Anyone ever been to the World Toilet Summit?

Sounds like a ridiculous event, doesn't it? This year's event brought 350 experts to the capital of Marty's country, Belfast. Among other things, a UriLift toilet (a stainless steel urinal that comes out of the ground) was unveiled in that city. One of the topics discussed was that of anti-social behaviour in bathrooms. What is exactly is that? I'm pretty sure I could guess, but I'm not sure I want to know.

Anyone that wants more information on this can go to The World Toilet Summit 2005 website or the World Toilet Organization website. I'm pretty sure you can find a list of the "Best Bathrooms in the World" in there somewhere. I know one bathroom that ain't makin' it on that list: my bathroom in Sector Antarctica...it doesn't even have a toilet.

The best part of the World Toilet Organization's website is the "Did You Know?" section:

1. An average person visits the toilet 2500 times a year. About 6-8 times a day. You spend about 3 years of your life in the toilet.

2. Poor toilet condition is a worldwide problem. More than half of the world population have no proper sanitation.

3. Suppression of urination due to dirty toilets can lead to kidney and bladder diseases. In order to avoid visting public toilets, Some people refrain from drinking and suffer dehydration.

4. Most toilets are designed incorrectly.

5. Female takes 3 times longer than male, yet both toilet sizes are often same.

6. Toilet remains as a 'taboo' as people are shy to discuss the subject.

7. There are toilet associations worldwide promoting toilet education and culture.

8. There are many different forms of toilets. Click here to see drawings.

Check out the drawings...maybe not having a toilet isn't so bad after all....

Party in 68, Seeya to Nara and Ohara

So the 68ers are moving next week, yey! Before we move though we'll drag everyone out in the jungle for another party. Ohara and Nara are heading back to Tokyo on Saturday morning so tonight (Friday, Sept 30) we're throwing a farewell party in 68. Come around 9, bring some booze and get your rickshaws going to Mohali. Address is:
#4531 J AWHO (Army Society, behind the Army Institute of Law which most drivers know)
Sector 68, Chandigarh (actually it's Mohali)

Shouldn't be hard to get out there and hopefully there will be one or two people with cars there who can give rides home otherwise we'll start calling all the numbers for rickshaw drivers we have, so don't worry you can get home at night if you want to.

Hope to see you all there!!

Don't Patronize Me With That Sir Crap!

Just out of curiousity, how many of you guys like being called "Sir"? And for the ladies, what do you get called, "Ma'am"?

I know in Canada, nobody has ever called me sir. I don't think I've ever called anyone sir either.

Sure it's a common term here, but when someone calls me sir, it makes me feel like I'm important or something. I wish the guy at the restaurant would stop calling me sir because, to me, it makes me feel like he is my servant or something along those lines. Strange, ain't it?

What does everyone else think?

The Circus is in town!!!

Hello Chandigarhians,
Well just yesterday I noticed the circus has come to town!!! Sector 17 to be precise – I’ve not been to a circus for years! Me & Nacho were thinking of planning an excursion there over the weekend, maybe Saturday evening so those of you who are not traveling and are interested in coming along just let one of us know. Nacho’s going to find out times & availability of tickets later – so we’ll keep you posted!

Leaving Party

Once again, we have to "celebrate" a friend, brother, colleage, roommate, partner, that is leaving...Is MAYOR from Nigeria..Mr BIN, who is going to be "Back in Nigeria", his party is going to be in October 5th, so all the trainee multitude must be in 36-C to say "goodbye Mayoooor"or"Good luck when you get Back in Nigeria"

"celebrate explanation"...goshhhhhhhhhh
-The traditional house speach
-Borrachos everywhere
-Tears
-Presents
-Food
-Drinks..."English wine"
-Biris to smoke
-Rickshaw drivers for every house, or indian helicopters for vip treatments
-No tables, no chairs
-No "piushing"
-So much music, punjabi, trans, techno, reggae, R&B and "la gasolina"

For any questions about those required things, get in touch with Mr BIN, especially for music stuff...goshhhhhhhhhhhh

New Party Location

Sorry guys but party is not going to be in my future home (38), now is going to be in my present residence, the amazing and clean 36-C...

We will see you there, remember, people from sector Hong Kong and sector Rio de Janeiro (i like this one) can stay in our houses in sector India but now for 50 Rs only cause 36-c is more spacious...

see you there...

don't forget some provisions...

HELLO TRAINEES

Tonight ig going to be a party in 38, just to share with the trainees, no goodbyes parties or birthdays, is just a simple party to share and enjoy a good time, let's bring something to drink or something to eat...
People who live in sector Tokyo and Sector Madrid can stay in our houses in sector India, so don't worry about acommodations, is going to cost you 15 Rs only.

see you tonight

The Weekend

What did everyone do this weekend? I hope it was more exciting than sitting in a bar watching gymnastics. Actually, I had a lot of fun doing that. Thanks Salvador and Marty for an interesting evening. Too bad the Mexican food didn't sit that well, eh?

And for those of you that haven't experienced "paan," make sure you go out and get it. It comes wrapped in a leaf and makes your breath fresher than a first-year college student (did anyone get that?).

Not Sure Whether this is Good News or Bad News For Salvador

This certainly has significance for Mexican people, but for anyone else that enjoys a shot or two (or ten) of tequila maybe interested as well. Check out this article.

What Happened to Friday?

Remember when Friday used to be a good day? Whatever happened to the popular phrase "Thank goodness (God) it's Friday"? I, for one, consider Friday to be another day of the week that just so happens to be preceded by Thursday and followed by Saturday. Just a coincidence, I suppose. I am no longer happy when Friday comes around. Nor am I happy after work on Friday. It would seem that I've lost all concept in the importance of Fridays. If I were unaware of the present day, I would assume that it was a Monday or a Wednesday. There is one explanation for all this....


I HAVE TO WORK ON SATURDAYS.

As for Sunday, it doesn't even feel like a weekend. I get up and say, "Shouldn't I be at work or something?" It takes me 10 minutes just to convince myself that I have the day off.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Happy Birthday, Rolf

Sorry we couldn't make it. Dinner came late and by the time we knew what was going on, it was quarter-to-ten. Since we have to apply for visas to go from Bangladesh to India, it just wasn't going to be possible. How did it turn out?

Stupid Airtel

Hey,
I have a problem I thought somebody might be able to help me with, my mobile is a ‘pay as you go’ Airtel number and just this morning I got a message congratulating me on my updated monthly subscription to hello tunes at the cost of somewhere between Rs 30 –50.
Now, trust me I have never subscribed to any Punjabi tunes I have been offered and don’t want any! (I’m not even sure my phone is high tech enough to accept them!)
So does anyone know how I can get outta this without it costing me anymore money…and on a related note…how annoying are the hundreds of spam text messages these companies send?!

Suicides, Accidents, etc.

It can't be a good thing when, in your house, one of the first things that is asked in the morning is, "How many suicides are in the paper?" If not suicides, how many attempted suicides? Or how many accidents occurred?

It seems like every month there is a write-up on suicide...What are the signs? Who does it? Why do people do it?

Is anyone alarmed by the rate of suicides in this city? What is it like in your home country? I've heard about people committing suicide in and around my hometown, but it would only occur once or twice a year (granted, the area has only 10,000 people). Does anyone have any insight as to why there are so many suicides/attempted suicides?

Any input would be appreciated.

New Trainees in Town

Hello All,

We have a couple of new trainees in town. Living in Sector Bangladesh is a guy named Marian from Slovakia. The other is a girl living in 36A named Luci from the Czech Republic.

Welcome to the community, guys. We'll try to get you setup on the blog as soon as possible.

Translations so far....

Here are a list of translations so far. I'm told that it's a tough sentence to translate...sorry.

English - "The value of the AIESEC experience is not in where you go, but in the people you meet when you get there."

Spanish (Nacho) - "El valor de la experiencia AIESEC no es donde vas, sino que son las personas que conoces cuando llegas."

German (Benjamin) - "Es geht bei AIESEC nicht um das Kennenlernen fremder Laender, sondern um das Kennenlernen der Menschen, die Du dort triffst."

Serbian (Vladan) - "Vrednost iskustva koje Ajzak :) pruža nije u tome gde ideš, već koga upoznaš kada tamo stigneš."

Macedonian (Voskresija) - "Vrednostite na iskustvata koi gi pruza AIESEC ne se vo toa kade odis, tuku kogo ke upoznaes tamu kade sto ke stignes."


French? Mexican Spanish? Anyone else?

Going to Agra?

I think most of the trainees here have already been to Agra, but in case you haven't, make sure you bring your FRO papers (residential permit) with you. Without it, you'll pay approximately 750 rupees to enter the Taj Mahal...with it, you'll pay like 10. If you don't have a residential permit, then either try to get one, or start saving now.

The guys at the entrance will pretend like they have no idea what you're talking about with regards to the FRO discount. Just be persistant and ask to see the manager or something like that. Eventually they'll let you in for the lower price.

Your permit can also be used at other places. Not sure of any specific tourist sites, but I'm told that it works in Jaipur. Anyone else know where you can get an FRO discount?

PARA MI CHILE LINDO Y QUERIDO...

I just want to say happy 18th of September to my Country. Chileans, enjoy as much as you can, i will do the same here, away 32.000 kms from home and i will try to keep my heart in Chile this weekend...

I will miss my National drink and my food, but anyway, we have English "Wine" here and Chapatis...

Chile Chile lindo
Lindo como el sol...

Viva Chile Mierda

Salvador, i didn't know that your country in Virgo like my country...

Check this out

You gotta wonder about people when you read a story like this. Come to think of it, it always works out this way, doesn't it? Bad karma at it's finest....

If you read this and were like "what the %$#@ is kent talking about?" that's because I provided the wrong link. Sorry. Read it now.

Traineeship in Chandigarh

Hey,
I’m just back from 2 weeks in Rajasthan and I can’t believe all I’ve been missing…I leave the city for a short period and Hollywood arrives on my doorstep!! And the blog has been brought back to life and judging my the state of 36C a great party was had on Thursday night…What else has been going on in my absence??!

Spanish Help...Ayuda en Español

Here is the tranlation that Kent needs...

"The value of the AIESEC experience is not in where you go, but in the people you meet when you get there."

"El valor de la experiencia AIESEC no es donde vas, sino que son las personas que conoces cuando llegas"

If in the future anyone needs some help in Spanish, just let me know...
Si en el futuro alguien necesita alguna ayuda en Español solo diganme...

Languages

I would say we have a lot of different languages represented in this city. Here's an idea: can everyone translate the following sentence into their respective language.

"The value of the AIESEC experience is not in where you go, but in the people you meet when you get there."

For instance, Nacho and Salvador both speak Spanish, but could have a different way of saying it. If everyone co-operates, I will post the full list at some future date.

Thanks.

My first Post / exciting pancakes

Hey everyone,

So i haven't had too bad a first week in Chandigarh - a role in a movie, ok just an extra, but if the there's a 'Best Picture' Oscar, i'll be claiming it as my own! Also, the trip to Manali was good fun, and also unexpected, with the week being topped off by Panckae nite - although why does mixing pancake batter remind me of my teenage years?... my right arm was tired, ans my clothes were coved in white stains!

Ry

Interesting Article

Here's a short article that is quite interesting you have a few minutes. I won't give anything away, but this is one smart girl.

Bad Writing?

Would this make the cut for the bad writing contest?

The Cow Runneth Over

There he was, standing like a Matador in the ring of bulls. What would this enormous cow do? Its horns as sharp as a tout's tongue and its rage as blinding as the noon sun. Should he have been wearing red that day? Or was that just a myth....

-Kentminder Babin Singh

How does it compare with this...an actual award winner for bad writing:

"India, which hangs like a wet washcloth from the towel rack of Asia, presented itself to Tex as he landed in Delhi (or was it Bombay?), as if it mattered because Tex finally had an idea to make his mark and fortune and that idea was a chain of steak houses to serve the millions and he wondered, as he deplaned down the steep, shiny, steel steps, why no one had thought of it before."

Ken Aclin
Shreveport, LA

Additions

Just added some more links to trainee blogs. If you don't want to have a link on this blog, just let me know and I will take it off. The language barrier may be an issue, but most of the blogs have some great pics. Voskresija's, for instance, is full of pictures...and good ones as well. Mayor's blog isn't started yet, so the link won't work. But if he ever gets around to it, no doubt it will be an exciting one.

Germain, can I get your email address so I can invite you. For others reading this blog that haven't been invited yet, post your email and I will do it ASAP. For those that have invitations, what are you waiting for, a bus?

Anyways, everything seems to be going good so far. Keep postin', commentin', and readin'....

Kill Bill, pancakes & booze in Panchkula tonight!

We are having a get-together in Panchkula tonight! Salvador has downloaded Kill Bill volumes 1 and 2 and we will have a nice, cozy, friendly, Panchkula-family, lap-top film theatre, and enjoy Tarantino's blood-festival with pancakes and drinks. :) Hahahaha!

Join us! Please announce your coming to me or Salvador and bring some booze and filling of your choosing for the pancakes!

See you tonight!

Where did everyone go this weekend?

Let's hear a little about your trips. I know Manali and Kausolli were visited. Did anyone go anywhere else? Post some pics or stories from your trips. Even if you stayed in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, or Chandigarh on the weekend, did you do anything cool?

Olga's Leaving Party

Anyone have information on that? I heard it was this week.

Wanna be in a movie?

Anytime after 6pm on Tuesday, casting is being held for the movie with Neve Campbell it. The location is 244 Sector 9C. The movie will be shot on October 2nd, 6th, and 7th...that location has yet to be determined.

So True....

Everybody that reads this thing MUST look at this powerpoint presentation compliments of Salvador...it's short and sweet, but so funny.

Note: When it asks you if you want to Open or Save, click "Open" and wait for it to load in the browser. Then just click through like you normally would. You could also save it and view it that way.

Anyone need Info on Kalka-Shimla Train?

If you do, just post a comment or email me (lazylegend@hotmail.com). I took it on the weekend and I can tell you a few things.

I'll say one thing, though. If you want to enjoy the scenery, reserve a seat. If you want a true India experience, go for the "first come, first served" ticket. I chose the latter and it was a very interesting experience. Read my blog if you want a description (link is on the right).

Japanese Encephalitis

Just got an email from the Risk Management department of my university saying that there has been an outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis in Uttar Pradesh. According to the report the department was referencing, the outbreak has killed approximately 600 people and has reached as far as the National Capital Region. This is a mosquito borne virus, so if anyone is planning a trip to Uttar Pradesh, take every precaution necessary in order to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. As for the risk factor here, nothing was mentioned. My guess is that this disease is centralized in Uttar Pradesh and not likely to spread to this area. But like I said, I'm not an expert. One more tidbit of info...8,000 people have died since 1978 in Uttar Pradesh from Japanese Encephalitis.

New Arrival

We have a new trainee in town. His name is Ryan and he comes from Liverpool in England. If you can believe it, he doesn't care much of football (soccer). Wonders never seize, I suppose. Anyways, he's living out in Sector Bangladesh, so it's possible that you may never see him....

CYCLE RICKSHAW or PHYCHO RICKSHAW

Do you like rickshaws?

Well, I think you do. Like me, there is nothing better than travelling by rickshaw during the evenings. You can feel the fresh breeze in your face…something that is hard to find here in Chandigarh during the day.

But you have to consider some risks when you are in the infamous “Indian Helicopter….” Most of us ride them everyday, with absolutely no problems (except inhaling diesel exhaust). I guess it was only a matter of time because I had quite the adventure while going from 15 to 38.

We said to the driver that we would pay 15 Rs “only.” He replied with “Ok,” and the typical Indian head movement.

When we were arriving he tried to change the route, so we said to him, go straight, don’t turn. He shouted some words in Hindi, sounding really angry and upset. We finally arrived in sector 38 and we paid the 15 Rs. He then got really mad and refused to accept it and suddenly he left. “What a freak,” we thought, “no concept of business.”
Well we went into 38-house and stayed there for a while. When we left to go to 36-C, the freaky driver appeared behind us, riding his Indian Helicopter and looking at us like, “I will kill you guys….”

He disappeared for a little while. I was riding my bike with Luisa on board, talking away, when the guy appeared again, but this time with a stone in his hands, furious, and looking to do some damage. I said to Luisa, “Let’s pay him 20 Rs ‘only.’ That’s what he wants.” I then started walking towards him, showing the 20 Rs. Unfortunately, he was coming in my direction with the stone and an evil look on his face. All I could do was to extend my arm with the bills and close my eyes, waiting to be hit on my head. Luckily, nothing happened, so I ran back to my bike and rode home as fast as I could.

Now, if you find a rickshaw driver who doesn’t accept your money, be careful. He will wait for you and then probably try to hit you with a stone, some mangos, chapati or, if the situation is really bad, may try to trample you.

I've just been Bangalored?

Apparently that means to be laid off in the US because your job was outsourced to India. You guys gotta check out this article. It's about the effect of Hinglish (Indian English) on the English language. Did you know that a "kitty party" is a gathering for bored Indian housewives? Or how about "Lollywood?" It's Lahore's film industry....interesting.

Words like "mantra," "shampoo," "jungle," "bungalow," and "cot" are already taken from Hindi...didn't even think of that. In the near future, words like "freshie (new immigrant)" might be become common-speak.

When I go back to Canada, I'm going to try to incorporate "theek hai" and "hanji, sir" into the english language...don't forget the head shake.

Some pics

Hope you don't mind me publishing some pics to make the blog look more colorful? :) Of course you don't! :D



First of all, I think that the, now-legendary, Mani Majra Pimps'n'Hoes party :) , deserves more than just an invitation on this blog. Here's a pic of the "organizing committee". :)



And, here's a little set of pics from our trip to Agra.





Meet Mexican everyday life, kindly presented by our favorite (and only :) ) trainee coordinator - Salvador! :)









Hey, is there a Butz here? Seymour Butz? Hey, everybody, I wanna Seymour Butz! :)







New Bolliwood movie in the theaters near you! :)








Hmmm... This couldn't be a Bolliwood movie, right? :)









Allow me to introduce myself. The name is Gadget. Inspector Gadget. :)

Pics of Katrina

Here is a before and after shot of the Louisiana Superdome, courtesy of MSNBC.com. NASA has some incredible satellite photos showing the effects of Hurricane Katrina...check it out.

Marty in Sri Lanka

For any of you that didn't know, Marty is off to Sri Lanka for 2 weeks. Lucky guy.

Hopefully he can make some posts to the blog about his trip...maybe even post some pictures.

So have a good trip, Marty.

Question

Here's a question to see if we can get some discussion going:


What has been your favourite weekend destination so far?


I think mine is Manali...great place to go if you have 3 days instead of 2.

Anyone with a News reader?

If any of you guys have a news reader, you can subscribe to this blog's feed using the following address:

http://traineeschd.blogspot.com/atom.xml

It's a great way to keep track of posts made to the blog. Comments don't show up, so you'll have to go to the blog itself for that.

Sorry...

One more thing....actually two...


If you have any problems or questions re: this blog, just let me know and we'll sort them out right away.


You can post a comment even if you don't have a blogger.com or blogspot.com account. If you do this, just make sure you indentify yourself somewhere in the comment text.

Also, I turned word verification on, so you'll have to just type out the letters you see in a picture before you can post your comment. This is simply to avoid comment spam.


Thanks.

A couple of points....

Ok,

I've added some links to the right-hand column: links to mine and nacho's blog and links to my picture websites.

If you have a blog or website or photo album or whatever, just let me know (lazylegend@hotmail.com or post on the blog) and I will add it for you.

Secondly, if you make a post and you get an email from google groups that has an error message, just ignore it.

Thirdly, if you know of anyone else that wants to be added, let me know (details above).

Finally, please participate. There really is no reason not to.

Slowly, but surely...

Hey everyone,

So we're getting some people invited to this blog so that everyone can make posts. We'll try it out for a couple of weeks and if it starts to fail, then we can try something else. But please do try to read and post on this blog when you have time.

Nacho has a problem with ants...I think everyone does....so he posted about it. Sector Sri Lanka has endless problems...so they should post about it.

Say whatever you want and people will answer. So I'm gonna post something random (probably a question) and we'll see if anyone responds. I can only hope, I suppose.

traineeschd.blogspot.com...bookmark it.

ANTS INVASION

"Does anybody know how to kill ants? I know this is not a question for a trainee blog, but in 36-c it seems that ants are coming to our house for internships...they are everywhere: in eggs, my cornflakes, my bed...

The other day, Jean prepared lunch for me. When I was about to eat it, I found small, crunchy bodies next to my carrots and mashed potatoes...gross!!

I tried to kill them once, but that didn't work. They kept coming at my shoes. Then Florian put them on the stove and turned on the gas...ever had crunchy ants?

So now, if you have, or have had, an ant problem in your house, we would love to hear your ideas on how to get rid of the damn things. How do we stop this invasion?

Does anyone want to join?

Nacho and I are going to try to start this blog up again. It may not be the best way to inform people about parties, etc., but I think it's a great way to just communicate about various things...anything. We don't get to see each other all that often (especially those in sector Nepal and sector Pakistan), so why not use this just to have a discussion about whatever you feel like talking about. For all of you that are leaving, or have left, it's a great way to keep in touch with the people that are here. If you want to join, just send me an email (lazylegend@hotmail.com) and I can make it happen.

I know most of you have time at work just to browse the blog and maybe even post if you want, so don't give me the excuse of having no time.