow, and another one was blue, with what looked like pug marks or so. We couldn't decipher it. Am sure we'd come up with some weird explanation for that as well, but I dont recollect it now...

We must have been walking for over an hour or so, when we realized that we really weren't getting anywhere. The fact the we just saw two kangaroos hop by us (yeah!! saw alive kangaroos for the first time....), got us thinking that we must be quite deep in the woods. And the lake wasn't in sight anymore! All we could see around us was a huge field, with a lota wild plants growing everywhere. And the pink ribbons, and the triangular signs were still visible couple of meters ahead. Even our cell phones didn't catch any signal anymore!! Now most of us, including me were studying some sorta technical related subject at uni. And the fact that we had no technological tool wit us was kinda freaky...(yeah...we're nerds..i admit it). So what do we do? Keep going ahead? Follow the signs and the ribbons? Get to the 'haunted house'? Or start heading back before it started getting dark.

So on a unanimous decision by all five of us, we decided to head back. It took as another hour to get back, and all along the way we were debating on what we would have found at the 'haunted house'. Anyho...when we got back, we met this lady, who very kindly told us that the trail we had headed out on was 14kms long!!! 14KMS!!! Had ve known that, we would have never set out on that walk!! Damn....

But I promised myself that one day....one day, I'm gonna come back, complete that walk, and actually see the place for myself. And find out if the place actually exists, if the person who died was actually a female, and if she died breast cancer or if she was dragged by her murder though the forest. And when I do, I'll be sure to post it here....
Till then....ponder on....

Watch the projectile....

2006-04-14T00:26:00.000+08:00

This post has long been overdue...anyho...

Couple of years back I came across an ad in a local Indian newspaper. On the left was a picture of a newly constructed public toilet. Outside it, on the pavement were four men, standing against the wall, looking to get perfect trajectories on the wall (u kno wat i mean....). And the caption read "...a day in the life of india...". At that point I'd gone in my mind....'yea. It happens only in India'....

Forward about 4 years, and I'm standing inside Perth International Airport, and I gotta take a leak real bad. So I follow the signs, find the toilet, step in and get the shock of my life!! You know (im talkin to the guys here..) how you expect to find some ceramic bowls against the walls so that you can relieve yourself? Well there was none of that here. I was staring at a long flat stainless steel sheet stuck against the wall, with a grille under where water was continuously flowing. for those who can't picture it, take a look here....

Truthfully speakin, I didnt know what to do!! (I mean, I knew what to do...but didnt know how to make use of this 'steel sheet'!). Then comes along some guy, stands in front it, does his thing against the steel thingy, zips back up, looks at me n says...'G'Day Mate'...and b4 I could say anythin, he wuz outa there...
I'm not givin any more details here....

Its been a couple of months since I've been here, and I still can't say I'm used to the idea. My desi brothers back home can actually rejoice the fact that they're 'condemned' system is now modernized....
...Err....Score one for India is it?

Worth a read...

2006-04-10T18:56:00.000+08:00

The net is quite a big place, and if you hunt in the right places, quite a few interesting things pop up....so here are a couple of sites I think are worth a visit..

'Poison Bay: a novel thats very graphic'
Its a really interesting piece, a novel, and is still a work in progress. Definitely worth a vist. The funny thing about this is that this is actually being written by a friend of mine, who goes by the online alias 'erebus'. I never realized it was written by him, I just stumbled upon it while blog surfing. Guess the net is a small place after all....
'PostSecret.com'
Its been described as '...ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard...). It also happens to be the world's second most popular blog! Its interesting to see how other people think, and makes you realize that you're not the only one with something to hide...Its updated every sunday with fresh posts.
'Gullible Info'
Its just what the title says...gullible info. I dont know if the contents are true facts or not, but it does seem credible. Simply put, its a site which puts up lists of facts a little hard to imagine...

It had to happen someday...

2006-03-31T17:45:00.000+08:00

And the transformation has begun.

I could never do without a keyboard and a screen in front of me, and now I guess I can't think without one either. It sounds pretty pathetic I kno, but I can't help myself. I was at my math lecture today, when my lecturer cracked a joke. As I was walking back, I wuz thinkin about it, and in my head I went...."Dat was a good one. Lol..." !!!! I actually thought out the word 'Lol'!!! And in my papers I already notice that I write 'thinkin' or 'dat' instead of 'thinking' or 'that'.....!!

I'd read a lota articles earlier on how computer's have an influence on even the most simplest of tasks, and how the English languge is taking a tumble downhill....and I used to just laugh them off. But now....damn....

The revolution is coming....

How to Write a College Paper...

2006-03-29T00:49:00.000+08:00

Got this from my Uni housing services newsletter....hilarious...

How to Write a College Paper

Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well-lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils.
Check your email
Read over the assignment carefully, to make certain you understand it
Walk down to the vending machine, and buy some coffee to help you concentrate
Check your email
Check up on your friend if she has started writing the paper or not. If not, you can both walk to McDonald's and buy a hamburger to help you concentrate. If your friend shows you her paper, typed, double spaced and bound in one of those irritating see thought plastic folders, drop her
When you get back to your room, sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well-lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils
Read over the assignment again to make certain you absolutely understand it
Check your email
Look at your teeth in the bathroom mirror
Listen to your favourite tape, and that's it, seriously, as soon as its over you are gonna start writing that paper
Listen to the other side of the tape
Check your email
Rearrange all your CD's in alphabetical order
Phone one of your friends and ask if she's started writing the paper as yet. Exchange derogatory remarks about your teacher, the course, the college, the world at large
Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well-lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils
Check your email
Check the newspaper listings to make sure you haven't missed anything truly worthwhile on TV. Note: When you have less than 12hrs, anything on TV from Masterpiece Theater to "Sgt. Preston of the Yukon" is worthwhile.
Look at your tongue in the bathroom mirror
Look through your roommate's book of pictures from home. Ask who everyone is.
Sit down and do some serious thinking about your plans for the future.
Open your door and check if there are any mysterious, trench-coated strangers lurking in the hall
Check your email
Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well-lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils
Read over the assignment one more time, just for the heck of it
Scoot your chair across to the window and watch the sunrise
Lie face down on the floor and moan
Check your email
Leap up and write the paper
Type the paper, and while you're at it, check your email
Complain to everyone that you didn't get any sleep because you had to write that darn paper

Lance Armstong...I'm gettin thr...

2006-03-25T23:38:00.000+08:00

I said it in my previous post and I'll say it again. What A Day!!!
I tried to be a bit adventerous today - I usually take the bus to get into city, which is approximately a 50min ride. So I said let's try somethin different, why don't I cycle it all the way? My roomie from Malaysia is a cycling enthusiast, and has been a part of many semi-pro racing teams. So he was naturally over enthusiastic when I asked him to ride along with me. So we set out with the weather looking fine, and were going good for couple of kms. Then out of the blue...my roomie gets a sudden bust of energy, switches his gears and starts off on a sprint! I wuz like....where the hell is he off to? And before I can say 'Jack Daniels', he's outa my sight....

Now I'm not built for this sorta stuff. Cumon...I'm a computer guy...I sit on a chair...elbows rested on a table...a cup of coffee withing easy reach....not made to release sudden bursts of energy and set off in to the horizon...Anyhow, I gave it all I got and tried to follow him. In less that a couple of minutes i'd totally run outa steam...huffing and panting, I still try to keep going. Must have been after some 4-5mins of pedalling, that I see him far up ahead, leaning against a post, waiting for me. The moment he saw me from the distance, he shot off again. Oh no...Not again!! And again some kms later, I see him waiting. I guess by then he realized that I really waznt keepin up with him!! So when I finally catch up with him at a fuel station whr we had planned to stop and fill some air.....he says.....

'Whats the matter? Why are you so far behind?'
And he gives me this oh so matter of factly look....
Me: 'What was that sprintin all about?!?! Whr did u suddenly dash off to?
Him: Sprint? That was no sprint. I was just cycling.
Me: Just cycling?
Him: Yeah....at first I was just warming up..

Oh brother! N b4 I could say anythin else, everythin wuz goin all black. My head started spinning, and I wuz feelin funny in my stomach. Toilet...I gotta find a toilet....Ah...there's one... 5mins later I walk outa there feeling much better. And then he asks me...'You alrite? Are you feelin giddy?'. I go - 'Yeah....things don't feel too good'. 'Ah', he says, 'thats cuz u were not matching your breathing with your cycling...!!!'

10mins and a small talk later, I realized that there's a lot more to long distance cycling than just having good stamina & pedalling....there's quite a bit of technique involved. Breathing techniques, gear ratios while climbing uphill and downhill, applying the right pressure on the pedal with the toes....there wuz a whole load of other stuff....

From then on, things went off pretty well. We kept a decent pace, and I tried to cycle 'skillfully'. Hopefully after a copule of more trips such as this, I should be able to piece it up all together...cuz I definitely don't wanna go thru what happened today again....

Salsa & Arabic Coffee...

2006-03-24T21:42:00.000+08:00

What a day! For one...it has been what I term as freezing cold, and a great night out! My uni had a carnival on today.....called 'Harmony in Diveristy', organized by the International Student Committee (ISC). But before that was the semi-finals of the 'Curtin Idol' singing competition (i kno...i kno...every1 has an idol show on these days)... But it was nice to see that the contestants were from all over the globe...people from Malaysia, China, America, Australia (obviously)...and plenty others. There is definitely a lota talent over here....
I happened to be one of the voulenteers for the ISC, and it wuz really good fun. Apart from the fact that I got loads 'n loads of free food (else y would i even b there!!), it was a good way of gettin to kno how things work here. There were performances by Salsa and Belly Dancers....and also an Aboriginal musical show. Now to be honest, I really didn't dig aboriginal music, but these guys were surely talented. And the salsa dancers also offered a free 20min lesson on the basics of salsa after their performance. There were also a whole lota stalls which were set up by various student groups....givin info bout their countries, selling some home-made stuff etc etc.

One of my friends whu's from Oman called me over to experience a traditional 'Arabic welcome'...the whole lot of them were dressed up in traditional arabic attire, which was a silk gown called 'Disha Dasha' and a hat called a 'Kufi'. I was welcomed with bow followed by the greeting 'Salam Alaikum', to which I was to reply 'Alaikum Salam'. The greeting meant 'May Peace be upon you', and my reply meant 'May peace be upon you too'. Then I was served a plate of dates (the fruit of the date palm), followed by a small shot of really really strong black coffee. And after I was done, I was asked to rinse the cup with a lil bit of coffee, which was a sign that I didn't want anymore, and that I accepted their welcome. Quite an experience...

Another stall was set up by a group of aboriginal people, who were actually a mix of other races. I spoke to this one guy, who was part Pakistani, part Afghani and part Aboriginal, which also makes him part Australian! Now thats a lota parts for one person!! But it was intersting to know how people came to this country from all over the world. I'm told that Australians are actually the decendents of British convicts from the 1800's.....now thats something to think about...

But on the whole, it was really an awsome time. With the music, the food and the people...it was really gr8....n i'm really lookin forward to more of such stuff as it comes along....if only it doesn't turn out to be as cold as it was tonite....

Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels...

2006-03-21T00:45:00.000+08:00

Saw a couple of movies over the weekend. First time I ever saw a Guy Ritchie movie....and I must say it was quite something. The first one was 'Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels'.....a caper comedy, with what I thought was unique filmography (dunno if thats a real word!). I love movies which have stories a little more than just a guy and a girl tryin 2 hook up throughout the entire length of the movie....Movies with a twist...bit of comedy, bit of action....those are the sorta ingedients that taste gud. I did some reading up about the movie, and apparently it was Ritchie's first successful commercial film. Nice...
Second movie was also a Guy Ritchie film called 'Snatch'. Its on similar lines to Lock, Stock....and equally well done. I thought Brad Pitt's role in it was really superb...with the Irish accent n stuff... If you ppl out thr haven't seen either of the movies....do look them up if you get the chance...didn't dissappoint me atleast.... (",)

Kolkata....

2006-03-21T00:25:00.000+08:00

Ever since I've set foot on this place, the question that i've been pounded with the most is - 'Don't you miss Kolkata'?? So here's b4 someone asks me again...
Well...its a toughie. When I was in cal, I didn't overtly fall in love with the place. I didn't hate it. After all coming from cochin, whr I stayed for 10yrs, Cal really wasn't the place that made me go 'Oooh Yeah....'. There was the everyday hustle bustle, the noise, the pollution. Those can really test one's nerves. But then whr else in the country can you have ur 'adda' with ur friendz in the neighbourhood 'pada'!! Lol...I mean...u gotta agree...thats unique!! Its the kinda place that you think you would love to hate, and want to leave behind forever. But now that I'm away from it, I wouldn't mind making a visit back there sometime. Its unique....it has its own charm...and you can only get what I mean if u've stayed thr....Its like a 'love - hate' relationship....I didnt 'love' the place....it didnt hate me....best situation for anybody to be in if u ask me!!

Casual Day....Every Day...

2006-03-14T23:45:00.000+08:00

Its interesting how people follow different norms in different places, and how the term 'acceptable' differs completely from place to place. Aussies in general are very easy going and friendly people. Where else would you be walking beside a complete stranger on the roadside, and exchanging pleasantries or discussing the weather?
I took some time to get used to it, cuz everytime I stepped out, I didnt expect to hear 'G'day Mate' or 'How's it goin?' from every second person that walked me by!! But that's just the way people are here.....Even if you use the public transportation, the bus driver greets you and exchanges a line or two. In India, the only time the bus driver would exchange a line with you is if you gave him a less fare!!! It feels so gud when the person in front of you always greets you with a smile, be it a cashier at a counter or a passenger in a bus. Its like they're always glad to meet u!!!
Aussie slangs are another thing. 'No Worries' - u'd hear this phrase atleast 10times a day, if not more. All conversation is guaranteed to end with 'No Worries'!! Some other slangs which you get to hear frequently are Barbie (BBQ), Bikkie (Biscuit), Dunny (Toilet), Fair Dinkum (Genuine)......it does take gettin used to cuz in a conversation they suddenly pop up, and I go...whaaa???
But one thing I still can't get used to is the 'casual' sense of dressing! And when I mean 'casual'...I mean it to its truest sense. On my 1st day of class, I put on a T-shirt, Jeans...socks...shoes...u kno...the kind of stuff you expect ppl to wear (or atleast wat I expect!). And I'm greeted with people walkin into class wearing beach burmudas....rubber slippers....vests...and maybe a coke in the hand!! But the icing on the cake was when my lecturer walked in a pair of shorts, t-shirt and floaters!!! And it was the same for all my other classes. What you wear is apparently not an issue...and anything is acceptable. I even notice about 2-3ppl in Uni everyday who are barefoot!! And it's not just uni...I went to the city and its the same everywhere....ppl just love to be casual...

As an end note...even i've started attendin uni minus the dilly dally. After all it is a pain to put on clean socks (i hope my mom isn't readin this) and slip on the shoes etc etc. Just pull something out, slip it out..and I'm outta there...

Damn that was good...

2006-03-13T01:14:00.000+08:00

On the topic of food again....I just had write about what I cooked for dinner today!! I dunno what I was thinkin when I made it, but it turned out something totally unexpected....
Well last night when I was on the phone wit my mum, she said that if I wanted to speed up cookin process, I'd be better off if I could marinade the meat b4 I cooked it. So today before I set out to cook, I'd said to myslef...thats exactly what I'll do....Here goes the recipie...

Ingredients:

Minced Meat (enough to serve two)
Strawberry flavoured yogurt (I told u...i dunno wat I was thinkin!!)
Fresh stawberries
Thai Green Curry Paste
Carrots
Chinese Cabbage
Capsicum (Green Pepper)
Chilli Garlic Paste
Thai vegetable stir fry sauce

Mix meat with three spoonfulls of yogurt and two spoons of Thai green curry paste. Add about 4-5 fresh sliced strawberries. Leave to marinade for about 3hours.
Heat oil in a pan, and then add the meat. Cook until meat is half done, then add in about 1/4 cup of water and 3tbsp thai vegetable stir fry sauce. Add about 1tbsp chilli garlic paste. Cook for another 3-4minutes, then add thinly sliced carrots & shredded cabbage. After about another minute or so, add the capsicum (cut slightly big), and let it simmer. Serve hot with steamed rice!!

I know I know that the ingredients sound funny, with the stawberries & the thai green curry...even I thought the same thing, but I said, 'What the heck', and went ahead with it!! And believe you me, it really tasted good!!! Give it a shot and lemme know how it turned out....

Disclamer: If you cook this @ home, and it turns out really bad...and you get sick n stuff, I cannot be held responsible. So don't get your lawyer to sue me or something like that. You probably didn't follow the instructions properly. In that case, you'd have to wait until u meet me & I could cook it for you....

Food...

2006-03-12T03:49:00.000+08:00

Food. Can't live without it. Love livin wit it (",)
Before I got to Perth, I'd never cooked a meal for myself. Ever. Well maybe an occassional breakfast or so, but it was never a proper one. At home my mom, my dad & my sis - all three cooked. So why the heck did I need to? Someone's gotta do the eatin rite??
But my 1st day here at uni, I was absolutely blank. I had simply no idea what to cook. Well I did have to go and buy some stuff first, which again I thought would be a simple task, cuz i'd occassionally tag along wit mum bak home wen she did her shoppin....But it wasn't at all wat I expected it to be. No mum to clarify if this is the right stuff to buy or not. Anyhow, once I got thru that, I got bak home and set my self up to cook some food. My first dish, Day 1 - Boiled carrots and capsicum with instant noodles. Day 2 - Boiled carrots and capsicum with instant noodles. Day 3 - Boiled carrots and capsicum with instant noodles.....you get the picture rite?!?!?
But as days started passin by, I found myslelf eating food with some taste in it!! One of my flatmates is an excellent cook, and she'd make sure to call me whenever she did her cookin. Unfortunately she couldn't explain anything to me in words cuz she's Chinese, and English is really not her stong point. Anyhow, I'd try my hand at cookin once she was done, and things did start to get better. There were some ups and down's, like the time when I didnt cook the food throughly, and most of the stuff was still raw. End result? The toilet was home for 2 days!!!
Now its been a month since I've left home, and last night I probably cooked the best dinner ever! I can't giva a name to what I made, cuz it was a sorta self creation, and I really haven't got enuf creativity in me to sit and name dishes. But anyhow, the point is - I'm actually enjoyin cookin!! And the satisfation you get when you taste something good, and you know that its 'you' whu's made it...Aahhh!!!!
So to all my friendz bak home - Next time I'm there, dinner's on me...... (",)

Ahh....I know...u dont...lol..

2006-03-10T18:22:00.000+08:00

You know that feeling you get when you realize that you're the only one in a group who knows something? When you're sitting there relaxing and everyone around is struggling to understand something? Thats how my day was today..... (",)
In my math lecture today, basic algebra was the topic of discussion, you know, just to brush up the basics before we got to the nitty gritty stuff. So just as an example, a sum goes up on the whiteboard - What is the value of x in (5x + 2)/3 = 2x. I was like, cumon, we can't be startin from this basic stuff... But when I take a look around I see people scratching their heads, writing down line after line as if they were decoding Morse code or something. Can you believe that the lecture actually spent about 5-7mins just explaining how to do the sum?!?! Next comes on the board something like divide 22163/37. So everyone proceeded to take out their calculator's. The lecturer says - Who all can do this without their calculators?'. And believe you me, the total number hands that went up including mine was barely 7-8 in a classroom with more than 300 people!!! So I say to myself, OMG! Wats happenin here?? So I ask my friend nxt to me (no offence to him if he's readin this), 'you can't divide that'?? He says to me - 'Dunno man...it's been a long time'.....
I'm thinking I must be in the wrong class. This can't be right. So I look up my syllabus, and see that this unit does dive deeper into technical calculus and stuff like that, but they intend to start teaching from the very beginning, and now I know why!!!
I remember bak in skl how I'd always complain on how we weren't allowed to use calculators in our exams...but now I'm glad that I didn't. I can see what the consequences would have been!! Here in oz, students start using calc's right from skl, and are almost totally dependent on them. Its a shame really....its one of the downsides of depending too much on electronics.
Anyhow, for the time being I'm gonna enjoy myself in math classes....baskin' in pride of knowledge, smirking away in my head....lol...

Oh Sleep...Where Art Thou?

2006-03-08T01:18:00.000+08:00

Its been just a few weeks into semester, and I already feel that I'm sleep deprived!! What is it wit uni & class schedules? School was good - go to class in the morn, come back by noon & then do wateva u had to do. But wats wit having one 2hr lecture @ 8:00a.m, and the next one at 3:00pm?? My whole routine, if i had one, would have gotten upset!! N sleep is something that I really can't do without. I'm sure no living maniac can, but my quota is a bit higher than most mammals. My friends readin this kno exactly wat I mean....
And here I am, after a long break, tryin to walk down the path toward my professional career (ooh..that sounded so mature!!), and I find myself gettin less n less sleep. My comp dept has this 'wise' idea of running all machines on a Unix systems, so last night I found myself sitting up till 4:00 trying to get some blasted network configured. When I looked @ the clock, I went - Shit...gotta sleep. Then I look at my planner n I see - 'Mathematics Quiz on Probability at 11:00am". Great! What was the probability that I didn't see that before?? Friggin' Unix Systems....
So I managed to sleep till 9:00am, struggled outa bed, made a sloppy breakfast and got down to some studyin. As I walked to class my head had a funny feeling, as if I was swirling or something. It was either an overdose of Unix or underdose of Sleep (It was the latter....the latter I tell you..)
But what was the wackiest thing in this entire course of events?? I aced my quiz!!! I dunno how, but I did....
And as I sit here writing this, I'm actually trying to come up with a formula to give me a relationship between the lack of sleep, a bit of unix, a soggy breakfast and an aced quiz. Will publish the results once I figure out what I'm talkin bout....

Wine & Chocolates...

2006-03-04T12:28:00.000+08:00

There's a small town just about an hour outside Perth called Swan Valley. Its a picturesque lush green place that's a popular attraction to people here. One of the main attractions is its many vineyard's. I went there with my friends during the weekend, visiting a few places around. Now I really don't get what's all the fuss about wine. I tasted a couple of different types, and how I wish I could splurt it out. I looked around me, watching people tasting wine, and I was thinking to myself - these people are really great actor's, cuz this stuff is TERRIBLE!!!. This was white wine btw, the red wine wasn't too bad tho. Anyhow, I'm sure that some wine 'expert' would tell me that I have to still develop the taste for it, or some stupid thing like dat. I'd tell him to go take a hike. Anyhow, you wine drinkers do your thing and leave me at peace.
Next stop was the Margaret River Chocolate Factory....that sounded good. The place from outside didn't look very impressive, but once we stepped in - Woah! That smelt like heaven. Everywhere I looked, there was just chocolate & chocolate. And the best part? I could sample chocolates for free!!! (No wonder the place was swarming with people). Right from dark to white to creamy...u name it and it was there. I could have gone all day, but I had to bid goodbye after sometime before they came and threw me outa there! My friend bought a bag of Irish Cream chocolates and Champagne chocolates. That bag was left in the car when we went out for lunch, which deserves a mention, cuz it was simply splendid. We ate at a small joint by the roadside, a place which had a very homely & country setting. And the food was really good. I've gotta get back there sometime in the near future. But as we were leaving, we noticed that the chocolates had melted completely!! So we were left with a new choc flavour - Irish Champagne!!! But that wasn't bad either...
On our way back to Perth, we stopped by another river town (forgettin the name), had a cup of tea next to the water and strolled about. Everywhere we went, the landscape was plain beautiful. Its so relaxing.....Anyhow, we got back by late evening, and as I turned to bed I promised myself one thing - I've gotta have another go at the chocolate factory.....(",)....

Photo Hosting...

2006-03-01T01:12:00.000+08:00

Have finally figured a way to post pics through my college network....
Will keep updating pics in the album from time to time @ http://my.opera.com/adityasen/albums

Peace...

Way Down South...

2006-03-01T00:17:00.000+08:00

Made a weekend trip with my friend down south of oz. Started off at 7:30am, covering about 180kms in a 3hour drive. First stop was a small beach town called Busselton. The beach there was simply spectacular.....water so clear, that the sea bed could be clearly seen. And even though the sun was out, the breeze was cool and refreshing. We made our way to an underwater observatory that was built out into the sea, connected to land via a 1.7km long wooden jetty. I'm told its the longest wooden structure in the world!! After a long walk to the observatory, we made our way down 3 floors, coming into level with the sea bed. And what I saw was simply spectacular - we were staring straight into the most beautiful marine life I'd ever seen!! Bright corals all over in vivid colours, with blue's, pink's and orange's all over. And a whole range of colourful fishes. I even came face to face with an octopus (which was quite ugly!!). pics here
After that, we took a drive down a little futher to the southern most tip of South-West Australia. It was again an amazing scene, looking at the ocean stretch all around for miles and miles, the only next land surface beynd the waters being Antartica. The view was breathtaking, but the flies were up to their usual tricks again (for those who have no clue wat i'm talking bout, read my previous blog). We even took what is known as a 'Bush Walk', an aussie term for a walk through the wild fauna. Lunch was authentic aussie 'fish n chips', at a local shop. Come evening time and we headed back to Perth, but with beautiful oceanic images in my mind....

Of dead kangaroos and flies...

2006-02-25T22:02:00.000+08:00

I've encountered two forms of kangaroos so for. First was in a kangaroo curry! And I must say it was pretty delicious (and not disgusting as most ppl think!). Apparently people do eat kangaroo meat here, but not that frequently. It is mostly fed to dogs as 'pet food'. But it was worth a try. The second form was dead kangaroos on the roadside. I went for a trip to the southern oz (more about that on in the nxt blog). And on the road side I saw a couple of dead kanagroos. My friend tells me that they get hit by oncoming traffic when they decide to get to check out the two-legged idiots in cars!! But I'm yet to see one alive - hoppin' & jumpin' away!!
Next comes the flies. They are the most irritating specimens around. And they're EVERYWHERE!! You can't get from point A to point B without being chased by them. And you cant shoo them either, cuz they only seem to get more agitated, and bug you more!! The hand movement that people make while shooing away the flies from one's face is actually termed as the 'Aussie Salute'. And locals here tell me that there's no way to get rid of them. Great!! Just when I thought I'd get rid of Indian mosquitoes, I meet their brother's in Oz......

Four Seasons....One Day...

2006-02-22T23:31:00.000+08:00

Ok. The weather here sucks. Period.
I mean, how people tolerate the weather here is beyond me. Yesterday when I got up early in the morning (ok, not so early morning), the sun was blazing hot. The radio said that the outside temperature was 41 degrees. Whew. After I'd finished my lunch at around 1:00PM, it started to get cloudy and there was a warm breeze blowing. Before I could say Jack Daniel's, it started raining cat's and dogs, with all the cinematic effects of thunder and lightning. That lasted a couple of hours, and soon the sun was back again, with the air all moist all cool. And as the night approached, by 11:30PM, there was a chill in the air, and the temperature read 17 degrees!!

In one single day, I'd experienced summer, autumn, monsoon and mild winter. Sheesh. Talk about getting time to adjust. This place is sure to be a boon for people studying meteorology. Lol...

Perth City....

2006-02-19T22:29:00.000+08:00

Ventured out to Perth city today with my friends, taking the bus. Everything feels so different from home, esp the bus service, where back home you had to cramp youself in to get a space, hoping that you can get off in time. But here, its so relaxing to travel by bus! The city is also an amazing place. All shopping areas are located in sort of alleyway's (not in the true sense of the word), with shops lined up one after the other. But it is really different from the hustle bustle markets back in India.
And its really amazing to see movie theatres without a crowd. I still remember back home, everytime a movie was on the plan with friends we got there hours early hoping to get a ticket!! Another distinct difference that gets your attention is that unlike India, where every possible space and rooftop has been mounted with a billboard, there are absolutely none of them here. You can actually look at the sky without having Shahrukh Khan convincing you to get an Airtel Prepaid!! Lol...you get the picture right??
But I guess I'll have to stop comparing stuff with home, cuz after all this ain't home. I mean, what do these people know the joys of standing on the roadside, avoiding potholes and enjoying 'pani-puri' with friends!!! But then again, even though it was a sunday, all restraunts were closing down at 3pm and the entire place was nearly deserted by 5:30 when we got back to the Uni.
But I think i'm starting to like this place after all....Till next time...Ciao...

No photo's...

2006-02-19T09:18:00.000+08:00

Unfortunately I cannot post any pics of Aus as my college network does not allow access to any photohosting sites, such as Yahoo Photos or Flickr etc. So until I do find a site which is not restricted, I won't be able to put up any pics...

Where have all the kangaroos gone??

2006-02-16T15:39:00.000+08:00

So I’m finally here. Perth. Australia. Its been a long wait, but now that part is over….WHEW!!

The flight from Calcutta was looonnng and reaaallly borin. Total travel time = 21hrs!! Beat that. Anyhow, once I landed, I found that my airport pickup from the college didn't arrive. So I had to take a cab to get to the University, and the driver had no clue where it was located! Managed to get there in the end, and paid a bomb for it too!! I swear never to take a cab in this city again. I tugged along my broken luggage (thanks to Indian Airlines for that!), and finally got things organized.

Life here is pretty laid back. People are helpful and friendly. Weather is extremely funny though, for the first two days it was extremely sunny and bright and almost unbearable to step out. Next two days its been raining, chilly and the temperatures must have dropped a good 20 degrees. This part is gonna take some getting used to. My flat mates are all Chinese, and so are most of the International students on campus. There’s Danniel (Danni for short), who’s an excellent cook. Then we have Chen and Yuyu who only giggle at everything being said (They both have some trouble with their English). Those are the girls. Among the boys we have Victor and See Yen Kyuan (aka Ivan). Except for Ivan, I can’t pronounce their Chinese names. But they’re a jolly lot. But they all converse in Chinese, occasionally filling me in with the English translations. Guess I’ll be fluent in Chinese very soon !! On campus there are a lot of Malaysian’s and Indian’s too…

I’m in a suburb outside the city, and this place seems void of people. After all coming from Calcutta what else should I expect?? The distances between any two points are really large, and almost everyone has their own vehicle. That’s why there’s not so much public transportation here. Most of the buses have a frequency of 40–45 minutes I'm told.
For the first time I cooking my own food, and since I’m still alive to write this down, I guess I’m doing ok. lol… Danni is teaching me some cooking, so I should be fine

Lesse how life goes on….as long as the weather doesn't keep acting funny..

Heart & Soul....

2006-02-07T18:33:00.000+08:00

Why does there stand this wall
which I cannot see or feel,
but crumbles in me from within
everytime I see your face go by?

Was it a lewd remark or a childish act
for which I still owe apologies?
If I knew the journey were to be so harsh,
then braced should better be I,
But once the mind has faltered,
is alteration so very harsh?

I am a fool which has already been known,
pray do tell me the remedy
so the smile on you once again shows.

If you wish for me to disappear,
so be it then and there;
But on a condition sealed with a promise
that you shall wear your smile
as long as I am gone.

Where emotions are hidden,
words seem to flounder;
But what about the heart & soul
which could not even move these boulders?

I repeat again,
if apologies are undelivered
it shall be given
and the same with sacrifices;
But let not stand this Berlin wall
for thirty odd years, beyond which
life would be impossible to repair.

So cite your wish,
and I shall be away;
But let not the same fate meet
to some other loner on the way.

Immigration Check Anyone??

2006-01-20T18:07:00.000+08:00

I attended a pre-departure session today for international students heading to Australia & NZ, as I'm heading there (oz that is) for my undergrad in a few wks.…
‘Twas an informative session, basically telling us what to expect when we reach there…but some things that were mentioned were totally unexpected, and totally hilarious…read on…

For starters, the Aussie & NZ authorities seem to be paranoid about people bringing stuff into their country! They’re especially quite strict on bringing foodstuffs, but they let is pass as long as one declares to customs that he or she is carrying it…Well one Indian family just landed into Melbourne, and were carrying a small quantity of food. They declared it all, and were allowed to pass without any hassles. Before landing, on the flight, they were given apples along with the regular on-flight meal. One of them didn't wanna eat it there and then, so she put it in her handbag. Now when her baggage went through security clearance, she was hauled up and asked to pay a fine. Why? Thats cause she didn't declare the apple as part of the food!!! Can you imagine?? One apple?? And she was asked to pay a $200 fine!!! (thats bout INR 7000!!). I’m told that she hasn't eaten that apple till date, and has preserved it, and who can blame her??? Its worth $200!!!!

Another equally crazy incident was when another dude heading into Auckland was carrying a tabla with him (for all you global ‘uneducated’ readers, its a musical instrument). He was also hauled up at customs for not declaring the tabla!! Now I was just wondering what harm could a mere tabla possibly do?? It was explained to him that as it was a wooden instrument, it could carry termites. Now don’t tell me that with all the terrorists running loose, the Kiwi’s are actually afraid of Indian termites?? Sheesh… They confiscated it, charged him a $350 fine, and returned it to him after a week, and that too broken! And pray just what did they do with it for a week?? They fumigated it to kill and ‘supposedly dangerous’ termites that ‘could’ be there….Heavens, have mercy!

I’ll be carrying my guitars when I go, and if they dare fumigate it or do something funny like that, I'll make sure to ruin their happiness for a long long time…..

Glory Days..

2006-01-10T17:21:00.000+08:00

It all started way back when I was in the 7th grade, I guess I was 12yrs old then, when my friend, Arjun asked my if I was wanted to join a coaching camp in Badminton (Baddy as we called it!). I was really doing nothing much at that time, so I said, “Sure, why not??”. It was to be a 5day week affair, getting coached for two hours a day. But both me and my friend got so hooked on to the game, that we even continued coaching after the camp was over. We were then joined by another friend of ours, Akshay, and we three would make sure that none of us missed our training daily. Our coach, Pradeep sir, was a real good player, and an even better person. He made the game more fun to play, at least for me….
Well to be honest, out of us three, I was the worst player. Akshay was an excellent sports person, and Arjun had a good temperament for the game. I tried my level best to match them, and we always had friendly rivalry amongst us, both of them constantly challenging me to beat them in a game and though I did match Arjun in plenty of games, I could never beat Akshay. But the day that I’d never forget is when Akshay and I teamed up and took on rival schools from across the district. We came runner’s up in that event, and for me that was truly something. But soon after that, a few weeks later my dad changed his job, and we moved up north to Calcutta. I did continue baddy for over an year, but then the school timings were not kind enough to let me play on a regular basis. That was in 2002.

Well life went on, until today when I was passing by a local club, I saw few people volleying the shuttle. I stood and watched for sometime, and then I asked if I could maybe hit a short or two. I took the racquet, and hit a couple of shorts, missing most tho. I didn’t realize how time flew by, and soon I was playing game after game and winning each one!!! The thrill of the racquet in the hand again was just amazing. I called Akshay in for a game too (who had also incidentally moved to Calcutta), and it was just like the old days…It was back to the old challenge of beating him in a game, but I still couldn’t manage it! But nevertheless, the feeling of it all was exhilarating…

Now as I write this, I sit with an aching back, inflamated thighs and blistered feet. I guess thats the consequence of stretching yourself too much after almost 4 years!! Anyhow…records are meant to be broken, and I’m scheduled another game with Akshay sometime soon…maybe it’ll be my day…;-).

2006...

2006-01-05T18:40:00.000+08:00

Originally uploaded by AlmaZ.

Its that time of the year again…People making new year resolutions which they would probably forget a week later….straining themselves to believe that the new year will bring about a fresh start, while deep inside they know that it’s back to boring ‘ol work on Monday!!

So what is in store this new year? Another war? Another natural calamity? Few more millions losing their lives?? Or some lucky chap making his first big break and earning in millions?? Its a tough call…

I was reading sometime back in a popular magazine, that this period right now is the best time for us to be alive, and the world is indeed not going to the dogs!! (That is, of course, barring terrorism, drug addiction, AIDS, inequality of wealth etc…etc…) This is because we have better tolerance towards different races, no ‘World War III’, and abolition of slavery. It is true, we have actually bettered ourselves down the years, and the face of society is changing. But to ignore the madness that surrounds is is just being plain arrogant. To say that we have become worse is being pessimistic, and that we’ve become better is being bullish. What we need to be is realistic, and say that some things have indeed got a lot better, but we’re still some miles off course from total equilibrium of stability….

Any ho…Have a happy new year…..

Rock Muzik...

2006-01-01T16:35:00.000+08:00

Rock muzik....debataly the world's most popular form of muzik has certainly come a long way down the years....
I wanted to write somethin on this cuz the other day when I sat down wit my guitar strummin some tunes, it struck me that rock muzik of the 60's and 70's is distinctly different from what it is today, and could actually be classified into two different genres...

Take a classic example of two popular rock artists from the two ages....on one side of the ring we have the eternal king of rock and roll, 'Elvis Presley'...and on the other end we have leading rockers of the 2000's...'The Rasmus'. If one actually listens to their muzik (both the artists)...you would agree with me that the real definition of 'Rock' has been lost somewhere down the decades.
The 'ol King had a distinct style with his heavy voice modulations and steady riffs on the accoustic, while The Rasmus seems more intent on bringing their guitar leads and solos on the platform and give the lyrics a second standing...

But the majority of bands who are still going strong right from the 70's till today have learned to adapt to the changing taste of the audience over the years and have created a niche fan following for themselves...take Bon Jovi...Rolling Stones...U2...all still going strong...
But now yet another metamorphis has taken place bringing out a new sound called 'Alternative Rock'....it maintains the 'Rock' sound of the 90's...but it has been toned down a bit and the songs have a definite 'blues & soul' feel to them....a leading band in this category would be 'Coldplay'...and this genre is sure to stick around for a long time...

But the sad part is that unlike the 70's where bands were legends, today's bands come and go. We dont (and possibly will never) have another Led Zepplin or Dire Straits...or the classic rock kings, 'The Beatles'.... But I guess one can never predict what could turn out tomorrow...

So will rock n roll last in the future or will it be turned into a completely different sound altogether????