Robin's India-ish Adventure

Hi Everybody,

I haven't posted in a while. I've been away from India... I decided that I needed to get out. My adventure now ventures out of India, and raises a mixed bag of feelings. I'm glad that i get to get out and see familiar faces and to experience other countries, but I'm also sad that i didn't take advantage of the opportunity to travel India.

I just got back from a trip to Dubai to visit my best friend and his family for Christmas! It was a great to see familiar faces and to spend time with my second family.

To summarize up Dubai, it's an urban metropolis, with skyscrapers upon skyscrapers. Not to mention an indoor ski hill, the worlds largest mall (doubling the size of West Edmonton Mall), and world's tallest tower, the Palms (islands in the shape of a palm tree), and numerous exotic cars (ranging from Aston Martins, to Ferrari, to Lamborghini and of course Porche)

Currently back in Chennai for 24 hours and them i'm off to see my brothers for new years! Looking forward to it!




The Burj Dubai. It's the world's tallest building! If you were on the top floor, how you evacuate if there was a fire? Stairs would take you hours to climb down! Parachute?

SNOW!! the indoor ski hill!! A Winter Wonderland...kinda like Canada right now.

Cheers

Robin

Island in the Sun

Hi Everybody,

I have just returned to Chennai from a 2 week trip to the Andaman Islands. We visited Port Blair, Havelock Island, Neil Island and Ross Island (which was a occupied by the British and briefly by the Japanese).

My trip had an interesting start.

Saturday, November 29, 2008 - Robin's Hostel Room.

I was packing till about 2:30 AM trying to fit all my clothes into my newly bought travel bag... and i decided that i would be up by 5 pm to clean my room, tidy things up and catch a cab by 6AM to the airport. However, at 6:30AM i failed to wake up... and woke up to a rapid banging on my door and somebody screaming my name. Half asleep i cursed the one banging on my door for about 2 minutes and then suddenly i realized that i was suppose to be up about 1 hour and a half ago to clean my room before leaving... high on adrenalin...i got up, brushed my teeth cleaned my room in record time... and sprinted out the door, arms flailing and with my hair blowing in the wind!!

and that's all the excitement of my trip... the rest consisted of sitting on a beach, snorkeling, eating, and reading books... on an "Island in the Sun"...

The flight was 2 hours and when we landed we proceeded directly to the jetty to catch a ferry to our first destination... Havelock Island... the ferry ride was about 2 and a half hours... we arrived around 4:30 around the time of sunset...



We then went to our beach resort.

Our hut... which consists of a double bed and a mosquito net... that is all.
the other huts.
a 10 second walk from out hut... beach no. 5.


on our way to beach No. 7.



Beach No. 7. Time magazine ranked this beach the most beautiful beach in Asia... it's absolutely stunning.


Beach No. 7 at sunset.



This is a place i would definitely take a serious girlfriend. At our resort, there was this adorable couple, about the same age, who would sit at the dinner/lounging area and play cards by candlelight after dinner. It was a scene cut out of a movie... It's all about the simple things... the simple pleasures... they say you only need 3 things to be truly happy: good food, good drinks and good company. We had all 3 on our Andaman trip...

I'll leave it at that... i have so many pictures... i haven't even posted pictures of Neil Island, Port Blair, or Ross Island.


So i guess... Single Ladies... we'll have to set up a date... how does drinks and dessert sound?

Cheers

Robin

It's not your fault. It's me.

Dear India (Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)

We need to talk. It's not your fault. It's me. I'm sorry i have to do this by blog, but I'm taking some time off from our relationship. I think it would make our bond stronger. I also think we should start seeing other people. I just never felt completely comfortable with you. You and I are too different and it seems like we come from different worlds. You like to measure rain in centimeters, while i like to measure rain in millimeters. From what I've seen of you, you like the heat and humidity, while at this time of the year, I like to see snowflakes, Christmas lights, and a Winter Wonderland. You like to drive like crazy maniacs and ignore the safety of pedestrians, while i like to drive speed limit and obey the rules of the road. You like to bargain and haggle people, and I believe in honestly and like to pay a HONEST fee/price. At the hostels, you like to limit internet connectivity, in fear of others abusing the internet and affecting their grades, and i believe in freedom and taking responsibility for my own actions. You like to take 'red tape' and bureaucracy and take it to the next level (that is unimaginable by a normal human being) and I am am just content with just plain regular 'red tape' and bureaucracy (thank you very much!). You treat the environment poorly (Litter Bug!), and i value and like to protect the environment. I like spending time in the unpolluted outdoors. You like to make things super complicated and I'm just your regular simple Canadian guy searching for some simple answers and his way in the world. You like to squat and I like to sit and I like to use hand soap and toilet paper. But hey! Look on the bright side, we didn't have to argue about the toilet seat being up or down!

I'll be leaving in 5 short days, in that time I'm just going to pack up a few things and take some time off from you. I'm going to see a different side of you, hopefully a more relaxed side, with charming beaches, friendly faces and away from the hustle and bustle of the urban city. I'll also be going to see other people and spend some time with them over Christmas and New Years. I need to get my head on right. At this point in my life, I just can't commit.

I'll be back by the middle of January. I hope we can work things out. Maybe I'll have a whole new perspective when i get back.

We're still friends right?

Intern's Log Star date 11.22.08

Intern's Log - Saturday, November 22, 2008 - Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Saturday: Thunderstorms. High: 29`C, Wind ENE 21km/h. Chance of precipitation 100%
Night: Thunderstorms. Low 24`C. Wind ENE 18km/h. Chance of precipitation 80%.


12:00 pm: Woke up to overcast skies, light drizzle. Running out of clean underwear, decided to do some laundry. Decided to washed my luggage case (Nike duffel bag - jammed it in the washing machine), washed underwear, bed spread etc, hang dry.

Made my way onto my bike, proudly named "Brakeless Kickstand" (because it lacks brakes and the kickstand is broken). Made my way to the local cafeteria (Tifany's) for some breakfast/lunch (Brunch). Ordered Gobi Masala Dosa and a bottle of water (Brand Aquafina).

Went to the scholar's lab to check e-mail, Facebook, check my online globe and mail, listen to music. Most played song - Michael Buble's Home.

"Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I'm lucky, I know
But i wanna go home
Mmmmm, I've got to go home"

4:00pm: Coffee and newspaper break at Cafe Coffee Day. Cappuccino with extra espresso shot, Veg Puff and Masala Garam tea to go for the lab (drinking it right now - delicious (it's the only tea i drink so... relatively delicious - miss my Chinese Tea - Iron Goddess).


Newspaper article (The Times of India - November 22, 2008)
"Ban on doctor couple who let minor son do cesarean lifted"
- doctor couple let 15 year old son perform C-section, in hopes of getting him into the Guinness Book of World Records.
- Left utterly speechless and can't help but think WTF?!

5:30 pm: To Work or to pretend to work - that is the question. Ponder what to eat for dinner - most likely Paneer Fried Rice, Alu Gobi Masala, and Naan - Rice, potatoes, cauliflower - a starch filled redundancy.


Intern's Log End for star date 11.22.08

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." ~ Sir J. Lubbock

Robin signing off.

Newspaper Articles Part 3

The Times of India - November 20, 2008
"70-yr-old knocked down by bike, run over by bus"
"12-yr-old boy tricks old man of Rs four lakh"

The Times of India - November 19, 2008
"19-yr-old girl immolates self inside supermarket"
"For falling in love, boy thrown in front of train"
"Man takes divine path to escape marriage"

The Times of India - November 18, 2008
4-yr-old burnt alive by mother's lover"

The Times of India - November 17, 2008
"Toxic fumes kill two workers in septic tank"

The Times of India - November 15, 2008
"40 held for stone pelting":

I am left utterly speechless, every time I read the newspapers here. For people who know me, Robin with nothing to say, is a rare rare thing.

Cheers

Robin

Symbolism

Hi Everybody,

Again, my favorite movie is "Stranger Than Fiction" and "that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives."

The part "...save our lives" can have a myriad of different meanings, but I like to think of it as a way to tell me something or point me in the correct direction - I did decided to accept the internship to India for several reasons: to learn more about my field of study (health policy, health economics, population health), to travel, and for personal reasons.

Well, onto the symbolism in my life. Today, I went to T. Nagar shopping for a Backpacker's backpack. I did buy one for about 50 dollars Canadian at the Witco store and it's of "Questionable" quality, let's hope it stays together for at least 4 weeks. I slowly made my way back to campus and placed the backpack with the pile of other backpacks/bags that i have accumulated. I currently have 3 backpacks/bags: 1) a BLACK Wegner laptop backpack (however the Wegner symbol is a RED cross) 2) a RED North Face Messenger Bag that i use for daily use (going out of campus, walking around campus to carry umbrella, water bottles etc. and now my new additional backpack (I have been accumulating lots of CRAP) 3) a RED Fantasy Backpacker's backpack. I also noticed that every morning (like clockwork) i go to the local cafeteria to purchase a RED labeled 1 liter water bottle. I also have RED bracelet still around my right wrist from the Diwali Puja.

This post could either be due to the fact that 1) i have WAAAY to much time and i possibly need to get a life or 2) the belief that life CANNOT be a serious of meaningless accidents and coincidences, or is life a tapestry of events that culminate in a exquisite and marvelous plan. It could quite possibly the former, and it's true that i have way too much time on my hands. But we cannot disprove the latter, scientifically. We can choose not to believe, but I think in some ways, people believe that some proportion of their lives is uncontrollable and unchangeable.

So, as i realized this and after i have read my online daily Globe and Mail Newspaper from Edmonton and made an effort to get some work done. I proceeded to investigate the symbolism or meaning behind the 2 colors, red and black.

This is what i have found.

From the website: (www.three-musketeers.net/mike/colors.html)

Red
"Red can symbolize many things; from blood, to love, to infatuation. Basically red symbolizes strong emotions, or things of strong emotions rather than intellectual ideas. For example, red can symbolize excitement, energy, speed, strength, danger, passion, and aggression.

According to Henry Dreyfus, it is popularly felt that red, the color of blood and fire, represents life and vitality. Red also signifies the color of the sun: a symbol of energy, radiating its vitalizing life-force into human beings. Red is also looked upon as a sensual color, and can be associated with man's most profound urges and impulses."
Hmm.... quite interesting.

Now onto the color black

Black
"Black is the color of the night, and of "evil." Black can also be a color of elegance or class (such as a black-tie only event, and black evening gowns.) Black can also represent ideas such as power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, sadness, remorse, anger, and mourning. Black can also represent a lack of color, the primordial void, emptiness. It can also mean sorrow or mourning, in the Christian tradition of wearing black to funerals.
According to Henry Dreyfus, Black, sumi, is the color of mystery and solemnity; the color of the night. Black expresses the depths of the unknown, and encourages the imagination of a different world from that of daylight realities. Used by itself, black can represent bad luck or misfortune."

Red representing life, vitality, and strong emotions (passion) and black representing the color of mystery and solemnity or the depths of the unknown.

Hmm.... Interesting... Black and Red... Red and Black.

"You know the Greeks didn't write obituaries. They only ask one question after a man died: "Did he have passion?" ~Dean from Serendipity~

Back to work!

Cheers

Robin

Irony

Hi Everybody,

One of my favorite movies is "Stranger Than Fiction", and there are times where i wonder what type of story my life is - comedy/tragedy/drama etc. I still haven't figured it out yet... i hope it's a good story with a happy ending. My favorite part of the movie...

"As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true."

Anyhoo, back to the point of this post. Before i came to India, i asked myself "what would i do in India, that i can't do back in Edmonton/Canada?" The first answer to that question was Yoga! I'm going to go to India and learn some Yoga. I mean 4 months of yoga, would almost make me half decent. The Yoga Center that has been recommended for international students is the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres , which is about a 10-15 minute bike ride off campus to the beach in Chennai, which ironically is based out of..........Montreal, Quebec, Canada, established in 1959 (they have centres all over the world - North America, Europe, Middle East, India, and South America. Then I realized, what i already knew before that, CANADA KICKS SOME SERIOUS ASS; that we are an INSANELY multicultural country and that i would come home to the "Cultural Mosaic" that is Canada and learn some Yoga.

Well... that being one reason, it's also due to my laziness and fear of dealing with Indian traffic especially during rush hour and most importantly, my lack of a bicycle (8+ weeks and counting!!). They drive like they're walking through a crowd... a good accelerator and a working horn are essential. You're right...a horn and fuse business in India/China would make a FORTUNE!

My life has a superb cast but I can't figure out the plot.
~Ashleigh Brilliant~

Well said Ms. Brilliant... well said.

Cheers

Robin

PS. What does this post have to do with "Stranger than Fiction"? Good question.

Robin's Limited Vocabulary Defined

Hi Everybody,

I promised that i would define my limited vocabulary.

Awesome
formidable, amazing, heart-stirring, wonderful, cool, hip, exciting

Bon Jovi is AWESOME!

Wicked
US--> really, very, extremely
UK--> cool, good, great, funky

That was a wicked awesome concert (Adverb).
That was a wicked concert (Adjective).

Super
good, excellent

"You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi is a super wicked awesome song.

I will keep adding to this. When you guys get back to Germany... nobody will know what you're saying!

Articles in the Newspapers

The Times of India - October 25, 2008
"The stench in farts can control BP"

No word of a lie...

Daily Happenings

Hi Everybody,

Sorry that i haven't written in a while. I am still alive and well and still in relatively good health (starting to get sick right now - sore/itchy sore throat) - hopefully i win.

From my last post i haven't done any major traveling. Just been sticking around campus and celebrating Diwali with the Department of Management Studies. We went to our India Supervisors house for Diwali dinner with his family along with another PhD student from Korea, his wife and their 2 children (1 boy, 1 girl - very cute). We got a tour of his house that he built himself - very large, marble floors etc), we sat around the living room and feasted on Indian Cuisine (Chicken Biryani, Curd rice, Roti among many many other dishes that they explained to me but still can't remember - it's like learning a new language - nothing really sticks until you don't need it anymore - i'll probably remember everything when i get back into Canada!).

We then celebrated Diwali with the MBA Students - We had a Puja and then we lit firecrackers in the field. it was pretty crazy! I personally like the firecrackers that give off really nice lights, but apparently in the "Firecracker" category are crackers that go BOOM, kinda like a bomb. Those freaked me out, i'm sure all the students had a nice laugh about the scared Canadian guy 30 feet away from everybody else with his ear plugs on. I still got my hearing!




Yesterday, we were invited to a wedding of one of the students brothers. It was a very nice wedding, very colorful. Then we had a awesome North Indian Cuisine, and fresh fruit and ice cream.. Yum. It was a great experience!

When not out and about in town. I'm usually in the Scholars' Laboratory (with the masters and PhD students). I set up camp in a small section of desk and claimed it as my own. i put all my CRAP there, daily newspapers, copy paper, folders, water bottles.. you know... the usual. It's very cozy... this one place is probably the only place where i don't think i'm in a foreign country. I usually put on my "noise isolating headphones" (best investment ever!) and just get lost in the music and work. I haven't been very productive the last week, but now i'm back in the working mood or "workish" mood as the germans' say!



For Halloween, we didn't do anything special. We went to a nice little cafe called Mocha about 20 minute rickshaw away from campus. We snacked, drank really GREAT Coffee (i have had a coffee everyday since i was here - i'll cut back when i get back to Edmonton!) and smoked some Sheeshah - green apple (DON'T TELL MOM!).

So far, being away from home I've realized that it doesn't matter where you are in the world, but there is nothing better in the world than meeting passionate, kind, friendly and loving people and having great conversation over food and drinks.


Sitting around chatting and waiting for some food.


Chai latte, a very huge cup by only 1/3 full. Delicious!

Sheeshah on the porch, with one of the German students (He's AWESOME!)

Anyhoo... that's all for now... Pictures of wedding are on another camera, i'll post those up as soon as i get them!

Cheers

Miss you all!

Robin

"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the creative light of altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life's persistent and most urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Public Health in a Nutshell

Hi Everybody,

Public Health on a t-shirt. Amazing!


Cheers

R

Monsoon

This is outside the Department of Management Studies - it's even worse on other parts of campus. I can't even begin to fathom what it is like outside in the city - it's even more crowded and I'm sure their drainage system isn't as good as on campus. (i think my English is getting worse - research does that to you - I'm developing late stage research induced dyslexia). Well... that wouldn't be too bad, I'd just talk like Yoda.

When 900 years you reach, look as good, you will not.
-- Yoda
- ahh.... Yoda you are wise...

The building, Robin has not left...yet.

Work, i must do.

Cheers

R

Headlines in the India newspapers

The Times of India - October 24, 2008
"Teenager kills herself over a birthday dress"
"Businessman hacked to death"
"Study finds number of obese children doubled in 20 yrs"
"Need for law to check polygamy among Muslims, says Kerala HC"
"29 killed in Rajasthan firecracker mishap: Illegal storage of gunpowder leads to explosion"
"Sticky tape emits X-rays"
"The city needs to spare a thought for those who suffer from air pollution caused by firecrackers"

The Economic Times - October 24, 2008
"Anti-depressants sales up amid slump: Mumbai tops list of cities, Kolkata is no.2"

There were some crazy and tragic stories over the weekend, but i threw the newspapers out. This week there was a man who was electrocuted to death. There was rain and the streets were flooded. He was crossing the street through the water to his favorite tea shop and was electrocuted to death because of a live wire hidden under the water. It took the ambulance 45 minutes to arrive.

(monsoon season right now - streets are pretty flooded) - i wish i had my trusty rubber boots.

Cheers

R

Pondicherry

Hi Everybody,

Just this weekend, we took a trip to Pondicherry for some well deserved R&R. The bus ride was about 4 hours, when we reached our destination, we took a rickshaw to the French Quarter and found accomodations. We then proceeded to walk around the French Quarter. First impression of the French Quarter, was how quiet and welcoming the streets were. This was a nice change of pace from the crowded, hectic pace in Chennai. Generally, Pondicherry was an excellent place to wind down, relax, enjoy really good food! That one sentence describes the whole trip!

We then walked to the beach. There wasn't much to see on the beach, it was relatively quiet and quite relaxing with the cool breeze coming from the ocean. We did find a Gandhi Statue!

The next day we went to Auroville, which is an experiment in alternative living.

"Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity." -From the Information Brochure.

Interesting, but personally i could not and do not agree with it. I do think it's an interesting concept though.

At its spiritual and physical heart of Auroville is the Matrimandir. a spiritual structure that is used for meditation. I have not been inside (we need to book a time and such). The inner chamber is composed of 12 meditation "petals", each concerning an attitude toward the Divine and humanity (sincerity, humility, gratitude, courage, generosity, peace etc). At the center of the chamber is what is said to be the largest man-made crystal, which reflects the suns rays and produces a concentrated light to enhance meditation.


We then walked around and enjoyed the scenery and the great travel company!


After this, the girls went shopping, while the boys waited (as usual). We went to the local cafeteria and had some amazing food.

I forgot to take pictures of the food! But it was DELICIOUS! I honestly didn't want to leave.

We then took the bus back to Chennai and started another work week!

Thanks for reading! Hope all is well!

Cheers

Robin

Mahabalipuram

Hi Everybody,

Okay... i guess that's enough with the stupid posts. If anybody is wondering I do have the mustache still, but it's coming off this Friday. One of the professors here, has invited us to his home for dinner to celebrate Diwali. I thought i would make an effort to look presentable. I do like the mustache though... i think it gives some extra character, makes me look wiser.

Anyhoo... over the past few weeks... I have done a day trip and just recently got back from a trip, over the weekend, with a few good friends from Germany. It's always nice to meet passionate people who are ambitious and want to make a difference.

About 3 weeks ago... we took a day trip to Mahabilipuram. We took a rickshaw down to the bus station where we stood in the scorching heat, and waited for a packed bus to pick us up and take us to our destination. The bus ride was about 1 and a half hours. The bus ride, went by quickly as i put on my headphones (noise canceling headphones - best investment) and grooved to the music.

When we arrived, we rented bikes, great advice from another fellow German traveler. This allowed us to see all the temples and sites in Mahabilapuram in a few hours, with time to sit and enjoy the cool, breeze on the beach.

We first went to see Krishna's Butter Ball, which is balanced on the hillside.


We then proceeded to walk around and check out other temples, most of them carved out of 1 stone, quite the impressive feat.

Our next destination was the Panch Pandava Rathas. These 5 sculptures were also all carved out of single pieces of rock. Each Ratha is named for the five brother-heroes of the Mahabharata and resembles chariots (still incomplete).


After the Rathas, we proceeded for lunch/dinner and then off to see the Shore Temple.


This temple is on the Bay of Bengal, built in the early 8th century, it is considered one of the oldest temples in South India, and built in Dravidian style.

After a long day of biking and sight seeing, we headed to the beach to enjoy the nice ocean breeze and to enjoy some coconuts and ice cream.


A great way to end the day.

Cheers

Robin