Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Disclaimer: I don't hold a law degree. Everything posted here is purely empirical.
Two years on H4 and two months on H1, I guess I've gained enough experience on the H4->H1 transition that I can pen down a book on all that. When I told a friend that I finally got all I needed for work, she said: "Congrats dear! Finally your struggle for work has ended". She's so right. Mine has been a struggle at every stage and I'm so glad things worked my way in the end.
There are some important points I wanted to share with other H4-ers, here's the story.
Assuming you're targetting the April 1st filing date, start your homework well in advance. By early Jan, may be. If you're not confident of getting a job, skip to step 2.
Step 1: Spend the month of January working on your resume and get yourself ready for the interviews. There are a bunch of job boards out there, and few lesser known ones that post the startup jobs (startuphire, startuply, vetureloop .coms). Apply aggressively even if your skillset matches just half of what is required.
Step 2: Find a good consulting company to file your H1B. Some useful websites:
The first one gives you the statistics of #visas a company got, rejections, etc.
The other two are the consultant review sites. Like all other reviews, there's no guarantee they're true. Read, if you care.
Like I always say, *always* try to get a "real" job. If and only if you fail to get one, should you approach a consulting comp.
Your H1B app is sent, receipt number issued, the endless wait begins. I got my approval in July. Felt as though I conquered the world. Actually, there was nothing so great about it. My husband "bought" me the visa by paying money to Company A, like the way parents buy Engineering seats in those private colleges for their desperate kids.
With the visa in hand, I set my foot with super-confidence in the job market hit by the greatest depression of all times. Like last year, I've been pretty lucky at landing a job. Two weeks of preparation, first interview call, first offer letter. It was such a smooth ride. All this was in the month of Sept. The company B applied my visa under premium processing. I then began counting days for the 1st of October. And then, this terrible thing happens. USCIS sends me a notice on Oct 3rd that my petition is rejected. One more time the USCIS, my biggest enemy for the last 1.5 years, curbed my enthusiasm.
To note: If you apply for change of status along with your H1B petition, and if it gets approved, you will be in H1 status from Oct 1st. Yes. Keep this in mind. And while on H1, its not advisable to stay at home without being on a payroll.
Here's the trouble: my status has changed to H1 because of company A, company B's app fails, I don't have a job with company A, it is already October, and the clock is ticking. I could travel outside the country and re-enter on my H4 stamp, but that would take me out of the H1 status. I was ready to do that, but without pay stubs it isn't as easy to re-enter on H4. I can't apply a brand new H1 from company B bcoz I'm already in H1 status, which leaves me with just one option - H1 transfer. For this, I'd need 1. my original I-797 and 2. paystubs from company A. Since company A is a pretty decent one, they were more than willing to release my 797. I'm pretty sure 95% of the consulting companies don't do that. Coming to paystubs, if you apply for H1 transfer within one month of H1B start date (usually Oct 1st), its highly likely that your transfer would be approved. In some cases, you might be issued a 797 with a clause stating that your H1 transfer would come into effect once you leave the country, and come back with a H1 stamp using the transfer I-797. We took the risk and applied without paystubs.
Okay, those are the facts. After much persuasion, I finally got company B to apply for the transfer before the end of the 30-day grace period. Oct 30th the new H1 petition got fedex-ed out and Nov 2nd became my first day at work. H1 portability rules allow you to work while your H1 transfer application is pending with the USCIS. You don't even need to wait for the receipt number. You can report to work as soon as the app is mailed out, like I did. I was happily going to office until I came to know that company A has filed for H1B withdrawal, since I'm not working for them. Hell scared I was, thinking the H1B transfer would get rejected, and I'll fall back to H4. But my lawyer said withdrawal would not have any effect.
The story isn't complete yet. There's yet another twist. I went to the SSN office with my I-94 from company A on Oct 28th. The SSA officer couldn't verify my H1 status, because the crappy USCIS server still hasn't updated my status (H4 to H1) on their system even after 28days of my H1 coming into effect. Damn! Had the verification been done, I would have got my SSN card in 2 weeks. I was told, it could take anywhere from 4-6 weeks before an SSN is issued. Good thing is, SSN is not mandatory in order to work. Bad thing is, your HR most likely would not run your payroll without the number. After a two week wait, I kept calling the SSN office week after week to find out if there are any updates. The reason for my anxiety was, since the SSN was applied with company A's documents, while I'm actually working for company B, I had this big fear that my SSN could be rejected. Their 1-800 number is totally useless. A wastage of cellphone minutes, and in the end you dont get any useful info. Contact the local field office where you applied for SSN and they should be able to help you.
That's it. November began. I did all I could, just had to wait till the issues are resolved. October was a real torture on my mind. November, I was in this anxious state as to what would happen to my H1B transfer, SSN application, etc. Given that ten things could go wrong, its hard to stay at peace. But December has been the time of my life! Barely a week into Dec, and I feel as though this is the happiest month ever! December 2nd I get the H1B approval notice, two days later, I get a letter in the mail that my SSN has been generated. The SSN card takes like 2 weeks to reach your mailbox. So, I went to the SSA office with the letter that I got, and the officer was kind enough to give me the number. After going through all this, I have a very important piece of advice - work for your consulting company for atleast 3 months before you plan on a H1 transfer. That way you'll have your pay stubs, and even the SSN in hand and the transfer process would be hassle-free.
End of story. I finally do this brain dump on the day I get something I haven't got in two point something years - a paycheck. Thank you, God!!! See, I endured all the tests you put me through :) I really want to celebrate the end of the ordeal. A Hawaiian holiday is what I really want, but since I'm just a month old in the office, vacation should be the last thing to ask for. Sigh! Good old "freak-out-at-home" aka h4 days. ;)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How not to get bored on H4
H4, the dependant visa for spouses of H1B workers, is thought to be the most dreadful visa. True, but only if you're the career-oriented types. I've been in H4 status for 2 years and I do agree that I would have been standing with pride on a higher rung of my career ladder, had I not confined myself to home-making. But then, those have been the best years of my life, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have enjoyed that much with 40-hour work weeks coming in the way of family life. Career apart, the next common complaint I keep hearing from H4 spouses is "boredom". For me, the total number of days I really must have got bored can be counted on fingers, and may be toes taken together. :) That's because I saw the H4 period as a long vacation and kept myself busy with so many activities I never had time for all those years as a student and employee. And finally, people say they get depressed being on H4. When I came to the USA post marriage, I told myself I'm going there on an extended honeymoon. :) Yes, a typical honeymoon lasts anywhere from few days to may be few months. Mine took two years.. :) So have a positive attitude, you're not going to stay forever on H4 and then they'll be days when you so wish you stay back at home instead of slogging at work. Enjoy your vacation, you might never get so long a break again!
Now, this post summarizes what all things you can do while on H4. Following are all what I figured out over time, if you know more, leave me a comment..
If you want to make a "productive" use of your time, then:
Now, this post summarizes what all things you can do while on H4. Following are all what I figured out over time, if you know more, leave me a comment..
If you want to make a "productive" use of your time, then:
- Regardless of what your plan A is, try to get yourself an admission into some Master's degree program in any which school. That should be your plan B. Looking back, my only regret is not joining the MS program, with an admission in hand. Pursuing higher studies is always a good fall-back option for three things: 1. if you don't already have a Master's degree, this is your chance to arm yourself with one. 2. after the course completion, you are entitled to a 19-month work-permit in the name of OPT. So, you can for sure, get back to work after 19 months. and 3. a good explanation for the gap in your career.
- If the H1B quota for the year didn't run out yet, find yourself a full-time job. Again don't spend too much time looking for full-time jobs, because the H1B numbers might become unavailable anytime. May be, try hard for about a month or two and then, only then, find a decent consulting company to apply your H1B. Finding a full-time job should be your first preference, since 1. that's the legal path to employment, and 2. you would anyways have to search jobs after the consultant's H1B gets approved. So why not do that initially itself? That'll save you money, and unnecessary tensions as to whether or not the consultant's H1B gets approved.
- If the H1B cap is filled, or for some other reason you can't get an approval, explore the option of working for non-profit organizations. By this, I don't mean volunteering. There are these NPOs like Universities and Hospitals that are H1B cap exempt. That is, they are not counted under the annual H-1B quota. You have separate job boards for jobs in universities, and NPOs. If you find an appropriate position, go ahead and apply to the job. If all goes well, the NPO would file a H1B petition for you and you can start working for them.
- Again, if you aren't lucky with H1, you could explore this other option of work-study programs called "co-op" programs. A few colleges in US offer Masters degree program with full-time CPT right from the first day of joining the program. With the full-time CPT you can work full-time and attend school during evenings/weekends. HTIR website contains the details. These schools are not-so-popular, but then you have the advantage of full-time CPT.
- If you're willing to invest some money, and don't want to spend two years earning a degree, Management in Information Systems (MIS) is the way to go. Do your research, and you'll find a bunch of schools offering this degree program. Not much of a value addition to your resume, but in one year, you'll get the OPT. Another caveat here. If you're interested in pursuing this option, try to find a school that is registered in the STEM category. Why? STEM guarantees 29month OPT. Happy life! you don't even need to pay Medicare and Social Security taxes while on OPT, that's a lot of $$$.
- and finally if nothing works out, make a "citizen" baby :) so that he/she would not have to face the same hassles as you do should you choose to send him/her here. I'm not joking, if you really like the idea of having babies, this is an option worth pursuing unless you have other reasons not to. The best prenatal care you can give yourself is leading a stress-free life, pampering yourself at home. Any expecting mom has to agree with me on this.
- Learn car driving. The best days of my H4 have been after me learning to drive. You will begin to feel independent again as you zoom. Plus, if you're into window shopping like I am, US is the place to be. Plenty of one-of-a-kind shops where you can spend hours casually browsing the aisles and unlike India, nobody here puts up awkward expressions if you leave without purchasing a thing or even bother you as you casually walk around the store.
- Now is the time to pick up all those hobbies you left to make time for your studies.
- If there's a community college near you, check out their course schedule. I don't mean the educational ones. Most of these colleges offer sports lessons, swimming and music classes, etc for as little as 20-30$ for the entire semester.
- Blogging. The best outlet for your several thoughts. Start writing a blog to post your random musings or some cooking or crafts blog or anything. Blogging is fun and you will slowly learn to become more expressive.
- Reading. If you enjoy reading books, you will never once get bored here. For the public libraries here are pretty amazing! Become a member and read as much as you can.
- If arts and crafts interest you, visit the store "Michaels" to get some ideas.
- Make vacation plans. There are plenty of places to visit in the US, while there are hardly 4,5 long weekends an year. Unless your spouse is into travel planning, you take up the task of planning your vacation. Most of the State Tourism Boards publish travel guides and mail them out for free. This info can be obtained on the Internet too. But, if you prefer lying back and reading all that a State has got to offer, order these travel guides and start planning.
- Every now and then, keep revising what you already studied and learn what's new in your field of expertise.
- Keep in touch with friends, professional contacts and with world, in general.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Disneyland
So Disneyland - what's in for adults huh? Do adults have anything to do at all at DL? What if I'm not that much into cartoons? With these and several other questions bothering me at the very thought of visiting Disneyland, I kept postponing the trip telling myself I'll go once my kids grow up, yes "grow up" which would be several several years later. Anaheim is just 1.5 hours from where we stay, so one fine day I decided to visit Disneyland at Anaheim, CA come what may. Quickly browsed through the park website and saw the list of attractions and thought again, should we really go? Instantly closed the browser and told myself - no research this time, if I read any further, I might never visit so let me just go and explore Disneyland.
A little background about me:
- I don't once tune in to a cartoon show on Television
- I never watch any animation movies
- the only disney characters I know of are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Winnie, the Pooh
and yet, I had fun at DL!
So having spent a whole day at disneyland, I can assure you that disneyland is not just for kids, and adults can have fun too. Its not only a home of the cartoon characters we grew up watching, but there are some thrill rides, slow rides, fireworks and in general, the park carries a colorful, happy, festive look that you just want to sit back on the side-walk and enjoy. I have a huge list of traveller's tips for you when you plan a visit to DL. The park is huuuuuge, and the density of population is quite high (much more than Universal Studios and Sea World) even on a regular weekend. If you just have a day to spend at Disneyland Resort, Anaheim,
- I never watch any animation movies
- the only disney characters I know of are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Winnie, the Pooh
and yet, I had fun at DL!
So having spent a whole day at disneyland, I can assure you that disneyland is not just for kids, and adults can have fun too. Its not only a home of the cartoon characters we grew up watching, but there are some thrill rides, slow rides, fireworks and in general, the park carries a colorful, happy, festive look that you just want to sit back on the side-walk and enjoy. I have a huge list of traveller's tips for you when you plan a visit to DL. The park is huuuuuge, and the density of population is quite high (much more than Universal Studios and Sea World) even on a regular weekend. If you just have a day to spend at Disneyland Resort, Anaheim,
- do your homework right. Look at the list of attractions on the park website and make a short-list of what you find interesting. Inside the park, all you have is a park map and never ending lines of queue at most attractions. So, there's no point wasting time on something not worth seeing. This is the most important step of your DL trip preparation. There are too many places to visit inside Disney, so if you fail to do this step, you would end up wondering what to see, and what to skip at each and every attraction.
- make the best use of the FastPass service. On your trip list, add a star next to the FastPass attractions. When you decide to do a thrill ride or something else with a FastPass, go grab a pass for that asap. That way you can avoid the long queues and cover other smaller attractions during the FastPass wait-time.Make the optimal use of your time inside the park.
- for adults without kids, I suggest you visit Tomorrowland first. Its got a bunch of rides, and a futuristic place called Innoventions that's worth a visit. Once you're done with Tomorrowland, you can walk across to Adventureland, Frontierland and the New Orleans Square. Those are all the not so kiddish zones of Disneyland. Leave Fantasyland and Mickey's Toontown to the end.
- atleast do a quick walkthrough the toontown. Everything there is so damn cute and pretty. Exactly like what we see on cartoon shows.
- make sure you find yourself a good vantage point for watching the night show, Fantasmic. Its one of a kind laser-fountain-fireworks show that you don't want to miss. Now there are two night shows - Fantasmic at 9 and the regular fireworks show at 9:30. You can't catch the best view of both unless you stay till 10:30 for the repeat show. If fireworks behind the castle are what you're interested in, find a spot on the main street. People literally sit there like 2-2.5 hours in advance for the fireworks.
- Celebrate, the Street Party. Another fancy event, but ask the park staff for the exact show time and if they anticipate any delays. When we went, the show was delayed by half-an-hour, waste of time :(
- there is a whole strip of hotels right across the road from Disneyland. Next time, when we plan to visit, we'll make sure we stay there for the night. That way, you can comfortably tour the entire park in a day as the park is open from 9am-12am.
- not all events are scheduled on weekdays. So take a look at the park calendar before scheduling a trip to DL.
- finally, unless you are visiting So. Cal during holidays, DO NOT VISIT DISNEYLAND DURING HOLIDAYS/LONG WEEKENDS. We went on a regular weekend and the queues were crazy, about 80min wait time at some attractions. Isn't that insane? 80min is the time it takes to drive from Disney to my house. :) I'm sure I wouldn't even be able to do 20% of the park had I gone during holidays.
So, go visit Disney and feel like a kid again as you walk through Mickey's Toontown :) Disney is definitely worth checking out.
Oh yeah, another thing not quite related to DL. I have the habit of bringing back fridge magnets as souvenirs of interesting places I travel to. This time, instead of buying one, I made one at home. So much fun! Here's all you need:
Choose a picture of you with appropriate background of the place you've been to, print it in a desired size using Windows photo printing wizard (if you don't have a photo printer at home, you can order a wallet-size print at walmart et al), paste it on the magnet and cut the magnet into whichever shape you want. Next time, I'll take a pic of the magnet I made and put it up here..
Oh yeah, another thing not quite related to DL. I have the habit of bringing back fridge magnets as souvenirs of interesting places I travel to. This time, instead of buying one, I made one at home. So much fun! Here's all you need:
- Photo printer
- Photo paper
- Adhesive magnet sheets (can be purchased at Office Depot)
- Scissors
Choose a picture of you with appropriate background of the place you've been to, print it in a desired size using Windows photo printing wizard (if you don't have a photo printer at home, you can order a wallet-size print at walmart et al), paste it on the magnet and cut the magnet into whichever shape you want. Next time, I'll take a pic of the magnet I made and put it up here..
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The great American Shopping List
The onset of the marriage season in India reminds me of my own wedding and all the shopping before and after that I did. When you decide to make the United States your new home, there's this long shopping list that makes its place in your handbag. You are allowed to carry 'n' pieces of baggage with 'm' kilos in each, so you begin jotting down the optimal list of things that can be carried in 'n*m' kilos. Whether you're going to the US for the first time, or for the tenth, you are bound to make this calculation. There's always something to bring back from India. Before coming up with my list, I asked some of my friends who were already living in the USA at that time to suggest me what all things should be brought from India. They were kind enough to share their thoughts, and right now I'm going to blog the list of "essentials", "not-so-essentials" and the "just-not-worth-the-load" items below. Basically, I categorize the immigrants into three categories:
- Joining their spouse in the USA following marriage
- Coming with family for the first time, and
- Students
I'll start with category#1.
The essentials:
For category #2, #3:
The biiig advantage that people falling in cat #1 have is, one: a car ready at their disposal and two: a US guide aka husband :) So even if they come empty handed, they can purchase most of the above within no time. But for the rest of you, I say, get a month's supply of toiletries, linen, some groceries, stationery/college supplies, medicines. Fill up your suitcase with whatever you use as part of your day-to-day life.
This list is by no means a comprehensive one. I'll keep updating this as more entries come to my mind. Feel free to leave me a comment if you think of something else, so that I can add it to my list.
The essentials:
- Electric mixer: You do get mixers here, but they aren't designed to grind our dals and pulses. This is a must have in any Indian kitchen and I'm pretty sure you are going to miss this if you forget to get one.
- Pressure cooker: If rice and dal constitute your staple food, do carry a pressure cooker from India. US has some good rice cookers though. So, you don't have to carry the electric ones. When you purchase a pressure cooker, remember to also buy enough number of gaskets, safety valves and a spare whistle too.
- Stainless-steel ware: Steel is ridiculously expensive here. So bring whatever you can think of. All those cooking utensils, ladles, other speciality steelware.
- Kadai/frying pan/wok: Get the aluminium ones from India, non-stick can be bought here. Also, make sure you buy the flat-bottomed kadais like this and not the rounded ones like this. Since most of the stoves in the American kitchens are electric, if you use a round-bottomed kadai, it'll end up dancing on your stove-top :)
- Other miscellaneous kitchen essentials: Coconut-breaker, coconut scraper, idli plates, chopping board with knife attached (you can't find one here)...
- Groceries: Tamarind (what you get here is mostly black) and all those special "branded" stuff like masalas, pickles, etc.
- Devotional stuff: If you are religious and do your prayer everyday, bring all those idols, religious texts and other puja material.
- and most importantly, bring with you lots of confidence to achieve your American dream :)
- Medicines: They would not add much of weight, so if you have the time, shop some antibiotics and other drugs you just can't do without. First-aid and regular cold-cough-fever medications can be purchased over the counter here. but antibiotics and other speciality medicines are sold only on prescription. But yeah, if you prefer gulping down the same things you grew up with, its better to get them rather than miss them in times of need.
- Home decor: My major complaint about the USA is that the only fancy decorative stuff sold here are candle stands and photo frames. How bland! If you like to add a vibrant, desi feel to your home, get them from Desh! Again, when you're coming for the first time, you won't really have an idea of what to pick. My suggestion is, get some light-weight wall decor and may be a bunch of figurines for your TV stand and side tables. We generally don't have India like showcases in the houses here. So don't bring too much stuff either.
- Plastic-ware: Plastic is dirt cheap here. But, most of the plastic food storage containers you find here are short and wide, unlike those tall tins in our mom's kitchen. If you have some room in your baggage, get those tall plastic containers for storing pulses and other groceries.
- Other Cookware: Like chapathi rolling pins and base, a tool to sift flour, (jalleda in Telugu) etc etc.
- Media: All your favourite music CDs, movie DVDs that you keep watching over and over again, unless you want to do some piracy and download from the Internet :)
- Woolens: Just bring one jacket for your flight, nothing more. You'll be amazed surfing the woolenwear aisles in the shops here.
- Non-stick cookware: You can get really good ones here.
- Tableware: By this I mean, plates, spoons and forks. Can be bought here.
- Other steelware: Knives, peelers, graters, etc etc.
- Linen: Bedsheets, bath towels, etc. A big waste of baggage space if brought from India. They are not at all that expensive here.
- Groceries: Most of us carry all those pulses and loads of groceries that are readily available here just for the sake of saving some dollars. If you have the space in your baggage, go ahead and purchase. IMO, this should be the last thing on your mind when you shop for US. I usually fill in my baggage with lots of decorative and all other goods and finally hit the departmental store just before sealing my baggage. What you save may be 50 or 60$ which is equivalent to what you pay for eating out may be 3times. So, do you see, groceries are just not worth the weight.
- Books: Unless you are a student or a serious reader, you can safely leave all your books back home in India. Public libraries in the US are huge and rent books for free. You can find virtually every book here. For books that you refer to very frequently, better get them from India for they cost a lot to purchase.
For category #2, #3:
The biiig advantage that people falling in cat #1 have is, one: a car ready at their disposal and two: a US guide aka husband :) So even if they come empty handed, they can purchase most of the above within no time. But for the rest of you, I say, get a month's supply of toiletries, linen, some groceries, stationery/college supplies, medicines. Fill up your suitcase with whatever you use as part of your day-to-day life.
This list is by no means a comprehensive one. I'll keep updating this as more entries come to my mind. Feel free to leave me a comment if you think of something else, so that I can add it to my list.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Zion National Park
If you were to drive from Grand Canyon National Park to Zion, here are a few sights en route that you can't take your eyes off..
Those are a few of my favourite pics from the album. We just had one day left in our trip and had to choose between Valley of Fire, GC Skywalk and Zion to fill the day. The decision to visit Zion was made on the last minute, and we're so glad we made it. Since Zion wasn't part of my trip homework, I should say, I literally wow-ed at each and every cliff. Its not always good to plan everything in advance, and one should always leave some room for surprise. GC was in my mind's eye since childhood, so I pretty much knew what to expect. But neither Zion nor Utah entered my google searching history till date. So, it was all surprise-surprise!!!
Not too far from Flagstaff, it takes about 2-2.5 hours to get to Springdale, UT. That's where Zion nat. park is. We did Zion in less than a day, including travel, food, etc. But for my next Utah vacation, I'll make sure I make enough time for each and every park I plan to see. Some of the rocks enroute are so stunning that you really want to pull over and click a pic. All the snaps above were captured from a moving car, else they would have been much better, with some human invasion into the foreground ;)
Look at the intricate artwork, by God, by a river, by whatever. Isn't it amazing? Such fine detailing can only be achieved by man, but to attribute this formation to nature is something I find hard to comprehend. Each time I catch a glimpse of such sculpture during this trip, my first expression would be "Woowww" and the second one would be "How?" My fellow-travellers said its all due to erosion, dinosaurs (more about this later), ice age, blah-blah. I preferred to look at it with wonder without pondering much about what caused all this.
See this one. Doesn't it look as though its the result of brushwork? I mean, somebody with really thick brushes and with a good supply of brown paint brushed a stroke across the rock. If you look at the pic below, you might agree with me.
And the brown paint, spilled over.... I find this a little mysterious though.
We're not there yet.. May be half way between Flagstaff and Zion. But I've already typed a lot. Some where close to the state border is this Glen Canyon Dam. Worth a stopover to get a closer look at the dam.
The Colorado river, chief architect of the Grand Canyon..
The Dam and lake Powell..
Entering Zion..
Now, a visit to Zion complements the GCNP trip. Reason, Grand canyon is seen from the top, so you get a top-down view. But at Zion, you get the bottom-up view. You stand at the base, almost at the river level and look up at the tall cliffs. Stunning! Also, Grand Canyon is seen from a really long distance. Unless you have some binoculars, you can't really appreciate the detailing of each and every rock. At Zion, you stand up-close to the rock and can hence, get a more closeup view. Virgin river, which is a tributary of the river Colorado, is the sculptor of the Zion canyon. Also, the top-most layers of the Grand Canyon were formed at about the same time as the bedrocks of Zion which makes Zion a relatively younger canyon. That might explain why GC is all red and only the bottom-layers of Zion are red, while the top layers mostly browns and yellows and cream. Know nothing about Geology, that's just my guess. Whoa! This paragraph reminds me of a typical answer to a "compare and contrast" question in College exams. :)
Zion national park offers more picturesque rock formations. Red, brown and cream being the primary colors of the rocks. Navigating the park is easy, can be done in 2 hours, if you don't plan to take any trails. The park is closed to private transport. You basically park at the visitor center and catch a shuttle bus to travel across the park. Because there aren't any cars around, you can enjoy the park in utter serenity. lots and lots and lots of rocks. Each bus stop is a great photo op. At some of these places, you kind of get surrounded by really really tall cliffs on all sides. Stunning and scary at the same time. The park is really peaceful, the only noise that you hear is the sound of the rapids of the Virgin river. Another interesting thing to note is that some of the roads inside the park are red sort of blackish-red. As though some of the color from the adjacent cliffs seeped into the mortar. There is lodging inside the park, I guess that'll be a memorable stay.
There are some simple trails, and some hard ones. If you do the harder ones, you'll see the top-down view of Zion canyon. There's this riverside trail which is about 1.5miles roundtrip, simple one. At the end of the trail, you'll go as close to the canyon walls as possible. You are there, two tall cliffs on either side at a hand's reach and the river in the middle. That was how the canyon was formed. We didn't have time for the trail, I so regret :(
Some, quick Zion shots..
This point below is called 'Court of the Patriarchs'. The three cliffs have been given some names too.
River that carved the Zion canyon..
When you plan a visit to Grand Canyon, make sure you have a complete day for Zion. The drive is amazing, and so is Zion. We didn't do full justice to our visit to Zion.
For some unknown/absurd reasons, I never once Googled for "Utah tourist attractions". May be I didn't like the name - Utah. Or something else, but after coming back from the trip, I've been doing a lot of research and I'm really amazed reading how much Utah has got to offer. When in Utah, try to squeeze these into your itinerary, if the pics below interest you:
Tom Cruise from MI-2: The most charming actor in an awesome location - this is what I call a "treat" to the eye. :D
Those are a few of my favourite pics from the album. We just had one day left in our trip and had to choose between Valley of Fire, GC Skywalk and Zion to fill the day. The decision to visit Zion was made on the last minute, and we're so glad we made it. Since Zion wasn't part of my trip homework, I should say, I literally wow-ed at each and every cliff. Its not always good to plan everything in advance, and one should always leave some room for surprise. GC was in my mind's eye since childhood, so I pretty much knew what to expect. But neither Zion nor Utah entered my google searching history till date. So, it was all surprise-surprise!!!
Not too far from Flagstaff, it takes about 2-2.5 hours to get to Springdale, UT. That's where Zion nat. park is. We did Zion in less than a day, including travel, food, etc. But for my next Utah vacation, I'll make sure I make enough time for each and every park I plan to see. Some of the rocks enroute are so stunning that you really want to pull over and click a pic. All the snaps above were captured from a moving car, else they would have been much better, with some human invasion into the foreground ;)
Look at the intricate artwork, by God, by a river, by whatever. Isn't it amazing? Such fine detailing can only be achieved by man, but to attribute this formation to nature is something I find hard to comprehend. Each time I catch a glimpse of such sculpture during this trip, my first expression would be "Woowww" and the second one would be "How?" My fellow-travellers said its all due to erosion, dinosaurs (more about this later), ice age, blah-blah. I preferred to look at it with wonder without pondering much about what caused all this.
See this one. Doesn't it look as though its the result of brushwork? I mean, somebody with really thick brushes and with a good supply of brown paint brushed a stroke across the rock. If you look at the pic below, you might agree with me.And the brown paint, spilled over.... I find this a little mysterious though.
We're not there yet.. May be half way between Flagstaff and Zion. But I've already typed a lot. Some where close to the state border is this Glen Canyon Dam. Worth a stopover to get a closer look at the dam.
The Colorado river, chief architect of the Grand Canyon..
The Dam and lake Powell..
Entering Zion..
Now, a visit to Zion complements the GCNP trip. Reason, Grand canyon is seen from the top, so you get a top-down view. But at Zion, you get the bottom-up view. You stand at the base, almost at the river level and look up at the tall cliffs. Stunning! Also, Grand Canyon is seen from a really long distance. Unless you have some binoculars, you can't really appreciate the detailing of each and every rock. At Zion, you stand up-close to the rock and can hence, get a more closeup view. Virgin river, which is a tributary of the river Colorado, is the sculptor of the Zion canyon. Also, the top-most layers of the Grand Canyon were formed at about the same time as the bedrocks of Zion which makes Zion a relatively younger canyon. That might explain why GC is all red and only the bottom-layers of Zion are red, while the top layers mostly browns and yellows and cream. Know nothing about Geology, that's just my guess. Whoa! This paragraph reminds me of a typical answer to a "compare and contrast" question in College exams. :)
Zion national park offers more picturesque rock formations. Red, brown and cream being the primary colors of the rocks. Navigating the park is easy, can be done in 2 hours, if you don't plan to take any trails. The park is closed to private transport. You basically park at the visitor center and catch a shuttle bus to travel across the park. Because there aren't any cars around, you can enjoy the park in utter serenity. lots and lots and lots of rocks. Each bus stop is a great photo op. At some of these places, you kind of get surrounded by really really tall cliffs on all sides. Stunning and scary at the same time. The park is really peaceful, the only noise that you hear is the sound of the rapids of the Virgin river. Another interesting thing to note is that some of the roads inside the park are red sort of blackish-red. As though some of the color from the adjacent cliffs seeped into the mortar. There is lodging inside the park, I guess that'll be a memorable stay.
There are some simple trails, and some hard ones. If you do the harder ones, you'll see the top-down view of Zion canyon. There's this riverside trail which is about 1.5miles roundtrip, simple one. At the end of the trail, you'll go as close to the canyon walls as possible. You are there, two tall cliffs on either side at a hand's reach and the river in the middle. That was how the canyon was formed. We didn't have time for the trail, I so regret :(
Some, quick Zion shots..
This point below is called 'Court of the Patriarchs'. The three cliffs have been given some names too.
River that carved the Zion canyon..
When you plan a visit to Grand Canyon, make sure you have a complete day for Zion. The drive is amazing, and so is Zion. We didn't do full justice to our visit to Zion.
For some unknown/absurd reasons, I never once Googled for "Utah tourist attractions". May be I didn't like the name - Utah. Or something else, but after coming back from the trip, I've been doing a lot of research and I'm really amazed reading how much Utah has got to offer. When in Utah, try to squeeze these into your itinerary, if the pics below interest you:
- Arches National Park
- Bryce Canyon
- Antelope Canyon
- Dinosaur tracks (UT/AZ have got plenty of them)
Tom Cruise from MI-2: The most charming actor in an awesome location - this is what I call a "treat" to the eye. :D
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
On the H1B mess...
Pls. note: This is a repost from another blog of mine. Was originally posted on the 1st of April, 2009 and hence the references to Fool's Day.
How many of you have been fooled today? Feeling sad that you could be fooled so easily? Don't you worry. There's somebody out there who was fooled consistently by a huuuuge number of people for the last two years. Not by 10, not by 100, but atleast by 8,500 people who fooled it into believing that they have a job, when they actually don't! Who else do you think I'm talking about besides the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services, the USCIS, in short. Here's why...
Each year the USCIS accepts petitions for the much coveted ***H1B*** visa. This is perhaps the World's most sought after visa, as it gives a ticket to making $$$. :) For those IT professionals with Dollar dreams, there's one additional season besides Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter - & that is the "Filing" season. This season begins on the 1st of April every year. And for the last two years, this has been the shortest season of the year. Started on April 1st, and ended on the same day. Huh-oh!
A citizen of India, with a very good job back in Pune, I never dreamt of landing in the US. So, I didn't care about all these work visas. But after coming here, I was like Sheaaa!!! Is this the way the country, the World looks up to, issues work permits? To get a job here, you need a work authorization; and to get the work authorization, you need a job. Do you see the cyclic dependency? Sadly, our friend, the USCIS doesn't.
For the US-graduated students, they have the previlige of getting a short-term work permit that allows them to work for atleast 1year. So, it becomes easier for them to get a job, start working using the Student work authorization, and eventually get the employer file the H1B. But for the people on dependent visas, and for all those in India, there's a slim chance of finding an employer who is willing to file your H1B and is ready to wait till October 1st for you to join work. As a result, most of these people approach the DCCs (Desi Consulting Companies). Most of them are shady guys with a one room office, and with 100's of employees on the payroll. All they do is, take money from the candidate, offer him a "dummy" job and go ahead with the H1 application. Once the candidate gets the visa, and lands up a job, he becomes the hen that lays the golden eggs. The owner of the DCC can happily vacation in Hawaii, while his employees fill up his bank account. In the eyes of the USCIS, he is a legitimate employer. But hey, there was no real job offer while filing the H1 petition. How could the USCIS miss that?
Last year, I went the right way & got a "real" full-time job, and got my H1B filed without paying a penny. But since the USCIS is not smart enough to sift the "real" jobs from the total pool, I missed the lottery. This year, when I gave up (bad market-no one knows whether he'll be in business on Oct 1st) and started enquiring around for a DCC, there's this guy who offered to file my H1. Not too surprising, this is what he said: "I charge 4000$ for processing your app. I strongly recommend you to put atleast 5 other apps (What???). The more tickets you buy, the better the chances of winning the lottery. Right? Any amount you *invest* in H1B is priceless". My greatest regret is that his name somehow slipped off my mind. Had I remembered, I would have posted this in some legal forums.
Last year, I went the right way & got a "real" full-time job, and got my H1B filed without paying a penny. But since the USCIS is not smart enough to sift the "real" jobs from the total pool, I missed the lottery. This year, when I gave up (bad market-no one knows whether he'll be in business on Oct 1st) and started enquiring around for a DCC, there's this guy who offered to file my H1. Not too surprising, this is what he said: "I charge 4000$ for processing your app. I strongly recommend you to put atleast 5 other apps (What???). The more tickets you buy, the better the chances of winning the lottery. Right? Any amount you *invest* in H1B is priceless". My greatest regret is that his name somehow slipped off my mind. Had I remembered, I would have posted this in some legal forums.
Because of these DCCs, the applications out number the quota, thereby resulting in a lottery. All the while, I've been believing that your education, personality, experience, anything that is either a natural trait or one thats acquired with lots of hardwork, earns you a career. Funny thing is, in the US, its a lottery that decides whether or not you can work. Hows that??
Atleast 10% of the 85,000 visas are grabbed by the DCCs. If somebody fools you today, you realize it latest by the end of day. But it could take the USCIS anywhere up to an year to realize it was fooled by a DCC. It just rubs it off the shoulder, perhaps denies the visa at the Consullate, and gets ready to invite another set of applications. The System can't be more screwed up. Since its not possible to filter out the DCCs, some radical changes should be introduced in the way the work permits are issued.
That said, I'm asking again: Do you consider yourself the greatest fool? Think again!
Beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel:
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Trip to Grand Canyon National Park
Truly spectacular, natural wonder, the best sight my eyes have ever seen. And that is the Grand Canyon!
I've been to several "must-see" places in the USA, but nothing comes anywhere close to the Grand Canyon. An endless area of colored rock formations, in some really amazing shapes and texture, all carved out by the forces of nature. As you stand at any of the several vista points, its hard to believe that the GC is a work of nature and not another man-made architectural marvel.
GC is mostly sandstone-limestone cliffs carved out by the Colorado river over 100s of millions of years. The oldest part of the canyon is its bedrock which is over 1.5billion years old. Quite surprisingly, the bottommost layer of the canyon is named after a Hindu God "Vishnu", and is called "Vishnu Schist". The erosion has taken place in layers and each layer exhibits a different color. Another noticeable thing is the texture of each rock. Looks as though each rock has been sculpted by man using some really sharp tools.
A closer look..
When I told some of my friends that I was going to visit the GC, the most common comment I got was: "First sight is breathtaking, after that you'll get bored. All rocks and nothing else". But to me, each and every overlook from the designated view points was breath-taking. I sort of went into a trance looking at the canyon. Got a divine feeling, something I only get in proper stone-carved temples of South India, not the cemented ones. Reason being, some of these rocks reminded me of temple gopurams. After a quick read through the park brochure, I realized I'm not the only one to experience some kind of "holiness" looking at the rocks. The canyon ancestors also found them holy and called them shrines/temples by naming them after Hindu, Egyptian and Gods of few other religions. The most notable ones being, "Shiva" temple and one "Brahma" temple.
Here's one:
I can go on writing words of praise about the GC. But in order to make up some space for the traveller's tips, I'm stopping here. Now, the best time to visit the canyon is a small window of time in March/April or in September. Rest of the days, its either blazing hot or biting cold. Make sure you carry lots of water , a cap and some really powerful anti-tan lotion with you. Sunscreens are good, but they won't protect you from getting tanned. Also have a backup camera battery and an extra memory card. GC is a photographer's paradise!
Unless you're hiking the canyon, the nat. park can be covered comfortably in one day. Basically, its this stretch of road with about 10-15 view points on the way. Starts with the desert view watch tower on the east all the way west until the hermit's rest with the visitor center in the middle. This road kind of borders the canyon's south rim. Only half the length of this road is open to private vehicles. A good "September" itinerary would be to do this half first, and then park your vehicle at the visitor center. For navigating the other half, you have these shuttle buses. There's one point called "Hopi Point" which offers the best Sunset views. So if you reach the visitor center by about 3pm, you can take the shuttle bus and visit all other view points and finally get down at the "Hopi" point at about Sunset. Large crowds gather there, so better be there atleast half hour before the scheduled sunset time.
There are a couple of hotels in the GC area, but they get booked pretty early. For the last-minute planners, it becomes an expensive affair to reserve a room in one of these places in Tusayan, AZ. The next best places to put up are Williams and Flagstaff, both located at about 1-1.5hours driving distance of the GC National Park. We stayed at Flagstaff, amd drove to the east entrance of the Park. En route is the Little Colorado canyon which is as pretty as the GCNP. If you travel to the visitor center directly, you would not come across this.
Another place worth a visit, if you have the time is Sedona. If you don't have the time to cover the length and breadth of Sedona, just plan a quick drive from Flagstaff to Slide Rock State Park in Sedona. Its a 20 mile scenic route that you can do in about 30min one way. Until I actually visited Arizona, I used to believe that its just an "Arid"-"zone"-ah! But after taking the drive, I realized that Arizona has it all - desert, lush green forests, and also a snow capped peak!
We drove to Flagstaff from Las Vegas. Took us about 5hours. On the way, if you take a diversion by following a huge board that says "Grand Canyon Skywalk", you would drive to the west rim of the canyon which flaunts a horse-shoe shaped glass bridge into the canyon. South rim is what we visited, and is the most visited rim of the canyon. If you are the adventurous kinds, there are these awesome waterfalls in the Havasupai Indian reservation near the south rim of GC. From what I read, its about a 10mile hike, and the reward you get at the end are sights like these
The first thing that the desis in US do when their parents visit them is to plan a trip to L.A./San Diego/New York/Las Vegas/D.C./blah-blah-blah. But IMO, its the National Parks here that our parents should visit and not those man-made cities and theme parks. Undoubtedly, National Parks are America's best idea. I sometimes wonder why many of the best natural formations in the world fall within the US mainland. Whatever the reason is, the Govt has done a remarkable job by coming up with the idea of National Parks and thereby preserving the best sights of nature for future generations.
From the Grand Canyon, we travelled up to Utah to see the Zion Canyon. More about that in my next post.
P.S:
A movie clip showcasing the GC below..
An Indian movie song from the Film "Jeans". My first view of the canyon was thru this song. It was then that the desire to visit the Canyon entered my "Bucket List" :) This movie was filmed in several locations, across NYC, L.A., Las Vegas, etc etc. But only the canyon caught my eye.
In the video below,
1:55 - 2:45: shot in the GC and "Valley of Fire" state park near Las Vegas. All the while, I thought everything was the Grand Canyon. Damn! Visited LV twice, but never knew there was something more to Vegas, besides the Strip.
3:45 - 4:40: picturized in the Grand Canyon national park.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Movie Review - Magadheera (Telugu/Indian)
Oh what a film! The indefinite wait for this movie ends with a not-so-good experience. Having missed the first screening of this movie in San Diego, I was utterly depressed. Having learnt that its being screened again on public demand, I was utterly zealous. Having watched it, I'm utterly speechless wondering "Is this all?"
IMO, here are ...
The good - A pretty looking actress draped in amazing costumes
The bad - The much talked about special effects
The ugly - All the bloodshed
First of all, "Magadheera" isn't much of an entertainer. Its about some unfulfilled wishes that cause re-birth of the lead characters after 400 years. I can't find anything good about the film excepting for the heroine that I already quoted. The other thing I liked is the horse-riding part. Never seen a Telugu actor ride a horse without a dupe. What else? Hmm. May be the setting of the Udayghad fort in 1609 is praise-worthy. As per Tollywood reports, the movie was made on a whopping 40 crore budget. The most expensive Telugu movie ever made is what they all say. Could somebody tell me where did all the money go? Excepting for the huge Fort entrance set, I didn't find anything else that looked pricey. SRK's Devdas was made with some 40 crores back in 2002 and the extravagance is reflected in every scene.
Now the never-ending list of "not-good"s.
IMO, here are ...
The good - A pretty looking actress draped in amazing costumes
The bad - The much talked about special effects
The ugly - All the bloodshed
First of all, "Magadheera" isn't much of an entertainer. Its about some unfulfilled wishes that cause re-birth of the lead characters after 400 years. I can't find anything good about the film excepting for the heroine that I already quoted. The other thing I liked is the horse-riding part. Never seen a Telugu actor ride a horse without a dupe. What else? Hmm. May be the setting of the Udayghad fort in 1609 is praise-worthy. As per Tollywood reports, the movie was made on a whopping 40 crore budget. The most expensive Telugu movie ever made is what they all say. Could somebody tell me where did all the money go? Excepting for the huge Fort entrance set, I didn't find anything else that looked pricey. SRK's Devdas was made with some 40 crores back in 2002 and the extravagance is reflected in every scene.
Now the never-ending list of "not-good"s.
- The opening scene where they show the mountains. It looked like the "Paramount" pictures logo. I asked my husband if this is an animation movie. It looked so damn unnatural. Talking about graphics work, we've seen several other Telugu movies that have shown us some spectacular visuals.
- "Bangaru kodi petta" remix. No match to the original. Charan, IMO, lacks the charisma that Chiranjeevi had. It was a great relief to see him at the end of the song. And Mumait Khan, what an item girl! "Disco" Shanti is far better looking that MK. And the sound of the Rooster (kakadoodledooo) inbetween the lyrics was stupid. A big fan of the original song, that I am, I couldn't simply digest the horribly made remix.
- There isn't much of a comedy track in the movie. There are a few scenes that make you laugh in the 1st half. 2nd half is totally sans humour. Bramhanandam was misused. Such a talented comedian wasn't given a good comical script.
- The fight in front of the Kalabhairava figure in 1609. Tooooo much of violence. Srihari supposedly came to conquer the kingdom, what's he doing there counting 1 through 100? He claims to be the ultimate conqueror. He then should do his job by following the simple rule: "he came, he saw, he conquered". Whatever, the horrific part was the fight. Almost 20% of the theatre was filled with kids aged 5+, and I really wonder what was going on in their minds when they saw the hero slaying the other warriors like some ..., I don't know what...
- Songs are okay-okay. None that hold on to you even after leaving the hall. The last mass song with Kim Sharma would have been better if a better item girl was chosen. Come on, Kim isn't that great/popular an actress after all .Look at what Rajamouli has done to the movie "Simhadri" by bringing Ramya Krishna to dance with Jr. NTR. Now, that is what I call a rememeber-able item number. May be he wanted to re-create the magic of "Musugu veyaddu" from Khadgam, but he failed big time.
- In the final fight before Kalabhairava, Srihari travels all the way from Srikakulam to Rajasthan just to let go of his jeep to crash a helicopter in mid-air. Whoaa! Since he was a part of the scene 400 years ago, they had to somehow fit him in the present scene too.
- The end credits. Hasn't that been copied from Om Shanti Om? I give OSO better marks than this one with respect to the end credits.
- And finally, the Hero. He needs to improve on several fronts. First of all, he doesn't carry the "hero" look. I don't want to comment much about him, so as to be on the safe-side. :)
The running time of "Magadheera" is 3 hours. After about 2 hours, I got bored and was thinking about "bangaru kodi petta" song and it appeared as though some 4-5 hours have passed since I watched it.
I didn't want to blog movie reviews here. But since there's no other outlet for my thoughts about this movie, I'm scribbling them down here. On a hot Sunday afternoon, in a theatre far far away, I beg my husband (who isn't interested in watching Telugu movies) to accompany me to the movie, only to end up cursing myself why did I have to do all this. Some 5 years down the line, when I'm in some other part of the world, I'll relook at this post to re-live this moment.
I didn't want to blog movie reviews here. But since there's no other outlet for my thoughts about this movie, I'm scribbling them down here. On a hot Sunday afternoon, in a theatre far far away, I beg my husband (who isn't interested in watching Telugu movies) to accompany me to the movie, only to end up cursing myself why did I have to do all this. Some 5 years down the line, when I'm in some other part of the world, I'll relook at this post to re-live this moment.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Nokia N810
Where do I start? My fingers are eagerly waiting to hit the keys. to write the nicest words for this device.
First things first.
What do I use it for? - To video-call my parents in India.
Why can't I do the same using my PC? - Portability; I can talk/see my mom while walking from my patio to the kitchen. :)
This is what I'm writing about. Essentially, its a mini-computer with video-voip capability. Involves a one-time investment of 370$ (was 210$ two months ago), and then you can talk forever for FREE.
Now, let me start sharing my experience with N810. We bought two handsets before leaving for India last year so as to discontinue the Vonage service we were using back then. N810 has got some aud/vid apps. Skype runs on this phone, but only supports audio. There's Gizmo and a custom Internet call application for video. Skype is great for "audio only" calls. However, Gizmo's video is totally screwed up. That leaves us with Nokia's own Internet call app for video-chat which uses the SIP protocol for data transmission.
Our original plan was to give one handset to my parents, and one to my in-laws, while we chat with them through our lappy in US. Skype has no issues whatsoever. The desktop skype works perfectly with the Skype on Nokia. For video-call however, you need a SIP client on your PC to call Nokia. We tried a lot of them - Xlite, Kapanga, etc but they're all flaky. Video doesn't work all the time. There're issues with audio too. So, basically, there are compatibility issues for the Internet call app. We tried making calls between the two N810s we had. Worked like a charm! So finally bought another N810 for ourselves.
Another selling point for N810 is that its got GPS capability. Hmm.. There are a couple of hacks you need to do inorder to use the free GPS software. Otherwise, its okay. Takes a while to get the satellite connectivity. About 5 minutes or so, which I think is quite common among GPS devices. There's basically a free 7-day trial version installed with the phone. Lets say you first used the map application on Jan 1st. This means you can use it till Jan 7th for free. Inorder to use it forever, you have to set the system date anywhere between Jan 1st-7th each time you start the map app. But once it starts, you have to reset the date to the current date, because once it starts communicating with the satellite, it uses the current timestamp. If you dont mind paying some 100$ for 3 years, you can get the licensed version of the map application. Another issue with the free map app is that the text-speech translation isn't fully functional. The device guides you properly, but simply says "Turn left", "Make a u-turn" etc, rather than saying, "Turn left on XYZ Street". The display, however, indicates that the next turn should be made on "XYZ Street".
Besides video-calls and GPS, we also use it for browsing the Internet while at home. Imagine, you just want to browse through the TV listings online while relaxing on your couch, rather than using a heavy laptop for the purpose, you can use Nokia.
Technically, its an I-phone sans cellular/telephone module. Its got Bluetooth though, to connect to your bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. My next goal is to connect Nokia to the Internet thru my cellphone while visiting some scenic place/shopping mall and video-calling my parents back home. Sounds wooowwww!!!
Now, is it worth the investment? 370*3?? Absolutely yes!!! If you're the kind of person, who loves to see your parents every single day. Next time when you plan to visit India, and start shopping around for gifts, give N810 a shot. Take my word, your parents are going to love it more than anything else you take for them. Using the webcam on the computer is not that much of a big deal for most of us, since our lappies are always powered on. But for parents to switch on the computer, and sit before it, with all those microphones and stuff could be painful. Since N810 is more or less like a phone, they can use it with ease.
I'm loving it and so do my parents. Thanks Nokia!!!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sony Vaio
Here is one cool gizmo that 650$ can buy - Sony Vaio NS140E/W
What's great about it? - Look & Feel
What's not so great? - Some problems with the audio, no multimedia controls.
Having used Compaq & HP laptops before and being unsatisfied with both, I wanted to try a Dell this time. The same configuration (NS140E) on Dell would have costed me about 100 bucks more. Plus, there's this inherent problem of lap-burning with most laptops that have their fans underneath. Dell's a victim too. That left me with no choice, but Sony, Toshiba or Lenovo. The other two were kind of boxy and not visually appealing, atleast to girls :). I was kind of skeptical about Sony as a laptop manufacturer. But then, having weighed all the pros and cons, I decided to try a Vaio this time. And now, after using it for a month, I couldn't have asked for more.
Firstly, the laptop is sleek and weighs less. Even though its a 15.4" one, it can be carried around effortlessly. Its got a macbook-feel for half the price! Runs on battery for about 2hr 40min while in use. I haven't played any DVDs yet. But I should say it's got an amazing sound quality. But, when the volume is set to maximum, the sound kind of gets screechy and noisy. The microphone is great too. Voip calls made on this machine sound crystal clear at the other end. There are no multimedia controls on the keypad. I'm not a big fan of them, all I need is a mute button and that's there. I would be happier if there was a volume control too. For specifications, click this.
Hardly takes 5 seconds to come up from standby mode, the wireless radio might take upto a minute though. My other HP laptop would take upto 2 minutes just to switch on the display from standby. Forgot to mention, the power cord is too short, hardly 1.5 meters long. No big deal, I can always get a longer one for few $$$.
What I love most about this laptop is, it neither heats up my lap nor the keypad. That's because its got a fan on the side. So, there's no need for an external laptop fan which has sort of become an essential laptop accessory these days.
We love this laptop so much that my husband wants to trade his 1100$ worth HP entertainment notebook for my 650$ Vaio. OMG!!! Vaio!!! You simply rock!
What's great about it? - Look & Feel
What's not so great? - Some problems with the audio, no multimedia controls.
Having used Compaq & HP laptops before and being unsatisfied with both, I wanted to try a Dell this time. The same configuration (NS140E) on Dell would have costed me about 100 bucks more. Plus, there's this inherent problem of lap-burning with most laptops that have their fans underneath. Dell's a victim too. That left me with no choice, but Sony, Toshiba or Lenovo. The other two were kind of boxy and not visually appealing, atleast to girls :). I was kind of skeptical about Sony as a laptop manufacturer. But then, having weighed all the pros and cons, I decided to try a Vaio this time. And now, after using it for a month, I couldn't have asked for more.
Firstly, the laptop is sleek and weighs less. Even though its a 15.4" one, it can be carried around effortlessly. Its got a macbook-feel for half the price! Runs on battery for about 2hr 40min while in use. I haven't played any DVDs yet. But I should say it's got an amazing sound quality. But, when the volume is set to maximum, the sound kind of gets screechy and noisy. The microphone is great too. Voip calls made on this machine sound crystal clear at the other end. There are no multimedia controls on the keypad. I'm not a big fan of them, all I need is a mute button and that's there. I would be happier if there was a volume control too. For specifications, click this.
Hardly takes 5 seconds to come up from standby mode, the wireless radio might take upto a minute though. My other HP laptop would take upto 2 minutes just to switch on the display from standby. Forgot to mention, the power cord is too short, hardly 1.5 meters long. No big deal, I can always get a longer one for few $$$.
What I love most about this laptop is, it neither heats up my lap nor the keypad. That's because its got a fan on the side. So, there's no need for an external laptop fan which has sort of become an essential laptop accessory these days.
We love this laptop so much that my husband wants to trade his 1100$ worth HP entertainment notebook for my 650$ Vaio. OMG!!! Vaio!!! You simply rock!
Monday, January 5, 2009
British Airways
British Airways was by far, the best airline I've ever travelled by. I strongly recommend BA for flying to/from India. First of all, they honor your food requests. And second of all, BA has a decent collection of Indian movies for in-flight entertainment. Twenty hours on bread, butter and jam is the most grueling experience for Indian taste-buds. :) Request a vegetarian/Hindu meal on ba.com and thats all it takes for a yummy meal to reach you on board! One other advantage of requesting a special meal is that, you are served before all other passengers. Isn't that nice? This was my first flight journey without me waiting eagerly for the food-cart to arrive. :D
The main reason I chose BA was because the fares were cheaper than other carriers at the time of booking. One other reason was that BA stops just once at Heathrow enroute Los Angeles-Hyderabad. But now when I tell someone about BA, the food factor and the desi movies on board take the first place. :) One more thing, BA has hindi-speaking attendants and announcements are made both in English and Hindi. This helps when you have non-English speaking people travelling.
Well, the only catch however when you have a stopover in UK (on most airlines) is that, you need to have a DATV (Direct Airside Transit Visa) if you are travelling with an expired US visa. If you are a US citizen, you are good to go. Visit this for more information. The visa is required even if you don't leave the airport. I say it's a complete ripoff and an unnecessary cause of tension. To get this visa, you have to fill up a form online, get a biometric screen done at a USCIS application support center near you and send some original documents (passport, work authorizations, etc) along with a fee of 95$ + postage charges to the British Embassy. In most cases, it takes anywhere between 7-15days for you to get back your passport with the DATV stamp. The British consulate calls you once they check your documents and typically mail the passport the next business day. You get an email from them along with a UPS tracking number once they mail your passport. The biometrics thing at the USCIS center is by appointment. So getting the DATV is a time-consuming process. Make sure you apply for the visa as soon as you purchase your air-ticket. We didn't know about DATV until 3 weeks before our travel date, and God alone knows how much we panicked. What makes things worse is that, there's no way you can monitor your case status at the UK consulate. We felt greatly relieved on getting back our passport, and you know what, nobody even bothered to check the DATV, both in LAX as well as LHR. Shitttt!!!! But yeah, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
That's all I have. Concluding here giving BA a 5/5 rating. Happy flying!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
