Helen is coming

It’s the wet season here in Darwin and the season’s first cyclone alert has been given. Its called Helen and its on its way, expected to hit Darwin this midnight. It’s raining like heavens are falling down with wind speeds of 165miles/hr, and non-stop lightning and thunder. Huge trees are being uprooted by the wind, falling all over the place causing traffic jams, hundreds are moving to the cyclone shelters setup across the city. Large parts of the city have lost power. The hospital is getting ready with emergency preparations. As most houses in Darwin are not 'cyclone proof ' quite a few medical staff are staying back in the hospital for the weekend making sure they are not blown away. Royal Darwin Hospital's bottom floors are apparently cyclone proof. Those who are working over the weekend have been ordered to stay back as well, to make sure they stay alive and more importantly come to work when they are supposed to. I could not be bothered to stay in the hospital over the weekend. So against the advice of my friends, I am back in my room, waiting to see as to what is going to happen. More soon if I don't get blown away tonight....

The travel bug hits me

2007 has been a year full of travel for me. New job in a new country and attempts to kick start a career in the US meant that I had to travel like mad often with crazy schedules. Its interesting to think that I have completely encircled the globe twice in 2007. From Hyd to NY to the west in April and then again Hyd to Darwin to Sydney to NY , it was a full circle and then back. While I do like to travel and see new places, accumulating 60,000 air-miles in one year was not exactly what I had in mind. 2008 is not looking any better either with tickets already booked for my next visit to US for my Step3 exam. God save the planet.........