I got shot in the foot...but I'm wolverine...hear my roar!

So as always, my titles have nothing to do with how my day was or how my weekend was, and neither does it have anything to do with the weather or politics or has any subliminal messages that will cause all the children in China to jump at the same time knocking our planet Earth out of it's orbit, but I shall tell you other things. (The meaning of the title shall remain a secret...;-))

The weekend was great!!! Anal had a get together with a bunch of people there. We were all gonna head into town but it ended up only being a few of us so we just hung out :-).

The week that came after that was hectic. I had an assignment due for one of my classes...for the tutorial of all damned things. I finished it, but it just took up time, not that I spend my time wisely or usefully. I was happy I came prepared though. For example, on top of that written assignment we needed to hand in, we also had to answer a series of questions and discuss them when we are called upon in class. I did do that...but I overdid it. The tutor calls the students around the room to answer, and you can opt out for not answering, but then you don't get your participation grade, cause it's based on answering questions, not just showing up. I guess that's a good way to grade people.

I attended a few lectures...skipped a few, nothing new there. I have been slacking off quite a bit now but since it's the beginning of a new week I need to get back on track. OH WAIT!!!...totally forgot to tell you about this weekend...

SO! this weekend...was a pretty productive weekend. Friday night was fun, hung out with my buddy Baer (yes his name is Bear...but he spells its Baer). Went to a couple places...but the city was dead for some reason...it's all good. We also saw a Venus and the moons...it was pretty good. never seen a beautiful planet or moons for that fact. Gotta love the views over here in New Zealand. We got quite hungry after that and got some Kebabs from this one stand outside a restaurant...it was pretty good. Definitely gonna make another trip there sometime. On the way home we stopped by to have some Double Apple, which is actually alot better than the double apple I've had in Boston. I dunno, must be because of the shipping or what not. Finally got to my bed...and I could not sleep...so I played some PSP...and eventually dozed off. Saturday was fun as well...went to go see Aniel's dress shop that he owns. He's got quite a nice set up and is moving to a different location, so he's just getting that all sorted out. So if any of you guys who are dress designers, or would like to purchase some high-end dresses, let me know, I know the right guy. during lunch with Nash, Dips, and Anal we couldn't decide what to do so we came to the conclusion of Nash bring his projector, Dips bringing his PS3, me bringing my hard drive, and Anal bringing his laptop, and just watch a movie or play some ps3 games projected on the top floor of Anal's shop. BATTLE NIGHT!, as they called it I think. It was fun. Agez and Dani met up as well and we watched Shooter...which is still a pretty good movie even though I've seen it a few dozen times. Afterwards, it was battle time with Tekken, I obviously sucked, because I'm only good at shooting games...such as HALO 3...general status! Janak knows what I'm talking about. BOOM!!! head shot!

Sunday, which is today, was an absolute total waste of a day. Did absolutely nothing and sat on my chair and watched movies and TV shows. It was kinda of relaxing...and for some reason i feel like im draining out the laziness in me. It's like I have this reserve of being really really lazy and I know I should do work but...for some reason I just can't. I keep procrastinating and can't do anything about it. Now I know for all of you guys who are reading this will criticize me for it...go ahead, it's only human. You'll say..well you're bringing this upon yourself of being lazy and falling behind on school work and readings and blah blah blah. But I'm sure you probably as well went through the phase of being wicked lazy and just sit on your ass flipping through channels and not being productive. I'm pretty much at the same spot...well I have been for some time. But I'm gonna try and change it this week...so wish me luck! No more being lazy...no more procrastinating...no more putting off my set schedule that I think of when I'm lying in bed early in the morning waiting to press the snooze button for alarm #3...no more lying in bed early in the morning waiting for alarms...no more snoozing!

What else? well...I been looking through some old photos of my Boston and my lovely Family that resides there...just reminisced on some great times. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy I finally made it here after months and months of planning, but with all travels and all places, everyone misses the comfort of their home, their friends, and their family. The familiar faces on the street and the familiar smells of the pizza parlors. Or even the familiar street names and one-way streets. Weird huh...

Song:                       Edge of Desire by John Mayer

the continuation of a celebration through conversations with some Homo Sapiens

So...you're most likely wondering why the title is like that...well...honestly...I just read a paragraph of my reading assignment, and the only word that stood out was Homo Sapien. So congrats to me! I'm going far in life (thumbs up!)

Picking up where I left off from, I did not go to the gym early morning (typical)...I rather took a slow day and skipped all my lectures to spend my afternoon at the gym. 30 minutes of bike, 30 minutes of treadmill, and 30 minutes of rowing does the body good!

Prior to that, Thursday was the teams last hockey match...they kicked ass...won the overall thing...and as a prize received a meat pack. Congrats RED!! Dinner was at OPORTO...good chicken burgers they got there...order the chili sauce.

The weekend was a quiet one. Age booked us all tickets to see Alice in Wonderland 3D. It was pretty good...we got to keep the glasses, so I guess I'll be taking them to see Avatar in 3D which I still havn't seen. Hopefully I will soon. Rashmi and Dips havn't seen it and Nash said he wanted to see it again too, so it's a party..HEY!!

Tuesday I had tutorials...which is basically like our discussion groups back in the states. They were back to back, another thing which just gets on my nerves. Basically, my lectures and tutorials start at the beginning of the hour and end at the end of the hour. This would seem very punctual and organized for teachers and students who have an hour break in between, or more. But not so helpful for the students who have back-to-back lectures or tutorials. I mean if we, as students, are supposed to get the most out of every lecture, and out of every tutorial, I don't see how that would be possible, For example, I have three lectures on Fridays, all back-to-back, and at three different locations. Now, if classes start on the dot, and end pretty much on the dot, then I have no idea how I would get the most if I miss either the last 5 minutes of class, or the first 5 minutes of class. Usually all the seats are filled up within the first 2 minutes of the hour...which leaves all the late-comers to either ask the people already sitting down to get up and move to the empty seats in the middle, or either to just sit in the back of the hall, on the ground. Now I personally do not want to resort to sitting on the ground, not that I have anything against it. But how would I take notes, listen, and see the screen if im sitting on the floor in the way back?
Oh...what is that you say? Why not leave a little early from your previous class? Well usually the most important announcements are at the end of the class, or you would know what the readings would be if the professor decided to go off on a tangent and not follow the schedule that he/she gave out at the first day of classes (it's happened many times...in every class I've been through).
Now I guess if the university scheduling committee (if there even is such a thing) would be more a little more sensible and not realize that the student body is not equipped with a teleporting device that can transfer us to different classes on the spot, I think I wouldn't have a problem with my schedule. But...clearly that is not the case here. SO my name is Kunal...hear me ROAR!.

Also tuesday I went to my first professional cricket match ever! (New Zealand vs. Australia). It was an eventful day. I drove down to Hamilton (an hour drive from Auckland) with Dhiru and Manny and met up with the rest of the crew there. Aneela was already there for a meeting so she joined us, Nash's bro was there too and Dips apparently had work to do there so he joined as well. So basically it was another party HEY!!! New Zealand was batting when we got there and I though it was gonna end soon, but apparently that was not the case. Nash told me it was a full day thing before, just didn't really think he meant it. After New Zealand batted, Australia basically batted until they won...but the last couple runs they needed were just dreadfully long and it was getting pretty damn boring. But the company was great, which made it fun. We were basically sitting on the grass part of the stadium right near the fence and people kept coming over, trying to grab signatures from Doug Bollinger, who basically got a couple people thrown out. Nice job Doug, way to be the Debbie Downer on a beautiful day, no wonder kiwi's dont like the ozzies.

So you can take a guess who's the beautiful day and who's the debbie downer. If you can't...than you have serious problems my friend.

(oh that woman in the white hat...funny story...we asked her to move several times cause she was blocking our view...but she basically turned around and gave us the evil eye with some words and stood her ground. When she did move..we celebrated by clapping...oh she was Indian btw...which makes it all worse when the evil eye is received) 

What else??? I FINALLY have my room set up. Got the duvets which only arrived a couple weeks late. No problem though...I already fell sick and it's passed now (that's sarcasm at its finest). Before leaving the states we were advised not to bring bedsheets or pillows or blankets or anything because they will all be provided. But when we got here we were informed we had to pay for all of it. It also didn't help because the lady who was supposed to be welcoming us to this beautiful country and the city, decided to go off on a rampage about what we can't do, and that we had to pay $120 for the bed sheets. But then again...she did say welcome...I guess we're not scared anymore :-) OR how about the fact that after traveling across the damn globe to get here finally to be settled in peace, we are told about the HOUSING FEE!!! I was really happy the entire trip didn't come out to be as much as i thought it would, but then we get stuck with this housing bill. What a great way to start off the semester huh! I guess the internet set up wasn't so bad. I only stayed on the phone for 45 minutes bitching at the people to give me connection because I was informed I should already have it. (once again...sarcasm's finest) 

 

 

I guess even if all these unfortunate things had to happen to me in such a freakin awsome country, I'm glad I have and know people. I guess just knowing one person is so much more better than none at all. But I've been blessed with quite a few people actually and I'm glad for that (awww NO I'm not gonna get all emotional so don't hope for it) That's my room up there...the bed, the desk, the wardrobe, and the view I get. 

Tomorrow is another day of classes, I'm dreading it. I guess the eye candy, aka "maal", should be good. It usually is when the weather is nice. :-) That's one thing to look forward to. 

Song tonight is Tukde Tukde (R&B Mix) by Navin Kundra. (really chill beat)

...it's been a while

Hello All!

So I understand it's been a while and I know how much you guys have missed me...but ALOT has happened since my last post (clearly cause its been well over a year!!!). Obviously I'm not gonna go over the entire list but here's a summary: I was supposed to go to Australia, but my fellow Indian peeps were being attacked so I cancelled. I quit my job at the lawfirm after 3 years...because I'M HERE IN NEW ZEALAND!!!. And the most recent news...I'm an uncle!!!. Yes, my cousin Bina gave birth to a girl just yesterday...probably the most exciting thing since New Years (no details given...only in person) However, I am extremely pissed off I'm here in Auckland, and not there to see the munchkin. Before I left in mid-February, My Boston Family gave me the best gift ever, along with a couple gifts from my mom...something I keep posted right in front of me, pinned to the board on my desk:

So obviously the religious things have to do with my mom, it's what mom's do you know...sneak in some paintings and some statues of Ganesha while your packing your other bags. Gotta love 'em!

So..I'll start on day one of leaving Boston, and quickly work my way up to right now, hopefully it won't take too long. So February 12th, a major snow storm hit Boston (NOT!!!) and my flight was cancelled from Boston to LA on the 13th, which in turn would make me miss my flight from LA to Auckland, which in turn would make me miss the bus to my 4 day Culture and Adventure program in Rotorua (New Zealand's Vegas...without the casinos and other perks :-) So after many calls to the organization that I used to get here and calls to STA...I was only given the option to head to the airport and beg to get on a plane, or else I miss my flight to Auckland, and well STA can't do shit about that. Some help! I was furious about that and I intend to give them hell...but in time. So my parents rushed to Boston...helped me finish packing quickly and rushed to the airport to basically go around every terminal, every airline, and every stand, and ask for any flight out of Boston. After a few hours of running around with my two huge bags and my carry-on, and constantly on the phone with my brother who was at work looking for tickets, I finally get a flight out. My uncle and aunt who live really close to the airport came by to say goodbye. My brother joined right after work as well. When it was boarding time I bid my familia farewell, and off I went into the security check....only to be searched about 4 times before I could put my shoes back on (damn racist security guards). My flight was from Boston to San Francisco, and SF to LA, the next day. After staying at a hotel in SF, I make it to LAX and meet up with another cousin in LA and have lunch with him and he drops me back off at the airport, where I meet up with an entire bunch of other students who are also in the same program as I am. I finally make it through security, and head over to the gates and talk to a few peeps, make some friends, and then I'm on the plane. It still hasn't hit me yet that I'm basically on my own, leaving my entire Boston family and my related family behind to live across the globe for almost half a year.

We land in Auckland after a LONG freakin flight, and we take the bus to Auckland city, to stay at some Hostel for one night, to get a feel of the city (yea right!). Hostel sucked, because 8 guys were crammed into one small room with 4 bunk beds, along with ALL of our belongings. Next day we head to Rotorua-Vegas for our culture program...I am pretty excited at this point because I don't exactly know what to expect. We make it there, and to summarize the entire 4 days, I learned the Haka, I volunteered at the Rotorua Boy's High School to help some kids read, I went cave zip lining, and I came back to Auckland, only to finally get settled in.

I spend some time unpacking and give a call to Nash. Now prior to leaving, a relative of mine from Auckland had come to Boston to do her Masters degree. She became part of our Boston Family for a little while, before she got a job in New York and moved there. She introduced me to a couple of her friends, one of them being Nash (or Naresh). We talked online for a few weeks and exchanged number once I got one here. He picked me up the day I got back to Auckland and took me to a field-hockey game. It was a friendly match between other people, but his group of friends were a team and he wanted to introduce me to them. I met some really nice people, Dips (Dipak), Rashmi and Darsun (engaged), Age (Ajay), Joyti (Dips' 1 out of 4 sisters), Sacks (Sachin), Aneela, Nila, Suresh (Nila's bro) Raj, Mamta (Doctor), Dhilu (Dhiru), Anila, Anal (Aneil), and Manny (Manish). All of them are fun, each with a different personality, and a great sense of humor. That's the thing about people around here...people can take a joke and can have a great time just laughing about it, even if it is about them. "Takin the piss"...is what they call it. OH!...dinner was at Nando's that night...effin great!!!

Classes didn't start until beginning of March, but orientation was the week before (international orientation). So I just went to the first day, nothing special just an introduction saying thanks for coming, thanks for the money, go to the information center for help, PEACE!

During that week Nash called me up a couple times and just hung out..driving around town seeing the sights. He introduced me to L&P and Butter Chicken pies...both which I will miss dearly once I leave, but let's not talk about leaving, I just got here. Thursday after another hockey match...same people, still a great time. Saturday was Darsun's 25th surprise party, a D or N party, where you had to dress up as something that begins with D or N. I went as Dracula, Anal went as Dracula too, and we had a bunch of Doctors, dorks, nurses, ninjas, and a deck of cards lol. I met a few new people there...Darsun was genuinely surprised, so thats a success and the party went until 4:30 in the morning. Next day, we head to New Zealand's most famous Winery for lunch...classy!

I still did not have internet even though I paid for it and was informed by the company that I had connection last thursday. So I called them up and demanded they turn my connection on or come by and fix it or just give me the money back. Finally got connected after two weeks of waiting, and skyped as many people as I could. Prior to internet I had the data plan on my phone so facebook on there was a pain as well as uploading some pics here and there. I called my parents for only $2.00 NZ for up to an hour, which is a preatty damn good deal. But better than that is free calls...which Skype has offered so I stick with Skype naturally.

Classes started monday...I had no idea where my classes were so I woke up early and figured out where everything was and went to my first classes for the week. It was that bad...just never seen so many kids in one lecture hall. Overall...the first week of classes were good, but i have to admit it was a crap load of work for doing my electives. Papers, tutorials, workshops, lecturs, etc. For the first time in my college life, I have classes literally every day of the week. The way I look at it...the tutorials are meant to questions which anyone has during lecture. But all the lecture slides and notes are placed on CECIL (which is basically the BlackBoard for University of Auckland). So I read the textbooks, read the slides, and go to the tutorials, I should be OK if I miss a couple lectures here and there. Besides, these are all freshman courses, how hard can it be?

Well you're basically caught up in my adventures, I will update sooner or later...there's always something new going on here. Bed time for me know...early morning gym session for me.