You know, standing at the end of the cafeteria, tray of food in your hands, surveying the sea of tables and laughing kids. In the end, it's the table near the window, for one.
I just started at Sophia-Antipolis this week, working on the robot project I started the last time I was here. I can't wait till the other Tetard team members start their internships, but that won't be till February and March.
For now, the doctorate students take pity on me and invite me to lunch sometimes, where I sit quietly and politely among lively jabs of inside-jokes in french. Upon reflection, I realized this what we do to the first years at SFU, poor kids.
In other news, I got an MRI done yesterday. My knee had been giving out the last couple weeks, so 300 euros and 10 minutes-in-a-tube later, I'm the proud owner of 4 pages of high-resolution images, and a CD. (God that was expensive!) They'll be off to a specialist shortly. From what I gather from the doctor who I initially thought was a repairman, my meniscus is torn and flapping around in my knee, causing muchos painos. MMMM....
So much more to blog about, including an enlightening excursion to Kei's Passion and a classical soiree at the Palais de Festival in Cannes...
Friday, January 26, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Friday, January 12, 2007
Buy Travel Insurance
Well, I'm here. After 44 hours of either being on planes, buses or in airports, I'm HERE! Also, you suck, Air Canada!
I knew it wouldn't be a simple trip with my journey starting in Seattle and all, but it seems I'm forever destined for crappy voyages to Europe.
I got up at 5am to drive down (or get driven down, thanks Mom!) to Sea-Tac for my noon flight to Vancouver. The short-distance passenger airplane was awesome. I'm talkin' the baby kind with black, oversized external propellors and a doorway hatch that falls open onto the ground to act as stairs. Like for movie stars.
When we landed in Vancouver, I still felt upbeat, despite the international connections customs official incredulously looking at my place of residence: "Wait, you live in Port Moody?" I explained that my 8 hour return trip to Seattle saved me $200. Plus I got a cool light aircraft plane ride in the wind. I think it's neat.
I had a few hours to kill till my flight at 5:45, and luckily I ran into Sarah-from-SFSS who was on her way to London too. We happily exchanged solo-travel stories and Arab market bargaining techniques till boarding. She's cool! I'm just ashamed that when she waved at me, I had to stare at her for 10 seconds before realizing who she was. It was the haircut, I swear!
The wind was blowing hard that day, so I felt relieved when they asked us to board the plane. Good, no weather delay, I thought to myself.
The Air Canada plane to London was freaking awesome. I'd never seen anything like it - as I walked through First Class I felt like I was on a space ship. Everything was white and shiny, and each person had their own diagonally positioned "flight pod" with cubicle separators and rounded cradle-like seats. As I got to my coach seat, I sat down and gaped at the personal LCD screen in the headrest above the tray table and power outlet for my laptop. SWEET. I could do 9 hours in this, I thought as I nestled into my extra-wide seat.
And then they told us to get off the plane.
I guess it's better that they found the mechanical failure before take-off, I told myself as I waved bittersweet bye-bye to SuperPlane. But as our crappier-though-functional replacement plane left 5 hours later, I realized that my 5.5 hour leeway I'd left between the scheduled landing in London and my departure to Nice wouldn't be enough. I was going to miss my flight to Nice.
But Air Canada would reimburse me for the missed connection they caused, right? Actually, no.
Hours of waiting for the transfer desk manager in London ended up as a tense phone conversation where he vehemently denied all responsibility for my missed connection. "All he could offer", he insisted, was to help me book a discounted $110 hotel room to spend the night till another flight leaves.
Well, do they pay for that, at least? "No, but we can help you book it," he said wretchedly in his still-somewhat-comforting British accent. No thanks.
In case you're wondering, the fine print is this: "We'll find and book another flight for you, as long as the 2nd flight's on the same plane ticket."
I looked with teary disappointment upon my Air Canada e-ticket in one hand, and EasyJet printout in the other.
Air Canada made me miss my flight, but I have to pay the twice-as-pricey last minute replacement ticket. FINE.
Long story short, I bussed to Luton airport as planned, spent a sleepless night with 2 Slovaks and an Australian watching episodes of Heroes, and bought a 70 pound Easyjet flight to Nice leaving at 7am.
Last night I slept for 11 hours.
Moral of the story: Being your own travel agent may be cheaper, but you may get owned. Buy Travel Insurance.
EDIT: Incidentally, I found out that the travel insurance that I bought for medical purposes actually covers Missed Connections up to $1,500! I'm getting reimbursed! And I totally could've got that $110 overnight room! Dang!
I knew it wouldn't be a simple trip with my journey starting in Seattle and all, but it seems I'm forever destined for crappy voyages to Europe.
I got up at 5am to drive down (or get driven down, thanks Mom!) to Sea-Tac for my noon flight to Vancouver. The short-distance passenger airplane was awesome. I'm talkin' the baby kind with black, oversized external propellors and a doorway hatch that falls open onto the ground to act as stairs. Like for movie stars.
When we landed in Vancouver, I still felt upbeat, despite the international connections customs official incredulously looking at my place of residence: "Wait, you live in Port Moody?" I explained that my 8 hour return trip to Seattle saved me $200. Plus I got a cool light aircraft plane ride in the wind. I think it's neat.
I had a few hours to kill till my flight at 5:45, and luckily I ran into Sarah-from-SFSS who was on her way to London too. We happily exchanged solo-travel stories and Arab market bargaining techniques till boarding. She's cool! I'm just ashamed that when she waved at me, I had to stare at her for 10 seconds before realizing who she was. It was the haircut, I swear!
The wind was blowing hard that day, so I felt relieved when they asked us to board the plane. Good, no weather delay, I thought to myself.
The Air Canada plane to London was freaking awesome. I'd never seen anything like it - as I walked through First Class I felt like I was on a space ship. Everything was white and shiny, and each person had their own diagonally positioned "flight pod" with cubicle separators and rounded cradle-like seats. As I got to my coach seat, I sat down and gaped at the personal LCD screen in the headrest above the tray table and power outlet for my laptop. SWEET. I could do 9 hours in this, I thought as I nestled into my extra-wide seat.
And then they told us to get off the plane.
I guess it's better that they found the mechanical failure before take-off, I told myself as I waved bittersweet bye-bye to SuperPlane. But as our crappier-though-functional replacement plane left 5 hours later, I realized that my 5.5 hour leeway I'd left between the scheduled landing in London and my departure to Nice wouldn't be enough. I was going to miss my flight to Nice.
But Air Canada would reimburse me for the missed connection they caused, right? Actually, no.
Hours of waiting for the transfer desk manager in London ended up as a tense phone conversation where he vehemently denied all responsibility for my missed connection. "All he could offer", he insisted, was to help me book a discounted $110 hotel room to spend the night till another flight leaves.
Well, do they pay for that, at least? "No, but we can help you book it," he said wretchedly in his still-somewhat-comforting British accent. No thanks.
In case you're wondering, the fine print is this: "We'll find and book another flight for you, as long as the 2nd flight's on the same plane ticket."
I looked with teary disappointment upon my Air Canada e-ticket in one hand, and EasyJet printout in the other.
Air Canada made me miss my flight, but I have to pay the twice-as-pricey last minute replacement ticket. FINE.
Long story short, I bussed to Luton airport as planned, spent a sleepless night with 2 Slovaks and an Australian watching episodes of Heroes, and bought a 70 pound Easyjet flight to Nice leaving at 7am.
Last night I slept for 11 hours.
Moral of the story: Being your own travel agent may be cheaper, but you may get owned. Buy Travel Insurance.
EDIT: Incidentally, I found out that the travel insurance that I bought for medical purposes actually covers Missed Connections up to $1,500! I'm getting reimbursed! And I totally could've got that $110 overnight room! Dang!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
"Airplane Malfunction"
Still at YVR. Was supposed to leave more than 4 hours ago. Probably will miss my EasyJet to Nice. Crap.
Monday, January 01, 2007
I'm so excited!
Happy New Year! This vacation has completely rejuvenated me. I'm ready to attack the new year, with this as my motto:
It's quite simple really. I realized what had been making me unhappy! And I'd even anticipated it, like an all-seeing prophet, 2 years ago. I still remember the day, driving to school, carpooling with Yang.
The sun was shining, the air clear and breezy. It was Spring semester, 2005, and life was GREAT. CSSS was rocking, like, real hard, and I felt so hyperfunctional, I must have been on drugs or something. I remember telling this to my co-pilot:
"I am SO happy right now. Life is so amazing." *big grin from ear to ear*
and then a silent nag to myself:"... you realize, everything after this is downhill."
Downhill.
Of course, this was quickly brushed aside and forgotten.
Well, I GET it now. I've been comparing everything to that best time of my life. But you can't ressurrect the past, only move forward and do new things, create, find new goals and challenges, and maybe another amazing year will present itself. Better? Who cares, I'm not comparing.
My honey gave me good advice, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.
"Look forward"
It's quite simple really. I realized what had been making me unhappy! And I'd even anticipated it, like an all-seeing prophet, 2 years ago. I still remember the day, driving to school, carpooling with Yang.
The sun was shining, the air clear and breezy. It was Spring semester, 2005, and life was GREAT. CSSS was rocking, like, real hard, and I felt so hyperfunctional, I must have been on drugs or something. I remember telling this to my co-pilot:
"I am SO happy right now. Life is so amazing." *big grin from ear to ear*
and then a silent nag to myself:"... you realize, everything after this is downhill."
Downhill.
Of course, this was quickly brushed aside and forgotten.
Well, I GET it now. I've been comparing everything to that best time of my life. But you can't ressurrect the past, only move forward and do new things, create, find new goals and challenges, and maybe another amazing year will present itself. Better? Who cares, I'm not comparing.
"Look forward"
My honey gave me good advice, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.
Happy new year, everyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)