I have come to realize something... I may have chosen the wrong profession. Rather than 'Civil Engineer', I should have gone for 'Event Planner'.
Over the past few months, I have been working with the Graduate Student Society (GSS) at UBC as their 'Orientation Coordinator'. The work was part time, entailing a few hours a week. Basically I was responsible for helping to plan, arrange, and coordinate the Orientation Events which occur during the first week of September for new Graduate Students who arrive at UBC for their studies, along with the other GSS execs. It kind of took me back to my days on the UTSAV-ISA exec, only that we were dealing with a higher volume of students.
Orientation week was last week, and over the course of the week, I became a Tour Guide/Laborer/Manager/Waiter/Secretary all in the name of Event Management. All in all, everything went off with almost no problems. I sometime think this might be something I am naturally good at! Now just to find a 'Shruti Kakkar' for a partner... hmmm... ;)
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Friday, September 9, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
How adult are our parents?
Was watching the movie 'Delhi Belly' last weekend. For those of you who have not seen it, Delhi Belly is Bollywood Comedy, but what makes it unique is that it is one of the first mainstream Bollywood Movies which has humor which is truly 'Adult'. The characters speak in profanity laden sentences, and the humor is generally crude, dirty, and often related to sex. This is unlike 99% of Bollywood Movies which are generally family friendly entertainers. The movie is definitely pathbreaking, but won't be getting laughs from everyone.
Having been previously warned about the content matter, I decided to watch this movie a bit later at night, after my parents had gone to sleep. Unfortunately, the movie had me in stitches, and I was laughing quite loudly. My mom woke up, and walked into the living room only to be greeted by a scene where one of the main characters was engaged in an act which left him in an 'interesting' position, to say the least.
Mom was a bit shocked, and asked me what the heck I was watching... I sheepishly told her that this was an 'Adult' movie and that she probably wouldn't enjoy it... she gave me a bemused look, and I kind of realised that she technically IS an adult, just somewhere along the line, I seem to have forgotten that!
Sometimes we forget, our parents are 'Adults' too! They are much more mature, understanding, and generally better able to compromise than us, but sometimes we forget this. I am still not going to be comfortable watching 'Delhi Belly' with my parents, but its not because they are not 'Adult' enough, just that there is a generation gap, and my sense of humor is actually probably not as 'Adult' as theirs...
Having been previously warned about the content matter, I decided to watch this movie a bit later at night, after my parents had gone to sleep. Unfortunately, the movie had me in stitches, and I was laughing quite loudly. My mom woke up, and walked into the living room only to be greeted by a scene where one of the main characters was engaged in an act which left him in an 'interesting' position, to say the least.
Mom was a bit shocked, and asked me what the heck I was watching... I sheepishly told her that this was an 'Adult' movie and that she probably wouldn't enjoy it... she gave me a bemused look, and I kind of realised that she technically IS an adult, just somewhere along the line, I seem to have forgotten that!
Sometimes we forget, our parents are 'Adults' too! They are much more mature, understanding, and generally better able to compromise than us, but sometimes we forget this. I am still not going to be comfortable watching 'Delhi Belly' with my parents, but its not because they are not 'Adult' enough, just that there is a generation gap, and my sense of humor is actually probably not as 'Adult' as theirs...
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Dancing!
Okay, blogging after a looooooooong time. Why you may ask? Well, believe it or not, Mr. 2-Left-Feet actually got on stage last weekend, and grooved to a Bollywood Beat:
Not too bad if I do say so myself...
Anyway, I must admit, that when I first was asked to do this, Ihad a very good laugh. I am infamous amongst my group of friends for being a notoriously shy and incompetent dancer. However, ultimately, I decided that since I have never done anything like this before, and probably never will again, it would be a good experience. And what do you know, I actually enjoyed myself! Despite the sore legs, and losing 5lbs over 2.5 weeks of practise, but its nice to make new friends, and more importantly, its good to push yourself out of your comfort zone once in a while. You never know what you are capable of, and as long as you are not doing something dangerous, stupid, or immoral, there is no harm in trying out something new every once in a while.
It was a wonderful night, something I will always remember! Thanks to the gang for 'discovering' me and having a blast!
Not too bad if I do say so myself...
Anyway, I must admit, that when I first was asked to do this, Ihad a very good laugh. I am infamous amongst my group of friends for being a notoriously shy and incompetent dancer. However, ultimately, I decided that since I have never done anything like this before, and probably never will again, it would be a good experience. And what do you know, I actually enjoyed myself! Despite the sore legs, and losing 5lbs over 2.5 weeks of practise, but its nice to make new friends, and more importantly, its good to push yourself out of your comfort zone once in a while. You never know what you are capable of, and as long as you are not doing something dangerous, stupid, or immoral, there is no harm in trying out something new every once in a while.
It was a wonderful night, something I will always remember! Thanks to the gang for 'discovering' me and having a blast!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Online Reunion
I published a blog in 2010 about the drawbacks of online social networking. Over the holidays though, I had a very nice experience of the positive aspects.
When I used to go to India for prolonged periods as a child, I had made a friend who was basically a young university student who lived in my cousins apartment complex. I was about 7-8 years old at the time, and while it may seem weird to people here, it wasn't that uncommon for boys/girls to befriend someone who is elder to them there as an adopted 'big brother/sister'.
After my return, we kept in touch via letters, and he sort of became my pen pal. However, as with most things, over 20 years, we slowly lost touch. I had heard that he got married and had moved to the US. I remember him occasionally, as I used to have alot of fun going to his place and irritating him especially over game after game of Carrom Board (strangely, he never complained though).
Last week, out of the blue, I got a Facebook Invitation from him. I was totally shocked and pleasantly surprised that he had managed to track me down. He is now well settled in the US, and ironically now has 2 kids, who are close to the same age I was when I used to visit him as a kid. It was really a joy to get back in touch with him, and see how his life and family had progressed. I would love to meet up with him in the future, now that we are back in touch. It was indeed a very nice online reunion. :-)
When I used to go to India for prolonged periods as a child, I had made a friend who was basically a young university student who lived in my cousins apartment complex. I was about 7-8 years old at the time, and while it may seem weird to people here, it wasn't that uncommon for boys/girls to befriend someone who is elder to them there as an adopted 'big brother/sister'.
After my return, we kept in touch via letters, and he sort of became my pen pal. However, as with most things, over 20 years, we slowly lost touch. I had heard that he got married and had moved to the US. I remember him occasionally, as I used to have alot of fun going to his place and irritating him especially over game after game of Carrom Board (strangely, he never complained though).
Last week, out of the blue, I got a Facebook Invitation from him. I was totally shocked and pleasantly surprised that he had managed to track me down. He is now well settled in the US, and ironically now has 2 kids, who are close to the same age I was when I used to visit him as a kid. It was really a joy to get back in touch with him, and see how his life and family had progressed. I would love to meet up with him in the future, now that we are back in touch. It was indeed a very nice online reunion. :-)
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Bald Eagle
I decided to shave my head today... no particular reason, it is something I have done a few times before, and I feel that the hair which re-emerges is healthier and (hopefully) a bit thicker. Over the past 5 years or so my hair has been thinning a tad (which ironically is the time I came back to Grad School), and in the past year, I think it has started to get a bit noticeable to those who look closely. Since it looks like I am headed down that route anyway, I decided to have a bit of fun and see what it would be like to be bald...
Unfortunately, I picked a bad time of year to do it though, as it is becoming quite apparent just how much warmth hair provides to your head. I feel like wearing a cap all the time as my head is so cool! Overall though, its not so bad... I have started thinking about the advantages of being bald... saving so much money on haircuts... so much money on shampoo... the nice massage you get in the shower when the water falls directly onto your scalp... no more worrying about how to style your hair in the morning... and of course there is that 'badass' look you kind of get by being man enough to shave your head...
Maybe being a bald eagle isn't so bad after all... ;)
Unfortunately, I picked a bad time of year to do it though, as it is becoming quite apparent just how much warmth hair provides to your head. I feel like wearing a cap all the time as my head is so cool! Overall though, its not so bad... I have started thinking about the advantages of being bald... saving so much money on haircuts... so much money on shampoo... the nice massage you get in the shower when the water falls directly onto your scalp... no more worrying about how to style your hair in the morning... and of course there is that 'badass' look you kind of get by being man enough to shave your head...
Maybe being a bald eagle isn't so bad after all... ;)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
One Year
I was just looking through some of my old blogs today. And I came to realise that it has been exactly one year since I started this blog! My first original post to this blog was on August 17, 2009. I have several postings before this as well, but those were just old notes that I had imported from Facebook.
Why did I start this blog? Well, I don't really know. I had come back from Europe about this time last year, and felt as if I had alot of things to say. I think people were getting irritated with my many Facebook notes, and I decided this would be an interesting thing to start up. I enjoy writing, as I feel it lets me vent off some steam once in a while, and I think I communicate better through written words than spoken sentences. Of course I realise alot of the stuff I write would be quite boring, but I hope that occasionally, I come up with something which holds the readers interest.
To those of you who read my my blog on a semi regular basis, both to those whom I know, and to those who follow anonymously, thank you and I hope you enjoy reading about my thoughts, experiences, and mindless drivel. I shall try to keep doing this for as long as I have interest and the time. Cheers to you, and cheers to the year ahead!
Why did I start this blog? Well, I don't really know. I had come back from Europe about this time last year, and felt as if I had alot of things to say. I think people were getting irritated with my many Facebook notes, and I decided this would be an interesting thing to start up. I enjoy writing, as I feel it lets me vent off some steam once in a while, and I think I communicate better through written words than spoken sentences. Of course I realise alot of the stuff I write would be quite boring, but I hope that occasionally, I come up with something which holds the readers interest.
To those of you who read my my blog on a semi regular basis, both to those whom I know, and to those who follow anonymously, thank you and I hope you enjoy reading about my thoughts, experiences, and mindless drivel. I shall try to keep doing this for as long as I have interest and the time. Cheers to you, and cheers to the year ahead!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Ramakrishna Mission
Swami Vivekananda travelled to North America in 1893 to represent India and Hinduism and spread the word of Vedanta to the west. He gained tremendous respect all over the world through his lectures, and helped restore a sense of pride amongst Hindus by teaching the purest, unadulterated form of the religion, and dispelling the myth that Hinduism is an idoltarous, mysoganistic, caste-ridden system. The mission he founded in 1896 has chapters throughout the world, and is dedicated to improving health care and education, promoting spiritual and cultural uplift, rural welfare, and youth development. The mission has stayed free of controversy by disengaging itself from politics and remaining secular.
What very few people know is that Swami Vivekanandas port of entry into North America was actually at Vancouver. He stayed here for a very short time before departing for Chicago, and not much is known about his activities here. However, we are blessed that his point of entry was at our lovely city, and every year, the local chapter of the Mission celebrates his arrival with a small function at a community hall. This year, about 100 people attended the celebration with talks by eminent religious leaders, a North Indian classical music concert, and a delicious vegetarian dinner. I enjoyed the concert very much, and the food was scrumpcious.
I encourage you all to visit the Ramkrishna Mission in Kolkata, India. The Mission is located at Belur Math in Howrah, and is truly a bastion of serenity in an otherwise chaotic, orderless city. Listening to the evening Aarti truly lifts the mind to a different level. The link is given below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Ovw6sG3sE
What very few people know is that Swami Vivekanandas port of entry into North America was actually at Vancouver. He stayed here for a very short time before departing for Chicago, and not much is known about his activities here. However, we are blessed that his point of entry was at our lovely city, and every year, the local chapter of the Mission celebrates his arrival with a small function at a community hall. This year, about 100 people attended the celebration with talks by eminent religious leaders, a North Indian classical music concert, and a delicious vegetarian dinner. I enjoyed the concert very much, and the food was scrumpcious.
I encourage you all to visit the Ramkrishna Mission in Kolkata, India. The Mission is located at Belur Math in Howrah, and is truly a bastion of serenity in an otherwise chaotic, orderless city. Listening to the evening Aarti truly lifts the mind to a different level. The link is given below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Ovw6sG3sE
Thursday, April 8, 2010
A year in the life of an Exec...
My term as Vice President of Utsav: The Indian Students Association at UBC came to an end a few weeks ago. It is quite ironic that I feel a bit nostalgic about it being over considering just how hesitant I was to become an executive this year in the first place. I almost had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the position!
By no means were we the perfect exec, but I do think that we did manage to set a new standard in terms of professionalism, organization and execution for the club. Not all of our events were a success, but the ones that were, will certainly be remembered for years to come. Of course, it helped that we were able to piggyback off of some of the good ideas of previous execs, but in general, we were quite satisfied with out performance. It is actually a good life lesson as you learn alot about team work and time management when you are put in such positions, and guess what, we even managed to have a bit of fun as well! :)
To the next team, I wish you the best of luck, and hope you are even more successful than we were. To our team, I won't name everyone individually, but it was truly an honor and a joy to work with you all, and I am happy that I was able to make 8 great new friends this year! Cheers!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Olympics
The Winter Olympics just ended 2 days ago in Vancouver. I wasn't totally sure what to expect, but have to say that the city did an amazing job, and I say to any person around the world, that the Olympics spirit is truly something that everyone should experience. The idea of the Olympics was to promote peace and unity through sport. Now I won't say that watching the athletes has inspired me to try and unify the world (in fact, I think I became highly biased towards a particular country when watching a sport), it was wonderful to see people of different colors, races, genders and cultures come together in one city, for no other reason than simply to get together and celebrate. In that respect, the Olympic ideal was very much successful in Vancouver, 2010. Each person who was here will have their own 'moments to remember'... here, in no particular order, are mine:
1) Watching 'Sid-the-kid':
Lets face it... it didn't matter how many medals Canada won, the one that really mattered was in Mens Hockey... GOLD. After 60 heartstopping minutes, the game was forced into sudden death overtime... everyone in the country was on the edge of their seats... the stage was set, the circumstances couldn't have been more perfect, as Sidney Crosby rose to the occasion and became a Canadian legend for the ages by beating Ryan Miller shortside to send the country into a state of pandemonium. You couldn't have scripted a better ending to the Olympics.
2) Livecity Yaletown
Sadly, due to laziness and lack of money, I didn't actually get to attend any of the sporting events in person. No matter, as there was plenty of other free events going on throughout the city. The Olympic Cauldron, Robson Square, Street Parties on Granville Street, The Art Gallery, Livecities Downtown, Richmond and Surrey. Of all of them, my favorite was the site at Livecity Yaletown. The Coca-cola pavillion and the Panasonic pavillions were here, along with a huge stage, and live music. at 10:30PM every night, there was an amazing highlights show, with fireworks, which was shown on two humongous screens and projected onto a fountain of water streaming out of False Creek. You had to see it to really appreciate it. Two big thumbs up to the organizers at this site.
3) Steamworks Brewery
For some reason, every night we went out we seemed to end up here at the mouth of Gastown for a drink (or two). It is ridiculously expensive, but was still loads of fun getting together with different groups of friends and then heading home ridiculously late at night. Avoid the prawn tempura though... ;)
4) Canadian Nationalism
I read an interesting article describing that Canada woke up on Monday morning with a 'sense of ease' about itself. I think that was a very good way to describe it. To some extent we definately have a complex about our neighbors to the south. Consiquently, we tend to get swept up into their identity and forget about our own. It was wonderful to see so many Maple Leafs flying everywhere, all the smiling faces, people randomly breaking into the national anthem, high fiving and hugging for no reason. Canada was patriotic, without being crass. It is at ease with itself knowing that it has the capacity to compete and succeed with the rest of the world without having to dominate the rest of the world. Best of all, Vancouver proved that it is truly multicultural... I saw people from every community, Persian, Indian, Chinese, Caucasian, African, Latin, etc, all celebrating being Canadian proudly.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Deepmala 2009
After days of hectic preparation, we finally put together Deepmala 2009 last Saturday...
Speaking for myself, although most of the day I was totally stressed out, until around 9PM when the food service was over and we realised just what we had accomplished, I finally was able to let loose and enjoy myself... dancing like an absolute maniac until I literally couldn't walk anymore, it was really the most fun I have had in a really long time. We stayed up all night, and I finally got to bed the next day at 2 in the afternoon...
And of course, I had my own seranade... ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwi5za6VlrA
Speaking for myself, although most of the day I was totally stressed out, until around 9PM when the food service was over and we realised just what we had accomplished, I finally was able to let loose and enjoy myself... dancing like an absolute maniac until I literally couldn't walk anymore, it was really the most fun I have had in a really long time. We stayed up all night, and I finally got to bed the next day at 2 in the afternoon...
And of course, I had my own seranade... ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o0DxQQ0fHY
What a night!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Lecturing, and Murphys Law...
Murphys Law: "Whatever CAN go wrong, WILL go wrong..."
At the start of the semester, I was assigned a marking TA for the 3rd year Construction Materials course in the departement. While typically, a marker would only be responsible for marking assignments and recording marks, the prof informed me that he would be away for a week during the semester, and inquired as to whether I could take 1-2 of his lectures that week. I thought it would be a good experience, so I said yes.
I was originally scheduled to give my lecture on 'Concrete Durability' on Wednesday, Oct 7, while a Guest Lecturer from the industry was scheduled to come in on Friday Oct 9. On the night of the 6th, it suddenly hit me that I had never actually lectured to such a large audience before (class size was 150, and I had never done anything larger than a Lab Tutorial of not more than 30 students), and that I should probably get a bit of practise on my slides. So I stayed up until 2AM that night, giving mock presentations to my audience of Soda Cans in my lab. The lovely thing about Soda cans is that they always pay attention, and never ask any questions.
Anyway, I promptly arrived at 7:45AM the next morning ready to dazzle the audience with my knowledge of concrete cracks. Standing outside the lecture hall however was an elderly gentleman who clearly wasn't a student. He informed me that he was the guest lecturer, and showed me an Email sent to him by my prof. Apparently, my prof informed him that HE would be lecturing on the 7th, while I was to lecture on the 9th... wonderful. I bored my Soda Cans for no reason. Obviously, since he had taken the day off, and would not be able to come on the 9th, we decided that he should lecture, and I would postpone till Friday.
Fastforward to Friday morning. After another late nite lecturing to my Soda Cans, I arrive at 7:45 again... I decide I would try and be the 'cool lecturer' and would start off with some jokes. When I get to the lectern, something curious popped up on the screen... 'The system has been disabled'. Interesting... I couldn't load up the computer or the projector to actually show the slides I was going to present in class. Well, no worries, I would just go upto the main office and get someone to come down and help me. Of course the office didn't open till 8:30 AM, which wouldn't really be of much help. I came back down, and it was 8AM... damn... no time for my jokes. What to do now? I walk out into the hall, and find the janitor. He offered to come down and take a look, but after noticing his blank look, I realise he would be better at cleaning the console than actually getting it working.
8:10 AM... now I am getting worried... the students are starting to give me dirty looks for getting them to show up to an 8AM lecture... again, I go out into the hall... I walked into the classroom across the hall, and to my delight, it was totally empty! I can shift my class there! Eureka!
I go back into the original lecture theater, apologize, and tell everyone they have to shift to the room across the hall... despite the dirty looks, I am happy, as I will at least get to lecture. Interestingly, my class was for 150 students... and the entire class managed to fit into a lecture hall for 94 students. Point to note... not more than 1/2 of a 3rd Civil Engineering class has the dedication to wake up for an 8AM lecture on concrete.
I boot up the computer in the new lecture hall, and thankfully, everything works fine... until I slip in the USB with my lecture on it. 'Device not readable'. D**N it!!! At this point I am ready to throw a hunk of concrete through the lectern. What to do, what to do?! I decide to give it one last shot... when all else fails, restart the computer... 2 min later, I am back at the main screen... I slip in my USB, and thankfully, for the first time in 3 days, SOMETHING goes right!!! The slides loaded up, and I was ready to go. Only 2 days and 20 min late I suppose!
Turns out I am an okay lecturer... I only put 2 people to sleep during my talk (one of whom I had to wake up after the class ended), and people actually asked a few educated questions. I managed to speed through the slides and finish everything on time, and thankfully, nothing else went wrong. However, I am seriously going to think twice the next time my prof asks me... 'So what are you doing at 8AM next Wednesday?"!!!
At the start of the semester, I was assigned a marking TA for the 3rd year Construction Materials course in the departement. While typically, a marker would only be responsible for marking assignments and recording marks, the prof informed me that he would be away for a week during the semester, and inquired as to whether I could take 1-2 of his lectures that week. I thought it would be a good experience, so I said yes.
I was originally scheduled to give my lecture on 'Concrete Durability' on Wednesday, Oct 7, while a Guest Lecturer from the industry was scheduled to come in on Friday Oct 9. On the night of the 6th, it suddenly hit me that I had never actually lectured to such a large audience before (class size was 150, and I had never done anything larger than a Lab Tutorial of not more than 30 students), and that I should probably get a bit of practise on my slides. So I stayed up until 2AM that night, giving mock presentations to my audience of Soda Cans in my lab. The lovely thing about Soda cans is that they always pay attention, and never ask any questions.
Anyway, I promptly arrived at 7:45AM the next morning ready to dazzle the audience with my knowledge of concrete cracks. Standing outside the lecture hall however was an elderly gentleman who clearly wasn't a student. He informed me that he was the guest lecturer, and showed me an Email sent to him by my prof. Apparently, my prof informed him that HE would be lecturing on the 7th, while I was to lecture on the 9th... wonderful. I bored my Soda Cans for no reason. Obviously, since he had taken the day off, and would not be able to come on the 9th, we decided that he should lecture, and I would postpone till Friday.
Fastforward to Friday morning. After another late nite lecturing to my Soda Cans, I arrive at 7:45 again... I decide I would try and be the 'cool lecturer' and would start off with some jokes. When I get to the lectern, something curious popped up on the screen... 'The system has been disabled'. Interesting... I couldn't load up the computer or the projector to actually show the slides I was going to present in class. Well, no worries, I would just go upto the main office and get someone to come down and help me. Of course the office didn't open till 8:30 AM, which wouldn't really be of much help. I came back down, and it was 8AM... damn... no time for my jokes. What to do now? I walk out into the hall, and find the janitor. He offered to come down and take a look, but after noticing his blank look, I realise he would be better at cleaning the console than actually getting it working.
8:10 AM... now I am getting worried... the students are starting to give me dirty looks for getting them to show up to an 8AM lecture... again, I go out into the hall... I walked into the classroom across the hall, and to my delight, it was totally empty! I can shift my class there! Eureka!
I go back into the original lecture theater, apologize, and tell everyone they have to shift to the room across the hall... despite the dirty looks, I am happy, as I will at least get to lecture. Interestingly, my class was for 150 students... and the entire class managed to fit into a lecture hall for 94 students. Point to note... not more than 1/2 of a 3rd Civil Engineering class has the dedication to wake up for an 8AM lecture on concrete.
I boot up the computer in the new lecture hall, and thankfully, everything works fine... until I slip in the USB with my lecture on it. 'Device not readable'. D**N it!!! At this point I am ready to throw a hunk of concrete through the lectern. What to do, what to do?! I decide to give it one last shot... when all else fails, restart the computer... 2 min later, I am back at the main screen... I slip in my USB, and thankfully, for the first time in 3 days, SOMETHING goes right!!! The slides loaded up, and I was ready to go. Only 2 days and 20 min late I suppose!
Turns out I am an okay lecturer... I only put 2 people to sleep during my talk (one of whom I had to wake up after the class ended), and people actually asked a few educated questions. I managed to speed through the slides and finish everything on time, and thankfully, nothing else went wrong. However, I am seriously going to think twice the next time my prof asks me... 'So what are you doing at 8AM next Wednesday?"!!!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Should my mouth be this bloody?
Just a short unplanned rant... I went to the dentist yesterday... I generally have good oral hygene, and haven't had a cavity in years. However, yesterday, I met the dental assistant from hell...I think she was a new trainee, and she decided she wanted to experiment on my gums. 2 quick questions...?
1) Why do dentists/dental assistants insist on talking to you when they have instruments shoved in your mouth so you can't have a conversation with them anyway???
2) Why do they ask you if they should stop when you yelp in pain when they are just going to continue on with whatever they were doing to make you yelp in the first place???
Anyway, to make a long story short, this was the first time when I got out of a dentist chair for a routine cleaning and was actually spitting out blood... and was STILL spitting out blood this morning. Apparently she wanted to make sure that there was absolutely no tartar/crud on my gumline and she did a VERY good job of it.
What a lovely profession... you get to torture your client for 45 min, and then collect 45 dollars from them at the end of it... MAN I picked the wrong line of work... :S
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Desi Titanic...
One of the gripes I have always had as an UTSAV member is that we always seem to do the same thing every year... very little innovation, because in general people are too lazy to try new things. But seriously, how much Antakshari can you play? Secondly, I have always felt that the general membership should play an active role in organizing and suggesting events... not just the executive. After all, we are there to execute, but the membership is really what matters.
This year, I was approached by a member about putting together a team for the annual Longboat race. Almost every other club on campus takes an active role in UBC-REC events such as Longboat, whereas UTSAV has always lagged... maybe due to changing club demographics, this trend is changing, but whatever the case, I was pleasantly surprised and happy to try and oblige.
I was even more pleasantly surprised when it turned out that membership was actually more enthusiastic then expected. We had originally planned to subsidize only one team, however, we had enough participants to put together two teams, one mens team, and one coed team. Another UTSAV first! One minor issue for me though... although in general, I like anything sporting... there is one major exception. I really don't like swimming!
I took a few lessons as a kid... my parents insisted on it, as they said I would make use of it later on in my life. Consequently, I did actually learn the basics... how to float, doggy paddle, backstroke, and swim a few lengths of the pool at least. Not an expert, but enough to not drown I guess... However, over time, for some reason, I developed an adversion to water... I once actually almost drowned when I went fishing at a lake (long story, maybe for another blog entry), and had to be pulled out by an uncle... secondly, I was a bit fussy about swimming in public pools with people releasing god knows what kind of fluids into the water. Finally, and most importantly, I just didn't find it to be much fun. So whenever my friends were enthusiastically diving into the water for a swim, I preferred to remain poolside or laze on the beach.
Now, Longboat (unfortunately for me) is a water-based race where 10 team members enthusiastically paddle around a race course in English Bay, and ends off with the boat landing on the beach, and one of the team members running upto the finish line and banging a gong. While I was cool with the gong part, not so much with the boat part... what if we fell in? Well, I decided that I would be a hypocrite to encourage others to try new things, and then chicken out myself... besides, what were chances of us ACTUALLY flipping the boat?
Well, we had a pre-race clinic one week before the race so that everyone would know the rules and get accustomed to rowing the boat. Was pretty simple... I was selected to be the 'driver' who steered the boat, while everyone else was responsible for providing the propulsion to motor along on the water... while initially we had trouble paddling in sync, before we knew it, we were paddling around right in the middle of English Bay... we developed an 'interesting' 'R'-rated chant to keep us paddling in rythm (which I shall not mention as this is a family blog), and after a while, we got the hang of turning the boat left and right... despite the waves, we did quite decently! Satisfied, we decided to head back to shore, and THAT is where things took an interesting turn... literally!
About 100 m from the beach, one (unnamed) teammate decided to enthusiastically turn around and yell at another one of our teammates seated in the middle of the boat... unfortunately in his enthusiasm, he gave the boat a sudden shake which tipped it one way... and without warning, my worst fears came true and the Pacific Ocean which had until then managed to stay OUTSIDE of the boat, now started to pour INTO the boat! Within a split second, the boat was almost completely submerged, and flipped right over, and before I knew it, I was floating in the middle of English Bay!
In the ensuing panic, it was like a desi version of the 'Titanic'... bodys in the water, everyone screaming and shouting at each other! Thank god for our life jackets which kept everyone afloat! Not to mention, the waters of the Pacific Ocean are much colder then I ever imagined, and I was afraid that if I wasn't pulled out in minutes, some of my body parts would freeze and start falling off... However, despite my water phobia, I actually managed to stay relatively calm, and shouted at everyone to try and relax... one of my teammates sprawled himself on top of the overturned boat, while the others clung onto each other and the sides of the boat for dear life... I was genuinely worried for one or two of them who were shivering scared... I was barely staying afloat myself... what would we do if one of them went under? Well, thankfully, I didn't have to find out, as after what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality not more than 2 min, the rescue boats arrived to pull us out... one of the rescue members chuckled at us and told us we were the first boat of the day to flip... I chuckled back, and cursed at him in my head as I swam over, away from the flipped boat and into the rescue raft. One by one, we all climbed on to the rescue boats, and headed back to the beach... when we got back on dry land the spectators on shore gave us an enthusiastic ovation... not know what to do, I bowed back!
At the time, when the boat was submerged, the whole incident did not seem funny at all... but in retrospect, I think for some of us, the unexpected swim in the Pacific was maybe the funnest part of the entire event! Morals of the story, boys and girls?
1. Your biggest fears are often not as bad as they seem...
2. When in a boat, always wear your lifejacket...
3. Mom and Dad have an uncanny way of always being right!
(PS, We DID compete in the actual race today, successfully finished, and most importantly, this time we did NOT flip the boat... )
This year, I was approached by a member about putting together a team for the annual Longboat race. Almost every other club on campus takes an active role in UBC-REC events such as Longboat, whereas UTSAV has always lagged... maybe due to changing club demographics, this trend is changing, but whatever the case, I was pleasantly surprised and happy to try and oblige.
I was even more pleasantly surprised when it turned out that membership was actually more enthusiastic then expected. We had originally planned to subsidize only one team, however, we had enough participants to put together two teams, one mens team, and one coed team. Another UTSAV first! One minor issue for me though... although in general, I like anything sporting... there is one major exception. I really don't like swimming!
I took a few lessons as a kid... my parents insisted on it, as they said I would make use of it later on in my life. Consequently, I did actually learn the basics... how to float, doggy paddle, backstroke, and swim a few lengths of the pool at least. Not an expert, but enough to not drown I guess... However, over time, for some reason, I developed an adversion to water... I once actually almost drowned when I went fishing at a lake (long story, maybe for another blog entry), and had to be pulled out by an uncle... secondly, I was a bit fussy about swimming in public pools with people releasing god knows what kind of fluids into the water. Finally, and most importantly, I just didn't find it to be much fun. So whenever my friends were enthusiastically diving into the water for a swim, I preferred to remain poolside or laze on the beach.
Now, Longboat (unfortunately for me) is a water-based race where 10 team members enthusiastically paddle around a race course in English Bay, and ends off with the boat landing on the beach, and one of the team members running upto the finish line and banging a gong. While I was cool with the gong part, not so much with the boat part... what if we fell in? Well, I decided that I would be a hypocrite to encourage others to try new things, and then chicken out myself... besides, what were chances of us ACTUALLY flipping the boat?
Well, we had a pre-race clinic one week before the race so that everyone would know the rules and get accustomed to rowing the boat. Was pretty simple... I was selected to be the 'driver' who steered the boat, while everyone else was responsible for providing the propulsion to motor along on the water... while initially we had trouble paddling in sync, before we knew it, we were paddling around right in the middle of English Bay... we developed an 'interesting' 'R'-rated chant to keep us paddling in rythm (which I shall not mention as this is a family blog), and after a while, we got the hang of turning the boat left and right... despite the waves, we did quite decently! Satisfied, we decided to head back to shore, and THAT is where things took an interesting turn... literally!
About 100 m from the beach, one (unnamed) teammate decided to enthusiastically turn around and yell at another one of our teammates seated in the middle of the boat... unfortunately in his enthusiasm, he gave the boat a sudden shake which tipped it one way... and without warning, my worst fears came true and the Pacific Ocean which had until then managed to stay OUTSIDE of the boat, now started to pour INTO the boat! Within a split second, the boat was almost completely submerged, and flipped right over, and before I knew it, I was floating in the middle of English Bay!
In the ensuing panic, it was like a desi version of the 'Titanic'... bodys in the water, everyone screaming and shouting at each other! Thank god for our life jackets which kept everyone afloat! Not to mention, the waters of the Pacific Ocean are much colder then I ever imagined, and I was afraid that if I wasn't pulled out in minutes, some of my body parts would freeze and start falling off... However, despite my water phobia, I actually managed to stay relatively calm, and shouted at everyone to try and relax... one of my teammates sprawled himself on top of the overturned boat, while the others clung onto each other and the sides of the boat for dear life... I was genuinely worried for one or two of them who were shivering scared... I was barely staying afloat myself... what would we do if one of them went under? Well, thankfully, I didn't have to find out, as after what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality not more than 2 min, the rescue boats arrived to pull us out... one of the rescue members chuckled at us and told us we were the first boat of the day to flip... I chuckled back, and cursed at him in my head as I swam over, away from the flipped boat and into the rescue raft. One by one, we all climbed on to the rescue boats, and headed back to the beach... when we got back on dry land the spectators on shore gave us an enthusiastic ovation... not know what to do, I bowed back!
At the time, when the boat was submerged, the whole incident did not seem funny at all... but in retrospect, I think for some of us, the unexpected swim in the Pacific was maybe the funnest part of the entire event! Morals of the story, boys and girls?
1. Your biggest fears are often not as bad as they seem...
2. When in a boat, always wear your lifejacket...
3. Mom and Dad have an uncanny way of always being right!
(PS, We DID compete in the actual race today, successfully finished, and most importantly, this time we did NOT flip the boat... )
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Free Food!
The new term started up on Tuesday... which means that the campus is now flooded with Undergrads... Graduate students have this arrogance about them... we go out of our ways to mock and ridicule these lowly minions... probably just to blow off some steam after our professors mock and ridicule us. :P
As wonderful as it is to hear drunk Undergrads screaming like banshees until 3AM on every street on campus, and as fun as it is to be pestered with questions about Undergrad courses that we actually don't have the answers to, and as great as it is to no longer be able to get a seat on any bus because they are all filled with our young friends, there is actually genuinely one great thing about the term starting... the FREE FOOD!!!
Cooking is the bane of every student who lives on campus. However, come every September, we gain a 6th sense, the sense which allows us to detect all the free pizza partys, bbqs, orientation coffee, cookies, donuts and all the other free giveaways that come part and parcel with the start of the new academic year. As a student, we consider it our god given right to abuse the system, and go back for seconds, thirds, or even fourths until our tummys are filled... (or maybe thats just me).
Of course I am a special case... I have been doing this for years... my friend and I discovered this free food phenominon waaaay back in first year Undergrad when on the way to the arcade, we stumbled across the weekly Biological Gradute Students Society party which provided ample pizza and beer to all those who attended. Henceforth, we made it our business to pretend like we understood the discussions, and knew everyone who was there, all in the name of a few slices of Freshslice pizza every week. The days have gone where I acted like a Grad Student to get free pizza, and now the roles have reversed... yesterday I happily acted like an Undergrad so that I could score some free Dominos on Main Mall during Imagine Day celebrations... old habits die hard I guess!
So Undergrads, bring me your noise... bring me your questions... but above all, and never forget this... bring me your free food!!! :P
As wonderful as it is to hear drunk Undergrads screaming like banshees until 3AM on every street on campus, and as fun as it is to be pestered with questions about Undergrad courses that we actually don't have the answers to, and as great as it is to no longer be able to get a seat on any bus because they are all filled with our young friends, there is actually genuinely one great thing about the term starting... the FREE FOOD!!!
Cooking is the bane of every student who lives on campus. However, come every September, we gain a 6th sense, the sense which allows us to detect all the free pizza partys, bbqs, orientation coffee, cookies, donuts and all the other free giveaways that come part and parcel with the start of the new academic year. As a student, we consider it our god given right to abuse the system, and go back for seconds, thirds, or even fourths until our tummys are filled... (or maybe thats just me).
Of course I am a special case... I have been doing this for years... my friend and I discovered this free food phenominon waaaay back in first year Undergrad when on the way to the arcade, we stumbled across the weekly Biological Gradute Students Society party which provided ample pizza and beer to all those who attended. Henceforth, we made it our business to pretend like we understood the discussions, and knew everyone who was there, all in the name of a few slices of Freshslice pizza every week. The days have gone where I acted like a Grad Student to get free pizza, and now the roles have reversed... yesterday I happily acted like an Undergrad so that I could score some free Dominos on Main Mall during Imagine Day celebrations... old habits die hard I guess!
So Undergrads, bring me your noise... bring me your questions... but above all, and never forget this... bring me your free food!!! :P
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Biker Boy
I bought a new bicycle a few months ago. Was inspired after I finally went and biked the Lions Gate Bridge/Seawall back in the spring (yes, I have lived in Vancouver my entire life, and didn't bike the Seawall till now...) Besides, it seems to be the IN thing to do these days, and I got a really good deal. It was a second hand bike, bought from a Chinese guy who I think was dealing in stolen bikes, but hey, a deal is a deal right? Only $30, plus a new helmet, lock and waterbottle holder, ended up costing me $60 in total.
Bike riding in North America is definitely not as popular as most other places in the world. I have seen pictures of streets filled with bikes in China, and one thing that really impressed me about Europe is how people prefer to get out of their cars, and take their bicycles, or public transit. It is definately a nice convinience, and lets you go a bit further/faster than if you were just travelling around on foot.
Its nice to be able to zip around campus on my bike, but I can't help but be reminded about how much fun it was to ride bikes when I was younger. Back then gaming consoles were too expensive, so we actually used to go outdoors and stay active in the summers. Games like 'Cops and Robbers', or 'Hide and Seek' in the forest behind our house were quite standard, and then there was the manditory daily road hockey game between the kids from one end of the street, against the kids from the other end of the street, which only ended when it got too dark, or somebody got hit in the head with the ball and started crying.
And of course, we all had our own bikes... ah... our bikes. Although I doubt any of us ever went faster than 10 km/hr, to us, we felt like speed demons, going not less than 120 clicks. My first bike was actually a bit bigger than I was. I was 5 years old, and my parents bought me a second hand yellow Schwinn, with the old style foot brakes. For the first few months, I pedelled around with training wheels until one day when dad decided that enough was enough, and he took them off, took me to the field at the back of our house, so that even if I fell off, at least it would be on grass, and told me to start pedelling. Thankfully, all went well, and I didn't fall, although convincing me to stop was a bit of a challenge, since I was petrified that if I stopped moving I would take a tumble.
Of course we all took our share of spills... I think all of our mothers had purchased the mandatory Dettol bottles to clean off all the cuts and scratches we sustained, and of course had those perfectly shaped bandages which covered up the skinned and scrapped knees, and road burnt elbows which were pretty much a weekly occurance. My most spectacular crash happened to be when I managed to run head on into a parked car and ended up sprawled over the front windshield. Not exactly my finest moment...
What did we do on our bikes? Well, of course, there were the street races... at first from one end of the street to the other. Then, when we were a bit older, around the block. And then, finally, when we gained enough stamina, the races became all the way around the neighborhood. One of our biggest accomplishments was the construction of a ramp we used to go airborne on our bikes and pretend like we were Tony Hawk, when in reality, I doubt we got more than 2 ft off the ground. When we finally started getting a bit of pocket money from our parents, we would sneak off on our bikes and spend $0.50 on an Ice Cream from McDonalds, or a Slurpee from 7-11. We felt like kings.
Well, Ice Creams/Slurpees cost more than $0.50 now... our old biker gang has disbanded, and since I can drive, when I am home, I kind of prefer that means conveyance these days. These days, its just me, alone on my bike using it to go around campus, usually to the office, or SRC. Once in a while, I will take it a bit further, maybe to Broadway to have dinner, or down to the beach to watch the sunset. I may have grown up (well, physically at least), but every so often, its nice to be able to ride my bike, and pretend like I am 5 years old all over again...
Bike riding in North America is definitely not as popular as most other places in the world. I have seen pictures of streets filled with bikes in China, and one thing that really impressed me about Europe is how people prefer to get out of their cars, and take their bicycles, or public transit. It is definately a nice convinience, and lets you go a bit further/faster than if you were just travelling around on foot.
Its nice to be able to zip around campus on my bike, but I can't help but be reminded about how much fun it was to ride bikes when I was younger. Back then gaming consoles were too expensive, so we actually used to go outdoors and stay active in the summers. Games like 'Cops and Robbers', or 'Hide and Seek' in the forest behind our house were quite standard, and then there was the manditory daily road hockey game between the kids from one end of the street, against the kids from the other end of the street, which only ended when it got too dark, or somebody got hit in the head with the ball and started crying.
And of course, we all had our own bikes... ah... our bikes. Although I doubt any of us ever went faster than 10 km/hr, to us, we felt like speed demons, going not less than 120 clicks. My first bike was actually a bit bigger than I was. I was 5 years old, and my parents bought me a second hand yellow Schwinn, with the old style foot brakes. For the first few months, I pedelled around with training wheels until one day when dad decided that enough was enough, and he took them off, took me to the field at the back of our house, so that even if I fell off, at least it would be on grass, and told me to start pedelling. Thankfully, all went well, and I didn't fall, although convincing me to stop was a bit of a challenge, since I was petrified that if I stopped moving I would take a tumble.
Of course we all took our share of spills... I think all of our mothers had purchased the mandatory Dettol bottles to clean off all the cuts and scratches we sustained, and of course had those perfectly shaped bandages which covered up the skinned and scrapped knees, and road burnt elbows which were pretty much a weekly occurance. My most spectacular crash happened to be when I managed to run head on into a parked car and ended up sprawled over the front windshield. Not exactly my finest moment...
What did we do on our bikes? Well, of course, there were the street races... at first from one end of the street to the other. Then, when we were a bit older, around the block. And then, finally, when we gained enough stamina, the races became all the way around the neighborhood. One of our biggest accomplishments was the construction of a ramp we used to go airborne on our bikes and pretend like we were Tony Hawk, when in reality, I doubt we got more than 2 ft off the ground. When we finally started getting a bit of pocket money from our parents, we would sneak off on our bikes and spend $0.50 on an Ice Cream from McDonalds, or a Slurpee from 7-11. We felt like kings.
Well, Ice Creams/Slurpees cost more than $0.50 now... our old biker gang has disbanded, and since I can drive, when I am home, I kind of prefer that means conveyance these days. These days, its just me, alone on my bike using it to go around campus, usually to the office, or SRC. Once in a while, I will take it a bit further, maybe to Broadway to have dinner, or down to the beach to watch the sunset. I may have grown up (well, physically at least), but every so often, its nice to be able to ride my bike, and pretend like I am 5 years old all over again...
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The Circle of Life
My Dad went in for a surgery last week. He had been having difficulty breathing through his nose, and essentially, the procedure was to clean out/remove some sort of blockage. I talked with some friends ahead of time, and was reassured that the procedure was fairly minor, and in fact, I wasn't too worried, as it was a day surgery, and he would be out by the evening.
Thankfully, everything went well... however, when I went in to see him in the afternoon, I was a bit taken aback by what I saw. He was totally sedated, hooked up to a IV, and face was heavily bandaged. It was alot more than what I was expecting. I am very lucky to say that I haven't had to spend much time in the hospital myself, as my friends and family have for the most part always been healthy, and maybe thats why I was a bit taken aback.
We took him home, but for the next 12 hours or so, he was totally disoriented and groggy... his nose was bleeding quite profusely, as we had to change his bandage every hour or so. Basically, he was in an infant state, and was unable to do anything on his own. Of course Mom and I were there to look after him, but it felt a bit weird...
I have always been closer to my Mom in the family... she is kind of the strong silent type, and has really always been the leader... we just let Dad think he is though... ;) But still, it kind of hurt me to realise that my Dad has aged and become somewhat feeble. It isn't the first time that he has come back from the hospital, but it seemed as if this surgery really took alot out of him.
A few weeks ago, I was travelling through Europe... I spent alot of money, and vacation time on myself, exploring... I am wondering if those resources could have been better used elsewhere now... at some point kids reach the age when they begin to take on the responsibilities of their parents... the 'Circle of Life' I suppose... I guess, I didn't even realise it, but maybe my time to start walking on the circle has come as well...
Thankfully, everything went well... however, when I went in to see him in the afternoon, I was a bit taken aback by what I saw. He was totally sedated, hooked up to a IV, and face was heavily bandaged. It was alot more than what I was expecting. I am very lucky to say that I haven't had to spend much time in the hospital myself, as my friends and family have for the most part always been healthy, and maybe thats why I was a bit taken aback.
We took him home, but for the next 12 hours or so, he was totally disoriented and groggy... his nose was bleeding quite profusely, as we had to change his bandage every hour or so. Basically, he was in an infant state, and was unable to do anything on his own. Of course Mom and I were there to look after him, but it felt a bit weird...
I have always been closer to my Mom in the family... she is kind of the strong silent type, and has really always been the leader... we just let Dad think he is though... ;) But still, it kind of hurt me to realise that my Dad has aged and become somewhat feeble. It isn't the first time that he has come back from the hospital, but it seemed as if this surgery really took alot out of him.
A few weeks ago, I was travelling through Europe... I spent alot of money, and vacation time on myself, exploring... I am wondering if those resources could have been better used elsewhere now... at some point kids reach the age when they begin to take on the responsibilities of their parents... the 'Circle of Life' I suppose... I guess, I didn't even realise it, but maybe my time to start walking on the circle has come as well...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Dog Parathas...
Photo courtesy of: MarriedtoaDesi.comMy mother spent 6 years growing up in Chennai... she says it was the happiest time of her life, and has always had a soft spot for Tamils. Although she never managed to pick up the language, she retained her love of the food, and so even when I was growing up, she would every so often experiment in the kitchen with Dosas, Uttapam, Tamarind Rice or Upma.
Coming to campus, I became good friends with many Southies, and picked up a few more pointers on the quirks and quarks of South Indian cuisine. I was introduced to a new dish many months ago called Kothu Parotta. I wish more people knew about this dish because it has become an absolute favorite. Those of you who have tried the Malaysian dish Roti Canai would be familiar. The Parotta itself is a bit thicker, butterier and flakier than a regular Paratha, but the genius of it is that it is served chopped up into small pieces, mixed with Chole and other selected vegetables like Onions and Tomatos, garnished with Cilantro, and then served with Raita. The word 'Kothu' itself apparently means 'minced' in Tamil, and was the source of a good laugh a few months back...
I had gone with a new group of friends, only one of whom was actually South Indian to the local Sarwana Bhavan. While I ordered a Paneer Dosa, one of my friends decided to order 'Chopped Paratha with Mixed Vegetables', not knowing the surprise she was about to recieve. Just before her plate arrived, she got up to go to the washroom, and when she got back, her plate was at the table...
My Friend
Everyone else: Yours.
My Friend: But I ordered paratha?
Me: That is Tamil style paratha.
My Friend: But where is the paratha?
Me
My Friend: Is it UNDER all this? {Starts poking around in the dish}
Me
My Friend {Eyes wide, with a confused look on her face}
Me {Starting to snicker}
{Rest of the table quietly murmurs}: They made this out of chopped dog?
South Indian Friend: {Giving everyone else at the table dirty looks}...
Me: {Ready to fall out of my seat laughing}
I can vouch for it to be an absolutely scrumpcious dish... but perhaps, my South Indian friends, for the sake of better promotion, you would consider remarketing it for the rest of the us with a slightly different name? ;)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Dosas in a Snowstorm...
Original Publish Date: December 22, 2008
So some friends and I made a plan to go out for Dosas at Mayuri a few days ago. Of course, at the time, no one realised that Vancouver would decide to do its impression of Calgary. Going against common sense and better judgment, the Surrey boys decided to show their Surrey nature by risking their lives, and going out for dinner. 5 us of went, and we had the option of picking from 4 different cars to take.
We learnt a very important lesson last night. If you are going for dosas in a snow storm, never pick a 15 year old Toyota Corolla with bald summer tires on...
A 20 min drive suddenly turned into a 40 minute crawl, but after a wrong right turn, and several exchanges of profanity, we ultimately reached our destination...
What a precise parking job!
After thoroughly enjoying our meal, stomachs full, we happily walked back out into the parking lot, only to realise that getting out might be a BIT of a challenge. But of course, we had total faith in our driver...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8I0oe9F5_s
Despite the fact that it took us 15 min to move the car 15 m, at the insistence of one particular Surreyite... :), it was decided that we shall continue the evening by going for bowling at Excalibur Lanes. Of course where we were coming from required navigation down a mildly steep hill to the bowling alley. But then, when the hill is covered in ice, and visibility is poor, the hill all of a sudden seems much steeper...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJFZBqQmHr8
TOTALLY worth it though... I bowled my best game ever!
Final Balance Sheet:
Dosa, Coffee and Mithai at Mayuri: $18.00
Bowling at Excalibur: $8.00
Throwing common sense out the window for a night, and having fun with the boys: PRICELESS
PS. If you are easily offended by profanity in the videos... too bad. It's 5 brown guys from Surrey. What do you expect? ;)
So some friends and I made a plan to go out for Dosas at Mayuri a few days ago. Of course, at the time, no one realised that Vancouver would decide to do its impression of Calgary. Going against common sense and better judgment, the Surrey boys decided to show their Surrey nature by risking their lives, and going out for dinner. 5 us of went, and we had the option of picking from 4 different cars to take.
We learnt a very important lesson last night. If you are going for dosas in a snow storm, never pick a 15 year old Toyota Corolla with bald summer tires on...
A 20 min drive suddenly turned into a 40 minute crawl, but after a wrong right turn, and several exchanges of profanity, we ultimately reached our destination...
What a precise parking job!
After thoroughly enjoying our meal, stomachs full, we happily walked back out into the parking lot, only to realise that getting out might be a BIT of a challenge. But of course, we had total faith in our driver...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8I0oe9F5_s
Despite the fact that it took us 15 min to move the car 15 m, at the insistence of one particular Surreyite... :), it was decided that we shall continue the evening by going for bowling at Excalibur Lanes. Of course where we were coming from required navigation down a mildly steep hill to the bowling alley. But then, when the hill is covered in ice, and visibility is poor, the hill all of a sudden seems much steeper...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJFZBqQmHr8
TOTALLY worth it though... I bowled my best game ever!
Final Balance Sheet:
Dosa, Coffee and Mithai at Mayuri: $18.00
Bowling at Excalibur: $8.00
Throwing common sense out the window for a night, and having fun with the boys: PRICELESS
PS. If you are easily offended by profanity in the videos... too bad. It's 5 brown guys from Surrey. What do you expect? ;)
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