supermarket: Wumei
The supermarket at the west city centre is an experience in itself.
The fact the we spent 3 hours there must say something.
On entering, there were the usual clothes on sale which we had seen at many places before. But they are clothes, and I could not get tired of them. So I continued skimming through the aisles of clothes on display. Clothes are anywhere between 29 and 99 yuan when on sale. There are some really nice clothes for girls. Skirts, dresses and lots of very feminine clothing. one thing about the clothes stores in china form my experience is that it is hard to look away from them. Even if one does not venture into a purchase, at least 70 percent of the shelf stock is appealing.
Clothes are really really nice in china. And i am not talking about designer wear which is available in every country. The daily, comfy, regular, simple wear are really nice in price and appearance.
Moving on, the store goes on to house
footwear, accessories like umbrellas, hats, belts and so on..
It had Electronic goods, bags, music, stationery, games, furniture, plastic items,...
It was like an entire shopping street of bangalore-brigade road put into one store.
A special mention of the food section: begins with huge boxes of China's imperial tea. Moves on to other items like vegetables and fruits each in at least 3 varieties in shape and color. Then there are the other commodities like oils,ketchups,sauces,biscuits,cakes,etc
You move in and there are the aisles and aisles of noodles and dumplings. There are hoards of spices and lots of other cooking commodities that I could not even comprehend. They are in all shapes, colours and smells. Continuing a little furthur on the food side was the meat section.
This needs a special mention;)
First there was shelves and shelves of meat.
First beef. some packed, some unpacked, some open in huge tin containers.
Second chicken. Chopped and packeged some cut open de-skinned and refrigerated as is.
Third pork. minced, chopped, meat balls.
Fourth Fish. Not chopped, just lying in huge tins. About 15 varieties of fish in varied states. Some dead, some dying, some alive and jumping too!
By now I had stopped counting and noticed huge aquariums. Yes, sea animals on sale BUT they were all for food items! You point to the most attractive looking member in the aquarium and he/she/it will be in a plastic cover in your hand in 2 seconds! squids, prawns,shrimps, crabs, oh and what all. green black, greenish black, round, flat, horny, shelled, but all moving!
If I had studied a little more biology I would probably be able to name them.
Hail wumei! It completely satisfied all my shopping needs! It left me with the feeling of wanting to return there at the begginning of each month for the month's grocery, other needs...
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Day4: getting used to the routine.
Our professor treated us to icecream yesterday afternoon.
another interesting learning: the beans we cook like vegeable here (called usli in marathi and sundal in tamil) is actually a dessert ingredient here in china. So the icecream was a bar of white icream with raisons and baked beans in it!
In fact,
The other day when we went shopping, we had a bowl of crushed ice with fruits. ( very much like fruits salad with icecream) The guy who made it just added a huge dollop of those baked beans in them! It also had very tasty dates,raisons, melons and a tomato tasting fruit(it was prob tomato!). So it is ice cream, fruits and baked beans all in one dessert bowl!
Another famous dessert item is what the chinese fellows made for us the night we all cooked together at divya's place. It is like dumpling but round and smooth and is stuffed with sweetened black sesame seeds. I liked it a lot. It tasted like the til prasad my mom makes in shravan at home. Oh, to put it better, it is like black sesame seeds(til) and sugar ground and wrapped in rice flour to appear like a ball similar to a modak(maharashtrian dish made for Lord Ganesha) and steamed!
nice! oh but i forgot its chinese name...
At the dining rooms in the campus at my internship place.. I have a bowl of rice with a bowl of vegetables. Sometimes it is cabbage and greens boiled. Yesterday it was aloo sliced and stir fried and it was just like the aloo fry mom makes!
The temperature came down a bit last night as it rained. But there is no fear if you have an umbrella whether it is sun or the rain. I met up with divya at the west city centre and we went to a supermarket there. We shopped for about 3 hours and there were some great deals there.
Once you are spending on your own, it is important to keep a record of expenses.
By the time we got home, did that and crashed, it was 1130!
Our professor treated us to icecream yesterday afternoon.
another interesting learning: the beans we cook like vegeable here (called usli in marathi and sundal in tamil) is actually a dessert ingredient here in china. So the icecream was a bar of white icream with raisons and baked beans in it!
In fact,
The other day when we went shopping, we had a bowl of crushed ice with fruits. ( very much like fruits salad with icecream) The guy who made it just added a huge dollop of those baked beans in them! It also had very tasty dates,raisons, melons and a tomato tasting fruit(it was prob tomato!). So it is ice cream, fruits and baked beans all in one dessert bowl!
Another famous dessert item is what the chinese fellows made for us the night we all cooked together at divya's place. It is like dumpling but round and smooth and is stuffed with sweetened black sesame seeds. I liked it a lot. It tasted like the til prasad my mom makes in shravan at home. Oh, to put it better, it is like black sesame seeds(til) and sugar ground and wrapped in rice flour to appear like a ball similar to a modak(maharashtrian dish made for Lord Ganesha) and steamed!
nice! oh but i forgot its chinese name...
At the dining rooms in the campus at my internship place.. I have a bowl of rice with a bowl of vegetables. Sometimes it is cabbage and greens boiled. Yesterday it was aloo sliced and stir fried and it was just like the aloo fry mom makes!
The temperature came down a bit last night as it rained. But there is no fear if you have an umbrella whether it is sun or the rain. I met up with divya at the west city centre and we went to a supermarket there. We shopped for about 3 hours and there were some great deals there.
Once you are spending on your own, it is important to keep a record of expenses.
By the time we got home, did that and crashed, it was 1130!
Day3.
You never realize the value of something until it is taken away from you. This is a very famous dictum that holds good universally. There are things that I value even without them been taken away from me.
This new experience that I have embarked upon, apart from teaching me new things,
it is putting a lot of old things into perspective for me.
Here is something that I am very sure my mom'll enjoy.
Disclaimer: This is nothing to boast about, I am just recording my experiences and I understand that I am still only 2 days old in this experience.
Here is my routine.
Wake up in the morning(late!), get ready and simultaneously get some breakfast ready!
breakfast is mostly some indian easy to make stuff sent by our moms.
Clean up the breakfast utensils(no maid servant!)
Also we cannot waste food(each ounce is very precious) neither can we dump it in the refrigerator.
Take my bus and leave to the campus. Oh by the way, my umbrella has come to become an extension of my hand. Internship work till about noon which is when I have to go for lunch.
I usually pick up a bowl of rice and vegetables and some juice. Things are convenient with a lunch card. But all dining rooms close at about 1330hrs.
Back to internship till about 5pm after which i catch up with divya and we find some hangzhou explorations to keep us busy.
We get back to our apartment by about 8:30pm and then, WE HAVE TO COOK DINNER!
so we do that, have dinner,watch CNN deligently cos thats the only channel we can understand, then we have to CLEAN UP the dinner table/utensils!
mom, I hope you are listening to all this! oh I think I forgot the laundry... I have to do my laundry too(obviously!)
and somehow by the time we hit the sack it is 1130pm!
Div n me are dead tired...
hehe
It is very interesting how things we do at home are so insignificant but outside they gain so much significance.
You never realize the value of something until it is taken away from you. This is a very famous dictum that holds good universally. There are things that I value even without them been taken away from me.
This new experience that I have embarked upon, apart from teaching me new things,
it is putting a lot of old things into perspective for me.
Here is something that I am very sure my mom'll enjoy.
Disclaimer: This is nothing to boast about, I am just recording my experiences and I understand that I am still only 2 days old in this experience.
Here is my routine.
Wake up in the morning(late!), get ready and simultaneously get some breakfast ready!
breakfast is mostly some indian easy to make stuff sent by our moms.
Clean up the breakfast utensils(no maid servant!)
Also we cannot waste food(each ounce is very precious) neither can we dump it in the refrigerator.
Take my bus and leave to the campus. Oh by the way, my umbrella has come to become an extension of my hand. Internship work till about noon which is when I have to go for lunch.
I usually pick up a bowl of rice and vegetables and some juice. Things are convenient with a lunch card. But all dining rooms close at about 1330hrs.
Back to internship till about 5pm after which i catch up with divya and we find some hangzhou explorations to keep us busy.
We get back to our apartment by about 8:30pm and then, WE HAVE TO COOK DINNER!
so we do that, have dinner,watch CNN deligently cos thats the only channel we can understand, then we have to CLEAN UP the dinner table/utensils!
mom, I hope you are listening to all this! oh I think I forgot the laundry... I have to do my laundry too(obviously!)
and somehow by the time we hit the sack it is 1130pm!
Div n me are dead tired...
hehe
It is very interesting how things we do at home are so insignificant but outside they gain so much significance.
Monday, August 29, 2005
day2: Internship day!
My first day of internship!
I woke up to some yummy noodles prepared by divya. Irony is we were having indian atta noodles in China! After getting me a map of hangzhou, we got to the yuquan campus for my internship. I spent the entire morning looking for the building with the VLSI department along with Rose, a chinese fellow. This gave me a lot of time to learn a little about the university habits at ZU. I find it really interesting how soo many habits are so similar to that in India.
After a tiring walk around the campus for a while, and a couple of calls later we were headed straight for the building that housed the VLSI department.
On arrival at the lab i realised that i had become a familiar name with them. The students at the lab were already expecting me and were glad to meet me. ,I met Prof Wu and one of his research assistants Leon who is a Phd candidate. I am now working with him trying to learn as much possible about a research project the 2 of them are involved with.
The student teacher relationship here at the lab is amazing. I am not sure how it is in undergraduate school, but these post-grads here are favorites with their professors. Everyone is busy clicking away on their mouse on some intricate design aspect, with their headphones and full teapot on the table.
My first day of internship!
I woke up to some yummy noodles prepared by divya. Irony is we were having indian atta noodles in China! After getting me a map of hangzhou, we got to the yuquan campus for my internship. I spent the entire morning looking for the building with the VLSI department along with Rose, a chinese fellow. This gave me a lot of time to learn a little about the university habits at ZU. I find it really interesting how soo many habits are so similar to that in India.
After a tiring walk around the campus for a while, and a couple of calls later we were headed straight for the building that housed the VLSI department.
On arrival at the lab i realised that i had become a familiar name with them. The students at the lab were already expecting me and were glad to meet me. ,I met Prof Wu and one of his research assistants Leon who is a Phd candidate. I am now working with him trying to learn as much possible about a research project the 2 of them are involved with.
The student teacher relationship here at the lab is amazing. I am not sure how it is in undergraduate school, but these post-grads here are favorites with their professors. Everyone is busy clicking away on their mouse on some intricate design aspect, with their headphones and full teapot on the table.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
day1 : sunday!
the day of walking!
My first day in China began late but began fresh n energised. After meeting up with divya(!!!) and a bunch of Melton fellows, we (along with henry, my host) took a bus to the famous west lake in Hangzhou. It is a very beautiful lake with picture postcard scenery everywhere you can set your eyes on. We(div,yvonne(german fellow), joyce(yvone's friend), and a few chinese melton fellows-Jina,Ren,Kevin, Henry and me) chose a long walk and walked for about 30 min along the lake. I was just catching up with everyone as i had just arrived.
The lake i am speaking of is the beautiful "WEST LAKE" . It is a scenic, beatifully located lake which holds an important place in the history of Hangzhou. There is a legend associated with it and its' origin. It is the story of the white snake, a nice love story with lots of mythology added in. It makes for interesting reading and it is even better when narrated to you.(!)
I was told, there are over 30 places of tourist interest around the lake.
I was looking forward to few of them, however, before we had covered about half the distance around the lake it began to drizzle and it was dinner or as it is more commonly known here-supper time! (1800HRS) . Someone then came up with a brilliant idea that instead of getting something to eat outside, we could go divya's apartment and cook indian and chinese food! voila- that was brilliant!
So everyone else left to divya's apartment while henry and me went to his apartment because the new plan was that i would move in with divya that night itself!
Later that night, we were at the height of intercultural activity, in the true sense of the phrase!
We cooked bisi-bele bath, navratan kurma and had it with Dumplings, some tofu and mushrooms! yes, all in ONE bowl! It was great fun turning off the lights, lighting some aromatic lamp, indians, chinese and a german all at one table having indian and chinese food, talking about each other's culture!
coming to the topic of the post, i walked a looooot! around the lake, on my way back to henry's place and then in finding div's place! i've probably walked for bout 2 and half hours all together!
it was a nice first day, and i am looking forward to the rest!
the day of walking!
My first day in China began late but began fresh n energised. After meeting up with divya(!!!) and a bunch of Melton fellows, we (along with henry, my host) took a bus to the famous west lake in Hangzhou. It is a very beautiful lake with picture postcard scenery everywhere you can set your eyes on. We(div,yvonne(german fellow), joyce(yvone's friend), and a few chinese melton fellows-Jina,Ren,Kevin, Henry and me) chose a long walk and walked for about 30 min along the lake. I was just catching up with everyone as i had just arrived.
The lake i am speaking of is the beautiful "WEST LAKE" . It is a scenic, beatifully located lake which holds an important place in the history of Hangzhou. There is a legend associated with it and its' origin. It is the story of the white snake, a nice love story with lots of mythology added in. It makes for interesting reading and it is even better when narrated to you.(!)
I was told, there are over 30 places of tourist interest around the lake.
I was looking forward to few of them, however, before we had covered about half the distance around the lake it began to drizzle and it was dinner or as it is more commonly known here-supper time! (1800HRS) . Someone then came up with a brilliant idea that instead of getting something to eat outside, we could go divya's apartment and cook indian and chinese food! voila- that was brilliant!
So everyone else left to divya's apartment while henry and me went to his apartment because the new plan was that i would move in with divya that night itself!
Later that night, we were at the height of intercultural activity, in the true sense of the phrase!
We cooked bisi-bele bath, navratan kurma and had it with Dumplings, some tofu and mushrooms! yes, all in ONE bowl! It was great fun turning off the lights, lighting some aromatic lamp, indians, chinese and a german all at one table having indian and chinese food, talking about each other's culture!
coming to the topic of the post, i walked a looooot! around the lake, on my way back to henry's place and then in finding div's place! i've probably walked for bout 2 and half hours all together!
it was a nice first day, and i am looking forward to the rest!
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Sunday morning.
I have just woken up a few minutes ago after giving myself a good 15-hr rest. This was due after the enervatingly long wait over the past 24 hours. The flight was rather pleasant, it is the wait that got me impatient. Only one song giving me company... LONELY! I Ms Lonely, I have nobody, I am on my own!!
about today,
It is a sunday and Henry's parents have still gone for work(!) They are very sweet and obliging.
I made myself some bisebelebath!(hail MTR!). Henry is taking me on a bus ride now to show me the bus route that I have to take to the University.
Also, I caught up with my Indian friend divya, who is already here in China. It was so great to speak with her and i cannot wait to meet her and catch up on updates from her on her stay in china. She is at the ZU melroom. I am going to catch up with her and she has a bike ride around the lake lined up for me!!
hehe, hope I have the energy.
Henry 's home is filled with amenities. There is a microwave for my food, washing machine and i have my own room with Air conditioning(called 'kol' here in china)
Dora, the melton fellow who received me at the airport.. was very kind in giving me her old Hangzhou sim for my use during my stay. I only need to charge currency into it.
I watched some TV. Everything is in chinese except one news channel that could not stop talking about a bone marrow centre that has opened here in China.
From what i saw last night, on arrival, Hangzhou isn't that small as i thought it would be.
Well, i will find out for myself today!
I have just woken up a few minutes ago after giving myself a good 15-hr rest. This was due after the enervatingly long wait over the past 24 hours. The flight was rather pleasant, it is the wait that got me impatient. Only one song giving me company... LONELY! I Ms Lonely, I have nobody, I am on my own!!
about today,
It is a sunday and Henry's parents have still gone for work(!) They are very sweet and obliging.
I made myself some bisebelebath!(hail MTR!). Henry is taking me on a bus ride now to show me the bus route that I have to take to the University.
Also, I caught up with my Indian friend divya, who is already here in China. It was so great to speak with her and i cannot wait to meet her and catch up on updates from her on her stay in china. She is at the ZU melroom. I am going to catch up with her and she has a bike ride around the lake lined up for me!!
hehe, hope I have the energy.
Henry 's home is filled with amenities. There is a microwave for my food, washing machine and i have my own room with Air conditioning(called 'kol' here in china)
Dora, the melton fellow who received me at the airport.. was very kind in giving me her old Hangzhou sim for my use during my stay. I only need to charge currency into it.
I watched some TV. Everything is in chinese except one news channel that could not stop talking about a bone marrow centre that has opened here in China.
From what i saw last night, on arrival, Hangzhou isn't that small as i thought it would be.
Well, i will find out for myself today!
Shanghai airport, reaching my new chinese home!
Shanghai airport is the first step I took on chinese land! It is very impressive in its enormity.
There is the long wait at the emmigration counter and thats when the chinese characters first hit me. As I waited in the long but fast moving queue for emmigration check, I was trying to figure out what those chinese characters might mean. Just then, there is a very interesting observation I made.
There are around 25 counters for emmigration checks. Few are for chinese passport holders and the rest are for foreign passport holders. Having nothing else to do, I am looking more keenly now at the counter numbers and I see there s a..... counter 11, counter 12, counter 14, counter 15....
Notice anything?
There was no counter13!
Interesting, isnt it?
This was followed by baggage claim, security check which entailed explaining what chutney pudi is! I had hardly gotten out of the airport and this ordeal was unpleasant already. My head was reeling with apprehension of my 4 week stay in china. Making a mental note of what i need to do next, i moved on.
Tired and hungry I walked out only to find an unexpected yet familiar face call out to me. Ah, my relief! It was Dora, a Melton Fellow in Shanghai who had come to the airport to receive me. She helped me get the exchange and we went across the street outside the airpor to the bus stop. Interestingly again, i met a few urdu speaking people there. they were visiting and had some good pointers to give me in the furtive conversation we had in hindi.
It was about 1800hrs and my bus to hangzhou was scheduled to depart at 1930. Dora had to leave and that only meant more of "LONELY..." for me. Once again it was me and my parleG in the waiting room of the bus-stop.
Through my wait I was just getting accustomed to the people around me. It struck me how soon the chinese socialize with one another. They jus say 2 words and they go from being random strangers to having a hearty laugh together ! It is really nice how quick they accept each other and acknowledge familiarity.
Interesting, again!
I got off at the dragon sports centre in Hangzhou. Borrwed a phone from another person who had just gotten off and called henry who picked me up in a minute and we took a taxi home.
(borrowing a phone to make a call is very common here, i had heard. isnt that kind!)
Henry's parents were asleep, as it was late and they retire early for the day. I was really tired and it had began to drizzle. so i hit the sack with prayers for a safe stay ahead.
Shanghai airport is the first step I took on chinese land! It is very impressive in its enormity.
There is the long wait at the emmigration counter and thats when the chinese characters first hit me. As I waited in the long but fast moving queue for emmigration check, I was trying to figure out what those chinese characters might mean. Just then, there is a very interesting observation I made.
There are around 25 counters for emmigration checks. Few are for chinese passport holders and the rest are for foreign passport holders. Having nothing else to do, I am looking more keenly now at the counter numbers and I see there s a..... counter 11, counter 12, counter 14, counter 15....
Notice anything?
There was no counter13!
Interesting, isnt it?
This was followed by baggage claim, security check which entailed explaining what chutney pudi is! I had hardly gotten out of the airport and this ordeal was unpleasant already. My head was reeling with apprehension of my 4 week stay in china. Making a mental note of what i need to do next, i moved on.
Tired and hungry I walked out only to find an unexpected yet familiar face call out to me. Ah, my relief! It was Dora, a Melton Fellow in Shanghai who had come to the airport to receive me. She helped me get the exchange and we went across the street outside the airpor to the bus stop. Interestingly again, i met a few urdu speaking people there. they were visiting and had some good pointers to give me in the furtive conversation we had in hindi.
It was about 1800hrs and my bus to hangzhou was scheduled to depart at 1930. Dora had to leave and that only meant more of "LONELY..." for me. Once again it was me and my parleG in the waiting room of the bus-stop.
Through my wait I was just getting accustomed to the people around me. It struck me how soon the chinese socialize with one another. They jus say 2 words and they go from being random strangers to having a hearty laugh together ! It is really nice how quick they accept each other and acknowledge familiarity.
Interesting, again!
I got off at the dragon sports centre in Hangzhou. Borrwed a phone from another person who had just gotten off and called henry who picked me up in a minute and we took a taxi home.
(borrowing a phone to make a call is very common here, i had heard. isnt that kind!)
Henry's parents were asleep, as it was late and they retire early for the day. I was really tired and it had began to drizzle. so i hit the sack with prayers for a safe stay ahead.
Blore to Bangkok airport
Bangkok looks really nice as the flight is landing. The view is worth waking up to!
In India, they say, you make a new beggining by breaking open a pumpkin! and i began my maiden 'travelling- on- my- own' venture with a pumpkin welcome, Thai style! As soon as i got on the flight i was served snacks. What snacks? It was flower flavoured pumpkin seeds!
it was more of an acquired taste thing to me, cos i hated the instant i put it in my mouth. But the following morning, it was my early morning snack and i liked it then.
Dinner on the blore-BKK Thai flight is good.Rice,veggies and chapati too.
Sleep, a little bad! very disturbed sleep when you are constantly woken for a drink.
The wait at BKK airport is PAINFUL if you are alone. I arrived at 3:50 am in the airport and made my way to the Royal Orchid Lounge as per div's instructions. This is one floor above the floor you arrive in. The lounge opens at 5:15 so till then? You sleep on the chairs outside the lounge. After finding it impossible to sleep on one shair in the sitting position, i tried the foetal position on two chairs. That was uncomfy too cos my bag was too big. So taking lead from another guy across the hall, i tried sprawling on 3 chairs with my bag as the pillow.
Voila: comfort!
Woken up at 5:15 , only to realize the lounge is only for orchid gold card members.
So it is 5 in the morning and i decide to go around the place. The airport is really huge with dutyfree counters all over the place. the airport has so much to see and buy and you have all the time! But it is hard to do all of that alone. At least for me, so too bad!
NEW OBSERVATIONS:
* the corridors are lined with 'smoke rooms' at regular intervals. they are small glass rooms into which you can go and smoke!
*it was 4 in the morning when i arrived and the airport was with bustling with activity. i dont mean just the airport staff, even the stores, the cafes, people are shopping at that hour of he day, women at the counters are reapplying their make up to continue work!
*the script of the language in bangkok was really interesting. There are virtually no spaces in the script. like for instance "passengers without cabin baggage and cabin crew members only" would be one string of characters from left to right without any space inbetween.
Interesting!
So then after walking the entire strech of the airport, i perched myself on a comfy seat with a nice view of the tarmac. I watched a beautiful sunrize that morning! I continued to sit there with my packet of parle-G(indian biscuits) with the song 'Lonely!' ringing in my head watching flights on the runway like they were performing a special drill routine just for me!
i got some beautiful shots of the sunrise at the BKK airport!
Bangkok looks really nice as the flight is landing. The view is worth waking up to!
In India, they say, you make a new beggining by breaking open a pumpkin! and i began my maiden 'travelling- on- my- own' venture with a pumpkin welcome, Thai style! As soon as i got on the flight i was served snacks. What snacks? It was flower flavoured pumpkin seeds!
it was more of an acquired taste thing to me, cos i hated the instant i put it in my mouth. But the following morning, it was my early morning snack and i liked it then.
Dinner on the blore-BKK Thai flight is good.Rice,veggies and chapati too.
Sleep, a little bad! very disturbed sleep when you are constantly woken for a drink.
The wait at BKK airport is PAINFUL if you are alone. I arrived at 3:50 am in the airport and made my way to the Royal Orchid Lounge as per div's instructions. This is one floor above the floor you arrive in. The lounge opens at 5:15 so till then? You sleep on the chairs outside the lounge. After finding it impossible to sleep on one shair in the sitting position, i tried the foetal position on two chairs. That was uncomfy too cos my bag was too big. So taking lead from another guy across the hall, i tried sprawling on 3 chairs with my bag as the pillow.
Voila: comfort!
Woken up at 5:15 , only to realize the lounge is only for orchid gold card members.
So it is 5 in the morning and i decide to go around the place. The airport is really huge with dutyfree counters all over the place. the airport has so much to see and buy and you have all the time! But it is hard to do all of that alone. At least for me, so too bad!
NEW OBSERVATIONS:
* the corridors are lined with 'smoke rooms' at regular intervals. they are small glass rooms into which you can go and smoke!
*it was 4 in the morning when i arrived and the airport was with bustling with activity. i dont mean just the airport staff, even the stores, the cafes, people are shopping at that hour of he day, women at the counters are reapplying their make up to continue work!
*the script of the language in bangkok was really interesting. There are virtually no spaces in the script. like for instance "passengers without cabin baggage and cabin crew members only" would be one string of characters from left to right without any space inbetween.
Interesting!
So then after walking the entire strech of the airport, i perched myself on a comfy seat with a nice view of the tarmac. I watched a beautiful sunrize that morning! I continued to sit there with my packet of parle-G(indian biscuits) with the song 'Lonely!' ringing in my head watching flights on the runway like they were performing a special drill routine just for me!
i got some beautiful shots of the sunrise at the BKK airport!
Friday, August 26, 2005
I'm leaving on a jet plane!
Just finished packing, but let's face it, we can never finish packing. Till the last minute there is something or the other cropping up that has to be tucked in. Have managed to savor some of mom's 'specially made for you' food items ( today is janmashtmi) amid answering phone calls and text messages.
Am really grateful to everyone who is wishing me luck. I really need all the wishes i can get.
I am now off to Hangzhou,China in a couple of hours.
i am keeping a web blog of my activities from today at this webspace. The purpose of this blog is entirely personal to keep my family and friends updated of my experiences.
Here's looking forward to a great learning experience.
Just finished packing, but let's face it, we can never finish packing. Till the last minute there is something or the other cropping up that has to be tucked in. Have managed to savor some of mom's 'specially made for you' food items ( today is janmashtmi) amid answering phone calls and text messages.
Am really grateful to everyone who is wishing me luck. I really need all the wishes i can get.
I am now off to Hangzhou,China in a couple of hours.
i am keeping a web blog of my activities from today at this webspace. The purpose of this blog is entirely personal to keep my family and friends updated of my experiences.
Here's looking forward to a great learning experience.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Lessons learnt
August17 was indeed a day of immense learning. It was also a day of reaffirmation. There are lots of ideas pruning in our heads that are manured by incidents we encounter daily. It is amazing how something you read somewhere out of context or something someone told you without any reference actually makes so much sense at a certain point later. We all value things when they make sense to us . Things make sense to us only when they fit into our scheme of affairs. Thats when you realise that you have learnt something.
This is exactly what aug17 was like, for me, this year.
Here's are a few learnings...
Dont ever take anything for granted, especially the things that you have acquired. All that you have can be taken away from you in a matter of seconds, even before you realise it. So, cherish everythign you have, acknowledge everything around and give due credit to the deserving.
you dont want to wake up one morning thinking you lost something you dint even know you had, do you?
Dont fret over anything. They say, 'you win some, you lose some'. Always remember,
If you get something , that is fine n good for me.
If i don't get something well, in a weird way, that is fine and good for me too.
inexplicable... but thats the way it is.
if you know what i went through on aug17 you will know how significant the above lessons havebenn to me.
Finally, most importantly,
Life is full of little surprises. You can be as rational as you want, you can try as hard as possible to build walls of reason around you but living by it is not in your hands. There are certain things that are not under your control but will bring you immense joy. Well, you cannot do anything about it, just live with it. ;-)
As much as i am trying to give it a 'normal' status, it continues to remain 'special' to me.
Who am i kidding, it will always be special.
Just as it was, just as it is and just as it will be!
and as someone really dear to me(!aha!) would say, "keep the learnings"
life goes on....
This is exactly what aug17 was like, for me, this year.
Here's are a few learnings...
Dont ever take anything for granted, especially the things that you have acquired. All that you have can be taken away from you in a matter of seconds, even before you realise it. So, cherish everythign you have, acknowledge everything around and give due credit to the deserving.
you dont want to wake up one morning thinking you lost something you dint even know you had, do you?
Dont fret over anything. They say, 'you win some, you lose some'. Always remember,
If you get something , that is fine n good for me.
If i don't get something well, in a weird way, that is fine and good for me too.
inexplicable... but thats the way it is.
if you know what i went through on aug17 you will know how significant the above lessons havebenn to me.
Finally, most importantly,
Life is full of little surprises. You can be as rational as you want, you can try as hard as possible to build walls of reason around you but living by it is not in your hands. There are certain things that are not under your control but will bring you immense joy. Well, you cannot do anything about it, just live with it. ;-)
As much as i am trying to give it a 'normal' status, it continues to remain 'special' to me.
Who am i kidding, it will always be special.
Just as it was, just as it is and just as it will be!
and as someone really dear to me(!aha!) would say, "keep the learnings"
life goes on....
turning 21.
the reason this blog is being written 2 days after i actually turned 21 is because the past 2 days have kept me away from my computer for 2 completely different reasons.
Aug 17, the great day i was brought into this big wide beautiful world, my birthday!
yes, i was busy answeing calls, messages, emails, greetings cards and e-cards and attending to people who cared enough and dropped to give me a happy-birthday hug! BUT, this bday was unbelievably diferent. yes i had all of the above but this one was special as i was turning 21. so, with symbolic significance to that, i spent my entire day dodging and dealing with the unexpected blows that were landing on me on my very special day.
what were these? well, i ll will not get into its detail but let us just say, i have not done so much thinking as much as i did this 17aug, in one single day all my life. period.
BUT, it does not matter now cos it has all been sorted out and i have come to terms with the consequences of the descision i made on that day.
Aug18. this is the not so looked forward to post bday stress day. when the party is over, gifts are all opened, there are no surprises on this day and the realisation that i am one year older just hits me so hard!
so this year i just lay in my pyjamas all day watching movie after movie at home.
Yes, believe it or not,i watched 2 movies simultaneously in the morning. one was ROCKY with silverster and another was EVERYBODY SAYS I LOVE YOU with MsRoberts. Later that day i caught up with another JLO movie called ENOUGH which i personally liked very much.
having soaked up the enntire day in TVdrama, it was ime to get up and do some drama myself. so i freshened up and cooked dinner at home, giving mum a break from the kitchen.
well, but there are a lots of lessons i learnt on my eventful bday. With due respect to all the learnings i think it is appropriate to post them seperately. so watch out ....
the reason this blog is being written 2 days after i actually turned 21 is because the past 2 days have kept me away from my computer for 2 completely different reasons.
Aug 17, the great day i was brought into this big wide beautiful world, my birthday!
yes, i was busy answeing calls, messages, emails, greetings cards and e-cards and attending to people who cared enough and dropped to give me a happy-birthday hug! BUT, this bday was unbelievably diferent. yes i had all of the above but this one was special as i was turning 21. so, with symbolic significance to that, i spent my entire day dodging and dealing with the unexpected blows that were landing on me on my very special day.
what were these? well, i ll will not get into its detail but let us just say, i have not done so much thinking as much as i did this 17aug, in one single day all my life. period.
BUT, it does not matter now cos it has all been sorted out and i have come to terms with the consequences of the descision i made on that day.
Aug18. this is the not so looked forward to post bday stress day. when the party is over, gifts are all opened, there are no surprises on this day and the realisation that i am one year older just hits me so hard!
so this year i just lay in my pyjamas all day watching movie after movie at home.
Yes, believe it or not,i watched 2 movies simultaneously in the morning. one was ROCKY with silverster and another was EVERYBODY SAYS I LOVE YOU with MsRoberts. Later that day i caught up with another JLO movie called ENOUGH which i personally liked very much.
having soaked up the enntire day in TVdrama, it was ime to get up and do some drama myself. so i freshened up and cooked dinner at home, giving mum a break from the kitchen.
well, but there are a lots of lessons i learnt on my eventful bday. With due respect to all the learnings i think it is appropriate to post them seperately. so watch out ....
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Having lived my the warm coccooned life for 20 years, going away on an internship for over a month is a HUGE step.
Adding to the enchantment is the fact that i am off to a small city in china!
how are things right now? well let me answer that in small steps.
Parents.. well they are oh so encouraging of everything i do and are really supportive of me in taking up this opprtunity. But, i know deep down they are saying their prayers for me. And i must give them credit for being open about this. This coming from the ones who gave me a 7pm curfew!
how am i?
well i am trying not to think of it in its enormity. am taking one small hurdle at a time.
I've just applied for my visa, blocked my tickets and am waiting for my travel agent to call me about my passport being successfully stamped with the chinese visa.
now I 'm immersing myself in the ardent task of 'shopping' . yes, yes the crucial job that begins with picking up the essentials, moves on to carting in a few 'not-so essential, but looks cute' items and finally ends up in overshooting my budget.
Well, jut to et you know i am still in phase1 of the shopping so i will try to keep an eye on what i eye when i go shopping.
i have loadsa other things to do...
get my studen ID card renewed, youth hostel card renewed, purchase the travel book (i have been wishing to do this over the past 4 days), order my exchanage, buy gifts, ,,,,,,,
letting you in on a little secret...
and as the date to leave draws close, i am getting a little nervous. nervous like concerned. concerned like worried. worried like ugh, butterflies in my stomach...
well a little nervous energy has always done me good. i just hope the excitement takes over this gut churning feel asap, cos i cant wait to embark that plane...
wish me luck and pray for me!
Adding to the enchantment is the fact that i am off to a small city in china!
how are things right now? well let me answer that in small steps.
Parents.. well they are oh so encouraging of everything i do and are really supportive of me in taking up this opprtunity. But, i know deep down they are saying their prayers for me. And i must give them credit for being open about this. This coming from the ones who gave me a 7pm curfew!
how am i?
well i am trying not to think of it in its enormity. am taking one small hurdle at a time.
I've just applied for my visa, blocked my tickets and am waiting for my travel agent to call me about my passport being successfully stamped with the chinese visa.
now I 'm immersing myself in the ardent task of 'shopping' . yes, yes the crucial job that begins with picking up the essentials, moves on to carting in a few 'not-so essential, but looks cute' items and finally ends up in overshooting my budget.
Well, jut to et you know i am still in phase1 of the shopping so i will try to keep an eye on what i eye when i go shopping.
i have loadsa other things to do...
get my studen ID card renewed, youth hostel card renewed, purchase the travel book (i have been wishing to do this over the past 4 days), order my exchanage, buy gifts, ,,,,,,,
letting you in on a little secret...
and as the date to leave draws close, i am getting a little nervous. nervous like concerned. concerned like worried. worried like ugh, butterflies in my stomach...
well a little nervous energy has always done me good. i just hope the excitement takes over this gut churning feel asap, cos i cant wait to embark that plane...
wish me luck and pray for me!
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