Leaving UK in about 12 hours from now, but leaving Southampton in another hour or so...
Last blog from UK. Next time onwards see me at
http://tejaskulkarni.blogspot.com
Was a pleasant and really really memorable stay in UK...
Planning to give UK my old clothes as gift as exceeding luggage limit by way too much already! :P
Find some pics of UK trip at the following link
http://picasaweb.google.com/tejaskulkarni
Friday, 27 July 2007
Saturday, 14 July 2007
Circuitgiri
Saw Lage Raho Munnabhai for the 2nd time yesterday and couldnt control my laughter on some of the dialogues yet again. Funniest thing i find in the movie is the way Circuit and Munna (prominently Circuit) give titles to different people. Made a note of all that i could find in the movie. Here they are...
Kya re municipality - - - to the engineer at the start whom they kidnap.
Aye Notebook - - - to the professor
Dry clean sukha re isko - - - to a dhobi
Aye Enquiry - - - receptionist
Aye teri to leakage - - - the man who walks into the toilet :P
Dekh woh fancy dress ko - - - referring to Bapu for the first time (Dialogue by Sanjay Dutt)
Teri to saale mental hospital - - - to the doctor
Baal ki dukaan chal - - - to a student
Bina cover ki notebook - - - Professor again
Aye full moon - - - dont remember :P
Aye transistor - - - to the radio chief
Lol and ^:)^
Kya re municipality - - - to the engineer at the start whom they kidnap.
Aye Notebook - - - to the professor
Dry clean sukha re isko - - - to a dhobi
Aye Enquiry - - - receptionist
Aye teri to leakage - - - the man who walks into the toilet :P
Dekh woh fancy dress ko - - - referring to Bapu for the first time (Dialogue by Sanjay Dutt)
Teri to saale mental hospital - - - to the doctor
Baal ki dukaan chal - - - to a student
Bina cover ki notebook - - - Professor again
Aye full moon - - - dont remember :P
Aye transistor - - - to the radio chief
Lol and ^:)^
Tuesday, 10 July 2007
A bow of honour!
Have been wondering how many great performances i have seen / witnessed till now in my life.
This is a bow out of respect to the true champions of their fields according to me.
Cricket
Batting : Sachin Tendulkar
Bowling: Wasim Akram
Tennis
Men: Roger Federer, Pete Sampras
Women: Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova
Cycling
Lance Armstrong
F1
Michael Schumacher
Swimming
Men: Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps
Golf
Tiger Woods
Football
Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham
Chess
Men: V. Anand
Women: Judit Polgar
Basketball
Michael Jordan
Once again - ^:)^
This is a bow out of respect to the true champions of their fields according to me.
Cricket
Batting : Sachin Tendulkar
Bowling: Wasim Akram
Tennis
Men: Roger Federer, Pete Sampras
Women: Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova
Cycling
Lance Armstrong
F1
Michael Schumacher
Swimming
Men: Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps
Golf
Tiger Woods
Football
Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham
Chess
Men: V. Anand
Women: Judit Polgar
Basketball
Michael Jordan
Once again - ^:)^
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
???
Have no idea what to write after signing in to the blogger, and even coming to the editor window to write the post! TOTALLY BLANK! :))
Monday, 2 July 2007
Arbit or what?
Writing this post when Sangram is narrating me some kissa about Swissland. Basically he is too slow!
2 things i am thinking about right now.
1. Why do they have a separate Visa for Swissland?
Possible answer: Tourism. Cant imagine how much they will be earning just from Visa fees of tourists!
2. The Indian Railways booking system: Why doesnt Indian Railway have a variable fare system in which if you book early you will get a ticket of low cost and later the costlier.
Possible answer: The trains get full anyway irrespective of the destination. Some study / committee might have suggested that fixed fare booking is actually more profitable for trains that always are full.
2 things i am thinking about right now.
1. Why do they have a separate Visa for Swissland?
Possible answer: Tourism. Cant imagine how much they will be earning just from Visa fees of tourists!
2. The Indian Railways booking system: Why doesnt Indian Railway have a variable fare system in which if you book early you will get a ticket of low cost and later the costlier.
Possible answer: The trains get full anyway irrespective of the destination. Some study / committee might have suggested that fixed fare booking is actually more profitable for trains that always are full.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
On a rainy weekend
Was a rainy weekend yet again but this time i was determined to do something atleast on this one and not let it go waste. Decided to go around Southampton to the places i have not seen till now and might not see again too...
Southern ports, stadium, Hoglands park, ArtAsia festival, lots of grub, St. Mary's road, Bargate, Docks, Shopping :D, walk walk walk and back after 5-6 hours! Was quite a lot considering it was drizzling all day.
Dropped a friend at coach station and back to hostel now.
Sadly though, have some work to do :(
Quite a nice eventful weekend considering it was raining all the while.
Southern ports, stadium, Hoglands park, ArtAsia festival, lots of grub, St. Mary's road, Bargate, Docks, Shopping :D, walk walk walk and back after 5-6 hours! Was quite a lot considering it was drizzling all day.
Dropped a friend at coach station and back to hostel now.
Sadly though, have some work to do :(
Quite a nice eventful weekend considering it was raining all the while.
Saturday, 30 June 2007
Grrrr
This is the first weekend when i didnt plan anything to do. Had in mind that i will go to Bournemouth as it is quite close by...RAINS!!!!!!!!
Raining almost everywhere i can go and come back in one day!!!!!!!!! :((
Raining almost everywhere i can go and come back in one day!!!!!!!!! :((
Friday, 29 June 2007
:-)
Was quite a memorable day.
Segmentation fault fixed
Determinants evaluated.
Final internship code up and running.
Comparison of results and checking and rechecking next.
Looking ahead at a good weekend.
Mostly should be able to go to Bournemouth this Sunday. (Rain rain go away!)
Planning to catch up on some sleep and see 2-3 movies too in the weekend if Bournemouth gets cancelled.
Happy in general at the outcome of the day! :)
Segmentation fault fixed
Determinants evaluated.
Final internship code up and running.
Comparison of results and checking and rechecking next.
Looking ahead at a good weekend.
Mostly should be able to go to Bournemouth this Sunday. (Rain rain go away!)
Planning to catch up on some sleep and see 2-3 movies too in the weekend if Bournemouth gets cancelled.
Happy in general at the outcome of the day! :)
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
I Want a CAR!!!
Night 10 o clock. Got down from the bus near McD and happily went towards it. Was disappointed to see the timings
Eat in: Till 9 PM
A little consolation though was that the drive thru timings were till 11 PM
Went to the place where people order when they are in car.
Me: Hi!
Lady inside: Hello, how can i help you?
Me: I will like to have 1 Deli of the Day and 1 Medium Fries.
Lady: Just a minute sir.
After this she went inside and i could see that she was talking to the head of the restaurant. The fat old lady shook her head and the lady was back
Lady: Im Sorry sir we dont serve if you are not in a car.
Me: What???? Am i not paying for the food???? Whats the problem????
Lady: Sorry sir.
X( X( X(
Im Hating it! :P
Eat in: Till 9 PM
A little consolation though was that the drive thru timings were till 11 PM
Went to the place where people order when they are in car.
Me: Hi!
Lady inside: Hello, how can i help you?
Me: I will like to have 1 Deli of the Day and 1 Medium Fries.
Lady: Just a minute sir.
After this she went inside and i could see that she was talking to the head of the restaurant. The fat old lady shook her head and the lady was back
Lady: Im Sorry sir we dont serve if you are not in a car.
Me: What???? Am i not paying for the food???? Whats the problem????
Lady: Sorry sir.
X( X( X(
Im Hating it! :P
Thursday, 21 June 2007
Lessons from UK...
Have been wanting to write about what staying abroad for the first time has taught me and how it has affected me. Attempting to write all i can think of.
1. Never roam around with a camera in your hand near Heathrow Airport.
2. Always see weather updates on net before leaving from home ( i mean home = India here)...Was stuck up in cold windy and rainy Southampton as soon as i arrived here. NO UMBRELLA!!!
3. Believe people when they say jetlag is possible. Well i dont believe still, but i slept 12 hours after checking in.
4. Puran Poli is Puran Poli and i love Puran Poli.
5. Believe in your instincts when you are preparing food. Whatever amount of salt, chilli powder etc you take in your hand/spoon in your first attempt is THE right amount.
6. Do not believe people who claim they can cook.
7. Wake up early, ATLEAST, on the first day at work! :-(
8. Do not trust Indians when they tell you you can call from a public telephone.
9. Do not trust Indians again when they are all sweet talking to you, that is THE costliest shop in the area! :-(
10. Respect other nationals as they have tremendous respect for you, especially the Europeans.
11. Thank You, Cheers, Sorry and a Smile make even the grumpy ones melt down.
12. Do not offer help unless the other person is willing to take it, you will end up being a fool.
13. Do not trust your eyes when it comes to bus time tables. Always verify them from someone or by walking 10 steps more to the bus stop. :-(
14. Do not trust UK weather.
15. Rules are rules and this its a simple rule to remember this line. RULE.
16. Meeting your old friends in a foreign country is extremely delightful. The time you spend with them can never be counted in terms of hours or money too.
17. Carry an air pillow on journey.
18. Do not forget your comb in India (I think in our car!!! :-( )
19. Its cold out here, eggs are GOD to eat in such conditions. But DO NOT eat ONLY eggs!
20. Steel utensils are dangerous.
21. Knives and bottle openers are dangerous too.
22. Always put less if you are trying out a new brand of chilli powder :-(
23. Verify that the utensil is not TOO hot BEFORE putting oil. Else you will know the results within 3 seconds.
24. You always have time for friends at the end of the day, however tired you are.
25. Listen to parents.
26. Cross the road by looking in both directions 2 times.
27. Do not trust pushbacks in a coach. Always verify yours if its fine BEFORE others get occupied.
28. Road to true happiness passes through London.
29. Matkichi usal ROCKS!!!
30. Do not write blog posts sitting in the office during lunch time :P
Thats it for now...
1. Never roam around with a camera in your hand near Heathrow Airport.
2. Always see weather updates on net before leaving from home ( i mean home = India here)...Was stuck up in cold windy and rainy Southampton as soon as i arrived here. NO UMBRELLA!!!
3. Believe people when they say jetlag is possible. Well i dont believe still, but i slept 12 hours after checking in.
4. Puran Poli is Puran Poli and i love Puran Poli.
5. Believe in your instincts when you are preparing food. Whatever amount of salt, chilli powder etc you take in your hand/spoon in your first attempt is THE right amount.
6. Do not believe people who claim they can cook.
7. Wake up early, ATLEAST, on the first day at work! :-(
8. Do not trust Indians when they tell you you can call from a public telephone.
9. Do not trust Indians again when they are all sweet talking to you, that is THE costliest shop in the area! :-(
10. Respect other nationals as they have tremendous respect for you, especially the Europeans.
11. Thank You, Cheers, Sorry and a Smile make even the grumpy ones melt down.
12. Do not offer help unless the other person is willing to take it, you will end up being a fool.
13. Do not trust your eyes when it comes to bus time tables. Always verify them from someone or by walking 10 steps more to the bus stop. :-(
14. Do not trust UK weather.
15. Rules are rules and this its a simple rule to remember this line. RULE.
16. Meeting your old friends in a foreign country is extremely delightful. The time you spend with them can never be counted in terms of hours or money too.
17. Carry an air pillow on journey.
18. Do not forget your comb in India (I think in our car!!! :-( )
19. Its cold out here, eggs are GOD to eat in such conditions. But DO NOT eat ONLY eggs!
20. Steel utensils are dangerous.
21. Knives and bottle openers are dangerous too.
22. Always put less if you are trying out a new brand of chilli powder :-(
23. Verify that the utensil is not TOO hot BEFORE putting oil. Else you will know the results within 3 seconds.
24. You always have time for friends at the end of the day, however tired you are.
25. Listen to parents.
26. Cross the road by looking in both directions 2 times.
27. Do not trust pushbacks in a coach. Always verify yours if its fine BEFORE others get occupied.
28. Road to true happiness passes through London.
29. Matkichi usal ROCKS!!!
30. Do not write blog posts sitting in the office during lunch time :P
Thats it for now...
Do this do that :-(
Need for linux, Cpp, pooma, cons, format, repartition, give up, give up for 2 days!
Waiting for a bright Monday!
Waiting for a bright Monday!
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Inspiration
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither defeat nor victory." - Theodore Roosevelt
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Back
Back from Scotland...Will update the blog soon. Meanwhile, pics are uploaded at
http://picasaweb.google.com/tejaskulkarni
http://picasaweb.google.com/tejaskulkarni
Friday, 8 June 2007
Burning the mid-day oil...
Today 8th June is the day when i had my second experience with the wrath of the forces of nature.
First one was just 2 weekends back which is described in this post.
It was a bright sunny morning and i woke up quite late. Have to leave in teh evening for Scotland so decided that i will pack my bags now itself and leave directly from the office in the evening. Around 10:15 or so we decided to cook breakfast. (We = Ghodi and me)
Plan for today was to cook egg rice. As usual Ghodi started with the rice and his beloved pressure cooker. Right amount of rice, right amount of water and we kept it on the hot plate to cook. For 15 mins there was no whistle. Then he forcibly made it give out one whistle and we were already wondering why it was taking so long. Then the 2nd one too didnt seem to come. Again we forced one and then decided to take off the cooker from the plate. It was 25-30 mins already by then!
On opening it we realised that the rice was literally burnt inside the cooker and it was very obvious that there was a leakage in the lid of the pressure cooker. We didnt have more time to wait and hence decided to ditch the rice idea and instead cook some curry to eat with bread.
Cabbage curry was the only choice and we already had onions cut and ready, just a matter of cutting cabbage...
I took the utensil in which we usually cook curry, washed it and without thinking anything kept it on "a" hot plate. I started cutting cabbage while Ghodi was busy cleaning his beloved cooker. Cabbage was cut in 5 mins and so far so good...
I proceeded as usual and wanted to put oil in the utensil. Generally poured 1 BIG spoon of oil in it and to my shock, it started burning!!! I didnt know what to do and cursed the fire by saying to Ghodi, "Abey saala isme aag lag gayi"...Ghodi rushed to the scene...
But the fire GOD had not liked me calling him "Saala" already and the fire was much worse now!!! It was a proper fire and panic took over us. Still managing to think something i quickly picked up the utensil from the hot plate. Now the fire was in my hand!!!
We managed to keep our cool amidst that and didnt venture the water way of extinguishing a fire. Very very scared we were blowing air into the pan all that we could! The fire went off for 2 seconds but when it came back it was too bad!!! It came on my hand and i had no option other than to drop the utensil!
It fell on the kitchen carpet and fire was still there in it! We managed to extinguish the fire somehow, well it went out on its own coz the oil got over i think! :P but it had left a very very bad sign! The kitchen carpet got burnt and bears 2 circles of dark brown colour on it! Finally i picked it up and slowly poured water in it and allowed it to cool in the sink.
We realised that there was too much smoke in the kitchen and the fire alarm could start any moment. Quickly we opened both windows and were frantically waving napkins to drive out the smoke. Ghodi even tried covering the fire detector with a napkin so that smoke doesnt reach it..Genius! :D
Finally we succeeded and the alarm didnt ring. The whole hostel would have to be evacuated if that had happened!!!
Some after effects:
A shiny steel utensil was literally BLACK. Next 20 mins were spent on washing it. We finally succeeded quite a lot and it is light grey now. :D
Worse.. It was not ours! :P
After this we realised that tea was still boiling on the other hot plate and it was time to remove it! We totally agreed that today everything was going wrong and we shudnt cook today! Slightly childish but it was a good decision i guess! :P
We spent the next 10-15 happily sipping our tea and laughing about the incident. The next half day was spent telling friends and family about the incident. Thank GOD that noone of us was injured and also that the fire alarm didnt ring and we were saved from the embarrassment! :-)
The kissa has made my day though and feeling very very proud that we managed to stay cool in all this! :-)
Here i come Scotland! :D
First one was just 2 weekends back which is described in this post.
It was a bright sunny morning and i woke up quite late. Have to leave in teh evening for Scotland so decided that i will pack my bags now itself and leave directly from the office in the evening. Around 10:15 or so we decided to cook breakfast. (We = Ghodi and me)
Plan for today was to cook egg rice. As usual Ghodi started with the rice and his beloved pressure cooker. Right amount of rice, right amount of water and we kept it on the hot plate to cook. For 15 mins there was no whistle. Then he forcibly made it give out one whistle and we were already wondering why it was taking so long. Then the 2nd one too didnt seem to come. Again we forced one and then decided to take off the cooker from the plate. It was 25-30 mins already by then!
On opening it we realised that the rice was literally burnt inside the cooker and it was very obvious that there was a leakage in the lid of the pressure cooker. We didnt have more time to wait and hence decided to ditch the rice idea and instead cook some curry to eat with bread.
Cabbage curry was the only choice and we already had onions cut and ready, just a matter of cutting cabbage...
I took the utensil in which we usually cook curry, washed it and without thinking anything kept it on "a" hot plate. I started cutting cabbage while Ghodi was busy cleaning his beloved cooker. Cabbage was cut in 5 mins and so far so good...
I proceeded as usual and wanted to put oil in the utensil. Generally poured 1 BIG spoon of oil in it and to my shock, it started burning!!! I didnt know what to do and cursed the fire by saying to Ghodi, "Abey saala isme aag lag gayi"...Ghodi rushed to the scene...
But the fire GOD had not liked me calling him "Saala" already and the fire was much worse now!!! It was a proper fire and panic took over us. Still managing to think something i quickly picked up the utensil from the hot plate. Now the fire was in my hand!!!
We managed to keep our cool amidst that and didnt venture the water way of extinguishing a fire. Very very scared we were blowing air into the pan all that we could! The fire went off for 2 seconds but when it came back it was too bad!!! It came on my hand and i had no option other than to drop the utensil!
It fell on the kitchen carpet and fire was still there in it! We managed to extinguish the fire somehow, well it went out on its own coz the oil got over i think! :P but it had left a very very bad sign! The kitchen carpet got burnt and bears 2 circles of dark brown colour on it! Finally i picked it up and slowly poured water in it and allowed it to cool in the sink.
We realised that there was too much smoke in the kitchen and the fire alarm could start any moment. Quickly we opened both windows and were frantically waving napkins to drive out the smoke. Ghodi even tried covering the fire detector with a napkin so that smoke doesnt reach it..Genius! :D
Finally we succeeded and the alarm didnt ring. The whole hostel would have to be evacuated if that had happened!!!
Some after effects:
A shiny steel utensil was literally BLACK. Next 20 mins were spent on washing it. We finally succeeded quite a lot and it is light grey now. :D
Worse.. It was not ours! :P
After this we realised that tea was still boiling on the other hot plate and it was time to remove it! We totally agreed that today everything was going wrong and we shudnt cook today! Slightly childish but it was a good decision i guess! :P
We spent the next 10-15 happily sipping our tea and laughing about the incident. The next half day was spent telling friends and family about the incident. Thank GOD that noone of us was injured and also that the fire alarm didnt ring and we were saved from the embarrassment! :-)
The kissa has made my day though and feeling very very proud that we managed to stay cool in all this! :-)
Here i come Scotland! :D
Thursday, 7 June 2007
I hate "D"
Did the silliest thing one could ever do, did it 2 times, tried to defend it and ended up getting called a "Genius"
This is how it always works! :-)
Now, it didnt in my case and the "Genius" was sarcastic!
I hate D and its powers!
Grrrrrr
This is how it always works! :-)
Now, it didnt in my case and the "Genius" was sarcastic!
I hate D and its powers!
Grrrrrr
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
In COLD waters! :-(
Joined swimming in the University Sports Complex. Indoor pool. Stud looks.
Showers before and after swimming were all giving out warm water..SOOO nice...
Had a shower before, went to the pool, thought showers are warm water so pool water also should be warm, atleast not cold.. Jumped into the pool (Infinite maaj! )
A dream broken! HELL it was COLD!!! Freezing cold infact especially after the warm shower! :-(
Showers before and after swimming were all giving out warm water..SOOO nice...
Had a shower before, went to the pool, thought showers are warm water so pool water also should be warm, atleast not cold.. Jumped into the pool (Infinite maaj! )
A dream broken! HELL it was COLD!!! Freezing cold infact especially after the warm shower! :-(
Sunday, 3 June 2007
Shopping!
Never, even in my dreams had i thought that i will be shopping for groceries! The usual list of stuff which every mom sends out to a shop and mahine bhar ka samaan and all that! Just finished 1 such shopping session, difference being that it was for 1 week...
Nice experience and my life seems to have taken quite an unexpected turn! :P
Nice experience and my life seems to have taken quite an unexpected turn! :P
Saturday, 2 June 2007
YAWN!
There is something good about UK. The sun doesnt set till about 9 PM still i feel extremely sleepy within an hour or two after sunset! Have been sleeping too much and need to control myself a bit.
It all begins here, a post written at 12 15 AM! Yay! I can stay awake! :P
It all begins here, a post written at 12 15 AM! Yay! I can stay awake! :P
GODgiri!
Just saw 2 videos on Youtube highly recommended by Sudeep. Just speechless at what these people manage to do with a guitar!! GODgiri would be the only appropriate word.
First video is Whispering a prayer by Steve Vai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoxhaH6jTtQ
Second one is Glasgow Kiss by John Petrucci
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t25AOSxZZkI
Happy! :-)
First video is Whispering a prayer by Steve Vai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoxhaH6jTtQ
Second one is Glasgow Kiss by John Petrucci
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t25AOSxZZkI
Happy! :-)
Friday, 1 June 2007
Wonderful!
Just listened to "Ek pyaar ka nagma hai" again. The first stanza, especially, is Wonderful!
"Kuch paakar khona hai,
Kuch khokar paana hai.
Jeevan ka matlab to,
Aana aur jaana hai.
Do pal ke jeevan se,
Ek umr churani hai.
Jindagi aur kuch bhi nahi,
Teri meri kahani hai."
"Kuch paakar khona hai,
Kuch khokar paana hai.
Jeevan ka matlab to,
Aana aur jaana hai.
Do pal ke jeevan se,
Ek umr churani hai.
Jindagi aur kuch bhi nahi,
Teri meri kahani hai."
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
On a stormy morning!
It was a big day for me! I had been looking forward to it ever since my intern in UK got finalised. It was the day when i visit London first! Monday 28th of May 2007.. And it began all wrong!
My coach for London was booked for 7 AM. I clearly remembered seeing the Uni Link city buss time table and getting a connection for the Central coach station as i was sure i cant walk till there early morning. Central coach station is atleast 40 mins walk from my hostel. So, there were 2 buses which could take me there in time
6:06 and 6:26...
I woke up quite early, 4 30 or so.. Got ready and packed my bag, took something to eat on the way, everything done by 5 45. I was seeing outside and was very very worried about the weather in London. Hell it was a stormy morning in Southampton! It had been raining all night and from the looks of it, rains were going to continue for quite some time. Still, remembered the BBC forecast for London predicting light rains and was smiling a bit! :-)
5 55 sharp i leave the hostel for the bus stop which is just 2 mins away. 6 06 bus might come early, some weird thinking, i shud be ready and all that! After i stepped out of the hostel, i realised that i had made a big big mistake leaving early! It was freezing cold! Temperature of about 5 degrees, heavy rains and even wind to top it all!!! Went and stood at the bus stop praying that the bus arrives soon!
It was 6 06, then 6 10 and then 6 15 too! No sign of a bus...Noone walking in the streets (well who wud!) and no taxis too! Getting nervous about the whole thing i decided to go to a bigger bus station hoping to find another bus there. I reach there and there are 3 people standing! One of them came and went off in a bus going in opposite direction. The other one asked me "Man its a cold morning, do u have a smoke", I said No and got back to the time table of buses.. There was no Bus which i wanted scheduled for the next 40 mins!!! This is CRAZY!!!
I was all down by then and started walking towards the coach station. It would take me atleast 45 mins to walk to the place, and it was already 6 25 in my watch! In a desperate attempt i even ran 2-3 kms in between! All the while i was searching for a taxi, asking passers by for lift, but no luck! I think i asked atleast 10 cars for lift!!! But things just go wrong somedays! :-(
It was 7 and it was going to take me atleast 10 more minutes to reach the coach station... Gave up there and walked at an easy pace. Reached coach station at 7 15...Noone was there. Even the office was closed, last bus had left and obviously i had missed my coach!!!
Felt terrible and it looked like the day i had been looking forward to was going to end there witha a big flop show!
Managed to think a bit. Saw the next coach time...It was 8. I had time in hand to go to railway station and check if i cud get a train! Went there and was truely stumped by the ticket cost! 28 GBP for 1 and half hour journey!!! Silently cursed the rains and the Uni link bus service and decided to take a risk by waiting for the 8 o clock coach!
The coach arrived at 7 45 and i showed my 7 o clock ticket to the driver. Told him what had happened and how i missed the bus and also that i need to reach London for some URGENT work! :P The driver, an old man obviously rejected giving me entry in the bus. Then it was requesting him for a ticket! I told i will buy one as there seems to be place in the coach! Finally he agreed and said that no credit card business... You pay cash to me! I gladly accepted and purchased the 14 pound one way ticket! The one which i had missed was just 6 pounds! :((
So, it was a bad start! My jacket meant for light rain was completely wet, even from inside! I had 2 shirts on me but none of them full sleeved and i was shivering inside the bus! Decided to remove the jacket and sleep off immediately! Just when i was removing the jacket, noticed the same Uni Link time table claiming 6 06 and 6 26 buses on Monday and it looked so different now!
Saw a footnote saying, buses will operate according to Sunday time table on bank holidays!!! SHIT, how the hell did i miss that was all i could say and there was nothing more to do than to listen to songs on my player and just wait for London to come!!!
This was the most careless incident ever in my life!!! I saw the Uni Link time table wrong and payed dearly for it! :(
London was GODmax and a happy post next one! Keep reading! :-)
My coach for London was booked for 7 AM. I clearly remembered seeing the Uni Link city buss time table and getting a connection for the Central coach station as i was sure i cant walk till there early morning. Central coach station is atleast 40 mins walk from my hostel. So, there were 2 buses which could take me there in time
6:06 and 6:26...
I woke up quite early, 4 30 or so.. Got ready and packed my bag, took something to eat on the way, everything done by 5 45. I was seeing outside and was very very worried about the weather in London. Hell it was a stormy morning in Southampton! It had been raining all night and from the looks of it, rains were going to continue for quite some time. Still, remembered the BBC forecast for London predicting light rains and was smiling a bit! :-)
5 55 sharp i leave the hostel for the bus stop which is just 2 mins away. 6 06 bus might come early, some weird thinking, i shud be ready and all that! After i stepped out of the hostel, i realised that i had made a big big mistake leaving early! It was freezing cold! Temperature of about 5 degrees, heavy rains and even wind to top it all!!! Went and stood at the bus stop praying that the bus arrives soon!
It was 6 06, then 6 10 and then 6 15 too! No sign of a bus...Noone walking in the streets (well who wud!) and no taxis too! Getting nervous about the whole thing i decided to go to a bigger bus station hoping to find another bus there. I reach there and there are 3 people standing! One of them came and went off in a bus going in opposite direction. The other one asked me "Man its a cold morning, do u have a smoke", I said No and got back to the time table of buses.. There was no Bus which i wanted scheduled for the next 40 mins!!! This is CRAZY!!!
I was all down by then and started walking towards the coach station. It would take me atleast 45 mins to walk to the place, and it was already 6 25 in my watch! In a desperate attempt i even ran 2-3 kms in between! All the while i was searching for a taxi, asking passers by for lift, but no luck! I think i asked atleast 10 cars for lift!!! But things just go wrong somedays! :-(
It was 7 and it was going to take me atleast 10 more minutes to reach the coach station... Gave up there and walked at an easy pace. Reached coach station at 7 15...Noone was there. Even the office was closed, last bus had left and obviously i had missed my coach!!!
Felt terrible and it looked like the day i had been looking forward to was going to end there witha a big flop show!
Managed to think a bit. Saw the next coach time...It was 8. I had time in hand to go to railway station and check if i cud get a train! Went there and was truely stumped by the ticket cost! 28 GBP for 1 and half hour journey!!! Silently cursed the rains and the Uni link bus service and decided to take a risk by waiting for the 8 o clock coach!
The coach arrived at 7 45 and i showed my 7 o clock ticket to the driver. Told him what had happened and how i missed the bus and also that i need to reach London for some URGENT work! :P The driver, an old man obviously rejected giving me entry in the bus. Then it was requesting him for a ticket! I told i will buy one as there seems to be place in the coach! Finally he agreed and said that no credit card business... You pay cash to me! I gladly accepted and purchased the 14 pound one way ticket! The one which i had missed was just 6 pounds! :((
So, it was a bad start! My jacket meant for light rain was completely wet, even from inside! I had 2 shirts on me but none of them full sleeved and i was shivering inside the bus! Decided to remove the jacket and sleep off immediately! Just when i was removing the jacket, noticed the same Uni Link time table claiming 6 06 and 6 26 buses on Monday and it looked so different now!
Saw a footnote saying, buses will operate according to Sunday time table on bank holidays!!! SHIT, how the hell did i miss that was all i could say and there was nothing more to do than to listen to songs on my player and just wait for London to come!!!
This was the most careless incident ever in my life!!! I saw the Uni Link time table wrong and payed dearly for it! :(
London was GODmax and a happy post next one! Keep reading! :-)
Sunday, 27 May 2007
First Long Weekend
This was our first long weekend here and its still not over.
Saturday!
Was quite an eventful day. Friday evening it all started with me getting tickets for New Forest National Park. The tickets allowed us to board any train anytime so obviously there were no alarms ringing in the morning. Finally woke up at 9 and was ready by 10 15 or so. Then it was time to cook and it turned out that we just missed the bus to Airport station. That meant that we had to wait for 1 more hour. Reached station right on time and boarded UK train for the first time. Trains were nice and quite different from Indian trains.. It was a seater car and the environment was similar to what we find in a 2nd AC compartment of Indian Rail.
New Forest was about 20 mins journey from Southampton. The feel of the forest was evident from the natural beauty we could see around us! After getting down at Ashurst Station we had to walk and walk and walk...
Walked for about 2 hours in one direction.. A nice walkway was clearly visible even in the dense vegetation. Some other tourists were walking too.. Was a wonderful experience to walk through nature literally! Saw many things on the way like camp sites, huge pasture lands, infinite horses grazing on them, hundreds of varieties of different flowers, small bushes, tall and dwarf trees, some huge trees too.. Went into 3-4 different woods altogether.. But due to the routine sighting a good tree/flower and taking a pic near it became boring we decided to turn back after 2 hours. Walked back through the same way, clicked few more snaps and returned to Ashurst Station before time for the train.
It was quite chill weather and found a shade to sit down on station. Also went around in the small village and general window shopping a bit.
Return train was right on time and i got down 1 stop before the destination. Picked up some stuff needed for cooking and returned in bus to hostel after 2 hours or so...
Overall it was a nice experience, but could have been better if more number of animals were involved in the whole story. But anyways, ditch.. a walk totally memorable...
pics are uploaded at
http://picasaweb.google.com/tejaskulkarni
Sunday!
Slept quite late Saturday night and hence again no alarms on Sunday. Finally woke up at 10 45 and then it was pretty much usual business. It was a very cold day. Perhaps the coldest since i have been here. It had been raining all morning and into the afternoon too...
Cooked Alu Gobi today and it was really tasty! Loved it! Due to misjudgement, it was left over for night too! Nice! :-)
In the afternoon the idea that i am going to London tomorrow suddenly struck me. All shops get closed at 5 on Sunday and i really needed an Umbrella for London trip. It was already close to 2 30! Hurried to the city centre and even returned before 3 30!!
After this it has been quite an uneventful day. Have done some work and wasted time too.. Nevertheless, the bbc says that weather in London is improving and the forecast has changed from heavy rains to light rain!!! Yay!
Really looking forward for tomorrows trip.. Have to wake up quite early so will shut down now..
About London in next post! London Baby! :D
Saturday!
Was quite an eventful day. Friday evening it all started with me getting tickets for New Forest National Park. The tickets allowed us to board any train anytime so obviously there were no alarms ringing in the morning. Finally woke up at 9 and was ready by 10 15 or so. Then it was time to cook and it turned out that we just missed the bus to Airport station. That meant that we had to wait for 1 more hour. Reached station right on time and boarded UK train for the first time. Trains were nice and quite different from Indian trains.. It was a seater car and the environment was similar to what we find in a 2nd AC compartment of Indian Rail.
New Forest was about 20 mins journey from Southampton. The feel of the forest was evident from the natural beauty we could see around us! After getting down at Ashurst Station we had to walk and walk and walk...
Walked for about 2 hours in one direction.. A nice walkway was clearly visible even in the dense vegetation. Some other tourists were walking too.. Was a wonderful experience to walk through nature literally! Saw many things on the way like camp sites, huge pasture lands, infinite horses grazing on them, hundreds of varieties of different flowers, small bushes, tall and dwarf trees, some huge trees too.. Went into 3-4 different woods altogether.. But due to the routine sighting a good tree/flower and taking a pic near it became boring we decided to turn back after 2 hours. Walked back through the same way, clicked few more snaps and returned to Ashurst Station before time for the train.
It was quite chill weather and found a shade to sit down on station. Also went around in the small village and general window shopping a bit.
Return train was right on time and i got down 1 stop before the destination. Picked up some stuff needed for cooking and returned in bus to hostel after 2 hours or so...
Overall it was a nice experience, but could have been better if more number of animals were involved in the whole story. But anyways, ditch.. a walk totally memorable...
pics are uploaded at
http://picasaweb.google.com/tejaskulkarni
Sunday!
Slept quite late Saturday night and hence again no alarms on Sunday. Finally woke up at 10 45 and then it was pretty much usual business. It was a very cold day. Perhaps the coldest since i have been here. It had been raining all morning and into the afternoon too...
Cooked Alu Gobi today and it was really tasty! Loved it! Due to misjudgement, it was left over for night too! Nice! :-)
In the afternoon the idea that i am going to London tomorrow suddenly struck me. All shops get closed at 5 on Sunday and i really needed an Umbrella for London trip. It was already close to 2 30! Hurried to the city centre and even returned before 3 30!!
After this it has been quite an uneventful day. Have done some work and wasted time too.. Nevertheless, the bbc says that weather in London is improving and the forecast has changed from heavy rains to light rain!!! Yay!
Really looking forward for tomorrows trip.. Have to wake up quite early so will shut down now..
About London in next post! London Baby! :D
Saturday, 26 May 2007
First one!
Finally got down to business by starting the blog. Hope i can keep it updated as and when required.
Will first of all write something about UK..
The part of UK which i am living in comes in not-so-cold part of it. Still being in Chennai for the last 3 years make me suffer from the cold (whatever it is) here. I usually sleep with 3 sheets on me and in the early morning hours this also seems a bit less. Nevertheless, a track pant makes it ok!
There are no tall buildings in UK. All the houses here are small 1-2 floored at max. Most of the times they are occupied by 2 families. Big buildings in Southampton can easily be counted and i bet that the count wont go beyond 15! That is less for a city!!!
People in UK are really really helpful. They always greet you with a smile. Even a stranger passing by you will give a smile and go! If you are listening well, then you might also notice a small Hi / Hello from his mouth. Its wonderful to have such people around. Brings a smile to my face unknowingly when someone says hi without any reason...
Hall of residence...
I stay in a flat which has 6 rooms out of 7 occupied. We share a kitchen between us. Laura and Ester are 2 Spanish girls who are here only for 1 semester (sort of an exchange program), Chris is a guy doing PhD in Biology (something related to flies i think) from Wales, Moe is a German doing Organic Chemistry.
Costly UK!
Everything here is very very costly (ofcourse by Indian Standards). It is not unusual if you have to pay about 1 GBP for a kilo of potatoes or onions too! Even clothes seem costly...and i think only juices, squashes etc qualify in the category of same price as India... Still doesnt matter as a whole as we are paid in GBP too! On talking to Sangram one day, also came to know that some things like bread and eggs are cheaper than they are in Swissland.. Well that was a relief! :P
Cooking!!
Have started cooking and started cooking well too( well for me!). We generally cook breakfast and dinner and have lunch at University. Till now several dishes have been tried and tested (tasted! :P). Can cook the following dishes now... Fried rice, egg fried rice, pohe, potato dry sabji, potato rassa, egg bhurji, egg omlette, fried egg, egg curry, cabbage sabji etc...
We usually have everything with bread as the chapatis which i found in some supermarket were bad!
Will write soon again..
Do visit the following link for the pictures
http://picasaweb.google.com/tejaskulkarni
Will first of all write something about UK..
The part of UK which i am living in comes in not-so-cold part of it. Still being in Chennai for the last 3 years make me suffer from the cold (whatever it is) here. I usually sleep with 3 sheets on me and in the early morning hours this also seems a bit less. Nevertheless, a track pant makes it ok!
There are no tall buildings in UK. All the houses here are small 1-2 floored at max. Most of the times they are occupied by 2 families. Big buildings in Southampton can easily be counted and i bet that the count wont go beyond 15! That is less for a city!!!
People in UK are really really helpful. They always greet you with a smile. Even a stranger passing by you will give a smile and go! If you are listening well, then you might also notice a small Hi / Hello from his mouth. Its wonderful to have such people around. Brings a smile to my face unknowingly when someone says hi without any reason...
Hall of residence...
I stay in a flat which has 6 rooms out of 7 occupied. We share a kitchen between us. Laura and Ester are 2 Spanish girls who are here only for 1 semester (sort of an exchange program), Chris is a guy doing PhD in Biology (something related to flies i think) from Wales, Moe is a German doing Organic Chemistry.
Costly UK!
Everything here is very very costly (ofcourse by Indian Standards). It is not unusual if you have to pay about 1 GBP for a kilo of potatoes or onions too! Even clothes seem costly...and i think only juices, squashes etc qualify in the category of same price as India... Still doesnt matter as a whole as we are paid in GBP too! On talking to Sangram one day, also came to know that some things like bread and eggs are cheaper than they are in Swissland.. Well that was a relief! :P
Cooking!!
Have started cooking and started cooking well too( well for me!). We generally cook breakfast and dinner and have lunch at University. Till now several dishes have been tried and tested (tasted! :P). Can cook the following dishes now... Fried rice, egg fried rice, pohe, potato dry sabji, potato rassa, egg bhurji, egg omlette, fried egg, egg curry, cabbage sabji etc...
We usually have everything with bread as the chapatis which i found in some supermarket were bad!
Will write soon again..
Do visit the following link for the pictures
http://picasaweb.google.com/tejaskulkarni
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