Thursday, October 18, 2012

Attending Conference at Berlin - Travelog Day 4


The conference starts

Just cereal!!!
As yesterday, I woke up at the same time. Around 4am. Finish my shawarma bought previously as was very hungry. You need to be skillful in warm-up the food here :).

Then, open up my email and messenger. Get some messages and then spend time to chat with my kids.

Around 6am, perform my solah and continue with updating some notes.

At 7.15am, pack my things, and went for breakfast. The same food that I had yesterday. Not much choices. There are scramble-eggs but it was located side-by-side bacon which I'm not confident at all ('was-was').

Shining early day
After some 'ok' breakfast (I miss nasi lemak and roti canai), we went to thee conference. Still using the bike and the leg and butts are really felt painful. It is but enjoyable :).

Welcome day

Parking .. they love cycling
Reach the conference at 8.45 and the take the last row just to ensure that I can get better view for taking photo.

Outside TU
It starts with simple speach by Prof Kai Strunz.. He delivered a warm welcome and speech with less than 3 minutes... so fast and there is NO MC for at all. He is the chairman of IEEE PES and also the MC and also deliver the first welcome speech. Direct without protocols. Then he call TU Berlin President whom also give simple speech, and Engineering Dept Dean of TU Berlin. Next, it was followed by Minister. Again no protocol but he deliver speech longer.. after all, he is political person.. hahaha. And finally, Ms Li Xiaolin, the co-chair of the conference whom also the president of China Power which deliver the longer speech and like many asian, addressing many people first before began with speech. We should starts with that... Begin with Bismillah and Salam and then straight to speech and only use ladies and gentlemen thorough the speech. :)
The session starts... just kick-off aaa..

Prof Kai Strunz of Faculty of EE and CS, TU Berlin giving the opening remarks
The great German

The main IEEE PES people

History you should not forget

Presentation time

What good about the European is that they are really puctual in time. If the scheduled starts at 8.30, it will starts at 8.30 (except when it involves the minister... hahaha). I miss out the first speaker because see an exhibition and get interested to know more.. When I came into a panel discussion, the second panel has half-way through the slide.

It is apple ... not ****!!!
Listen to the panel presentation. Most of it was related to European implementation or perspective with regards to smart grids. There are interesting facts that we can learn from the EU people. They are really committed and also supported by their people and governments ... also includes the universities and industries.

I had this for my break
At 10am, we take a break and not much can eat accept bread and sweets castard like,.. Get to talk with few presenters and met a good professor from france (E'cole polytechnique). Thought of doing collaboration in power quality systems. He shares new project of him of which he is using time reversal technique to detect fault. That's interesting.

After the break, I went into one of sessions which talks about smart grids and transmission and distribution and cyber securities and many more...
Not much I can learn as either the presentation is not well delivered or I don't understand at all.. hahahaha

We had lunch and it is an interesting lunch. Nothing that I can ate except salads and small bun. One thing I notice here, the drinks (apple and orange juice) is really masam. and they have sparkling mineral water which taste weird.

Talk continues

Yeah... the talk continues as goes the presentation and panel discussions. Had to run to two places due to different locations and there are papers that capture my interest.

Had to rush through to find location to perform solat. Ask the information counter but the lady can't speak in english very well. Ask few muslim student and they seem either new or don't know the location. Luckily the committee help out and show us the way to prayer room.

At prayer room, met 2 turkish, one is applying for Phd after completing his M.Sc and he actually start his studies here in TU Berlin before change to another university in Berlin and now applying for Phd at TU Berlin again. They other one was just his first semester. Then, we pray maghrib together.

Today conference ends up at 6pm.

Welcome Reception

The Orangerie
After prayer, we rush to The Orangerie (beside Charlotteburg). We was guided by another committee member whom also riding a bike (bicycle). But he left us after I checked with him on the right path. Wow!!! they are surely very healthy people. See many of them just ride a bicycle and if the place is far, than the ride to nearest bus or train station...
Friends from India




Lets drink and... not for me!!!
We reached there around 7pm. The first smells goes into my nose was alcoholic drinks.. what??? never mind... we just register in and walk around. I met a Prof. whom previously work with Nokia and turn into lecture 3 years ago. He was a computer science lecture but came to smart grids due to his student were doing research in EV. And he felt that he need to equip himself with such knowledge and hopefully to get few experts to work with. Proposed him to talk to Christop Brunner and Alex Apostolov. Good as we share the same understanding and difficulties. :)

The musician.. relaxing
Than met my colleague whom managed to talk with a Brunei lecturer whom attach to Physics Faculty but doing EE research.... hahaha... complicated world isn't?

Can't talk with them.. can't stand with the smell
They only offer sour apple or orange drinks plus tasteless mineral water and alcoholic drinks. My nose already felt uncomfortable. Get to taste soup with peanuts plus bread than decide to take off...

On the way, I was thinking to stop by a curry cafe. Was thinking that it was an indian curry cafe but it is actually referring to Italian style of curry and not confident of the food at all.

Then when around the street and take some nice picture... you can view it here. After awhile, back to hotel room and have Maggi Mee which my colleague brought from Malaysia... that's all I can ate. Saw KFC and McD but 'was-was'.

Do some reading and then play games on my phone.

Around 10pm, goes to sleep and that's end my 4 day trip to berlin.

For nice scenery of Berlin at night.. see it here.

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