The title is a bit more impressive than the actual post. As you may be aware (if you have talked to me recently, this is the only thing I talk about), I am doing my dissertation. Well as the others who have undertaken a project of a similar magnitude can perhaps attest, such a project almost uncomfortably holds the centre stage in your mental life.
However, today I thought I would pen down a few things I have been thinking about (that is putting it strongly, really thoughts that occurred) and recent happenings.
First: Roger - The brilliance the man equals Sampras and wins a Career grand slam
Then India perform woefully at T20 world cup and thankfully so (it freed up a lot of my day for writing my dissertation !)
Somewhere during this Iran had what appears to be farcical elections and what has been hyped to be the next revolution. Let's see, I am conditioned to extol democracy.
This is quickly sounding like the highlights of the past few weeks. Reminds me of the "news" we read at our school assembly !
Recently I have been reading about the Dravidian movement and EV Ramaswamy (better known as Periyar). My source was jingoistic but you do see some points nevertheless (especially regarding social injustice and inequality)
Another thought that struck me is how relatively unstudied many of the Indian languages are. Somehow as a psycholinguist, I think phenomena of great interest lay buried in the sub continent. Perhaps soon, I will be on my way to excavate a tiny little finding somewhere.
Grad school, wonderful as it has been, is coming to an end. More on that after my defence ! Somewhere between I have been yearning for a trip to South America (perhaps Peru? Argentina ? any thoughts?)
Today I saw a demo about Google wave, what promises to be the near future of online communication. What I saw of it I loved and I cannot wait to get my paws on it ! OF course that prompted me to the bigger question - what will become of the world just 10 years from now? Will I be teaching all online courses. Personally I want computing without being tied to a computer (not a hand held device either). I want to be interacting in the world as I browse - some kind of synergy of the "real" and cyber worlds. Who knows ?
Finally, I was thinking the only argument for dying is the sheer curiosity of it. What better to know about (and whether there is) life after death than by trying !
So there are some random snippets of thought. Deliberately presented without organization or real substance what I hope is a change from the document I have been working !
Till soon,
Bye !
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
An unlikely meeting
I looked around. The scene was strangely familiar. It was Nandanam, in Chennai but something seemed amiss. I could not quite tell what until I recognized a familiar face. I looked to make sure, my heart skipped a beat and I thought, “Great, I am dreaming”. Yet, try as I might, I could not rouse myself. I found myself drawn to him. He was munching a plate of bhel puri; the price was five rupees. He wore a curious t-shirt and knee length shorts that had every colour imaginable. “Bermudas” I thought to myself. In his hand, he clutched a white plastic bag and I could distinctly make out an outline of an audiocassette. He finished his plate, tossed it into the bin and I could tell he was wondering what to do with the last 25 paise he had. I stepped into his way and said hello almost in a tone of resignation. He looked up, a tad unsure, his twelve-year old eyes sizing me up. He greeted me cautiously.
I said, “Yeah this is like in the movies but I am you 17 years from now.” He shook his head. I said, “I know it is wondrous but..”
He quickly shot “I am not shaking my head at the implausibility, merely at how disappointing the future is”.
A fistful of rage shot through me, “I am not too excited about meeting you either. Presumably, we have something to learn so shut up and let’s talk”.
He nodded and said “ I wonder what would happen if you broke my leg, you know inflicted some kind of permanent damage. Would your leg automatically reflect that damage?”
I knew that this boy was indeed me, and said sternly, “ Ok shut up, let’s find a place to talk”.
He said, “let’s go to a hotel”. I knew that meant restaurant and minutes later we found ourselves in Mathura (a restaurant in the higher floors of Tarapore towers). The prices were a joke and the service was what is used to be (but, of course). He ordered sweets to start off and I was astounded at how much he ate – Basundhi, Cutlet, naan, paneer butter masala, noodles and ice cream.
He asked, “what is the coolest thing about the future ?” I told him about the internet and all the wondrous things.
“Are you married”, he interjected. I realized how impatient he seemed, full of energy, but not really too much fun to converse with. He proceeded to give me his opinion on marriage and how adults had no clue how to live life.
“So, do you still play cricket?” He asked eagerly. I lowered my eyes in shame, I knew I had not kept the promise. He stopped smiling. “Did I not play for India ?”
I laughed and said “but you have visited Basin Reserve (in Wellington, NZ)”. He immediately seemed happier. I thought to myself that atleast he is easy to please.
“If I did not play cricket, what did I end up doing with my life”. I explained and he looked at me. To my surprise, he nodded and smiled. He said “not bad”. The little punk does have a lot of opinions. He said plainly, “ I assume this is a trip thought up by god to learn from your childhood self”. It was my turn to be smug – I don’t believe in god. He looked shell shocked “Really?!”
This questioning went on for a while as he devoured his food, chewed with his mouth open and rocked back and forth. Despite his several irritating characteristics, I did not mind him too much. In this period of time either through questions or through me volunteering details, he pretty much learned of [his] life’s trajectory. He was thrilled about my travels, my career and my staying in touch with “his friends” as he put it. He was also happy, strangely, at the fact that I still had impossible dreams. He was displeased with how I had taken care of my body as well as not trying hard enough to make it to the Indian team. Kids those days! But, despite myself, I was enjoying the conversation. I told him of Roger Federer, about the turn of the millennia, and our dependence on computers. In a while, our conversation was really easy and I felt that he was mostly alright though he could still be super irritating at times. He wanted to know everything about everything and appeasing his curiosity was not easy. I realized how hard it must have been for my parents and people around me (perhaps, how hard it still must be…). As I prepared to take leave of him, I asked if I could see the cassette.
“ Ah Roja, nice.. You know this AR. Rahman?”, I enquired. He nodded and said he was his favorite I said. “He, in 2009, will win 2 Oscars.”
He broke into a grin and said “ I like the future”.
I said, “Yeah this is like in the movies but I am you 17 years from now.” He shook his head. I said, “I know it is wondrous but..”
He quickly shot “I am not shaking my head at the implausibility, merely at how disappointing the future is”.
A fistful of rage shot through me, “I am not too excited about meeting you either. Presumably, we have something to learn so shut up and let’s talk”.
He nodded and said “ I wonder what would happen if you broke my leg, you know inflicted some kind of permanent damage. Would your leg automatically reflect that damage?”
I knew that this boy was indeed me, and said sternly, “ Ok shut up, let’s find a place to talk”.
He said, “let’s go to a hotel”. I knew that meant restaurant and minutes later we found ourselves in Mathura (a restaurant in the higher floors of Tarapore towers). The prices were a joke and the service was what is used to be (but, of course). He ordered sweets to start off and I was astounded at how much he ate – Basundhi, Cutlet, naan, paneer butter masala, noodles and ice cream.
He asked, “what is the coolest thing about the future ?” I told him about the internet and all the wondrous things.
“Are you married”, he interjected. I realized how impatient he seemed, full of energy, but not really too much fun to converse with. He proceeded to give me his opinion on marriage and how adults had no clue how to live life.
“So, do you still play cricket?” He asked eagerly. I lowered my eyes in shame, I knew I had not kept the promise. He stopped smiling. “Did I not play for India ?”
I laughed and said “but you have visited Basin Reserve (in Wellington, NZ)”. He immediately seemed happier. I thought to myself that atleast he is easy to please.
“If I did not play cricket, what did I end up doing with my life”. I explained and he looked at me. To my surprise, he nodded and smiled. He said “not bad”. The little punk does have a lot of opinions. He said plainly, “ I assume this is a trip thought up by god to learn from your childhood self”. It was my turn to be smug – I don’t believe in god. He looked shell shocked “Really?!”
This questioning went on for a while as he devoured his food, chewed with his mouth open and rocked back and forth. Despite his several irritating characteristics, I did not mind him too much. In this period of time either through questions or through me volunteering details, he pretty much learned of [his] life’s trajectory. He was thrilled about my travels, my career and my staying in touch with “his friends” as he put it. He was also happy, strangely, at the fact that I still had impossible dreams. He was displeased with how I had taken care of my body as well as not trying hard enough to make it to the Indian team. Kids those days! But, despite myself, I was enjoying the conversation. I told him of Roger Federer, about the turn of the millennia, and our dependence on computers. In a while, our conversation was really easy and I felt that he was mostly alright though he could still be super irritating at times. He wanted to know everything about everything and appeasing his curiosity was not easy. I realized how hard it must have been for my parents and people around me (perhaps, how hard it still must be…). As I prepared to take leave of him, I asked if I could see the cassette.
“ Ah Roja, nice.. You know this AR. Rahman?”, I enquired. He nodded and said he was his favorite I said. “He, in 2009, will win 2 Oscars.”
He broke into a grin and said “ I like the future”.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Hope, hopelessness and dissenting opinions
As you might have noticed, I have not blogged in a while. The events of the past week however have set me thinking not unlike millions world over - the attack on Mumbai on 26th Nov. Besides being flabbergasted a wave of hopelessness descended on me. Everywhere it seems there is rampant mindlessness, absolute self centrism. You look around and every one of our actions (yes our own actions) seem tainted. Do you know that we are polluting some parts of our world with our laptops and cell phones we discard ? Several such activivities unbeknownst to us form a part of our life ( products that are tested on animals or hapless poverty-stricken people, environmental impacts of our actions, chain stores, blood diamonds, etc etc). Do we just shrug our shoulder philosophically declare that nothing can be done (yes we have that luxury until one of these atrocities directly touches our life)?
Terrorism and extremism are often justified or rationalized in some form or the other. Poverty, revenge, sociopathic tendencies etc., etc. It is not enough to merely join the chorus in condemning the terrorists. For a second, why are those amongst us who are ready to die to kill. No answer truly convinces me. Further I am also shocked by the so called elite, the so called educated, who at a moment's notice readily offer some form of a simplistic solution . "All members of X are horrendous and must be killed/driven back to their own country/or some variant of absolute action". Persecution licensed by skin colour, race, religion, sexual orientation goes on unchecked. In fact even our very ideal is to 'tolerate' differences among us rather than celebrate them. The point of my disjointed rant is merely that I am losing my mind over absolute statements of "intellectuals" who are as sure of their own beliefs as the radicals dying and killing for theirs.
This brings to my final point. I blame our intolerance of dissenting opinions of any sort. It happens in Science and in Religion, in the East and the West - ubiquitously and (I assume) from times immemorial. We surrounds ourselves with people who agree with us, in groups where we do not have to justify our beliefs or offer the slightest glimmer of logic in our thinking. Why we despise rational thinking is anyone's guess. Oh and also we feel superior to every other group we don't belong to. It is remarkable to me how "scientists" are a powerful example of this tendency much to our own chagrin.
Our only hope as citizens of this world, I feel, is to encourage dissenting opinions to prevent the polarisation of the world into fanatic groups of various kinds. Perhaps you disagree with me and in the patient discussion of our differences such as on this particular point, lies the hope of our future.
Terrorism and extremism are often justified or rationalized in some form or the other. Poverty, revenge, sociopathic tendencies etc., etc. It is not enough to merely join the chorus in condemning the terrorists. For a second, why are those amongst us who are ready to die to kill. No answer truly convinces me. Further I am also shocked by the so called elite, the so called educated, who at a moment's notice readily offer some form of a simplistic solution . "All members of X are horrendous and must be killed/driven back to their own country/or some variant of absolute action". Persecution licensed by skin colour, race, religion, sexual orientation goes on unchecked. In fact even our very ideal is to 'tolerate' differences among us rather than celebrate them. The point of my disjointed rant is merely that I am losing my mind over absolute statements of "intellectuals" who are as sure of their own beliefs as the radicals dying and killing for theirs.
This brings to my final point. I blame our intolerance of dissenting opinions of any sort. It happens in Science and in Religion, in the East and the West - ubiquitously and (I assume) from times immemorial. We surrounds ourselves with people who agree with us, in groups where we do not have to justify our beliefs or offer the slightest glimmer of logic in our thinking. Why we despise rational thinking is anyone's guess. Oh and also we feel superior to every other group we don't belong to. It is remarkable to me how "scientists" are a powerful example of this tendency much to our own chagrin.
Our only hope as citizens of this world, I feel, is to encourage dissenting opinions to prevent the polarisation of the world into fanatic groups of various kinds. Perhaps you disagree with me and in the patient discussion of our differences such as on this particular point, lies the hope of our future.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Notes from NZ
***** UPDATE : Days 1 ~ 8 posted!
In this series of blogs, I will attempt to write about what I am doing here in New Zealand, about the sights, sounds and really what strikes me. These posts will (I hope) go through few edits and I will upload accompanying pictures soon either during the course of the trip or just after Juy 15th.
Over the course of a few day I will regularly post an account of my trip, a day at a time with a few pictures!
Couple of things to note:
1: Rather than post the newest one first, I have it arranged such that this series of posts runs in a chronological order
2. If you would prefer to just look at the pictures
Please go here and check out the first two albums.
Thanks for reading my blog, I greatly appreciate your comments (so get your lazy ass to scribble a few comments (!) .
Cheers!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Randy Pausch passes away
Randy Pausch, the professor who gave us the remarkable last lecture is no more. I sound like a news reporter but the truth is I realize someone brilliant among us has moved on. He epitomizes to me the promise academia holds. I do not wish to blog about how said it is though we all new it was coming. Let's look at the bright side - ironically through his illness he has enriched the world far beyond his wildest dreams. My heart goes out to his family and I am sure they know how lucky they are.
If you are wondering who he is : Please watch this, you will NOT regret the time you spent on this.
If you are wondering who he is : Please watch this, you will NOT regret the time you spent on this.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Pre Day 1 : The flight here
Arrived here at 6:30 am local time, a transition of all sorts! West to East, North to South and Summer to Winter. The flight was unremarkable save the “tight” connection I had to make at Cincinnati (which I suspect caused my checked in baggage to not arrive with me). Traveling alone brings all kinds of new experiences, plenty of time to ruminate and have a few conversations.
People: I will mention two people I met and one I overheard to give you an idea. First person was on a business trip to San Francisco was talking to me about the challenges of developing a drug (she worked in a pharmaceutical company and makes ‘quite a bit’ by her own admission to this kid joining college in California). He was making his first trip out west and exuded an innocence and wide-eyed wonder at people stories betraying his inexperience. The next person I met when I had to take a bus between terminals. She was a daughter of missionaries of American nationality in Quito, Ecuador and she was joining school in Seattle. She exclaimed that I had an accent and proceeded to express jealousy at my trip to Auckland. Incidentally, I don’t know how to pronounce this city, it sounds closer to Oakland but if I try it people remind me that I did not need a flight from LA to get there (Oakland, CA is drive-able from LA). Finally the there was this lady who has teaching in Chinese public schools in Beijing (interestingly not English!) and was traveling to NZ and Australia. I could not say where she came from. As we landed in Auckland, I peeked into the drowsy rainy morning wondering what is in store!
People: I will mention two people I met and one I overheard to give you an idea. First person was on a business trip to San Francisco was talking to me about the challenges of developing a drug (she worked in a pharmaceutical company and makes ‘quite a bit’ by her own admission to this kid joining college in California). He was making his first trip out west and exuded an innocence and wide-eyed wonder at people stories betraying his inexperience. The next person I met when I had to take a bus between terminals. She was a daughter of missionaries of American nationality in Quito, Ecuador and she was joining school in Seattle. She exclaimed that I had an accent and proceeded to express jealousy at my trip to Auckland. Incidentally, I don’t know how to pronounce this city, it sounds closer to Oakland but if I try it people remind me that I did not need a flight from LA to get there (Oakland, CA is drive-able from LA). Finally the there was this lady who has teaching in Chinese public schools in Beijing (interestingly not English!) and was traveling to NZ and Australia. I could not say where she came from. As we landed in Auckland, I peeked into the drowsy rainy morning wondering what is in store!
Day 1: June 26th, Thursday - Auckland
Well today was a long day. It started at about 4:00 am NZ time, with the plane shaken by turbulence. I had slept surprisingly well during my flight. I got into the city (airbus from the airport to the downtown costs NZD 15) and walked past this bar filed with people watching the Turkey-Germany Euro semi final. I could not check in till 1, so I thought I would make the most of the time getting my bearings right this city. My first impressions are that everything in this city is expensive! The city is vibrant and it seems to me that it has shades of Montreal mixed with Helsinki! It seems it is impossible to escape the view of the sky tower.
The majestic, almost cliched sky tower
Aimlessly wandering around the city, dodging sudden downpours, busy pedestrians and dealing with a heavy backpack gets me a bit crabby. A bit of self-doubt creeps in! My bag has not yet arrived, my accommodation is dank, crowded and unremarkable ☺ and top it all things seem expensive! I cannot wait to go to the less crowded parts. 1/3rd of NZ population lives in Auckland! On the positive side, the architecture around Queen street (the main street in downtown Auckland much like Rue Cartier in Montreal) is a delightful mix of old and new. The people are heterogeneous, with the minorities predominated by South-east Asians, quite ordinary until of course they open their mouth! The Kiwi accent is fascinating with notably strange vowel space. I will remark more on this, I am sure, throughout this trip.
The evening was quite interesting. Auckland seems to come alive at night, though not with the obscene fervour that you might imagine.
Auckland by night
The weather is quite cold, blustering winds and I was yearning for my jacket, which of course was safely packed in my bag that has not yet left the shores of America. The “free” dinner at Nomad’s fat camel backpacker is a freaking joke, remind me to write reviews in bold.
People: I met two people worth mentioning. The first guy was a Brazilian from Sao Paulo who spoke English haltingly named Ricardo who was leaving to Brisbane for a year to learn English. The second guy from NJ, who will be called the Harvard geologist for I forgot to ask his name, was here on a short trip before he went to Australia to take a practicum course on the outback. Incidentally, he was gushing how he was going to a conference to Iceland later.
The majestic, almost cliched sky towerAimlessly wandering around the city, dodging sudden downpours, busy pedestrians and dealing with a heavy backpack gets me a bit crabby. A bit of self-doubt creeps in! My bag has not yet arrived, my accommodation is dank, crowded and unremarkable ☺ and top it all things seem expensive! I cannot wait to go to the less crowded parts. 1/3rd of NZ population lives in Auckland! On the positive side, the architecture around Queen street (the main street in downtown Auckland much like Rue Cartier in Montreal) is a delightful mix of old and new. The people are heterogeneous, with the minorities predominated by South-east Asians, quite ordinary until of course they open their mouth! The Kiwi accent is fascinating with notably strange vowel space. I will remark more on this, I am sure, throughout this trip.
The evening was quite interesting. Auckland seems to come alive at night, though not with the obscene fervour that you might imagine.
Auckland by night The weather is quite cold, blustering winds and I was yearning for my jacket, which of course was safely packed in my bag that has not yet left the shores of America. The “free” dinner at Nomad’s fat camel backpacker is a freaking joke, remind me to write reviews in bold.
People: I met two people worth mentioning. The first guy was a Brazilian from Sao Paulo who spoke English haltingly named Ricardo who was leaving to Brisbane for a year to learn English. The second guy from NJ, who will be called the Harvard geologist for I forgot to ask his name, was here on a short trip before he went to Australia to take a practicum course on the outback. Incidentally, he was gushing how he was going to a conference to Iceland later.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Day 2: June 27th, Friday, Near Auckland : Rangitoto
The day started out well, no jet lag, restful sleep and was awake at 7 am. I decided I would visit a nearby, uninhabited volcanic island named Rangitoto. I took a ferry from the harbour and as it receded the coastline, I saw spectacular views of downtown Auckland. The lovely blue skies changed to stormy rains in a matter of minutes! I must remark about the weather in Auckland region: it changes by the minute quite literally. Today, I saw an alternation between lovely blue and pouring rain at least 12 times. Hyperbole you might say and wave your hand away! Ask the locals they shrug their shoulders, grin and move on. Also, I had some fun with the Kiwi accent. First(ly), when I bought breakfast and the lady told me that will be seventeen I jumped out of my pants in surprise. I looked at the bill and realized it was 7.10! Second I was struggling to stifle my laughter when the “skipper” of the ferry was talking about the “dick” (deck in Kiwi).
As I disembarked in Rangitoto, it seemed like a stupid idea – pouring rain, shelter scarce, no water or food, but the idea was enticing and so I got off with a few other people who shared the same foolishness.
The quay at Rangitoto, the weather changed about 5 times over a course of 4 hours !
The highlight of this island is that it was created by a volcanic eruption a mere 600 years ago! The local Maori witnessed the spectacle (as evidenced by footprints on the lava ash) and named it so. As the ferry left us, the clouds cleared miraculously to reveal deep blue skies. The crater of the eruption was an hour away and I decided to climb it. Hiking or tramping as it is known here is quite popular here. My walk to the top was filled with periodic realization that I was seeing something so different, so young geographically. Black rock formed out of lava, little fauna, save for a few birds and puzzling distribution of flora marked the path to the peak. While on top I decided I was going to hang out here for a while, while the rest of the group departed. I was the only person on the island (remember, I was cribbing yesterday about the crowded streets of Auckland!!). The feeling was great, fantasies of being an explorer floated through and then I realized I was taking the wrong path down! It is hard to ask for directions if you are the only person in the Island! The catch was I had to get back to the wharf in about 3 hours or I risked missing the last ferry out! To cut a long story short, I made it with plenty of time, I basked and huddled alternatively and continually marveled at the lovely sights of the Island. I was very tired and I got back to Auckland, had sushi and to my joy was reunited with my bag! I now had a towel, jacket and what not!
People: Today was remarkable in terms of the people I met and their stories. Do you remember the lady I overheard in the airport? I saw her again today and walked up to her and started talking. Turns out, she is from CA, getting married to a South African, living in China and is named ‘Brit’ – globalization indeed! We chatted for about 45 minutes, basic themes being how travel dissolves national fanaticism and how one can be a global citizen. On the island, an Italian couple (David- eh as he was introduced and Paula [pronounced Paola like my dear Brazilian friend) accompanied me to the peak. They were students of journalism visiting NZ for 10 days. She was a national tennis champion and both of them were wonderful company. She was adamant to leave the island as soon as possible too! As I waited, after rest of my “tramping mates” left the island I realized I was not alone. I met a Japanese gentleman named Matsimoto who reminded me of Chang’s father from Tintin. He was retired from a job in publishing and was determined to roam the world in his retirement – Annie’s kinda person. Then I met Nick and Bees (Bess pronounced like a Kiwi) and they were from near Christchurch doing a tour of NZ before moving to Ireland. Then there is Allie, an Englishwoman from Coventry (I asked her CT? both incredulously and foolishly) who volunteered in Sri Lanka for a month, stayed in Thailand and was leaving to San Francisco tomorrow! Dennis a german bloke was funny, talking to me about his bungee (bungy here) jumping experience and also the fact that he was here on a 11 month work and subsist plan! The wanderlust is powerful and most of the people are in their late teens, early twenties, working to fund their travel, skimping and spending lavishly, eating sparingly etc. How colourful a way to spend your carefree years!
As I disembarked in Rangitoto, it seemed like a stupid idea – pouring rain, shelter scarce, no water or food, but the idea was enticing and so I got off with a few other people who shared the same foolishness.
The quay at Rangitoto, the weather changed about 5 times over a course of 4 hours !
The highlight of this island is that it was created by a volcanic eruption a mere 600 years ago! The local Maori witnessed the spectacle (as evidenced by footprints on the lava ash) and named it so. As the ferry left us, the clouds cleared miraculously to reveal deep blue skies. The crater of the eruption was an hour away and I decided to climb it. Hiking or tramping as it is known here is quite popular here. My walk to the top was filled with periodic realization that I was seeing something so different, so young geographically. Black rock formed out of lava, little fauna, save for a few birds and puzzling distribution of flora marked the path to the peak. While on top I decided I was going to hang out here for a while, while the rest of the group departed. I was the only person on the island (remember, I was cribbing yesterday about the crowded streets of Auckland!!). The feeling was great, fantasies of being an explorer floated through and then I realized I was taking the wrong path down! It is hard to ask for directions if you are the only person in the Island! The catch was I had to get back to the wharf in about 3 hours or I risked missing the last ferry out! To cut a long story short, I made it with plenty of time, I basked and huddled alternatively and continually marveled at the lovely sights of the Island. I was very tired and I got back to Auckland, had sushi and to my joy was reunited with my bag! I now had a towel, jacket and what not!
People: Today was remarkable in terms of the people I met and their stories. Do you remember the lady I overheard in the airport? I saw her again today and walked up to her and started talking. Turns out, she is from CA, getting married to a South African, living in China and is named ‘Brit’ – globalization indeed! We chatted for about 45 minutes, basic themes being how travel dissolves national fanaticism and how one can be a global citizen. On the island, an Italian couple (David- eh as he was introduced and Paula [pronounced Paola like my dear Brazilian friend) accompanied me to the peak. They were students of journalism visiting NZ for 10 days. She was a national tennis champion and both of them were wonderful company. She was adamant to leave the island as soon as possible too! As I waited, after rest of my “tramping mates” left the island I realized I was not alone. I met a Japanese gentleman named Matsimoto who reminded me of Chang’s father from Tintin. He was retired from a job in publishing and was determined to roam the world in his retirement – Annie’s kinda person. Then I met Nick and Bees (Bess pronounced like a Kiwi) and they were from near Christchurch doing a tour of NZ before moving to Ireland. Then there is Allie, an Englishwoman from Coventry (I asked her CT? both incredulously and foolishly) who volunteered in Sri Lanka for a month, stayed in Thailand and was leaving to San Francisco tomorrow! Dennis a german bloke was funny, talking to me about his bungee (bungy here) jumping experience and also the fact that he was here on a 11 month work and subsist plan! The wanderlust is powerful and most of the people are in their late teens, early twenties, working to fund their travel, skimping and spending lavishly, eating sparingly etc. How colourful a way to spend your carefree years!
Day 3: June 28th, Saturday, Auckland to Rotorua
Rainbows followed me everywhere
I woke up nice and early and got ready to make my first trip within NZ. Rotorua was the destination. First, I had to make my way to the bus stand in a cold-rainy-windy Auckland dawn! I waited at a coffee shop, reading a newspaper and there was cricket everywhere! What a lovely feeling, morning cricket news, a cup of cappuccino and waiting to go to some place exotic ! The bus arrived, the driver was a chirpy little chap and we mad our way across the Kiwi countryside. One word: Splendid! The countryside was basically rolling hills spotted with sheep and cows and little hut-like house. Apparently, sheep here outnumber people 6 to 1 (or something) and I
saw plenty of evidence for that. We reached Rotorua around 12:20, having left Auckland around 8:15 and I was freezing my skull off. I was desperate and I found a middle-eastern place serving Lentil soup. After some hot soup and a long conversation later with the guy at the counter, I left. It turned out that he was from Kanyakumari (southern tip of India and my state Tamil Nadu). Wandered into backpackers, greeted by a South African bloke (that I later came to know, stayed in the same dorm,) and found that people just stayed here on and on and worked there! There was this guy from Malaysia, Kumar who was here, a bit embarrassed by the fact that he worked at a restaurant (!) and who was convinced that “westernization” was bad for his children!
Rotorua the town was alright but the lakefront was spectacular, reminded me a lot of Lake Yellowstone. The sunset was lovely though rainy, extremely windy and cold ☺
Sunset at Rotorua Lake
Day 4: June 29th, Sunday, Rotorua to Wellington
Sunrise - Rotorua Lake
The next day sunrise was a sight to behold and walk across the public park with a lot of geysers and the government garden was tranquil. It is not difficult to catch the sunrise around 7:30 in the morning and sunset around 5:30 pm in the evening – so extremely short days. There are these birds, funny looking, semi-flying birds that seem so common around here.
Comon birds called Pukeko (often confused with Takahe which is flightless and endangered,
Also the lake was full of ducks, geese and majestic black swans! The government gardens were pretty, so green and I eventually went to the city park that was built around the volcanic basin. On the whole, was a relaxed morning, walking around, having cappuccino and you know wait to leave to Wellington. At around 1:15 we set off to Taupo from where we would switch buses to Wellington. The bus ride to Taupo was pretty, though unremarkable until Lake Taupo came into view! Majestic snow-covered mountains adorned the background and the lake was huge (turns out it is the largest lake in the country), The bus ride from Taupo was punctuated with some uncertainty, as it was unclear if the roads were open because of snow. I was puzzled because Taupo was as sunny as it had ever been! Once we undertook the journey, (pardon me for indulging in the excesses of superlatives) was the most beautiful bus journey I have taken. One thing is that I have seen a rainbow (mostly full ones!) every single day of my stay here. Today, I saw 4 rainbows! and I have a sneaky suspicion that the Kiwis don’t even bother to look up unless it is especially spectacular! As went over the region called National Park, I realized that the terrain was extremely hilly and we saw enough snow around. We stopped for dinner and I got a big honking veggie burger (incidentally the Kiwis spell it Vege). Once it was sunset there was nothing much to see. I got into Wellington late Sunday; the city was already asleep.
Days 5,6,7 June 30th – July 2nd (Mon ~ Wed) Wellington
Victoria university, Wellington
In case it is not clear so far, the “primary” purpose of my trip is to attend and present at Labaratory Phonology, 11 held at Victoria University, Wellington. I walked from my hostel to the conference centre, a brisk 25-minute walk. May I also remark, that for the next 4 days, I would be rich in that I would have my own room, internet and have good food (because it is provided by the conference!). The conference is very nice, about a 100 people and you get to talk to quite a few of them. Being Phonology, a bulk of my time was either spent in awe or feeling stupid or outside in the lobby (some talks are just not up my alley). Having said that, however, it was nice to see the approach of the study of language from a different perspective and the empirical results of course astound me irrespective of the approach!
The conference aside (I am happy to talk about it all night long but really who wants to listen to that; however I have proof that I did attend as well as presented at the conference for you doubting my true purposes!), Wellington is an astounding city. I like it way better than Auckland. It is cute, has character, relatively cheaper and full of coffee shops. When I say full, I mean if I walked about a km in Wellington, stopping at every coffee shop to just have a sip, at the end of it I would be dead!!
One of the many lovely coffee shops
Is insane but lovely ☺. In fact I just took a break had a “flat white” (coffee with milk really!) and a grape focasia bread (also called awesomeness as my dear friend Anue would put it). Is remarkable the options of the eats at these places and they are out of the world! The coffee options are funny – long black is just coffee, short black is an expresso, flat white- is coffee with milk, and there are many others that I have no clue what they are. Is a lovely lovely city.
Ok, there are two things I did taking breaks from the conference. First, I visited the NZ Parliament. Being ruled by her majesty the Queen of England (really, it is time to move on ;) ) the place is replete with customs and tradition. The system of governace is remarkable. NZ Parliament does not have a higher house (they voted themselves off !!) and laws are made with committees. Now the cool part is that you can submit a position, be invited to be attend this session (incidentally, during the tour I was seated in the very place you would sit if you were invited for this meeting). Here is the crazier part, you don’t have to be from NZ ! They practise absolute free speech and the whole thing looked very promising. Our tour guide was funnily enough from California but intensely proud of the Kiwi system and was funny old guy. I also met a German girl(lady) named Nadine and she was on her way to Auckland, having stayed in Wellington for 6 months before flying back to Germany.
The NZ Parliament or the Beehive
The second thing I did was go to Basin Reserve (!). Wellington’s lovely lovely cricket ground, that I have nurtured a dream of visiting ever since the 1992 world cup. You have probably heard this before, but you know, I recall that World cup fondly even though India crashed out early. It was held in Aus and NZ and matches in NZ started around 3:30 am IST. I did not have an alarm, was 12 years old but I could wake up on time for all the matches. Remarkable how your “body clock”, whatever that is functions so well if you really want to wake up. Anyway, I had seen that view of the Basin Reserve so many times in my life (with Mt. Victoria in the background) and it was an emotional high to be there!
The Springboks in flight
One my way to Basin reserve, I watched the Springboks (South African Rugby team) practise out in the open, undisturbed by the general public who stood and watched politely. For a rugby crazy country like NZ (it is their national sport too!) it was quite amazing that they were not hounded!
There is also a Cricket museum there that I visited (they opened it for me, cause it was a Winter Weekday). I spent an hour and half chatting with these two blokes David and Michael. David appeared to be in his late 50’s early 60’s and Michael in his 70’s. We talked like old buddies being reunited, about cricket of the 80’s 90’ and today. Michael was effusive in his praise for the new Indian team and he said he was feverishly supporting the Indian team that toured Australia. In his words, “My wife and I watched every single ball of every single match in that tour and we were cheering on!”. The exhibit itself was lovely tracing the history of cricket, particularly NZ greats like Howarth, Turner, Hadlee and I got to see some old buddies in action (though not Gavin Larsen ☹). I could not take pictures inside but I left with a black caps (NZ cricket team) cap ( and a T shirt! I love NZ and the people are sooo nice. I am heading to the south Island in a few days and I have heard people gush about how pretty it is. But for now, I think it has been wonderful, plenty of time to see, think and hopefully I am rejuvenated for a year of hard work!
Oh the Basin reserve...
What also tickled me is that we had a reception by the deputy mayor in the city hall which was very impressive. Our walk to the city hall was very nice and then we (four random conference attendees had dinner at an Indian restaurant. I learnt a lot about Australian Aborigines and the problem of integration into the mainstream culture. The food was disappointing but what was interesting was that we tipped them 5% (I think) and the consensus on the table was that we were over-tipping! Looking back, I have to admit that I loved Wellington much more than Auckland really.
Day 8 July 3rd (Thurs) Wellington – Picton – Nelson
I did manage to get up early despite my concerns and I took the shuttle to the ferry terminal. I boarded what looked like a moving mall.
Ferry not a mall
It was stupendous! I expected a smallish ferry with a deck and place to take shelter in case of bad weather. Instead, I step into this moving vessel of luxury (for the purposes of crossing Cook’s strait!). I walked about pleasantly surprised and I ran into a well-known professor in my field. We chatted a bit about theory (geeks eh?) but taking care not to miss the lovely sights. The weather half co-operated. I also got to see Nadal demolish Murray on board. In case you ever visit NZ (which I sincerely hope you do!) please take the Inter-Islander; it is quite the experience!
Me in the ferry
I got off at Picton as did everybody, grabbed my luggage and was happy to note that the bus was waiting for the passengers of the ferry. Picton looked fine draped in rainbows, a sight that I have chanced upon every single day atleast once during my NZ trip!
Rainbows galore!
The journey to Nelson from Picton was pretty but unremarkable. Picton seemed to be the gateway into Southland but nothing more. I got into Nelson early evening checked into the hostel. Intermittent showers prevented me from getting to the centre of the nation that day! I was unsure about Nelson, it seemed fine, the views very pretty. Fine and pretty are two words you will no doubt hear quite often in the description of the South Island in particular, the reason being that am trying to balanced. The truth is each of these sights was absolutely marvelous the pictures I have posted will buttress this fact I hope. I am in fact quite confident that the scenery is resilient to amateur photography! Anyway, my first day in Nelson was pleasant.
Lovely scenery despite my camerawork
Ferry not a mall
It was stupendous! I expected a smallish ferry with a deck and place to take shelter in case of bad weather. Instead, I step into this moving vessel of luxury (for the purposes of crossing Cook’s strait!). I walked about pleasantly surprised and I ran into a well-known professor in my field. We chatted a bit about theory (geeks eh?) but taking care not to miss the lovely sights. The weather half co-operated. I also got to see Nadal demolish Murray on board. In case you ever visit NZ (which I sincerely hope you do!) please take the Inter-Islander; it is quite the experience!
Me in the ferry
I got off at Picton as did everybody, grabbed my luggage and was happy to note that the bus was waiting for the passengers of the ferry. Picton looked fine draped in rainbows, a sight that I have chanced upon every single day atleast once during my NZ trip!
Rainbows galore!
The journey to Nelson from Picton was pretty but unremarkable. Picton seemed to be the gateway into Southland but nothing more. I got into Nelson early evening checked into the hostel. Intermittent showers prevented me from getting to the centre of the nation that day! I was unsure about Nelson, it seemed fine, the views very pretty. Fine and pretty are two words you will no doubt hear quite often in the description of the South Island in particular, the reason being that am trying to balanced. The truth is each of these sights was absolutely marvelous the pictures I have posted will buttress this fact I hope. I am in fact quite confident that the scenery is resilient to amateur photography! Anyway, my first day in Nelson was pleasant.
Lovely scenery despite my camerawork
More NZ pics
Please see more NZ pics here : http://picasaweb.google.com/mailnavin Your comments are most welcome!
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