Here are some pictures I took (with the exception of the portrait of me) on my recent trip to Newport Beach, RI. The sun was out and it was a beautiful fall day. Please leave your comments and opinions at the end of the post!
Tag Archives: thoughts
Automobile Internship – Halfway Stage
As you probably realized, I have stopped providing daily updates of my internship due to the repetitive nature of my work. However, I have almost reached the half way stage in the internship and I feel compelled to write another post about it.
By now, I have completed 4 out of the five levels of training courses. Jishar has been an excellent teacher and I feel much more confident around cars, since I can unhesistatingly work on most models now.
On the repairs side, I have repaired innumerable cars since my last post. I have worked on nearly every Peugeot car on the market and some notable non Peugeot models such as the Lexus ES300, the Nissan Patrol, the Chevrolet Tahoe, the BMW 750Li, the Audi A7 and the Porsche Cayman S. The repair work has been the same as before, replacing engine parts and repairing parts such as the injection system, the fuel pump and so on.
The internship has been thoroughly enjoyable and I enthusiastically look forward to the second half. It has helped drastically improve my skills with automobiles and I am sure that this will help me with various automobile projects in college.
I leave you now, with a few pictures from the past few days. Ciao!
The Burj Al Arab at Blue Hour
The Burj Al Arab at Blue Hour.
This is a shot from the photowalk that I mentioned in the earlier post. It depicts the Burj Al Arab Hotel at blue hour, taken from the Jumeirah Beach.
Picture specifications – F/22, 15 s exposure, 39 mm focal length.
I will soon be uploading pictures from the ghost town and marina shoots that I went on recently.
Ciao!
My First Photowalk!
I recently went on a photowalk through Dubai, with my uncle, shooting with his Canon 1000D. It was my first experience with a DSLR and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Here’s an unedited shot taken near the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.
Picture specifications – 34 mm, f/18, 13 seconds exposure time, ISO 100.
Do critique the shot; I will graciously accept any comments and suggestions from you.
Automobile Internship – 04/16/2013
Today, was a fun day at work!
In the morning, I underwent training in air intake systems with my trainer, Jishar. He explained the theoretical aspects of the topic first, then showed me an entire air intake system that was detached from a car and kept in the back office. About a hour and a half of training later, I went to the workshop.
The first car on the agenda was a beautiful white BMW 750Li. It required new spark plugs and a routine oil change. I thoroughly enjoyed working on a car like this, after nearly two weeks of working on Peugeots. Sixen and I completed this job my lunchtime and were well on schedule for a few more tasks.
After lunch, I returned to work on a Peugeot 308. It was a rather simple job requiring a change in the variable solenoid of the car. Soon, I completed it and headed to the control room.
There, I found the job order card for a Peugeot RCZ sports car and quickly snapped it up. The recent rains had created havoc in its engine compartment. We performed repairs on it’s turbo and changed its fuse box. Finally, we changed the engine oil. This job took much longer than expected. Thereafter, I performed Global Tests on two Peugeot 207s and called it a day.
On the way home, I spotted two sweet little classics in a public parking lot, just the right way to top off the day!
I will leave you now, with some pictures from today.
The Beemer 750Li. I opened it all up!
Sure looks odd in a workshop full of hatchbacks.
Under the 750’s hood.
The classic Mercedes that I spotted on the way home.
This Pontiac complemented the Merc.
Monthly Featured Post – Hofburg Palace, Vienna – A Glorious Monument to Royal Opulence
This photograph depicts the glorious Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna, Austria, once home to the mighty Habsburgs of Austria-Hungary. It currently serves as the official residence of the President of Austria. Its exterior as well as its interiors are great reminders of the opulence of the European royals in the Age of Empires.
For more of my photography, visit my Instagram: himanshusahay
Trailblazers
Milestones set in stone.
They say, go down this way or perish alone,
Without this path, you’ll stay frail.
Forget they do, that grassy trail,
That had seen its last traveller in brocades
And will see it’s next one in shades.
This isn’t the road not taken,
‘Tis the trailblazer’s haven.
This photograph was taken at the Dachau concentration camp, Germany in May 2012.
For more of my photography, visit my Instagram profile @himanshusahay.
To buy prints of my photographs, visit http://instacanv.as/himanshusahay.
Tranquility in a Death Camp
The road goes on
The sky is infinite
Trees dot the skyline
An image of tranquility
In the middle of a death camp.
Photograph taken at the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany.
Check out both the edits!
For more of my photography, visit my Instagram account @himanshusahay . To buy prints of my photographs, visit http://instacanv.as/himanshusahay or http://himanshu-sahay.instaprints.com
A Star in Time
Star of light,
Star of time,
Shooting past a barren sky,
Like a shepherd’s torch
In a desert land,
Approaching the depths of the world.
Fearless, blazing,
Fire within, raging.
A spectacle to behold
The eternals are told.
And when the light goes out,
A door is shut.
A part of this world,
Damp and cold, withers.
The winds moan,
The animals groan,
The sea cries,
But, with time, the sorrow dies.
And then the sun comes out.
Brevity is awakened.
Its short slumber, disturbed.
The flowers laugh,
The rivers race,
The world is back on track.
Sleep Deal
My weekly thoughts:
Sunday 9.00 a.m. – I need more sleep.
Monday 12.00 noon- Sleep is awesome.
Tuesday 2.00 a.m. – To hell with sleep, I need to watch this show.
Wednesday 3.00 p.m. – I ate too much, now I’m gonna have to sleep at my study table.
Thursday 3.00 a.m. – Should I sleep? Nah, its the weekend. I can squeeze in another movie before daylight. (Note: The UAE follows the Friday-Saturday weekend system, don’t ask me why.)
Friday 2.00 p.m. – Mom shouts, “Get out of bed!”. I dutifully obey and go to the washroom and sleep in the bathtub.
Saturday – 11.59 a.m. – My brain says, “I’ve got school tomorrow. I better go to bed now’. What I do – Turn off lights, whip out iPhone.
Good night!
An Awkward First Date with a Scientific Calculator
The SATs!
My preparation for the SATs resulted in my first significant encounter with a scientific calculator. And it was a comic first date!
Studying in the Indian system of education, my use (and knowledge thereof) of a scientific calculator was limited, as we Indians prefer to calculate every thing in our heads. So the first time I used a scientific calculator in its true self was when I answered a mock SAT test at a popular SAT coaching centre. After unwrapping the brand new gadget from its box, I quickly put it to use, in order to calculate a long expression involving decimals. And too my horror, the answered was in fractional form! The scheming little devil! To add to this, all the answer choices were in decimal form. My date had trapped me! A cold sweat broke onto my forehead as I couldn’t perceive the thought of getting a single question wrong, especially in Maths, my strong subject. Yeah you read that right Americans, I said ‘Maths’ not ‘Math’, because that’s how I roll. (Forgive the sudden need on my part to sound cool, that was just my nerdy-gangsta sense kicking in).
So as I sat there, the calculator stared at me. It was motionless, almost as if to prove its innocence. The question, on it’s part, chuckled, as if it was my destiny to get it wrong. Regardless, the stipulated time for the section I was attempting, got over, and i made an educated guess for the answer (no it wasn’t a wild guess), and it turned out to be the wrong answer. Oh the heavens!
That day I went home with my calculator and tried to read the manual. Guess what, the manual was in Chinese! It was almost as if the universe was playing a practical joke on me! I cursed under my breath and threw the calculator onto my desk, not knowing that an expression was typed into it. As I watched it land on my table, I noticed that a button on the calculator had got lodged inwards and I proceeded to pull it out. As I got closer, I noticed that the answer to the aforementioned expression was displayed on the screen, in (yeah you guessed it right) decimal form! The button that had got pressed inwards was actually the ‘format change’ button, with some misleading labeling on it! I thanked my stars and grabbed the calculator in a bear hug (don’t ask why)!
As it turned out, my first date with the calculator had actually ended well, and it was the precursor to a vast legion of future dates with the cute little educational gadget.
I’ll say no more.
The little devil
The Euros – My Take
Yes, the Euros are drawing to a close and yes, my beloved Germany has been kicked out of the tournament. Regardless, I have opinions of the teams that participated in this year’s showpiece. They follow, in alphabetic order:
Croatia – Euro 2008’s rising stars largely disappointed this time. Mandzûkić provided some bright sparks for the squad but the results never showed for the team as a whole.
Czech Republic – After delighting audiences in the group stages and finishing top of Group A, they went out without a whimper against Portugal. barring that match, a good display of attacking football from a team of which not much was expected.
Denmark – After coming out on top against World Cup finalists Netherlands, the Danes set the tone for some unexpected results to come further in the tournament. Little known Brøndby IF striker Krohn- Dehli proved to be a revelation for the side after scoring against both Netherlands and Germany. Overall, a good squad waiting to create a lot of upsets.
England – The butt of all jokes after a sheepish attacking display though the course of the tournament, England was the team of which a lot was expected and it did not bring fruit to those expectations. Star striker Wayne Rooney failed to deliver against Italy in the quarter finals and penalty misses by both the Ashleys ensured that England were going home earlier than predicted.
France – After playing some good attacking football early on, despite failing to score against England, France were said to be a good prospect later on in the tournament but a dapper Spanish side proved to be too good for them. A mediocre performance from a world class team.
Germany – The stars of the qualifying rounds and the group stage. The only team with a perfect record in the group stage, they were ousted from the tournament by the dark horses of Italy. The semi final exit is quite characteristic of Germany, who always fail at the end of any major tournament, having reached the final of Euro 2008 and the semi final stage of the 2010 World Cup, and losing both to Spain.
Greece – The team that scored some goals and provided a few hurdles to Germany in the quarter final stage. A good team with some fresh faces, but has a long way to go in order to emulate the Euro winning Greek side of 2004.
Italy – The dark horses of the tournament. After crashing out of the World Cup in 2010, Italy lost 3-0 to Russia just before the group stages. Not many people expected the Azzurri to reach the final, but they did. With temperamental striker Balotelli delivering at the right moment and talismanic midfielder Pirlo at the
top of his game, this side certainly has what it takes to beat Spain in the final.
Netherlands – The Oranje were the top scoters in qualifying and much was expected of this star studded team. With the likes of Sneijder and Van Persie at the peak of their forms, a lot I questions were asked when the World Cup finalists crashed out of the group stage without winning a single match. They certainly need to go back to the drawing board with their new coach after Bert van Marwijk announced his stepping down from the job.
Poland – The Euro 2012 co-hosts weren’t really expected to make many inroads in the tournament and they didn’t. Finishing at the bottom of their group, they drew two matches and lost one.
Portugal – After losing to Germany in the first game of the group stage, pundits around the world had already written this side off. However, captain Cristiano Ronaldo had other plans. After some stellar performances by him, Portugal found themselves in a semi final penalty shoot out against Spain. In front of 23 million viewers, Bruno Alves hit the bar with his penalty effort and Cesc Fabregas slotted home the next to send Spain through to the final. Controversially, captain Cristiano Ronaldo did not take a spot kick.
Republic of Ireland – Undoubtedly the weakest side in this year’s tournament, the Irish lost all thee of their games, conceding nine goals and scoring just one.
Russia – The Russians entered the tournament with high hopes after beating Italy in a warm up game the week before. However, they played rather ordinary football and did not qualify beyond the group stage.
Spain – The team of the moment, Spain cruised through the group stage with a solid defense and great passing displays. After winning the Euro 2008 and the World Cup 2010, they look to retain the title of Euro champions and are on course after qualifying for the final on penalties at the expense of Portugal.
Sweden – The team comprising the likes of Ibrahimović and Elmander, largely disappointed in the group stage. They did win their last group match against France, but by then it was too little too late.
Ukraine – After beating Sweden convincingly in their first group game, talk was of the Euro 2012 co-hosts progressing through the tournament. A narrow loss to England in their final group game meant that this was not to be and the Ukrainians were knocked out of the tournament.
Prediction: The Final
Spain and Italy both go into the final with very strong sides, but I would tout Italy for the win solely due to their diverse attacking strategies and adaptive formational play compared to Spain’s rigid and almost formulaic way of moving the ball about the ground.
Best Player of the tournament – Andrea Pirlo. The work horse in Italy’s arsenal has provided one stellar performance after another and is already being tipped for the European Player of the Year Award.
Best Striker – Mario Gomez. The Spanish – German striker has performed consistently in this year’s tournament and righteously deserves to be called the best.
Best Midfielder – Andrea Pirlo. No surprises here; my candidate for Player of the Tournament has certainly proved his mettle in the midfield region and has coupled his attacking forays with some solid defensive displays.
Best Defender – Phillip Lahm. The German captain has proved time and again in this tournament why he is such a coveted player around the world and these performances make him an omnipresent influence in the German defense.
Best Manager – Paulo Bento. The youngest manager in this year’s tournament brought out some great performances from his team and proved that he is a force to be reckoned with in the footballing world.
This year’s tournament has been unlike any other and has provided us with some very vivid displays of fine attacking football. Poland and Ukraine have done a truly commendable job in hosting the major event that the Euro Cup is.
Finally, kudos to us fans for supporting the teams we like, throughout the tournament. We did a great job in egging the teams along even when prospects looked bleak.
To a successful Euro… (Pun intended!)
A Memory in the Rain
The sun rises,
The clouds burst,
Amidst the mist,
A memory churns,
Into the rain
It is hurled.
And then it beams into the sky,
Behind the mountain of joy.
The rain cedes
But leaves behind,
The seeds of a dream.
I clicked this photograph from the window of our car, in the German countryside. I have edited it to give it a prophetic look.
For more of my photography, visit my Instagram: himanshusahay
The Heavens Split Open
This is a photograph that I had clicked in the center of the city of Vienna, at the Museumplatz. I have edited it to give it an ethereal look. It almost seems to signify that the Heavens have split open and a lone rider is braving the apocalypse.
For more of my photography, visit my Instagram: himanshusahay
My First Poem!
Hey guys! This is a poem I had written last year for my English assignment at school. Incidently, it is also the first poem I wrote. I had posted it to my first blog TheCarManiac, but it was virtually unread there. So, I decided to reblog it onto this blog, primarily due to the great response I received from you guys on O Snake of Trepidity. Thank you so much for that!
The link to the original post is here: http://thecarmaniac.wordpress.com/2011/09/24/age-with-grace/
We ascend the steps of life, ever hoping to stay young.
The laws of nature defy our hopes, but we go marching on and on…
Gracefully we age, gracefully we cease,
This journey of life, matures yet another seed.
Here we go, us mortal beings, 
Trudging on life’s path, beating the odds, adding feathers to our ever growing cap.
And when it all ends, gracefully we fall as a leaf in the wind.
The psalm of life, whether in the morning, whether in twilight,
Gives a joy beyond all worth.
With grace we live all our life, age no bar.
Relent to your plight, not a chance.
Happily live life to the nine, 
Happiness in your deeds, happiness in your words.
Young at heart, that’s all that counts.
Bullet in a Maelstrom 