First Day in the “Halls”
Posted by Prashant Katwa
June 29, 2008
12:45 PM (Australian time- whatever the abbreviation for that is)
So I made it to Australia… finally. I’m in my room in the dorms or “halls of residence” as they call it here. The flight was good. It actually wasn’t that bad.
Although the flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was 14 hours, it wasn’t too terrible. I actually got a good seat, in that I was sitting behind a bulkhead separating first class from economy so I ended up with a little extra room and nobody sitting in front of me. I also had a window seat and therefore the best option for taking naps. I watched bits and pieces of several movies. I think they showed like 5 movies. I also slept several times. The Sydney airport is actually pretty nice, based on the little bit that I was able to see. I had to chill in the Sydney airport for a couple of hours before I re-boarded United flight 839 (I believe it was a different plane than the first tho). We were delayed for a little while in Sydney while we waited for planes to clear the way and planes to land. But we did go up and an hour later we were in Melbourne. In Melbourne I had to go through immigration, wait for a significant amount of time to pick up my baggage, and then clear customs. By this point it was over an hour past the time that I had informed the University that I’d be arriving. But luckily there was still a driver for Monash there who was picking up another individual, so I was able to get a ride as well. I then arrived, checked in, listened to and got a bunch of information and was handed my room keys.
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I’m Here! (in Australia)
Posted by Prashant Katwa
So below are some bits of writing that I did on the way to Australia. Enjoy!
Friday, June 27 2008
11:00 am (EST)
So I’m sitting here in Washington DC right now, when I’m supposed to be on a flight to Australia. Why? Well take a guess. My flight was late. My flight from Washington-Dulles was supposed to leave at 7:05 pm on Thursday, but it was delayed by 2 and a half hours, thereby making me most definitely miss my connecting flight out of LA. So, instead of flying to LA and arriving there late only to spend the night there and wait all day for the only flight to Melbourne which is at the same time everyday, I decide to stay at IAD. We have some family friends here who were kind enough to pick me up from the airport and let me spend the night.
Now I have a flight from IAD to LAX at 2:51pm. I just hope this flight isn’t delayed, but just in case, I have up to 5 hours leeway. So 5 hours flight TO LAX, 5 hours IN LAX, and another 15 or so hours to Melbourne. Fun stuff.
—— Read more
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Going to Australia!
Posted by Prashant Katwa
So, I’m headed to Australia during the last week in June. Back in February I applied to UNC’s study abroad program and was accepted by UNC about a month later. However, I did not find out whether I was accepted by the actual host university until mid-may. Yes, that’s a long time to wait, considering all my summer plans depended on it. Anyway, I’ll be studying abroad in Melbourne, Australia at Monash University.
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Rare Formula!
Posted by Prashant Katwa
I want to let everyone know about one of the hottest up and coming musical artists that are about to take off into the music industry. A group by the name of Rare Formula. Founded by the help of Suede from Camp Lo, this group strives to do something very unique. Their music is a rare combination of Hip-Hop, Soul, and Fusion.
The members include a trio who go by Simz, Seku, and Simone. Eric Sim, who I’ve known since my freshmen year in college, is the man of beats. The hip-hop beats that he creates can be compared to the those heard at the top of the music industry. Seku, who I just recently met, is an amazing guy and a talented artist. Simone, who I also met, is bottom line: an amazing singer.
This group has a great dynamic that is apparent in their performances. Rare Formula recently opened for Musiq Soulchild, a platinum album and award-winning soul artist, at a concert in Memorial Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They also just released an free downloadable EP called Planetarium Soul with 8 impressive tracks. With several gigs coming up, Rare Formula is gaining popularity and I wouldn’t be surprised if they get signed to a record label and go big.
Another individual worth noting is my friend DJ Rang who does the DJing at Rare Formula’s live performances. His mixes are ridiculously good. Search YouTube for “bhangra” and one of his mixes is currently number one! So, when you get a chance, check out Rare Formula, as well as DJ Rang and get the EP while its free!
For more information check out the following:
- Rare Formula Myspace Page at: www.myspace.com/rareformulamusic
- Rare Formula Official Website: www.rareformula3.com
- Rare Formula Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/pages/Rare-Formula/24030093696
- DJ Rang’s YouTube Page: www.youtube.com/rangbird
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Katwapro.com Redesigned!
Posted by Prashant Katwa
A new year brings a new design. Check out the newly redesigned katwapro.com.
Happy 2008!
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Should I upgrade to Leopard?
Posted by Prashant Katwa
So the semester is almost up. Exams are almost done. I should be studying right now, however, I am stuck pondering whether or not I should upgrade my Powerbook G4 to the newest version of the Apple operating system, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
From the looks of it, Leopard seems to be a great operating system with amazing features, including Quick Look, Time Machine, and a updated Mail application. But unfortunately, there have been many issues with the new OS, especially when it comes to compatibility. I came across a couple of articles that seem convinced that its too soon to upgrade. The Unofficial Apple Weblog in had a few interesting reasons not to upgrade, including one about Photoshop having issues on Leopard:
[Leopard: Should you upgrade?]
- If you have only one computer and it’s your production machine, don’t upgrade.
- If you work with Adobe software and need your software to work reliably, don’t upgrade.
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What if Jack Bauer was the world’s greatest pizza deliverer?
Posted by Prashant Katwa
So what if Jack Bauer was a pizza deliverer instead of a CTU agent?
This is hilarious!
“Internet TV series follows the adventures of Jack Bauer in an alternate universe where he is a pizza deliver agent for PDU. Constantly preventing Pizza Hut attacks and protecting his loved ones from cougars Jack may be having his worst date yet.” Read more
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Best of CSS Design 2007
Posted by Prashant Katwa
One of the things that I really like are good-looking websites, especially those that are valid xhtml and css. Here’s a showcase some of the latest trendy website designs: Best of CSS Design 2007.
And here’s a link to Best Web Gallery.
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When Acts of God Bring Down Web Hosts
Posted by Prashant Katwa
Here’s another interesting article: When Acts of God Bring Down Web Hosts
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Internet access on Airplanes?
Posted by Prashant Katwa
Wouldn’t it be nice to surf the net while flying 30,000 feet in the air?
Read on.
First Baby Step to Net Access on Planes