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Preparation for my Euro-Trip

10/10/07
So Prof. Sharma said no and Prof. Jacob seems quite cool. So, I will be all set for a year of studies in Boring Rochester. So, I have decided to reward myself with a Trip to Europe.
Let me revisit the significant developments of the previous day.
10/6/07 Saturday
Called up Shlagha and Rajshekhar. This really kick started the process. Shlagha sounded very enthusiastic. Rajsekhar will land in Germany(Aachen) on 19th Jan,08 (Saturday) and he can spend at most a weekend and a day, which he claims is enough for a trip tp Belgium and Netherlands !
He said there is cheap internal flight available inside Germany. (euro 20 for Berlin) and also, carpooling. He has asked me to mail him my itinerary.

10/09/07 Tuesday

Met Rajendraprasad Hosamani. The person to whom I say hegidira everyday turned out to be very resourceful. He took a guided trip. $2500 (tickets excluded).
Said: 1) Although there is a common Euro visa, you must get tamped from Every country you want to visit. Italy is a pain in the Ass. wants too many details.
2) Take Europass. Flight seem cheap, but taxi/shuttle from airport to city is expensive.

10/09/07 Wednesday
Searched for Europass. Just $430 if age is 25 (am I ? ). At 5 p.m. had voice chat (me speaking ) with Shlagha. Outcome was-->Since Rajshekhar has no time,
1) I will reach Finland on 18th (Friday ) and head for Arctic circle. (will try not to take the guide on the snow bike ). Saturday and Sunday, we go to Norway.

10/23/07
Developments of today:
1. Got a prompt response from German embassy, caused more confusion. Sending another mail now.
2.Rajendraprasad told me that a printout of bank statement is enough, but I would need a new $30 insurance.
3.Rajsekhar agreed to send the invitation letter. I am asking for a letter of support also.
From Indrani, no response till now.
4. Orhan replied. Have to call him tomorrow. Very crucial. Have to ask him about visa, immigration, insurance, railway and hostels.
5. Sandy replied. will send him my exact dates of travel to Swiss land. (let me see the visa rates and the complications )
6. Called travel agents in Boston. Student travel can reserve one for 554 (Frankfurt return )
But, we have to see if I need Canadian transit visa (its air canada, through Montreal )
Other developments: Two calls to Bhupi, two chats with Shlagha, Some reply from WAYN.
Future work:
Make WAYN profile, and post. Make facebook profile.

When I don't have my carpool

Life in Boston on a weekday is very routine. I wake up to find out I am late for the carpool, somehow run and catch it at 7:12, travel 40 miles in just 45 minutes (thanks to Jason's incredible driving skills ) listening to Opie and Anthony talk show. At office I around from Fish Lab to South Lab to cubicle and then suddenly its 4:30, time to leave. Again a drive at 80 miles per hour(limit is 65 !) listing to Toucher and Rich talk show.

Yesterday, Jason, the carpool organizer, was to go somewhere else, so I had to take the shuttle to Framingham and then take the commuter rail back to Boston. With me were all those unfortunate souls from EMC who could not manage a carpool and who waste four hours a day and $200 a month commuting. My friend Paul Sukphisit is among them. This guy is a arts student, hails from Bangkok, has been in the US for last 15 years, even after his parents found it too boring to live here and went back.
( This guy is a world traveler and a photographer
I have made a little photo dump on my laptop, photos of North East, mostly out of my orkut album fishing. On our way to Framingham, I was showed him the photos and told him how he can travel from Thailand to Myanmar and then to the North-East. He was very intrigued to see the how colorful we are, so many tribes with so many different dresses.
At Framingham we had around half an hour to spend before the train comes. The Indians with us usually go to a Brazilian Bakery to have fresh sugarcane juice. I joined them, but decided no to spend $3 on something I used to get for Rs 3 so so ordered some Brazilian bakery stuff instead. As I was eating, I told Paul that he could easily pass off as somebody from my place. He was not too convinced. Then we started talking about Buddhism, and as we reached station ,
what a coincidence, there were two Buddhist monks. One looked Srilankan and the other looked thai. Paul walked to the Thai looking monk and asked him if he was a Thai. He said no, and asked back, are you an Assamese or Manipuri?
The monk himself was from Bangladesh and has travelled to the Notheast many times, and
Paul was with all Indians then. I spoke to the Monk in Bengali for a while. I never knew there were Buddhist tribes other than Chakma there.
So, after this, I won another potential tourist to our Notheast. Paul was saying how commercialized tourism in Thailand has become and how his group would love to explore a place like Northeast. Also, how a crazy European girl spent three months in Burma on her own and had the time of her life. I assured him, Northeast trip will be better.
Then came the real surprise. I saw photos of him in Japan. He told me he had a Japanese girlfriend who took him there. He has been to Columbia too. How? He had a Columbian girlfriend before that. The one he just broke off is Indonesian Chinese! The list does not end here though.
I think its time I took my Spanish learning more ser

Pondicherry Trip

Pondicherry, this name always created some excitement in me..The credit goes to an amazing feature on it on Surabhi..
Finally got a chance to visit this plance thanks to the weekend extended by the may day holiday.
We started from Bangalore in a tempo . Reached pondy early morning. The timing was not all that great. The scorching heat and humidity changed my skin colour permanently...(until the cool air in assam changed it back after two weeks that is)

The planning was sloppy and we ended up spending three days in a place which can be seen 100% in a day..or two max.

The proper way to d0:
1) Book a guest house in auroville. That way you actually get to take part in the activities of the international community there...Best if you know somebody there...otherwise as a visitor u get to see nothing except for a huge golden globe from a distance (thats the prayer hall)
2)Go to aurovindo ashram
3) go for the backwater boating and then chill out in the hidden "island" enjoying one of the best beaches I have ever seen so far
4) cycle around in the french quarters..and taste the french cuisine..I went to three places Le club ( The see food salad was great..but didnt eat the best thing there..the steak). Rendezvous..and Promenade ( had a dinner buffet..not worth it..).

and you are done,, while coming back , come via chennai and visit mahabalipuram..DO not go to the sea food restaurant Le Ritz. It is unhygienic. and ridiculously over priced.

back in business

wednessday nov 10. reached lab at 8-30, but vatsan arrived already .so told him that i had to use the master key to lock the door as mittal was not there. 9-30 went back ate,went to room,had a chat with mittal. and then back to lab.called sunti .aita picked the phone.sunti was in nagaon. called kaplan and went to their office at 3. ate in shiwaji nagar empire hotel, after comin back fell asleep, at around 10 moha called enquiring abt the application posting, i called noki and got the phone no.s of koti +TP.after reaching the lab saw mittal busy with another long telephonic converstaion with shlagha, it went on till 12-30, dont know when it started. even i had a long chat with tapan and shew,.

tuesday 9th:: slept at 4-30..there was no key with me so locked with master key/.
went to boka for lunch at 3. shew called at nite...aru si pagal tue aal baal kam kori ase,,etiya shlaghar pisot porise,,muk si pagol korihe eribo,, called shlagha after that,,then she called back,,it went on for an hour, she said she had already called aj for 3 hours, mits for 2 hours...mittal was tired of talking he slept at 10,

warangal trip

So the inevitable hapenned . i had to go to warangal for my transcrpits..

Thursday: nov 4th: I got my marksheet last night itself..only mittal was waitin..
briefly 11 am ATM->then APSRTC counter,,but no power,,the bike was very troublesome..returned ..and mittal goes to malleswaram to get a semi sleeper ticket from KSRTC..one marksheet missing from his packet..he calls home and his mom takes all the trouble of scanning and mailing..the marksheet.
But at 5-30 from majestic..mittal makes phones after phones for the marksheet,
I also called anaindita she was not there//
nite was very cold. colder than bangalore..had a decent supper in a punjabi dhaba in AP /Kar border..the food+no telugu movie is the advantage of the KSRTC.
another stop a few hours later,,took tea to combat the cold.


5th friday: reached hyd at 6-30..zhinga took mittals bag+delivered the printout of the marksheet.
reached warangal at 10-15.
the meeting on whether the combo markshet will be given or not..seeing no quick solution we went to tenth block (1pm)..i went to heroz room..and mittal to vashsiths..
then we started the process of transcripts..the old way,,registrar was the key,,he was so busy.,waintin for him in the park met ajanta ,,she had a test till 8-30..but then there was a mech nite also,meant LP for her,..
then comes registrar ..he scolded us for not informing before..but finaly aggrees...poor guy didnt have a proper meal also...
mittal decides to leave and registrar agrred to sign at nite so i can collect it on satday.
i was tired,,kept my stuff with kukil..met all the ppl..finally at 8-45 called aj..she had already eaten,,still went to kalinga,.
there was this ususal UP ite beating a gulti panga..there was police in the boys hostels/.
slept in rajbirs room..

saturday: 6th::
woke up early,called home also ..saaru came at 10-20..ajanta was sitting with georgie in the lawn.
.and when the work turned to be so messy ..thot of calling her,..but she was gone..i managed
the saaru was helpful ,,and my telugu also worked !!
ajata came at 11.lakshmi was sick.she helped a lot,,then at 1230 i went back to hostel..had bath,,ajanta also had to cook for lakshmi.
as i was writing cds got a call from saru,eishwar..that the work is done..i reach there and take ajanta to the office..so that she can later on look after the money matter(paid Rs 1000 whch may b extra also)
then we decide to go out..
,,this time lakshmi was also there..strange,..she put on weight,..!!and the reason stunned me!! how can doctors prescribe such medicine..it sounded funny too,.
we went to shoot and shoo ..i was hungry,,
we had a nice time,.,saw the goa photoes.,.aj made the revealation that she was going for a steady relation with a guy,,I did have a strange feeling..didnt ask much...initially thought that she was just kidding!! people change so fast,...
i decide to go by the 6-30 train..quikly i pack up..give aj the cd,,.take xerox of all marksheets for the combo marksheet..and giv to aja..
both the kids accompany me to station.. I was happy,, aj is away,,still the affection hasnt weaned..and then thanx to the cell phone and the net,,we are constatnly in touch,.still the bond remains strong or has gone stronger,, I am lucky to have such a sister,,a strong one.... all i can hope that even after she becomes "idly vada" ..the love remains the same..

slept in the train..reached secundrabad at 10-30..
then mehdi pattam..had haleem(how can i miss it?)..called pallu,,then reached food world and padhy and santro took me home..
it was the worst time to visit them.they were vacating it the next day,,.all are placed in diff places, glad that santro and navneet are in bang,

7th sunday::: woke up early.. at 10 went out reached patwaris place at 12,,i shouldnt have gone there...
at 1-30 i am in purushs place,,lost way but purush recues me..soon comes bhupiand deshmukh..he is goi to delhi...he will be on bench for 3 mths..
mittal decides to stay,,and i made a hasty decision to go by train..me and bhupi were ferried to bustop on two pulsers...i took an auto,,all because of jimys wrong info..i was in kacheguda instead of the starting point secundrabad,,and that too one hour early..
as luck would have it,,it was sunday, train was packed from sec itseft,,helll with jimmy!!
journye was dififcult..climbed up the heap of india post bags,,but it was too uncomfortable..there was no place to stand also...things got better after curnool..
finalyy got donw at cantonemetn and reacehd at 7 am....

the genesis

i have tried so many ways to keep track of what i do daily..
the idea is that the previous output of my system can be fed back to the system to produce more efficent output in future.!
this morning I saw an article in bangalore times, that gave me the idea of online diary in the form of blogs. previously I tried yahoo notepad..but it had so many disadvantages..
then tried mailing myself in gmail,.,it was also dull dull dull..didnt catch my fancy at all..lemme see what i can do with blog,
it is 7 pm now,,,
lets see what i did from morning..
7 am : i discover myself sleeping in the chair in front of neuronix.ee.iisc.ernet.in..
mittal comes soon..and after sometime i go back to room..hardly a few minutes into it..mittals call comes that he forgot his keys in room..so i brush my teeth and give him the keys,,
the list of universities (indian association)..grows..
12-30: room again.talk to munu..she says mom/dad have gone to buy a fridge
14:00 : feel like eating..Tmc closed,,so go to the andhra style rajni.. oootah was ok..but just for 2 pieces of dirty andhry style fish fry they took 45 bucks..
then..back to lab..had a chat with ajanta and lakhmi..as promised sunti phoned @ 5..i called back & talked to putali,chiranjeev,.papu..
mittal mails to a CMU prof.