WE are like this only a worth while read, on the Deccan Herald 

We are like this only

Monideepa Sahu

We need to complain. And we love that. About the way the country is run. About the corruption and ineptitude of our leaders. We are contemptuous of politics and virulent about politicians. But, who will take the politician’s place? Not us, thank you... Monideepa Sahu takes an unflinching look at our addiction to complaining and our apathy towards politics.

Journey to Malaysia–PART I

 

Yahoo!! I’m of too Malaysia! To study, at the CEDEC based in  Universiti Sains Malaysia. So this is my first in many series to come as to how life is going to turn out for me, an Indian on a mission overseas, So let me tell you my story and also details about procedures and bureaucracy one may encounter on a study trip to Malaysia.

So without much delay let me start of..

The first process like any other, academic institution is to get admission to the university. This is the normal procedure; the university website will provide necessary information regarding this, in my case It took me 2 months to get shortlisted.

The next thing to do, is wait; You will receive an offer letter from the University stating the necessary details of admission. So, I received mine near mid November. Together with the letter you will receive a manual,fee details and an University Brochure- Complete with forms for further applications.

It’s interesting to note that the mail normally takes  9-10 days by ordinary post. The University responds by ordinary post, however me and my pals send the documents from here via Blue Dart / DHL; expensive but fast plus you can track the status of the parcel. The important thing to know is that you must  ensure you send the mail via University Mail, for this you can use your previous institute’s name as the sender, this allows you to avail concession on the postage.

So all that done, you now have to take a medical check-up, a routine one with all normal tests and also the best part you get to know you are fit and healthy. Once this is done you need to now send the acceptance letter, the medical report forms and also copies of your passport to the University. The University will then on your behalf apply for a “Student Pass” over there in Malaysia. This is your visa it normally takes 1 – 2 months to process. So be prepared for the long wait. You can however go to Malaysia on a Tourist Visa, But you cannot register at the university in case you were wondering if you could register/ stay there and then wait for the Student pass to come over there, and thus, then continue on with your studies with the student pass. This is not possible.

The student pass endorsement/visa is given to you only in Malaysia at your University. However once you are cleared for immigration by the Malaysian Immigration Department then you will receive a ‘Immigration Approval Letter’ Using this letter you need to contact the Malaysian Consulate at Chennai ( nearest to you ) and get  your passports endorsed for journey to malaysia – Will post further developments.

Well right now I’m still waiting for my Student Pass to come I expect it to come by the end of this month.

Raid! Central Market, Mangalore– Or Was IT?

 

Well we all know the wonderful central market; only the other day i was there with my mom, it was a nice sunny Sunday morning with all the usual fill of hawkers, and buyers busy bustling about.

The thing about any Indian Market, and especially if it is the main market in the centre of the city you can be sure of one thing  it’s going to be damn well crowded and the streets filled with  hawkers selling their wares and simultaneously encroaching the streets. 

I was just on the main road (not shown here) busy idling away  – As always ! When from the other end a rumour begins to spread down the road  that there was going to be a raid, as a few folks saw a Large empty Truck with constables in it. The weird part, within a matter of minutes, all the hawkers were busy clearing their respective wares and running out from the bottom exit. Of the road, I wish you could have witnessed it!

One of the hawkers who was positioned right before me  was selling home made knives and hacksaws; the minute he realized a raid is going to take place he began to stuff all his wares into an auto rickshaw, and I say it was kind of interesting to witness all sort of blades and pointed knives prodding out of the vehicle.

Well, this was not just the scene, all the hawkers scurrying away with their goods and merchandise and making a run for it at the bottom exit.

The gossip was also interesting; in the shop, in which i was placed the salesgirls came out ( as they had no other work – No customers )  and began to look with excitement at the scurrying hawkers and gossiping- about, whether  the cops are catching anyone, anyone got hit, which department is carrying out the raid and also giggling at the hawkers and people running about. Well the scene of a bustling jam-packed roadway; within minutes was turned into a empty avenue – barring the people of course.

The irony of the raid!- The truck simply turned into a side road midway on the street and disappeared! Words can’t express the reaction on the faces of the many people – Including mine! There was no raid, and as always within 20 min the hawkers were back and it was business as usual!

My inference from all this  -  The bureaucratic system in India is placed such that whenever – if ever! the government begins to carry out some form of operation and the citizens witness it, it is more of a show, a movie in real time action, a feeling of being one with the system suddenly seems to swell up within the people’s ego and they seem to carry out a critical observation of the event and then what follows is their criticism on what happened. But if an official asks them to stand as witness to the event  - Hmmm, no one is going to come forward .

Cheers

Shopping in a Mall on Sunday!!

The Grave of the mannequins:
i was busy looking for a jeans set and guess what I found hidden away at the very back of the Men’s Apparel Section -  A grave of plastic!! A Maniac has been chopping away mannequins, Reminds me of the Midnight Meat Train or more like the “Daylight Plastic Grave” I found this interesting What would you have thought?


Sliced Cucumbers:
Well I've heard of cucumber being sold in malls, But never have I seen a sliced cucumber being sold that too weighed in grams, call me ignorant, but i fail to see the point of having sliced cucumber sold like this- 

You know what I feel, it is just a marketing technique to dispose of externally damaged vegetables. Don’t you just feel that these veggies will get spoilt? and, i say this because it was not in a freezer/chiller unit it was on the racks just like that Just like that .
At least the cucumber got a bar code. And maybe they are vacuum packed.Well that’s my interesting observations or more like uninteresting idleness.

GET this Offer!!
Buy Wheat 5kg’s for Rs.175 and get Rs.11 Cookies free!

What is the point in offering cookies for a Bag of Wheat !! I felt this was really  a weird offer Why! look at it cookies and wheat is like buy 5kg iron ore and get  100g stainless steel free! Wonders as to what retail ideas are put up! The only reason any one would buy this offer is if they really need the Wheat.

You know honestly what i feel they wanted us to carry the Wheat and if it was heavy and we needed a break; we could snack on the cookies.

Store Cleanliness!
Here I got a close look at what it means to be an employee of a corporate retail giant.  I was wonderstruck at the amount of they put in too maintain the store in a top condition, here I managed to get a sneak shot at the employee instructions on store cleanliness!

Forgive me for the Resolution. i had to make sure no one spotted me!

Wikipedia Anniversary Celebrations Mangalore, India

Welcome, all interested, can contact me via the contact page below, we are planning to have a small get together at Tagore Park. Just a meeting – Nothing Hi fi as we would like to honour    free information and knowledge got by Wikipedia to us, the various times we have used it and shared it. Please contact me if your interested by clicking the message / letter button on the taskbar below. Cheers.

The Waiting !!!

 

I’m going to My. Will Update this.

Sorry for the inconvenience.