2011 memories

By the time a New Year starts, most of us would have built castles in air thinking how to encounter the approaching year. For some of them it goes as scheduled, but for most of us we might have to encounter some unexpected events as we progress. Those events can be memorable or forgettable. But these events give us the needed strength to face the remaining days in a calendar year. I am no exception to the above said words and this blog is full of those events which I came across in the year 2011. Fasten your seat belts pals, this journey is surely a nostalgic one

• The final days of 2010 were challenging indeed as I had to take several decisions with respect to my career. Those days really tested my character and I did cross all the barriers. I was hoping for a better start in 2011 and it dint happen. I had to face a battle with some of my loved ones and emotions were at stake. This was a sequel to the decisions that I made earlier and I sensed that this would happen. I did lose and I paid a severe penalty. I tried my best to hold some of them but they wanted to be set free and it did happen at the end.
• After a dull and a gloomy January, it was the time for a happy February. A small trip with my lovable friends made me enough to smile. The whole trip was one amazing trip and wish I had frozen my clock at that moment. Thanks to Mr Harish Raju (The sponsor of the trip), Anu Balaji for the dance which sprained my arm, Aishu and Gayathri (For the care), Adi,Durai and James(For all the laughing moments you guys gave), Kamal( The All rounder) Shyam,Arun,Vijay and Sharan(For the other happy moments)
• Busy months of March, April and May followed and only one thing was dominating – Education. It was my final year at college and my gang ensured that we make the best out of it. Project classes with Anand Kumar, Boopalan and Dhanraj were always a fun, the so called project reviews, HOD unleashing his “Kolaveri” on the project report and the final demo with a small computer. Preparations for the final exams were in full swing and that was the only time I probably looked serious. Anu balaji with his “Why So Serious” tag line will always add a pinch of humor even at the worst situations. And by May first week, the curtains fell on my college life
• Even during our exam time we managed to sneak out to few places. One such trip which is worth mentioning was the trip to Pulicat lake. After a heavy lunch at Duraivel’s residence, our pit stop was the Pulicat lake, the name which strikes terror among few people. But Duraivel assured that the trip will be a safe yet memorable one. James’s heroics in the boat, a visit to the Savuku Thoppu, a bird’s eye view of Sriharikota and the beautiful sunset were some of the highlighted moments. The departure was so late than expected and my whole family was waiting to give a black and blue beating. Why? Because it was my dad’s birthday and everyone in the family are hanging out without me. I threw in a sudden surprise by buying a cake and made my father to cut it which no one expected. All those anger were converted into praises.
• The remaining weeks of May and June were the months where I had to encounter all the unexpected events. One was the unexpected delay in results which caused an upset to my higher education plan and the second one was the caused by my college which nearly put an end to my dream of pursuing an education in Auckland.  Even when the mark sheets were issued to my college, they dint hand it back to the students and the reason they cited was the lack of staff in my department. I begged, I requested my college officials but everything fell into deaf ears. They are least bothered about a student’s life once he/she steps out of the college. And by the time the college distributed the mark sheets it was too late for me. But still I managed to submit all the necessary documents to my university here in Auckland and was waiting for the full offer. Amidst of all these horror events I managed to enjoy myself in this vacation period. My Birthday treat at McDonalds, Gayathri’s visa approval treat @The French loaf, A lunch with Harish Raju at Ashvita, the joint treat at the Lemon grass, Dinning in Main Land China with Aishu,Harish and Gayathri, A outing to Express Avenue with KK, Dhanraj and Anand Kumar,Arvind's birthday bash with Keerthana, Aishwarya,Danny,Deepak,Dinesh and Narendran, A family trip to Kolkata and a lunch at Kobe with Harish and Gayathri were some of the events that gave me some smile on my face.
• It was time for a serious July. The days which really tested my heart beat. Dreams of abroad life were slowly dissolving in air.1000 + mind voices inside me. Will I be enrolled in Auckland University of Technology? Will I be on time? Or will I be sitting jobless in Chennai. There came a ray of light when I was broken in the dark. I was informed that AUT has given me the full time offer and my visa is now in Delhi for its final approval. I even paid the fees before all this happened. With good news there always comes a bad news. My tryst with Chennai became matter of days and I was asked to take the earliest flight to Auckland after receiving my Visa. To my horror I got my visa on the 15^th of July (I expected it on the 14^th) and my flight was on the same day as well. With no time to breathe or enjoy in Chennai with my family It was the time for Au- Revoir Chennai. In this tension I dint even give a good send off to my best bud Gayathri who flew to America for her Masters on the 13^th of July.
• New life in Auckland from the 18^th of July and life continues here without any major hiccups. First day in Auckland with my uncle and Aunty, first day in Uni, New friends, a trip to Devonport, Winter nights at Auckland, A snowy evening, A trip to Piha with my Uncle and conversations with my Uncle and Aunt are some of the golden moments here

The year of 2011 really tested my nerves and thanks to everyone who were alongside me and helped me to accomplish my dreams. 2011 is coming to a close now and it’s the dawn of a new year. New year, New Dreams and new To Do tasks, the destination is within reach but the journey is far and challenging. Let me see how I face everything. Until the next one

Cheers,

Gautham                    

The Kiwi Tales

"Kia Ora"!!! Quite a long time since i wrote a blog. But now here I am to blog about my "kiwi" experiences. Warning : Lot of patience is required :P


My emotions were at stake as i crossed from the northern to the southern hemisphere. My lachrymal glands reached its peak during this journey and i couldn't control it. Leaving the city which i knew for 21 years, leaving my ever loving family and buddies, Yes it was a bitter pill to swallow at the Chennai International Airport. The Cathay pacific flight touched down Auckland on 17th July 2011 at 6.30 AM and what did the first thing i saw at the Auckland airport? Sniffer Dogs. Those dogs were part of the baggage checking process and i have to admit this,The dogs were so cute :) The baggage checking and X- Ray scanning process followed after that.


Tear soaked eyes and a somber face soon turned bubbly the moment i saw my uncle and Aunt. Few words about my Uncle, My inspiration, the one who taught me everything( right from how to operate a computer to how to play table tennis) I missed him dearly and now its time for the reunion after a year and half. Kissed by the icy breeze outside I said to myself " The Game starts". 


After a 30 mins drive from the airport I reached my uncle's place. Dosa's were on the menu for my breakfast. After finishing the b'fast me and my aunt went to the nearby mall. Nah not for shopping , but to open up a bank account.Yeah you got it right folks a mall here will definitely have a bank apart from the usual stores( Supermarket, food court etc). A sleepy afternoon passed by and in the evening my uncle took me out for a ride in his car. A drive on the Harbor bridge was enough to make my jaw drop in excitement. One can get the best view of Auckland from that bridge. Dominoes pizza and pastas dominated my dinner menu and just when everything seem alright Chennai memories haunted me. I dint change the time in my watch and this was enough to start the crying process . My uncle's attempt to comfort me went in vain and finally he decided that my mom should take up this matter. After a 30 mins heart to heart conversation via Skype, I was convinced. But still it was HELL. The pain you undergo when you see your loved one through a computer screen and assuming that they are still besides you is just horrible


Dawn of a new day and its the first day of my Uni. Uncle and Aunt accompanied me to the bus stop and helped me to board the bus (No conductor and No foot boards in these buses :P) I dint knew where my university is but i just boarded the bus which will take me to the city. Got down, interacted with few, asked them about the whereabouts of my uni and none knew it. But a girl was so kind enough to help me and she even offered to take me to the Uni. My college was just a foot away from where i was standing but still i couldn't recognize it. Why? because a big gate and a gigantic name board was missing. In Chennai, all colleges will have a big gate and on the top of it a big name board saying XYZ college. so it is easy to identify the main entrance. But its not the case here. By this time I learnt the first chapter in abroad living according to my uncle, which reads "NO SPOON FEEDING".(My uncle said " Board the bus, go the city, interact with people, finish your work and take the return bus. I don't care how long you take to reach home but i will never come and pick u up)


After finishing the admission related works at the International students office, I was asked to enroll in the subjects( because of the delay in admission process. I assume most of you know how i struggled for getting an admission :P) They gave me a campus map and pointing a location in the map they said " This is your department, navigate yourself and enroll the subjects soon) After navigating through the confused streets of Auckland I did finally enroll. Finishing everything I walked back halfway to the bus stop and then realized that my file is missing. My file contained everything- Right from my passport to my academic transcripts. Now my heart skipped a beat and it activated the panic mode. D-E-A-D, Game over were the words echoing in my brain and I made a swift walk back to department. To my surprise the file was there in the same place at the same position how i left. Gasping for air i murmured the words "Thank You Auckland". Felt like i had a rebirth and this file fiasco made me to learn the second chapter in Int'l living according to my uncle " KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING"


Uni life, new style of education and new friends contribute to a new era in my life which is still going on. Happy with the things Auckland has taught me with respect to life. But life in abroad is never easy folks. And why did i stress so much only on the first two days?? Just a real time example of how pressure can creep into your mind and make things miserable.And remember guys "Spoon feeding"never works.Come of our comfort zone as quick as u can.


Bottom line: Life in abroad is not as easy as what people think. You need to overcome a lot of factors and one of which is emotions.Its so easy to comment and to question. Life in abroad doesn't mean that one is rich and one is settled. So stop commenting on us folks. The next thing is for God sake Stop commenting on me on the Auckland vs Chennai saga. When i say " I love Auckland" it doesn't mean that i don't love Chennai anymore. Chennai is  my first home and no matter what I always love Chennai. Auckland is my second home and i show equal love on this. There were some people recently who irritated me on this topic and even asked me to stay here. Thanks for your suggestions. I know what to do and where to stay plus you guys aren't sponsoring me either. I assume that you guys are not the owners of Chennai city. So do not put your nose in my matters.And yeah there is always a line between sports and patriotism. 


Ending this blog with some of the unique things i come across at Auckland ( I don't know about the other countries). Cya in the next one :) and thanks buddies for the support u give me in whatever i do. Love ya all Cheers!!! 


As i say always with reference to my kiwi life  "This is just the beginning, lots to come"


* Kiwis are known for their discipline, hospitality and they keep up their promises. Once they commit a task they never roll back and they expect the same from us


* Pedestrians are given the first preference on road, followed by the cyclists. Kiwis follow a disciplined driving. If you curve patterns with your bike or car in the road or disobey the rules or distract a pedestrian or a cyclist then you are doomed. Speed limits are strictly followed. 


* In case of an accident, or an event there will be prior notifications through electronic displays so that you can plan accordingly.


* People always form queues to buy anything( Be it inside a mall or boarding a bus or inside a bank) and the best thing is there are no boards to say "Form a queue". It just comes on their own interest


*Everyone deserves equal treatment no matter from which background you come from. even if the prime minister breaks a traffic rule he will also be penalized. 


*Peaceful and the best place to live. NZ prime minister John key will walk down the street, buy a news paper from the shop nearby and goes back to his residence. No bodyguards, no sirens and no traffic blocking


*Elections will be held peacefully here. Voting and result will be on the same day and the new govt should form within a day or two. No loud speaker campaigns, no posters and no bribe to the voters. Online voting, pre casting of votes are also there.


* Equal rights for the people. i.e A case can be filed on anyone if they commit a mistake. A cop here was using his mobile while driving and a pedestrian captured this in his mobile and sent to the higher officials. The cop was asked for an explanation and he was later suspended. If you rash drive, or drink and drive or park in a no parking area your fellow commuters/ travelers can lodge a case on you and severe penalty should be paid


*Auckland cops car have a special system and software which gives the entire criminal history of a person. they can enter the car plate number of any car passing by and the system gives a full detail about its owner. Convicted cases also include


* Last. If you are an international student/person then the doctor consulting fees is 150$ whereas the medicines cost just 10$. When u buy the medicines, the shop keeper will definitely ask for the prescription and he will keep it with himself after delivering the medicines. If u need to buy it again then first consult the doctor :P

Tour De Tirupati

I kept on thinking how to kill time and finally got a way to do it. Lemme blog how i enjoyed with my best buddies in a short trip to tirupati


It was my friend's cousin marriage in Tirupati and he invited some of his close friends to. As usual i was the last one to make into his list(I always do things only in the last minute) and we were all set to leave to tirupati by train.Mr Harish Raju(The sponsor and the guide of this tour) booked tickets in the unreserved category and this is the  first time in my life traveling in an unreserved compartment.Harish then introduced his school friends to us and then we came to know that "Anu Kapoor" and "Mr Wolf Knight" will not be accompanying us."Anu Kapoor" was busy in finding a way to enter into the cine field and "Wolf" was taking care of his mom.But both of them assured that they will be coming to Tirupati somehow.Train started and we were playing UNO cards inspite of disturbances by beggar.But one beggar was lucky enough to get Lays chips from my friend(Shal not be named :P)"The Tom and Jerry pair" Mr Durai and Mr Captain were bashing and dashing each other and after the disturbances of beggar this time it was the trans genders.The same friend who gifted lays chips was on the receiving end again as he got loads of praises from a trans gender for gifting a "two rupee"(This happened in Renigunda and till Tirupati we couldn't stop laughing)


The boys after  landing in Tirupati immediately set to their favorite place and were busy in shopping.Then we went to the lodge where Harish had booked us AC Rooms and the party started from the moment we entered the room(Cranberry's,Oranges and White kept the boys occupied) and Kamal Khanna and his friend were gentle enough to buy us Chicken 65 and Gobi 65 which were in typical andhra style. That left us searching for water bottles.When they were no bottles left,Gayatri gave her mint spray to reduce the chilly content in our mouth.Just when boredom was starting to creep in then came the "Ladies Man "-->The Wolf Knight -Shyam and everyone were happy on his arrival.We just got the news that "Anu Kapoor" was on his way and we all got ready for the party @ Hotel Bliss


Kamal ji (the dance master)and Capi James were rocking on the dance floor and Harish joined them frequently.Adi and Sharan dragged me into the arena to(I know dancing is my nightmare)but still those guys din leave me. Gayatri and Aishu were busy on one side and Duraivel absconded intially but later he joined into the party.Sharan and Adi were in the hyper state when folk songs were played and James was the silent killer.For some the "Oranges and Cranberries" started showing the effect and time on the other hand was moving so fast.Some events made Mr Harish Raju to be absent for the rest of the party and it was dinner time.The Mutton soup and Nattukozhi chicken gravey were the pick of items and Gayatri was busy in searching for veggie items.Just as we were relaxing "Anu Kapoor" suddenly burst out into the room.He jumped on and he was too heavy for this "weak body".So my elbow was sent crashing to the floor and that was the end of my day. On seeing the welcome given by me, Aishu and Gayatri, Anu started showing his dancing skills for the "Nakka Mukka" song..I think Mr Anu Kapoor misread the words in my Tshirt which said "Jus Beat it".We returned to the room and my elbow made me to land straight into the bed thus missing the fun for the rest of the day.BTW the change of water had an effect of Aish's voice and Anu,Adi and Shyam were teasing her in "Pudupettai style"


Day 2


Horrible day for me as my pain din decrease and i din know what to do.Then entered the savior Harish Raju who immediately called his cousin who was a doctor and he prescribed me some tablets. Shyam bought me the tablets and in the mean time Aishu was busy in having "Strepsils".Some new nicknames were even kept for Aishu.(Angry :P :P)Gayatri was kind enough to give her dupetta and she tied my hand..We had our breakfast around 11.30 am and it was just a DOSA lol. Kamal and his friends were busy planning for the afternoon and later it was decided that we all were scheduled to go for a Telgu film. Only 3 out of 13 members know telugu and for the rest it was a like a cartoon film. For the first time i slept in the theater, tho i did understand some parts of the film.I felt it as a MOKKA film but the film had crossed 50 days inTirupati. By the evening my hand was feeling OK (Thanx to the Volini spray,the tablets and the affection from my buddies) and as the night fell we went to the marriage of Harish's cousin


Anu was busy dancing again and Gayatri and Aishu were pucca traditional :) We spent the rest of the time by chatting and taking snaps in the camera.We had our dinner and left the premises by 11.30 pm.Sadly "Wolf Knight" had to leave on that day.Then came the fun and excitement.Sharan called us to play UNO cards and every one agreed(including Captain James)Earlier in the day James was tricked in the BLUFF game as Shyam fooled him by looking at his cards in the mirror and yelling it loud. Poor Capi was unaware of that.And in the UNO game to Captain was the scape goat as Sharan with the help of Anu and others made Capi look miserable.Duraivel's teasing laughs too ignited Capi and at one point lost his temper and sadly UNO game had to be called of.


Adi and Durai went to sleep as they were scheduled to go to Tirumala the next day.Just when the others were getting ready to sleep to Mr Kamal came out with the "Truth or Dare "game which made everyone look helpless to the questions and dare shooted out by others.Videos were taken to and one question really made one guy sleepless(I wont name).Finally we slept around 4am


Day 3


Plans of catching the train at 10 am din work out as everyone woke up only at 9.am. So we decided to take the bus and after eating our breakfast we went to the bus station and took an Andhra bus to Chennai.Sadly we got the last seat and had a horrible time sitting in the back.The roads full of bumpers and speed breakers made us to look as if we are going on a roller coaster.Finally the time had come for everyone to get down at their places.With handshakes and hugs i got down at my place. I never wanted this moment to come as i enjoyed the 3 days like hell with my best buddies.Wish time had frozen in Tirupati.


Thanx Harish for the invite and Sponsor.Nice meeting Kamal,Arun and Sharan. Thanx Kamal for the "game" and the planning.Arun and Sharan it was a pleasure hanging out with u guys.Special thanx to Sharan for giving his iphone whenever i asked for playing the "Angry Birds"game.Wolf Knight Shyam u are already a known face to me and sorry if i had teased u too much.As usual no words to describe about Durai, Adi, Anu,Gayu and Aish. U are always Famazing. Looking forward for some other trip with the same gang. Love u guys :) U all were just rocking :)


Meet u all in another blog.Cheerz :)