Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Speech of Lifetime... How to live your life!!!




I was thinking that what should be my next post and on which topic. Suddenly, my elder brother came to me and asked me to watch a Clip on Youtube of Dr. Randy Pausch which was his last lecture. My brother told me that it's an inspirational speech and worth watching and i was like "yeah i have seen many", but, believe me i could not stop myself to shed a few tears after watching the video posted below.

I am not saying that people change a lot by seeing or reading such kind of inspirational videos or quotes or stories, but they really force us to think something and also we get to learn a lot sometimes as i learnt following three things from this video which are

1. Always give some time to people as they will definitely show you their good side just keep waiting no matter how much time it takes.

2. Never complain about the life you live instead try to give your best shot and work hard to make it the way you want.

3. It's not how you achieve your dreams, it's about how you Lead your life.

I hope you will also learn something from this. Based on this Video my last message of this post is "Enjoy every moment of your life and live it to the full".

God Bless Dr. Randy's soul


Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Being Away from Country (WATNO DOOR)



Namaste, Adaab, Satsriakaal, Hello.....

As this is my first post, so I thought of sharing the very newest experience which I am going through right now, that's why I have selected to talk about how is it being away from your own country.

I will share my experience in different posts otherwise it will be too lengthy to read.

Those who don't have financial issues or tension by the grace of God and can afford to spend millions without thinking twice then you come here or as a matter of fact go to any country without thinking and don't need to read what I am about to say next. But, if you belong to a middle class family and know that your parents are going to spend like almost all of the money which they saved for their old age then I insist you to read next 2 posts till end and think at least 10 times before going to Canada or any other country.

Bright sides of Canada...



Canada, a very beautiful country, especially in summers as I have heard from my brother and other residents. I have also witnessed some of the beautiful sites as of now as summer is approaching more close as I am writing this post. This country is called as the BEST country to live and this is very true looking at its beauty, greenery and many other things. I am just going to tell you the facts and here it begins........

December 17, 2008 I landed in Canada with my Parents. I came here for study purpose, my Classes were going to start on January 7, 2009 so I had lots of time to relax and sleep which I did, like a lazy cow and enjoyed a lot for 1 month as my parents were here for a month only. Now I won't bore you much with my whole story and will come to the point (enough typing practice) ;)...

It's a heaven to live as I don't think there's any other country to provide so much to visit and explore. So much land that will never be less doesn't matter how many immigrants come here. The System of this country is awesome; I mean I may not have enough words to praise the transport system, traffic rules, Study environment, freedom of speech and so many other things. Rules are something which I myself hardly obeyed in India but here we are bound to follow those, which, we do willingly. The advanced culture is really good for the youngsters, considering you don't choose to go to the dark side of the road which looks shiny though. There's nothing like poor or rich, by saying that I mean a person who's earning $10 per hour can afford the same things which the $100 /hour person can (different brands for sure). There are so many items to eat and in so many verities, just to give you an idea I will give you the example of cauliflower (my weakness), yes you will find cauliflower in different colors like red, yellow and white (just like India) and that too throughout the year. Back in India we think that it must be tough to find Indian food in a foreign country, well I have news for you, there's not even a single thing which you can have in India (or any other country) and not in Canada, just name it and you have it. Transport system as I already said is great and I mean it when I say it’s great. Bus and train service is really quick (Buses depending upon the route and the peak hours) and clean. I will give you my example to make you believe this. I daily travel from my Sweet home to College and It takes me one and a half hour to travel one side and 3 hours in total but I never feel tired. But, I am sure in India I would have been like “Oh My God”.


The one thing I won't forget to praise about is the Police of this country; in fact I will cover the whole Emergency system in this (Fire brigade and Ambulance). I remember back in India I use to get scared whenever I get to see a Cop (police wala or thulla) and use to think that here goes my 50 rupees even when I had full papers of my bike/scooter. But here Bribe (rishwat, ghoos) is like a no word (for sure not at the lower level). Even if a Cop stops your car considering you were over speeding then you are not suppose to get off from your car, he will come to you and will refer you as "Sir". He will simply hand you a ticket (Chalaan) which you will be paying later on. In case of emergency just call 911 and depending upon the emergency situation all Fire brigade, Ambulance and Police will be outside your home within 5 to 10 minutes. No chance that they will get late as there's a special lane for Ambulance and fire brigade. Pedestrians are given the first priority and "Safety first" is the rule here in Canada. Crossing the school bus when its giving flash lights (parking lights for understanding) is the biggest crime so don't you dare to do that :).

Enough praise...if you are thinking Wow so much to see here then wait as I am about to tell you those things which you will face on day to day basis, I mean the real Canada which you will see once you are landed here.... Read my next post please

Things which you should think before going abroad...



Now you just read the positive and beautiful sides of Canada, it’s a request that please don't get too motivated to come here and also don’t get too disappointed as well based upon what i am going to tell you now. I am going to tell you some dark sides or the things which you may have to face.

As I told earlier in my last post that December 17, 2008 I landed in Canada with my Parents. My brother (Sumit) and his wife (Sonia) were already waiting for us. We all were very happy to see each other after 2 years. I already had an image of Canada in mind as of a Shinning sun, fun and frolic all the time, no boring or dull life, for sure hard work too but who is afraid of that??!! Well, Clearly I had no clue of the Real Canada I was about to see!!! As soon as we came out of the airport, I experienced the first ever snowfall of my life. It was -8 degree temperature that day and honestly saying I didn't feel like that I have landed in Canada except seeing the white people of course. It was a very dull atmosphere outside, perhaps because it was night time and as brother said "winters are not that fun". Well it was true Winters were not at all fun as I experienced 2 heavy snowfall the very next 2 days which means 15-25 cm of snow each day (which we are suppose to shovel by the way). Someone has said it right that “Canada is a country for Polar bears; People are just trying to survive here”. Anyways, thanks to Canadian system that they have heating systems everywhere like Houses, Malls, Shops, Cars etc...

Now the real issues apart from the Freezing winters are as following:

FIRST and Main issue which you will face is FINDING A JOB.....

Friends, If you have planned to come here or to go anywhere outside your country then be prepared that you may not find a job for at least 3 months. It is easy to say that "Oh yes, I am prepared for that, I will take enough money along with me to support for 3 to 4 months", But believe me there's a hell lot of difference between saying something and then experiencing that. Most of the people get disappointed and go back to their country as they convert dollars spent, into rupees, which is quite obvious as we are spending money earned in rupees as dollars. So, when I say be prepared then I mean BE PREPARED MENTALLY. Another thing, be ready to work anywhere and to do anything from picking garbage to washing Toilets. Yes, it’s not a joke, leave your attitude of "I can't do that" in India or whichever country you are coming from and then come here. You will be very lucky if you get a good job very early as soon as you land (doesn't matter as Immigrant or a Student) which is a rare scenario now a days. Now, sometimes you find a job in Factories but if you start working there you will 101% think that "Man I was better in India, why the hell I came here", Yes, Jobs in Factories are that difficult and tiring. Luckily, I didn't have to experience that as of now but I am telling you the experience of my brother and one of my friends. So my suggestion to you is if you are well settled there then believe me your country is the best for you and if you are not or just passed out and want to continue your education then do try your luck (considering all the scenarios). Even when I have got all the comfort of world I still think sometimes that I was way better in India as I was earning good, had a white collar job and no tension of being settled whereas here I have lots to think when my studies will be complete and have to start from the scratch.

INFORMATION: As a student you are not allowed to work for first six months in Canada (as of now) but after that you get a off-campus work permit. During first six months you can work on Cash (like in Pizza hut, dominoes, factories etc) but that's illegal.

Now, as I have mentioned this point of job I would also like to tell you that if you have a Job and earning like $2000 to $3000 per month, then you can afford all the luxuries and can live life as a King. But again, you start thinking about having your own home; taking loan for that and then getting bound for 25 years at least, to pay mortgages (which is a big tension if you lose your job). These all are the scenarios which CAN happen and a person has to go through. But that’s a tension which I believe everyone should take;

Another Major issue over here is Health related, I mean Hospitals. Canada doesn’t have many doctors as per the requirement. Queues are endless; in fact Heart patients have to wait for 2 years sometime to get the real treatment. Please be noted that I am only talking about the major disease. You can get good advice though if you have appointment with doctor but for a good treatment or operation or any kind of emergency you might have to wait too long. So please get your all checkups done in your country and come here as healthy as a Bull :).

Well, that’s all I wanted to say.

Now as you have an idea what to think and do before coming here so plan accordingly
and then come here.

I would like to end this post by saying that “Everyone has his own luck so always try that”

Last but not the least “Hard work gets you the money whereas Smart work gets you what you need”

“Hope this post served the purpose for which it was written”.

Take Care...
All the Best for your Future
God Bless you
Regards,
Vishal Bhardwaj