Trav·e·logue

Cascade Falls- Orca Islands Travel Tip: Check out Otterspond BnB (8/10).  Views -9/10. Value - 8/10. Food - 7/10. New found respect for non standard hotels / motels in the US. Much more interesting stays. The fatigue sets in quickly these days. So many workstreams and thoughts. So many expectations and desires. The wanting gets to you.  And you long for a simpler life. Where you focus on work and work is your reward. And then you wonder - when the results don't come in - or your mind quakes with fear - what reward? The struggle between a purpose filled life and a pragmatic one becomes all too clear the higher the stakes, the more the ambition. I'd now like to take a step back - not in effort or goals, but more from the perspective of extracting myself from the clutch of desires. I have been given much more than I could have asked for .. Let me work towards goals, but not be strangled by them. To be mindful, to be grateful, to work with love and sincerity, to detach

The trip to new york I'll remember this one for the bus ride. We took the megabus from ann arbor to new york - oh yes, and we went via Chicago. It was an overnighter. Why? Frugality. Why Not? We were young (this was the pre 30s era). It started well - the lyft to the bus stop. And then my optimizer kicked in - what an irritating fellow. Which seat shall we sit in? What shall we do? Are we tracking to goal? We eventually settled on the top berth. After eyeing the rather monotonous freeway accouterments, we ventured below. Soon after, I attempted to lose myself in reading my MBA textbooks and career guides. Reading along with motion sickness never go well and the slide into counting cars started. After an indefinite amount of hours - we arrived in NYC. We shuffled out - grabbed our garbage and luggage - looked at each other weary eyed, and wondered where to now. Aah yes- we stayed in New Jersey. That meant grabbing the luggage and taking the train to that other side of town. The

I'm starting my MBA studies at the Ross school of business at Ann arbor soon. That ofcourse entails a 12000 km odd journey that takes around 24 hours end to end. My wife and I flew Lufthansa via Frankfurt to get here from Delhi - a good flight, nothing to complain about at all. Staff were friendly, flight was on time and food was ok. However the seating in the plane was tight and really the food wasnt anything exceptional. Note: Keep an eye out while flying over Greenland: the ices are amazing! Frankfurt airport: It's big, but not as big as they say. We had a 3 hour layover and we had plenty of time to move in from arrival to departures. The airport is no-frills - nothing ofcourse like good old Changi - and we spent our time sipping coffee and happily checking-in on facebook. Ann Arbor - early thoughts. It's like (is!) a large sprawling campus with tons of restaurants and (fewer) bars thrown in. To be honest- I've just made a few trips across- but the beauty of the

 If you're a  moving/recently shifted to Singapore- this blog post could possibly be helpful for you (Extra credit if you're a 20-28, indian, single and semi introvert with unresolved issues). Heck - it may be unhelpful as well - but i feel like writing. These are my top 10 uninsights for you: 1. Be mentally prepared - Get ready to be lonely and get your mind ripped. Yes - you've got that coveted NRI status. The $$$ are eye watering. But - something seems amiss. If you've not truly been alone before - long empty nights in a city which you cant connect with will distort your judgement. Just keeping this fact of life (Labelling those moments) - helps. 2. Keep yourself fit. Ensure you live a healthy lifestyle. I noticed I would feel a bit out during evenings - my retrospective hypothesis is that it was the just the long time between meals. Also - Singaporeans are very fit. Between the national service, genetics and peer pressure - everyone has really good figures.

I was feeling the jitters. Due to recent developments in Ruzzle and R-language -i was unable to work. Ruzzle & R ofcourse being a nervous synonym for real life developments. i looked around. Harsha had just come back from a discussion. He looked whacked. "Perfect- I need to get out of this place and Harsha seems a vulnerable target". "Stop it- Ofcourse a vacation is good- stop thinking as if you're doing something wrong". My evil side and conscience had teamed up - life was much easier after they had joined forces instead of forever battling in my head. I was now feeling charged. Singapore Friday : 8 pm > Jetstar tickets to surabaya booked: Harsha's credit card used (ofcourse I'll pay him back); 200 sgd return (1 pax) Hotel booked: 60 sgd/2 nights (1 pax) Itinerary there: No clue Singapore Saturday: 2 am> Dashboards created for up and coming marketing campaign; Red eyed and weary i crash. I suddenly realize that my camera isnt working. "L

CAMBODIA As mentioned in my last post, Cambodia (Siem reap) ranks in the top destinations that Indians (as per their hefty visa requirements) should visit while sojourning in SE-Asia. Again this trip was made possible due to LCC deals from Singapore to Siem Reap. Itinerary: Singapore to Siem Reap by Jet* (3 days odd) Siem reap to Battambang by bus (overnighter -spend one day at BB. A bit dangerous - not really recommended for women. We did this as SIN-SiemReap: PhnomPenh-SIN was cheaper than SIN-SR return) Battambang to Phnom Penh by bus Phnom Penh to Singapore by Jet* (spend 1-2 days at PP) What do do: Siem Reap You can cover Angkor wat well in 3 days. 2 full days should just be enough for a whirlwind tour. Do note that it tends to be crowded at times and ideally you should choose a low crowd/good temperature season (if that exists). The history and monuments are truly amazing. The forest setting adds greatly to the charm. Ideally you should spend mornings exploring t