Singapore days - part 1

                                                            Singapore days - Part 1

I always had a dream.Whenever, I used to travel by Chennai Airport road, I would think myself, "One day, I will come here and travel through the international departure gate".

More importantly, I did not want to travel my first overseas trip to be spent from my pocket!!! Yes, I wanted to enjoy the trip with a inner proud feeling that my company is spending for me.

It was a chance that partly knocked the door and partly pushed by my efforts. What happened to be a discussion on release of one of my team guys for a new process migration turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The management finally decided to send me to Singapore for a process migration that roughly spanned 45 days.

I, Sukesh & Anant were selected for process migration. I got to know that Singapore is a hassle free country right from the time we applied for our visas.

It roughly takes around 2 days to process your visa request and VISA will be issued on arrival. Unlike, UK or US visa, you need not visit the embassy to get your VISA stamped.

Sukesh & I had to travel  2 days earlier because of some undue delay at Singapore embassy that futrher delayed Anant's IPP approval.

We were set to travel on 17th August 2013, by Air India flight at 00:30 AM. 

We had the guy from Axis bank who gave the travel card by 16:30PM on 16th August.

By this time, I have not even started to pack the items for the travel. The most disturbing factor was that we had not booked a room in Singapore for our stay. We did not opt for the accommodation service provided by the company.

Hence, I had to search the internet for a good decent budget hotel which was near Indian restaurants in Singapore.

Honestly, this was very challenging part as the all the online bookings asked for credit card booking which I was very apprehensive about.

The question is "Is it safe?". What if we don't like the hotel after reaching Singapore? Will they refund back the money to us? What if it is a bogus one? What if the eateries are very far?

We finally zeroed on " Madras hotel eminence". We did not know if this was a Indian hotel run by a Tamilian in Singapore. But, the name "Madras" gave much needed comfort to me.

When I dialed in, I heard an old man speaking in Chinese to me. I told him " I am yet to learn Chinese, so please speak in English". He replied " I am already speaking English to you". But, I did not understand a bit. 

The conversation mostly went like " Room", "Cost", "How much dollars", etc. He then asked me to send an email to the hotel.

I wrote a lengthy email about our needs. He wrote back " Room booking confirmed". At last, I gave a sigh of relief.

We had booked the room for only 1 day, as we thought, we could decide on accommodation once we reach Singapore.

So, all set, I left my room for next 1 & half months(Of course rent paid). The journey to Singapore had officially begun.

Is India is a better place to live in?

You start to office in the morning… The traffic is sulking…. You hesitantly enter into a government office for some documentation work to be done…. What you see is long queues, no discipline, bribery & corruption etc…. This situation and much more happens to almost all of us in our day to day life in India. This puts up some serious questions. Are these happening only in India? Is this problem eternal? Some of us often speak of Singapore roads, US government office departments (where your work gets completed within the stipulated time, no long queues and particularly no bribery) etc and compare this with Indian conditions. Is India not a better place to live in?

Though India proudly boasts of growth over 9%, we are well aware that inclusive growth (overall) is not happening. The BPL (Below Poverty Line) in India stands over 30bn of 110bn. Corruption is at highest level - Ok accepted! There are bottlenecks across various sectors that needs to be addressed immediately and can wreck havoc if not attended. Yet, all these told - I strongly feel that India is a better place to live in. Here is why?

In India,

You will not respect traffic rules, yet no one will question you. Even you can create traffic chaos & still blame others.

You can spit, urinate, smoke in public. No one will ask you a word. Of course, these are your birth rights. Isn't it?

You can always complain about everything you have. Say for example- government, politics, school, educational system, Public distribution system, roads, and sewage systems.

You can be as much corrupt as you can, but still complain of corruption.

You can speak, write all non-sense, but still defend this as civic freedom

You need not even worry or discuss about problems in other regions of the country, but be happier to discuss weekend movies and their box office revenues.

You will not pay your tax properly, still can complain that actors and politicians do not pay taxes.

You can be a religious fanatic, still boast of being secular.

You can forget all happenings around you very soon. …

You can complain if holidays come on weekends. Yet, never try to know the importance of these days.

Just which other country allows you to do all these things? You can do anything in India and still speak ill of India…. That’s India…. Tell me Is India not a better place to live in…?

Travel Safety Tips

Traveling has become more common these days. It may be a either a family vacation trip or a business tour. Travels can become disastrous if it involves problems such as accident, robbery or crime. Travel planning is an essential pre requisite if you want a trip memorable for a longer time. Travel planning is a process of making oneself ready for a trip. By following simple steps you can have a hassle free travel.

Sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program:

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program is state department organized free online program by US government which involves registering with officials regarding a travel that you are going to take shortly. This will help the officials to contact you if there is a family emergency in the U.S., or if there is a crisis where you are traveling.

Keep the documents safe:

While on travel it is essential to keep passport, visa and important documents very safe as this cannot be replaced easily if lost. Always have these documents within a closer reach of you and show it only on request from officials concerned.

Things to leave behind at home (on travel):

Do not carry invaluable items on travel. Valuable or expensive-looking jewelry, irreplaceable family documents or objects, all unnecessary credit cards, your SSN card etc must be left at home or a safe place before traveling. Always make your travel light so that you do not end up paying extra for baggage.

Consult a travel advisory:

Consult a travel advisory (private or state run) before you schedule your travel as they might be able to plan you travel in a more professional and secure way.

Avail travel insurance:

It is highly essential that you avail travel insurance before traveling. Travel insurance will help you incase of any emergency or uncertainty. Most travel insurances often cover medical expenses or financial losses that might occur while traveling. Overseas traveling involve high amount of risk and travel insurance is the best way to cover from all loses. Almost all insurance agencies come out with various travel insurance schemes and it is in your hands to choose the cheap and right one. Travel insurance can be very useful in case of trip cancellation, medical emergencies, robbery or theft of your belongings. You can compare the travel insurance price through online and avail a best suitable scheme that covers your life and belongings.

Precautions to Take While Traveling:
Familiarize yourself with local conditions and laws to avoid any legal problems arising out in the country you are traveling. Make your that you do not make yourself a target for robbery and crime. Do not indulge in activities that might expose you to crime and other activities. Here are some important things to note while on travel

1.    Do not to travel alone at night.
2.    Keep a low profile and avoid loud conversations or arguments.
3.    Avoid public demonstrations and other civil disturbances.
4.    If you are traveling with children, keep them close to you and off from strangers. Take utmost care of their protection and food as this might upset the whole travel plan.
5.    Do not list your full address on your baggage.
6.    Learn a few phrases in the local language or have them handy in written that will help you in case of emergency.
7.    Beware of any unusual activity around that might lead to robbery or crime
8.    Women must ensure that they are safe at all times to escape from rape and abuse.
9.    Always be alert and be prepared for the unexpected.
10.    Do not discuss travel plans or other personal matters with strangers.
11.    Keep your hotel door locked at all times. Do not keep any valuable items in your hotel room.
12.    Abide by the security procedures of the hotel; you stay in. Follow the instructions without panic incase of fire or earthquake.
13.    Do not fall prey victim to theft while using public transportation of that country. It is good have an authorized tourist guide accompanying all the time.
14.    Do not accept food or eatables from strangers. Keep children away from beggars as there is high chance of abduction or abuse.
15.    Carry international license handy if you plan to drive by yourself on a foreign island. Make sure that you stick on to the local traffic/driving rules.

Handle your money safely:

It is highly essential that you protect your money safely on travel. Do not carry hot cash as this might pose risk even to your life. Use smart cards and traveler’s cheque if necessary.

Thus a well planned trip can save your time and money thus making the travel more special.

Temporary Car Insurance

Car insurance is an important pre – requisite for driving a car in all states of USA. Usually there are two types of auto insurance -     long term and short term. Getting a long term insurance for cars is tedious process and costly. Short term – Temporary car insurance is gaining popularity these days and is much in demand.

Temporary car insurance is relative new auto insurance product that can be availed just for a single day or extended to limit of twenty eight days. Applying for temporary car insurance is very easy and can be acquired within few minutes. The usual tedious process of walking into an auto insurer is not necessary here as this can be applied and got through internet. The policy documents can be printed out and used while driving. But driving a car without insurance is illegal and attracts fine or imprisonment according to US auto laws.

Temporary car insurances can be availed for a number of reasons. If one does not use car for whole of the year but only for a particular period, one can avail short term car insurance so that premium costs are lower. Short term car insurances can be also be used for one day vacations to other states while borrowing other people’s car. Temporary car insurances are highly useful for people with international driving licenses. Availing long term car insurance may take some time in foreign countries and drivers can avail short term insurance during that period. Also yearly insurance premium for luxury cars is expensive and one can avail short term insurance and pay fewer premiums only for the time they use the car on roads. We can be sure that our car gets the required insurance coverage at less cost with help of short term insurance. Moreover a traditional year long insurance will not provide cover if the car leaves the state and is being driven in other state, but temporary insurance gives full cover in these situations.

The greatest advantage of temporary car insurance is that even provisional license holders who do not own permanent license can avail insurance coverage for their cars.  There are many attractive short term insurance plans for students and young drivers under the age of 21. Insurance companies look for past records before offering insurance cover. It is highly important that we should read the insurance document and provide genuine information at the time of applying. Any falsified information can result in termination of contract between insurance company and car owner.

There are a few eligibility criteria to avail short term car insurance. I) should have a permanent or provisional driver’s license. II) Age limit from 21 to 75. III) Should not have more than 6 penalty points in last 3years.
There are many companies that offer short term car insurances on internet and we can compare the price quotes of different companies and choose the best one within few minutes. It is important to bear in mind that temporary car insurances are not a substitute to long term insurance. It is only at times of need and emergencies that short term insurances should be used.    

Commercial Insurance

Commercial insurance is insurance of one’s very own business. Insuring our business is a smart investment and will be a life saver at the time of uncertainties. Commercial insurance provide cover for our business and makes it risk free. It is just like other insurance policies where we have to pay a certain amount of money as a premium and cover our belongings. Commercial insurance is on high rise and top insurance companies offer a range of commercial insurance products for different business requirements.

Usually higher premiums offer greater coverage. The premium amount depends on a number of factors namely natures of the business, size of the organization, type of industry in which the business operates, head count of employees, annual revenue or turnover of the business. Insurance companies evaluate the business that needs to be insured, previous records of the company and the inherent risk involved in the business. If the business is found to be risky, insurance will not be given or it may attract higher premiums.

There are 3 major types of commercial insurance namely property insurance, liability insurance and worker compensation insurance. Each has a different specification and business owners can avail any or all of these to cover their business from loss.

Property Insurance:

Property insurance covers losses and damages to personal properties including natural disasters like earthquake, landslide or flood, fire etc. A number of additional coverage can be got by paying a small amount of extra premium. These include machinery insurance, debris removal insurance, glass insurance and builder’s risk insurance. Most business owners opt for crime insurance which offers coverage over theft, and burglary.

Liability Insurance:

Liability insurance covers the injuries that our business might accidentally cause to business related third parties and losses arising out of it. This insurance should be taken by all business owners so as to save the huge cost involved in legal proceedings when the business is liable to third parties. Malpractice insurance, errors and omissions insurance covers the business by saving legal costs in the event of lawsuit being filed by victims or third parties for a wrong doing/unethical activity by the organization. This type of insurance is essential for doctors, surgeons and dentists as the chances of error are very high.

Workers’ compensation Insurance:

Workers' compensation insurance covers for on-the-job injuries of employees. This is the most common type of commercial insurance in manufacturing related industries. This type of insurance provides cover against negligence civil lawsuits being filed by employees. This insurance is very essential where employee head count is large and business involves higher chances of work related accidents. It is very essential that business should be insured and self assessment of business risk would prove to be beneficial to avoid expensive higher premiums.

Classic Car Stereo Installation

Car stereo installation is not at all tough as it sounds to be. Just by following simple easy steps you can fit in your car stereo yourself and save some extra dollars that you normally have to shell out for labor. Getting prepared for classic car stereo installation is essential. You may need some tools such as electrical tape, wire cutter and screwdriver. It is always important that you buy a new stereo set with harness wire (if possible) that fits in perfectly into your car. It is advisable to measure your dashboard size and buy a new stereo set accordingly. Always follow the instruction guide your car manufacturer would have given at the time of buy. Before starting the procedure, ensure that the current supply between car battery and music system is cut off.

Remove the factory stereo:

Remove the dashboard covering the old factory set first. This is pretty simple as you can separate your old stereo set and dashboard with help of screwdriver. Slide the speaker set now and you will be seeing a bunch of wires connected. Carefully unwire each of these wires. Now plug in your wiring harness at back of your new car stereo set. Disconnect the wires in an orderly manner to avoid confusion. Positive wires will disconnected first followed by negative wires and black ground wire.

Connect the required wires:

Connect the required wires carefully, as the performance of your new stereo greatly depends on this. Connect the positive and the negative wire from each speaker to the positive and negative connector in the new stereo set. Now connect the black wire to the dashboard where it is mounted which is a metal that can conduct electricity. Do not connect to plastic. After this connect the 12 permanent ignition wires to the new car stereo.

Fix the new stereo set:

Slide your sound application into the mounting holder that comes with your stereo once you are done with plugging the harness or the wires. Now place the new stereo set with wires connected and your dashboard surrounding that. It is advisable not to screw the nut and bolts before testing the performance of the new stereo set. Now connect the negative cable of the car to battery. Connect the radio antenna to the new stereo set. Switch on the power to test the sound quality of the stereo set. If there are wiring problems rework this with help of installation guide. It must be noted that if there are spaces or holes around stereo set, it may affect the sound performance. It is better to have your settings compact. If everything is fine, continue to fix the nuts and bolts.

Now you are done with Car stereo installation by yourself. If you wish you have LCD panels installed it would always be better to handover this hob to professionals as this would involve creating a new wood panel.