Just a few months back, a friend asked me-"So what was the last new thing you did?". I thought a bit about it, then I thought a bit more, and after an excruciating silence, I came up with-"Oh let me think about it...what was it that you did?" and off we went on a tangential dicussion.
And last week I did finally find a new thing to do:)-Ice Skating! I was in Cincinnati and saw this beautiful skating rink right in the middle of downtown and decided to go for it. It seems parents in US (or atleast Ohio) want their kids to learn skating even before they learn to walk!! There were so many beautiful kids on the rink and I wanted to ask their parents whether they were born with the skating boots on! They were playing run and catch (for the lack of a better word for ஓடி புடிச்சு) while I was trying hard to stand on my two feet (or rather on the two blades under my boots).
After falling some twelve times and scraping most of the ice with bare hands (look at fotos for explanation), I finally got the hang of it...or so I thought until I made the near-fatal mistake of trying it a second time at our own Ohio State University Ice Hockey rink. All was well until the last ten minutes of our time, when instead of falling on my hands and knees as I usually do, I fell on my right leg twisting it out of shape in the process, thankfully no bones were broken in the process and am left with a right foot swollen to the size of a small apple...(some people seem to think it has been that way always-but the pain says a different story).
Ofcourse, just for the record I shall not stop, and am planning to get back on the rink as soon as the foot is ready! Trust me, except for that one last fall, it really WAS a lot of fun.
Pictures are here... http://picasaweb.google.com/toarvind/IceSkating
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sunday, September 9, 2007
New Blog!!!
I have started a new blog to keep track of my MBA adventures:) and here is the link.
http://mirror-lake.spaces.live.com/
Bookmark it, Link to it, Digg it, do whatever you need to do but do visit it every Monday to check for updates (if you subscribe to the RSS feeds then they should sync it automatically-no problems:)).
http://mirror-lake.spaces.live.com/
Bookmark it, Link to it, Digg it, do whatever you need to do but do visit it every Monday to check for updates (if you subscribe to the RSS feeds then they should sync it automatically-no problems:)).
Monday, August 6, 2007
Getting your passport renewed in AP
Hmmm, here goes another one...my passport came out without a surname inspite of me giving all first middle and last names! Turns out that you need to write them out in new lines for them to understand that these names are seperate!
Anyways, if you don't have a surname mentioned, your whole name would be taken as a surname while processing your US visa and your First name will be a nice FNU (sounds pretty cool huh? It actually means First Name Unknown) and you will have problems getting a license or SSN in US-so better fix it before you come here.
Well as you might have guessed, the Indian passport authorities dont make it easy for you to get that done. But if you follow some simple guidelines it is pretty easy to get it, and DON'T RELY ON ANY AGENTS unless you know them personally or through a trusted friend that they indeed are reliable.
1. Get your passport and two of the forms available on http://passport.gov.in/cpv/Forms.htm. You will need Form No. 2 and PP Form. Fill these out completely.
2. Go early in the morning (around 6.30-7am-earlier the better) to the Passport office. The token counter opens at 8am, but the queue begins to form at 5am I think (I haven't figured this out I went on three days-7am, then at 6.30am and finally at 5.45am and the queue was long all three times:(). Also stand in the right queue for Miscellaneous services.
3. At the counter they verify that you filled the forms and look at your passport before giving you a token that has a number and a time mentioned, you can go home now and come back about 15 minutes before the time mentioned.
4. If you are applying for a name change you might need an affidavit from a notary public, there would a bunch of jobless notaries with offices close to the PP office, you can get one from them. I gave my forms to a trusted agent and he got me the notary public signed document stating my name was actually so-and-so and was incorrectly mentioned so-and-so.
5. Also you will need an address proof if you are applying from a different address (my passport was issued in Chennai and I was applying from Hyderabad)-ration card, telephone bill, bank statement from a nationalized bank-any of these would do.
6. Get into the office (finally you have some air-conditioning!!!). Wait for your turn in your line and along the way put all your forms into a folder they give you (they wont accept it unless it is all neatly pinned up into that folder).
7. At last...your turn comes...make sure you explain everything clearly to the person at the counter and get an estimate of when to expect the passport. Mention it here if you want tatkal.
8. Now go and wait in another queue for paying the fee, if you want it back in two days, use Tatkal (I did)-the fee is 2500 for Tatkal. Pay it and get the receipt.
9. Go home sleep well for the next two days and go back to the passport office around 4pm on the second day and wait in another hall where they call out names one by one and hand out the new passport (if this is Tatkal, else it will be couriered to your address in a week or two).
Hope this helps someone out there have a better experience than what I had!
Anyways, if you don't have a surname mentioned, your whole name would be taken as a surname while processing your US visa and your First name will be a nice FNU (sounds pretty cool huh? It actually means First Name Unknown) and you will have problems getting a license or SSN in US-so better fix it before you come here.
Well as you might have guessed, the Indian passport authorities dont make it easy for you to get that done. But if you follow some simple guidelines it is pretty easy to get it, and DON'T RELY ON ANY AGENTS unless you know them personally or through a trusted friend that they indeed are reliable.
1. Get your passport and two of the forms available on http://passport.gov.in/cpv/Forms.htm. You will need Form No. 2 and PP Form. Fill these out completely.
2. Go early in the morning (around 6.30-7am-earlier the better) to the Passport office. The token counter opens at 8am, but the queue begins to form at 5am I think (I haven't figured this out I went on three days-7am, then at 6.30am and finally at 5.45am and the queue was long all three times:(). Also stand in the right queue for Miscellaneous services.
3. At the counter they verify that you filled the forms and look at your passport before giving you a token that has a number and a time mentioned, you can go home now and come back about 15 minutes before the time mentioned.
4. If you are applying for a name change you might need an affidavit from a notary public, there would a bunch of jobless notaries with offices close to the PP office, you can get one from them. I gave my forms to a trusted agent and he got me the notary public signed document stating my name was actually so-and-so and was incorrectly mentioned so-and-so.
5. Also you will need an address proof if you are applying from a different address (my passport was issued in Chennai and I was applying from Hyderabad)-ration card, telephone bill, bank statement from a nationalized bank-any of these would do.
6. Get into the office (finally you have some air-conditioning!!!). Wait for your turn in your line and along the way put all your forms into a folder they give you (they wont accept it unless it is all neatly pinned up into that folder).
7. At last...your turn comes...make sure you explain everything clearly to the person at the counter and get an estimate of when to expect the passport. Mention it here if you want tatkal.
8. Now go and wait in another queue for paying the fee, if you want it back in two days, use Tatkal (I did)-the fee is 2500 for Tatkal. Pay it and get the receipt.
9. Go home sleep well for the next two days and go back to the passport office around 4pm on the second day and wait in another hall where they call out names one by one and hand out the new passport (if this is Tatkal, else it will be couriered to your address in a week or two).
Hope this helps someone out there have a better experience than what I had!
Getting an NOC in AP
Today I had to get an NOC to transfer my bike from AP to Tamilnadu and thought I would put down the process for the benefit of those who might have to do it...
1. Make sure your insurance, RC book, pollution certificate and license are in order.
2. Go to the nearest e-Seva counter and get something called a Police Commissioner form (cost Rs. 10).
3. Fill the form completely and give the number of two of your friends or relatives who can vouch for you (they will call these numbers to verify the details)-make sure those friends know about this and don't end up disowning you when the call comes:). Mention the name of your nearest police station-those guys will be ones to give you clearance.
4. Attach xerox copies of your license and RC book and take it to an e-Seva counter, hand over the form and get a receipt. (Cost: Rs. 200).
5. In two days time, you will get a call from the police station asking you to bring the original RC book and the vehicle. Get these to the police station and they will ask you to fill another form-then give you the clearance (Cost: supposed to be zero, but could be something propotionate to your negotiation skills:)).
6. Finally take this form to the commissioner office (Lakdi ka Pul in Hyderabad) and hand them over (here vehicle is not needed). They will make you wait for ten minutes and finally give you the NOC:) and you drive happily ever after!!
1. Make sure your insurance, RC book, pollution certificate and license are in order.
2. Go to the nearest e-Seva counter and get something called a Police Commissioner form (cost Rs. 10).
3. Fill the form completely and give the number of two of your friends or relatives who can vouch for you (they will call these numbers to verify the details)-make sure those friends know about this and don't end up disowning you when the call comes:). Mention the name of your nearest police station-those guys will be ones to give you clearance.
4. Attach xerox copies of your license and RC book and take it to an e-Seva counter, hand over the form and get a receipt. (Cost: Rs. 200).
5. In two days time, you will get a call from the police station asking you to bring the original RC book and the vehicle. Get these to the police station and they will ask you to fill another form-then give you the clearance (Cost: supposed to be zero, but could be something propotionate to your negotiation skills:)).
6. Finally take this form to the commissioner office (Lakdi ka Pul in Hyderabad) and hand them over (here vehicle is not needed). They will make you wait for ten minutes and finally give you the NOC:) and you drive happily ever after!!
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
A brand new year!
Happy new year to all of you...while everyday could be a new start, a new year does give us the feel of a fresh start doesn't it?:).....just for the record I was sound asleep on the train from Kolkata to Hyderabad as the new year dawned in India. While the journey from Hyd-Kolkata by train is a bit tiring it is worth every bit of it for the awesome views as the train passes through Orissa and West Bengal lush green fields, the amazingly huge (but dry) Mahanadi river, and on the return journey some different views of Orissa, a lake just about a km away from the train extending into the infinite blue sky...reminded me of a song from a Maniratnam movie...great views.
As for other news, just before new year we had to witness the hanging of a dictator. Though the mind tells us that this fellow has committed so many crimes that make us shudder just to think of them...still seeing the frail old man getting the noose around his neck and the look on his face..the shiver on imagining what must be going through the man's mind those very moments, it is indeed difficult to come to terms with one human's right to end the life of another. Still my mother's final statement on the issue settled things right for me-"Vaikunda egadasi annikku thookula pottirukka da...nera sorgathukku thaan poga poraan paru:)." ("He has been hanged on Vaikunda Egadasi-day of opening of heaven's doors in Indian mythology-definitely he is on his way to heaven."
As for other news, just before new year we had to witness the hanging of a dictator. Though the mind tells us that this fellow has committed so many crimes that make us shudder just to think of them...still seeing the frail old man getting the noose around his neck and the look on his face..the shiver on imagining what must be going through the man's mind those very moments, it is indeed difficult to come to terms with one human's right to end the life of another. Still my mother's final statement on the issue settled things right for me-"Vaikunda egadasi annikku thookula pottirukka da...nera sorgathukku thaan poga poraan paru:)." ("He has been hanged on Vaikunda Egadasi-day of opening of heaven's doors in Indian mythology-definitely he is on his way to heaven."
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