Saturday, March 20, 2021

Settling down in Poland 2021

Kraków Rynek Glowny
So you got a job in Poland and you are moving there soon, just arrived and unsure what and where to go to handle all the administrative matters. So far this is a short list but I will edit it once I remember more what I did when moving to Poland.

Getting a phone number

This is the first thing one should do. They only need your passport. You can get a 5zl sim card from Play, Orange or any other telecom operators. I use Orange.

Banks

There are many local and international banks. I went with Citi Handlowy (Citibank). Somehow they did not have Blik (payment framework) but I don't use it. The foreign exchange rate is good. Local banks have a 6-7% spread unless you have PESEL (see below)

Apartment

Many websites are available for you to shop around. It gets easier if you know Polish. On Facebook there are many pages that contain ads from owners themselves or agents.

Krakow Houses & Apartments (No agents or agencies) For Rent

olx.pl

More advanced stuff

Here's a preliminary list of things I found useful. But only if you have done the rest (Phone, Bank, Apartment)

Information point for foreigners in Poland

PESEL (Tax number)

Polish Residence Card


Sunday, February 24, 2019

Programming for school teachers 1

Something useful for teachers is keeping a spreadsheet. It may be used for recording test scores and student class attendance. A commonly used free (but probably userdata-mined) resource is available as part of the GoogleDocs suite, namely Google Sheets. Here we will use that to show the accessibility of powerful programming tools available to teachers to make their work more efficient.

We start by creating a blank spreadsheet, and then we attach a Google Apps script project to this spreadsheet by clicking on Tools > Script Editor.

 

A new window will open and this appears



Here, you would notice the cursor inside myFunction(). This is where we can define what we want to do with our code, which is similar to a recipe in a cookbook. For the mathematically inclined, this is exactly the same notation we use when writing a typical math function, e.g. f(x) = 2x. The only thing different is that for myFunction(), we allow for zero argument functions, arguments being variables inside the brackets.

Similar to math functions, myFunction() can also accept two arguments, e.g. f(x, y) = x + y. You can try this by replacing myFunction() with this:

myFunction(x, y) {
    return x + y;
}



and clicking then remember to click the Save button (shown inside the red box). Once you saved your code, go back to the Google Sheets page, put in some values in some cells, and try the function out.



Now you can create your own functions and link them to Google Sheets. You are no longer bounded by limited space available in Google Sheets where you can only effectively write single line functions.

Continuing from here we visit the idea of variable types which will be influenced by what you use as arguments and the results of your own custom defined function.

z = f(x,y)

Mathematically, it is clear that all x, y and z are numerical. However, a computing function can also accept string values as arguments and return string values.

What are strings? A string is a sequence of characters, e.g. a b c d e... The character "a" for example is represented in a computer by the number 97 in decimal and 01100001 in binary. The character "1" is represented by the number 49 in decimal and 00110001 in binary. Here's a website for you to try to play with conversion.

This is necessary because a computer can only understand numbers as it is fundamentally built with on-off switches or zeroes and ones. So please remember the number 1 and the character "1" are different for a computer.

Let's talk about the addition operator +. For numbers, it is obvious it with result in the sum of two numbers. For strings, they are typically defined to connect two different strings together, or concatenation. Note that typically we represent strings in a computer program as characters encased between double quotes.

myFunction() {
  var first = "Hello";
  var second = "world";
  var result = first + second;
  return result;
}

If you define a function with the above, and try it on your Google Sheet document, you will get the output "Helloworld". How would you add a space in between the two words to make "Hello world"?

Another thing you might want to try is to add "1" and "2". You will see that the answer is not "3" but "12".

You may try to add a character and a number but you will run into problems. It is because such operations are not defined.

There is a very useful construct in logic called the if-else statement. It provides a way of branching your logic into different paths when certain conditions hold true (or false). In computer programs not unlike in mathematics, we also use it to provide different algorithms (or recipes) when some conditions are met. For example:

if(x is less than 0) {
  y = 1;
} else {
  y = 0;
}

which is obvious to you what it does. We try to write in a syntactically correct way below:

myFunction(x) {
  var y = -1;
  if(x < 0) {
    y = 1;
  } else {
    y = 0;
  }
  return y;
}

Note that we need to declare the variable y in the beginning. We need to do this for all variables we use so that the compiler (a separate program to translate human readable code to binary) can check our program for typos. Another way of writing this would be:

myFunction(x) {
  var y = 0;
  if(x < 0) {
    y = 1;
  }
  return y;
}

This program looks shorter now but it does the same thing. It is usually better to write shorter programs whenever possible but not at the expense of readability.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Osaka to Kyoto

I started the journey this year from a friend's place in Esaka, Osaka somewhat in the middle of the commercial and office area of northern Osaka. We met since the very beginning of my stay in Japan, having matriculated at the same time, him a masters student and me a doctoral student. We have not seen each other for quite some time so we had quite a lot of catching up done since graduation.

Just staying a night in Esaka, I proceeded northwards to Kyoto, stopping for breakfast in Hirakata where there is a famous amusement park. I rode along the golf courses on the banks of the Yodogawa and by 1pm in the afternoon, I reached my guesthouse in Kiyomizudera, Kyoto city. Unfortunately the nearest bicycle parking was about 500m away near the river. Check-in time was also a few hours away so I used Couchsurfing hangouts to while away my time till then.

Together with the couchsurfer from the US, IG @radiant_void and I went to Fushimi Inari Taisha (again!). She was late so I went to have lunch in the ramen shop just outside the train station. It rained on our way up the hill but otherwise it was a good walk. That place is perpetually full of tourists and really difficult to take pictures.

Replica of the boats that used to ferry goods up the canals connecting Kyoto and Fushimi Inari.
After that it was time to check in to my guesthouse so I did and rested a little bit before meeting up with another couchsurfer from Singapore. We met up in a coffee place near Kawaramachi station. He happened to be the guy who quit his job to travel and see the world.
One of the shrines I passed by while exploring Kyoto
The next day, there was really nice weather so it was really good to have come to Kyoto with a bicycle. I explored all the back alleys and paths behind those houses and small shops inside the Kyoto city blocks. Eventually I reached Kinkakuji area where I started to turn back towards my guesthouse again. I rested a little and had something to eat for dinner before meeting and talking at length with some Japanese guy who was interested in physics.

Sunday, October 02, 2016

Luminy

I had a g-2 / LFV workshop at the Aix-Marseille University in Luminy. It is wonderfully near the Mediterranean coast. There is a hiking path in the area that brings you to many different places where one could see students and local French residents sunbathing and playing the the water. It is at the very last stop of bus 21 in downtown Marseille.

A view of the calanque in Luminy. You have to be there to be amazed.



We are actually quite high up. We would finally end up at the area near the boats below.


The calanque. So beautiful.

This is the place great for retirement. I could imagine myself waking up and taking a small boat to sea every weekend.
It totally worth spending a whole day here to chill and soak in the sun. The sea also provided a spectacular view. Azure blue totally. Just remember to bring your own food and water since everything there is either non-existent or very expensive. Its also a good alternative to downtown Marseille if you want to get away from the busy-ness of a city.

Very high cliffs we went down from.

Finally, the first thing you will see when you enter the national park is this.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Nice, Côte d'Azur

So here I am under the Osaka Wheel Expocity writing this entry about nice weather Nice, Côte d'Azur way back in May this year. There is nary a cloud blocking the sun in 万博記念公園 so the temperatures in the middle of the day reached a high of about 34 degrees. No wonder everyone in the neighbourhood crowded over into the Expocity mall (huge mall by the way) to escape the heat and enjoy the cool air supplied by the air conditioning. I gets very crowded here with families with kids getting ice-cream, teenagers, retirees and some tourists visiting the Gundam cafe here. Surprisingly I see people riding the ferris wheel (they call it Osaka Wheel).

I flew to Nice, France from Minsk Belarus right after the physics conference was over with Belavia, the national carrier of Belarus. The plane I flew in was one of the smaller jet planes that probably carried about twenty people and the trip took a little bit over five hours. From cold and cloudy Belarus I reach sunny, blue skied Nice on the coast of the Mediterranean sea.


I had planned to stay in Nice for only a night before taking the trip to my next destination Marseille via car sharing BlaBlaCar. It is an interesting concept similar to Airbnb but instead of rooms, you share a car. I paid about 13 euros for the trip of about five hours by car. It took a little longer since there were other passengers travelling to the other cities in between Nice and Marseille, like Cannes.

More about Nice. Let's start with some pictures of the beach.

From the airport to the city center, the road the bus travelled on was beside the beach.
Amazing blue sea and sky!

No reason not to enjoy the sun.

Sun, sea and sand.

More sea from another angle.

I walked of a slope and you here you see rocky shores.

My favourite shot of Nice.
I stayed in a hostel room in the middle of the city. It gets pretty hot in the day but its just more reason for me to go out exploring the city.
Renaissance sculpture of a naked man.

This view is kind of typical to French cities. Cars parked on the sides of the road
and apartment building everywhere, even going up the hill.

The fancy looking TGV station to anywhere you want to go in France.

My bed in the hostel. Not too shabby I'd say.

Sorry I did not try pizza.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Hakusan 白山

The temperature in Osaka has almost reached its summer peak, hovering at about 33 to 37 degrees. Seeking respite from the heat, some of us from the Physics Department took a night bus from Osaka JR station to Kanagawa in the Hokuriku region and then joined other hikers from around Japan to climb Hakusan 白山, one of the three Holy mountains of Japan. The other two being Fujisan and Tateyama.

Source: http://www.kagahakusan.jp/
The night bus started off from the station at 10:30 pm and we reached Kanazawa train station in the early morning at about 5:30am. We each paid 5000 yen for the one way trip. There was still some time for us to get some breakfast and do some last minute shopping for supplies at the ever present 7-11 station store.

We did not expect was the number of people queueing up to get on the bus. It was not any special holiday of season although it was just about a week before the 'celebrated' Mountain day 山の日 public holiday, which happens to be the day I am writing this. One bus was not enough and to my surprise they added another bus in the last minute. We each paid 2200 yen for the two hour trip to the starting point of the hike, Bettoudeai 別当出合.

The welcome rock. Hakusan National Park.

Nature awaits us!

We had no idea.


Our first stop for lunch was at the Jinnosuke Shelter Hut 甚ノ助避難小屋 . We ate our onigiris and various snacks while the other hikers took out their elaborate cooking equipment and boiled hot water for nice hot meals.

Lunch stop
Relieved that most of the difficult part of the journey that day (climbing mountains and hills) was over, we mad our way through fields of wild flowers and harvesting bees and annoying insects to our room for the night. The room fits five and we paid in total about 12000yen.

Other hikers who were going to minamiryugababa 南竜ヶ馬場

We are also on the way.

Can't wait to dip in the stream.

Definitely has the Swiss cottage look.

View from the other side.

Playing with ice cold water in a hot summers day on a mountain!
We are definitely closer to heaven that day.

So peaceful.

View of our shared room.
I've actually skipped a lot of details here. Nobody really reads a long blogpost anyway. Let's talk about what we did very early the next day. We actually woke up at 2:00 am. Had a quick breakfast, packed everything and started our ascent to the mountain peak. We made it a few minutes before the sunrise. Here are the pictures.

My first meeting with a glacier! I'm actually not so sure if I can call it that since its so small.
But it is made of ice, and its on a mountain.

Sun is coming up soon.

Hikers resting and waiting for the final moment.

There are way more hiker behind these.

朝日!Sun rising from the sea of clouds.

More sun pictures.

Just wow.

Someone broke his phone playing Pokemon Go.

The view of Murodo, the other accomodation closer to the mountain peak and the two glaciers.
We started the descent down back to the bus station at the starting point, 別当出合 to catch the first bus back to Kanazawa at 11:30. There are only three buses out from the mountain, 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30. We decided to walk down using another path, which is aptly named 観光新道 as there we saw the flower fields.

Some of the common flowering plants we saw.

Blue bells!

Those are some humongous pines.

魚中にパンが入ってる?パンの中に魚が入ってる?


Amazing right.本当にすごいの風景。

I really like this picture.

People and their phones. Sheesh.
The trip down the mountain was really bad for the knees and ankles. Even a few days after the trip I was feeling the pain and wasn't really able to walk down stairs or slopes. 足がまだまがらない。

We're not in Switzerland. But we might as well have been!

Thanks for the amazing trip!


Here is the link to the accommodations available at Hakusan, http://www.kagahakusan.jp/file/shisetu/etc.html