Thursday, June 14

India awarded Formula One race for 2009 | Reuters.com

India awarded Formula One race for 2009 | Reuters.com

I cannot believe it! Suresh Kalmadi has been able to sell India as a Formula 1 destination. I am very impressed, though I wonder where they are going to hold it?

There were talks a year or two ago coinciding with Narain's peek into F1 about a street race in Delhi or a F1 circuit in Bangalore. Street race in Delhi..you cannot be serious? Where?
Michelin will have a serious problem trying to design super-resistant pothole friendly tires while the engineers will be stuck with trying to figure out how to get downforce around roundabouts!!
Delhi traffic is a race in itself,with no quarter given and numerous obstacles to test your reflexes,the car's braking power and torque. Everyone waits for the lights to go and the race begins - people walking across the Ring Road tests your machine's braking power with cars slowing down in 3 seconds from 100kph to 30kph, evasive maneuvering to avoid the auto on one side and the truck on the other while making sure the car trying to overtake you does not get through and finally of course that much vaunted acceleration into a corner as you just make the crossing with the signal on amber!

So, I wonder where we are going to have a F1 race. I suspect this might also be good news for Narain as it might be difficult to muster a crowd without a local driver to attract some jingoistic spectators and add some excitement to the proceedings. Either way, I probably wont get to see it, so why am I complaining.

Good luck to those who deal with Delhi Transport Authority!!

Scrivening Day 30

The last few days since arriving has been spent getting used to the 40 degrees heat wave in Delhi. I have spent four years without experiencing anything close to that temperature and it is beginning to tell. Cannot wait for the rains to come. Today is much cooler and it does look like we are going to be treated to some showers.

Anyway, I have lost half of the week in adjusting to jet lag,Delhi and catching up with old friends. The new kid on the block, Vedanth, is the cutest bundle of baby fat I have seen for a long time. He seems unperturbed by strangers,cries very rarely(unless GA or I laugh maniacally) and smiles a adorable toothless grin. I have decided that I shall take him to SF with me. Met MS,GA and D over the last couple of days, so my social life is now complete and will cease to exist. Next week is going to be busy anyway with trips to Kolkotta and the "little One" visiting so must work over the next few days.

Off to Nai Sadak tomorrow to get USMLE CS book which I have yet to start studying for..eeks.. and must finish Chapter 3/4 by Sunday. Hate writing....

Tuesday, June 12

Back Home!

Have not written for a while because of lots of things happening at the same time. Since my last blog, I have done very little writing, much packing and a moderate amount of analysis. The second week of June is a time which I shall find difficult to forget. Sunday flew by packing. Tuesday - the little one arrived and I had to go into lab for a quick chat with DW and my sorting experiment. Wednesday was the big day - I did my sorting experiment and although it did not go as planned or as I had expected, I am glad I still did it and I can take some pride in that. However, I could never have done the experiment without Mother's and Little One's help. These two stayed back in my room and finished packing all my books and clothes into cartons for shipping. I had almost nothing to do when I came back home. The two women baby-sitting me...
Thursday - I had meeting with AVSH and as most meetings go it was quite pointless. I did not get much out of it and was pretty much back to square one. I am quite keen to get my paper submitted but the boss seems intent on sitting on it. I cannot write my second paper because I don't really know what to say.
Thursday, I got two pieces of good news. I passed my Step 1 ( must mail G to let her know and to thank her) and also Little One's sister got a much coveted consultant post in Wolverhampton. Chiang Mai beckoned and lots of non-sweet and sour dishes were ordered much to the chagrin of the Sweet and Sour appreciation society numbering one.
I am going to miss my Tom Yum,Pad thai and Muscat when I leave. For some absurd and unknown reason, Chiang Mai has taken their muscat of the wine list and it annoyed and surprised me. We chose some awful French wine which was too sharp and tannic.
Friday - we called "The Consultant" and forced/cajoled her into coming to Oxford. I had my leaving do and Mother et al. were to attend. I was quite looking forward to saying goodbye to everyone and having the next couple of days to wrap things up and leave on Sunday.

Unfortunately, things did not quite work out the way we planned. I got a phone call from my only sister and somehow it put my leaving, USMLE and careers into perspective. We had to leave immediately for home and the whole of Friday morning was spent in completing packing and changing tickets. My day was turning out to be a disaster. I fell into the river while punting during my leaving do, my phone was wet and damaged, I was cold and close to catching a chill and I could not contact Mother and party. I also spent the whole trip punting with AVSH which was interesting if a bit stilted.

Anyway, caught flight next day early morning, reached Delhi midnight and broke news to concerned early morning next day. I can only hope that I am never again witness to such scenes.

Its Tuesday today and I still have been unable to write. I am finally sitting down now to start my thesis writing in earnest. If only the heat permits me...its 45 degrees in Delhi..its inhuman and only the A/C keeps me alive.

Saturday, June 2

Scrivening Day 18

Mother has arrived and it has been good food, early wake-up calls and general contentment. I have not done much writing for the last few days for various reasons. Was doing some GC work and then a last minute experiment of mine. Still trying to figure out next paper and thats the plan for this weekend.
I had a brain wave yesterday - rather a spark (rarely happens) and thought of what I could specialise in - Immuno-epidemiology. Huh? Cool sounding. I looked it up and such a post does not exist - therefore large number of jobs must be available. ...

What do you think? Dont ask me what the job description is, I just think of the names.
Other news, Happy Belated b'day to RM, who has begun to frequent Panera's. Sounds dodgy,if you ask me..some greek God ;)
FedEx have been giving me loads of trouble over my I-20. It is too long a saga to pen down, but what it boils down to is that I need to go to Stanstedt airport to pick up a document today, spending close to 50GBP and 4-6 hours of my life having already spent that much in phone calls to the company.