One year in Australia

Wow! I’ve completed one year in Australia (Melbourne). I’m looking back the days when I was in Off-shore. Being a highly workaholic person, I was very eager to go for On-site. Yes, it’s my first foreign trip in my life. New place, new people, salary in $ and Kangaroos were various factors boozing my excitement.

I got an excellent exposure while working with business users. Kolkata and Melbourne are the most important places in my life that made lot of changes in my life. I learnt a lot through my experiences in these cities. I suggest everyone to move out of your native place to work especially in bachelor life.

Australia, world’s fifth largest country, is a very beautiful place to live for new visitors. You could find mixed culture environment. Being an Island and a part of Oceania, Australia strictly follows Law and Order and highly secured place. I’ve visited 4 states – Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales (Sydney) and Queensland (Gold Coast).

Since I’m staying at Melbourne, I knew Victoria better than any other states in Australia. Victoria – “the place to be” is very beautiful place, best known for VIC roads. Being a capital of Victoria, Melbourne is also serves as a capital of Australia for Sports and culture. Public transport is one of the merits for Melbourne. It’s connected by Busses, Trams and Trains. Gippsland, Geelong, Great Ocean Road, Ballarat, Mildura are various tourism places in Victoria.

Memorable events in my life are as follows:
a) My first foreign country
b) Salary in $
c) My Nikon P90
d) My First Business Suite
e) Parents were here with me for 3 months
f) Performed music with 3 Australians
g) Parties
h) AFL
i) Australia Open
j) MCG
k) Guitar
l) Hip-Hop

How can I skip “Attacks on Indians”? I never come across this. Moreover, Australians are very kind and friendly in nature. Indians may complain me about my support towards Australians. However, Australians are good. I love their culture, sports, humanity, etc,.

Do visit Australia once in your life time!!!!

Reached Melbourne

Hi guys, I’m back. You may think that am getting off for more than 1 month and then posting a blog with an excuse. Actually, now I’m in Australia. I have been deputed for my project work. Though my supervisors were talking about my travel for more than one month, I got my stamping on 13th August, 2009 only. I invited my parents to Kolkata for the whole week. And till 14th August noon, I didn’t know that I’ve to travel on 15th Night. And then, they said it was possible to travel next day and asked me to start the travel process ASAP. Then, We (I and 2 more project mates) were hurried to get the clearance from all the departments. It was 4:30, when we started processing. Only by 7:00, we got my tickets in hand.

My flight is in Thai Airways from Kolkata to Melbourne via Bangkok around 2 AM that Sunday. It was very hectic till Bangkok. Unclean toilet, very bad hospitality and poor seatings were made unhappy. I can add more on this heap. We changed our flight at Bangkok. Then it was a pleasant experience (but not more than Jet Airways). We saw people from different culture and nationality. I watched only couple of movies and slept for long time. They have provided meals and juices. Being vegetarian, I requested for special Indian veg meal, and they provided the same.

We reached Melbourne on Sunday night around 9.30 PM. Fabulous Melbourne, wonderful buildings, neat roads and cool weather were pleasant to our eyes while travelling in a cab. Indian Taxi driver helped us to find out the apartment (that we booked from Kolkata). Alas! We forgot our dinner. Took Maggie and prepared within 20 Minutes . I should not forget poree (sweet parched rice) made by mom’s hand. This was our dinner.

Look Back May 2009

Hi everyone, every time you are waiting for nearly one month between the posts. Today, 31st March 2009 at 1:43 AM, I’m not getting words to curve it in my log.
My New Home , PG & friends
Now I’ve shifted my lodging from PG to a house in Newtown, where my friends are staying there. It’s a two bedroom flat with kitchen etc. For the last 3-4weeks, my Dosa guy went to his native place for vacation and I felt very bore with that PG but I won’t forget my days over there. We were 5 guys from different parts of India such as Tamil Nadu (I), Jammu & Kashmir (Rahul), Rajasthan (Shanky), Assam ( Anu) and Nepal (Raj). We had a very good time every day. Every night, we went for a long night walk, with kulfi or juice or ice cream in our hand and radio in our mouth, for about 40 minutes to 1 hour. Our non-stop FM radio talks on several topics rather we can say debated on several topics from poverty to politics, from terrorists to technology and every issue in the world. Now, I’m missing those days.

UPA

• Congratulation for the victory in the election
• I hope there will be smooth growth in industries, employment, education, etc.
• Let’s hope for the best

IPL

• 8th seeded Deccan Charges snatched IPL 2 Title
• All the best and hats off to Bangalore Royal Challengers
• Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders should come up in the IPL 3 Table
• Chenni Super Kings should improve their bowling and fielding

I’ve started my CAT preparation. This time, it’s online and hence IMS is providing us e-test series. It’s really hard for me to find time between my MBA preparations, my guitar and work. And today, I’ve started Chords (C & G7).

Ok. Take care. See you in next post

IPL ’09 (Season 2)

I’m back after a month. In this summer, I like to write about one of the hottest topics. IPL strikes in my mind. As you know, this year it’s being held in South Africa. I’m not happy about this since I planned to see at-least a match @ Eden Gardens. Let’s hope next year IPL at India.

I need to highlight some dark areas. First, even in South Africa, elections are going on in parallel with IPL. How? Secondly, last year, Pakistan’s cricket coach, Bob Woolmer, murdered in SA. And we couldn’t find the murderer yet. What ever the reasons are, IPL is missing Indian audience. Anyway, let’s hope best and the world should free from terrorism.

Contradictory from last year, IPL’08 Champion, Rajastan Royals, and runner-up, Chennai Super Kings are in the bottom of the points table and of course, as usual, RC Bangalore and Kolkata KR are sharing among them. But 8th ranked DC Hyderabad is in the top. There are lots of changes in team as well as captaincy. My home team, CSK, and my support team, KKR, won only 1 match till date. Some matches, they are having good batting line up but not in bowling and in other matches, vice versa. Come on Dhoni!!!

I won’t miss Fake IPL Player’s blog. Please visit http://fakeiplplayer.blogspot.com . I read some of his posts and found little interesting but God only knows if he/she caught.

See you in next blog. May be election.

The White Tiger

Everyone knows India as a developing and second highest populated country, an IT hub, a home of intellect people and entrepreneurs. But there is another part rather dark side of India. Poverty, slums, innocent poor, bribing politics, accidents, etc are those. Aravind Adiga, a brilliant writer, highlighted the dark areas of our developing country through Balaram Halwai. He deserved to win Booker’s prize.

In the book’s opening pages, Halwai begins to tell the Chinese Premier the story of his life. We are introduced to the poverty of rural Bihar, and the evil of the feudal landlords. After his father’s death, Balaram, as a typical rural guy, fled to urban for a job. There, he learnt driving with the help of taxi drivers. When luck and a ruthless eye for the main chance land him a driving job in the “Light” of New Delhi with one of the landlords’ families, the moral darkness only increases.
As a driver, the author describes how Indian drivers (few) are watching their boss activities and how they are misusing their owner’s car as a share cab. Yeah, its true actually, here in kolkata, there are shuttle between Sector V and airport, parkcircus and Sector V, Park Circus and Karnamoyee, etc. not only the private cars but also travel agency cars.

One rainy day in Delhi, he crushed the skull of his employer and stole a bag containing a large amount of money, capital that financed his Bangalore taxi business. That business — ferrying technology (call centre) workers to and from their jobs — depends, in turn, on keeping the police happy with the occasional bribe.

As a parable of the developing India, Balaram’s tale shows how a poor becoming an entrepreneur through roguish criminal and also the land of corruption, poverty and inequality. In short, A. A. highlights the dark side of India.

But don’t forget about poor people like Dr. Abdul Kalam. There are more tons of good people in India.