Coming soon.

Coming soon.

The day some from our class were waiting for had finally arrived… Some of us were feeling very happy after a tough exam, not because we aced it, but because we were happy to leave behind the gloomy weather of Oxford and embrace ourselves with sunshine !!

The excitement was almost over when we almost missed our flight at Gatwick. The plane was scheduled to depart at 6.25 PM, which meant that the gates closed at 6.05 PM. With 2 minutes to spare, I cleared security at Airport. I looked up at the departure board to see the departure time and the gate information. The flight was leaving at gate 104, and to my left one of the boards read “gate 3, gate 20 - 150 to the left”. I freaked out! 100 gates to cover in less than 2 minutes. I ran up and down couple of elevators, crossed a couple of terminals, and made it just on time. The excitement just got better !

We cleared the immigration check at Barcelona at 10 PM, and boarded the bus to the center of the city. We headed to the Kabul Hostel on “La Rambla“. I was surprised to find most shops still open at 10 PM. The hotels were full and the streets were swarmed with people, very unlike what we see here in the UK.

We reached Kabul hostel at 1030 PM. The place was packed with backpackers. I had my accomodation booked for only 2 nights, and needed to confirm a bed for the 3rd night. We left our bags at the hostel and headed for dinner.  At dinner some of us ate Paella and drank sangrilla, both which I liked a lot.

We met up with the rest of the gang at 2 AM that came in at different times in different flights. Had a walk to the harbor through some back alleys. While we walked to the harbor, we saw a guy approaching us murmuring something. As he came closer, I heard him say, “Beera Serveza Beera” … He was trying to sell cheap beer on the streets for 1 Euro. As we passed by him, an other one of these came by selling the same, and these annoying instances continued for the rest of the trip.

The city seemed a lot of fun and a lot left to explore. Thinking about all the beautiful girls I saw that night walk by me, I went back to the hostel to sleep.

The letter from the examination school reads,

Please arrive two hours before the exam starts…

As you enter the hall, you are thoroughly checked to make sure you do not have any malicous material on you. Your University card is then scrutinized n-times to verify that the photo on it is actually you. If you forget to get your University card, hell breaks out. You need to convince first yourself that you are actually the guy you claim and then convince the others. Moreover, You are in this glamorous suit and sub-fusc of yours that you own the exam hall. You demand first class !

Does it sound familiar? Yes, it feels just like you are at an airport going through a security check!

The head at the exam hall stands up, hold the mic up and says,

Students, you have 3 hours to complete the exam. If you have anything to ask , do not hesitate to raise your hand. One of us will come to you to answer your queries.Please switch off your cellphones and best of luck.

She was as perfect as a flight stewardess. It looked like she had rehearsed her speach a thousand times. When it was 3 hours over, she stood up and spoke again into the mic

Candidates, your time has now finished. Please stop writting ( like saying, put on your seat belts for landing ). I will indicate now indicate the order in which the students need to hand in their papers and walk out.( oooh ! executive treatment !)

Where are my mileage points, eh? The only instance that I felt I am in an examination hall is when I turned left when the exam finished. My friend nods his head dissapointedly , saying, ” I will have to do the re-sit”. When I turned right, my other friend shows a thumbs down when I asked him how the paper went. Otherwise, I was flying executive class, feeling happy that my journey was smooth !

Bahrain circuit, the biggest circuit on the F1 map, unravelled the magic of Ferrari. Ferrari has struggled over the previous two races with engine failures.  McLaren, which was at the top until now in terms of speed and stability, looks weak and vulnerable in this race.

The qualifier was as exciting as ever, with Robert Kubica toppling Massa for the pole.  Massa in his ferrari looked spectacularly fast and easy. The Renault has been a sad story so far. Alonso’s return to the team has done little to the French team. The Renault needs significant additions to its aerodynamic package to narrow the gap between the race leaders and itself.The McLarens did better than expected in qualifying higher in the 2 and 3rd row.

The race started with Massa overtaking Kubica on the first corner later followed by Kimi. This pair managed to maintain the Ferrari 1-2 places till the end. The power was unmatchable. An other interesting team that did good was Force India. Both the cars of Force India finished the race and showed improvements in their speeds and control over their previous races.

It would be interesting to see what catalunya will bring to the points table. Right now, with kimi leading the championship leading Louis and Heidfeld (Suprise package from BMW!) and Massa fast approaching, it would be interesting to see the race evolve over the next weekend. To top it all, I might be there to watch it LIVE !!

It all started with the plans for a class trip. The class voted to visit Barcelone soon after the first set of exams. I realised that I needed a schengan visa to visit most of the countries in Europe. I could not find a suitable date at the spanish embassy, so had to book one at the Italian counsulate. But, I needed to convince them that I will be travelling to Italy for sure.

One of my classmates is italian and has a house in campobasso. In my application I mentioned that I will be staying at his residence. In addition to the evidence on accomodation, I needed to show proof that I am actually travelling. So, I looked up on Ryan Air.

The cheapest ticket to Rome was 132 GBP + taxes. holy cow ! The next option was Milan, and the cost of tickets was 22 GBP inlcuding tax and insurance. I booked it knowing little about how far campobasso actually is from Milan !!

At the counsulate, my conversation with the lady went as follows:

Me: Good Afternoon madam !

Lady (checking the application): Hello.

Lady: So, where are you going to and why?

Me: I am visiting my friend in Campobasso and will be travelling around places clolse by.

Lady: Then why did u book tickets to Milan? do you know where is Campobasso?

Me ( in all possible sign languages, moving hands around and shaking head like a true italian) : uhmm… err…uhmm.. close to Rome? I am actually visiting my friend in campobasso, but he is picking me up at Milan airport so that we can visit venice ( I have no clue where that came from !)

Lady: Venice is a nice place. I am recommending the embassy to give a 6 month Visa!

I received my passport yesterday from the counsulate. I got a 6 month Visa. Yay !!! Not sure how I pulled it off.

“All items guaranteed Halal” said a sign outside Halal Munch, a restaurant right opposite to the business school. The first day of school, I was at my curious best. To try my LUCK, I  ordered a medium “kebab”, an oxford delight. The food sucked to the core, and I vowed never to come back to this place to eat ever again.

Randomness, something I have been taught again and again in my course, has it that one night, I had to trade my vow for my hunger. Breaking my vow, I walked into Halal Munch terrified by the  thought of eating cold sausage. I went in to find a surprise. The management was recently replaced with a south indian management. Being from the same area, I slurped up the hot south indian meal. It was heart-filling and easily the best meal I have had since my arrival here.

As for KarmaYogi ratings, Halal munch receives a 4/5 stars for indian lunch. But a sloppy 2.5/5 stars for other food ( including price)

Yes, its true. Exams are here. Its the time of the year when every soul in Oxford gulps down the joy of eating out, the joy of procastination and most importantly, gulps down page after page.Oxford’s tradition has it that one has to dress up in a sub-fusc to write the exam. The irony one does not notice is the expression on one’s face, having dressed up neatly and prim to the exam and not knowing a word on the paper.

My sub-fusc, rented for 50 GBP, is torn on one side and my hat ( or whatever they call it) has an end missing. I now think if studying is any worth for the exam as I will not be allowed to sit for the exam in my rags and “not-so-black” coat and pant.

It funny how exams can psyche the way you think, especially with few weeks to go for D-Day. when you go shopping soon after reading economics, you think of “substitution and income” effects; when you plan to buy clothes, its funny how asset pricing can screw up your happiness by telling you how expensive or “excess premium” one is paying for it. Well, these are the days one has to pass through in addition to the plight of receding hairline.

Best of luck everyone for your exams !