Up, Up and Away: < 20 days to go! (Visa approved!)

Hello everybody!
I know I haven't been posting anything else apart from this topic, but I think that's all that's going on in my life these past few months. I have no idea when I'll post a quality post next. Please bear with me for a few more weeks. I have a feeling that I'll have some really interesting stuff to write about soon!
Coming back to the topic of this post, I finally finished my Visa interview and my visa got approved! I got back my stamped passport too. The interview went really smooth and lasted no longer than 2 minutes! I had spent months procuring all the required documents and organizing them. A lot of people post a lot of stuff they think is true on groups and forums and get others worried. Even on the day before my interview, someone on the WhatsApp group (of people from my city going to the same university) said some particular document had to be attested and the original was not enough! Although that did not make much sense, when an important thing like your visa is at stake, little things also bother you. Finally it turned out that that document was not required. I felt like I was over-prepared; but its always better to be a little over-prepared rather than under-prepared.
I bought a new suitcase. I'm allowed 2 large ones and a small carry-on. I already had 2 large ones but decided to buy another one as my parents might need the other one for when they travel. I haven't started putting stuff in, I think I'll start doing that about a week  before I leave. I bought a few dresses and shoes that I thought I could use there. I don't even have a vague idea how much all my stuff weighs. This week I'll start putting all the things that I'll be taking in one place. That should give me an idea about how much space I'll be left with if I decide to buy more stuff.
I have a to-do list to which I had just been adding stuff all these weeks; now a lot of them are getting checked off. I had to get my eyes checked (I've heard medical treatment is very expensive in the US). It turns out that I have a slight power but the doctor said that I don't need to wear glasses regularly! (only when I need them).  A lot of my friends are getting a dental check-up too. I'm really scared of the dentist and am quite sure I don't have any cavities. So, I'm planning to skip that. I had to get a vaccination and a blood draw test. (I think I've suffered enough in one month!)
This week will be my last proper week at work. My internship was supposed to end next Sunday, but I'll be taking some days off next week to prepare; I'll go on friday to finish the closing procedures.
Until now I hadn't told most of my friends about my plan to go abroad; I told quite a few of my friends recently after I got my visa. There were mixed reactions. I think I'll make a separate post that and other stuff.
Until next time,
Bye! :D

Up, Up and Away: 30 days to go!

Hello everybody,
I hope each one of you is having a great day! I just have about a month left before I FLY! Next week I have my visa interview. I hope and pray it goes well. On the University WhatsApp groups I see only approvals and people saying that their interview was no longer than 2-3 minutes; so, I hope it won't be something that I need to worry about. I have most of my documents ready. One last document that I need to get from my Undergraduate University is pending (I'll get it on Friday).
My internship goes on till the first week of August. I barely have 2-3 days of holidays before I leave. This gives me no time to prepare. I need to finish my packing, organize my documents (separate the ones that I'll need to take from the ones that I'll leave behind, make copies, scan originals etc), decide on which courses I'll take etc. Since I haven't got my visa yet I keep feeling like I have time and the fact that I'm at work for the most part of the day isn't helping.
Packing wise, I've made a list of things that I'll need (I have most things; so, I don't need to go shop much). I've also decided on the clothes that I'll be carrying. All that's left is putting stuff into suitcases (I need to buy one still!) and making sure that the weight is within the limit. I don't think this will take more than a week's time; but since I get time only in the evenings I need to start early- probably next weekend (after my visa!). As I said in an earlier post, I'll be living with a very close relative; so, even if I forget a few things, it wouldn't be much of a problem.
The next important thing that  I need to do is organize my documents. This is such a boring job that I keep putting it off and I've not even started doing it. I need to plan for all the documents I may need for the next 2 years! I don't know when I'm going to do this.
That is the status of my preparation. Coming to mental preparation, I'm more excited about this whole thing than I've even been before. I've started to see more at the positives and less at the negatives. I hope to make new friends, become more independent, learn more about my subject and learn more about myself. All these many years, I've looked up to my parents to guide me about how I need to handle situations. Now, hopefully from all that I've learnt I'll be able to take proper decisions and handle situations that come my way. I know I'll always have them to guide me when I'm in a really sticky situation; but staying in different time zones would probably mean that I'll have to handle most situations on my own. I'm  curious to see how I'll manage.
Some of my concerns at the moment are 1) how I'll handle finances and 2) commute.
Till now, I've always just asked my parents for anything that  I wanted and they'd buy me that. Even now when I'm earning, I don't spend the money that I earn. I'll have to start managing my own account; maintaining a record of the money I have, I've spent etc. Hopefully I'll learn all that soon.
My other concern is regarding transportation. The city where I live in has amazing public transport. I completely rely on buses to get from one point to another (when traveling alone). However, in the USA, most cities (including the city I'm going to) have very minimal public transport facilities. I've also heard that it is quite unsafe to travel alone. Although the university is about 15 minutes by car from the place where I'll stay, it would take me close to 2 hours by bus! I know how to drive a car; but barely drive. Most people from my city/country who are going to the same university have taken up accommodation close to the campus. So, this will be one thing that I'll have to figure out on my own
That is it for now. The next time I write on this topic will probably be after I finish my visa interview. (Hope that goes well!)
If you have any suggestions for any of the problems I've mentioned above, please do let me know in the comments. Even otherwise, feel free to leave a comment; I love reading them! :D
Until next time,
Bye! :D

Clothes

Hello everybody,
I hope you're having a great day! Yesterday I picked out some of my clothes that I'd be taking with me to college and that put me in a really bad mood! I never thought clothes could upset my mood! I have quite a conservative dress sense; I usually wear kurtas (a knee length top) over leggings or jeans and I feel very comfortable in them. I feel a little awkward wearing jeans with T-shirts (I don't like the way I look in them). I feel I would look out of place wearing kurtas in USA. So, I've decided to carry mainly T-shirts and a few kurtas. I feel more confident when I'm comfortable with my clothes. Even if it looks old-fashioned or weird, if I like it, I don't mind wearing it and feel confident in it. If I feel uncomfortable wearing something, even if it looks good on me, my whole body language would make it look awkward on me.
I never thought earlier how important it was to like one's clothes! The thought of wearing something you think would make you look nice makes you happy! Right now, I'm in the opposite situation. I can only imagine myself looking awkward and avoiding situations that would put me in the spotlight. Hopefully I'll find some other kinds of clothing that is worn there that I'll like! I love wearing skirts (calf-length and flowy though; I don't think adults wear that any longer :( ); I guess I'll figure it out in sometime after I get there.
What are your thoughts on clothes? Do you think they are important? What are your favorite kinds of clothes? Do let me know in the comments! 
Until next time!
Bye! :D

Up, Up and away: 50 days to go

Hello everybody,
As  I have mentioned before, I will be pursuing my Master's degree in a foreign university. Leaving the country I was born in and going to a new country and exploring things by myself is going to be an enormous change. I thought I'd do a post on how I've prepared myself for this change, how I feel etc. I'll keep posting under this topic at regular intervals.
Now I have about 50days before I fly. I've booked my ticket but my visa is yet to be done! I need some documents for the visa and I'm waiting for them. I met a bunch of people from my city, who are going to join the same university, yesterday. Social media is SUCH a boon. I was quite unsure about meeting a whole bunch of people whom I had never met before. Most people have at least a year's work experience. (I just finished my Bachelor's this year)  I was a little intimidated by them initially but as I got to know them a little I became a little more comfortable. (Even then I was one of the quiet few in the group). I met 2 girls (one from the same branch that I've chosen) whom I found to be quite friendly. Meeting them helped me get a better picture of the kind of people I'd be dealing with. I'm also glad that I'll have their company to attend college for the first time! I plan to live with a close relative who lives in the same city as the University I'm planning to attend. So, I did not have to get an apartment or find roommates. Almost everyone else has already booked an apartment and know their roommates. They have at least the company of their roommates to attend orientations/ pick classes etc.
I've had mixed feelings about the whole thing. Sometimes I feel excited and happy that I've got this wonderful opportunity to explore the world and myself. Other times I feel extremely gloomy and depressed thinking about all that I'll leave behind. The thought of having no form of income for the next two years (especially after starting to earn a little) and having to burden my parents is scary. By the time I finish my course and start earning again, my parents will be older and I feel guilty that I'm depriving them the opportunity to enjoy their lives when they're fit. I'll have to leave behind Tee (my pet cocker) under my parents' care. I wish transporting pets abroad was easier!
On the brighter side, I may be able to get a better job than what I would get now. I hopefully will become more independent and mature. Emotionally, I'm quite mixed up right now.
As far as preparations go, I've not even bought my suitcases. Since I haven't got my visa yet I'm kind of stalling the travel preparation. I haven't decided on what clothes I'll need, what I have, what I need to buy etc. This weekend I plan to organize my clothes a little and decide on what I'll take and what I wont. Atleast then I'll get a vague idea about how much stuff I have. The airline that I've booked my ticket in  allows only 2 pieces of checked in luggage. Some airlines have a special student offer allowing them to carry 3 pieces of checked in luggage. So, I need to plan well and organize my stuff to fall within the weight and space restrictions.
I think that's it for now. I'll keep posting under this topic more often as the day gets closer. Have you moved away from your hometown ever? How was you experience? Do let me know in the comments!
Until next time!
Bye! :D

Voldemort key-value store

Hello everybody,

I just finished my last engineering exam yesterday! Woohoo! The last thing I would expect to read in a computer science text book was a heading that read 'Voldemort'. Apparently there is a database system called Voldemort that is used in LinkedIn. How cool is that? I love the series and thought I had to post it here.
People working on it would be saying things like "Voldemort is down for 10s", "My Voldemort just crashed", "Inserted 10 rows into Voldemort", "Updating Voldemort...", "New version of Voldemort available". I'm sure they wouldn't be saying such stuff. But I'm sure whatever they do, would be really cool!

 

Until next time,

Bye! :)

The day after an exam

Hello everybody,
I hope you're having a great day! As I mentioned in my previous post, I had an important exam yesterday. It went well and it feels like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. Before an exam, I feel exams are the worst things to happen to students and life would be much better without them. But actually, the joy you feel after finishing an exam is much more than when you don't have an exam. Any form of relaxation or enjoyment that you indulge in after an exam feels justified. Today, I woke up at about 9:30 am, switched on the TV and sat in front of it till about 4 pm! ( I did shower and have breakfast and lunch in between.) If I had done the same thing on any other random day, I would have felt really guilty. But since I had been working really hard for quite some time, I felt completely relaxed and happy wasting an entire day.
I think this is the reason we need goals and desires in life. We all love the sense of accomplishment that we feel after working towards a goal and achieving it. Living life as it comes is like the joy you feel when you have no exams. It is simple, uncomplicated and happy.
I think it is just a matter of choice. Both the options seem valid ways of living a happy contented life.
Woah! That turned philosophical very soon! I had a really nice day and wanted to do a post on how awesome it feels after an exam. What do you prefer? The day after an exam or a day when you don't have an exam approaching? Do let me know in the comments!
Until next time.
Bye! :D
P.S. I still haven't finished my exams. The next one is still about 5 days away so took a day off.

Where's the pause button?

Hello everybody,
I'm writing a post after such a long time. Since I've been away for such a long time, I thought I'd just do a post telling you all what I've been up to.
My life has been super hectic for the past month. I was busy with my final year project work (worth 18 credits out of 24 credits). Getting the reports printed and bound was one hell of a job. We had to use LaTex for formatting the report and one missing bracket could ruin the formatting of the entire document. But at the end of it, I felt really proud seeing the printed reports.
The week before last week was our department farewell and institution farewell (on two separate days). The same week we had an Open Day in college where we had to present our projects to the public. So, the whole of that week I had taken leave from work. So last week and this week have been crazy at work too. I've just been living from one deadline to the next. Tomorrow is my final project evaluation and I'm quite nervous about it. Usually final projects are done in groups of 4; but since I'm showing the project that I did during my internship, I'm doing it alone. The entire responsibility is upon me and this is quite nerve-wracking. I hope all goes well tomorrow. I'll be done with my college exams by next Saturday. 
I'm sorry for this crappy post. I promise to post better content after I'm done with my exams.
Until next time,
Bye! :)