Happy Birthday, Me!

Hey,

In the true British way, being my birthday today, i need to go and get drunk!

So I will be drinking away in Gymkhana from 8pm - Panchkula has already been told they have no choice - attendance is mandatory, and all the other nice trainees in Chandigarh are of course invited too.

Maybe we can move on to "Down Under" later for some more fun...

See you tonight...

Happy Birthday, Ryan

We have a new “old man” among us. I think I speak for all trainees when I wish Ryan a very Happy Birthday (and a Merry Christmas as well, too bad I’m the only one that gets that). I can tell you that it’s all downhill from here, so get your wheelchair now.

Save the next trainees

Hey guys, I hate to put up a serious post but with so many of us leaving soon and a whole new batch of AIESEC people in Chandigarh I think we should put together a list of suggestions on what AIESEC can do to improve and help the next group of trainees in Chandigarh (hopefully they will not have to live in Bangladesh for 2 months). Being from a neutral country well loved in Punjab I volunteer to compile all the suggestions. I hope this doesn't lead to more rocks being thrown through our windows!

Feel free to give suggestions for both the management of traineeships and the management of trainee houses, events ... and other non-work related things. Send your ideas to nhandcock@{pleasedon'tspamme}hotmail.com in the next couple weeks.

A couple things I was thinking – 1. Give each trainee house an exact break down of what their rent is going towards. 2. Make sure that AIESEC has met with the direct superior each trainee will be working for to explain the program and expectations.

Thanks

Some pics from Northern Ireland

I thought I should post some pics from my home town seeing that everyone else has done so.

This is my nearest town Omagh


This is where I call Home:


Around my House




And lastly the bog where my dad has finnished collecting the turf for the winter for the fire. reminds me of my youth bringing in the turf.



Well thats what I call home, My nearest City is Belfast where I went to college but this is what I call home.

Time to start tying some loose ends :(

I have just a bit more than three weeks left in Chandigarh and, I find it quite hard to say, it is time to sell my beloved Muña. :(



If there is anyone of you guys who would like to buy an old kinetic scooter (automatic transmission), I am selling mine. For trainees, the price is 4000 Rupees, and if you have some Indian friends who might be interested, please tell them the price is 5000 because I know they will bargain the skin of my back! :)

The Indian driving license is not hard to obtain (you only need to do a test on paper), so if you didn't bring your own (which is usually considered valid) or don't have an international driving license, that shouldn't be a reason not to ride into a big, adventurous experience in India. :)

Also, I will provide you with FREE lessons on all of the following topics: scooter riding, Indian driving (roundabouts included), route choosing, passenger transporting, maintenance, police bribing :), basic mechanics, and any other skill you might need to safely ride this good old lady around Chandigarh.

And, as if that is not enough, there is MORE: a beautiful atomic-ant styled helmet is also included in the price! :)



You know how to find me, so... let's do lunch! :D

How to Get Free Pool

I’m pretty sure everyone has heard that there is an underground gay establishment somewhere in this fine city.  Well, the rumours are true, or at least they were on Saturday night.   Ryan had followed his nose (to be polite) to the place, dubbed “Down Under,” and was delighted at the sight of a pool table inside.  Actually, he was delighted by many things in that bar….

We went and sat down so we could get some beer.  Our mission that night was to get Arno drunk, but all he wanted was some tandoori chicken.  A couple of things caught our eye.  First, the bass in the place was way too strong.  I’m pretty sure that if my heart had stopped that night, the vibrations could’ve restarted it.  The second thing we noticed was the clientele.  There was a very obvious lack of the female gender.  To be a little more specific, there were no women at all.

After we had settled at our table with some beer, guys started to approach us, I mean, Ryan, to get his juicy details.  What started as small-talk soon turned into all-out flirting as Ryan was asked if he would kindly oblige to play pool.  He couldn’t turn an offer like that down, especially considering the 50 rupee/game tariff.  As he took the familiar “bent-over” position that is so familiar in pool, a crowd started to emerge around him.  

It became painfully aware to us guys sitting at the table that the crowd wasn’t interested in Ryan’s adeptness with the cue, but rather his $exy British ass.  Every time he assumed the pool position, you could see the audience mouth the words, “Oooo…awww.”  Was Ryan fazed by this attention?  Not at all.  There was an opportunity to be had and it wasn’t going to be hard for Ryan to pull off.

On his next shot, Ryan decided to shake what his momma gave him.  That move alone got him another free game.  He continued to flaunt his “assets” until Arno had finished his tandoori chicken.  We left the place soon after, much to the dismay of Ryan.  If only he could’ve stayed…he’d have been playing pool all night.      

Ryan’s wishes that night were best described in a conversation he had with Nina:

Nina – “Indians love to see a little bit of foreigner.”
Ryan – “If only they’d have bought me drinks, they could’ve seen a whole lot of foreigner.”

Party Invitation!!!

As you may all know, Nicholas has just turned 40 yesterday, I will become old on Wednesday, and Voskresija will be 89 on Saturday.

And so for such a occasion, we need a respectable location to share some pleasant conversation over a few drinks, and of course, to partaaaay.

You are all therefore cordially invited to the house of our Canadian diplomat, Samantha, for a birthday party hosted with the support of the Canadian Consulate.

When: Thursday December 1st
Where: 1232 sector 8c (see Kent if you need directions – me too I guess, but I’m, useless at giving directions)
Time: 9.30pm onwards

Some slight rules: The house is strictly no smoking, but there are some amazing balconies for the smokers amongst us to enjoy polluting themselves. And whilst the speaker system has recently been set up for perfect acoustics, there is a lack of music for us to bop away to, so it’s BYO music and alcohol.

I also suggest you adhere to the dress code of smart casual, as there is a bouncer on the gate who has been instructed to keep the riff-raff away.

If you need any encouragement to stray away from Club Dirty Sexy for a party, you can read a review of her house here.

Martial Arts Seminar

Hey-ho, girls'n'boys! :)

There's going to be a martial arts seminar this week, so I would like to invite you all to participate. It's going to happen in sector 10, Chandigarh, at the skating rink (no ice :) ).

Here's the schedule:

2nd December (Friday)
9:00 - 10:00 = Registration
10:00 - 13:00 = Class
13:00 - 14:00 = Lunch break
14:00 - 17:00 = Black belt test

3rd December (Saturday)
9:30 - 13:00 = Class
13:00 - 14:00 = Lunch break
14:00 - 17:00 = Class
20:00+ = Martial arts film evening (internal trainee event in Panchkula trainee house :) )

4th December (Sunday)
9:30 - 13:00 = Class
13:00 - 14:00 = Lunch break
14:00 - 17:00 = Presentation & function
evening - dinner party at "Red Bishop" hotel, Panchkula

The participation fee is 200Rp for "normals" :) , but for us it's 100Rp and we can participate in any and every event of the seminar.

The participants can choose one of the three groups for the classes during the seminar: children, adults - beginners, adults - with previous experience.

I will take part in all three days of the seminar. I don't think there are many of you who will do the same, but it would be nice if you could come on Sunday presentation: no fee, you will only watch, and I will be performing (read: making a fool out of myself :) ) for you.

And, of course, Saturday evening Panchkula martial arts film marathon is a MUST (Bruce Lee - Enter the Dragon, Jean Claude van Damme - Blood Sport, Chow Yun Fat - Hard Boiled) since we finally got a sofa and TV-chairs. Entrance fee: popcorn (unpopped, our master chefs will do it for you! :) )

Please announce your attendance to any of the events to TPR (trainee public relations) manager of the seminar (me) on +91-9888-529-520. :)

Iceland

Til hamingju med afmaelid Nicholas!!!

On this special day, I'm posting some pictures from the Land of Ice.
Enjoy :)

This is my house:


This is my bicycle:


This is my shower (a bit cold...)


These are the typical Icelandic toilet paper rolls:


This is typical Icelandic art:


And last but not least: The Icelandic Stallion!!!

Has anyone ever seen such huge horses???


Emil - if you dare... I know where you sleep!!!

Happy Birthday, Nicholas

Yesterday was the other crazy Canadian's birthday. His eskimos got lucky in the Grey Cup and his Oilers fluked out against the flames...not a bad b-day present for a dirty edmonton fan. All I can really say to that is:

"Even the sun shines on a dog's a$$ every once and a while."

- Wesley Snipes in White Men Can't Jump.

Happy Birthday.


Party details to come.

Rickshaw Ryan

The RMSers are facing hard times.

The local soft drink establishment has decided to introduce a foreigners tax on their 200ml coke bottles - increasing the price from the pirinted maximum retail price of 6Rs to an outrageous 7Rs.

It is somewhat of a tradition in these parts to grab a coke after tiffin, and with this being the only shop within walking distance, and our stubborness/conviction still stong we have been compelled to look further afield for our fix.

So in our pursuit of 6Rs coke during lunch we now have to cycle to sector 29. Here, foreigners tax is set to a respectable 0%, however I do incur the extra cost of giving Vladan a ride due to his lack of peddle based transport.

Fortunately I am becoming accustomed to the Indian style of tandem cycling having previously having Rishi (our landlady's servant boy) jump on the back of Agnes out of the blue, a lazy Nacho, and a drunk Jean on the back.

I think I will have to start charging soon though - pandera rupee only!

up! no down

Vialgra, cisalis, leviitra for the best price!!!
Visit us to have a dangerous p€ni$!!!
OUR SITE

I got this great offer in my email this morning. I think I'm going to get some, does anyone else want any? We can probably get group discount for bulk orders.

My Home - Belgrade

A city on two rivers: Danube & Sava.

Night is the time to visit.

And here is my home. You are all invited! :)

Ryan's Home

This is an actual photograph taken of my home back in England.

It was such a nice place to grow up, we had a gret tree to climb, beautiful flowers in the garden, and tweeting birds flying around in a perfect blue sky. We even had the Poddington Peas down the bottom of our garden! Oh how I long to be back there - and yes! that is me waving hello in the window! What a cheeky chappy i was when i was younger!

You're all welcome to come and stay whenever you want!

From Samantha

Kent has magnanimously allowed me to post a picture of my beautiful hometown - Ottawa. Winter there is just gorgeous and the best part about it was that I could skate downtown to work everyday! Imagine that - skating as a form of transport instead of just going around in circles.

Here's My Home

I grew up just outside a smallish town on the praries where it mostly looked like this.


I spent most of my weekends here at Lake Louise and other ski hills.

And for the last few years I called Edmonton home but now I'm kind of homeless. If you have a home for me, let me know.

This is for you Kent

Well this is one town in Chile and you can see the Andes in the background and also
see where Nacho lives...

Here's My Home

It Feels like Home to Me...

The place where i live is almost this, you can't see the horizon without see the mountains...Chile is all mountains and water.

Here i'm in one of my favourites places in Chile, the Lake Region next to my house, you don't know how i miss that blue sky and clear waters...

All my life in Chile was next to the water and mountains, that's why i didn't show a town or a "Cosmopolitan" place, because this is HOME for me...

Here’s My Home

This is Edinburgh, it’s not where I was born either (not even the same country!) but it’s home to me…

Hey,
I wonder if the people match/resemble their ‘homes’ like apparently owners and their pets, what do you think?
I would have picked Kent for a less cosmopolitan-type city, don’t know why?!

This Might Sound Crazy, But...

I have an idea. How would everyone like to post a picture of the place they call home? I figure it would be pretty cool to see the cities that people actually live in.

Here is Calgary, Alberta:



Although I wasn't born there, it's the place I call home these days.

Snow

Snow in Belgrade

In my country it just started snowing some days ago. I hate snow in the city for many reasons, and I cannot say I'm missing it, but still... it's different when it's not here when it "should" be. Funny. :)

When Harry met Chandigarh

Some excellent trainees are going to Kilran in Sec. 22 tonight to see the latest "Harry Potter".



Girls - None of us can afford to throw away the opportunity to see such a sexy young man fight evil demons with a wet look.

We'll either go for the 6 o'clock or the 9 o'clock!
So who's in and which time do you prefer?

Just So We're Clear

Just so everyone knows what's going on, the party plans for Friday have been finalized. Details are as follows:

Date: Friday, November 25th

Location: 36C

Occasion: Arno, Emil, and Baikoro are leaving

Time: Whenever you want to show up

Bring your own drinks, as usual.

Friday

Rumour has it that this Friday is going to involve some serious partying in the honour of Arno, Emil, and Baikoro. Can anyone confirm the details of this little shindig?

DO NOT GO HERE…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

As one of the older & wiser members of the trainee community [I mean old as in length of time I’ve been here, ok?!] I would like to take this opportunity to advice you all to NOT go to this place!
This is the City Museum where I had the misfortune of visiting on Saturday, I thought I was in for a cultural treat and boy was I wrong!

It is 3 floors dedicated to detailing the development of Chandigarh and it ain’t fun. From a glass case you can view the minutes of various meetings or read the letters and correspondence that went on while they tried to decide the best architect for the job…you can also amuse yourself with the signs such as ‘There was much jargon to be learnt’.

Anyway I wouldn’t advise it, it makes for a boring 5 minutes…5 minutes of my life I’ll never get back….

Yesterday

A big thanks to the Five Seasons for a solid day of festivities. I must say that the "Alcolympics" are a good time, especially for people looking to do a little competitive consuming. The finish to the last race can only be described as epic - a couple Canadians fighting to the end.

As for AIESEC day party, there one notable exception...AIESEC. I believe Avneeta is on the front page of the Times of Chandigarh this morning. It was so strange to get out of the club at 7:00 and feel like you had just been drinking all night.

On another note, Japanese eye-liner does not coming off as easy as one might think....

And Now a Word From Our Sponsors

The good people over at AIESEC Chandigarh got in touch with me about a party on Sunday. Here are the details:

Date - Tomorrow

Location - Copper Club

Time - 3:30 til about 7:30

Entry - 150 for couples/200 for stags

I'm told there will be enough girls for the guys, as these aiesec girls have friends.

I heard something about maybe having the alcolympics on Sunday afternoon. One thing that might work is if we go to this party and then head over to 36C after to continue are sinful ways. There seems to be some interest from the Panchkula house...anyone else?

Where are Jean and Nacho?

When was the last time Jean and Nacho didn't spend all day procrastinating on the blog? I'm pretty sure they account for half the hits on this thing.

The Article Speaks For Itself

This from Reuters:

Lounging in a food shack next to a dusty highway, truck driver Manoj grins as he talks about having sex with prostitutes.

"It depends on my mood whether I put on a condom or not," says Manoj, as a monkey scampers around the tin-roofed building, some 60 km (35 miles) from New Delhi.

Check out the rest of the article. I figure that as soon as most of you read the word "sex," you'll willingly read on....

The Life of Ryan

Oh, and what and interesting life it is. Full of Frooti, 8 PM, falling off bicycles....

After much convincing, our Panch-38-kulian friend has finally made himself a blog. The link is on the right.

Nacho, why are you so lucky?

I believe Nacho was the lucky winner of the 100th blog post award. Well, guess what...he is the lucky winner of the 200th blog post award. Congratulations.

Ohhh New 38'ers!!!!

Scary People

Simply...Stupid Trainees

ohhh 38'ers...what a freak group!!!!!

8 PM Consequences...

XXX Rated

I would just like to know what exactly British Nick keeps on his blog?
Access to his URL has been blocked from my computer at work…is his blog really that juicy and interesting or do my work just not trust me to not access porn sites???

Delhi Conference

I tried to post the message in its original form, but since it's been bugging the blog, I'll just post the text. It's from the aiesec.net community [Chandigarh Trainees Community].

DO YOU WANT TO...

EXPERIENCE INDIA

DO YOU WANT TO...

EXPERIENCE CULTURAL DIVERSITY

DO YOU WANT TO...

EXPERIENCE AIESEC

Then Join
AIESEC in Delhi IIT

for an eXPerience Development Conference
Click for more
From the 2nd to the 4th of December!!

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE:

1. Showcasing India
2. Experiencing Cultural Diversity
3. Networking
4. Inducting trainees into AIESEC

CONTENT OF THE CONFERENCE:

-Global Village
- Discovering and developing your potential
-How India can help you grow
- Cultural Sensitivity
-India Hard Talk
-Enterprenuership
- Social Responsibility

For More information CONTACT endeavour.india@gmail.com

Thanks
VISHWAMITRAS
(organising committee)

Asking for directions...

No matter where you live, where you are from, or where you are, as much as guys (and i'm sure girls too) hate it, there comes a point when driving around that you need to ask somebody for directions.

This isn't so bad when you're in a foreign country and you have to ask for directions all the time, however in your own country i find i'm a bit more reluctant. And so once you've decided that you will swallow your pride, and ask a passerby, you then face the challenge of finding someone who looks suitable and up to the challenge of your impending question.

So, i can only wonder what the Indian lorry drivers were thinking yesterday when, driving through sector 36, they asked Jean, Nacho and I for dierctions. I forget what they asked exactly, and it was in Hindu, but we were able to understand what they were asking. Unfortunately we had no chance to reply because once they saw we were foreigners, the driver looked at his passenger, the passenger looked at the driver, we looked at each other, and everyone just had to laugh.

At least it was something more original than "what is your country?" and i guess we are looking a bit more local now! I think the main reason was Nacho's rickshaw driver scarf, and the matresses Nacho and Jean were carrying at the time.

Goa Pics and Other Additions

Well, I see nobody except for the good people at Synapse Infomedia (formerly known as H & S Media) is at work today. If you are at work, speak up because we need some excitement.

Anyways, I made an addition to the sidebar on the right. If you scroll down a bit, you'll see i've listed every trainee currently here (sorry if I missed anyone), and the alumni members that are currently on this blog. The reason I did this, after a length dicussion with Johanna, is so that potential trainees that happen to stumble across this blog may find it useful to see who is here from what country.

I also uploaded some Goa pics to my pic website. You can get there by clicking the "Mongolia/China/India Pictures" link on the right. Once there, click the "India" link, then the "Kent" link, then the "Goa" album. I don't have all the pics from the trip up, but the ones from Goa are a start.

Why is binge drinking so bad?

This from the Guardian:

Because it significantly increases your risk of getting liver disease and acute pancreatitis, according to Ole Peterson, a physiologist at the University of Liverpool. This week a survey carried out by BUPA Wellness revealed that as many as one in four adults in the UK were binge drinkers, drinking at least double the recommended daily amount on a night out. So what is the problem with drinking more than a couple of pints in one session?

The more that you drink, the higher the concentration of alcohol in your system. As well as giving you a nasty hangover next morning, this excess of alcohol may make your body switch to a different method of digestion. "Normally, when there is lots of oxygen in your system, alcohol will break down to acid aldehydes, which are not harmful," said Prof Peterson. "But when this metabolism occurs without oxygen, the body starts to produce fatty acids, which are harmful."

Overindulging in alcohol causes the liver to become fatty, choking off the supply of blood which normally delivers oxygen and nutrients to the liver. Prof Peterson's research shows that fatty acids also destroy cells in the pancreas. "In severe cases, the pancreas digests itself and the surrounding tissue," he said.

Currently there is no treatment for pancreatitis which affects around 20,000 people in the UK each year, with around 5% to 10% of cases being acute and causing death.

Just one binge drinking session is enough to start the production of fatty acids, and regular binge drinking can cause irreversible damage. Women tend to be more vulnerable than men because they are usually smaller and have less body mass to distribute the alcohol around. "There is no safe level of alcohol to drink. It depends on individual susceptibility," said Prof Peterson.

-Kate Ravilious

I won't name names, but I have a feeling some of us might just fall into this category.

Happy Birthdays

Oh ya, Happy Birthday to anyone that had one while I was gone. I know Jean did, but who else? Aren't there a lot of b-days this month?

Only In America

I can see why this made the front page...

"Two Women Arrested for Having Sex in a Public Washroom"

Apparently, a couple of women (aged 21 and 26), decided to go into a bathroom at a bar and do the nasty. All fun and games, right? Well, turns out the two other women came in wanting to use the facilities, only to be hit by a barrage of grotesque noises (you all know what I'm talkin' about). Then, the two on the outside decided to take matters into their own hands by screaming obscenities at the two in the stall. In true drunken fashion, some yelling insued followed by an all-out brawl.

Adding a little smut to the blog is never a bad thing, is it?

And check out the global erotic blog...there are some new posts up.

I'm Back...

where is everybody else?

I have been looking at the blog, albeit not all the closely. Has anything remotely interesting happened since I left?

One thing I need to say...Nina, great story. I had a good laugh over that one.

Secondly, what is PIGS?

Thirdly, who is living where these days?

Fourthly, do the 36 C guys actually work?

Answers to these questions are greatly appreciated. Now to inject some life back into this blog.

WANDERING FINGERS

As usual Germain and I went to a restaurant for our lunch, but today was a little different because we decided to bring our delicious “Tomato Paneer” and “Mushroom something” to our office…Bad decision!!!
When we were in the middle of our lunch, our colleagues came next to us and immediately they jumped into our nice food, it was horrible see how those fingers where swimming into my nice “Mushroom something” and how all of them without any kind of permission enjoyed our lunch…They didn’t say thank you or anything, they just came with their stickiest fingers hunting my lunch like animals…

PARTY!!!!.....(again!!!)

Hello!!


This Saturday (12th ) is my birthday & you’re all cordially invited to come along to 36 C (thanks 36C-ers) to party, dance and partake in any level of alcohol abuse you desire!


I know a lot of people are away this weekend but if you are around then come along and bring your party hat!


PS I just wanted an excuse to get The Simpsons on the blog!!

I Finally Figured it Out

You guys all know the song "Rock the Party" by Bombay Rockers, right? So you also know how the song goes. It starts with some hindi and then it's like "I don't know what you're sayin, all i know is that I came here to party." I, for one, had no idea what the hell that line meant until I saw the music video.

As it turns out, the bombay rockers have a white guy in the group. The start of the music video has this white guy and an Indian guy riding in a convertible with the Indian guy saying the Hindi words. Then, the white guy says, in other words, "I don't speak hindi...all I want to do is party." The rest of the video is trash, but it's worth a watch if you get the chance.

Sorry to hear about the cockroaches...."The ironing is delicious," isn't it, Jean?

PIGS (Punjab International Gourmet Society)

Hi all,

The next gathering for an alcoholic brunch will be on Saturday 26th November at "the noodle bar", and well, it wont be a brunch at all. They are thinking of meeting at around 7.30pm, early enough to have dinner and then have a party afterwards (if we need an excuse for the party, it would only be 4 days until my birthday :) )

The Noodle Bar is somewhere near Sector 8 Chandigarh, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. Could you just reply if you are remotely interested in going (i know it's a long way off) as they want to make a booking at the restaurant and need numbers.

Cheers

I HATE MY NEW HOUSE...

COCKROACHES IN NEW 38

Those bastards finnally died...i hope!!!

Ryan Schwarzenegger-"The Cockroach Terminator"

Jean, is that a bindi or a baby coackroach on your forehead?

I wasn't scared, i was thinking about my uncertain future in 38 sector...

This is a desperate post from ex-pefect new 38 house...i mean, "The former normal trainee house of Jean and me"
Last night while Jean was trying to kill ants something really bad happened...Suddenly from all the holes that we have in our house, started coming hundreds of Cockroaches...It was a nightmare, the worst thing ever...Now i feel that i love ants and Blacky, even i miss 36-c house and non-normal houses...
Fortunately last night Ryan was there (i'm wondering why), he killed every single bastard with one of my shoes, now i have sticky shoes and sticky floor, but at least we finished with all of them...Well, Ryan did it!!! Jean was over my bed, screaming like a scared animal (didn't help at all)...actually i was doing the same...but also i was coordinating Ryan's work, saying...Ryan there is one in there...another there, a baby one over here, two over Jean's shoulder, on the fridge, behind you, inside my new coffee maker...etc, etc, etc...
Dear trainees, if you are invited to our new flat, please don't bring any kind of decoration as a present, we just need some insect killer or money to pay Ryan's salary...
By the way, we think that the new name for this trainee house is..."Cockroach Place"...