Applied for VISA

After a long wait, my educational loan got approved. What a relief !

The next logical step is to apply for the VISA, and so did I.  Luckily I got an appointment for 26th, as requested, and submitted on the same day.

Hope I get it without any re-application.

Updated on 31st July- Got my Visa approved ! Wow.

Preparing for CAT 2010 ? Take All india test series

Buy All India Test Series for CAT 2010 for just 999/-

http://www.mindinsight.com/pages/mishop/mishop.jsp
Wow, didn't know online tests have become so cheap now a days.

Books for SALE - 2

1    Autobiography- Lee Iacocca   by  Lee Iacocca    Rs    100
2    70 Million employable Indians: strategies for global competitiveness    - AIMA- All India Mgmt Association   Rs   30
3    Marketing management by   Philip Kotler      -  Rs  100
4    Financial management  by  Prasanna Chandra   - Rs   100
5    GMAT OFFICIAL GUIDE - 11th Edition    GMAC   -  Rs 300
6    Barrons Essay that will get you into business school,    Barrons   - Rs    100
7    Kaplan GMAT Premier program   -  Rs    250
8    How to interview like a top MBA  by  Dr Shel Leanne  -  Rs    100
9    Great Applicatoin Essays for Business School   by  Paul Bodine  -   Rs   100
10    ABC of Getting the MBA Admissions edge  , by  Alan Mendonca Matt Simons    -  Rs    300
11    How to get into the top MBA program by   Richard Montauk    -  Rs 300

Contact me : dezter@gmail.com

Visiting Scotland ?

No, I am not visiting Scotland. But may be some time in future. Noting down a few things pointed out by Probuddha , fellow Cranfield admit.

Anyone planning for scotland , and intrested in landscape scenery make sure you visit Isle of Skye.
Other than edinburgh and the whiskey experience, Isle of skye is a must for scenery/photography lovers. 'Lochness' seems dab after
visiting skye Parts of Lord of the rings  was shot in skye --  'Uig' is the village.
Stay at 'skye backpackers' . at gbp 15  per night per person, it far exceeds any other hotel/ cottage priced at >35gbp in terms of
cleaniness and location
People into whiskey must pay pilgrimage to the talisker distillery at carbost, skye (not to be confused with the talisker village in skye).
the guided tour is about an hour and you can enjoy free samples after the tour :)

If driving, A80 from skye, lochlass and glassgow is fantastic.

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Harry Potter and Order of Phoenix - Misses

http://ruddhi-travelogue.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-am-big-fan-of-harry-potter-have-read.html

Harry Potter and Order of Phoenix - Misses
I am a big fan of Harry Potter, have read all the books numerous times and watched the movies numerous times as well. I like to read a particular book and then watch the movie to understand how the directors take out the best parts of the books and put it in a 2 - 3 hour movie. I believe the job is really tough. The author of the book might also be required to ensure that the movie has covered all the important parts for the sequel to be released and understood by the movie public.
Harry Potter, for those who do not yet know him, is a young wizard, a Boy who survived the killing curse of The Dark Lord Voldermort. Hogwarts is the school of magic where ....

Read more on the blog.

If you are a fan, this blog is a good place to discuss.

When in London , go for Cherrypicking, Strawberry picking et al at Garsons

http://ruddhi-travelogue.blogspot.com/2010/07/pick-your-own-crop-and-fruits-garsons.html

. ... drove from Farnborough to Esher to a place named as ‘Garsons’. They have a huge farm where a lot of crops and fruits are grown. They have an excellent range of vegetables variety from cauliflower and beans to green peas and potatoes. They also grow fruits– Strawberries, Gooseberries, Blackcurrant, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cherries and a lot more. The farm grows 5 types of flowers. Here, you can handpick the fruits and vegetables that you want, and take them home (obviously at a price), though its still fun to pick what you want. ....

Read the complete experience at Ruddhi's Blog

A good experience indeed. Would love to go for a picnic at such a place sometime.

Books for Sale

One of my friends left for the US and handed me a huge carton of books to be disposed. So selling them online here. If you are in Bangalore please contact me at dezter@gmail.com with your phone number so that I can call you up and fix a time for the deal.

Books are listed in the spreadsheet below :

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmNFxW5FNavGdExESHZSUEVzU3dmWHQzY0czSE1TQUE&authkey=CJ6Qu6sN&hl=en#gid=0

If you are situated outside Bangalore and still want any of these books, still mail me your contact number, will try to work out a deal.

Interim CAP on Tier-1 and Tier-2 Visas for UK implemented

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsfragments/27-intro-limit-for-t1-pbs

Few highlights:

1. A total of 5400 Tier-1 visas will be issued, equally divided into monthly installments, from July 2010 till April 2011. The limit will be a little low in July (318 to be precise), but will be 635 for remaining months from Aug till March 2011.

2. Quoted from UKBA site - "The UK Border Agency will operate the system on a first come first served basis with a limit placed on the number of Tier 1 General Visa applications considered in any one month. If an application is submitted after the limit for a month is reached, the application will be held and considered in the following months limit. Applications will continue to be accepted during the period in which the limit has been reached; however the UKBA will not process the application until the next month. Applications will be held in a queue by order of the date on which they were received. Applications in the queue will be processed when the following month's limit is opened. If application numbers look as though they will exceed the total limit for the whole of the interim period, the UKBA will notify the individual at the time of application. Details of waiting time will be announced on the UK Border Agency Website."

3. Those already in UK in another immigration category will not be included in this limit. (Good news !) . So those who want to switch to PSW, or from Tier-2 will be exempt from this limit. Reason being, the rationale behind all this is to limit immigration, and since these people have already migrated, no point in limiting them.

4. However, the points needed for Tier-1 will go up from 95 (75 for age/income/uk exp/education+ 10 for english language + 10 for maintenance) to 100 now !!! Might be a little difficult who just managed to get only 95. This applies for all Tier-1 applicants, even those who are switching from Tier-2 or Tier-4 (to PSW)

5. UKBA expects that the overall applications and visa issued should be on the same levels as last year, as during the same period around 5000 visas were issues. However, the number might go down because of increase in required points.

6. It is estimated that, if assuming applications fall in line with the fall in Tier 1 and 2 grants, UKBA fee income would drop by £920,000. The range here is £510,000 per annum in the lower scenario and £1,320,000 per annum in the upper scenario;

Read more on Tier-1 visa

See how points are awarded in Tier-1

Read more on Tier-1 Guidance