6 months in Japan ~

So today I officially complete 6 months in Japan. Happy 6 months ? Well, that is quite a difficult question to answer !

Its been a year since I had got my offer letter and I had been dying to get  my visa asap so that I could start working in this beautiful country. When I did receive my visa, I was excited yet little scared. I knew I will be on my own for everything but didn't know it would actually be everything. Funny sentence though. Yet I was ready for the challenge.

I love my company. People are very good and nice.. Every time I talk to anyone, they talk with respect and with humble nature. I love the work I am doing now. Really no complaints regarding any of that. Even other than fellow employees, Japanese people are very helpful. Greeting you always with a smile, making you feel welcome to their country. However, sometimes I get some stare's. Although I don't mind. I remember doing that myself when I was a kid. Ha ha. So, I smile to them with a bow ~ :)

Japan is beautiful and quite big when compared to Singapore. Not as big as India of-course. There are so many things to see. Tried to travel alone in beginning and I still do. It is adventurous.Sometimes it is funny to get lost and look like dumb. But then I feel I am so really dumb ! Ha ha. But I would always prefer to have a company to go somewhere. 

I am a good cook now, at-least what I believe. I love cooking and try new dishes and congratulate myself for being successful at it. Want to taste my cooking, come to Japan.

However, it took me some time to adjust to the new environment. Had few lows in personal life which was quite difficult to leave behind. I consider myself more stronger now, more stable with my thoughts. Although I have been always very close to my family, but somehow I am more close now. I am happy and I know they are someone who have and will be always there for me. Staying in touch with friends has also helped a lot. I hope to make more Japanese friends and make my current Japanese friends as very good friends. Trying hard. I wish I knew the language fluently. Maybe with time ~

Other than this, life is fine. Days pass quite fast. I try to stay cheerful and keep my each day exciting by keeping myself involved. 

This is Sushant's life in Japan for you ~ 

Move on...?

All those memories of numerous late night chats and video calls,
Those countless - I like you, 1 4 3, I love you,
Those dinners before which you looked yourself in the mirror for a thousand time,
Those dreams you saw together with them for your future,
Finally making you believe that you are the happiest person and you are living in a dreamland !!

Sooner to realize you were indeed in a dreamland.. where, when you wake up, nothing seems to be true.
And by the time you understand the situation, they would have already left you,
Without any reason, Without any problem, Only to make you blame yourself for everything,
And you start hurting yourself in the best possible way you could.

All your friends console you and say that, "Ohh you have to look ahead now..."
And that it has been quite a lot of time and "you should move on".
But is it so easy to forget someone you loved so much ?

Flashback of those vows and promises continue to haunt you,
You start questioning your ability to know a person,
And infinite other thoughts that gloom your life to the very depth.

You feel scared that the next person you come close with, 

Will hurt you the same way and you feel tired, rather scared of taking such risks.

You try few techniques of self treating yourself for various occasions,
go alone on small trips, talk to random people and feel lively again,
and try to solace yourself with fact that you are happy being alone.
Days, weeks and months pass and still in some corner of your heart..
You wish for them to come back to you, hug you and never leave again.

But, only to conclude that they have moved on and you should too.

Study in Singapore, Job, Life, Expenses, Food, etc.

So, many students have started getting offer from universities and have been asking me about how NTU is, how much is living cost per month, part time jobs are available or not, Indian food is available or not, etc etc..

How much amount to carry: When u land in Singapore, you can take out cash from your vishwa-yatra card from any ATM machine. Some prefer to bring Singapore dollars by converting them from India. I had SBI vishwa yatra card and I took out the amount as I needed  (advance one month rent deposit, one month rent, expense for some 10 days food and lil bit shopping). You can have other forex card but I found SBI vishwa yatra card pretty simple.

Just reached Singapore, how to call home?:  When you come out from arrival of Changi Airport, I think towards your right you can find M1, Singtel, StarHub people selling SIM card. All of them have nearly same offers. You can decide accordingly at the airport. 

Reaching Campus from Changi Airport: You can either take MRT from Changi Airport or take a cab. Cab would cost ya around 35$ where as MRT would cost you around 2$ till Boonlay/Pioneer. But with all the luggage, its preferable to take a cab.

You can get down at Boonlay MRT and take 199 or 179 to NTU Campus.

Take 199 from Boonlay Bus Interchange to go to Graduate Hall (Hall 11).

If you get down at Pioneer which comes after Boonlay Station, you can take 179 to NTU Campus but this one doesn't go to Graduate Hall. 179 can get you to International Student Center though.

Accommodation: If you are given admission in hostel in campus, well and good. In the remarks section, give a good long, very long reason for your application to be successful. Usually PhD students are given preference than M.Sc. students.

You can try for Jalan Bahar Hostel, which is close to campus. Make a group of 2 or 4 and book a unit. Freedom to cook own food and is cool.

Booking a HDB closer to campus is also possible.

For first 6 months I stayed in a common room with another friend and in rest of apartment a Indian family stayed. Then I moved to Jalan Bahar Hostel. I am happy in Jalan Bahar hostel.

When to reach: If you course registration is on some 23rd-25th, reach a week early for medical tests. They take some 3 to 4 days for the reports. So reach around 15th or 16th. You can do X ray from India and even blood tests and bring your reports, but they may accept only the blood report and ask you to do the X Ray test again.

Living Cost: Depends from individual to individual on which type of room you stay and how much you eat.

Rent can be 350-450 inclusive of PUB(Electricity, water, Internet). If you are cooking along with your friends, not more than 200$. If you are eating out, 300-350$. Shopping, eating out in b/w, going to clubs, partying, seeing new places, etc would add some random amount. Travel in bus and mrt would be around 40-50$ if you stay offcampus. If you get room in graduate hall, free NTU shuttle bus can be used. I would say that max. it won't exceed more than 1000$.

Part Time Job: You can get part time as a cashier in some shops and you will be paid 5$ an hr. If you become a tutor in some coaching class, you can get some 25-40$ an hr depending on school or engineering level. I would say that you can work only for one or two months in the beginning of each semester. Then it becomes hectic. Don't rely much on part time. In the beginning  you may have the craze to work n earn n stuff, but make sure not to get tired because of this. Make sure to inform NTU about your part time. Also, M.Sc. students are allowed to work only 16hrs a week. My suggestion, prefer teaching jobs and don't rely much on part time.
You can also try to get internship in companies related to your field. But I had tried a lot and didn't get any. Keep trying though. Good luck.

Which univ. to choose: That is your decision. NTU is a good university with good ranking and nice research work as well. NTU is now ranked 14th in EEE in the world I guess which is great. About how the course is, it will depend on individual course.

Service Obligation and Confusion: When you take it up, you are not confirmed job in Singapore. It helps you in reduced fees by some 10K which is a good amount as the fees is pretty high for international students.
You just have to serve in Singapore or a Singapore based company and pay the tax to the government for three years.
Your student pass is valid for 1.5 years. You will finish your course in one year. So, in case you are not placed in one year, you can keep on trying till your student pass is valid. If you don't get a job by then as well, you can apply for long/short term visa for some 3 to 6 months.
Suppose you want to break the bond after one year as you got placed in another country, you will have to pay the amount back ie. 10K + some 10% interest.
More details can be found here:  Frequently asked questions on Service Obligation Scheme

Loan from Singapore banks: Other than the discount from Service Obligation (10,000 SGD), you are eligible to take loan from OCBC/DBS bank of Singapore. You can get a max. loan of 90% of fees of Singapore Citizens, which will come to something around 6900 SGD. The compound interest rate is 4.75% p.a. The interest starts after 3 months when you graduate. i.e if you join NTU in Aug, 2013 you won't be charged any interest till July/Aug, 2014. So, that is advantageous in comparison to interest rate from India.

Where to eat: If you are not cooking, you can eat Indian food at Komals (Pure Veg) near Can A, Can 1, Can B, Can 11, Can A and NIE Canteen which is all inside the campus. Can 11 has best Indian food yet lil costly as well. In case you are staying in Hall 11, you can easily eat at Can 11. There are many other outlets outside NTU where you can try Indian food. For Indian veggie food, Anjappar and Prata Wala in Jurong Point, Flames of India in Clementi and Annalakshmi near Clarke Quay are some of the nice food joints. You can also try Thai, Chilles and many more. For others, you wont have a problem. Lots of options and cuisines to try.

Things to bring: Well the list is pretty big. I think there is a file uploaded in one of the Facebook group named "checklist for international travel". Go through it. That should be fine.
Do keep your recent passport size photograph(6 - 8 copies maybe). Your skin may have rashes and turn red someday suddenly. So keep some anti allergy cream or something. Buy soaps, shampoo, moisturizer, hair oil, toothpaste, deo, toothbrush, nail cutter, razor and cream, comb, from India. Keep some good amount of maggie packets as well. Although you can get everything here in local Indian Shops or in the famous Mustaffa Centre in Little India, but as its little expensive here. If u have free space in luggage, get them. Keep Casio fx-350 MS and above level calculator. Maybe a Ethernet cable is needed if you stay in campus. Bring good amount of writing pens, pencil, eraser, sharpener and scale. 

Jobs: You have to stand out from others and show why you should be selected. Stay confident, stay positive, maintain your patience and you can get the job. Yes, it is pretty difficult right now but everywhere its getting saturated, isn't it? If you have 2 or more years of experience, its comparatively easy to get job than a fresher with nil experience. But I am a fresher and I have got job in Japan. Opportunities will come and you have to utilize them well.

Singapore beauty and around: It is a beautiful city. Weather is fine. I like it. People are nice. Sometimes its little hot, but it shall rain everyday or it has to rain when you least expect it. Lots of places to see in and around Singapore. Too many to name. Maybe you get all that on google. Make use of the trips ISC organizes when you come to NTU. They are pretty cheap and you can make new friends. Explore NTU first when you reach Singapore and don't forget to take photo with Arts and Design Building. Haha.

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If you haven't been outside India once, you will have a good experience in Singapore. Keep in touch with family and friends and stay happy. Studying in one of the best univ. isn't easy. Keep calm and stay focused. Enjoy your life in Singapore with your friends whenever you get time.

Don't worry too much lah...!! Have fun. :)

Line b/w Love and Friendship

Friendship - A relationship of our choice? Yes. We have the freedom of choosing our friends based on our wish, matching of thoughts, attitude and behavior or whatever. There is hardly any ego between friends. We accept them as they are and they do the same. A friend is someone who shall care for you, love you, cry with you, understand you and shall always be your side, doing everything for you.

Love - A relationship of our choice too? Definitely yes !! Our Heart will thrive for them, miss them in their absence and just have the feeling to hold them forever and never let go.

Are both of them same? I would say there is not much difference between friendship and a lover. Both love and friendships needs a good understanding to last forever. Our heart cries for our love but also longs for a friend when they leave us.

So, is it necessary that if you are good friends with someone, you start to love them? Love is possible after friendship but friendship is not possible after love. It is possible that you start liking your friend and maybe consider to date them but it is necessary that you know they feel the same about you before you taking the big step. You don't want to be in a position where you asked them out and they deny and you end up loosing your friendship as well. Also, even if you are pretty much sure she too feels for you, you need to make sure if you are ready for the commitment.

Sometimes, we feel a friend should always be friend and its stupid how can our friend be our lover. But we do have heard about many of the friends who in fear of loosing their good friendship, enter into love. But behind that love, lye the strong friendship. Friendship - that is needed in every love.

Value your friendship more than your love for the same person because its easy to fall in love, but its hard to get good friends.

Although, I still feel that .. the line is thin ~

The day I jumped off local train

"Aaj Date Kya hai  ( Whats the date today ) ?? - along with more and more crying"
This was the question, i dunno how many times I had asked my friends, family and maybe even the doctor on 22nd October, 2011.
Many friends still ask me if I remember what had happened that day,.. which I still dunno as I can't recall about it no matter how hard I try.
So, those who don't have any idea about what happened and what I am talking about, this is how the story goes :
It was a fine Saturday morning and I had not slept n maybe eaten properly the other night and went to 'The Chopra's Consultancy) ' early in the morning to submit documents for M.Sc. in the United Kingdom. I do remember that I had breakfast in the morning  took local train to the Egmore Station and then took an auto-rickshaw to The Chopra's. I submitted the documents to another lady in charge as the lady allotted to me was not there and then I came out, called my mom n told her I am going back home.
Like a typical caring mom, she said me to eat something as I had not eaten lunch and as a very common reply of mine, I assured her saying" Yes mom, I will have it in college". I remember talking to her over phone while being in an auto-rickshaw going back to Egmore Station as I had to take local train back to my college.
After that...
I have no idea when I got down of the auto-rickshaw, when I took the tickets, when I got into the local train.
All i remember is jumping of local train.
Yeah, u read it right. Actually, what happened was the local train had reached Potheri Station, where I had to get down and I had overslept in the train. It was more than an hour journey. When I woke up , I realized the station had come and train had already started moving and had taken a little pace. Little did I think, as maybe I was in sleep and I jumped.
Well, of course I remember landing flat on ground and then I was unconscious. I came to senses few mins later when I noticed some junior students of my college holding me up and taking me to the auto-rickshaw which would take me to the hospital and they were asking me whom should they call and inform about this.
Then I don't remember anything.
I just woke up next day and found myself in bed in my very own hostel with stitches on my head and hand and bruises on my shoulder and then my room mate and friends started filling me in with every details about how mad I went in the hospital asking " What is today's date" again n again. I couldn't recollect anything. I had really lost memory of lots of things. (Kinda scary).
I had scared off my parents who took the first train n flight to Chennai and my sister came running too. No matter how much I do, I still wont be ever able to thank so many of my friends and my family for taking so much care of me. I love you and miss you all so much.
The news spread like fire into everyone's ear and it was a hot topic in the college. :D
Its a bad memory. Got too many learning things - never to leave home empty stomach, always have your ipod with you to keep you wide awake whenever you are in local train.
and Never ever think of jumping off a local train. Get down at next stop. Because later it hurts pretty bad.
... and the stitches leaves marks which keep u reminding this day ~ 22nd Oct.

Ten days at Singapore.

Till now, its been a great experience in here. Life is different as it was in Chennai during my Undergraduate studies.

Coming out of the airplane I got the embarkation card signed with immigration authority. Took my luggage around 45kg and came out to buy a sim-card which took hell lot of my time. Finally decided and took M1 as it seemed cheaper. Had planned to take MRT directly but then it was little confusing and after all the tiring late night journey, took a cab. He was good. He drove at constant speed of 100km/hr. He didn't talk or asked anything and I was also busy seeing outside my cab window.

Beautiful roads, pathway, lots of trees and bushes with flowers making it look like a dream place. I had seen such places only in movies and seeing them in reality was really a good moment.

Reached my house I had booked. Met the owners and her kids who call me "uncle". LOL.

After breakfast and lunch given by my owner, went for shopping of daily needs.

Came back, went to canteen @NTU for dinner, returned and then talked with parents on skype and dozed off.

Woke up early next day, went for medical and got it done. Clicked little bit pics and roamed the market ahead of my house.

Akhil, my roomie came in next day. So, finally the boredom ended. It had been really boring eating alone and walking all the way to bus stop with earphone in ears. 

So, it was all good then. Exploring the NTU, surrounding, eating at different canteens, etc.

Went to meet a bhaiya @Jcube and had a pizza treat from him. He was really nice. Thankq bhaiya.

Also went to meet Anjali bua who lives quite far but going there to meet her and phuphaji and their kids was really awesome.

Bought new cycle three days ago. So, no more walking 1km for shuttle bus.

The weather is unpredictable in here. In morning it will be sunny then suddenly clouds will pop in and it will start raining. Evenings are wonderful as cool breeze of air is always there. 

Here in Singapore,The BEST thing is I am having meals all the three times. lol. Even though I have to cycle two kms till the canteen, Still I go everyday at lunch and dinner and eat stomach full ;) So, I am happy regarding this. Looking forward to be more fit. Good thing is I can get good veg food. :)

Yet to explore Singapore and go to different places. Hope to do that soon before course starts.

Yes, I miss my family - parents, sis, jiju, baba and dadi but yeah I prevent not to think.

Life is busy in here. Mostly chinese people in here. I do see some Indians too but when u start comparing, the ratio is less. 

Here, people drive cars that I used to drive in Need for Speed Games n all.. LOL

I hope I stay happy and energetic as I am right now for the rest of the time. Looking forward for the course to start. Will be competitive and interesting.

At least the experience is good till now, doing everything myself. Life is tough and it has just got tougher.

Challenge Accepted !! 

My First Duet Song

So, I have written a duet song and made its tune too. The first para will be in a male voice and second one in a female voice.
As the audio isn't ready yet, the lyrics are as follows:

Lamha Lamha sochta hun kab tu paas aegi,

Kab meri is chahat ko tu seene se lagaegi,

Meri yaadon mei tu samayi,

Har sapno mei tu jo ayi,

Meri dhadhkane jo badhai,

Bass ek baar abb kehde jana,

Pyaar hai mujhse, pyaar kia hai,

Mujhpar teri jaan kurban hai haan.. kehde na..

Pyaar hai mujhse...

Kaise abb mai usko kehdun, mujhko use pyaar hai,

Meri har dhadhkanon mei uska hi khayal hai,

Meri saanso mei jo samaya,

Har vakt jo nazar aya,

Meri ummeed jo jagaya,

Vo tu hi hai, o mere jana,

Pyaar hai tujhse, pyaar hua hai,

Tujhpar meri jaan kurban hai haan... kehti hun..

Pyaar hai tujhse....

Kehde na Pyaar hai mujhse..

Kehti hi hun, Pyaar hai tujhse..