[This is a genuine movie link]
The movie can be watched by clicking the link below:-
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Of morality and resignations!
After the "IPL betting" news broke everyone is on their toes talking about players/politicians/actors morality. Even the most corrupt main stream media is demanding resignations on basis of morality. Even the keyboard warriors (the software engineers like me, lol) are active on twitter/facebook/blogs talking about morality and that he/she should resign from their post/designation.
This is all bull shoot.
1) For a fact, I have never come across a single software engineer who has talked about resignation because it was immoral/illegal to work on a visit/business visa. More over after experiencing so called 'good' things in the west they speak about how 'corrupt' India is and how politicians have no morality! I have definitely met few people who quit the job because they didn't get on-site opportunity, lol.
2) And not to forget the 'fake' resumes that are floating around (esp from that state in India where everyone wants to go to America). Clearly morality is not a question when faking in your resume, because everyone does it! Guess that's the first line of defense of a crook!
3) And for those living/working outside India and who dont belong to above category of moral-less people, first check if you are NRI. Because being a NRI its illegal to have resident savings account, it needs to be converted to NRO account asap! And you become NRI the moment you decide to leave India for indefinite term or if you live outside India for more than 180 days in that financial year! I bet 90% of people will still have savings account in India which is not converted to NRO account. Thats illegal. No, Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it.
4) And there are majority of us where we have heard about some friend's dad/relatives OR our own relatives who are corrupt! Yet, we never report them to the police (remember not reporting to authorities is equivalent to abetting the corrupt). Even worse, most are proud that they can get 'things' done with the help of someone holding a high govt post. These are the friends you call when you get caught after drink drive or when you met with an accident or something goes wrong! We don't think of morality when we need undue favors from them.
So before we all blame politicians for their lack of morality look yourself in the mirror!
And remember, if we don't vote then we don't have rights to complain about the infrastructure/roads/healthcare.
This is all bull shoot.
1) For a fact, I have never come across a single software engineer who has talked about resignation because it was immoral/illegal to work on a visit/business visa. More over after experiencing so called 'good' things in the west they speak about how 'corrupt' India is and how politicians have no morality! I have definitely met few people who quit the job because they didn't get on-site opportunity, lol.
2) And not to forget the 'fake' resumes that are floating around (esp from that state in India where everyone wants to go to America). Clearly morality is not a question when faking in your resume, because everyone does it! Guess that's the first line of defense of a crook!
3) And for those living/working outside India and who dont belong to above category of moral-less people, first check if you are NRI. Because being a NRI its illegal to have resident savings account, it needs to be converted to NRO account asap! And you become NRI the moment you decide to leave India for indefinite term or if you live outside India for more than 180 days in that financial year! I bet 90% of people will still have savings account in India which is not converted to NRO account. Thats illegal. No, Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it.
4) And there are majority of us where we have heard about some friend's dad/relatives OR our own relatives who are corrupt! Yet, we never report them to the police (remember not reporting to authorities is equivalent to abetting the corrupt). Even worse, most are proud that they can get 'things' done with the help of someone holding a high govt post. These are the friends you call when you get caught after drink drive or when you met with an accident or something goes wrong! We don't think of morality when we need undue favors from them.
So before we all blame politicians for their lack of morality look yourself in the mirror!
And remember, if we don't vote then we don't have rights to complain about the infrastructure/roads/healthcare.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Dowry in Installments!
I should say guys have become smart nowadays! Most of my friends, while searching for bride, are looking for working women.
Few decades ago guys were after non working wives and most would demand dowry. And even bride's parents were willing to oblige as well!
But now the scenario has changed. Guys have realised that a lump-sum down payment, adjusted to inflation, after 10years will be worth nothing. Hence they have started looking for 'earning' wife who will bring in some money monthly and in the process help mitigate financial burden of the family. Hopefully her salary increments every year beating the inflation! This is a win win situation as guy gets the money and girl gets the 'freedom' to do job. Girl is happy as no more she is being forced to sit at home and do usual chores. More importantly government is more than happy that now there is one more idiot who is paying taxes, lol. The feminists are obviously grinning.
Few decades ago guys were after non working wives and most would demand dowry. And even bride's parents were willing to oblige as well!
But now the scenario has changed. Guys have realised that a lump-sum down payment, adjusted to inflation, after 10years will be worth nothing. Hence they have started looking for 'earning' wife who will bring in some money monthly and in the process help mitigate financial burden of the family. Hopefully her salary increments every year beating the inflation! This is a win win situation as guy gets the money and girl gets the 'freedom' to do job. Girl is happy as no more she is being forced to sit at home and do usual chores. More importantly government is more than happy that now there is one more idiot who is paying taxes, lol. The feminists are obviously grinning.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Life in the UK Test - 2013 - Sample Questions
Gave Life in the UK test (2013 edition) couple of weeks back. Thought of posting the questions as there are not much sample questions out there! The new edition book is definitely bit tough compared to the previous edition. There are many dates/events to remember now!
I did prepare well and expected the test to be tougher, but turned out to be simple test. Finished 24 questions in 10mins! Is that a record? ;)
I have put the questions in my own words as I don't remember them exactly as they were!
Questions below:-
1) What did Charles I do to loose trust of parliament!
2) Whats Hogmanay?
3) Choose the correct one... a) Nelson died in battle of Trafalgar. b)Nelson died in Waterloo battle.
4) In which era was social reforms were liberalized and 'Beatles' happen!!! 50s,60s,70s,80s?
5) Can devolved governments have own civil service?! [I got this one wrong!]
6) During whose rule the doomsday book was written?
7) Q about national trust? Which agency takes care of Parks/monuments?
8) There are 15 national parks in UK. Whats purpose of national parks? a) protected places b) xxxxx c) leisure activity/play football! d) xxxxx
9) Geoffrey Chaucer wrote tales of pilgrims about which city?
10) Who was the famous PM during world war who showed character?
11) During whose rule the colonization began? a) Victoria b) Elizabeth I c) xxx d) xxx
12) Q about who is patron saint of Scotland?
13) What are other national holidays known as? Ans: bank holidays
14) Which among the below is a Crown dependent country? Ans was: Channel Island
15) Which of the following are 'values and responsibilities'? Options were a) respect and obey law b) join political party c) treat others with fairness d) join military basic training
16) How many Juries are present in the court of England/Wales?
17) Which are the two houses in the parliament in England?
18) True or false. Bishops are elected to the House of Lords.
19) Which of the following is not a UK coin? a) 2p b) 5p c) 25p d) 50p
20) Which of the following is true? a) you need to have a TV license even if you are watching TV on internet b) you don't need a TV license if you are watching the TV on internet!
21) Which is the official home of PM? Ans: 10 Downing street.
22) True or false. In England/Wales people eligible to vote need to complete their own registration form.
23) Which of the following is true? a) people who canvass advise people to vote for their party b) people canvassing help people to fill up ballot paper.
24) What is 'small claims procedure' meant for? a) settle minor disputes b) some other options...
I did prepare well and expected the test to be tougher, but turned out to be simple test. Finished 24 questions in 10mins! Is that a record? ;)
I have put the questions in my own words as I don't remember them exactly as they were!
Questions below:-
1) What did Charles I do to loose trust of parliament!
2) Whats Hogmanay?
3) Choose the correct one... a) Nelson died in battle of Trafalgar. b)Nelson died in Waterloo battle.
4) In which era was social reforms were liberalized and 'Beatles' happen!!! 50s,60s,70s,80s?
5) Can devolved governments have own civil service?! [I got this one wrong!]
6) During whose rule the doomsday book was written?
7) Q about national trust? Which agency takes care of Parks/monuments?
8) There are 15 national parks in UK. Whats purpose of national parks? a) protected places b) xxxxx c) leisure activity/play football! d) xxxxx
9) Geoffrey Chaucer wrote tales of pilgrims about which city?
10) Who was the famous PM during world war who showed character?
11) During whose rule the colonization began? a) Victoria b) Elizabeth I c) xxx d) xxx
12) Q about who is patron saint of Scotland?
13) What are other national holidays known as? Ans: bank holidays
14) Which among the below is a Crown dependent country? Ans was: Channel Island
15) Which of the following are 'values and responsibilities'? Options were a) respect and obey law b) join political party c) treat others with fairness d) join military basic training
16) How many Juries are present in the court of England/Wales?
17) Which are the two houses in the parliament in England?
18) True or false. Bishops are elected to the House of Lords.
19) Which of the following is not a UK coin? a) 2p b) 5p c) 25p d) 50p
20) Which of the following is true? a) you need to have a TV license even if you are watching TV on internet b) you don't need a TV license if you are watching the TV on internet!
21) Which is the official home of PM? Ans: 10 Downing street.
22) True or false. In England/Wales people eligible to vote need to complete their own registration form.
23) Which of the following is true? a) people who canvass advise people to vote for their party b) people canvassing help people to fill up ballot paper.
24) What is 'small claims procedure' meant for? a) settle minor disputes b) some other options...
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Weather Station, WMR88
As a kid I always wondered how do they report amount of rain in mm/inches. While staying in Sirsi (after moving from dry Chitradurga, I was shocked to see the amount of rain can occur in a day in Sirsi! Was bit depressed in the beginning seeing so much of rain and complained[or cried?] about going to school. That was in 9th std, lol), I did try once to measure the amount of rain using an old plastic mug. But this didnt satisfy me. It always stayed in my mind that I will one day do something.
That day came after almost 15years when I came across a website "http://www.weeleyweather.co.uk/". An enthusiastic lad had setup a weather station and I was really impressed by his dedication. Though I was aware of weather station kit before, I was looking for some reviews before proceeding to buy.
After going through few reviews on the internet, I choose "Oregon Scientific WMR88 Full Weather Station". This one was good for beginners, semi-pro and I didnt mind spending £140 on that. With this you can measure and analyse Temperature, Humidity, Rainfall, Barometric Pressure, Wind Speed and Direction. You can upload the data to computer via USB cable.
The full weather station includes:-
1) A 'Base station' or console, which displays the data it receives from sensors. Only drawback is data is not stored in the console!, it has to be fed to a PC to store it. This is a major drawback in India because of power cuts! There are other alternatives available.
2) 1 Wind sensor (includes wind wane and anemometer) which takes note of wind direction and speed. This will mounted on top of the house.
3) 1 temperature & humidity sensor which will be mounted on outside wall.
4) 1 rain gauge, to measure the amount of rain!
Check the manual below on how to setup up the weather station! I found it pretty easy to setup and running.
(manual for the weather station can be found at "http://uk.oregonscientific.com/ulimages/manuals2/WMR88.pdf")
The good thing about the weather station is that it is wireless. The sensors are not wired to the console!
I bought the weather station in March2012 and its been setup and running since April2012. The link to the weather data is below:
http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=IKARNATA11
There has been only one incident of heavy rainfall on 1Nov2012 when pressure dropped to 1007.7hpa and we had rain of around 15cm!!!
The data received by the console is uploaded to 'Weather Underground' website via software "Virtual Weather Station Internet Edition" VWS V14.01. This software is paid and not free. There are other free weather station softwares like cumulus and 'wview' for linux.
Currently I have a PC running the weather station software for 24hrs (power cuts permitting), uploading weather data every hour. The total cost of running this is as below:-
1) WMR88 - £140
2) VWS software - $100
3) Cost of PC running 24hours - The electricity bill is coming upto 300Rs/month. Mine is a Dell Zino HD PC which has power cosumption of just 75W.
In future I would like to see a full fledged android app capable of running all features of weather station software. This will nullify the need for PC. Plugin your base station to an android phone, running weather station software, via USB :)
PS:- I had mounted the temperature & humidity sensor outside my house and as predicted by my dad, within couple of months, it got stolen by some over enthusiastic thief :). I thought he will return it considering its of no use for him! But probably he felt too embarrassed to come back! So advise is to secure it!
That day came after almost 15years when I came across a website "http://www.weeleyweather.co.uk/". An enthusiastic lad had setup a weather station and I was really impressed by his dedication. Though I was aware of weather station kit before, I was looking for some reviews before proceeding to buy.
After going through few reviews on the internet, I choose "Oregon Scientific WMR88 Full Weather Station". This one was good for beginners, semi-pro and I didnt mind spending £140 on that. With this you can measure and analyse Temperature, Humidity, Rainfall, Barometric Pressure, Wind Speed and Direction. You can upload the data to computer via USB cable.
The full weather station includes:-
1) A 'Base station' or console, which displays the data it receives from sensors. Only drawback is data is not stored in the console!, it has to be fed to a PC to store it. This is a major drawback in India because of power cuts! There are other alternatives available.
2) 1 Wind sensor (includes wind wane and anemometer) which takes note of wind direction and speed. This will mounted on top of the house.
3) 1 temperature & humidity sensor which will be mounted on outside wall.
4) 1 rain gauge, to measure the amount of rain!
Check the manual below on how to setup up the weather station! I found it pretty easy to setup and running.
(manual for the weather station can be found at "http://uk.oregonscientific.com/ulimages/manuals2/WMR88.pdf")
The good thing about the weather station is that it is wireless. The sensors are not wired to the console!
I bought the weather station in March2012 and its been setup and running since April2012. The link to the weather data is below:
http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=IKARNATA11
There has been only one incident of heavy rainfall on 1Nov2012 when pressure dropped to 1007.7hpa and we had rain of around 15cm!!!
The data received by the console is uploaded to 'Weather Underground' website via software "Virtual Weather Station Internet Edition" VWS V14.01. This software is paid and not free. There are other free weather station softwares like cumulus and 'wview' for linux.
Currently I have a PC running the weather station software for 24hrs (power cuts permitting), uploading weather data every hour. The total cost of running this is as below:-
1) WMR88 - £140
2) VWS software - $100
3) Cost of PC running 24hours - The electricity bill is coming upto 300Rs/month. Mine is a Dell Zino HD PC which has power cosumption of just 75W.
In future I would like to see a full fledged android app capable of running all features of weather station software. This will nullify the need for PC. Plugin your base station to an android phone, running weather station software, via USB :)
PS:- I had mounted the temperature & humidity sensor outside my house and as predicted by my dad, within couple of months, it got stolen by some over enthusiastic thief :). I thought he will return it considering its of no use for him! But probably he felt too embarrassed to come back! So advise is to secure it!
Monday, February 18, 2013
What if 'Numerals' were a secular nation as India
Once there was a secular country called Numerals. Everyone was happy when they wrote 2+2=4. But after sometime someone said 2+2 only represents one section of numerals i.e., even numbers & there is no representation of odd numbers in the society. So govt thought lets give opportunity to odd numbers as well and a law was passed to represent 2+2 as 3+1. This controversial decision gave rise to communal riots, saying now even numbers are sidelined to appease odd numbers. The pseudo intellectuals/sikulars/commies/socialists met again and decided 2+2 should be now represented as 2+1+1, where 2 represents majority, 1 represents minorities, another 1 represents other minors among minorities. Though the law was passed, everyone is still pissed about it.
In future, there is a request by one kapi to introduce his/her universal zero loss theory. So 4=2+1+1+0 ;-)...
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Langoti Vs Underwear
In the series of A vs B posting this is one more addition. Thought, I should let out all the crazy thoughts I have inside me before I reach a stage in life where I am no more interested in posting them.
Me and my colleague from
Though the spending capacity has increased people aren’t saving much, reason being they have lot more options to spend the money on. And also the cost of living has risen enormously. So at the end of the day, no matter how much you earn, you are spending a lot more and saving less. People don’t mind to paying more for comfort and quality.
At this point of chit-chat my friend asked me if my lifestyle has improved. And if it has improved give me an example. I told him ‘I don’t know if my lifestyle has improved, but I know for sure my spending ability has increased. Previously I used to wear Indian made local brand of Underwear but now I am wearing foreign brand’J. Now our thoughts were diverted more towards Underwear.
Indian men have always worn loincloth or Langoti (langot). There was no concept of underwear until some western guy introduced it. Langoti suits more for us than underwear. Reason being better ventilation, it suits more for Indian hot humid dry weather. Underwear is more suitable in cold countries. The western trend brought us Underwear and along with it brought itching as well. And for itching it brought suitable ointments to apply. All made by western. A humble Langoti with better ventilation couldn’t face the itching underwear. Why only underwear, it’s the same story with bra. And Go commando is nothing new for Indian women in villages :P
Friday, April 2, 2010
UK is like a big Fridge!
Yes, UK is like a big fridge, temperatures are a bit cold at the bottom(i.e., London), thats the warmest part of fridge. And its freezing cold at the top, thats Scotland.
Virtually you will never see the Sun here. Winter is worse, and in Summer it rains, and this summer it even snowed in Scotland. A green Christmas and white Easter is only possible in UK :P.
In the recent movie, 'A Single Man', there a dialogue "I am English, we like to be cold and wet", perfect!.
I wondered whether it was courage/bravey in Brits that led to sail around the world and conquer it, or were they just fed up, frustrated with the weather here and desperately wanted to get out of this country to get some good sun ;).
Anyway, recently on occasion of Ugadi, my mom asked me to look for the moon on that auspicious day, I laughed and said, its difficult to see Sun here forget moon.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Gravity vs Newton vs Apple vs Sh*t
As a kid I was so amazed at the story of apple and Newton. Newton one day saw an apple fall from a tree and it inspired him to come up with theory of gravity.
But then there was also a bit of scientist (mom terms that as brat :P) in me when I was a kid, I too always wondered why **** always falls down while sh*tting. Why doesn't it fly here and there! yuck! gross!
Now I am wondering why it took an apple for Newton to come up with Theory of Gravity, didn't he realise it daily while sh*tting?!!!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Whats vulgar? Dhirendra Gopal dramas or Eminem/50 Cent's songs
If you know kannada and never heard of Dhirendra gopal better click the 'x' button on this window and listen to his few dramas available on internet audio portals. His dramas are most vulgar in kannada. Just the names of his dramas speak about what you can expect from them, for eg:- bikanasi maava bevarshi aliya, chor guru chandala shishya,dagaar nan maga, dagar aliya, kal nanmaga, mooru bitton oorige doddon.
Listen to rap or hip-hop's by Eminem or 50 Cent. In my opinion they beat Dhirendra gopal by miles in terms of vulgar lyrics. Ask a guy who likes those hip-hop songs, he might say they are 'f*ing cool dude'. Dhirendra gopal's dramas suddenly look soo decent in front of those rap songs. For me a bad word in kannada has more weightage than a bad word in English, may be because things told in mother tongue is more effective.
So there I was contemplating between Eminem's songs and Dhirendra gopal's dramas. Whos more vulgar? In Bangalore I have seen people put on rap songs in full volume in their cars and roam around. They might look cool dudes listening to hip-hop songs, but I cant imagine the same
guys put on Dhirendra gopal's dramas in full volume!!!, Ah its not so savvy...( ...I'll take you to the candy shop, I'll let you lick the lollipop...)
Now I lost track what I was gonna convey through this post in my blog...
But I like this guy Eminem, when I recently listened to his songs, I was like why didnt I listen to them till now!!!... I cant resist posting links to my favourite songs below, have listened to them night long now and been listening for past two days... that guy has talent...in vulgarism he has Phd...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjyN79jB8zs&feature=related
Sunday, November 15, 2009
My Grandpa Vs Me
Last year I got a good chance to talk to my grandpa about his life journey.
He is getting old, in nineties now, and looked like he has lost a bit of passion to live.
I considered myself a bit successful in life, coming from middle class family background, working in a multinaitonal company and having visited one or two countries outside India. But, still nothing has given me satisfaction of having done something useful in life, having done good to
someone.
Coming to my grandpa, I was asking him what all he has done in life. He told how he struggled in life and how he successfully bought more land for agriculture, struggle to bring up his kids/family. I asked him if had taken part in freedom struggle, his eyes glowed and he was proud to say Yes.
Seems he and his comrades took part in burning down the Byadagi railway station!!!. I was dumbstuck on hearing this. I thought he might have involved in peaceful one or two agitation. He was ecstatic when he told 'we burned down railway station'. But his name was never mentioned
in the official freedom fighters list, because, his father-in-law(who had high level contacts with police, irony!) made sure his name was disappeared from the official police complaint. So there was nothing to prove, officially, that he took part in freedom struggle.
I thought I was a risk taker in life but will never be able to beat my grandpa. I was asking myself 'What have I done in life till today?'. Answer was Zero, big 0 compared to him. Do I have satisfaciton with my job? Hell NO.
There is one thing where I can beat my grandpa and that is, I can read London Underground Map ;)...
My grandpa took part in the process of freedom struggle, which ultimately ended in sending british out of India. And here I am, left India to work in United Kingdom and sitting and writing this blog in London. Irony!!!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Just Crazy...
In the eyes of God me and veerappan are one and the same. Just humans.
Given an opportunity everybody is a bastard.
I dont believe in the theory of evolution that men evolved from monkeys. I think God made men from dogs and only women from monkeys. Men like to bark and women like to jump.
We all are controlled by aliens.
Going to vegas is like going for a piligrimage, visiting goddesses and donating money to the temple(casino).
Having a DSLR is better than having a girl friend, you will have all the control at your hand.
Its not that older generation was better than today's, its only that the venues to express sin are more now.
Why did god give us different skin color, whereas most of the animals have only one skin color... zebra has zebra skin, lion has lion skin...
We all act as ass h**es sometimes but, dont worry be positive, atleast its smaller than elephant's...!!!
I am the master of my fate. Sadly, my fate is not a obedient disciple... :(
Everything is fair in love and war, its the f*ing normal life thats not fair.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Cost of living/Accommodation in Halifax, UK
Cost of living around 300-500 GBP max per month for single person.
Before coming to Halifax, from India, I faced a lot of problem in finding an accommodation. Thought will mention few options available here which might help others in future.
1) 'Ten40 Accommodation' ( http://ten40.co.uk/home.htm )
Fully furnished houses, well maintained, prices from 75 GBP per week(per person basis). The website has all the details. The price includes electricity, gas, internet, laundry. You have to take care of only food/mobile bills. All these apartments are on sharing basis, except your room(single or shared) kitchen, bathroom etc will be shared.
You can cook yourself and the kitchen is very well furnished.
NO CONTRACT, 1 WEEK NOTICE.
2) Accommodation near Savile Park.
These are furnished ones, but they are very old apartments, not well maintained and they are cheap, starting from 40 GBP per week. You have to pay for electriciy, gas, internet, laundry. Here you will get whole apartment for yourself which later you can share with others. If you share with one or two this will work out cheaper. If you know any guys working in HCL/CTS they can help you to book.
You can cook yourself.
NO CONTRACT.
3) 'Victoria Lodge'.
These are furnished apartments(1 big room, 1 bathroom), well maintained, you can share them with single person or decide to live alone. Rates are around 400 GBP per month and you need to pay extra for internet only.
You can cook yourself.
NO CONTRACT.
4) Balmoral place.
These are furnished, well maintained apartments(1BHK). You will need to take care of electricity, gas, internet. Washing machines will be provided. Rates are from 350GBP.
You can cook yourself.
CONTRACT basis (usually 3 or 6 months).
People coming from India usually work for Lloyds Banking Group(formerly HBOS). If you know anybody in HCL/CTS it will be easier for you.
Cost of Living:-
Halifax is very cheap place. You can easily get Indian groceries in pakistani shops, tesco, Sainsbury. There are lot of Pakistanis living around here, so finding Indian food items is not a problem.
Food cost should come around 100-150 max for a single person.
Phone/mobile(no internet):- you can use lebara or lycatalk. I used O2(20GBP monthly contract) which included 600min UK mobile and unlimited landline calls. Used Localphone to call India at 1.8p per min (spent around min 10 GBP per month) . Your total mobile bill should be around 15-25GBP.
Movie:- You need to go to Bradford Cineworld to watch movies. Return train ticket will cost you 2.2GBP and each movie around 5 GBP.
Places to see around Halifax:-
'Abbeyways' are the cheapest and good travel agency which can get you to places of interest around Halifax(upto 120miles one way). Usually they will be one day trip. They dont have any website and you need to visit them personally to get details. Their phone number is 01484-424682.
You can travel to Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, York for a single day return journey in train.
Hardcastle Crags near Hebden bridge is also near to Halifax.
You can visit Lake district by hiring a local taxi.
Shibden park is at a walkable distance(around 2km from city center).
( http://www.ntopsearch.com/VisitEngland/en-GB/SearchResults/Default.aspx?contentID&IndustryType=13&Location=Halifax%2c+Borough+of+Calderdale&Latitude=53.7166672&Longitude=-1.85&Radius=5&IsSearchFormAccommodation=False&sort=0 )
Before coming to Halifax, from India, I faced a lot of problem in finding an accommodation. Thought will mention few options available here which might help others in future.
1) 'Ten40 Accommodation' ( http://ten40.co.uk/home.htm )
Fully furnished houses, well maintained, prices from 75 GBP per week(per person basis). The website has all the details. The price includes electricity, gas, internet, laundry. You have to take care of only food/mobile bills. All these apartments are on sharing basis, except your room(single or shared) kitchen, bathroom etc will be shared.
You can cook yourself and the kitchen is very well furnished.
NO CONTRACT, 1 WEEK NOTICE.
2) Accommodation near Savile Park.
These are furnished ones, but they are very old apartments, not well maintained and they are cheap, starting from 40 GBP per week. You have to pay for electriciy, gas, internet, laundry. Here you will get whole apartment for yourself which later you can share with others. If you share with one or two this will work out cheaper. If you know any guys working in HCL/CTS they can help you to book.
You can cook yourself.
NO CONTRACT.
3) 'Victoria Lodge'.
These are furnished apartments(1 big room, 1 bathroom), well maintained, you can share them with single person or decide to live alone. Rates are around 400 GBP per month and you need to pay extra for internet only.
You can cook yourself.
NO CONTRACT.
4) Balmoral place.
These are furnished, well maintained apartments(1BHK). You will need to take care of electricity, gas, internet. Washing machines will be provided. Rates are from 350GBP.
You can cook yourself.
CONTRACT basis (usually 3 or 6 months).
People coming from India usually work for Lloyds Banking Group(formerly HBOS). If you know anybody in HCL/CTS it will be easier for you.
Cost of Living:-
Halifax is very cheap place. You can easily get Indian groceries in pakistani shops, tesco, Sainsbury. There are lot of Pakistanis living around here, so finding Indian food items is not a problem.
Food cost should come around 100-150 max for a single person.
Phone/mobile(no internet):- you can use lebara or lycatalk. I used O2(20GBP monthly contract) which included 600min UK mobile and unlimited landline calls. Used Localphone to call India at 1.8p per min (spent around min 10 GBP per month) . Your total mobile bill should be around 15-25GBP.
Movie:- You need to go to Bradford Cineworld to watch movies. Return train ticket will cost you 2.2GBP and each movie around 5 GBP.
Places to see around Halifax:-
'Abbeyways' are the cheapest and good travel agency which can get you to places of interest around Halifax(upto 120miles one way). Usually they will be one day trip. They dont have any website and you need to visit them personally to get details. Their phone number is 01484-424682.
You can travel to Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, York for a single day return journey in train.
Hardcastle Crags near Hebden bridge is also near to Halifax.
You can visit Lake district by hiring a local taxi.
Shibden park is at a walkable distance(around 2km from city center).
( http://www.ntopsearch.com/VisitEngland/en-GB/SearchResults/Default.aspx?contentID&IndustryType=13&Location=Halifax%2c+Borough+of+Calderdale&Latitude=53.7166672&Longitude=-1.85&Radius=5&IsSearchFormAccommodation=False&sort=0 )
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunderland International Airshow 2009
After getting bored at home for almost 2 weeks, blame the British rain gods, I was very eager to go to the 'Sunderland Airshow'. I had booked tickets in 'Abbeyways Hanson' for 25th of July. From Halifax, Abbeyways is the cheapest and best travel agency who can take you to places of interest nearby(upto 2.5hrs drive!).
Me, Ajay(armed with his new Nikon D40) and Vinod(eager to get some good snaps for marriage proposal ;) ) were ready at 8.45AM waiting for bus. Bus got on time at 9AM and took us to airshow venue at 12.15PM. We sorely missed the 'Red Arrows' performance and were able to get only few glimpses of them doing awesome manuevours while travelling to the venue. Felt lucky to get few snaps of them.
The venue was at the sea front at Roker and Seaburn and attracted around 3 lakh people(according to a british news paper). The highlight of the day was the Vulcan bomber plus Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane, Dakota), RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team, Typhoon, Hawk, Blue Eagles with the Apache and the Lynx, Belgium Air Component F16, Royal Netherlands Air Force F16, The Black Cats, The Blades, Swift Glider team, Merlin, Sea King and Chinook helicopters. On the ground there was performance by 4th Field Regiment Light Gun Display, the Royal Marines Combat Display Team and The Band of HM Royal Marines Scotland.
This was my second international show event visit, the first being held at Yelahanka,Bangalore in 2007. I somehow liked the Bangalore one, mostly because of the Sukhoi MK30, F18, MiG-35, C-17, Sweden's Grippen and our own Suryakiran with their trademark Heart and cupid arrow display. Apart from Red Arrows and Surya Kiran, the only other 9 member air arcrobatic team in the world is Canada's Snowbirds. The good thing about Sunderland airshow was it was held at seafront, in between you can enjoy the seashore and a bit safe :).
Few photos from the Sunderland airshow below... I tried my best with my 2003 make Fuji S5000 to take snaps, it was more of a cat and mouse game ;). Time to buy a DSLR.
Sunderland airshow...
At the Venue for display...
Me, Ajay(armed with his new Nikon D40) and Vinod(eager to get some good snaps for marriage proposal ;) ) were ready at 8.45AM waiting for bus. Bus got on time at 9AM and took us to airshow venue at 12.15PM. We sorely missed the 'Red Arrows' performance and were able to get only few glimpses of them doing awesome manuevours while travelling to the venue. Felt lucky to get few snaps of them.
The venue was at the sea front at Roker and Seaburn and attracted around 3 lakh people(according to a british news paper). The highlight of the day was the Vulcan bomber plus Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane, Dakota), RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team, Typhoon, Hawk, Blue Eagles with the Apache and the Lynx, Belgium Air Component F16, Royal Netherlands Air Force F16, The Black Cats, The Blades, Swift Glider team, Merlin, Sea King and Chinook helicopters. On the ground there was performance by 4th Field Regiment Light Gun Display, the Royal Marines Combat Display Team and The Band of HM Royal Marines Scotland.
This was my second international show event visit, the first being held at Yelahanka,Bangalore in 2007. I somehow liked the Bangalore one, mostly because of the Sukhoi MK30, F18, MiG-35, C-17, Sweden's Grippen and our own Suryakiran with their trademark Heart and cupid arrow display. Apart from Red Arrows and Surya Kiran, the only other 9 member air arcrobatic team in the world is Canada's Snowbirds. The good thing about Sunderland airshow was it was held at seafront, in between you can enjoy the seashore and a bit safe :).
Few photos from the Sunderland airshow below... I tried my best with my 2003 make Fuji S5000 to take snaps, it was more of a cat and mouse game ;). Time to buy a DSLR.
Sunderland airshow...
At the Venue for display...
Red Arrows...
RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team
Royal Netherlands Air Force F16
Swift Glider team
The Blade team
Ground Display by Marines (Royla Navy Sea King Helicopter)
RAF Tutor
RAF Hawk
Blue Eagles with the Apache and the Lynx
Belgium Air Component F16
Beechcraft King Air 200
Royal Navy Merlin
Black Cats team
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane, Dakota)
Vulcan Bomber
Chinook
Eurofighter Typhoon
RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team
Royal Netherlands Air Force F16
Swift Glider team
The Blade team
Ground Display by Marines (Royla Navy Sea King Helicopter)
RAF Tutor
RAF Hawk
Blue Eagles with the Apache and the Lynx
Belgium Air Component F16
Beechcraft King Air 200
Royal Navy Merlin
Black Cats team
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane, Dakota)
Vulcan Bomber
Chinook
Eurofighter Typhoon
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