EuMI Footprints

Unified…

2009-12-19T16:57:00.002+07:00

I will not post here anymore. Follow me to: http://chatsthought.blogspot.com/

Edinburgh VS Aachen

2008-09-18T21:17:00.002+07:00

Hallo!

Jetzt bin ich in Aachen. I am in Aachen finally. It took a while before I can write this entry. I have to wander to several buildings to do many registration and have to do extra homework to catch up with the German course here. Despite the remaining registrations and homeworks, I think I am settled down.

I have to adjust myself to fit the way the do here. Following is a little example of differences between here and Edinburgh. (Common things e.g. 'Car drive on the left' are omitted.)

Edinburgh	Aachen
Bus map is free.	Bus map must be purchased. :(
Push a button at the traffic light. You can cheat the light in a suburb.	The button is only available in suburb. For which I've found so far, it doesn't work. I don't even know how to push some buttons. (The sign tells me to push, but there is no push-able part.)
When there is a handle on the door, it tends to be pulled door.	The handle is always available, when there is a room for it. If pulling doesn't work, push it.
The wind turbines can be seen so far away as a farm.	There is a wind turbine so near to the city. It is an individual though.
Some recycle facilities are available.	Recycling is compulsory. There are four or more separate bins in almost everywhere. You are charged €0.25 for a plastic bottle. When you turn it in, you will get that money back.
Floors start from 0 or ground floor and continue with 1.	Floors start from EG and continue with 0.
You must register with NHS.	You must register with the town hall. You will also get a welcome pack in which discount tickets are provided.
In a lift, you stand silently.	In a lift, you have to greet those who come and go even you don't know them.
Tipping is compulsory. You leave tip on the desk.	Tipping is optional. You give tip to the waiter at the same time you pay.
Cows are brown or black and more hairy.	Cows goes in black and white. They are not quite hairy.
When you are on Arthur's Seat, you see the whole city.	When you are on Lousberg, you see all trees.

I have to get back to my homework. More on things later.

20.09.08 Update: two more entires in the table.

Along the road: Greenwich

2008-09-16T01:20:00.001+07:00

Hi,

I went to Greenwich today. The name of the borough should be pronounced as [GREN-itch]. 'w' is a silent letter, like in 'answer'. This word should be similar to you already because the name is usually referred as the time zone zero (Greenwich mean time: GMT).

Me standing between west and east side of the Meridian line.

Actually, the main purpose of the time zone is to locate spatial, not temporal location. In the old time, when England is the maritime nation--connected and use the sea for commerce, there is a problem that they can not refer the location where their ship is in east-west direction. This leads to many loss and disastrous events.

The north-south location can be determined by angle between the horizon and the sun or the polar star. Thus, they came up with idea of using the time of the day in the mean (Greenwich) and local location to calculate the angle differed from the mean location. This can be done with a simple math using those times with the fact that earth revolves 15 degree/hour.

Here we can obtain the longitude from local and Greenwich time.

Famous 24-hour clock

The funny part is the method to know the Greenwich time when you are away from Greenwich. Nowadays, we use the clock, but the first method is 'powder of sympathy'.

When one has been stabbed with a weapon applied with this powder, they will feel painful every time the weapon being touched with the powder. So, a ship took a dog wounded by a powdered knife, and the knife is kept at Greenwich. At noon, a keeper dip the knife into the powder, so the dog will yelp making it possible to determine the time difference. Wikipedia said that it is just a satire, but it is also exhibited at the Greenwich observatory. :D

One may wonder that where they choose to draw the line? The answer is easy. Bradley Meridian happened to place his telescope at a location. the north-south line is drawn there as a first Meridian. :D Thereafter, another better telescope is placed away from this line, they move the line to that telescope. :S

It is not only the meridian line that is a sole attraction of the town. Greenwich is a beautiful and not noisy as london. I think that a lot of green space in the town make me fell good.

Spacious Greenwich VS crowded London

Let me tell some funny story. The 'Painted Hall' was intended to be a dining hall for soldiers. Sir James Thornhill took 19 years to paint it, and it turns out to be too beautiful to dine in. Since then, it becomes a tourist attraction, leaving soldiers to eat at somewhere else. :D

The Chapel which is decorated with not much budget. They use the painting techniques instead of sculptures to cut the cost. An example is shown below.

Inside the Chapel

Fake sculpture, but real painting

True marble VS fake marble

Other museums such as Queen house and maritime museum shows their obsession of naval. There are too many sea painting for me already. Sorry, photography is prohibited. :)

The last funny story is about the walking tunnel connecting Greenwich with the opposite side of the Thames. A book said that, in the opening ceremony, mayors and officials had a champagne party in the tunnel. After they went up, the decompression of air in their stomaches make them uncontrollably fart and burp. :o Sorry, I don't prefer sparkling liquids, especially in the tunnel.

That is a quite long and big e-mail. Hope you enjoy and have a good time.

Along the road: London

2008-09-14T21:03:00.001+07:00

London is quite sunny today. :) However, I decided to stay at my friend's flat to regain energy. I took Cholrphenylaime Maleate (sorry for spelling mistakes), and I can't sleep well in the coach. This makes me very dizzy on Friday. I tried to sleep, but it is not successful. Thus, I went to V&A museum and stay thereabout until late afternoon. Believe me, art plus dizziness equals more dizziness. There is a bad news in the evening. Grandma of p'Note, whom I am staying with, just passed away. He then book a ticket and go back to Thailand on the last Saturday. I felt very sorry for him.

I spent yesterday and today with German language, course plan, and arrangements. The good news, if I haven't told you so, is I've got a permission to attend the course from the next Wednesday. In addition, I also got a position on a course on October. Everything seems to be fine. For the coursework, I have to choose one out of three laboratories that I've got. There is an easy one: 'User-oriented s.th.' which everyone I know seems to take this course. However, I am bored with software development and things. I have done it for several times since undergraduate, so I am planning to take either 'Media analysis' or 'Multimedia analysis and retrieval'. The names looks familiar; I don't know about the content since the first one doesn't provide any detail. Let's find out more when I am in Germany.

I plan to go to Greenwich tomorrow. I would like to see not-so-crowded area to relieve my urban sickness. Now, I am pretty sure that I will get sick when I return to Bangkok. At least, I must have three-days recovery period.

Reopened: The second year of EuMI me

2008-09-13T20:09:00.003+07:00

I decided to reopen this blog. After a busy days in Edinburgh, I finally on the way to Germany! I will write several entries for reminiscing days in Edinburgh and goes on with major events on the way.

The blog will not be regular as I decided to previous blogs, but it will be event-based which I aim to covers every important aspects during life in Germany. The writing style will be mixed between article and personal letter style. Those in personal letter will be sent to my friends to keep in touch. Even if I am not there (wherever my friends are), or talking to them, it is a good thing to let them know about me. At least, I may lives in their conversation and not forgotten. :)

MyEd login

2007-08-20T17:24:00.000+07:00

I finally got the MyEd login. The IT office work very fast! I contact them first time on last Friday and got the e-mail to confirm my identity on Saturday (Thailand time) and got the login today.

I've sent another mail to accommodation office. In this mail, I said that Ms. Catriona will confirm my position. If this is not enough, I tell them to report which body they want the information from. I will contact them directly.

Good trend

2007-08-17T19:13:00.000+07:00

Today, Catriona, a staff at College of Science and Engineering e-mailed me back and cc: to the accommodation office. She confirm that my position is firm and gave me my matriculation number, so I can use to retrieve MyED login. I will wait for the accommodation office to respond. As for MyED, the EASE registration system need the password, which should be sent for me by mail. Since I did not receive that mail, I wrote to the MIS office attaching e-mail of Catriona asking for MyED login. It would be great if I can get these things done within next week.

No response from ED

2007-08-16T22:37:00.000+07:00

Today, I e-mailed to the College of Science and Engineering through the mail sciengpg@ed.ac.uk. I told them about the problem that accommodation office have not confirmed that my position is unconditional and firm. Also, I asked them about MyED login.

It seems that I am ready to go now, but the university is not ready for me yet.

Accommodation, not OK yet.

2007-08-11T08:41:00.000+07:00

Yesterday, I have got the e-mail form accommodation office again (from the different contact person). They said that they will issue the offer when they get the confirmation from the university that I've got the unconditional offer. I replied them attaching the letter that Judith confirmed me to the other agent. I hope it will be cleared before I leave for it because I have no plan for another accommodation, and they also collected 250 GBP and guarantee that I will get the accommodation.

Travel Insurance: Some Information

2007-08-09T05:56:00.000+07:00

I've found an article from AIA Singapore website which contains useful information about travel insurance. All of this information is directly quoted from http://www.aia.com.sg/Content.asp?ca_typeid=9&ca_categoryid=2&ca_articleid=1 for personal education purpose. Some formatting has been modified for personal notes.

The holiday season is here again! Before you take off for that long awaited and exciting trip to the Caribbean Islands, the Swiss-Alps or a fun-filled time in Disneyland, make sure you have everything ready: Passport, camera, toothbrush... ...and don't forget your travel insurance. For those of you who are not familiar, here's a quick guide to understanding your travel insurance needs and to getting the right package for your trip.

Annual Policy
Most insurance companies offer travel insurance on annual basis as well as per trip basis. Annual policies cover unlimited trips made by the insured during the entire year provided that each trip does not exceed a certain number of days, usually 90 days. No declaration is required. For frequent flyers, this type of cover would be most ideal in terms of cost and convenience. The premium for annual travel policies varies only slightly among insurance companies, averaging around S$300 for travel within Asia and S$400 for travel worldwide (for the individual).

Family Packages
Family packages are also designed to cater for immediate families traveling together. Definition of immediate families would mean the insured person, the insured person's spouse and children. Family packages are usually priced at a lower premium than if individual policies were to be taken up for the whole family. Although annual policies are also provided for families, such plans are generally not as popular as the annual policies for individuals, reason being that most parents with children who are still schooling are unlikely to make than 2 trips in a year due to school holiday-and-examination constraints.

"Phone-and-Fly"
Ever heard of "phone-and-fly" program? A number of insurance companies are now offering this 24-hour service at no extra cost. Register yourself as a member, and you may call up anytime of the day from anywhere in Singapore before your flight to activate your travel insurance. It is travel insurance made easy, especially for busy executives who cannot afford the time to make their way down to the insurance company each time they go on a trip. Now, even "last-minute" travelers can simply pick up a phone to activate their travel insurance in Changi Airport just minutes before their plane takes off. However, please take note that, if you are doing this for the first time, the insurance company may need time to process your registration before you can have access to this "dial-in" facility.

24-Hour Emergency Assistance and Information Service
Some of these 24-hour services even offer information on visa requirements, foreign exchange, weather forecasts and medical advice et cetera. Very helpful indeed for inexperienced travelers or for those who are traveling to more remote and less traveled places. These service centers may also offer emergency assistance in the form of embassy, legal, interpreter and medical referrals. Most importantly, they can arrange for emergency medical evacuation in case of a major accident.

Insurance Benefits and Limits of Coverage
So what are the benefits and limits of coverage to look out for in a travel policy? A standard travel insurance package should include coverage for Emergency Evacuation, Baggage Delay, Baggage Loss, Flight Delay, Hospital Cash, Hospital or Medical Reimbursement, Hijack, Loss of Money or Personal Belongings, Missed Connections, Overbooked Flights, Personal Accident, Personal Liability, Trip Curtailment and Trip Cancellation. Some insurance companies even insure against the loss or theft of golfing equipment and laptops.

The limit of coverage for emergency evacuation ranges from S$500,000 to an unlimited "cost-incurred" amount depending on your choice of plan. Compensation for flight and baggage delay are usually in the region of S$500 or S$1,000. This feature comes along with a "Time" excess, meaning that the insurance companies only compensate when the delay exceeds a certain time frame. The limit for loss of baggage varies from a couple of thousand dollars to S$10,000, usually with a cap for individual items. Most insurance companies would compensate a couple of hundred dollars for each day of hospitalization up to the maximum limit indicated in their respective packages. This is solely to compensate the insured for the number of days spent in a hospital overseas and should not be mistaken as hospital or medical reimbursement, which takes care of the hospital and ward charges. The limit may range between S$100,000 to S$500,000. Personal accident coverage, which is to compensate the insured for permanent or temporary disablement or death as a result of an accident, generally comes in limits of S$100,000, S$150,000 or S$200,000. Personal Liability is important in case of legal liability, arising out of one's negligence in causing a third party injury (or death) and/or third party property damage. The limit for this cover ranges from S$500,000 upwards (S$1 million is not uncommon).

Special Features
Go for insurance companies that offer nil deductibles. Otherwise, you may end up having to bear the first S$40 or S$50 of every claim that you make. For those of you who intend to engage in water or winter sports during your trip, it would be wise to take up your travel policy with insurers who offer free coverage for such activities. Some insurance companies may charge an additional premium for this extension, so it is better to clarify this point before you effect your cover. Unfortunately, the definition of water sports in the typical travel policy does not include scuba diving. Not surprisingly, bungee jumping is also excluded from most travel policies. Watch out for age limits imposed by some insurance companies, meaning that persons exceeding a certain age (most commonly 65 years) are excluded from their travel coverage. But if you belong to this elderly group, fret not. There are insurance companies that do not impose any age limit and offer the same coverage at no additional premium loading. A unique coverage that is being offered in the insurance market is the "Car Rental Excess". This feature takes care of the excess amount that the insured normally has to bear (under the motor policy taken up at car rental companies) in the event of damage to the rented vehicle while driving overseas.

Premium Computation
For "per-trip" policies, the premium payable hinges considerably on the number of days of travel, the country of destination and choice of plan. For example, a trip to Europe or The United States of America warrants a much higher premium than a trip to Asia for the same number of days. Some insurance companies provide the option of higher limits of coverage at of course, a higher premium. If price is of concern, it is advisable to keep on hand the premium schedule from a couple of insurance companies for comparison before you activate your travel insurance before each trip. All premiums are non-negotiable as travel insurance policies are standard packages and are not "custom-made". Once taken up, no cancellation of policy and refund of premium are allowed. This is especially so if the policy offers the coverage of "Trip Cancellation", which reimburses the insured for any deposit or expenditure incurred for the forthcoming trip, in the event that the trip has to be cancelled due to an emergency such as a sudden death in the immediate family or that of a business partner or even bankruptcy of the travel agent.

Claim Procedure
All insurance companies will require claimants to lodge their claims within a certain time frame. Claimants would be required to complete and submit a claim form, which can be obtained from their respective insurance companies. In almost all instances, claims must be accompanied by relevant documents, such as medical receipts for medical reimbursement or hospital cash; a police report for loss of money or personal documents; an official letter from the airline in cases of flight or baggage delay and loss of baggage if within custody of the airline. In all cases, call up and inform your insurance company immediately for necessary advice.

There you are... now with a basic knowledge of travel insurance, you are equipped to choose the travel policy best suited to your needs and you are all set to fly!

Bon Voyage!

Note: The intention of this article is to highlight the various features available in a travel insurance package (list is not exhaustive) and not to elect the best package or cheapest premiums that are being offered in town. No mention or reference to any specific insurance company is made. Each travel insurance package is different and superior in different areas. Readers are encouraged to explore these differences and decide on the one best suited to their needs.

Source: Financial Planner, written by Grace Khew

Confirmation from Judith

2007-08-08T09:43:00.000+07:00

Yesterday, Judith sent an e-mail to accommodation office, also cc: to me, regarding my unconditional offer. I hope that goes well.

Travel Insurance Survey

2007-08-07T13:59:00.000+07:00

Although I have got the medical insurance from EuMI, they suggest me to have a travel insurance for my baggages. I have done a little survey about this, and it is not pricey. The problem is: Whether it is possible to claim the insurance in UK while I purchase the insurance here? If it is possible, which is the claim rate in GBP?

I have submitted an inquiry for each insurance I am interested.

Axa Smart Travel - Plan I (1 - 4 days: 550 THB)
ACE Insurance - First Class Plan (1- 4 days: 775 THB)

P.S. Since writing daily blog here is quite cluttering, I created a new daily blog for my life: iNmO Daily

Where is my accommodation offer?

2007-08-07T09:13:00.000+07:00

In the last contact with the accommodation office in a month ago, they said that the accommodation will be allocated in mid-July. This is the beginning of August, and I am nervous about it already. Yesterday, I e-mailed to check whether my offer has been issued. It turns out that the accommodation office did not receive the confirm that I have accepted the unconditional offer. GOD! I e-mailed Judith Gordon today asking for her help in this. I hope that this is not risk the chance to get the accommodation. Anyway, they already collected me 250 GBP and guarantee the accommodation, so they must be on it.

I also have no MyED login. They said that I need it to confirm the accommodation offer. I e-mailed Lynda Henderson asking for help in this yesterday. There is no response from her yet.

05 August: Groggy Sunday

2007-08-05T10:04:00.000+07:00

Groggy Sunday
Today is very confusing day. Everyone but me leaves the house, and I have to do the finishing touch on the project:A together with watching over my mom's new groceries. Things get worse with the periodical short rain which makes me hurry to collect the clotheshorse now and then. The most annoying matter is the telephone calls about land selling that my mother is a middleman. I told her thousand times to call him back, but she never call. Thus, it ends up that he make a call in every hour to bug me. The day ends when I lost my temper and go to sleep. Yes, sleeping make me forget things. It is not useful to remember it though.

Courses in Bonn
Sandeep* forwarded an e-mail about course-accommodation relativeness in Aachen. In his e-mail the student of former cohort said that the first semester, we have to take German course which held in Aachen, but for net/media-centric people, we have to do the FIT lab in Bonn. He suggest us to take some courses at Edinburgh instead of Bonn since most courses in Aachen are better. These courses are the compulsory that have to be taken in Bonn:

Bonn: Computer Graphics -> ED: Computer Graphics
Bonn: OOSC -> ED: Software Architecture, Process and Management (SAPM)

As for German course, Tanin** had got some information from Pom***: The German course is also available in Bonn with some extra expense. I have to start planning for courses now.

* Sandeep is an EuMI student in my cohort. He is in net-centric Edinburgh-Trento.
** Tanin is my friend from Thailand who also an EuMI student with almost same configuration as mine except that his main university is Aachen.
***Pom is a student in EuMI in previous cohort. He is net-centric Aachen-Edinburgh.

04 August: Study skill for graduate student

2007-08-05T09:52:00.000+07:00

A study skill workshop held by British Council today makes me realize that I have to improve some skills. It is well known that basic study skills are listening, speaking, writing, and reading. If you get 600 on TOEFL PBT or 6.5 IELTS does not means that you will not have any problem in graduate study. Many skills such as note taking, discussion in seminar, and critical thinking is not well-tested in previously mentioned tests.

Note Taking

Seminar Discussion

Critical Thinking

What UK value?
Independent, Innovative, Individual

My webcam
I bought two webcam from Pantip today. It is Oker which cost me 900 THB each. The image is fine, but the USB plug socket at the camera is quite loose. It hangs my desktop for several times. I wonder if it is the problem of my very old motherboard or the device driver because it also crash my laptop once.

03 August: Have Hep. B antibody

2007-08-03T21:58:00.000+07:00

Blood result said that I already have Hepatitis B anitbody, so I don't have to take more 3 vaccines.

I visited TCDC (Thailand Center of Design and Creativity) and see the exhibition about automaton (The mechanical toys created from woods, not the finite-state automata, even if it has the state finite ^^). The creator of each automaton is great in both imagination and mechanical skill. Some of them is very complexed and juxtapose reality in very funny way.

There is another exhibition about design in UK. The theme said that you can earn while you do the work you love. Many design work in UK is in this way. I spent too much time in the automaton one, so I don't have enough time to see this one in detail.

Project: A is accepted by the contractor. There is minor feature improvement that have to be done. I think that I can close this project in Sunday.

It's time to start researching about professors at University of Edinburgh!

02 August: Vaccinated

2007-08-02T20:58:00.001+07:00

The Thai army sport club is new running venue for me. I went to farther than I usually run and find that place with calm environment, good air, not so hot, and no dogs. I will try post some of its photo when I have time.

I went to Thai Red Cross Society and vaccinated today. University of Edinburgh recommends me to be vaccinated for Meningtis C and MMR, but I further ask for more vaccination on rabies and infulenza for my own safety. Today, I took 4 needles of vaccine and one more for blood checking for Hepatitis B. Next week, I will take two or tree, depending on the Hepatitis result. And in next month, I will take the last needle for MMR. Today, it cost me 2,850 for vaccination and 450 for blood testing. More detail on this, I will write later.

During my transportation time, I read the latest volume of Harry Potter. I have go through 3 chapters now. This is the slowest read of the book in this series. I finished book 1 - 6 by spending about 2 -3 days on each book. (Maximum 3 for the last book.) But, for this book, I have another plan. I try to capture most vocabulary out of it and try to observe the writer's style. I think that this may be beneficial for my future as a graduate student in author's homeland.

I modified some Drupal module for my project: A. Although it is a good practice to develop the user interface of the module, I decided to turn to hard-coded work making watermarking module work with another image uploading module. This because I can not think of the cross-module user interface. May be, I have to write another module to connect this two? Not today, I am very exhausted and the deadline is tomorrow. Since it will turns to production environment tomorrow, if there is anyone drop by my blog, you can see the project on http://www.amornsak.com. (It's in Thai though. :) )

01 August: Blogging Habits (beta)

2007-08-02T07:52:00.000+07:00

I planned to blog my EuMI life at least 2 lines per day. The beginning of the month is a good day to start my blogging habits. For the summary of each day's blog, read the first line of each paragraph.

Last Friday, I got a pack of letters from University of Edinburgh. It contains documents about matriculation, international student advice, graduate student advice, and some welcome party registration form. I have read it through on last weekend and will post some useful detail here after this hectic week.

I bought a running shoe form Adidas yesterday. Super Nova control 10 numbered 9 1/2 is my shoe. After using it once in the morning, it is worthwhile for its 3,170 THB expense. (It is actually 4,170 THB, but I have turned in my old shoe to get the discount of 1,000 THB.) The photo of it can be found in my blog in Thai.

I went to the NAiST lab and had been assigned to write a paper on my work on Tree Editor. It is my effort to create the tree editor on the web platform which does not need any special program (except Firefox browser) installed. The paper will be presented on SNLP 2007 held by my laboratory, so I have 14 days from now to write it. I may not be able to present it since the conference will be held in the end of this year. However, it happen to held on my Christmas break and they provide me the expense on plane, I may come.

In the late evening, I go shopping again for an electric shaver. I always want one since I found the documentary about shaving on either Discovery Channel or National Geographic Channel. Since I can shave quickly and safer without using foam or water, it may help me to shave often. If anyone in Thai and know me, they usually found me unshaved especially in the busy week. It cost me 1,470 THB since it is a rechargeable one which I prefer since I can use the unlimited electricity in my house at EDI. It is warranted for two years, internationally. Its photo can be found in my blog in Thai.

My website project: A is goes well. In this Friday, I will submit the work and get 5,000 THB to pay my expenses.

Erasmus Mundus doctoral programmes

2007-07-27T07:51:00.000+07:00

Since the Erasmus Mundus programme will end in 2008, there are many assessments taken and there comes a proposal for the future of the program on 12 July, 2007. I have skim through it and found that they are proposing the option to continue this program and extends it to the doctoral level. They called the proposal: "Erasmus Mundus doctoral programmes"

Wow. If it is happening, I will surely join the program and will go to at least one more different country. It is quite a networking opportunity for me and having double degree in both master and doctoral is quite charming! Now, I have to boost my performance first!

I've got an Insurance!

2007-07-27T06:18:00.000+07:00

Last Wednesday, 25 July, Luca sent an e-mail informing about insurance. He also sent a copy of insurance card for me. I will receive the real card upon the arrival in Edinburgh. Here is what the insurance said:

Erasmus Mundus Insurance Scheme (Wow, sounds cool!)
TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR STUDENTS TAKING PART
IN THE ERASMUS MUNDUS INSURANCE SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

in collaboration with: Marsh Belgium
Boulevard du Souverain 2 - 1170 Brussels
and
ACE European Group Limited
avenue des Nerviens 9-31 Box 7 0 1040 Brussels
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an assistance card. Cover is given based on the inscription at the Erasmus Mundus Insurance Scheme of the European Commission.

Insured persons: the student, mentioned on the Insured's Declaration, not more than 70 years old at the time the contract takes effect, who is making his/her way abroad, in order to take part in the Erasmus Mundus Insurance Scheme of the European Commission.

General overview of the benefits in the limits of the conditions of policy n° 5.021.014:
Section 1: Accidental death 5.000,00 EUR
Section 2: Permanent invalidity due to accident 75.000,00 EUR
Section 3: Hospital stay in a semi-private room, or ward (accident/sickness) during max. 365 days real costs
Costs of treatment following an accident/sickness real costs
Section 4: Costs of urgent dental care 250.00 EUR
Section 5: Assistance to persons
Services - repatriation or medical transport real costs
- repatriation or transportation of the mortal remains 7.500,00 EUR
- early return in case of the death of a relative real costs
- the dispatching of medicines abroad real costs
- telecommunication costs 125,00 EUR
- travel assistance (loss/theft travel documents, interpreter, travel ticket) real costs
- legal assistance 5.000,00 EUR
- transportation and accommodation costs for family members 7.500,00 EUR
Section 6: Travel documents 150,00 EUR
Section 7: Civil liability in private life (hirer's liability inclusive)
- cover following to the laws in force in the host country (benefits determined by the A.R. of 12 January 1984)

After I read it second time, I am not quite sure if it is the travel insurance only (as stated in Insured person section). I am not sure if it is effective 3 months before my departure and 3 months upon my finish of the programme. I will call local ACE and check this later.

edit:
I found out more about this in EUROPA website.

...it is not a comprehensive travel insurance. If students wish to be covered for eventualities such as the loss or theft of money, personal belongings and items of value, or for the unexpected costs caused by travel delays, they are advised to take out additional cover with a private insurer....
"you are covered when you travel to the Master Course from your home country, when you attend conferences, research trips or cultural sessions abroad ... also covered during short trips back to your home country."
"You are covered from the point at which you leave your normal place of residence to go abroad to begin your Course. This may be up to two months before the beginning of your Masters Course. The policy is valid while you are abroad for up to three months after the official end of the Masters Course, until you return home. The medical coverage will then continue for a maximum of 30 days on your return."

Flight Detail

2007-07-22T09:45:00.000+07:00

I will depart from Suwanabhumi Airport in 7 September, 2007. My flight is on about 3:xx AM of 8 September. I will arrive the airport around 24:00 and check in at Row T (Closest entrance is Entrance 9)

ED's Student card

2007-07-10T05:59:00.000+07:00

I've e-mailed to Judith yesterday asking about student card application. Tanin and Ravi had got the application already, but I have not received it.

Judith said that it is not the urgent issue. Anyway, she passed my query to the Registry. The student card will be issued upon my arrival at ED.

Check list

2007-07-09T13:00:00.000+07:00

There is a post in Pantip.com which covers the check list of preparation for things to bring. It is in Thai.
Checklist

To the Embassy of United Kingdom...

2007-07-09T06:22:00.000+07:00

On last Friday (6 July), I've got mail form Judith*. It is the official letter of scholarship stating detail about the programme, the scholarship, the insuarance. (Yes, we've got the medical insurance from ACE Insurance from 3 months prior the programme until 3 months after programme end.) There are two (slightly different) copies of it, one is in the official paper of School of Informatics and the other is in EuMI.

* Judith Gordon is the Admission Co-ordinator at Informatics Graduate School, ED.

Below is the selected content of the letter in the School of Informatics paper:

ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME

To the Embassy of United Kingdom
For visa applications purpose

The European Master in Informatics School wishes to inform that the students indicated below have been awarded the scholarship to enrol in the Master programme in Informatics within the European Erasmus Mundus EuMI (European Master in Informatics). The students will receive two master degrees, on in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and one in Italy from University of Trento, or Germany, RWT Aachen.

This programme is funded by the European Community to promote mobility between European Universities of non-EU students; in the case in point between the University of Treno, University of Aachen and University of Edinburgh.
The Programme lasts 2 years with the following mobility:
and the mobility scheme which foresees period in:
...
University of Edinburgh (September 2007 - May 2008) and
University of Aachen (June 2008 - July 2009) and
University of Edinburgh (August 2009 - September 2009)-
...

Each student receives:
€ 21.000 per each year, for 2 years, total 42.000, minus € 6.300 for enrolment and fees per each year, 21.000 - 6.300 = € 14.700 net per year
Medical Insurance from the ACE Insurance, valid 3 months prior to departure and 3 months after programme ending (3 months + 2 years + 3 months)

Accommodation is guaranteed in Edinburgh, UK, as well as in Italy and in Germany, which is organized by the competent University Guild

Normally, the Academic year starts the first week of September; students need to be in Europe the last week of August or the first week of September

Object: List of the EuMI students of the 4th cohort - 2007:
...

Thank you for your attention on this matter,
Best Regards
Judith Gordon
EuMi Admissions Co-ordinator
Informatics Graduate School
University of Edinburgh
...

International Driving Permit

2007-07-06T18:45:00.000+07:00

Today, I went to apply for International Driving Permit. It is successfully done.

See more detail on my blog in Thai.

Insurance for German visa

2007-07-04T13:07:00.000+07:00

Tanin told me about the need of insurance in order to apply for German visa. Although I have not to worry about it now, I have got some information from a.Jaruroj regarding German insurance company.

www.aok.de - this is related to the government (~ 40 - 50 € / month)
www.wuerzburger.com - this is the private company (~ 30 € / month)

UPDATE: Pom* told Tanin that Erasmus Mundus have health insurance. There's no need to purchase more.

*Pom is an EuMI student from Thailand in 2006 cohort.

Accommodation acknowledged

2007-07-03T18:57:00.000+07:00

I've e-mailed accommodation office on 28 June stating that I've accepted an unconditional offer. Today, a staff e-mail me back to acknowledge it. The allocation process will begin on mid July. Thus, there's nothing to do but wait on the accommodation issue.

Here's the e-mail:

Thank you for letting us know that your offer at Edinburgh University
is now Unconditional.
We have received your application for accommodation and our allocation
process commences mid July.

Kind Regards

Jennie
Allocations

Erasmus Mundus Alumni

2007-07-02T15:59:00.000+07:00

Found a website of Erasmus Mundus Alumni at: http://www.erasmusmundus-alumni.eu/

The information is not quite update. (Approximately, the last update was February 2007.)

Anyway, they may provide the e-mail forwarding with .eu, so I registered it.

A postcard from ED

2007-07-02T11:15:00.000+07:00

Today, I've received a postcard from The University of Edinburgh. It confirm the receipt of my unconditional offer.

Why I got only a postcard? A (Tanin) said that he got a package of university card and etc.

The postcard said:

"We have received your firm acceptance of our unconditional offer
and we are delighted that your are coming t study with us.

If you have any questions about the University or your studies
please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

With best wishes

The Postgraduate Office

0131 650 7142
sciengmail@ed.ac.uk

You've got visa!

2007-06-29T21:01:00.000+07:00

Today, I was able to phone the visa office. They said that the status "Received from Embassy" mens I can get my passport back.

My visa starts from 8 September (my arrival plan) and ends with 30 June 2008. This means I must request for continuation if I am able to find the summer job in Edinburgh. :)

Some visa info:

Number of entries: MULT
Valid from: 08/09/2007
Vald until 30/06/08
Obsv: No recourse to public funds Work (andany changes) must be authorised

More information about Edinburgh

2007-06-28T21:13:00.000+07:00

Insurance [Pre-arrival guide]

Health insurance is not necessary. We are eligible for NHS service
Personal item insurance is included in accommodation payment.
Should have travel insurance for items.

Accommodation [Accommodation leaflet]

University accommodation rents include all utility bills, cleaning, personal
contents insurance, data and telephone facilities.
By late July, I should received the accommodation offer. [ref]

Arrival

There is welcome team at the airport on 8 - 9 September (red t-shirters). They will guide us to the bus into town and guide us from the bus station to the accommodation.
All Non Commonwealth Students (other than EU, US and Japanese Nationals) who have been admitted to the UK for a period of more than 6 months, may be required to register with the police. The fee for registration is currently £34 per person. [ref]

Misc

There are German language course available for £120 per semester. The course in the first semester starts on 25 Sep. [Modern Language Website]

More information

Pre-arrival guide

Pre-arrival Checklist for international Student

Internatioal driving license & Bank account

2007-06-27T07:28:00.000+07:00

I've found some information about international driving license application in this Pantip entry (in Thai) and the bank account at the Royal bank of Scotland in this entry (also in Thai). I will translate it when I have some free time.

UK Visa application and tracking

2007-06-27T06:51:00.000+07:00

According to the letter from Ms. Gordon, I've applied for UK visa n 21 June. The document preparation can be found in UK visa entry. I've provided following support documents:

TOEFL score
Letter of scholarship acceptance from EuMI school (The one that Mr. Valenzin e-mail me to sign and send the paper back.)
My dad & mom bank book
My transcript

The website said that some document does not need the photocopy, but the officer actually to have me make a photocopy of everything! That cost me three times higher cost! (of general photocopy service, and six times higher than those in my university) In addition, I have just quit monkhood, which make me skin-headed. They let me take new photo there. (4 photos for 250 THB. Normally, I can take 12 photos for 100 THB. T.T) The real worry is at the time I fly, I may have my hair grown, and that won't look like the photo in the visa.

Here are some recommendations for UK visa request in Thailand:

Don't go to the Embassy. The visa office is in another place.
Wake up very early to have an early queue.
Buy bank draft from any bank that sells you. Buying there is dally. The bank that sells (as far as I know): UOB, Thaharn Thai
Prepare a real and a photocopy of your census registration and any name changing document or marriage documents (if any). (They do not tell us in the website, but they recommend me to provide everything I have in order to support my application.)
Prepare the bank book. (Get the good one.)
Photocopy EVERYTHING! They will keep the photocopy.
Take your photo at normal 2 inches size. Take it near the time of application, so you will still be the same.

After interrogations, they accepted my application and have me got biometrics data collected. The collection process is quite easy: taking a digital photo, and finger print scan. It is about 5 minutes.

I've tracked my application for 3 days now. Current status is as follow: (some ID information is deleted form this screenshot.)

The silly thing is when I try to use the tracking system in Thai language, it appears that the programmer forgot the "submit" button. :D

I've got no TB!

2007-06-20T16:00:00.000+07:00

TB
Yesterday morning, I went to IOM after terrible experience of sputum collection for three days. The doctor told me that I have no TB! Yeeey! They issue a certificate for me and also give me the x-ray film. I have to bring it with me on the plane (no folding!). It will depends if the random check from immigration at UK will take place or not. He also advice me to have a film examined by a doctor when I arrive there. (Aj.Ja told me that the medical expense is state responsibility, so I do not have to pay anything.)

More Shopping
I went to Sumpeng and got a dozen of socks (330 THB) and a dozen of handkerchief (140 THB). Very cheap!

EMS Arrived Edinburgh
I've tracked and see that my unconditional offer is received by University of Edinburgh on June 19, 2007 16:30-17:59 [EMS report]

Next stop, visa application
Tomorrow, I am going to apply for UK visa. The UK embassy has just installed new biometric system and will operate the first time tomorrow. I will be a volunteer for this system! Lucky me!

My flight with Emirates

2007-06-18T10:01:00.000+07:00

Flight information:

BKK -> DUBAI: EK387 (BOEING 777-300ER) Departure 03:15 / Arrival 06:20
DUBAI -> LONDON (Heatrow): EK29 (BOEING 777-200/200ER) Departure 09:50 / Arrival 14:15
LONDON (Heatrow) -> Edinburgh: BD60 (EMBRADER RJ145) Departure16:30 / Arrival 17:55

Price: 29,000 THB

Online check-in: not available for Thailand yet. Re-check the website again. (If I use online check-in I can be at the airport at least 90 minutes before flight.)

At the airport

Ticketing counter is located at opposite Check-in counter Row T
Emirates Check-in counters are located at row T Floor 4.
Check-in counters open 0330 hrs and will be closed one hour before departure.

Advance Passenger Information: API
I need to provide the API information before flight. This must be provided at the check-in desk.

Laws in force in the UK require airlines to collect the following information from all passengers travelling to and from Miami, Washington, Dubai, Bangkok, Johannesburg and Islamabad prior to travel:
Personal Details
- First, Middle and Last Name
- Date of Birth
- Gender
- Nationality
Official Travel Document - Type, Number, Expiry Date and Country of Issuance

Transit through Dubai
Dubai is GMT +4
Directions:

Disembark via the windowed airbridge, up the connecting escalator to Level 3 of the terminal. Pickup point is also located outside the Arrivals Hall.
Follow the signs to any one of the four Transit / Connecting Flights desks, passing through Security Control.
Once you have your onward boarding card, you can take the escalator down to Departures on Level 2.

Emirates
Ticketing and reservation: 02 664 1040
Sales manager: (Fax) 0-2260-7095 bkksales@emirates.com
Note: I have also request for the seat near window but next to aisle and oriental (chicken & fish meal).

I have sent the request for extra weight (they give 5 kgs) via e-mail on 18 June. They require me to provide the copy of student visa and send entire request (request letter, copy of student visa, copy of e-ticket) again.

UPDATE: Sent a request again on 2 July.
UPDATE: Emirates grant me extra 10 kgs.
UPDATE: Changed meal to low cholesterol and added Skyward Number: 247862871

British Midland
Thailand Office: 02 634 1802
Note: I've request for extra weight (+10) on 18 June. The officier told me to e-mail the request (written in English) together with following documents:

Copy of visa
Copy of ticket
(optional) Copy of letter of extra weight from Emirates.

E-mail: bmi@mma.co.th (attn: k.Yuwathorn)

UPDATE: Sent request to British Midland on 2 July
UPDATE: Called to BMI to check, they have added remark in the system. Yes!

Current baggage constraints:
Load: 2 bags, 3D is not exceed 107 inches, total weight: 30 kgs

Mass update

2007-06-16T09:09:00.000+07:00

This is the mass update since I have been in monkhood for a month.

EC process

10 April, 2007 Luca Valenzin e-mailed me to wait for EC confirmation.
4 May, 2007 Luca Valenzin e-mailed that the EC has accepted the position and scholarship. He told us to send the acceptance letter. (I've sent it for a while.) I have to wait until the end of the month.
1 June, 2007 Luca Valenzin e-mailed that I will be contacted by my main university.

Edinburgh side

12 June, 2007 The unconditional offer is finally arrived. Together, there are a brochure of funding (wonder why?) and accomodation.
15 June, 2007 I've sent a signed unconditional offer through EMS (Thailand's express mail service). It costs me 9xx THB. If I remember correctly, it should be 6xx THB through Fedex, isn't it?
15 June, 2007 Judith Gordon, a co-ordinator of ED, e-mailed me informing about the acceptance, and accomodation issue. This e-mail indicate that I can use the acceptance letter for visa application.

Flight

14 June, 2007 I went to reserve flight with Amornsak at Majestic travel (Langsuan Rd.). It cost me 29000 THB for a one-way ticket BKK-Dubai-London-Edinburgh. In 03:xx of 8 September, I will fly with Emirates and transfer in Dubai. Upon arrival in London, I will use British Midland to Edinburgh. I will arrive there about 18:00 EDI time on 8 September.

IOM

14 June, 2007 I went to register at IOM about 16:00. They said that the registration is open only in the morning, so I reserve a queue for tomorrow 09:00. I've observed that there is nothing in the website indicate that!
15 June, 2007 I registered and went to Payathai 2 hospital to have my chest x-rayed. After went back to IOM, the IOM doctor tell me that there is a dot in my lung, so I have to went back to Payathai 2 to re-x-ray again. After x-ray I saw that the doctor in Payathai 2 write on the diagnostic report that I am NORMAL. But IOM doctor need me to have sputum examination. So I have to do it three morning at IOM. I've observed from pantip.com website. They said that many people have to do it. They will have to carry the x-ray film (quite bulk) with them on the plane and may have to re-x-rayed upon arrival in UK. If I am lucky enough, they will have me do health check for every 3 months for free.
16 June, 2007 I've do my sputum collection for the first time, it is very hard.

That's all update for now. The next thing to do is to pass IOM and wait until 20 June for UK Embassy to open again. Amornsak suggest me to observe the health insurance prices in Thailand.

Air ticket web

2007-05-02T07:21:00.000+07:00

Found another agency's website. The search lists comparison between airway prices. The search engine is quite broken, the BKK - EDI route is not found.

http://www.kmt.co.th/

Another Pantip post recommend Khum Um (อุ๋ม) 07974812157

Cheaper bookstore

2007-05-02T07:13:00.000+07:00

I found overstock.com from Pantip webboard. The price of books there is cheaper than Amazon.com

UK Visa

2007-04-30T22:24:00.000+07:00

Some information about UK Visa that I need.

Category: Student
Fee: 7,128.00 (may change, Bank draft, can be purchased at the application centre)

Documents

Completed visa application form (VAF-1) -- need more filling
Application fee
Passport ( minimum validity 3 months and sufficient blank pages on both sides )
2 Photographs

White background
Clear and of good quality
Printed on normal photographic paper
Unmounted - 45 mm x 35 mm in size
Full face (without sunglasses)

Photocopy of the data page of passport ( passport page with photo)
Supporting documentation

A photo
A letter of unconditional offer the University confirming your acceptance for a study. It should show the course starting date, its duration and costs ( original + 1 Photocopy )
Photocopies of previous education qualifications/certificate.
Student Questionare

Evidence of Funds -
Questionare form

A TOEFL score (tentative, call the office if the real one is needed)

Tuberculosis Certification (obtained from IOM, see IOM section)
Declaration form

Instruction:

Apply
Wait 2 - 5 working days (if no interview required) track the application
Get the passport and visa

Original receipt issued at the application centre at the time of submission.
Data page of the passport with VFS stamp

For safe, spare a month for visa.

Security
Security regulations restrict carrying the following items to the Application Centre effective 21st of June 2007.

All battery operated or electronic gadgets such as cameras, audio/video cassettes, compact discs, MP3's, floppies, laptops, or portable music players.
All bags such as travel bags, back packs, briefcases, suitcases, leather, jute or cloth bags and zip folders. Only a plastic bag containing your application related papers would be permitted. Ladies personal handbag will be permitted.
Sealed envelopes or packages.
Any inflammable item such as matchboxes/ lighters/ fuel etc.
Any sharp objects such as scissors, pen knives or nail filers.
Weapon or weapon like objects or explosive material of any kind.

Limited facility at the Application Centre has been provided for safe custody of mobile phones.

UK Visa Office, Bangkok
UK Visa Thailand Website
Submission of applications: 0830 - 1500
Collection of passports : 1500 - 1630

Visa enquiries telephone helpline: +66 (0) 28008050
Email : info@ukvac-th.com

IOM
IOM Bangkok web
[map]

120 Kasemkij Building 8th floor Silom Road , Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel: + 02-234-7950-1 Fax: + 02-234-7956
E-mail: bkk.tbdp.uk@iom.int
(Saladang exit 3)

Price: 2,600 THB
Documents:

Valid passport, and copy of the passport
ID Card and copy of the ID card
2 recent colour photos, size 45mm x 35 mm (2"x2") (not older than 6 months)
Ante-Natal Care Book for pregnant women. (for pregnant woman)

Instruction:

Made an appointment -> (8:00 - 15:00)
Registraton & paying fee at IOM office
Chest X-ray: Payathai 2 Hospital or Bamrungrad (Sukumvit)
Get the X-ray result
Go back to IOM and get the certificate (afternoon or tomorrow)

The certificate is valid for 6 months

A Pantip entriy about grad school

2007-04-23T09:59:00.000+07:00

Yesterday, I found a popular Pantip post about finding scholarship for graduate school (Both in Thai). This is quite useful note about graduate study in German, since he talks about the life style of German people too.

[Part I] [Part II]

The writer study in economic field. He done his master at Germany and plan to find his doctoral scholarship at Italy. He also introduce a useful article advising about surviving fist year of graduate school by an economist student. The document is in English.

More useful website about scotland

2007-04-21T16:11:00.000+07:00

p'Tan just sent some useful website about Scotland.

http://www.talentscotland.com - a section in this website is useful
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ - some health information
http://www.scotlandistheplace.co.uk
http://www.scottish-enterprise.com
http://www.scotland.org/study/index.html

Theme changed!

2007-04-09T22:20:00.000+07:00

Changed theme because I want bullets to be shown.

Survey of Air Travel to Edinburgh II

2007-04-09T22:04:00.000+07:00

Amornsak* called me last night and gave some advices about air travel.

Book the Qantas air rather than British Air. Because they are allied, but Qantas seat is more comfortable.
Emirates is cheapest and grant you carry highest weight of luggages.
Try observe another airways that land in Europe and continue to Edinburgh. Remember to check if the bags can be check-through.

China Air
FinAir Bangkok -> Helsinki -> Edinburgh
Swiss Air Bangkok -> Zurich -> Edinburgh
Eva Air

British Airways and Lufthansa is not comfortable and very crowded. (My last trip to Europe, I took Lufthansa. It is so-so.
Try the website kmt.co.th
He knows some travel agencies that is the cheapest. (in Rangnam, Lang-suan, Central Chid-lom)
When arrive at immigration, go to the red entrance and declare everything. The passenger is less congested. The officer is good. In addition, most of time they treat you better.

* Amornsak is my old friend form the primary school. Now, he finished Bachelor degree in economics and will pursue Master in this year. He is very wise and know many people.

Survey of Air Travel to Edinburgh

2007-04-09T15:08:00.000+07:00

I've observed some website:

STA Travel:
The house lease will start at 8 Sep. (A Saturday before the semester starts), so I'd better get there around that day.

The student rate from STA does not have the trip BKK (7 Sep.) -> EDI (8 Sep.). I'm not yet figured out how to range search on this site yet.

British Airways:

Bangkok (7 Sep. 00:45) -> Heathrow (7 Sep. 7:00)

Heathrow (7 Sep. 13:15) -> Edinburgh (7 Sep.) 29,885 THB
Heathrow (7 Sep. 15:15) -> Edinburgh (7 Sep. 16:35) 29,885 THB

BA0010 Bangkok (8 Sep. 00:20) -> Heathrow (8 Sep. 6:20)

BA1442 Heathrow (8 Sep. 11:15) -> Edinburgh (8 Sep 12:35) 30,720 THB
(more but not transfer at Heathrow)

Air France:

40415 THB. Most trip arrive at Paris. There is one flight that is direct to Edinburgh. Another filghts makes me go to Netherland first.

Emirates:

The flight will arrive at Glasgow at noon. I think that is not convenience to travel from Glasgow to Edinburgh with my bulks.

In summary, it is quite sure that I have to pay around 3x,xxx to 4x,xxx for the flight. I have to find more if I can save the cost using the student document.

Thai Airways:

There is no flight to Edinburgh. (Just have only flights to London which cost 31,xxx THB already.)

More information:

p' Tan suggest that I should book the flight through STA Travel because it will be easier for change the flight, if anything happens.

University Ranking Websites

2007-04-07T22:39:00.000+07:00

Guardian:
http://browse.guardian.co.uk/education?SearchBySubject=true&FirstRow=0&SortOrderDirection=&SortOrderColumn=&Subject=Institution-wide&Institution=&Tariff=5
Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/
World ranking:
http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm

Accomodation Reserved

2007-04-03T11:21:00.000+07:00

I've just reserved the accommodation with regarding Note and p'Tan advice. My choices are:

Roxburgh Place, Standard, Standard Size, £99.96 / week
Richmond Place, En-suite, Standard Size, £99.68 / week
Morgan Court, En-suite, Standard Size, £92.96 / week

Although, at Roxburgh, the toilet is not en-suite, p'Tan said that it is not a problem. The toilet is cleaned daily and the rate is 3 persons to 1 toilet. See the Roxburgh Place homepage.

I've also paid the deposit of £250 which cost around 15,xxx ฿. The final (including currency conversion fee) cost is around 17,xxx ฿. T.T

Started German Lessons

2007-04-02T22:59:00.000+07:00

I've started German lessons with Deutsch für den Alltag Band 1 (Chulalongkorn Press) with a CD. The book aims to train the student to talk and have a daily-life phrases impressed along with cultural details.

I also downloaded the Tell me more CDs from bit-torrent. The tools there is quite helpful especially the pronunciation tools with shows the wave graph and evaluation.

Shopping

2007-03-30T21:54:00.000+07:00

In previous three days, I went to garment export exhibition at DEP (Thailand) and buy some clothes already. I had spent about 3500 baht already.

What I bought

2 Jeans (2x220 thb)
1 Jean sweater (280 thb)
2 Wools (350, 250 thb)
3 Long-sleeve t-shirts (2x100, 1x180 thb)
1 Glove (300 thb)
1 Wool hat (300 thb)
6 Boxers (4x50, 1x60, 1x40 thb)
2 Sleeping trousers (2x100 thb)
1 Jocking trousers (200 thb)
3 T-shirts (1x50, 1x100, 1x150 thb)
2 Longjohn (2x250 thb)

Total: 3530 thb already!

Paying for accomodation

2007-03-29T22:03:00.000+07:00

I've just extend my credit card financial amount to 50,000 THB. This is the preparation of reserving accomodation which will cost 250 £. This deposit will be returned upon the finish of the contact (i.e. next year).

I aim to choose following houses:

Richmond
Morgan Court
Holland Annexe

This because I want the en-suite, e.g. bath-room included in the room, and a place not far from George Square.

Choosing T-Shirt

2007-03-29T10:28:00.000+07:00

Fabirc: [t-shirt-buyers-guide.org]

The figure on top is Combed Cotton Fibers. The figure at the bottom is Carded Cotton Fibers. The firs one is more preferable because the longer, thinner, more even fiber is knitted. It is softer and lighter. In addition the printability of the combed cotton (figure below on the left) is more ideal.

See more fabric guide at [americanapparel.net]

Shrinking: [t-shirmart.com]

Cotton polyester blend will shrink less than 100% cotton

Heavyweight t-shirt will shrink less than lightweight

Tips:

The Quality printed t-shirt to resist fading at least through 36 washes. To minimize fading, turn garments inside out while washing and drying. [t-shirmart.com]

Pilling:
The appearance of little bumps of fibers on the surface of the garment. Pilling only occurs on shirts knitted with a cotton polyester yarn.

Screen Printed T-shirts:

Money Exchange

2007-03-28T22:04:00.001+07:00

This is the good time to exchange money because Baht is quite strong.
see: my blog in Thai [TH]

Get into fashion

2007-03-20T06:45:00.000+07:00

In case you can't recall the word to describe the hair style:
http://mensfashion.about.com/od/goominghair/a/HairGalleries.htm

More about dressing
Wardrobe Basics
How to tie a tie

Things to copy

2007-03-20T06:08:00.000+07:00

There are many things that you should take copies of it with you:

Passport
Photo
Transcripts
Degree Certification
Letter of Acceptance & related forms

And many things that you should leave copies behind:

ID card
Census registration
Signed bank's withdrawal form
Passport
Credit card

Leave them with the most trustful person.

Annoying group mail

2007-03-19T08:33:00.000+07:00

Some EuMI seniors mentioned about annoying group mail because 2007's conversations.. Their opinion, I respect.

Anyway, I use "daily digest", so I got only an e-mail a day. Quite comfortable, isn't it?

Sandeep comes up with a new group for us: EuMI 2007

Letter of Acceptance

2007-03-16T08:41:00.000+07:00

Last Friday, Mr.Valenzin e-mailed me the letter of acceptance which I must sign and fax back to Trento. I printed and signed and faxed back using 009 (A number of CAT Telecom, Thailand, to save telephone cost.)

P.S. It turns out that I surely got net-centric on University of Edinburgh and RWTH Aachen. That's ridiculous because Ravi wants net-centric, but he got life-centric. It will be great if we can exchange the specialization.

Anyway, it is no turning back now. Come EuMI!

Changing Specialization

2007-03-12T12:08:00.000+07:00

Last Friday, I got an e-mail which acknowledge my confirmation on EuMI program. They also notice my specialization: Net-centric at Edinburgh-RWTH. Since I intend to pursue Ph.D. in bioinformatics, I'd rather prefer Life-centric, so I e-mail back to ask if there is a possible way to change the specialization. It is quite surprised because I clearly stated in my statement of purpose that I want Life-centric. (But I also checked net-centric as my other interested area ^^) In addition, I had no network course in my transcript!!! (Because I decided not to pursue in this area. But I still sit-in in Data Communication I and Network Programming sometime.) I suspect that it might be software-engineering courses that motivates committe.

A also got same situation. He got RWTH-Edinburgh while his statement of purpose emphasize his interest in professor at Trento. He hypothesized that it is misplacing in copy-and-paste process of the result. Anyway, the official acceptance will be mailed (not e-mailed) in this week, so we can find out about this.

If I can not change my speciality, it is fine because I formerly decided to skip some course in bioinformatics (namely, bioinformatics I and II because I skim at the syllabus and think that I know most of them.) Thus, I can pursue on Net-centric and have a sit-in in some bioinformatics course. The hard part is the research topics. I have to come up with some project that take advantage from network to benefit biology. Quite exciting!

Today, I found this from reading Shirley's blog.

EuMI Google Group

One recent entry in this blog ask about changing specialization. I bet the questioner got the same problem as us. May be, it is because copy-and-paste error. Huh?

Update: Mr. Luca Valenzin, EuMI School Secretariat e-mailed me about this. He will inquire this for me, but it may not be able to change. This, indirectly, confirm that it is not the copy-and-paste mistake. I will try to come up with my study plan this night.

Started Here

2007-03-10T08:51:00.000+07:00

Hello,

This blog is intended to note as most things as possible about my life* and EuMI (European Master of Informatics). This is a program under Erasmus Mundus Program that gives me an opportunities to obtain the master degree from two universities in Europe.

The inspiration of this blog came from other's former EuMI student blogs namely:

I found useful information there and I intend to make my information available for those who aims to join this program in upcoming years. This blog is in English for two purposes: to convey to most audiences around the world as possible, to improve my English writing skill.

Since I am Thai, some information may tend to be especially useful for Thai student. So, the international one who visit this blog, please don't be annoyed. Also, if you are Thai and want to know more about me, please visit my blog (http://inmo-khem.blogspot.com) which is written in Thai.

I also have a friend that got this scholarship too. He plan to write the blog about his life. I will give you the link when it is up.

Lastly, all visitor, please drop me a comment on entries. This will show me and other readers the way you think and the different between perspectives from people around the world. This will make this more valuable for mankind.

* Me. I am a Thai graduate student whom awarded EuMI scholarship in 2007-08. I was graduate from Chulalongkorn University majored in Computer Science. My academic goal so far is to pursue Ph.D. in bioinformatics and come back to teach and research in Thailand. I wish I can improve my country in both academically and morally.

Personal Details	- First, Middle and Last Name - Date of Birth - Gender - Nationality
Official Travel Document	- Type, Number, Expiry Date and Country of Issuance