what to do for lent?

ITS MARDI GRAS!

Ok, I don't live a sinful life at the moment : I don't know if working hard is a sin. Ask me, it should be - but I would probably be fedex-ed back by the university to whatever I gave as my correspondence address if I don't work enough

[compensating for looks, i guess! :-s ]

I don't smoke, smoke other things, drink excessively, I can't give up Cheese - theres only 463 cheeses in france and I am too close to tasting them all. I drink tea and coffee, but if I didn't then the above mentioned might still happen...so let's not even go there! I don't do the chocolate abuse so, what do I give up for lent?

So, I shall send a package full of marzipan to anyone who suggests what I can give up
- unless you have given up marzipan!

hmmm....marzipan!

30 years from now

yeh, somebody has to remind me to do this. if I wasn't rushing around doing tonnes of stuff I would actually be able to write/type down whatever comes to my head...but this one is so good, I have to unleash it on the world. however, not now....

wait after the exams - I shall narrate what I think a typical day in my life would be (as I see it). I would also like to have any volunteers- take 5 mins, think about 30: a whole 3 and 0 years from now: what would you do?

and comment it here....
I shall post mine soon.

By the way, we did have a lecture on this!its called 'futures studies'; I did it in the summer as well, and although we all absolutely loved it, the general feeling was that this is what is invented on lots of lentil smoke out whilst people bask out on the sunny beach for their university classes...!

I personally can't find what wrong with that - somebody enlighten me.

Bee blasts

Had a GA meeting for the team project today - fondly named the GA(y) meeting by some team members. Today.... in Olive's words : "OH MY!"

I almost, almost exploded at one occasion (Sandra - thanks for that hug and Rob/Ron (:-)) - thanks for announcing a break!)

I had a buzz in my head for a while after that 'happening meeting'.

This is going to sound rather geeky, but I am excited about digging up the Moon!
Woohoo!

16 Feb - 21 Feb

Oh, did I mention, I did actually do work whilst away in London!

So, coming back, I have my hospital appointment in the morning with all the canadians and Hhu from China!We are the loudest group and have fun joking about with everyone - the doctors say to me: is everything ok with you? and I nod...basically, that!

In the afternoon, we have the robotics competition: My groups robot won!! yay! so we won some pairs of tickets to go to a wine tasting festival with some 50000 wines (and no, there is no mistake with the zeros, no decimals ...!) and some 250 cognacs/armagnacs! yummmm

Needless to say the enthusiasm is curbed by another assignment and the fact that most people on the team are away! But Shorty arrives on 17th! yay! Its great to see him and receive him at the airport. Half hr into town, I showed him the cathedral and dragged him to a pub! - he liked that sightseeing he said! :-)

On the 18th, we do some sights of town before rushing off to school to work on the assignemnt. Anyhoo we can see town and go shopping in Kehl (Germany) tomorrow (Sunday) - boy, was I wrong! The town was completely shut and we felt obliged to stop at every single bakery on the way which were the only establishments opened! I was finally sick-ish of bretzels and Milchscokolade! However, it was priceless to see how Shorty managed to button his hands together with his coat whilst waiting for the train! It was really nice to spend some time together and do some good catching up. :-))

I finally take the moot court (for Lebanon) and loose it: was extremely pissed off (not at anything, but on myself for this one!) But I met Shorty in Town for our last night in Strasbourg together to do things: We went to the Baekcoffe place again (see link!) :-) had lots of food (!) and wine(!!)... I came home and chopped my hair!

tee hee hee!

Shorty left today - I maybe getting better at 'see you soon' - I shall see him very shorty again. It was awesome to have him around! I was so nice to live with him in the same house again - reminded me of rather fun memories of Minister way house! It was lovely.

:-))))

10th Feb- 15th Feb

Woo hoo, after a demanding assignment finish to selling commercial tv and vsat services to Andean countries, I am thoroughly excited about going to UK! Its kind-of weird, cos its like going home now!

Anyhoo, but there is a lot more waiting in between the plane ride and me! I finish drafting an abstract for the team project for a conference funding I cannot even participate in (!) at 2.00 am. I get a nap, wake up at 4.00 am to pack my bag and almost miss the shuttle to Baden Baden (almost.. inspite of being on time!)

So far so good... I find myself in Stanstead, waiting to get on the coach to london: and really really enjoying listening to other people's conversations. Here, I can generally get the jist of what is being said and can understand questions when someone asks me, etc..but there is a definite guesswork in every social interaction due to the language barrier. At that moment, this barrier had just been lifted!

13 hrs later, I get to Cardiff and Chris and I have a great evening together - He cooked me some really nice thai curry and we got out for a couple of drinks by the bay... so, so good to see him. :-)
Next day, we gear ourselves up to be watching the two rugby matches and get ourselves some places at THE YARD brewary.

I wont moan too much about it here as a lot of people have heard my heart's cry towards some 14yr old welsh thug-in-training running away with my bag (with Chris' new digi camera in it!) I could not believe it to start with. I feel so sorry for saying to Chris : oh, look, its a great day with sunshine, etc - why don't you take your camera with you!? .... oh, I can take a bag, so that you don't have to keep your camera handy!... if I can take words back - I would take these.

so, after police questions, security help, and an english rugby win later, we go back to Chris, get dinner and go to watch the Fallout Trust (good band! good music- we really enjoyed that!)

Next day, We go to Bath and see Mum! and Teju! and Katie!, who was extremely superb to see and came all the way to Bath to meet up! It was loooooovely seeing everyone - great to have good ol' uni chats and share the memories!
(Awesome)

I wish I had some more time to spend with Mum and Teju and also wish I could have met with Phyllis. She is doing rather poorly. I am very concerned - praying for her.

On Monday, I headed out briefly to Uni and saw Ed, Kez, Fran (who was very very kind to give me her french phone to use whilst in Strasbourg) other phD students, Augusta, Anil, Lew, Paul, Andrew Rees and Gary Lock! In the evening, went out to dinner with Mum, Teju and Shorty! yummoooo pizzas - try the divalo at P.Express!

It was good fun - especially meeting all the close friends again.

So, 14th, Mum, Teju and I headed off to London, after repeated nodding off whilst all 3 of us 'tried' to work...we got to see my uncle, aunty and Ayushi! Was really nice - again, quite rushed. Woke up and travelled again at silly hours and felt really ill-ish when I finally got to Strasbourg!

All in all, one bag and some really really important stuff down, It was a trip worthwhile to see people I now feel make me, me.

5th Feb: 9 Feb

It would be too much repition if I called these days 'busy' as well, so I am going to call them 'eventful'

I had the chance to meet someone who remains unnammed here, who is rather famous and quite a pioneer in what he does, however, now looking to make money by (almost) breaking the law (or the ethics that one can say, in my belief, are customs)...

Some argue that if there is a push required to change things in the world: you need someone to first break the law... but I remain unconvinced.

Dad once said to me that "there is nearly not as much of a challenge in making money as there is in making money by completely clean means". Dad was true - the more I find out about business, the more I tend to become sceptical! Before, it used to make me a better engineer, they told me: now, I think it makes me confused.

It seems to manifest itself as a bigger challenge here, when sadly enough, this individual also sits on the board that decides the 'next big thing that would bring about a change so as to make space just as accessible for the developing countries' and awards prizes for it!

Space is a small world.

But, whilst I spent all the rather finite few minutes whilst I try to fall asleep pondering upon our perception of 'right' and 'wrong' for matters that are as distant as selling iron from an asteriod to the world by crashing space ships in desert lands in Africa.... I did get some good news. I have been appointed the Point of Contact for India for the United Nations Space Generation Advisory Council!

:-)

Oh, invited to Vienna for being part of the delegation to UN! Looking forward to that!

wow, its been a long time, since we met you

Met you .. met you ...met you!
(sorry, silly old tune!)

But - true!
Apologies to everyone who checks this blog and is disappointed at the lack of updates
the happenings from the 5th to the 21st are summarized today and posted on the blog...

erm, to make up - heres something good... click on : http://www.lifeisajoke.com/Fun/chick1.gif

read on...

occupé très petit

yeh, guess you can call it a wee bit busy! I have now officially forgotten to eat and sleep during the past week cos of work! I guess I am just trying to come up with excuses for being slack at writing this. But amongst things that kept me busy, there were some very enjoyable.

I went to see anindya - this time around he indeed is in a new building and now that he can speak: we shared some 'sardarji' jokes (sardarji s are sikhs who wear a turban from the north of India and have this notorious image of being stupid - however, I assure you thats not the case, but still - all over India, we would make fun of them in the same way that the English joke about the welsh [and I don't mean the rugby - oops!!! :-) ] and the Dans make fun of the swedes, etc) so, here's one:

Three construction workers - one Italian, one English and one Sardarji are fed up with the same lunch every single day. All swear that if they find the same lunch next day, they shall commit suicide. Unfortunately for them, they find the same lunch and out of frustrations with their wives, jump off the building. A tribunal is held after their death and their wives are summoned after the case and cause of death has been explained. In her defense, the wife of the english man says: My lord, had I known my husband disliked Bacon sanis this much, I would have definitely avoided making them ever! the Italian widow says: My lord, had I known my husband disliked pasta so much - I swear I would have made him pizza that day! and the Sardarji's widow walks up to the jury and says: My lord, I wish I had known that my husband disliked the food that much, I could stopped him cooking it that morning!

:-)

Coming to English-land!

Yay!
finally a visa in my passport with a decent picture! (lol) - this one is just as good as a picture of me can get!

But lets us - Im in Bath from the 12th of Feb to the 14th~ (I fly out at silly hours on the 15th!)

By the way, Strasbourg is extremely frosty today - makes quite a sight! [may post a couple of pictures soon - watch this space!] I walked to the near by shopping for some things today and the scene:

its really foggy, every single leave, blade of grass, twig, etc- you name it is covered in tiny icicles - it all looks silver and you look up at the street light and between you and it float millions of glittery tiny frozen moisture particles - awesome!

if only it wasn't -11 deg C and I could actually get rid of my cold!

ok, need to work on assignment!