My great Arventure

Maxim got arrested

2010-04-17T15:45:00.000-04:00

Time for some coffee

Going to get handcuffs

2010-04-17T15:25:00.000-04:00

No not from my gf.

Oh man I need exercise.

2010-04-17T15:15:00.000-04:00

Oh wait I just got some.

Touchdown!

2010-04-17T14:57:00.000-04:00

Almost to victory. One last stop. GO MUSTANGS!!

I'm legal in bars!

2010-04-17T14:55:00.000-04:00

And haven't done anything illegal yet!

We aren't just building team bonds

2010-04-17T14:42:00.000-04:00

We are building pyramids

Canadian tire

2010-04-17T14:40:00.000-04:00

It makes me as horny as Tim hortons.

A little booty shake

2010-04-17T14:35:00.000-04:00

We just gave Coventry garden a show of our booty shake to the macarena.

Meeting strangers

2010-04-17T14:20:00.001-04:00

We've gotten an applause for our singing at via and strangers like to let pretty girls take pics of their cars.

No more team bonding

2010-04-17T14:06:00.000-04:00

Aman has started to beat up Maxim.

Mote team bonding

2010-04-17T14:04:00.001-04:00

Turns out Maxim is a boozehound. To Via we go!

Team bonding

2010-04-17T13:45:00.001-04:00

Tricia loves Avril livigne and Celine Dion but hates babies. Aman loves to kiss random boys.

To masonville for amazing race

2010-04-17T13:40:00.002-04:00

We are in the amazing race for iveys orientation week. I'm
on a team with Maxim, Tricia and Aman. We've already been to Spencer for a workout video and to find the names of study rooms. It was a blast! Tricia made a fantastic workout video showing off her world
class aerobic and stretching skills! To the masonville mall we go.

The amazing race. Heading to Spencer for the ivey amazing race

2010-04-17T13:31:00.001-04:00

Photo time

2007-09-04T02:40:00.000-04:00

http://uwaterloo.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=33745953&l=3d273&id=122601131

Enjoy!

Konbawa

2007-09-02T09:16:00.000-04:00

Konbawa is the Japanese word for hello @ night. It's about 10.15pm here in Tokyo. Having a great time so far. Japanese people are really really polite. But I do sometimes get that "lost in translation" feeling. I'm pretty tired so I'll post a decent update tmrw with some pics of me looking all sexy. Caved and had some BK today but that's cuz I met up with a high school friend who's been living in Tokyo for about 3-4yrs and he misses BK runs @ lunch during High School. Hope all's well on your end :) Matanai! (means see you later)

Hello Tokyo!

2007-08-28T00:13:00.000-04:00

Ladies and Gentleman, Children of all ages, Boys and Girls around the world. LLLLLLLLET'S GET READY TO SUMOOOOOOOOO!!!!

It's Aug. 28th which means only 1 thing: 363 days till my birthday meaning it's a good time to give my annual "State of my life" address.

My first year in Chicago was really good. I learned a lot at work, made a bunch of friends, live in an awesome neighbourhood, explored some of Chicago life, travelled to Seattle and NYC and kept my weight reasonably steady (I guess that's a good thing). I'm pretty happy so far in Chicago and can see myself there for a couple more years.

In my opinion Chicago's a really awesome city. As I normally tell people, it reminds me of a much larger version of Winnipeg. And to all you Toronto foks I think Chicago is a better city that Toronto in some respects!!! People are really friendly in Chicago and the pace of life suits me perfectly. Unlike cities like NYC or London that are always "rush rush, go go" Chicago takes its time. People work hard and play hard but just play differently. Organized rec leagues are a plenty and well run in Chicago. People have their choice of plenty of pubs, bars, clubs, lounges, etc. There's A LOT of amazing restaurants to check out. And don't even get me started on all the festivals during the summer. Honestly, during the summer Chicago is probably one of the best cities to live in!!!!

But here's the ironic part. Right now I'm in Tokyo!!!! There's a project at work I've started working on and the client requested there be a presence in Tokyo for a month so here I am! ONE MONTH in Tokyo!!!! Lucky me :D

So far I haven't seen or done a lot in Tokyo. And for all of you who keep asking me no I didn't have a wild and crazy bday. It was pretty tame actually. Half of it I was flying over the Pacific. When I did finally get settled into the hotel my colleague (Wendy) and I went out to see a Kabuki show. But I was soooo tired from the travel and jet lag I fell asleep five mins into the show!!!

Here are some thoughts on Tokyo so far though

The subway in Tokyo is amazing. Clean, comprehensive and on time!
Japanese people are very respectful. Everybody pretty much bows to each other and is willing to be as helpful as they can.
Japanese food is very fresh! It's nice actually to have meals that aren't uber heavy and greasy.
Before every meal you're given a wet towel to wash your face and hands. Very refreshing.
Just like Singapore people drive on the left. As a result people stand on the left on escalators, and cross each other on the left if walking towards each other.
Soooo bright from all the neon lights!
Japanese people like to be clean.

I took a few pictures and I'll put them up later. Sayounara!

Went to the dentist today...

2007-05-17T15:45:00.000-04:00

First time since I came back from Singapore :S Yah, I know that's WAY too long in between visits. But between finishing 4th year, travelling around Europe, finding a job and moving to Chicago and becoming a Bollywood superstar it wasn't exactly the top of my priority list. But I should make my oral hygene a top priority cuz the dentist said he found a couple of cavities!!!!

Aiyah, I've got cavities :S!!!!! I haven't had a cavity in over 13 years!!!! I guess it doesn't help that I don't really floss and occasionally forget to brush before bed. But all that's going to change!

Actually the dentist was really good. He seems like an old school type of dentist... he doesn't even employ a hygenist! But through most of it he kept explaining what he was doing, what causes cavities, tooth decay, etc. even showed me the proper method for flossing and brushing (you're not supposed to floss the space between the teeth, but rather the sides of the teeth!). And it turns out that his parents are from Beausejour, Manitoba!!!

CFA exam in 2 weeks. Crunch time. GO SENS GO!!

-Arvind

Amazing news!

2007-05-15T17:32:00.000-04:00

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2007/05/15/tintin-movies.html

Back to the TO

2007-05-09T16:46:00.000-04:00

So I went to Toronto this past weekend for my cousin, Anupa's, engagement party. She's getting married to her fiance, Caven, next May. It was good to be back in Canada again, seeing family and friends. Here are the highlights of the (way to) short trip, in chronological order:

Seeing signs in french and english
Meeting up with DB & co.
Checking out Sarah Sy's sweet new pad. She lives right on top of the Gardner!
Eating 2 samosas for breakfast
Learning that Anupa's future brother-in-law is named "Captain" (coolest name ever!)
Watching the Sens kick Jersey's ass and win their 2nd round series
Driving around... man I really miss driving. Maybe I should get a scooter soon
Timmy's... nothing like a cold iced capp on a hot day!
BBQ'ing
NOt having to come into work!!

Only 3.5 weeks left till exam :S

A note to the US Dept. of Defense

2007-05-07T13:29:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes a quarter is just a quarter.

Happy Birthday

2007-05-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to the Mothership!

Plans for May

2007-05-01T19:34:00.000-04:00

Finish studying for CFA by May 15h
Finish CFA practice exams by May 28th
Enroll for Boot Camp in June
Plan summer trips
Clean out fridge
Change name from Arvind Chahal to Kummar Millstream

As you can see an exciting upcoming month for me. Can't wait for the summer!!!!

1 year later...

2007-04-26T12:13:00.000-04:00

So today is the 1 Year Anniv. of the big Arventure in Europe. Well, technically Rohit and I left from Toronto on the 25th @ 11.30pm, but who's counting. We arrived in London on the morning of the 26th, bleary eyed, tired, smelly and drunk. Holy Crap, we were both so thin then. I guess 7 straight weeks of beer and kebabs will tack on a few pounds.

Anyways, much to update you on (although I imagine the only reader of this blog already knows everything that goes on) so I'll post some pics, stories and random bhajans soon. I'm quite busy these days though studying for CFA so that's been taking up a lot of my time. The past week I've spent more time in Starbucks than my own apartment!!! On a side note, here's something about me. Talk to ya soon...

ps - belated Happy Birthday to Ravi... Kulkarni that is. My buddy in Chicago. And early Happy Birthday to Saba

My new plan

2006-12-06T15:53:00.000-05:00

At some point in time (whether it's for a few days or a few years) I think most children dream of becoming a pro athlete, playing in the big leagues with the big boys, attracting all the $$$, fame and (most importantly) glory.

I've basically given up on that dream ever happening for me (although maybe I can start a professional kabadi league!) but I'm not dissapointed. In fact I've developed a new dream, a new ingenious plan which will allow me to at least take part in all the riches associated with pro-athletes. I'm going to groom my children to be pro-athletes.

And not the kind that meander along in the minors hoping to be called up one day. No, none of this mediocrity and "playing because I love the sport" crap for my kids. My kids are going to be superstars!! Why? To make daddy rich!!

The first step of course is foster a fierce sense of competition and desire to win in the child. Pit the children against each other and celebrate and favour the child who wins. Next you have to find out what athletic and physical talents your child may have and what major sports (emphasis on the major) they would be suited for. If they don't have any (which is likely because they'll be Indian) beat it into them (again, likely to occur because they're Indian)!! You have to have a timeline and game plan though (pun intended). They should already be highly praised and eyed by scouts by the time they reach the age of 15.

Now the key is to have them drafted extremely high when they are young (say 18,19) and (this is VERY important) you must be their first agent. Who are they gonna trust more, a sleazy, greasy lawyer or the parent that has nurtured them to an elite-athletic ability? That was a rhetorical question. And what was does this trust earn you? 10% of the contract.

Now of course in a few years when they've established themself as a bona-fide superstar they'll probably fire you as their agent (in fact you probably told them to do so) and hire a real agent. But that's ok. They'll still love you and you'll still love them (again, due to being Indian). What does this love earn you? Anywhere from 1-5% of earnings in the form of money, nice house, car, vacations, etc.

So my friends even though I can barely climb stairs, sweat like a pig when I walk and sit on my couch with a box of cookies watching the Superman movie (with no pants on of course!) it all has its purpose. I'm going to have superstar athlete children to make me rich, so that I can live the lifestyle I wasn't able to provide myself.

One More Night - The Stars

2006-11-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

Lyrically, I think The Stars are an amazing band. A lot of songs of theirs I am able to relate after having gone through a similar experience in my life. My favourite is "One More Night"

try as he might he's unable to speak
he grabs her by the hair, he strokes her on the cheek
the bed is unmade like everything is
dark little heaven at the top of the stairs
take me like that, ruin it all
then build it again by the light in the hall
he drops to his knees says please my love, please
i'll kill who you hate, take off that dress, you won't freeze

one more night, that was a good one
one more night, i dreamed it was a good one
one more, one more night, that was a good one
one more night, the end should be a good one
a good one

he starts with her back cause that's what he sees
when she's breaking his heart she still fucks like a tease
release to the sky, look him straight in the eye
and tell him that now, that you wish he would die
you'll never touch him again so get what you can
leaving him empty just because he's a man
so good when it ends, they'll never be friends
one more night, that's all they can spend

one more night, that was a good one
one more night, i dreamed it was a good one
one more, one more night, that was a good one
one more night, the end should be a good one
a good one

May They Rest In Peace

2006-11-11T12:44:00.000-05:00

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Pics of the new apt

2006-10-25T00:32:00.000-04:00

Well it looks like it will take about a month before the furniture arrives :S So I thought I'd give you a tour of the apt as it is now... empty :D

The North Wing

The South Wing

The Master Bedroom

The West Wing

The Kitchen

The Walk-in Closet

The Bathroom

Ok, so not quite my dream apt.... yet. But I like the potential!! Any suggestions or ideas?

A new low...

2006-10-18T16:28:00.000-04:00

Well I have officially hit a new low in the realms of bachelor living. After getting tired of buying breakfast every morning for the past 2wks I decided to change my morning routine. So, last night I went to the groc. store bought some milk (the only thing in my fridge right now, sad to say) and a box of cereal. Of course I would need something to eat the cereal out of. Naturally, any normal human being would have bowls in their apt, right?... not me!!!

I bought a piece of tupperware to act as my temporary cereal bowl for the mornings. Why? Well, I'm still waiting for my furniture from Canada to arrive. That's right folks, I'm still sleeping on the floor, my most prized possession is my bath mat and I'm using plastic spoons I took home from work to eat my cereal. Life can't possibly get better than this!!

But don't get me wrong. I'm actually happy :D I've got good friends in Chicago, I'm learning the city and discovering places I like to regularily hang out at, I look fwd to soccer every wknd, I'm working out pretty regularily and work is going great. Tonight a big group of us are going to the hockey game to see the Habs take on the Blackhawks. And after... shisha :D

So, although my living arrangement is less than ideal I'd have to say life is pretty good right now. Well they're probably better than Dan's... he's in Thunder Bay :S Till next time!!!

Back to Amsterdam... and then Deustscheland!!!

2006-10-03T00:03:00.000-04:00

Well, I have a little bit of down time right now (i.e. I have no TV in my new apt :P) I figured I'd take a moment and perhaps do a nice big update. Most people who read this probably already know that I moved apts yesterday, and I pretty much moved with the bare neccessities. I think my laptop is worth all my other possesions combined!! :P But that will change soon when I get my furniture shipped down from Canada. Hand me downs, here I come :P

But that's not the only exciting bit of news going on in my life. I started my fall soccer rec. league a couple of days ago, and that's been tons and tons of fun. I'm clearly not in the best shape for it, but I still run my ass of and can play some fairly stingy defence. And at the end of the game if I can barely walk then it was all worth it :)

But on to the real reason you're here. More pictures. I haven't done a Euro Trip update in a while so let's try and cover some lost ground. If I remember, we left off in Rotterdam...

So, after we left the fight filled, and slightly dodgy port city of Rotterdam we headed off to Haarlem, which is a suburb outside of Amsterdam. Why you ask? Well, mainly cuz there was no room in Amsterdam. But it was a good opportunity to check out less touristy part of Holland.

And of course the first thing we do when we get to any city... GQ shot ;)

Haarlem actually was like a mini and quieter Amsterdam.

And that of course lends itself to some pretty hot GQ shots.

For dinner we decided to try some "authentic" Dutch Potatoe Pancakes. I was a little skeptical at first. But man they were really freakin' good!!! And the syrup was diff't than the usual maple syrup we have in Canada. Not as sweet, but sweet enough to complement the Potatoes and Bacon... that was Rohit's of course ;)

Look how excited he was! After dinner we wandered around a bit, had a coffee (and possibly a pint) and walked by the "Red Light District" of Haarlem. In actuality it was just one woman, but it was weird because her "stall" was in the middle of all these normal residential homes. But that's the norm over there I guess. Don't worry, all we did was smile and wave :P

So, after Haarlem was the big stop in Holland... 2 nights in Amsterdam!! Man that was fun. Now of course Rohit being the hungry man that he is, the first thing we did was go get food. I had to remind him that he was a vegetarian as he was about to order a double bacon cheesburger. Look at him stuff his face!!

Our first stop was the Sex museum. It was only 3euro so we figured it was a good bargain. There was some pretty trippy stuff in there, but the thing that made me laugh the most (or at least made me realize how much of a sexual appetite humans have had over the ages) was this...

Odd. Very, very odd ;)

So for some reason we didn't take very many photos that afternoon. To be honest, I don't even remember much of what we did that afternoon. But I know it involved walking around w/ our umbrellas upside down saying (in an Indian accent) "Collecting water for India!" Here's how we did:

All right, I've gotta go to bed, but if I've put up a lot of photos on Facebook, so you can get a sneak preview there. Until next time ;)

A real consultant now

2006-09-12T18:44:00.000-04:00

So for the past week I've been working on avg. 9hr days, and today will certainly be no exception. I'm lucky if I get out of here by about 9.30 - 10 tonight. My iPod and I are becoming very good friends :P Although staying this late won't be a regular occurence I should def. expect to be working longer hours as the amnt. of responsiblity I tackle increases. Oh well, maybe this will help my year end bonus :P

I believe I owe you some pictures. Some of my apt, and some from when Asha was here last wknd... and of my new haircut. It's nothing special, but I know all my fans are dying to see it :P They'll come soon, don't worry. Otherwise though, life is good... just gotta keep chugging along 'till I find my groove. Make sure you keep in touch, you'd be surprised at how much I miss you.

Belated Happy Bday Rohit

2006-08-28T00:31:00.000-04:00

And of course if it's Rohit's bday that can only mean one thing. It's mine as well!! That's right another year has gone by filled with tons of travelling, a little bit of partying, not much learning but tons of arventures :)

Well I'm the big 2-3 now. Even though my bday was yesterday the celebrations actually started early on Thursday afternoon when I got a nice present courtesy of Camilla.

Thx Camilla :)

At the risk of sounding slightly pretentious I have to admit that I've always enjoyed my birthday. Not so much because it's a day where you get a million happy bday wishes (thx everybody!!), but more so because cuz it's a chance to reflect on how my life has changed in one year.

Last year I was about to start my fourth and final year of university @ Waterloo not having a clue what I was going to be doing after graduation. This year I'm settling into a great job that i hope to stay in for at least a few years.

Last year I celebrated my birthday in Toronto with all my good friends. This year I celebrated in Chicago with people I barely know and only met a month ago (with the exception of Aliya, Karam and HenKo of course!!)

Last year I was in an amazing relationship with the perfect girl but she was half way across the world. This year my grandmother bugs me every day wondering when I'm going to find someone.

Last year I was just starting to understand the impact that my exchange in Singapore had on my life. This year I'm just starting to understand the impact that my backpacking tour in Europe had on my life.

Last year I weighed about 160lbs. This year... well I don't really want to know.

Some changes are good, some changes are bad. But either way things are always changing; one day at a time, one year at a time, one person at a time. I wonder where I'll be celebrating my bday next year?

Coming along well

2006-08-21T00:48:00.000-04:00

I've been in Chicago for 25 days now and I'm LOVING it. This really is a great and fun city. Always stuff going on and fun things to do. Why, this wknd was the Chicago Air & Water show. All day you could hear figther jets flying overhead performing crazy spins, tight turns and amazing aero-batics. It was free for all by the way.

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to watch because I was searching for an apartment. One thing that isn't attractive about Chicago is the price of renting :S Originally I wanted to get a 1bdrm, but the area that I was considering (Lincoln Park) is quite popular with young professionals so it's a bit expensive. Yesterday I saw about 5 different apartments (all studios) but didn't find anything that really jumped at me. But today... oh man, today was completely different. I found something!!! A nice studio in a rehabbed vintage building. Basically there's this big trend in Chicago right now to take old buildings (circa 1920) and convert them into nice apartments. I saw the place and immed. knew that I wanted it. I won't move in 'till October so for a few more wks I get to enjoy my kick @ss corp digs. Don't worry, I'll put up pics soon. The view here is really quite spectacular!!!

I'm getting along well here. I've started to meet people and make new friends. Most of the them are from work, but a few outside as well. Pretty much every wknd so far I've been out partying (in moderation of course ;P) and Chicago has a really really good fun nightlife. Any type of venue you want is here. Chill lounge, R&B/Hip-Hop club, blues bar, neighbourhood pub... you name it and it's here! And of course McDonald's galour!!!

I've joined a fall rec. soccer league (which starts in mid-Sept) so I'm sure I'll meet even more ppl that way. And I've joined a "food forum". Basically a group of people that get together once a month and eat @ diff't restaurants in Chicago. So I'll def. meet ppl there whom I have stuff in common with... eating!!!

Well, it's been a long day and I gotta get to work tmrw morning. Asha's coming to visit in a couple of wks, so that should be fun. Talk to ya soon ;)

BIG CHANGES!!!

2006-08-10T12:59:00.000-04:00

I took out the earing today!!!!

Old Dutch (Euro 2006 stories continued)

2006-08-08T22:43:00.000-04:00

As you may remember the day after the cruise we were in Holland. Now, the trip was pretty much meant to be a by the seat of our pants type trip (i.e. pretty much no planning whatsoever). However, one of things we did time was our arrival in Amsterdam on April 29th for Queen's Day.

Basically the entire city of Amsterdam shuts down and becomes one MASSIVE party. And I'm not exagerating. It is one BIG PARTY!!

One thing that was cool was that people had loaded massive stereo systems onto their boats and were cruising along all the canals!!

Rohit and I had a good time just walking around and soaking up the atmosphere. One thing that was annoying though was the fact that the lockers @ the central train station were closed (due to fear of terrorist activities of course). So after some quick thinking we decided to hope on a train to the airport and drop off our bags there. When you have comfy shoes you can think quickly on your feet ;)

There was no accomadation in Amsterdam for the night though so we had to go to Rotterdam instead. Rotterdam was... interesting. It's a port city so it is a lot more industrial than Amsterdam. Basically all the money is made in Rotterdam and then spent in Amsterdam. Within 30mins of arriving in Rotterdam Rohit and I saw a fight break out. Basically some guy clipped another guy on a bike and then chaos ensued after.

Our budget hotel wasn't too bad except for on minor problem. In the room there was 1 bed... for the both of us :S But Rohit was clearly excited

I however tried to hide!!

Rotterdam had a bit of dodgy vibe to it. We went out at night and just didn't get a completely safe vibe. Although to be honest our spidey senses might have been going off because it was really the first time we were exploring a city by ourselves at night. Plus the street lighting was bad :P

The next day though we found safe haven

Yes that is a giant teddy bear. It was in front of a modern art museum that actually was kind of cool. I can't quite remember which one right because I'm too lazy to look up. So till next time :)

The Mothership is coming

2006-08-04T19:47:00.000-04:00

Of course I am refering to my parents, but I mean that in the nicest most respectful way :P

It's a long wknd in Canada so my parents decided to mosey on down to Chi-town to make sure I'm still alive and haven't made a pig sty of my apt yet. Boy are they in for a dissapointment!! It should be fun though. I haven't explored much of Chicago yet so it would be a good chance to do that. On the list will probably be:

The Magnificent Mile (Can you say new Lacoste polo?)
Sears Tower (and maybe Hancock)
Navy Pier
Generic bus/boat cruise tour
Devon St. (Think Gerrard St. in Toronto... I do need my spices after all)
Misc.

Last night I had a good time with my friend Leena who took me out for my first REAL night out in Chicago. We went to dinner at a decent thai restaurant and then a nice lounge afterwards. The entire way there we kept listening to this awesome ambient song that she got in Puerto Rico (think Air w/ a bit of down-tempo latin influence). And can anybody tell me what "crunk" rap is? According to her it's the latest thing. I still think The Bee-Gees are new age!!!

Welcome to The Windy City!

2006-08-01T18:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I've finally made it!!!! Hello Chicago :D Although it wasn't easy getting here.

So, originally I was supposed to move down last Wed. (July 26). However, at the border crossing in Wpg Airport I ran into a BIG obstacle. No, not a McDonald's give away... my application for a work visa was denied :S

It wasn't really my fault though. At the border I'm supposed to have a letter drafted by my company which describes what pos'n I'm being hired for and what my job duties will entail. My company had put my job title as 'Management Analyst'.

The problem: Mgmt Analyst is NOT on the list of occupations elgible for the TN (Treaty Nafta) Visa. Mgmt Consultant is on there, but not Mgmt Analyst. So the border officer didn't let me in because of a title. A TITLE?!?!? Something so stupid and arbitrary as a title!!! The officer said, (and I quote) "You're qualified all-right to perform the duties of your position but I can't in "good conscience" grant you a visa because "Mgmt Analyst" is not on the list"! But what could I say. I wasn't about to piss this guy off and have me barred from the country for life. And who could I complain to? His boss would probably just agree with him anyways. It was just so aggrevating that this guy was sticking to the rules so much and being so anal about a minor detail.

The solution: Get the company to change that one word 'Analyst' to 'Consultant'. How ridiculous is that!! So anyways, I went to Chicago as a visitor so I could dump my stuff in the apt.

Chicago is great!!! I've only been here for a few days but I really love this city already. There's always something fun and exciting going on . Tonight I'm going to 'Movie in the Park' night, this wknd there's a free music/street festival and on the 13th Anoushka Shankar is coming to town for a free concert.

Oh, let's not forget that the Cubs and Sox are around, The Magnificent Mile is literally a mile worth of every designer label you can think of (including the recently opened Nokia store which is pretty cool) and there are a gazillion restaurants around. My kind of town ;)

People are quite friendly as well. The security officers at my office building keep complimenting my watch, wallet and sunglasses ("That watch right there is kickin") and I can usually squeeze a smile out of even the saddest looking person.

So all, in all Chicago is good. I like this city. My kind of town. Now why don't you hurry up and visit me? In the words of Gwen Steffani, "Whatcha waitin for"? :P

Less than 48 hrs to go!!!

2006-07-25T00:55:00.000-04:00

And all of a sudden there seems to be a million things to do. Well, the main thing is packing but there's actually more to pack than I realized. Actually, the main reason is that my schedule for tomorrow got thrown off because of the funeral for Jashaan's dad. But as long as I don't dick off then I should be ok.

Now, because I am leaving in a couple of days the family decided to celebrate Rakhi a little early this year. For those of you that don't know Rakhi is the greatest, and oldest, feminist plot of all time!! Sisters tie a little piece of string on their brother's wrist and give them a little sweet and in return the brother gives the sister a gift!!! So you can imagine with 2 sisters and 1 cousin in Winnipeg these are the most expensive strings and sweets I have to get every year :P

I jest. It's actually a wonderful Indian festival celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters and an occasion my family always makes time for.

So for the impatient (ahem, Sarah :P) here are some photos :)

(Note: Unlike most years we did not get all decked out and dressed up for the occasion. I did not even shave. So basically this is the Chahal's at our scrubbiest :D)

Chilling in the back yard with Sheetal (left) and Asha (right)

The mom and her kids

The fam (Dadi in the centre)

Dev & Sheetal horsing around

My mom and my dad horsing around

Anjali in all her glory

Some rare moments of bonding b/w Asha and I that doesn't involve McDonald's :P

Finishing up w/ Sheetal

See you in Chicago ;)

ps - Congrats to Camilla who started her new job in London on Monday!!! Now you have a place to crash in London :P

Just one of those weird days...

2006-07-21T00:09:00.000-04:00

Well, to be honest it was actually perfectly fine till about 7pm. That's when I went to go visit Jashaan for pooja at his house. As you may recall, Jashaan's father passed away a couple of days ago so the family is hosting poojas everynight till the funeral next week.

Anyways, it was just such a weird eerie feeling being there. As soon as I stepped into the house... silence. Complete uter silence. There were some other family friends there but they weren't saying a word. Everybody just staring at the ground. Jashaan was doing... well he was doing as well as could be expected considering the circumstances. I sat outside with him for about 15 mins, just listening to him and letting him talk. He for sure was trying to fight back the tears at time. I can't even imagine what he's going through right now. It was just such a weird mind trip being there.

As I was driving back home though, and contemplating life and death and how to deal with it, I was stopped at a red turning light when all of a sudden my car is jolted violently forward. Turns out the driver behind me had his foot slip off the brake and he banged right into me. Now this wasn't just any ol' car this was a Coca-Cola delivery truck... like a big beast!!! :S Luckily he hadn't been accelerating his foot just slipped off the brake so as far as I can tell (for now) there are only minor scratches and paint scraps to the rear fender, although my neck and head do hurt a little. Hello whiplash!!!

Now, when I got home I got a call from an old friend who is now a hair dresser. Earlier in the day we had spoke and I made an appt. w/ her to get my hair touched up before I go to Chicago. But she called me after I got home and said we'd have to re-schedule.... cuz she got fired!!! It's actually not her fault, really. She was in a pretty bad car accident a little while back and so has been working reduced hours because of it, but she was fired because she wasn't 'bringing in enough money' :S Anyways, I told her we will still meet up on Tuesday and she even offered to cut my hair at her house :D

So, all in all... just one of my weirder days..

Back in the day

2006-07-20T15:16:00.000-04:00

My parents' 25th anniv. was earlier this year but we are having a massive celebration in October. One of the things we are doing for that is putting together a DVD picture slide show. So, for the past 3-4 days I've been rumagging through nearly 25yrs of photos (prints and digital alike!!)

Anyways, for those of you that have (or haven't) met my parents I thought you might like to see what they (and I) looked like back in the day...

My mom. An independant, spirited and fashionable lady.

My dad. A sophisticated gentleman.

I think my parents are making a prank phone call :P

And of course your's truly in his first ever shower

And the first seeds of sibling rivalry are planted :D

(That's my grandmother in the back and cousin Crystal on the left)

The realities of life....

2006-07-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I found out that the dad of my good high school friend (Jashaan) passed away due to complications from a freak car accident. Firstly, my most heart-felt and sincere sympathies for you and your family Jashaan. I can't even imagine all the pain and sadness that you are feeling right now with your loss. But I know that you have enough strength of character to face the tough road ahead.

It was really weird learning about that though. Here's a good friend of mine, one that I grew up with and have known since I was 9yrs old, and all of a sudden his dad has passed away :( The sad thing is that every day there is always the chance of that freak accident occuring, or bad health catching up with you or any set of circumstances occuring which can change your life forever.

I've never really thought about (God forbid) my parents passing away. They've just always been there. And I can't imagine it any other way. But after hearing the news of Jashaan's dad I guess it just sort of hit me that the reality is that any day they could be gone. You know, I think I fear that more than my own death.

Especially, because I'm moving to Chicago I have to be more vigilant about ensuring they're living a healthy lifestyle, spending time with them and learning all their secret recipes!!! Because all of a sudden, unexpectedly one day I know I'm going to have to make those dreaded phone calls...

Messed up world

2006-07-18T11:28:00.000-04:00

Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski, deputy chief of staff for the Israeli army, said Israel has not ruled out a ground invasion in its plan to limit the striking capability of Hezbollah.

"At this stage we do not think we have to activate massive ground forces into Lebanon but if we have to do this, we will. We are not ruling it out,"

Courtesy of cbc.ca

Also on 14 July, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that Hezbollah is ready for “open war” with Israel. In addition, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, warned Israel of a “fierce response” if it attacks Syria.

Courtesy of haaretz.co.il

What is this world coming to? Now, Israel wants to invade and occupy the country? The Middle East is such a messed up place. And the US is basically backing a full out Israeli offensive... all in the name of anti-terrorism of course.

But in the end what this conflict boils down to is people and cultures wanting their own land, their own place to call home (or is that a naive view?). And it is such a shame that the egos and greediness of figureheads and politicians result in the death of thousands of innocent people.

BBQ Day!!!

2006-07-16T17:49:00.000-04:00

The chicken is marinated, the kebabs are rolled and the hot dogs are... well, they're here! Today we're having a MASSIVE BBQ (almost 50ppl coming) to celebrate Asha's 21st birthday (which was actually last week) and my graduation! You know what that means... bring on the tandoor!!!

Only a week and a half left to go till Chicago. I haven't packed yet, but don't really need to. My mom said she'll take me shopping for new clothes later on this week. Mexx here we come :D

Happy Bday to DannyB. I heard he had quite the bbq party last night. Knowing his family I'm sure he & Mel (his dad) were the drunkest of the lot :P

Ok, time to go cook the chicken :D

Now with video!

2006-07-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

I decided to compile a number of pics from the Europe trip into a video so it would be easier to show family and friends instead of doing a slide show. These aren't all the pics, and they aren't any scenic ones. Rather they are a compilation of funny or happy moments from the trip (i.e. many Portrait of a Brown Man shots :P).

You can click here to see it.

Warning!!!! The movie contains many, many, MANY scenes of nudity. So if you have a single sister or female friend btwn the ages of 18-23 make sure they are nearby ;) And it is 14mins long!! Enjoy :D

All booked

2006-07-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well I haven't posted in a while (apologies) so I'll make this a 2-for-1 post.

Yesterday I booked my ticket to Chicago. Woohoo!!! July 26 is the big day :D I found out that the corporate housing they are providing me with (for my first 2 mnths there) is just a 2 minute walk to work in downtown Chicago (aka The Loop). I just hope I don't get too used to the luxury of waking up 10mins before I have to be @ work :P

A lot of people have been asking me if I'm excited about going. Well, I'm excited about the fact that I'm moving to Chicago, a wonderful and amazing city (from what I hear at least)!!! I've always imagined myself living in a big metro city like Chicago and the fact that it is relatively close to home is nice as well.

I'm already thinking about the things that I want to do when I get there to keep myself busy. For example, I will def. look into a couple of fall rec leagues (probably soccer or ultimate) and I fully intend on taking up the drums. And I don't even need to mention golf ;)

Now all that is fine and dandy, but I guess I still have the same anxiousness and nervousness that I had before I moved away from home to Waterloo, or before I headed to Singapore. Moving to a new and (really) big city but not really knowing anybody very well is a bit of a daunting task. What if I don't fit in? What if I don't make any friends? What if I was wrong and I don't get along very well with my co-workers? These are all things that are going through my head. Plus, stuff with Camilla is still in my head so I hope that doesn't mess me up too much.

But I digress, overall I'm sure Chicago will be a wonderful time and I welcome all of you to come visit me anytime you'd like. My door's always open :D

But the real reason you've come... pictures!! And without further adieu... Manchester, Newcastle and Geordie Cruise.

Well to be honest we didn't do a whole lot in Manchester. Mainly just walked around with Camilla for most of the day.

Of course Rohit had other plans (aka propoganda)

The boys!!!

Portrait of a Brown Man

Let's go eat some rocks!!

Season 5 of 24

Rohit falling in love with a statue

But me stealing his new man ;)

After walking around we met up with some of Camilla's friends (Lee, Tess and Andreas) and her brother for a wonderful meal at a nice Greek restaurant. Afterwards we went back to Andreas' place for some shisha. Unfort. your heroes weren't on the ball and didn't bring our cameras :( But we did drive down the road at 70 MPH!!!!

The next day Rohit and I said g'bye to Camilla and were off to Newcastle to catch our ferry over to Holland. I have to say though, one thing that I have found pleasant about England the two times I have visited there is the country side. It seems quite peaceful and beautiful. I am looking fwd to exploring it at some point in my life.

In Newcastle though we were mainly just killing time. So we walked around and loitered.

We also discovered that some people didn't pass Grade 2 English (can you spot the mistake?)

We also got slightly lost :D

But alas, we just headed for the big ship.

And Rohit showed his true colours.

But finally we were on board!!! Our cabin was actually pretty amazing.

What wasn't amazing though was the price of food!!! But being the smart Systems Engineers we are, we figured that out BEFORE we got on board. So, we walked on board with our dinner AND breakfast in hand :D

Then we proceeded with the usual shinanigans.

Now let me tell you something about this cruise. It wasn't a Caribbean or Alaskan cruise where you'd have some families, some young couples and some retired people. No. This was a Geordie cruise! The entertainment: cheesy Las-Vegas style lounge cover bands. The Casino: 2 VLT machines and 1 black jack table. The atmosphere: FUN, FUN, FUN!!! Although Rohit and I initially felt out of place (we were the only coloured people on the ENTIRE boat.. not just Indian, but coloured!!!) we ended up having a great time thanks a fun night club on the boat.

Ok, well mainly it was due to beer but by the end of the night we were known as 'The Canadians' and had a great time :D I don't know what time we went to bed. But I know that when I woke up we were already in Holland :P

Arrival: London (April 26th)

2006-06-27T23:31:00.000-04:00

Well after nearly 2 years of talking, fantasizing and stealing on April 26th, 2006 Rohit and I finally began our Euro 2006 Trip!!!

And what better place to start off than London, England. We could barely understand what they were saying and everything was incredibly expensive... sounds like a great place to start a vaction to me :D

We arrived in Gatwick Airport around 11am and quickly adjusted to European Culture.

After checking into our hostel we started to explore the sites of London. It was quite interesting to start off the tour. Some of them were a bit sleepy...

Yes, that is a real person sleeping! And of course Rohit managed to meet his usual fruity friends.

[Aside Funny Story: We asked a Police Officer at the tube station how to get to Pariliament. I for the most part understood what he said. However, when we started heading towards the platform Rohit said, "What did he say about my mama"!!]

But eventually we got to the good stuff.

No it's not me I'm talking about. That's Big Ben in the background!! And of course Big Ben is right next to Parliament.

You'll be pleased to know that we actually went into Parliament and saw a rousing round of REAL British Parliament. Unfortunately our visit didn't last for long as we got kicked out for repeatedly yelling, "Hey Tony!!!"

GQ Shot on the Thames River!!

You may have noticed in the above picture that while I'm staring off towards a peanut stand the London Eye is staring right back @ you. As you can guess that's where Rohit and I headed to next. And apparently we weren't the only ones eager to get there either :P

Here's a nice shot of Big Ben and Parliament from the side of the river where the London Eye is.

And here is Rohit trying to make it Portrait of a Brown Man (and guest) in line at the London Eye.

But after establishing some ground rules about guest appearences in P. of a B.M. shots we eventually got up there. It was here that we developed this weird habit of taking candid shots of each other.

But we stuck to the basics as well.

London actually has a ver expansive skyline. It stretches as far as the eye can see. But I think the most striking feature of its "skyline" is the number of cranes. It is a bit difficult to see in the photo below, but trust me they are there.

After becoming overly excited with the bird's eye of London we took it easy and walked around Leicester Square and discovered that London appears to be an alternate universe to Toronto.

And when we got back home we also saw a little bit into the future

Next up: Camilla and the live episode of 24 in Manchester! Adios :)

Welcome Back!

2006-06-16T13:14:00.000-04:00

Oh Canada! It's great to be back in the land of 110V electrical system :P Hahaha.... don't worry that wasn't the only thing about Canada I missed. There was also the Tim Horton's :P

It is weird being back. When I walked through the doors of Pearson Airport I half expected to be faced with the challenges of a new country: an unfamiliar language, adjusting to a new set of customs and values that make up the culture, figuring out where the nearest McDonald's is. But it wasn't like that at all. Everything was familiar: I could speak english, no drinking outside or smoking indoors and McDonald's is about 2mins down the road.... Weird how being in a familiar place was such a foreign feeling.

I guess it was an indication that the trip was amazing. I enjoyed every minute I spent in Europe and I can't wait to go back. First stops will be Italy and Greece!!!

The last few days were spent in London. We met up with Karam and Aliya. And Camilla came to join us as well :) London was filled with shisha, some interesting (i.e. sometimes really stupid) modern art @ Tate Modern, clubbing UK styles, changing of guards (no I didn't go for a peep show) and of course cider :)

Now I know you came here just for pictures (ahem, Sarah) and I will put them up. What I will do is put some pics up of the last couple of weeks of the trip and then soon after that I will do proper blog entries of the entire trip, starting from Day 1 (April 26th) @ Pearson Airport.

Well Europe, you were awesome. I hope I did you right. In 7 weeks I experienced a lot more than I could have imagined: both in terms of actual arventures and emotions. I had a great travel partner who made such a rigorous trip that much easier with his terrible hair styles, obvious Bollywood style moves and excessive homosexuality! Hahaha, jk Rohit. It was a great trip with you and I couldn't imagine doing Europe with anybody else.

For now, there's only one last step before my student life is officially closed. Convocation :S It is tomorrow in the afternoon. My parents have come down from Winnipeg to make sure I graduate so it was nice arriving in TO and seeing them :) After that though I'll be watching some football, having a few pints and participating in siestas. In otherwords, living it up Euro styles ;) Ciao...

Top o' the mornin' to ya

2006-06-09T15:23:00.000-04:00

That's right... we are off continental Europe and back to the english speakin' world; Dublin to be exact. Not that we minded the other languages. Actually I fully intend on learning Italian when I get back to North America.

We just came from Paris where we met one of our good Systems buddies, Preya, and spent a couple of days with her. From seeing the Mona Lisa, rowing in the Gardens of Versaille, climbing the Arc de Triomphe eating bread & cheese underneath the Eiffel and then watching the sunset from the top, Paris was BEAUTIFUL!! I can't wait to go back :)

The trip is almost come to an end but there's still a week of ol' fashioned debauchery left. I will try and post some photos tomorrow... before we go on the Guinness tour ;)

Ola!!

2006-06-03T14:44:00.000-04:00

In Valencia right now. We experienced a real Spanish siesta today.... as in all the shops were closed when we were trying to buy souvenirs :P

Tomorrow we´ll be in Madrid. GO OILERS GO!!! See you soon ;)

GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!

2006-05-28T06:38:00.000-04:00

That's pretty much been the theme of Nice (where we are right now). You see the French apparently like to strike a lot. So it is no coincidence that when we arrive in Nice the ticket sales people for the French National Rail are on strike/work-to-rule mode.

Poor Ankur has spent more time at the train station trying to get a ticket to Paris than walking around Nice (which is lovely I must say). Oh I miss the Deutsche Bahn.

We've come up with little monikers for each National Rail service based on the quality of service:

Deutsche Bahn - You'll arrive before you leave.
Italia Bahn (aka TrenItalia) - What's the hurry??
French Bahn (aka SNCF) - You're lucky if you get there!!!

Hahaha. Now onto the stuff you really want... photos. (Ahem, Sarah Sy :P) But first let me update you on where 'ourventure' has taken us.

When we left off we were about to enter Italia. What a wonderful country!!! I love the food, I love the atmosphere... and I definately love the women ;) From overly crowded and touristy Rome to peaceful Cinque Terra to colourful Florence, Italy certainly captured my heart like none other. It was probably the amazing tiramisu!!!

All right so onto photos!!!

This is the size of the couchettes on the overnight trains.

Hello Ankur!!!

Prague

Bird's eye of Prague

Rohit trying to get rid of Ankur

Ok the next photo deserves a story. So we went to the Hofburg Palace museum in Vienna. The first section was seriously a walk through Ikea. It was a freakin' dish museum!!! Well at least the "royal family dish collection" This was the the most exciting for me.

Why you ask. Because I swear I've eaten pranthas on those exact same plates.

Rally for the local soccer team in Vienna. The three of us went in screaming "Gandhi Ji, zindha-badh!!!!"

After Vienna was Munich. There's only one thing you do in Munich really. DRINK BEER!!! And boy do they drink beer in Munich... by the litre :P

Ankur's happy with his TWO LITRES!!!

Beer-stache

Gorgeous view of the Bavarian Alps. The above view was taken from the following castle

Neuschwanstein castle

The beginning of the leaping series. Me leaping in front of the alps

Funky GQ mirror shot in the Deutsches Museum in Munich. Basically Germany's largest Science and Technology Museum. A VERY cool place!!!

Rohit leaping in the Deustches Museum.

Aasthaa I'm sorry to tell you but Rohit got jiggy with the locals in Munich.

After Munich was Florence. The hostel we stayed at in Florence was amazing!!! It was more like a home than a hostel. Clara did an amazing job of taking care of us. Ciao Bella!! Clara if you are reading this, grazie :)

Good friends that we made in Florence: Michelle (pink) and Arlene (black). They are actually sisters!!! Thx for the company M&A :)

If you take only one photo in Florence this would be it.

Michelangelo's David. Words can't describe how impressive this bad boy was.

Bird's eye of Florence.

Part of Last Judgement in Duomo.

Ankur leaping on top of Duomo.

Me practicing my photography skills. The wine in Italy was pretty good. Best story was when we randomly were walking around Florence and wandered into a local wine shop where the owner let us try 5 or 6 diff't wines. She had a wine tap!!!

After Florence was Rome where we met up with...

Hello Anja, Karam and Aliya :)

Portrait of a Brown Man in front of Colloseum.

Trevi Fountain.

Can you guess who the three are?

The Colloseum... AT NIGHT!!!

Piazza di San Pietro in Stato della Città del Vaticano. St. Peter's Square in Vatican city for those of you that don't speak Italian ;)

Inside Basilica di San Pietro. Inside St. Peter's Basilica.

School of Athens by Raffaello.

My best shot from Sistine Chapel. It was quite a mission to get these shots. But I used my cunning and guile charm to snap a few ;)

The Roman Forum

Pantheon. Bit of a let down if you ask me.

Next round of photos will be from Cinque Terra onwards. Tonight Rohit and I take off for Barcelona!!! But we also say goodbye to Ankur :( Ciao!!!

Hello Italy!!!

2006-05-17T06:49:00.000-04:00

Well, not quite yet. We will be in Florence by tmrw morning. For those of u that don't know already, our little 'ourventure' has expanded to include Ankur!!! He met up with us in Prague.

Prague. Hmmm... it was a nice city and we had tons of fun but it was a little more touristy than I thought it would be. I think Prague 7-8yrs ago would have been awesome and was more in line with what I thought it would be. But it was still enjoyable. I think Krakow right now is where Prague was 7-8yrs ago.

After Prague we went to Vienna. Vienna is a very cultured city with plenty of art galleries, museums and operas. I really don't know what I expected in Vienna and to be honest I left there very neutral. I didn't hate it but it wasn't an amazing time. Nonetheless I do intend to go back.

Oh wait there is one cool story. So the three of us (remember Ankur is with us now!!!) walked into a small cafe to have some dessert. At the bar though the hockey game btwn Canada and Czech Republic is on. So, being the passionate and patriotic Canadians that we are we planted our asses, bought some beers and watched the game. To make matters even better our waitress was from... Czech!!! We had fun booing and cheering during play. In the end Canada lost... and we had to pay the bill :P

Munich is where we are right now. This is our third day here. It is a nice city but honestly it is best for the beer gardens. Yesterday we went to the castle Neuschwanstein which is a beautiful castle in rural Bavaria. It is actually the castle that Disney modeled their castle from.

More importantly our goofiness came out yesterday. On the train to the castle we wanted to have the compartment to ourselves. So the best way to acheive this is to make sure people don't want to come into your compartment. How to do this?? Well, imagine you walked on a train are walking down the hall looking for empty spots in a compartment. All of a sudden you walk by a compartment with three brown guys sitting cross legged chanting '' Hare Krishna, Hare Ram! Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare!''. Rohit has his eyes closed, I am moving my head and body around in a circle and Ankur is using his Water bottle as a musical instrument. And of course we are all clapping!!! Needless to say we had a nice secluded ride ;)

Well that's all for now folks. Tomorrow we will be in Florence as the second half of Ourventure kicks off. Talk to you soon :D

Sobering Thoughts

2006-05-10T11:29:00.000-04:00

Rohit and I went to Auschwitz Concentration Camp today, which is the largest Nazi concentration camp in all of Europe. It is about an hour out of the town of Krakow, Poland.

The Nazis and SS succeeded in killing nearly 1.5 million people (men, women and children alike). Gas chambers (using Cyclon B), hunger, slave labour and disease were just some of the means through which people were killed.

The weirdest feeling for me was when we walked into the only gas chamber still in tact. It "only" could hold about 700 people (The other main ones could kill 2000). When I walked in it was almost as if there was a stench of death in the air. And looking around it was difficult to imagine I was standing in the same spot where just over 60yrs ago thousands of people lost their lives in a matter of minutes. Their crime: being Jewish, educated, Russian, Homosexual, politically opposed to the Nazis. People died simply for being people...

It is quite difficult to imagine the horrible attrocities that can be committed by humans and a place like Auschitz is certainly a sobering reminder that such terrible things should never be forgotten so they never happen again. Unfortunately for mankind even our recent history has examples of mass genocide (Cambodia, Rwanda and Sudan).

Goodbye Deutschland :(

2006-05-09T13:41:00.000-04:00

WOW!!! Germany has been amazing!!! From beautiful and peaceful wine country, to friendly locals in Cologne to 50 mins of trailers and commercials BEFORE the movie begins at the cinema in Magdeburg to breathtaking architecture and partying till 530am in Berlin this country has been a great arventure :D

Now you guys have been bugging us for photos so I figure that's what you really want. This post is a photo post with a couple of captions. If you want full details check out Rohit's blog.

Photo of your hot author

Cathedral in Cologne

Stained windows in Cathedral of Cologne

Andrew from Texas

Bird's eye view of Cochem from the castle

Self-guided winery tour in Cochem

Possibly the gayest photo Rohit and I will ever have together... I hope :S

The castle in Cochem... at night

Me punching Rohit

Making up afterwards

Our sheesha buddys in Frankfurt

Saluting the Flag (in Berlin)

The Pergamon Museum in Berlin (link to learn about Pergamon itself)

Brandenburg Gate

Portrait of a Brown Man in front of Brandenburg Gate

The Holocaust memorial in Berlin

Standing on top of Hitler's Bunker (not much to see actually)

The Berlin Wall

Our newest friends from Paris, Huegues (sorry for spelling dude) and his wonderful wife! (I'm sooo sorry I forgot your name :S) We'll actually be staying w/ them in Paris!!!

Rohit happy 'cuz we're eating @ a vegetarian restaurant

Clubbing till 530 in the morning in Berlin!!!

See you in Poland ;)

I love Berlin

2006-05-07T13:13:00.000-04:00

onlz 1 min for internet. frankfurt and magdaburg were alrgith. random shisha smokeing in frank. berlin is gorgeous. i miss everzbodz. go sens and oilers!!!! huzza!!!

1st mishap... so far ;)

2006-05-05T14:08:00.000-04:00

In Frankfurt Germany right now.... after inadvertently travelling half the freakin' country!!! We got on the wrong train to Frankfurt and it ended up costing us 2 hrs :S but have no fear for it wasn't our fault. Apparently the train station that we caught the train from (Mainz) is notorious for not being on time so we caught the wrong train because the trains were backlogged. so don't worry we are still expert travellers ;)

the last couple of days in Germany have been amazing :D Cologne was a very pleasant surprise. The cathedral there was gorgeous (photos later on) and later we went to a cool jazz bar. See Rohit's blog for more details :D

Yesterday we hit up the Mosele river valley which is the wine region of Germany (Think Napa Valley but with bratwurst). We stayed in a small town called Cochem. This place was gorgeous!!! A perfect picutre-postcard small town with a pleasant charm. It's not as well known to tourists outside of Germany so there isn't a heavy tourist feel to it (i.e. no McDonald's).

We visited a winery for a 'slef-guided' tour and tasted some amazing white wine. At night Rohit and I went up to the town castle (God, I love Europe... every town has their own castle!!!) for a little 'ourventure' and enjoyed the view from atop the hill. This morning we actually took a tour of the castle where Rohit discovered that his camera works beyond point, click and shoot. You know what this means... even better GQ shots now :P

And for the parents, don't worry laundry was completed yesterday :D

Off to Berlin in a couple of days. Hope all is well in your part of the world :D

A few photos!!!

2006-05-03T13:16:00.000-04:00

So pandit and I are in Germany right now. I think I've mastered the German keyboard... although typing without correction looks a lot more German. For example if i donät correct the z then i tzpe a y instead and if i tzpe reallz fast then i canät correct mzself in time Ö)

Anyways as promised here are a few photos from our amazing trip. I know you've all been dying to see how handsome we look so here you go ;)

Arrival In London (Gatwick)

Big Ben

On the London Eye

With Camilla in Manchester :D

Playing 24 in Manchester

Eating 'dinner' on the cruise ship

GQ on the cruise ship

Queen's Day in Amsterdam

Biking in Holland and seeing windmills

Portrait of a Brown Man in Amsterdam (you didn't think I forgot did you :P)

I'll explain the stories in a little more detail when I put proper posts up. For now, marvel at how beautiful I am... and how much of an amazing time I'm having :P!!!

In Amsterdam

2006-05-01T12:53:00.000-04:00

Enjoying coffee in Amsterdam :)

Comfy Shoes

2006-04-29T13:02:00.000-04:00

In The Netherlands now!!!! Wow, I don't think Rohit and I have have stayed in one place for more than 1 night. So thank god for the comfy shoes :) Plus it helps us when we need to think on our feet ;-)... there's actually a story to that but I'll tell a bit later.

So Manchester was AMAZING!!! Camilla showed us a good time as always. She picked us up from the train station and took us straight to Manchester's version of Little India, The Curry Mile. A lot of kebab shops there. Rohit ate meat!!!!... hahah, jk (although don't blame for a lack of trying). In the evening we went out for a nice meal with her brother (Niki) and a couple of friends (Tess and Andreas). After we went to Andreas' house to smoke some sheesha... just like ol' times :D Thx for a wonderful time Camilla. It was awesome seeing you again and I miss your company dearly :(

The next day (yesterday, Friday) we went to Newcastle to catch a ferry to Amsterdam. But it wasn't an average ferry... it was a freakin' cruise ship!!!!! After enjoying a wonderful meal of some delicious Old Cheddar Cheese with Italian Bread, English Sausage and South African Wine we explored the 10 deck ship in all it's magnificent glory. There was entertainment, a casino, 2 clubs/discotheque and even a cinema!!! Ok the truth is we bought our dinner from the groc. store before we had boarded, the entertainment was cheesier than a Las Vegas lounge show and the casino was just a string of VLT/slot machines but it had its charm.

But there was a club and we did go to it. At first we were just sitting by ourselves, but then Rohit used his charm and next thing we know we're known around the club as "The Canadians"!!! I could make the entire night into one seperate blog post (I will later) but I'll skip to the best part. So most of the people on the cruise were "Geordies". These guys speak possibly the worst English in the world. Here's an example:

Arvind: So, what's your name?
Guy: agheanvaouigoighaaano
Arvind: Oh
Guy: aobnerhi jb;oihj abjiapoti g9ogae0vo afbehoabb aoia
Arvind: Ummm... no we play Ice Hockey in Canada

haha. Ok in Rotterdam right now. Check out rohit's blog for today's activites. Tomorrow I'll try and put up a post with some photos!!! Chow for now :)

ps - the "free stuff" list continues to grow. It now includes cans of beer and trips in first class ;)

Left London...

2006-04-27T07:43:00.000-04:00

And in Manchester right now. We're here to see the always bubbly and beautiful Camilla :) The computer at the hostel has a USB port so we'll try and upload some photos later on.

London was amazing. Sarah (here's your mention :P) I totally understand why you'd love to stay there. It's such an amazing city with so much life and energy. And I love all the sandwhiches here!! Talk to you soon :)

ps - Rohit learned two new 'british' words today:
1) boot
2) pull
He still can't understand what the hell they are saying though :P

Welcome to..

2006-04-26T09:57:00.000-04:00

LONDON!!! Rohit and I arrived a couple of hours ago. So far we have recieved the following items for free:

-"Borrowed" the blankets from Air Transat
-2 free shots of Baileys @ the Duty Free in Gatwick. Remember the Duty Free in Singi Camilla :P
-A box of granola bars
-10kg of Cocaine

Ok so I'm lying about the granola bars :P

Rohit and I are going to freshen up and then hit the town: London Eye, Big Ben & Covent Garden. Mission for the day: Get Rohit to eat Fish & Chips (w/ out the chips). Queue the Mission Impossible music...

Another Perspective

2006-04-25T00:09:00.000-04:00

So if you'd like to get the same story about Europe but from a slightly different (read: Vegetarian) perspective feel free to to check out Rohit's blog (http://rohitineurope.blogspot.com/)

Off in a couple of days

2006-04-23T16:18:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know it has been a while since I've posted... 4 months to be exact. I think that's a new record for me!!! But I was quite busy with "school work" in the final semester of my undergrad so I didn't get too many opportunities. And when I did I usually took a "break" ;)

But alas, undergrad is over :( I have to say I had an AMAZING undergrad experience. 4.5 yrs ago I left Winnipeg not knowing what I was getting myself into. I was scared to be moving away from home, my family, my friends.... my entire comfort zone. And things weren't easy at first either. My marks in first year plummeted, I had absolutely no luck finding a decent co-op position (I ended up volunteering for my first one) and I had very few friends in my first year (apparently there are very few white-washed Indians @ Waterloo :P). But I was still enjoying it. I was enjoying what I was learning @ Waterloo, I was enjoying the lifestyle I was leading and I knew I was surrounded by good people who were going to push me to acheive my potential.

Well, 4.5 yrs later I hope I can say I acheived some sort of potential. For me, one of the greatest realizations has been that the world is a pretty big place; and I don't mean that in a physical sense. There are so many opportunities out there for... well everything!! To learn, to travel, to make new friends, to love... these are all things that I have done in only 4.5 yrs and yet I feel like I'm on the vanguard (thx for the vocab Aasthaa :P) of so much more.

I've realized that life is a series of Arventures... some macro and some micro. Going to university was a macro-Arventure. It was made up of a number of micro-Arventures, like Bomber Wednesdays, an exchange to Singapore, 6 co-op semesters, trying to secure a full-time job, living in a house with your best-mates and have them become like a second family. University isn't about going to school to learn how to solve equations, or memorize anatomy or study great works of Western Literature... university is about living a series of Arventures, enjoying them for what they are worth (whether they be up or down) and then moving along. I don't know if I'm completely ready to move on yet from my university Arventure but I'll have to.

But that doesn't mean I can't go down in a blaze of glory... on another continent!!! So pack your bags and saddle up your horses boys & girls 'cuz it's time for another Arventure... EURO STYLE ;)

Knowing (soon to be) famous people

2005-12-29T00:30:00.000-05:00

Well I'm back home in Winnipeg. I've been here since the 24th. Always nice and relaxing to be home. The biggest stress is always 'Hmmm... what should I eat next'? Seriously, I have been eating NON-STOP since I got here.

I think the last time I felt hungry was on the flight over here. Since I've been back I've had chicken curry, a turkey dinner, lamb curry, mountains of baked goods, boxes of Ferrero Rocher and we just went out for some Thai food tonight... dyarrr, I've gotten so many new clothes this holiday season and I don't think I'll be able to fit in them after this week :P

But to the topic at hand. One of my best friends from high school, Ramzi, has always had an ear for music. You could always find him strumming his guitar or planning for the next big 'Steak' concert. Yes he had a band in high school and it was named 'Steak'. No surprise there were no Hindus in the band :P

Sad to say Steak broke up soon after high school, but out of the ashes was born a new sound that would shake the very foundations of Indie Rock... Ladies and Gentlemen I present 'The Ramzi Helewa Sound Experiment'

Best Week Ever

2005-12-21T12:50:00.000-05:00

I know exactly what you're thinking "Oh my gosh, it's been almost a week and a half since your last post. Where did you go Arvind???"

I went to LONDON!!!

Last week I went to the UK to visit my beautiful baba (a.k.a. Camilla) who I haven't seen since the end of August :( I really missed her these past few months and being with her again was so amazing. She's a great girl and so much fun to be with I'm sure you would really enjoy her company as much as I do. Last week was so much fun with her and I can't wait to see her again. But enough sappiness for now let's get to the real reason you are here... PICTURES!!!

(The first part of the week I didn't take many photos so I'll randomly put some in that don't make much sense but are possibly humurous)

So I arrived in London late on Monday night where Camilla picked me up from T3 at Heathrow Airport. Wasn't as good looking as I thought it would be be, but perhaps the other terminals are nicer.

On Tuesday we headed up to Manchester, Camilla's home town. Her cousin had tickets to a concert but was busy so gave them to us. Oh by the by the group we saw was The Fugees!!!! Man, that was a great show. Wyclef Jean is such a performer. A really dynamic performer with alot of energy and character who really engages the audience. I would definately love seeing him on his own. And of course Lauryn Hill has an amazing voice. Silly me though I forgot to bring my camera so I didn't get any photos. But I did try and get some voice and video recordings on my cell phone. It was kind of funny though cuz half the people in the audience were doing that!!! Was I at a Fugees concert or a Nokia Advertisement :P

The next day Camilla and I went shopping in Manchester. Let me say everybody in Manchester, and probably the UK in general, dresses much better and with a lot more style. We've got much to learn here in North America about fashion.... clown suits can be a good idea :P

On Thursday Camilla and I headed back to London for the 'business portion' of the trip. I had an interview with RBC Capital Markets and she with L'Oreal. I haven't heard back from RBC yet but expect to either tomorrow or sometime after Christmas. I really really hope that I get the job. But first I have to be invited back for their 2nd round of interviews. Keep your fingers crossed.

(On a side note I'm watching Star Trek: TNG right now and Riker just got his ass kicked by an old admiral.)

The interview went perfectly fine and if you must know how it went just ask :) After the interview I toured around London a bit (because Camilla was still in hers). I went to Leicster Square (pronounced Lester... stupid Brits) which is a really cool area with lots of cineamas and theatres. It's also next to Piccadily Circus, Soho, The National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. I randomly chose a direction and went walking down Charing Cross Road. At first I stumbled upon a church called St. Martin-in-the-field. Ironic because it's actually in the city :P

There was a nice lunch time musical show going on. Unfortunately I was pretty tired so I spent the show napping during the performances only to be awaken by a sudden round of applause. I guess it kept me from sleeping the afternoon there :P

After the show ended I was pretty much on the doorstep of Trafalgar Square. I snapped a few photos.

This is the National Gallery

This is the public toilet in Trafalgar Square. Careful not to piss in the wind :P

This is Trafalgar Square from the National Gallery.

Afterwards I went in the Gallery to one of the wings and saw a lot of paintings from famous artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet and Chahal. Unfortunately I couldn't take pictures so I didn't. Not a good idea to be a criminal in a foreign nation... unless it's Singapore.

On Saturday Camilla took me around London a bit more. The day started at Camden Markets which is a really cool market area. It reminded me of the markets in South East Asia quite a bit, but with more expensive prices and less bargaining power. It's not an average market area though. There's a lot of cool and funky stores/stalls with different and eye catching fashions ranging from punk and goth/rave to urban to sporty to trendy. Really cool area and I can't wait to go back... if only to bargain :P

Afterwards Camilla and I went to go see a musical The Producers. That was really fun and enjoyable. Enough said. I'd like to see the movie though.

On Sunday we went to Central London to see the two famous bridges: Tower Bridge and London Bridge.

Here's a picture of me (the first on one this post I think) in a non-GQ pose from the London Bridge with the Tower Bridge in the background.

And here's some girl who wanted to get a picture with me. I think she's part of my fan club. Guess she's kind of cute ;)

After a late lunch Camilla and I walked along the Thames towards the Tower Bridge. Other than the cold it was a really pleasant walk with a lot of great photo ops.

That's the ship the immigrants come in on.

So Camilla has made me believe I'm an expert photographer with a great eye by introducing me to the wonderful setting of Sepia. Tell me what you think.

Tower Bridge... at Night.

Man leaning over the rail behind Camilla in front of the Tower Bridge... at night.

Possibly the same man... at night.

Tower Bridge in colour... at night.

London... at night

London in colour... at night.

Arm length shot... at night

Camilla happy to see me... at night.

Camera tripping out... at night

I like this shot cuz it's at night.

People driving... at night.

That's the London Bridge... at night.

And then all of a sudden Camilla tried attacking me... at night.

But I showed her.

After, Camilla and I stumbled upon an open-air skating rink. Unlike rinks in Canada where you can go skate anytime (for free) in the UK skating rinks are a novelty and you have to buy tickets for a time slot. When we went all the time slots were sold out. But the theme for the semester has been 'Balls Deep Champion' (ask Rohit) so went to the ticket counter to see if we could get in. Our efforts were rewarded with free tickets... huzzaa!!!

Man, British people really suck at skating. Now, I'm not one to brag often but I saw a lot of this

It was pretty funny but alot of fun. It had been sometime since I had been ice skating and it was great looking like I was Elvis Stojko next to everybody :P

The next day (sadly my last with Camilla :-( ) we went to go see Buckingham Palace, which is right behind Green Park.

Now I don't know if you've ever seen B.P. before but personally for me I had trouble finding the damned thing.

By the time I did I had a little bit of time for a few shots.

GQ SHOT!!!

The next stop for the day was Canary Wharf. A few interesting people tend to live there...

The best part though is the fact they all reside in the area called 'Canada Square'

Portrait of a Brown Man in Canada Square

I thought this was a cool shot. It's right outside the tube station. A group of clocks, all adjusted to the same local time, but with different numbers printed on the face.

The docks at Canary Wharf

Ok funny story for next photo...

So I had a bit of a runny nose most of the week and that day in particular. But all day Camilla refused to look at me, hug me or speak to me cuz she kept telling me my nose looked gross. I thought she was just refering to my runny nose, which I tried to keep reasonably presentable. So finally I said ok fine lemme take a picture and see what the big deal is. Turns out I had a booger in my nose :P

Anyways the next day I left for Canada :(... Camilla my dear I had an amazing week with you. You're my best friend and so much more and I hope that no matter what happens things between you and I work out. I'm sure they will. I can't wait to see you again, but until then keep smiling... if only cuz you don't have to see my boogers anymore :D

Guess what tomorrow is...

2005-12-11T21:04:00.000-05:00

That's right. In about 12hrs time I'm on my way to London to go see Camilla :D

So who else reads my blog...

2005-12-09T18:10:00.000-05:00

Just out of curiosity, are you the person that has the RBC interview? You are! Great :) So what's your name??

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

2005-12-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

So the good news: I had my Super Saturday Interview with Sapient on the weekend. I actually had a lot of fun!! It was great meeting people from the company and learning more about them. Seriously, this is a great company. I really agree with their vision and their values and how the approach their business. All they want to do is make people better. Both the clients they serve and the people that are part of the organization. I could really see myself working for this company, fitting in and enjoying a career with them.

The bad news: They said no.

If I could be selfish for a moment...

2005-11-24T10:49:00.000-05:00

Well here's an email that brightened MY day today..

Invitation to HR Interview (1st Round)_RBC Capital Markets

Dear Arvind,

Further to your recent application and the successful completion of the
online numerical reasoning test, we are pleased to invite you to attend an
interview with the HR department in our London offices.

To book your interview, please log-on once again to our recruitment
website: (http://www.rbccmgraduates.gtios.com/index.asp) and go to the
interview booking page.

Please note that your interview with HR is a competency-based interview
and no technical questions will be asked at this stage of the interview
process.

Should you experience any problems in booking online, please e-mail us at
mailto:gradqueries@rbccm.com.

In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you at the HR interview.

Kind regards,

Graduate Recruitment Team
RBC Capital Markets, London

I think we all know why this is a good thing :D

Making a 'Statement'

2005-11-23T14:12:00.000-05:00

Need some advice on how to stick it to the man? Check out what this guy did, one penny at a time...

What's your secret?

2005-11-22T23:24:00.000-05:00

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Your Opinion please

2005-11-22T21:50:00.000-05:00

Who's got the prettier eyes?

Subject A

Subject B

I think I know who'll win this one ;)

What I do in my spare time

2005-11-20T23:56:00.000-05:00

So many of you have been wondering how I have the wonderfully sculputed physique that I do. Well for starters in the morning I down a huge glass of strawberry milkshake with a three-stack waffle topped with whipped cream, syrup, strawberries, chocolate sauce and sprinkles. As my mid-morning snack I will munch on a bag of two-bite brownies (two-bites x 24 brownies = 48 bites).

At lunch I'll go a little lighter. A medium pizza topped with pepperoni, bacon, fried mushrooms and double cheese with a twinky for dessert. Sometimes I'll have some carrots for flavour. In the afternoon I eat a Super-Sized Big Mac Meal (Coke with no ice to wash it down) and half an apple pie.

Finally for dinner I'll usually have either a big bottle of beer with a bucket of fried chicken or I'll whip up a three-egg omelette stuffed with sausage, bacon, cheese, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, poonani, peppers, potatoes and some more cheese. Top it off with a little syrup for flavour ;)

But that's only half the story. I still have to put all that nutrition to good use. The other important aspect of my godlike figure is the excercise. Every night Chris, Rohit and I engage in our 'HARUP!' excercises. Check out the photo below and you'll understand exactly why I look the way I do...

.

Wine and Cheese

2005-11-19T17:52:00.000-05:00

So it had been a while since our class had done anything 'classy' together. A few of us began thinking we should do something about it...

What's that you say Derrick??

You think we should have a Wine and Cheese?!??!?! What a FUNtastic idea :D So last wknd a wine and cheese was had. But we wanted to make sure it was a good wine and cheese. So we deked out the living room...

You'll notice the screen at the back. We borrowed the dept. projector, placed a screen over our window and displayed lots of pictures from all of our recent travels. The idea was a great hit!!! But we know which superstar they all wanted to see...

(Unfortunately I got red wine on my suit :S)

As you can see we all got dressed up for this 'classy' event

Apparently Chris gets confused every now and then :P

So who had fun?

Preya, Rohit and Mel had fun!

Note - Coolest belt of the night goes to Preya

Cheryl, Ganan and Jules had fun!

Bev had fun!

But Batman didn't have fun :(

And what night would be complete would be without a GQ Session? Well a wine and cheese certainly wouldn't be complete!

And here's my best impression of Rohit (Bollywood Superstar Extrodanair)

Note - My secret model photos have been stolen. If found please return!!!

(Well not really, they are still on my desk smiling back at me :D)

After all the wine was finished (which didn't take that long :P) we went over to Bomber

But we all know who the biggest superstars always are ;)

So what was the total damage??? 37 Bottles of Wine!!!

But that's ok. Because next time there's a wine and cheese I want YOU there!!!

Such Great Heights

2005-11-13T21:24:00.000-05:00

i am thinking it's a sign that the freckles in our eyes
are mirror images and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned
i would like to speculate that god himself did make us into
corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces from the clay
and true, it may seem like a stretch, but its thoughts like this that
catch my troubled head when you're away and i am missing you to death
when you are out there on the road for several weeks of shows and when
you scan the radio, i hope this song will guide you home

they will see us waving from such great heights, "come down now,"
they'll say but everything looks perfect from far away,
"come down now," but we'll stay...

i tried my best to leave this all on your machine but the persistent beat
it sounded thin upon listening
and that frankly will not fly, you will hear the shrillest highs and
lowest lows with the windows down when this is guiding you home.

Lest We Forget...

2005-11-11T15:18:00.000-05:00

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Finding a job

2005-11-11T02:47:00.000-05:00

So I just applied to Morgan Stanley UK. I know it's a bit of a long shot. I'm from Canada and will be up against like a million students from Europe. They really have no reason to bother with my application. Except one reason... I'm a Gentleman and a Scholar ;) And you know what, IT'S WORTH IT. Sometimes if you really want something you have to just keep plugging away at it until after all your hard work, all your time, all your effort finally pays off.

But these European applications take soooo much time. They ask so many questions on the application like, "What skills and personality traits do you have that would be a benefit", "Why are you interested in the Fixed Income Division", etc. I'd expect those in the interview :S

For the 'describe a challenge you faced' question I supplied my back-packing through Cambodia in the back of a pick-up truck story!!! For the 'describe a team situation' question I told them the 'Went to Koh Phangan and missed the train' story.

Typical? No. Risky? Perhaps. Eye-catching? HELL YAH!!! I figure the only way I'll have a shot is by really grabbing their attention and making them believe I'd be interesting to at least interview. And the only way to do that is to lie... errr, tell good stories :P

On a more musical note (no pun intended) I've started listening to Postal-Service. I like their stuff. In fact over the past year my music taste has really changed quite a bit. I'm into house/ambient a lot more (listen to Kaskade, Prem Joshua and Tories). And indie-rock is kind of cool as well. Just a lot more innvigorating than the usual synthesized hip-pop crap that's usually pushed on radio-waves. I guess every mainstream music genre goes through that (Disco anybody??) Tomorrow I'll try and put up some photos from the latest GQ session ;)

oy..

2005-11-10T03:16:00.000-05:00

have you ever been in love???.. MWAH!! amazing feeling :D

dyarrr.... stomach about to explode!!!

2005-11-06T20:10:00.000-05:00

Bev made a great dinner today. Chicken a la King AND apple pie for dessert!!! Way to go Bev. So, where am I right now? In the library studying for my THREE midterms tomorrow :S Oh well, blogging comes first!!

So some exciting news (for those of you that don't know... although I presume that anybody that does still read this blog is probably a friend in Waterloo :P) : I'M GOING TO LONDON!!!! I decided earlier this week to go visit Camilla in December after my exams are done. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance and follow your heart 'eh ;)

Speaking of my heart I'm so glad I've been going back to the gym again. Last few wks I've been able to make it there 2 or 3 times a week. Good job me. Now I've earned that nightly box of cookies :P

So some themes for the term:

Smoking Sheesha
Going to Bomber pretty much every Wednesday night... right after $7 pitchers @ Mongo's ;)
Having more days off than days of school
Having to deal with the fact my life will soon be at a MAJOR transition phase... if not already. You really don't appreciate how awesome a university environment is until it's taken away from you.
Dealing with rejection... but learning to pick yourself up after <--- I think anyone able to do this shows alot of strength and character

All for now. I'll post some pics later on. Cheers!!

Diwali 2005

2005-11-04T16:44:00.000-05:00

Firstly, HAPPY DIWALI!!!! I know it's a copule of days late, but better late then never :) I wish you all a safe, happy and prosperous New Year.

I went up to Toronto on the wknd to celebrate Diwali with my family, but one should still do something a little special on the actual day of if you can. And oh boy, did I have a special Diwali ;)

My two friends (Ankur and Aasthaa) and I wanted to go to the mandir (temple) to do pooja and see the fireworks. Unfortunately when we got there everything was done :( Is 9:45pm really that late???

No fear, for if you can't go to Diwali then make Diwali come to you!!! We went back to my place to do pooja only to find out that none of us had any murhthis. But Rohit did!!! Lucky for us he was back home in Toronto ;) All he had though was Ganesh and Hanuman. And on Diwali you should do arati to Lakshmi. When the going gets tough... tuffy gets going!!!

Using my wild imagination and wily resourcefulness I found a picture of Lakshmi on the internet and placed it on my laptop. That's right people, I have advanced Hinduism to the 21st century by performing arati to my laptop!!!!

I then downloaded an mp3 of Om Jai Jagdish and we sang along. But why stop there??? I found the lyrics and placed them beside the picture of Lakshmi. Look closely at the pictures above and you can probabaly see them :P

All in all we had a good Diwali, and definately one to remember!!

bloody hell...

2005-10-25T23:38:00.000-04:00

So in 2 days i've lost 2 items!!!... argh >:( ... very mad at myself. the other day I left my watch at the gym. man, what a sic watch that was. And I bought it in HK for $3!!! Next time I'm there I'm finding that watch again.

And today. Oh today was even worse. Somebody stole my mp3 player at the library!!!! :-0. Bad Karma. All cuz she (what is her freakin' name anyways) said, "I was born in Winnipeg". dyarrr.... And I bought it just 3 days ago. Lucky for me I put it on my credit card so I think they'll cover it... huzzaa!!!

On another note I'll be reading Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss on thursday at the coffee house. One of my 'interests'. Here's a piece of advice for people doing their resumes. In your interests section put something unique or eye catching, not just the usual 'sports, cooking, reading'. On mine I put 'Narrator of Dr. Seuss books at engineering coffee houses'. I shit you not in EVERY SINGLE interview I've had they ask about that. And the beauty of it is I use it as an opportunity to steer the conversation towards how I deal with change. Interview tactics 101!!!

things are weird

2005-10-23T01:02:00.001-04:00

am i doomed to feel like this forever, or does it eventually get better? or worse?

things are weird

2005-10-23T01:02:00.000-04:00

am i doomed to feel like this forever, or does it eventually get better? or worse?

Greatest Website

2005-10-09T18:16:00.000-04:00

http://sexydesktop.co.uk/index.htm

More to come...

Funny Simpson's Quote

2005-06-09T22:20:00.000-04:00

Homer: It's true, I'm a rageaholic. I can't live without rageahol!!!

hahaha... too funny yaars

Coldplay

2005-06-07T16:15:00.000-04:00

I never really understood or felt the meaning of Coldplay's 'The Scientist' till today...

New Set of Wheels

2005-06-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

No it's not a new car. But my boss was nice enough to lend me a spare bike of his for the summer. I have this new found sense of freedom and independance :D. And now I can go to the driving range, the groc. store (and to a lesser extent) work whenever I want :P

Enron: The Smartest guys in the boardroom

2005-05-31T22:05:00.000-04:00

I saw the new documentary about the Enron collapse today. It was really good and thought it did a good job of revealing alot of general information to people who probably aren't as familiar with the story. It's really amazing yet quite simple how they did it. But all it would have taken was for a a few people to look a little deeper and harder at the financial statements and ask the right questions. The only reason that Enron looked like they were making as much money as they said they did was simple accounting practices. What really struck me though was just how ruthless and scrupulous the main figure heads were. (Here is the preachy party) They really didn't care who they stepped on, who they screwed or how much they hurt them just as long they got their money. But I guess that's what greed drives you to do. For example, the California energy crisis was not an energy crisis at all. It was simply the Enron energy traders getting plant operators to shut down and then the traders would drive up the price. Ruthless!!! Anyways, I'd def. recommend the movie to anybody who is interested in trading, corp. accounting or just plain fraud :P

Hong Kong

2005-05-25T20:51:00.000-04:00

So you thought I was done 'eh :P.... Well not quite. There was actually one quick trip after Singapore. My return flight was on Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong. Cathay is such a fantastic airline they let me stop over in HK for a couple of days for no extra charge :D And who am I to say no to anything that is free ;)

Anyways, HK airport is pretty nice and is actually buitl on an island!!!

So after clearing customs and putting my luggage in left luggage I headed to the city. I checked into a guesthouse in the area of Kowloon. Luckily my guesthouse was really close to the pier where one can see the AMAZING skyline on Hong Kong island.

This is Spencer. Spencer was staying at the same guesthouse as I.

Afterwards Spencer and I walked along the pier which has now become HK's Walk of Stars (think Hollywood Walk of Fame).

HK is a VERY bright city. Lots of life and ver vibrant. My guesthouse was along Natahan Rd. which has alot of shopping along it. Here's a couple of pics at night.

The next day I walked around and explored again. I ended up at a market... it was like Chinatown within a Chinese town :P

HK has some pretty good food, so I decided to try some. I don't know what I ate though :P

Next I ended up at the Goldfish market where there are a number of stores that sell goldfish (and other ass'td fish). Kind of cool.

And then from there it was the flower market. Guess what they sell there...

And right beside the flower market a bird market.

Next I went to HK island with the intent of going up to Victoria Peak (to get a bird's eye view of the city). Unfort. it was pretty foggy that day so I didn't get a chance :( But I did get some good photos from the ferry.

HK Financial District has some pretty cool buildings. This is the HSBC building.

Bank of China building.

HSBC again.

HK also has some funn signs.

I guess nature better have call waiting.

The world's longest escalator is on HK island. But man was that thing hard to find!!! Ended up going through the botanical gardens though.

and learning who the real enemy is...

But finally the escalator was found.

And so was a little reminder of home :)

Next we went to a temple, simply for the sake of going cuz it was close. But they had alot of insense there...

Can anybody tell me what's wrong with this?

Nothing you say... are you sure???

Just outside my guesthouse. Actually alot of HK was like this.

Anyways, HK was a really cool city. Lots of life and energy. But after spending 4mnths in SE Asia it was a little pricey :S Bt it is definately a shoppers paradise. Any designer brand you can think of has a store there. Hopefully one day I'll go back... w/ money ;)

Last day

2005-05-24T23:44:00.000-04:00

The last day was obviously a bit of a sad one. The first order of the day was to clean out my rez room. In case I haven't put it up before this is what my room looked like.

Now I actually spent the last night at the Orchard Hotel in Singapore, one of many posh/swank hotels in Singapore in the main Orchard Rd. Shopping district. The room came courtesy of the generosity of Robyn. She told Camilla, Sandra and myself to join her for a last night together. It was VERY VERY sweet of her.

In the end though we had to say goodbye :(... by pure coincidence we were all leaving on the same day. My flight was first so we all headed to the aiport @ about 9 in the morn.

(Last brown man shot in SE Asia).

Robyn, Sandra, myself and Camilla.

Singapore was great. I had an AMAZING time there. Met sooo many great people, who I hope to continue friendships with. For four months I was in a different part of the world experiencing different cultures and I hope to think that those experiences have made me a better person. So Singapore (and the rest of SE Asia) to you I say Cheers...

Cambodia

2005-05-24T23:19:00.000-04:00

So the biggest, bestest and boldest trip was saved for the end. After my exams, and a couple of days of goodbyes :( , Camilla and I embarked on a backpacking trip across Cambodia. Our plan... well we had none. We booked a return ticket to Bangkok (because it is easiest and cheapest to get to Cambodia from there) and literally on the plane decided where to go first while reading through a Lonely Planet Guide.

As was the case with Vietnam this trip began with free alcohol at the duty free shop. First a sample of the new Absolut Raspberry

And then a sip of some cognac.

So the first place we decided to go to was a beach town called Sihanoukville. To get there though was a bit of a task. We grabbed a bus in Bangkok @ about 10:30pm. From there we went to a town called Trat. We arrived in Trat at about 3:30 in the morning and waited for a minibus till 6 in the morning which would take us to the Thai-Camboida border. Along the way we met a guy named Stefano who has been living in Taiwan for 15yrs. He is originally from Italy though. He bought us some tea in the morning :)

(You tend to meet a lot of nice ppl while backpacking)

Anyways, so this is a picture of the Cambodia side of the border just before it is about to open.

Crazy 'eh. Lucky for us it wasn't that hectic on the Thai side so we glided on through in no time. At the border we got swindled. It costs either 1000THB (Thai Baht) or $20USD to cross. Now considering that the 1USD ~= 38THB it's obviously better to pay $20USD. Unfort. the officers wouldn't let us get away with this and charged us an extra 200THB. Plus they charged us an extra 100THB for some BS free of SARS/quarantine form. But hey can't really argue w/ border patrol now can you.

Anyways, from the border we had to catch a 4hr ferry to Shianoukville.

Gave us a chance to snap a few more photos

Once we arrived at the port we randomly chose a hotel from the LP Guide grabbed a couple of motorbikes...

And headed to the hotel. We only payed $6USD for the room :D Not bad.

So here's a couple of quick shots of the town.

It was pretty quiet actually. Didn't see many other touristst there (which isn't necc. a bad thing). Now Sihanoukville is good for two things: 50cent draught beer and renting motorbikes!!! For only $4USD Camilla and I rented a motorbike!!! Huzzaa finally my dream come true. The entire time I was driving I kept singing 'Born to be wild' :P Although she was the real bad ass... she actually went over 30 km/h :P

But hey, I was still proud of myself.

The next morning we got up early to catch a bus to Phnom Penh. Along the way we got some good pics of rural Cambodia.

Once we arrived the book said to go to an area beside a big lake because that is where all the cheap guesthouses are. So away we went. It was a pretty dodgy looking area, but it hadits charm I guess.

On a side note, traffic in Pnomh Penh (and pretty much most of SE Asia) looks something like this.

Now for the lowlight of the trip.... remnants of the Khmer Rouge regime. The first place we went were the Killing Fields. This place is quite sad and a gruesome reminder of the terrible attrocities that humans are capable of. It is a mass grave where the Khmer Rouge executed and buried alot of their victims. As you walk along the trails you see bones and skulls sticking out along with rags. As you enter there is a stupa that is probably at least 10m high filled with skulls that were dug up. Def. a sobering experience.

Our next location was again a artifact of the Khmer Rouge's regime: Prison Camp S-21. Another gruesome sight. There are still blood stains on the wall. As you enter you can see, what seems like, the photo of every prisoner that was kept at S-21. Mathematical formulas are scratched into the wall everywhere because the people were trying to perserve the knowledge the Khmer Rouge were trying to wipe out. And what is terrible to think is that this all happened barely 30yrs ago. And yet we learn so little about it out west. I think all my travels in SE Asia (esp. while in Cambodia) helped me to realize that in the west we are quite ignorant of alot of the culture and histor in SE Asia. However I think it is imporant that we learn about those things to understand some of the reasons why history has taken the course it has in that part of the world.

Now there are some nice parts to Phnom Penh as well, namely the Grand Palace. However we were told by a few ppl we met that going inside wasn't very exciting and it's much better to just take a few photos from the outside. So we did :)

After that we just went out for dinner and then went to bed so we could get up early for our bus to Siem Reap.

Now pretty much ANYBODY that goes to Cambodia goes for one main reason: The Temples of Angkor. With some of the temples having been built over 1000 years ago these amazing monuments are a source of immense national pride for the people of Cambodia and are a great testament to some of the great architecture and engineering skills of the Khmer empire during its rule.

Because the temples are all seperated and spread out you can't walk to them without taking up ALOT of your time. So instead it is better to hire a tuk-tuk for a couple of days. We hired one for 2 days for $20USD. Trust me, considering how much driving the guy did and how much he waited around for us that was a steal. This was our driver

Now rather than try and explain all the photos and temples and try and describe how utterly impressive these structures are I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

(Props to Camilla for taking most of the photos though)

(Below is the main Temple, Angor Wat)

So can anybody tell me what is funny about this picture?

(Recognize her?)

Ppl, if you ever get the chance to go to the Temples of Angkor... GO!!! They are even more impressive in real life. It's quite amazing and awe-inspiring what impressive structures we were able to create way back when. We spent a good 2 days in Angkor Wat.

Now for the fun story. Our flight from Bangkok back to Singapore was on Sunday which meant Saturday was spent getting back to Bangkok. Boy, what an experience that was. The cheapest way to get to the Thai border from Siem Reap is in the back of a pick-up truck. So being cheap Indians.... err, daring and avid arventurers we decided to take that route. So went to the gas staion early in the morning where the pick-up trucks usually hang out to take people. We negotiated a fair price ($9USD for the BOTH of us) and hoped in the truck. We sat down in the cab but then the driver told us to sit on the edge. Hmmm... ok that was a bit weird considering there was lots of room. Well, only for 2 more seconds. Next thing you know Camilla and I are in the back of a small pick up (we are talking like Mazda not Ford) with 30 (yes that is THIRTY) other people and their luggage... and 1 chicken... for 5hours.... 2hrs of which is along unpaved red dirt road.

Two people to Bangkok in the back of a pick up --> $9
Hanging on for dear life in the back of a pick up truck for almost 5hrs --> Priceless!!!

We didn't get our cameras out cuz we were afraid they might fall out while driving, but this is what we looked like afterwards...

In other words... CRAP!!!

Some of us were upset...

But others didn't mind getting a little dirty...

I swear when i took a shower (for almost half an hour) the water was constantly red for almost 15mins. My hair looked like I had dyed is :S But trust me it was fun.

All in all Cambodia was GREAT!!! It was so nice and so refreshing to have a completely unscripted on the fly trip. Seemed like more of an Arventure. Plus Cambodia is quite a nice country just beginning to find it's footing after going through (literally) hell. The people are friendly; ALWAYS so smiles on their faces which was a pleasant surprised. I guess it's a testament to the resilliancy of the Cambodian people.

Personally the trip was good for me because I learned to just go with the flow. One doesn't have to plan every single detail of a trip to make it fun. Plus I ran away from a group of Monks... but that's another story ;)

Last Sheesha

2005-05-24T20:29:00.000-04:00

After I got back from Vietnam I was bogged down with exams for about a week. But afterwards I celebrated like it was the end of exams!!! Pretty much my fav. thing to do while I was in Singapore was smoke sheesha. Now although it is a relaxing and sociable to be doing sheesha I DON'T recommend doing it all the time. In the end you are still inhaling something other than regular air which if overused will more than likely have a negative effect on your lungs. But now that I've done my public service announcement for today on with the show :)

I got to celebrate with Camilla, Robyn and Alok. First we went for 40cent Satay. That's right people. 40CENTS for 1 stick of satay..mmmm :)

As you can see that made me one VERY happy Brown Man

Apparetnly I ate soo much satay that Robyn thought I was the Pillsbury Dough Boy

Now the fun thing about sheesha is that it makes you do all sorts of fun things. Like become sociable...

Or smiley...

Or gangsta'

Or confused

Or just want to smoke more sheesha

Ok. To be honest there is no point to this entry. I'm just showing everybody one of my fav things to do in Singapore and how I celebrated end of my exams.

So in conclusion... yah sheesha is fun :D

Vietnam

2005-05-23T22:54:00.000-04:00

I had two really big trips near the end of my exchange. The first was to Vietnam just before my exams. I went with Aruni, Kiran and Nathan :)

As most trips did this one started off at the NUS campus.

After getting to the airport we quickly established a few ground rules for the trip.

And had a quick drink to calm any nerves ;)

So our 5 day journey started off in Ho Chi Minh City (more commonly known as Saigon). Our first stop... the train staion :P We decided to actually leave HCMC later that night (around 11 at night) and so we decided to get our train tix before we did anything in the city. Was a bit of a wait though.

However, when we finally got the tix we had a few hours to eat and run around.

We got some wipes in one restaurant and would prove to be really our only chance to clean ourselves for more than 24hrs :P

HCMC at night.

This is city hall... at night. HCMC actually has some pretty slick architecture.

And apparently some over zealous tourists/gangsters as well :P

Just before we went back to the train station we stopped for some ice cream at a little cafe. Boy were we feeling very posh.

So after walking around a little more we caught our train. Boy were we excited!!!

Anyways it had been a long day so we decided to go to bed... and then wake up and eat :D

Of course some of us had enough difficulty waking up.

The train ride was actually so long that they even served us lunch!!! Although we didn't eat very much of it cuz it was kind of gross...

(I think they served us some form of Vietnamese spam :S)

Our destination was a beach town known as Hoi An. Unfort. our train was quite delayed. So we didn't arrive till late. This is us waiting for a taxi to the hotel.

Interesting story while we were wating: we saw a stabbing!!! Well at least a stabbing victim. While we were waiting there seemed to be alot of commotion about 25m away from us around the entry to an alley. And all the traffic had stopped to look at what was going on down the alley. Nathan and I were about to go check out what was going on when all of a sudden we see a man running out of the alley carrying another person who was covered in blood!!! The person jumped on a motorbike (driven by somebody else) and presumably went to the hospital. We assume it was a stabbing because we saw some kids who were making some stabbing motions. I sure hope that guy turned out ok. Anyways, that was probably the scariest moment of the trip, but everything else was pretty good. Moving along...

We finally got to our hotel where there were free cocktails :D Who am I to pass up free anything!!!

Because we arrived a little late everything was pretty much closed... well except for a couple of tailor shops down the road. So we decided to splurge.

We each got custom made suits for $20USD each!!! The amazing thing is they made all four suits for us in a matter of 8hrs!!! The pants are a little tight on me, but hey for that price I'm willing to loose my bubble butt :P

Next day we caught a bus to the city of Hue (pronounced who-ay). Along the way we made a couple of stops. The first was a quarry which had some nice statues on display.

This is me picking up a local girl :P

The drive was pretty nice because we got to drive along the coast. It was quite breathtaking actually.

At one point we stopped at a lookout point. And of course no trip would be complete without a GQ shot... thx to Aruni for snapping this one.

And of course what blog would be complete without random goat shots...

We finally arrived in Hue. The plan was to stay there for a few hours and head off to Hanoi afterwards. So after finding a guesthouse which was willing to take our luggage for a couple of hrs we found a "famous" backpackers cafe in Hue. It is called Thu's Cafe, named after its owner and operator Thu. It was a pretty cool place actually. Most backpackers that drop by usually end up leaving her a message.

Thu is a pretty nice person and actually let us play with her little nephew :D

Anyways, through Thu we arranged to have motorbike tours of the city and surrounding area for only about $4USD each. Well worth it. Mainly because we each got to ride on the back of a motorbike for a couple of hours...

The first stop was a pretty important pagoda. Here is why...

Pretty interesting. Next we went to the temple of a former King. It actually wasn't that interesting and wasn't really kept in good condition, mainly because it had just opened up within the past couple of years. However the king did, at one point, have over 120 concubines... but no children!!!

Next we were taken to a look out point over the Perfume River where there were a couple of concrete bunkers left over from the old french colonial days.

After that we went to a monestary to watch some monks while they were praying.

On a side note the orange robes means that the monks have been at the monastery for at least 10yrs.

Finally we had a nice drive through the rural side.

I think the drive through the rural side was my favourite part. Very quiet and very peaceful. It was nice to quickly observe Vietnamese life that wasn't completely based upon or catered towards tourism (if only for a few minutes).

Finally our last stop was a quick photo op outside the citadel which houses some temples and the old city.

So after a fun day of running around Hue we hoped on a night bus to Hanoi. When we arrived (at about 7 in the morning) we were all a little tired.

(Most tired brown man shot you will ever see)

I think the fatigue also made us a little crazy...

The main area in Hanoi is the Old Quarter, where alot of the of the old French Colonial buildings are. Anybody who ventures into Hanoi HAS to see this area. Really vibrant with alot of character. We decided that the best (and most fun) way to get around though would be on bicycles.

Now just imagine trying to ride bikes in crazy traffic like this.

But trust me it was fun :) Unfort Nathan and I got seperated from the girls for a couple of hours. No big deal though as the four of us just met up at our guest house later on. So after biking around for a few hours we had dinner went out for a couple of drinks then pretty much went to bed. Unfort. we were there in the middle of the week so we didn't really find or hear of any good clubs for the night.

The next day we ate a nice breakfast at a small cafe alongside the small lake by the Old Quarter.

I imagine Paris feels like that

Surprise, surprise guess who has his own statue in Vietnam

Anyways, so the the big intention for the day was to see Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Apparently his body is still lying in state there. Unfort. the mausoleum closes at 10:30am and we got there at 10:31am!!! A little dissapointed but we still got to run around the museum dedicated to him.

The impression that I got was that Ho Chi Minh really loved his country and his country loved him back. I guess though when a country goes through all the terrible things they have you need a strong willed leader with great resolve to guide his people back to independance.

(Random shot on a rikshaw)

The day then ended with a water puppet show

It was actually kind of boring because we couldn't really tell if there was a story or not (which there wasn't) and it was more just 5 or 6 random acts of the puppet splashing around in the water. Nonetheless it was nice to do something a little diff't. After that we quickly grabbed our bags, caught a cab to the airport and hoped on the plane.

All in all Vietnam was a lot of fun. Very fast paced and constantly on the go. A watered down backpacking experience, but a backpacking experience nonetheless. And thanks to Nathan, Aruni and Kiran for making it alot of fun :)

Haran Visit

2005-05-23T19:44:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in the previous post my friend Haran was in the SE Asia region so he decided to drop by. On his last night we went out for some foodage and sheesha.

Unfort. the food wasn't that good and was a little over-priced (which is typically the case for Boat Quay) and that made me a little upset.

(In the middle is Meera from TO and Kavitha from NY)

As you can tell I was really happy to see Haran again :)

Anyways, after food we went for sheesha.

A sheesha experience can be described using a select group of words:

Sociable

Entertaining

Happy

And tiring

Don't worry ppl, Ira made it home ok that night :)

Phuket

2005-05-23T19:35:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of April I went to the beach island of Phuket with a few friends. The name may sound familliar because it is a very popular tourist destination and was unfort. hit by the Tsunami late last year. However, because tourism is the main activity of the economy efforts to clean up and rebuild were quite quick. Our flights (direct) from Singapore to Phuket were only $15SGD each way (~$12-13CAD)!!!

Honestly Phuket is HEAVEN!!! Most gorgeous and beautiful place I have ever been to in my life. We didn't do much except go to the beach one day and go island hoping the next so there isn't much to report about, but I expected this to be mainly a photo entry anyways.

Waiting at the airport for our flight to leave. That is Aruni (from Aussie) on the left and Mike (from Chicago) on the right.

To be honest I don't think Aruni liked me very much :P... haha Aruni was great and we had a very fun-filled friendship.

I went to Thailand about 4 times and every time I had phad-thai. Thailand has some AMAZING food.

Now the good stuff...

Yes ppl, those are my feet :) How clear is that water 'eh.

That is a brown man drinking from a coconut.

That is a brown man sleeping with a beer bottle.

We checked out Phuket city one evening for a couple of hours as well. Architecture was cool but nothing incredibly amazing there though. Besides we were there for the beaches!!! But got some nice photos.

We had a little GQ session in the tuk-tuk. So who do you think is the best model?

My friend Haran (from Waterloo) was in the area and so he decided to tag along as well. It was good seeing an old buddy after a while. Anyways he joined us for our island hoping day.

Again, the water is AMAZING.

There is a scene from the movie "The Beach" that was shot here.

I got to go snorkeling with those fish!!! If you ever get the chance to go snorkeling go. It is a truly wonderful and memorable experience.

Ok, so I've got some work to do :P

The funny thing is the above two shots are actually 2 seperate shots, but the exact same pose and pos'n. I really should consider a career change.

That's me snorkeling.

So in short summary Phuket was... AWESOME!!!

Bali

2005-05-23T19:14:00.000-04:00

During the mid-semester break (middle of February basically) I decided to go to Bali with a few friends (Gaya, Meera, Ira, Aruni & Kiran). To be honest though I was a little dissapointed with Bali itself. Don't get me wrong, the trip with the girls was amazing and I had a great time getting to know them more. However, Bali itself dissapointed me. Regardless here is a quick photo entry of the trip (which was about 5 or 6 days).

To get to Bali we went via Jakarta. Man, the domestic airport in Jakarta is sooooo boring (foreshadow for city) and there is nothing to do (or see) except sit. And just our luck our flight to Bali was delayed... by almost 4hrs :S So we really just did the only thing we could do... take photos :D

(Portrait of a Brown Man in Jakarta Airport)

So after much delay we finally got to our Hotel. I have to admit the hotel was pretty slick.

And because 6 of us were staying it was almost dirt cheap. It was like 20SGD a night each.

The next day (our first day in Bali) we woke up and just walked around Kuta Beach. It was ok, but not really what i expected (I think I was spoiled by advertising and Bali's own hype).

(Random flower shot that turned out kinda cool)

(Random puppy shot that turned out kind of cool)

The next couple of days we went to a couple of towns just to do some shopping and see a temple. Nothing terribly amazing. Our driver, Deva, was a really cool guy though.

(These are some of the merchants who actually started getting into our car to try and sell us stuff)

some cool art

I really wish I had bought that hat.

This was a bit of a problem for me :P

The next couple of shots were by a temple that was built on a cliff at the shore. It was actually quite nice.

We happened to see a few of our friends from NUS @ one of the temples we visited.

Bollywood shot

The temple is in the background. My friends are in the foreground. And I am behind the camera:P

To enter one of the other temples that we went to see you had to have your legs covered. Unfort. I didn't realize this and so I went in shorts. No fear, the local merchants were around to save me :P

Now by coincidence it happened to be Gaya's and Aruni's bday around the same time. Well what kind of friends would we be if we didn't celebrate? And celebrate we did... in style ;)

Unfortunately they made me jump out of the cake.... hahaha, jk.

Ok, so now for the best part of the trip: Mt. Batur. It's an active volcano on the island of Bali and well we decided to climb it. It was about a 90min-2hr trek to the top. We started off at about 4 in the morning to catch sunrise. It was soooo worth it though. I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

Now there was a running joke during the trip that I had a bubble butt. What do you guys think?

After Bali we had 1 day in Jakarta. Well let me say that was definately a crappy city. Nothing exciting, nothing interesting. Just no life and no character. And generally we had this uneasy feeling of being unsafe at all times. Traffic was terrible and the people weren't amazingly nice or friendly... at least not compared to some other places we have travelled. We only took a few photos, but basically the theme for the photos was, "Let's look bored and depressed because that's how we feel".

(Most sad portrait of a brown man you will ever see)

But hey, at least i've immortalized by some sort of chocolate candy

A thousand apologies

2005-05-17T21:25:00.000-04:00

Well it's been a month and a half since my last post. I've travelled a few times since then. And even at the last post I wasn't up to date :S So ALOT of catching up to do. For those of you that don't know I am back in Canada. I've been back for almost a week now. For the summer I will be working in Kanata during my 6th and final co-op.

I've uploaded all the photos, but just have to write the stories now. Actually that's the thing that takes the longest time. I'll try to put up 2 or 3 a day, but my internet access at home is somewhat limited for now and i am obviously busy at work during the day. However, I am going back home to Winnipeg this weekend, so I def will have sometime to update then. So I PROMISE that by the end of the long weekend I'll be up to date. Happy reading. Cheers :)

Full Moon party

2005-05-17T19:42:00.000-04:00

Every month on the beach island of Koh Phangan is a full moon rave party. Basically it's an excuse for people to party on the beach all night and they have decided that the event to celebrate is the new full moon. So I decided to head check it out in late March. Of course I didn't go alone.

Julia and Rachel came along...

Sophie came along...

And so did Camilla :)

And what would a blog post be w/out at least one Portrait of a Brown Man shot???

The plan was to fly into Bangkok, go to the central train station (Hualamphong) in Bangkok, catch a train to Surat Thani and then from there catch a ferry to Koh Phangan. In addition two of our friends (Leslie and John) were going to arrive on a later flight so we would just get the train tix for them and wait at the train station. Well we got to Hualamphong and ALL the trains were sold out :S We were then grabbed by a tourist bus operator who offered us a bus to Surat Thani and ferry to Koh Phangan; only catch was the bus was leaving in 5 mins. Well with really no other choice we decided to take it (thus stranding Leslie and John). We txt'd the two others explaining the situation (they understood) and told them to try and get something similar. Unfort. they couldn't but neither had been to Bangkok before!!!

Anyways, so we hoped on the bus.

I basically slept for a few hrs but we stopped at a bout midnight for some food. Needless to say none of us were very happy campers.

After a quick snack we hoped back on the bus. Several hours later we arrived in Surat Thani where we waited for the ferry to arrive.

After a 4hr ferry ride we arrived in Koh Phangan. Unfort. due to some miscommunications with our cab driver he took us to the wrong side of the island. Luckily we did end up at a resort where there was some room available. The choices were either:

Room A

or Room B.

For an extra 100THB (which is just a few CAD) we took Room B.

Well hey, the view was great,

water was clear,

and locals were friendly

So after resting for a few hours it was on to the main show.

The main thing to drink at the rave were these buckets (for 150THB) which was filled with some coke, red bull and Thai Whisky. They weren't bad. Def. made the night fun ;)

So at the rave there was entertainment

dancing

Of course some people couldn't handle all the excitement.

So we partied the night away, and next thing you know it's the wee hours of the morning and the sun is coming up

But some people didn't seem to notice

We did though :P So we went back to the resort, packed up and began the journey back to Singapore (we were on the island for a total of 24hrs).

So between all the partying and travelling some of us were pretty tired

Of course others were ready to party hard.

At the airport we met up with John and Leslie (who were on the same flight back)

During that flight I got some light reading done

Acted like an idiot

Took some cool photos

And caught Camilla stealing all the chocolate.

In other words it was a normal flight :) Oh, well except for the swollen ankle.

(ps - Thanks to Julia for pretty much half the photos)

Technology doing more

2005-03-31T06:50:00.000-05:00

Huzzaa, a new gadget for lazy people. Well, maybe not just yet. But let's hope between now and then it'll help a few ppl.

Off to Phuket

2005-03-31T06:16:00.000-05:00

So tmrw morning (at 7:30 no less) I and several friends are taking off to the beautiful resort/beach island of Phuket. Now some of you may recall that name from the Tsunami of last December. It was an island that got hit really badly by the tsunami and alot of foreigners and locals alike lost their lives. But have no fear my friends and I will be safe, and there is a warning/evacuation system in place now to prevent such a tragedy from occuring again. See you all on Sunday when I get back :)

Funny Conversation

2005-03-31T05:56:00.000-05:00

This "conversation" was just too funny not to post. I'm still laughing about it. Sorry Aasthaa, you know I still love you ;)

Arvind: "So yah, Rohit's nickname is pandit"
Camilla: "Why is that?"
A: "Cuz he's a Sharma, which means he's part of the Brahman class.
And his nickname for me is Old Macdonald."
C: "Why is that?"
A: "Cuz I'm a jat and we are farmers!!!!"

To which Rohit replies

R: ho ho ho! well, at least your nickname beats Aasthaa's.
A: puthar?
R: no yaar, "Wal-Mart"
A: why?
R: she's from the merchant class