More sun south of the equator
Posted by Gurp in Adventures Abroad on May 8th, 2010
wasup people?!?!
been a long time since i wrote some shit. i just realized that nothing has been posted since we arrived in sydney. well, i just pressed play on mmmrags podcast 4 (get it here –> www.mmmrags.com), popped open a wicked bottle of wine and im in the writing mood. a lot has happen since we arrived in sydney 2 months ago, so i think i might break this up into 2 posts or i might just make a condensed version…. im still undecided, it all depends on how much i write.
the adventure continued… we arrived into sydney airport without anything, no contact person, no place to live, no money, no phone, nothing. it was about 1 in the afternoon and we were still hung over from thailand. we sat down in the airport and tried to figure out what was next. went to the hostel board and picked out about 30 different flyer’s but couldn’t decided on which place to go too. we had no idea what areas of the city were good or bad. luckily i had emailed my brother before i left india to see if he had any contacts that would give up their couch/floor for a bit while we tried to sort shit out. i didnt have much access to internet while i was in thailand, so i had no idea if he replied yet or anything. the search was on for some internet in the airport. after some walking around, we finally found a place with free internet. i got an email from my bro’s friend warren saying it was cool to crash at his place and he asked when we were coming. i sent him an email saying “we are here at the airport stranded” and that i would call him soon. mind you, i met this guy once for about 2 hours i think, while we were in vegas last year… hammered
good thing they had a vodafone store in the airport… we got a sim card and started making some calls. warren was pretty cool, he txt me his address and told me to come by his work to get the keys. we got out of the airport, jumped in a cab and headed into the city. the first sight of sydney was amazing… sunny, hot, white people, and english speakers. the cabbie dropped us off at warrens place but we had no key. i left sam there with all our stuff, in front of the building and i started walking towards warrens work. i found out warrens brother had gone to canada for the olympics and he wouldn’t be back for a month. it worked out well for us, because now we had a room to crash in for the time being. we started meeting a bunch of people, all of warrens friends and both of my brothers friends that were still here. i’ve met some of these people before, so it was good to see some familiar faces.
after a few days of chilling out, we decided to finally start looking for work and place to live. after all, we did come here to try to establish ourselves. the only question now was how? well, we stayed at warrens place for a couple of weeks and then we moved out to a place right in the city. warren had a friend who knew some people that had a couple of beds available in the city. the price was good for the moment and we wanted to be in the city until we got jobs so that we could afford to actually move out on our own. the reason i say “move out on our own” is because we are in some shady shared accommodation apartment… its 2 bedrooms, 1 washroom, shared amongst 5 of us. yea, we were paying for a bed. sam and i stay in one room… we got bunk beds (gangstaaaaa)… good thing is there is 2 sets of bunk beds in the room. in the other room, there are 2 Vietnamese guys and then there is a Nepalese guy who stays in the sun room. the best part of this place though is the location, we are right across the street from a 24 hour irish pub. you know what that means, guinness time is anytime 
we thought this would be sort term, maybe a month or so, but we are still here and its pretty good. our room mates are pretty cool… they all are usually not around, so it feels like the place is ours.
now that the temp spot to live was sorted, next on the hit list was getting a job. i went bomber style and shot my resume out to every job posting on the net. the problem was though, my visa only allows me to work in one place for up to 6 months. all the jobs i was applying to were permanent roles and the companies just didn’t wanna hire me thinking i would leave. it kinda sucked because we were getting kinda broke and australia isn’t cheap.
while the job hunt was going on, we were still socializing and networking a lot with my brothers friends and some other people that we met while we have been here. the party scene in sydney is pretty good. clubs are scattered around the city, there are pubs everywhere, and people here generally love drinking. there is no cut off time for alcohol here, so you can get beer 24/7… its amazing. when we had arrived here, the first place these guys took us out to was this place called ivy… it pretty much like musik in toronto. hype place… but drinks are stupid expensive, so cant make it a regular place to hang out. the other thing that we had to get used to was the drinking/partying time they have over here. you see, australians are a bunch of alcoholics… so fridays after work, they all head out for drinks right away. the pubs and clubs get rammed with people at like 5pm, by about 11-12ish, you see the crowd change from working people to the party people/uni kids/people who just dont stop drinking. in india we got used to getting to clubs at about 1am and partying till about 5-6 in the morning. over here, when you start drinking at 5, you generally are hammered by about 11 and by midnight you wanna go home. good thing man made redbull, with out it, i would be lost. oh, did i mention that work places have beer fridges here… dangerous.
so far sydney has treated us pretty well. this city reminds me of toronto only a lot warmer. the first week we were here it rained, but after that its been nothing but sun. average temperature since we’ve been here is about 25 degrees. no i still have not been to the beach yet and no i do not have a valid reason as to why. but, while we look for a place to live, beach property is high on the search list.
on some other notes, we had a couple friends come from canada. they were travelling australia for a couple of weeks and made a pit stop in syd for a couple of days. was good to see them and hear the good old canadian accent. it made me miss home, until i woke up the next morning and saw the sunshine outside. also, we did find jobs, but ill save that for round 2 of this catch up post. right now its 1 am and im tired as hell.
going forward, i know i’ve said this a lot… but i will try to keep this updated frequently. i’ve just been busy the past couple of months trying to sort out my life over here. but now that most of the grind work is done, ill have more time to write up some good stories about our adventures.
btw, Heed, mmmrag podcast vol 4 is HYPE.
annnnnddd last but not least… our story has inspired some else to make the move to a different land…check out O’Nagra’s blog here –> http://talkingtshirt.org/ as he is getting ready for a move over to london.
Sláinte,
gurp
Bring on that Pad Thai!
Posted by Gurp in Adventures Abroad on March 9th, 2010
Yes Yes, Thailand!!!
we left delhi and flew into bangkok. we decided to stay in thailand for 8 days. we got to bangkok at about 6am. ended up going to a hotel on koh san road… for those of you that have been to bangkok, you where that is. if you haven’t been thailand… then when you go, make sure you go to koh san road. we got to the hotel at about 7 and had to wait until 10am to check in. so we sat in the lobby and passed out. finally we checked in and then crashed until late afternoon.
when we finally got up and started walking the streets, the first thing i felt was culture shock. yes culture shock, never have i felt this before, but compared to india, this place was waaaaaayyyyyy cleaner, i mean i forgot what it was like to be in a clean place outdoors. people were friendly, sun was shining, and i was breathing fresh air. it made me feel like i was in a prison for the last 6 months.
we got some thai food on the side of the road , so cheap, so good, maaaaddddd spicy! we then took a tuk tuk (a beefed up version of a 3-wheeler) to a travel agent, it cost 20 baht, but i only had 500′s. so the driver says, dont worry, ill get it from you another time and then drove off. WTF???? forreal?? now let me compare this to a ride in india. in india, i would have to sit and negotiate prices with these drivers and even after we agree on a price, once time come to pay, they want more money. just amazing.
we booked a bunch of little trips with the agent. actually she was probably the best sales person i’ve ever encountered. she had us sold on everything with in about 10 mins of us walking in there. we booked tickets to a muay thai fight, a day trip to the tiger temple, then a bus and boat to koh samui with 2 nights stay, and then a boat to koh phangan for the half moon party and 2 nights stay.
that night we ended up going to some thai club in some back ally. it was alright, but my opinion on thai girls is kinda jaded. if you go to or have been to bangkok, you would understand, but i feel that 90% of thai girls are either “working” or are men… kinda effed up if you ask me. but those are some stories ill share in person. one of the most weirdest thing in this club was when i went to the washroom. i went in and started taking a piss in a urinal. all of a sudden i feel someone grab my shoulders and start massaging me. WTF? i mean, im in mid stream right now, i cant just stop it and some one is massaging my shoulders. then he grabs my neck and cracks it. now, the quick massage and neck crack felt amazing, really loosened me up… but isn’t that just a little weird? oh well, i just walked the eff out of there.
we got up late the next day and found an irish pub on koh san. it turns out that this pub was open 24/7. we walked in and there it was, a beautiful.. .shiny… silver, gold, and black… the guinness tap. we sat down and ordered a few rounds. it was good to be back into a society that has guinness. it had been 6 long months since i had last seen a guinness tap.
after the pub we went to go watch a muay thai fight. yup, this is another check off the bucket list… watch a muay thai fight in thailand…. check. its was intense, we had ring side seats and the atmosphere was amazing. the fight finished late and we ended up going out for a bit after the fight. we got back to koh san at about 3am and were buzzing. i went back to the hotel and sam decided he wanted to go out to a club. i knew this wasn’t a good idea since we had to wake up at 6 am to pack our stuff and catch a bus to go to the tiger temple. i caught some zzzz’s for couple hours, and then sam walked in at 6am. he fell on the bed and said he would wake up in 15 mins. i jumped in to the shower and then started to pack my shit. the bus was coming at 715am… by now it was 645 and sam still had to get up and get his shit organized. i tried waking him up, but waking him up is like trying to wake up a bag of rocks…just pointless. you see i’ve been pumped for the tiger temple for a couple of days now. i really thought i was gonna go a fight a tiger. needless to say, sam didnt make it up so i left with out him. i dropped my bags off at reception to keep in storage since i would get back at 6pm and then catch another bus at 830pm to go to the island. i had my backpack with me and i left.
i was still kinda drunk and passed out on the bus for a couple of hours. we started the day off going to the thai war museum. it was pretty good, but i was still pumped for the tigers. from there we went to go eat lunch at a place that was on the river surrounded by nothing but jungle. it was pretty good food as well, it felt like a small mamapop shop. from there we went to see some waterfall… not the greatest thing in the world. then we went to the tiger temple!
this place was wicked. its a buddhist temple that also houses wildlife. we walked in towards the tiger canyon. there was like 15 tigers there. these things were HUGE. i mean, i knew tigers were big, but damn, these guys were massive. the tiger temple is only open to visitors from 1230 – 330 daily, i guess its the time after they’ve been fed and are in itis stage of their day. the tigers were chillin, most of them asleep. there is at least one trainer around each tiger and you can only go to a tiger one at a time. you walk with 2 people, one holding your hand and the other holding your camera taking shots with you and the tigers. i thought it was amazing and would love to actually do it in the wild. after those tigers, i went up the hill and there they has some young tigers. there were two babies, like maybe 2 – 3 weeks old. they were indoors, so you couldn’t touch them or anything. there was also a 7 month old tiger that people were taking pictures with. now this tiger was chewing on a hat when i went to go get my picture with it. all of a sudden it lifts its head up and starts growling… the trainer starts making a grunting sound and got up and stuff. i thought for sure this tiger was gonna attack me and i was just waiting for it. i knew i was gonna fight a tiger and i was ready for the attack… either to fight back or run like usain bolt. the tiger didn’t end up doing anything and i got a few pics in with him, so it worked out for the better. there were some other animals there like deer, water buffalo, and roosters… all roaming free. i walked up to a deer and said wasup, it didn’t do anything so i just took a picture of it and left.
from the tiger temple we headed back to bangkok. now i had to catch up with sam somehow. the bus was gonna drop me off to the travel agent, i wasn’t sure where sam would be, at the agents or at the hotel or somewhere else. you see, we had to catch another bus out that night to go to koh samui. i got to the travel agent and sure enough he was still alive and was kickin it with the agents.
we left that night to start our journey to the islands. it took about 14 hours, a bus ride, and a boat to finally get to our destination. this island was koh samui, it was a big island and was packed with people. we rented bikes and took them around the island. for the most part we chilled out during the day by the beach and by night we would find parties to hit up. we also went to another muay thai fight… this one was France vs. Thailand. it was an intense battle filled with blood and a few knock outs. you see we had bets that were continued from the last fight we saw. we would each pick a colour either red or blue. if the match ended in a decision, then the loser had to take 1 shot, if it was a knockout then it was 5 shots. i think in total it ended up being sam owing 40 shots and i had 30 shots…. an no, we still haven’t taken the shots yet, but will soon
from koh samui, we went to koh phangan which is a smaller island and is where the full moon parties happen. unfortunately, we weren’t in thailand for the full moon, but were there for the half moon, so we ended up going to the half moon party there. it was pretty intense, but after listening to nothing but trance and dance for that last little while, i was kinda tired of it. the best part of the koh phangan was where we stayed. it was in a hut on the beach. amazing view and soooooo relaxing. after a busy and hectic few months, this was a good relaxer… we would sit on the beach during the day, sippin on beers and then party it up at night. we also went to a beach party one of the nights… my god, this was crazy. there was 3 different bars on the beach that had like 20 sub woofers each just blasting music. everywhere you look there was little booths setup selling buckets of alcohol, like vodka/coke, whiskey/coke, etc. to top it off, there was people jumping through fire! no not professionals or anything, drunken people on the beach jumping through fire. now let me tell you kids, fire and alcohol do not mix! keep them away from each other!
from that island were started our long journey to sydney. we left the island at about 11 am. took a slow boat back to the main land and then took a bus back to bangkok. we ended up reaching bangkok at about 4am or 5 am. we went back to our hotel and got our bags, we had until 12 pm to check out. after sleeping for a few hours and cleaning up, we checked out of the hotel. we spent the day at the irish pub drinking guinness and then went to the airport to catch our flight out at midnight.
9 hours later we landed in sydney. we had no place to stay, no contact numbers, no phone, nothing… but finally, after 6 months, we had reached our destination. and now the journey continues….
Gurp
Goodbye India.
Posted by Gurp in Adventures Abroad on March 9th, 2010
Well my time in india has come to an end. it was a good run while it lasted. i had some fun, did some work, met new people, what else do you need? i thought i’d use this post to reflect on my thoughts about india and the experience i had, so here it goes.
How was india? and how the eff did i last 6 months here?
well let me tell me you one thing off the bat, india is one amazing place to go and visit. its such a unique place, every day is an adventure. some of the views that you see there are unbelievable, even now, i look at some pictures from the Himalayas and i dont believe its real. the amazing tastes and the different cultures all combined into one make it a place like no other.
it was this difference from the rest of the world that made me want to stay in india and see what its like to actually live in a society like this. living there though, it something totally different. the level of corruption in india is unbelievable. from the shop keepers and local security up to the high political ranks, corruption is everywhere and the crazy thing is, its blatantly obvious.
another thing i noticed about india is majority of the people there think and live for themselves and themselves only. this might be a big factor as to why there is so much corruption there, since everyone is out to get theirs and they dont care about next man. this is evident from a simple task of driving. i mean, when driving there, the indians will try to squeeze into any little nook or cranny available just to be ahead. whatever little spot is available on the road, someone will try to fill it. but they do this, not thinking that there is crazy traffic around and doing that will not get you any further than you already are. all it does is cause more traffic. the worst is when two cars come head to head when only one car can fit through a gap , one of them needs back up and let the other through, but none of them ever do, they just honk at each other and cause more ruckus on the road.
I think a big reason for this style of thinking is because there is no unity with in india. with so many different cultures and the fact that india has been taken over so many times by different countries, they get an inward way of thinking. someone once told me that indians are like crabs in a bucket, once one gets to the top, another will pull it right back down.
india is an emerging country. i think there is sooooooooooo much opportunity there. but until their way of thinking changes and they become more united, they will be stuck in the same position as they are now…. a country with loads of potential but no unity to achieve it. whats amazing is that they are fine with that…. everything may be chaotic and unorganized, but still it just works. only in india.
i’ll tell you though, if india does change… whether through political and educational movements or through a renaissance, it will help them and the world greatly.
As for going back there, i dont know if i would. its to hectic of a lifestyle for me. i’d go back and visit for sure… but to work, i dont think so. the 6 months i spent there had their ups and downs and i definitely would do it over again if i had a choice. but, the world is a big assssss place, but now i gotta go to the next spot and continue my journey around the world.
thats my two cents. remember, its just an opinion… not a judgment.
Gurp
What the heck is a bollywood anyways?
Posted by Gurp in Adventures Abroad on March 9th, 2010
so after my last day of work in delhi, i went to mumbai for a few days to check out the sites and kick it with elesh. i got there on thursday afternoon. we booked a suite at the Oakwook hotel in Juhu beach. let me tell you, this hotel was pimpin! we had a wicked room with a kitchen and all. there was a nice pool on the rooftop as well as a sundeck and a bar/restaurant.
it was good to meet up with elesh finally. its always nice to see people from back home, it makes me not miss tdot as much.
mumbai was good, its a nice city. i’ve heard mixed things about mumbai, some people like it… some people hate it. i thought it was pretty good. compared to delhi, it felt a lot more cleaner and a lot more western. it seemed like a saw a lot more modern people as compared to delhi where there are a lot more traditional people.
we partied it up on over the weekend. i met some of elesh’s friends and we went to a cocktail party. we also hit up a few bars and restaurants.
on the saturday we had a few adventures and we did some sight seeing. we went by india gate and the taj hotel where the mass killings happen a couple of years ago. we actually went to one of the bars where the terrorists ate at and then shot up before they started their rampage. it was pretty packed in there, but what surprised me the most is that they still have the bullet holes in the walls and ceiling. pretty intense if you ask me.
this trip was a real relaxer… the past few weeks were really hectic and this break was really needed. we pretty much just chilled out the whole time i was there. i went with elesh during the days to run random errands, then by night we would just drink it up and hit some random spots through out the city
btw, elesh’s super stardom is pretty crazy. this guy got recognized everywhere we went, from the mall, to the bank, to random little restaurants… its amazing. i might head back at some point to join the entourage 
he’s got some big thing gwaning over there, i really hope it all works out.
i flew out of mumbai on the monday and arrived back in delhi in the afternoon. sam had gone to the pind and he arrived back in delhi on monday afternoon as well. we got back to the condo and started drinking it up with nim while we packed our stuff. we had to head back to the airport to catch our flight to thailand at midnight… my time in india has come to end.
btw, i know the tittle has nothing to do with the post, but i felt like using it anyways
Gurp
… The Journey Continues
Posted by Gurp in Adventures Abroad on February 4th, 2010
well, london was a great option, but looks like it will not be the next destination… nor will dublin. turns out to get a working visa for the UK, i need to apply in a country of which i am a resident or have permission to stay in for longer than 6 months. that pretty much wiped out a whole slew of options we had. last night i spent about 5-6 hours researching options, flights, visas… everything. another big issue we were facing was luggage. we have about 40-50 kgs of baggage, but most airlines only allow 20-25 kgs and charge an arm and a leg per kg for overage.
it would have been nice to go to london or dublin. Onagra is heading to London, so we would have jammed with him there. but it just couldn’t work out. with dublin, we can only apply to work there through the swap program… if you want details go to swap.ca, its actually a pretty crazy program for anyone wanting to get the eff out of tdot… hint hint
this all left us to 2 real options 1. come back to canada…. if i were to do this, i would either come back to toronto and work at my dead end job with government or most likely i would end up going to calgary or vancouver. the other option was continuing the journey we had originally started, heading to aussie land.
well, we called the airline company and we got all the info we needed to make a decision. we caught a flight for dirt cheap, that fits in the days we need to leave and we can have a baggage limit of 40kgs yup, Sydney… here i come!
i guess its good not to have many options, it makes making decisions easier. you see we already had the paper work for aussie sorted. the good thing about that workers visa is that its valid for 1 year from the day that you land, not when you applied for it. so we really didn’t lose anything.
we booked our tickets this morning, here is the itinerary… on the 11th, i fly out to mumbai to meet up with elesh… sam will go to the pind with his mom. we both meet up back in delhi on the 15th… on the 16th we fly out to bangkok and chill out there for a few days… yup, Thailand! cant wait for that… then on the 24th we fly out to aussie land and try to start life, again…
it feels good to have this all sorted, but it also means i got 1 week left in delhi and a shit load of work to finish up. been working like 16-17 hour days for the past week or so. cant wait for mumbai and thailand, its gonna be good to chill out again.
well, ill keep you all posted on the events that occur as the journey continues…
One World. One Cup. One Guinness.
gurp
The Game Changer…
Posted by Gurp in Adventures Abroad on February 1st, 2010
Well, this weekend was interesting. So, when we had first come to india, we had gotten a 6th month visa. finally time came to extend it or renew it as it will be expiring on feb17th. Well, after doing some extensive research, it looks like we wont be able to. basically, india has tightened its rules for visas. our only option is to leave the country and apply for a new visa, however, we have to spend a minimum of 2 months out of the country between visas… meaning, we are out. there are ways around it, however, none of the people we know are willing to take the risk of breaking this law as it is quite firm.
our time in india has come to end. not the way we expected it, but hey, shit happens. ill be slaving away for the next few days to wrap up some of the stuff i’ve been doing. dont know how much ill be able to complete or transition off, but ill do the best that i can.
we still need to figure out what we will do. im planning on heading to mumbai on the 11th, chilling there until the 16th and then flying out from there to where ever is next. whats next? i dont know, too many options…. could continue our original journey and head to australia?… maybe head back home to toronto?… there is also london as o’nagra might end up there…. how about ireland? south america? i dont know… but what i do know for sure, where ever i go, they will have Guinness and they will have Beef!
So ill keep you guys posted on the situation and the next destination.
the time has come once again for me to strap on my parachute and see where the wind will take me…
gurp
The New Year Post
Posted by Gurp in Adventures Abroad on January 16th, 2010
ok, im sorry… i know its been a while since my last post, but seriously, i’ve been crazy busy… to busy to even organize anything right now. im gonna have a quick read of my last post to see where i left you guys off at……..
done… so quick update, all 3 stores have officially opened. it was a lot of work, 14 – 15 hour days, 7 days a week… but we did it. now all of our focus is on marketing and sales. i think we have made a pretty good change for this company so far. Mrs Kaur’s is gonna be big! we have implemented a lot more quality control and we have developed a few more products as well. quality control consists of food being delivered right to my place and us eating it
the architecture firm is going pretty well. we have been searching for a new office and ill be Project Managing the IT construction there. i’ve designed it, now i just need to implement it.
now enough about work. christmas had passed… let me tell you, its not like the way it is back home. first off, it wasn’t a white christmas it was sunny and warm, about 17 degrees in the day and at night it dipped down to about 8 degrees. we had organized a big turkey dinner at our place. my cousin, my boss, my aunt, nim, sam, taco, and my nephew all came over. we did a kris kringle gift exchange… our pad got some nice goodies. we ended up winning a shot/cocktail book, a mini stereo systems, and a bunch of condoms… very fitting for 3 bachelors taco and myself had cooked a feast for dinner. first off all, i had a mission to find a turkey… finally i did and bloody thing cost my $70 CAD. soooo expensive. but it was worth it. we had turkey, veggies, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, fish, rice, and some delicious dessert. it actually felt like i was back home for a bit, being with family and eating some delicious food.
for new years, we were all so busy with work that none of us actually had time to plan anything. heck new year’s eve, i was in the office til about 730 working. sam was gone to punjab and didn’t make it back for new years eve. my nephew had flown back to the states a few days earlier, so it was just nim, taco, and myself for new years. we ended up going to my boss’s house (architecture firm boss) with my cousin as well. there was 5 of us there, but it was a wicked ass night. my bosses place is pretty wicked… she is an architect and her mom is a world wide recognized interior designer… so just image what her place is like.
as for the party scene, like i said before, been so busy with work that by the time we get home, none of us really wanna go out. our pad is pretty hype now, we got a new red couch we also bought a few games like risk, monopoly, chess, and darts. we also got a driver and a car to sort out ride situation. in a typical day, we all would leave at about 930 am and get dropped off to where ever we need to be. i usually just work out of the office for the architecture firm no matter what day it is. we all work till about 7ish and then head back home. there are night that we dont leave until about 10 – 11 at night.
i also got a new book, Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. even though i dont read, im gonna try to get through this one… ill post up my thoughts about it once i finish it.
the shah’s also came down for a couple of days in delhi. the shah’s consisted of her (bro’s fiancee), her sister, and her parents. it was fun spending the day with them. i finally got to meet her parents as the families had met after they got engaged while i was in india. we kicked it with them for 1 day and did a whole bunch of wedding shopping. im just glad im not there in tdot to help organize anything.
as for traveling…. big things are gonna be coming up soon. i found out my mom my come to india which would be amazing! if she does then i would probably hit up the pinds in punjab with her. heed and prashanth are supposed to be hitting up india in march, thats when we will be doing some traveling. i very close to booking a Tiger Safari at Corbett National Park. google it and see what im talking about.
well, thats about it for now. there is probably a lot more stuff that i have forgot about, but ill try to post more often so i dont forget about some of the things that happen here.
btw, right now im jamming to Episode 1 of the mmmrags podcast. its done by DJ Heed… hype mix… check it out and subscribe to it here –> www.mmmrags.com — yea that was a plug…Heed, if you’re reading this, then put up another podcast! dont start slacking right away.
One World. One Cup. One Guinness.
Gurp
Been A Long Time…
Posted by Gurp in Adventures Abroad on December 13th, 2009
Alright… so plenty of people have mentioned that i haven’t posted in a while… well, i guess i haven’t. a lot of shit has happen since my last post. first off, France made it to the world cup!!!! im gonna try to get tickets to see one of their games… maybe ill even catch them in the finals!
So speaking of World cup… Big shout out to O’Nagra for hooking up a place to stay… yup, we booked a place for 1 week in cape town and 2 weeks in joburg during the world cup. the places worked out at great price in a relatively safe area. now all thats left is getting a plane ticket to get there. i cannot wait for the world cup.
big things have been happening over here. with mrs kaurs, we are opening a new store in the hotel tomorrow. then on thursday we signed a deal with an office building, so we are opening up a store in their lobby. on the 23rd, we are opening up another store/restaurant in Gurgaon (its like them mississauga of toronto). so yea, big things… 3 new stores opening up in the next 2 weeks, that gives us a total of 3 stores, 1 deli/cafe, and 1 restaurant… the momentum is pretty good right now.
last weekend we went to a trade show… it was a crazy sunday. we were supposed to move to our condo that day. i woke up in the morning and started packing my stuff. sam came in to my room and said nim called and said they have guinness at the trade show. you see, i still hadn’t found guinness… we went on a serious hunt, even my uncle got involved. so, i didn’t believe him, but then i got another call for my cousin, and then another from my nephew. so sam and i rushed to get ready and pack our stuff. we went to the trade show and started following our nose. there was a booth set up by the irish embassy and they had guinness there. problem was, when i got there, they had sold out of guinness. yea, turns out they only had 2 cases of guinness. butttttttt, nim had got there early and bought 1 case of guinness …. it was glorious. sam and i killed that case that day. we were supposed to meet the condo owner at 2 pm to move in and get the keys, we didn’t show up till 930. i missed guinness, and though it was only one night, it was a night full of so many memories. they also had an ahhmurican booth there which sold 100% ahhmurican beef burgers. sooo good, its been so long. i mean it was 3 months since i had Beef and guiness, and i got them both in the same day. great day!
that sunday we also moved into our condo. its pretty crazy, 4 bedrooms, 3 balconies. i got the one room that has a balcony and we converted one of the rooms into an office/gym. all the furniture is still not there, new shit keeps coming day by day. we got the internet set up yesterday, the service here is crazy. its feels pretty good to have my own pad finally. i mean the driver for me leaving toronto was not to leave, but to move out on my own. i wanted to move out of my rents house and get a place on my own, like get my own toilet paper and stuff. when i decided i want to move out, i thought… if im moving out and im paying rent, why do i have to stay in toronto, i could do it anywhere. well that day has finally come, i moved out of my parents house and moved into my own place. i bought my first roll of toilet paper 4 days ago
the other thing that has been really keeping me busy is the architecture firm. i’ve been seeing a lot of vendors and doing a lot of tests and evaluating. we are going to be moving to a new building, so i literally get to build a company network from scratch. this is the big leagues now, if i do good on this, i can seriously progress my career rapidly.
we all have been working tough… working long days usually 6 days a week. there has also been a few sundays we have worked. we have toned down the going out, just because we are so tired from working all day. this past week, i got a chance to relax for a couple of days. someone needed to stay at the condo because they where installing tv and internet, so i volunteered to do it. it was peaceful, a break that was truly needed. but now, this week is gonna be big, so lots of work to do. sam is leaving for 2 weeks, he is traveling to goa and mumbai. we then go to punjab for a wedding on the 27th. i think ill stay there for a couple of nights or so. nim plans on going to punjab for about a week or so in january. then in february, rich and heed come down for 3 weeks. we are all gonna take those 3 weeks off and travel again. i cant wait for that… been working hard, its making me feel like im back in toronto, being a slave to the corporate. i need to start traveling and seeing some new shit.
oh, another thing that happen to me, i had lost my phone… yea, i lost my phone, for the first time ever. i was kinda pissed, but it gave me an excuse to pick up a new phone. so i picked up a blackberry. if you got one add me to bbm, here is my pin 310229DE.
well, thats it for now… cant really think of anything else to write about. ill try to keep this thing updated more frequently. there is stuff that happens everyday that i should write about, but i just get lazy.
btw, since i got guinness, i shaved off the stache.
heed, right now im listening to a DJ Heed exclusive, Live In The Den 050809… BIG SET, i think this is the one you made in jaz’s pad when me u and peachko were smashed at like 3am. you gotta start releasing this shit on podcasts or something.
gurp
France VS Ireland – World Cup Qualifier
Posted by Gurp in Random Thoughts on November 18th, 2009
im reading the live commentary for the france vs ireland game. this game is intense right now… if france wins they qualify for the world cup. if ireland wins by 2 goals, then they go on to the world cup. france is my team, if they dont make it… i dont know the heck im gonna do in south africa. its in extra time right now… i wish i could watch it… 1 – 0 ireland…. come on france!!
GOOOOAALLLLLLL 1 -1 if france and ireland tie, then france is in!!! they better win!
7 minutes left in the 2nd half over extra time…. still 1-1, intense game
btw, its 4 am right now while i read the commentary…. i have to get up in 4 hours… great
also, the coach for france, Raymond Domenech,l is a piece of shit… he sucks at coaching… needs to be fired! why the eff does he have benzima on the bench.. seriously this guy does not know how to coach! he picks the players who are going to play based on astrology… who the eff does that???? no wonder france is doing so horrible
still 1-1 3 mins left
the seconds are counting down… still 1 – 1
Paaattyyyy DONE!!! ireland is out… sorry guys, but this is what happens when you eff around with sending guinness to india!!
VIVE LA FRANCE!!! i will see Les Blues in South Africa 2010, WORLD CUP FINALS!!!
My Tooth
Posted by Gurp in Adventures Abroad on November 17th, 2009
so, a couple of weeks ago, my tooth broke… it was my last molar on the top side. i was at a club… jamming… drinking… next thing i know i have a piece of my tooth sitting on my tongue. yea, weird… but i didn’t know what to do, so i spit it out on the floor. the next day i felt a slight pain when drinking cold water or pop. i finally sorted out a dentist appointment and went to see him.
let me tell you how this was the shadiest thing i have ever done. i was kinda scared, a little bit. i walked in at 5:55pm on a saturday. my appointment was at 6:40 (dont ask my why i got there so early). i swear i was sitting on the doc’s chair by 6pm. he told me there are 2 options, the first one would be time consuming and expensive, it involved a root canal and a cap and a whole bunch of other non-sense. the second was to just pull the thing out. so of course i opted to pull the tooth out.
my god, i thought this guy was gonna kill me. yea he gave me needles and stuff to numb out the pain, but damn… pulling and drilling. he broke my tooth in half and he also used pliers… yes, pliers, like needle nose pliers that were probably used on his car earlier in the day. oh well, he got the tooth out which i was happy for. by the time i had gotten my meds, it was 6:30pm… i swear this was the fastest visit to any doctor i have ever been to in my life. yea it was kinda a shady, but still… he got the job done in an efficient manner. i think the docs in canada have a thing or two to learn.
the recovery went well.. i was eating chicken by 9pm. the funniest part was, the hole in my mouth would cause a whistling sound every time i would breath. it lasted for a couple of days, but man, they were some scary days of me thinking i would have a permanent whistle when i would breath. next up…a health check at the local clinic…well, maybe not.
gurp