PixelMed has a reference Java implementation of the DICOM specifications. It is quite easy to set up and run PixelMed. This blog post summarizes the steps to get it run quickly.
First, download the source, binary, and dependencies of PixelMed DICOM server. At the time of writing, the latest version can be found here.
$ mkdir pixelmed-src $ cd pixelmed-src $ wget http://www.dclunie.com/pixelmed/software/20190626_current/pixelmedjavadicom_sourcerelease.20190626.tar.bz2 $ tar -xvf pixelmedjavadicom_sourcerelease.20190626.tar.bz2
$ mkdir ../pixelmed $ cd ../pixelmed $ wget http://www.dclunie.com/pixelmed/software/20190626_current/pixelmedjavadicom_binaryrelease.20190626.tar.bz2 $ tar -xvf pixelmedjavadicom_binaryrelease.20190626.tar.bz2
Extract the source and copy testserver.properties from com.pixelmed.server package to the root folder of the binary. The package also has the core class of the DICOM Server.
Adopt the testserver.properties for your needs.
# Where to store the database support files Application.DatabaseFileName=/tmp/testserverdb # Where to store the images stored in the database Application.SavedImagesFolderName=/tmp/testserverimages # Name to use for external TCP access to database (such a server will not be started if this property is absent) Application.DatabaseServerName=testserverdb # The root URL for the WebServer - if missing will default to the fully qualified local host name (which may not always be available, or appropriate for NAT'd external connections from outside the firewall) WebServer.RootURL=http://192.168.14.45:7091/ # The name of the stylesheet for the WebServer WebServer.StylesheetPath=stylesheet.css # The name of the request type to use for displaying instances for the WebServer # One of INSTANCELIST, IMAGEDISPLAY, or APPLETDISPLAY WebServer.RequestTypeToUseForInstances=INSTANCELIST # WebServer.ListeningPort should be set to whatever port the web server listens # on for incoming connections. WebServer.ListeningPort=7091 # WebServer.NumberOfWorkers should be set to a sufficient number to manage simulataneous incoming connections WebServer.NumberOfWorkers=5 # Dicom.StorageSCUCompressionLevel determines what types of compressed Transfer Syntaxes are # proposed: # 0 = none # 1 = propose deflate # 2 = propose deflate and bzip2 (if bzip2 codec is available) Dicom.StorageSCUCompressionLevel=0 # Dicom.ListeningPort should be set to whatever port this DicomImageViewer application is to # listen on to accept incoming associations. Dicom.ListeningPort=4008
# Dicom.CalledAETitle should be set to whatever this DicomImageViewer application is to # call itself when accepting an association. Dicom.CalledAETitle=BMIPACS # Dicom.CallingAETitle should be set to whatever this DicomImageViewer application is to # call itself when initiating an association. Dicom.CallingAETitle=BMIPACS # Dicom.PrimaryDeviceType should be set to the type of device, e.g., WSD, ARCHIVE. Dicom.PrimaryDeviceType=ARCHIVE # Dicom.RemoteAEs is a space or comma separated list of all the available remote AEs; # each AE may be named anything unique (in this file) without a space or comma; the name # does not need to be the same as the actual AE title. # #Dicom.RemoteAEs=osirix helgray # # Each remote AE (listed in Dicom.RemoteAEs) needs to be described by three # properties: # Dicom.RemoteAEs.XXXXX.CalledAETitle # Dicom.RemoteAEs.XXXXX.HostNameOrIPAddress # Dicom.RemoteAEs.XXXXX.Port # # where XXXXX is the name of the AE displayed to the user and used in this file #
Extract the dependencies and copy the lib folder to the root folder of the binary.
$ mkdir ../pixelmed-dep $ cd ../pixelmed-dep $ wget http://www.dclunie.com/pixelmed/software/20190626_current/pixelmedjavadicom_dependencyrelease.20190626.tar.bz2 $ tar -xvf pixelmedjavadicom_dependencyrelease.20190626.tar.bz2
I have been a loyal customer of booking.com for several years. More than half a decade, to be precise. As such, I had a "Genius" account. "Genius" account is the booking.com terminology for a frequent traveler. You get 10% - 15% off on many properties with a "Genius" status. One day, suddenly, my "Genius" status was revoked with a message.
Your Genius membership has been temporarily suspended
We noticed that you've booked with an invalid credit card or made an unauthorized credit card recharge for a booking that should have been charged/was subject to cancellation fees. While we understand that sometimes these things happen unintentionally, we want to make sure that our accommodation partners are being treated fairly. For now, we've suspended your Genius status. You can still book with us but your status will only be reinstated after your next completed booking. After you've booked, stayed and paid you will automatically be added back to the program and you can continue to enjoy your discount and travel rewards.See Terms & Conditions
Now, I have never done any of these. Those are wrong accusations. I have been using my booking.com account for like 7 years. This is not a throw-away account to make a booking and then disappear without paying the hotel. I would never do that anyway.
On the other hand, these days, I have several travels planned. Having booking.com "Genius" status revoked at this point will make me pay an additional 15% of my upcoming booking, compared to what I was going to pay with a Genius status.
Naturally, I sent them a private message on Twitter and also asked them in Tweet to look into the private message.
"Hi, My http://booking.com profile is XXXXXXX. My genius status is canceled with the below message:
[INSERT THE MESSAGE SHOWN BY BOOKING.COM REGARDING MY GENIUS STATUS]
I never booked with an invalid card or did a credit card dispute on any ofhttp://booking.com bookings. In fact, I am a happy customer for several years. This must be a technical glitch. If you let me know which booking had this issue, I will be able to pin-point what went wrong.
I really want to rectify and keep my genius status as always."
72 hours passed. They were answering to everyone else - but not me. Not even an acknowledgment that they received my tweet or are looking into this. Not even an automated or a canned reply that I would receive from my insurance company. They even replied to those who complained a day or two later than me.
So I used their "Contact us" page in their site. After typing all these, I figured, they are not even receiving what I typed. Instead, the "Next" link sent me to a static page that states,
"Get in touch Our Customer Service agents are always happy to help with any questions you have. Call Customer Service."
The phone numbers above are for in-country calls. Only local charges apply, except for international numbers."
So I called them using the number they have listed.
The call replied with an automated message,
"Due to the large volume of calls, we only assist those who have their confirmation number and PIN code ready" and went on to ask those. A mail to customer.service@booking.com left me with an automated reply email: "
Thanks for your message ,
Please reply to this email in the format below, with the confirmation number and PIN code for the booking you need help with. This will help us to resolve your query faster.
Confirmation number: XXXXXXXXXX (10 digits)
PIN code: XXXX (4 digits)
You can find these details at the top of your confirmation email, or by logging in to your account.
Don’t want to wait? It’s easy to solve most booking queries with our self-service tools:
"
So those with general account-wise problems such as me have no way of getting help from booking.com. Not Twitter, not from their support page, and not even from their call center via phone.Booking.com is definitely understaffed for such a large-scale booking company. I feel betrayed as a loyal customer. This is probably a technical glitch. But they must rectify it as soon as possible. This issue is otherwise making me pay more for my upcoming travel bookings. When everything goes fine, we don't see the negative aspects of a company. Only when something goes wrong, we start to see them. Time to look for alternatives after sticking with them for a decade.
Update: Today, after 5 days, I received a reply from booking.com on Twitter.
"Hi there Pradeeban. Thanks for your message. There might have also been something else related to your booking history which prompted the Genius level suspension. Unfortunately we cannot provide you with a different outcome other than the one already given."Interesting. If they are really honest with "accommodation partners are being treated fairly", they should let me know which booking had issues - so I can rectify. That way, their (imaginary) accommodation partner also can have a better outcome. I am sure this is just a technical glitch, and booking.com is pathetic in their customer service. They are just lazy to find and rectify what went wrong. What a complete lack of customer service when something goes bad?
Most of the web applications are developed to be user-friendly, scalable, and high-performing, with an end-goal of high revenue. But when things go wrong, the humans - the agents of the company come to play. Humans are the weakest link in any technology. Train your staff well to handle the corner cases. When you ignore the valid concerns of someone who is met with an issue in your web application, you lose their trust. That's how many flight agents and booking sites such as booking.com managed to get terrible reviews in review sites such as Trustpilot. To get some idea, check how booking.com managed to get only 1.5* review, at the time of writing this post.
It has happened to me more than once. But this year was a prominent example. I visited Porto precisely six years later. Porto was so unique and close to me. It had so much of romantic and energetic memories cramped in - all from 2013 summer. After that, we planned to visit it on multiple occasions. But somehow, we always ended up choosing a new city, instead of Porto every time we had time.
Deciding whether to repeat a city that left us with good memories, or finding a new country/city to visit is also a tough choice. Sometimes, we leave a town with such positive memories, and it is hard to resist the desire to go back. Porto was one excellent example. Since we did not revisit it until we left Portugal in 2018 summer, it almost felt like visiting Porto maybe a distant dream.
Lisboa, same places, alone - 2019
But then my Ph.D. defense was scheduled, and my university in Belgium was managing my flight. I found that flight via Porto was much cheaper than flying to Lisboa from Brussels. I used it as my opportunity to visit Porto once more!
Porto was still charming. However, it was much colder. Interesting, given that it was the same days as in 2013. I could not jump into the ocean although I was walking by the Matosinhos beach, the same beach we visited last time. I almost felt like having time-traveled, if not for those differences in the weather and the minor changes in the city. For once, the metro line between Sao Bento and Jardim do Morro was closed for renovations. On a night, I took the bus from Sao Bento to Jardim do Morro and walked along the metro line from Jardim do Morro back to Sao Bento. The silence and noise from far restaurants were an exciting mix.
However, it is always hard to experience those moments from the first trip as they are, even when we try our best. We always have the memories of the past, and it is not easy to have the same excitement. The longing - the saudade. We are back - but we are not entirely back. Time changes everything. It is not the same place that we experienced years ago anymore. Climate changes, environment changes, and everything else changes also - sometimes for the better, sometimes towards worse. We end up with disappointment when our expectation from the previous visit was not met during the second or a later visit — for instance, the weather. Not a single sunny day in Porto this time to enjoy a beach day, during the three days of my visit!
Porto Sao Bento Station, 2013
Even if the city itself did not change much, the people have most certainly moved - or at least grew up or changed. Depending on how we kept interacting, the people who were your friends there once may have become strangers. Unless you bring the same set of people from the past, the memories will not be the same. Sometimes friends from high school try to organize such trips after 10 - 20 years. But, what we will meet will not be those youths we remember from our school days. Rather, some middle-aged people with their own family and jobs. Bringing back everything to reproduce the same feelings and excitement is challenging - although I tend to believe it is possible.
We happened to visit Houston recently. It is one of those cities that we will revisit. Not because we like it so much. Of course, the city was lovely - at least the food and its diversity. But the actual reason to revisit is its Chinese consulate. Since the Chinese consulate is in Houston, I have a feeling that we may revisit it in 2021. I am looking forward to seeing how Houston will treat us next time!
There is a younger version of GSoC aiming at school students (age 13 - 17). Format is different. It is more of a contest of several small tasks. I mentored once for Haiku OS. If you feel bored during the weekends now that the GSoC is over, consideer to apply to be an organization. ;) https://opensource.googleblog.com/2019/03/reflecting-on-google-code-in-2018.html
^ The format is simple. Organizations register with their github profile and tag a few issues as "Hacktoberfest". Then students can pick up and resolve those issues with PRs. The student who completed 4 PRs receive a tshirt.
24 Pull Requests is a yearly initiative to encourage contributors around the world to send 24 pull requests between December 1st and December 24th.(44 kB)
Unfortunately, online travel agent websites are filled with so many scams. Most of the sites that you would find in well-known listing sites such as Skyscanner do not fit into the traditional definition of a scam. Therefore, they easily evade any lawsuits. Their terms and conditions are listed in fine-print, if you manage to read them when you purchase the flight ticket before the page times out in a few minutes.
Vayama is one of those shady predatory sites that you must avoid, if at all possible. If you must use them, especially if you have found the cheapest of the flight, make sure not to buy any of the add-ons. They promised a 40$ discount coupon for my next flight purchase when I purchased their premium package for my previous flight for 26$. I always land on Vayama from Skyscanner. But when I try to use my discount code, there was no way to input it.
I contacted them after purchasing the ticket, as their FAQ page seems to suggest that: "If your booking is not older than 2 days and if it meets the conditions, we can still add the discount code to your booking."
Their India-based support team replied to my complain. Their only repeated reply was "Your flight purchase is ineligible for this discount code since you landed in our web site through Skyscanner." Their logic, I must land on their site directly to be able to use their coupon code. Not through Skyscanner, Google, Kayak, or any other listing or search engines. Seriously? There was no mention of that when promoting their 26$ garbage package.
The only mention is in FAQ, which is no way linked to that terms and conditions listed for the 26$ premium package. The FAQ mentions:
"- Make a purchase directly on our website, not through one of our partners' website"
I and many others who complain on the same situation. Vayama using Skyscanner as an excuse not to provide the discount that we PURCHASED! Even Skyscanner got involved as a courtesy. Skyscanner sent me the below email with their reply:
-------------------------------------------- Hi again Pradeeban,
I hope you are well.
I have received a reply from Vayama group and they said they will make it clearer in their terms and conditions that the discount can only be applied when the search and the booking are both made on their website directly.
I'm sorry about this issue and that I wasn't able to help.
If there anything we can do or you have concerns - please let me know, Pradeeban.
--------------------------------------------
Vayama is such a shady business. Please also read some other serious allegations against Vayama here. If they at least fix their wording on their page that sells their discount coupons, customers won't be deceived to purchase the 26$ package, hoping to get a 40$ discount in the next purchase. Hope they will stick to their promise and make these conditions clearer.
So I bought the 26$ voucher on my previous Vayama booking that would qualify me a 40$ discount on my next booking. But guess what? My next booking did not receive the discount. When I asked why, their reply was:
"Dear Pradeeban,
I have noticed you made your booking on skyscannerus This means your booking has not been made directly on our website and therefore the code cannot be redeemed. To redeem the discount, you have to book directly on our website.
To use the discount code, you must meet the following conditions:
- Book directly on our website, not on a different website.
- Check if all spaces are deleted at the beginning and at the end of the code
- Don't return to the previous page after entering the code
- Check if you haven't mixed up 0 (the number) and O (the letter)
- Check the validity of the code. The code is valid for 1 year from your booking date.
- Use the same email address as during booking
- Valid on flights only"
I replied back:
"Hi,
I find it strange. Skyscanner is just a listing site. I still made the booking through your website, except landing on your site through Skyscanner.
I believe my booking qualifies for the 40$ discount. Could you please double check?"
Of course, no positive reply!
Later I found that they are using this 40$ discount code as a way to scam money out of people. Specifically, those who land on their site through Skyscanner.com and similar listing sites. I am not alone!
Hearing my story on Twitter, Skyscanner interacted with Vayama to see what is going on. Vayama apparently gave the Skyscanner representative the same reply as he did to me!
In short, avoid this misleading 40$ discount on your next trip in Vayama.com for 26$. It is a trap. You will never be able to redeem it. Basically, avoid Vayama.com additional services at all, if you must use Vayama. Their customer service is non-existing.
You will be charged instantly for the full flight price. But you will receive your ticket only 168 hours before the flight, "as this is a special fare" (Hint: No, it is not). They may also decline your ticket and refund the price you paid at the last moment (i.e., 168 hours before the departure). By then, the flight prices would have high-rocketed. Of course, these are in the fine print when you buy the tickets. But who reads them anyway? Probably a way to oversell their tickets.
I received my ticket in a few hours. But I won't use this site again to maintain peace of mind.
So I recently defended my Erasmus Mundus double Ph.D. degree successfully. I defended on the 1st of July for my 1st university in Portugal, and then again on the 23rd of August for my 2nd university in Belgium. There are several questions on how all these work from the public. While there is no consensus on what is the difference between the double and joint degrees, I will explain here my interpretation. Even the professors of the Erasmus Mundus consortiums have conflicting opinions. Therefore, if you have objections to my interpretation, I am fine with that. There are blurred boundaries on what constitutes a joint degree or a double degree. As an Erasmus Mundus Association Program representative for 2 programs (EMDC and EMJDC-DC) in the past, I believe I have adequate understanding to write this post.
My program EMJD-DC is supposed to be a joint degree, but in practice, it is a double degree. Let's come to the meat of the discussion.
A double degree involves two universities. The student must satisfy the superset of the requirements from both universities. Plus, he/she should also satisfy some certain additional requirements from the Erasmus Mundus consortium. In EMJD-DC, the students choose 2 universities out of the 4 universities based in 4 European countries (Portugal, Belgium, Sweden, and Spain). I choose IST-ULisboa, Portugal, and UCLouvain, Belgium as my 2 universities.
A random trip to Bratislava
A joint doctorate degree typically chooses certain sets of requirements from both universities, and the student receives a single joint diploma signed by both universities. This creates an overhead on the university administrators, on figuring out the requirements and complexities of devising such a joint degree. There is no way a student can leave with a degree from a single university in a joint degree. It is an AND clause.
On the other hand, a double degree requires the student to complete a superset of requirements from both universities. This doesn't mean double workload or a sum of the workload from each university. But usually leads to a significantly larger workload compared to the workload of either of the universities. For example, my first university IST requires coursework of 30 ECTS. UCLouvain does not require coursework. It is optional. But it requires a much larger amount of credits that must be satisfied through conference visits, coursework, or research visits. IST requires submission of a CAT document, almost like a thesis, in half-way through the PhD. There are credit transfers. But some of these additional requirements do not translate well. Therefore, leading to additional work from both universities. The research is still the same single research though.
Although the universities have international students offices that handle these mobility programs, typically it is the student's responsibility to make sure that the credits are transferred across the participating universities. Furthermore, the students will also need to make sure she/he has 2 supervisors, one each from the universities. The student must manage the supervisors pretty well, and coordinate with them effectively.
A double degree leads to 2 degree certificates/diplomas. That means, if you fail one university, you can still pass the other one. It is an OR clause here. This is like 2 lifes. If you lose your first life, you still have the second. I have successfully passed the defense of both universities. I know at least one student who failed one university - but continued with the second university. It won't be a double degree anymore. Just a single degree from the university that the student passed.
My double degree certificates stand on their own. I can easily claim I have Ph.D. from 2 universities, without mentioning that this is a double degree of the same research since the degree certificates do not mention that.
Another benefit of EU double degrees are, the interesting set of colleagues that will be in your double degree. Those who choose such programs already has a desire for traveling and a preference for uncertainties. I also traveled to several EU countries, thanks to my MSc and PhD double degrees. I hope this post clarifies some questions on Erasmus Mundus double degrees. Please let me know in comments if you have additional questions.
I successfully defended my Ph.D. thesis AGAIN, but this time at UCLouvain - Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (the 2nd university of my double degree) on the 23rd of August 2019. I passed successfully. My presentation slides are given below. You may find the abstract here.
Finally, my double degree is completed with this second defense! It was fun to defend the same Ph.D. research twice.
My Ph.D. started 19 days before my MSc. defense. :) I got the happy news that I had received the Category "A" EMJD-DC Erasmus Mundus Scholarship, while I was attending the EMDC Winter Event in Evora. I started with IST, ULisboa, Portugal, as my first university. I continued with my MSc supervisor as my Ph.D. advisor also, as he is really a great supervisor and mentor.
I did 2 Google Summer of Code (GSoC) from Portugal. Once during my MSc (2014) and the other during my Ph.D. (2015). I also did an OpenDaylight internship. Then I moved to Atlanta for 7 months for an extended internship at Emory University, as a continuation of my GSoCs. When I returned from Atlanta to Lisbon, I had to apply for the Belgium visa quick since I was already in my third year and I must move to my second university (UCLouvain) in Belgium. After a short period of 4 months in Lisboa, we moved to Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium in February 2017. Later in 2017, I also spent 2 months in KAUST, Saudi Arabia, the 5th university of my Ph.D. Finally, I returned to Portugal for my 4th-year 2nd semester, December 2017. In the next 6 months, I made sure to satisfy all the thesis requirements of IST and UCLouvain, including the UCLouvain Thesis Confirmation and IST CAT. I also finished the thesis draft and moved to Emory University again before the defense.
Evora, Portugal
I came back to Portugal to defend my thesis. My defense went very well, and I passed with a distinction! Then I flew back to Belgium to defend my thesis for the second time. My 2nd defense (i.e., the UCLouvain public defense) was on the 23rd of August 2019, exactly 7 years since my arrival to Lisbon on the 23rd of August 2012 for my MSc. A pleasant coincidence.
There are a few things I could have done better. For instance, looking back, I feel I should have defended the thesis before moving out of the EU. It was just defense pending, and moving away from the EU made the process much longer. Similarly, I also think I should have started writing the thesis early on, making sure the LaTex variables across my various papers do not have naming conflicts. That would have helped me when I consolidated the content from my various papers to the thesis document. But I am still happy with how everything went.
I spent most of my 2017 in Belgium, specifically a university town named Louvain-la-Neuve in Wallonia, the French region of Belgium. We had a 2-floor 2-room apartment all for ourselves, for just 750 Euro with water bill included. Until this date, that is the best apartment I have lived. Thanks to UCLouvain for the accommodation. Initially, I was worried that living in Belgium with the same amount of money I received in Portugal would be challenging. But it turned out quite ok. We, of course, were a bit more careful with money while in Louvain-la-Neuve. We witnessed snowfall in Louvain-la-Nueve in early March. Feeding the ducks and geese across the lake was also quite fun.
Thanks to the central location of Belgium and its competitive coverage by different airlines, flights from Brussels were quite cheap, throughout Europe. During the long weekends, we flew to different cities and countries. This made 2017 to be the year with most countries visited ever for me, so far. We left very early in the morning to catch the train to the nearby countries (Luxembourg and the Netherlands) or to the Brussels airport (Romania and Hungary). A long walk with a suitcase to enjoy yet another country or a city (Ghent, Bruges, and Ostende). I also attended my one and only Erasmus Mundus Association General Assembly (EMA GA), while I have been an EMA program representative for EMDC and EMJD-DC a few times.
View from our apartment
My apartment was quite far from the lab. Nearly a 30 minutes walk. But it was fun. Also, the roads were entirely for pedestrians as the vehicles always go underground. We had a shopping mall called L'Esplanade with a Delhaize supermarket. We always visited there to buy our groceries. Vegetables and fruits were very expensive there. But it was convenient. Once we went to ALDI but figured that it is quite too far for walking. We still loved walking around the lake in the summer. It was pleasant. Belgium chocolates, Belgium beers, and Belgium desserts - all were the best! We often bought fresh sashimi and sushi from the Delhaize.
My new suitcase in my lab
When we left Belgium to return to Portugal in 2017 August, I did not realize that I would return soon. But I had to, as my funding for the last 4 months of 2017 was from Belgium. I had back-and-forth2 return trips from Belgium to Portugal. Eventually, I moved to Saudi Arabia for 2 months from Belgium. The Saudi visa did not take much time. During these days of back-and-forth travels between Portuguese airports (Lisboa and Faro) and Belgium airports (BRU and CRL), I stayed overnights in the 2 airports of Belgium, in my lab, in friends' homes, and also slept on a cat bed for 2 nights in an Airbnb-gone-wrong! Then I came back to Belgium and returned to Portugal in 4 days in December.
I also had 2 remarkable return trips to Belgium from Atlanta in 2019. First, was to fly to Portugal via Belgium, for my first defense in Portugal. I stayed in Leuven first, to meet my supervisor in Louvain-la-Neuve. Then, stayed in Antwerp before returning to Atlanta. I loved my stay in Antwerp. It was very pleasant. Then, I came back from Atlanta to defend my thesis once more (for the second and the last time!) at UCLouvain. This time, I stayed in Charleroi and Leuven. On the 23rd of August, after 7 years since my arrival to Lisboa, I completed my Ph.D. with my final Ph.D. defense. It was a remarkable journey of 7 years. Thanks Portugal and EU.
While I did not spend as much as time in Belgium, compared to I did in Portugal, Belgium still left me with very positive memories. I leave with positive memories of EU. I loved every bit of my stay in Europe. And goodbye, Belgium too.
With the 2nd defense of my Ph.D. double degree around the corner, my 2nd university has announced it in the UCLouvain website. You are welcome to join me in Louvain-la-Neuve on the 23rd of August.
I arrived in Belgium in the same week as my defense and stayed in Charleroi for the first night of my travel. My double degree is finally coming to an end soon. Interestingly, I arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, for my MSc (EMDC double degree) on the 23rd of August, 2012. The final defense of my EMJD-DC Ph.D. double degree from UCLouvain Belgium is set for the 23rd of August, 2019. My European life comes to an end after precisely 7 years.
After completing my Ph.D. defense successfully in Lisboa, I returned to Brussels. I decided to stay overnight at the airport since my flight arrived late in the night and I felt it is meaningless attempting to catch the last train and reaching the hotel on a late night. I hadn't even booked a hotel for the next day. I was yet to decide on a city.
I was sitting on the airport floor since there was no power socket close to the seats. After some serious searches, I ended up choosing Antwerp. I booked a nice hotel, had a small breakfast and coffee in an airport cafe, and then got into the train to Antwerp. I reached Antwerpen Centraal by 7:15 a.m. Luckily, the Leonardo Hotel Antwerpen was so considerate, and they let me check-in by 7:30 a.m, although I was initially planning to drop my suitcase and go for a walk later for checking in. Sometimes, random places surprise you in a pleasant way more than a well-planned destination. It was the end of my first Ph.D. defense trip. Until next time, Belgium.
I returned to Louvain-la-Neuve after more than 1.5 years for my 1st Ph.D. defense (yes, there will be one more defense - as this is a double degree). My 1st defense is actually in Portugal. But I had a short stay in Belgium as I wanted to meet my supervisor in Belgium to get his feedback before my defense. While waiting for him to turn up in his office, I decided to have some coffee and a croissant in a bakery I used to frequent while I lived in Louvain-la-Neuve in 2017. I sat down in the seats outside the bakery and had a sip of the coffee. A few minutes later, a waitress came to me and politely reminded that the seats belong to the restaurant and not the bakery - and therefore I should leave unless I order something from them.
There was this beautiful lake full of geese and
Completed constructions in Louvain-la-Neuve
ducks - we used to feed them. I decided to go to the lakeside and sit on one of those seats facing the lakes while enjoying my croissant and coffee. I started walking and ended up in the lakeside. To my disappointment, the lake had become dry! A lake that was part of my life for the whole year of 2017. I used to walk by the lake every single day to my lab, and also in the return journey. I was not sure what made the lake go dry. A family (a middle-aged couple and their teenage son) was walking. I decided to ask them about the lake as they looked locals: "There was a nice lake here when I lived here 2 years back. What happened to the lake?" The gentleman smiled and replied, "Oh, they dried it to clean the lake. You are disappointed, aren't you?" I said, "Yes, I came back to see the lake and found it gone. Of course, disappointed" Then I walked around the lake taking some photos. I also saw some guys crossing the lake (which by now is just a patch of grassland) by walking across it.
Later, I found that this is a regular practice in Louvain-la-Neuve. They empty the lake every 5 years in February and keep it dry until November. Before doing so, they carefully move the fish, birds, and animals to a nearby lake, and in October, bring them back. That means the lake will remain dry when I return to Louvain-la-Neuve in August for the UCL public defense. It was interesting (and sad) that I was expecting to see the lake and missed it despite visiting it.
Memories of Portugalis a series of blog posts, attempting to recall my vivid memories of Portugal for the past several years. I have been writing these posts for quite some time at intervals. It has been after all a long journey. When I look back, even the boring routine stuff I did in Portugal makes exciting memories.
My 6-year long stay in Portugal (2012 August - 2018 June) had 4 segments, with some interval between each segment as I had to migrate to another country in between due to the Erasmus Mundus mobility requirements. Given below are 4 episodes of my life in Portugal, each describing one such segment of my stay. My trip to Portugal for my Ph.D. defense would qualify as the Episode 5, and I have no idea when will I travel again after that to write an Episode 6. But I have a feeling we will, sometime in the far future.
When I arrived at Lisboa airport on the 23rd August 2012, I did not know that Portugal and specifically Lisboa would become the one-word summary of my 2010s. I also did not realize Lisboa airport will become my most frequented airport, even more than the Colombo airport, the airport of my home country. Within the years, Lisboa airport had also become a second home to me - making me feel relaxed and comfortable while I wait for my next flight.
View from our apartment
My landlord was waiting for me at the airport with my name on his iPad. He showed me around the neighborhood - the supermarkets, my university, bank, university admissions office, and other closeby places of interest such as Campo Pequeno. Shopping in Lisboa - both for groceries and other fun shopping - was quite fun. It has many shopping malls and supermarket chains. There were 3 major supermarket chains - Pingo Doce - the one I would always visit, Minipreco - a smaller but cheaper one, and Continente - bigger but a bit more expensive one.
Unwrapping and first meal
I had to share the 4-room apartment with 3 others. However, I had arrived before everyone else. Therefore, I had the whole apartment for me for a few days. We also had a portion of an open-air balcony that belongs to us, that we later used for barbecues and parties. Our apartment was surrounded by 3 metro stations - Saldanha, Alameda, and Arroios. Alameda neighborhood has a beautiful park with a water fountain. For the first few days when I was still alone in Lisboa, my life was mostly limited to this triangle where I was walking around. I realized how much time I had saved while living in Sri Lanka, thanks to my parents who were doing many things for me - such as cooking, grocery shopping, and taking care of managing everything that does not need me personally. Now I am on my own, and I had to spend time doing a considerable amount of 'boring' things such as cleaning and grocery shopping. However, since the environment is new, I was still excited. I did feel like a fish out of water at times. My mom had gifted me a God Ganesh statue before I left Sri Lanka, which I had taken with me to Lisboa. The God Ganesh always secured a spot in all my apartments in Lisboa and elsewhere afterward.
1.2: Feeling young 2012 September - 2012 December
Campo Pequeno
Eventually, my three apartment mates arrived, and we lived like a team during our stay. Our landlord also made sure to help every one of us settle in, with the bank accounts, school administration, and initial shopping. He went above and beyond, showing us the spirit of Portuguese hospitality. We all went to the same university, and our university was at a walking distance. My classmates of the same Erasmus Mundus program arrived soon after, and the courses began on the 17th of September. We all became good friends, as we all had come from various parts of the world. Thanks to Erasmus Mundus, we all had a clique though. No one was left around.
The Alameda Park, in front of IST
The early days, i.e., the year 2012 was exciting. Everything looked new and fresh. I had visited France (Paris), India (Bangalore and Hyderabad), and USA (Mountain View/Googleplex) before. But this was my first experience living abroad. Luckily I was not alone in this journey, and it was pleasant! During my first year in Portugal, I maintained a weekly blog on my life in Lisboa. Everything seemed new and fresh, and I never ran out of things to blog about. We tried to learn Portuguese. I even got a certificate for the A1 level. However, my only regret in Portugal was not truly learning Portuguese. I never realized I would stay in the country for around 7 years. Indeed, it was not a continuous stay of 7 years — more of an on-and-off stay due to the Erasmus Mundus mobility requirements. Still, Portugal was my base country for the entire period. My initial plan was to stay just a year. But this lovely country and circumstances made me stay much longer.
Cascais Beach - my first beach outside Sri Lanka
We spent some time visiting popular places in and around Lisboa. We used the yellow bus, the Lisboa's version of the hop-on-hop-off buses you would find in any major cities. We paid visits to major museums and churches. Belem, Estrela, Oceanario, Sao Jorge Castle, Sintra, and Cascais/Estoril beaches - all those popular touristic destinations in Lisboa. Sao Jorge Castle, despite being within the city limits, feels like otherworldly. Sintra is just outside Lisboa. It is blessed with the beauty of nature and architecture. Lisboa Oceanario is undoubtedly one of the best in the world. Cascais beach was clean and nice - but later I would visit much better beaches in Portugal. We do not have a metro in Sri Lanka. I started to getting used to (and love) the metro journeys in Lisboa.
IST/ULisboa - Alameda Campus
Our EMDC program was a coordination of 3 universities - IST/Lisboa, UPC/Barcelona, and KTH/Stockholm. While half of us spent the first year in Lisboa, the other half was in Barcelona. We all would meet in KTH/Stockholm for the third semester, before breaking away for the thesis in the 4th/final semester. I also became the Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA) program representative (PR) for EMDC. It was fun, representing EMDC. Later, I also represented EMDC and EMJD-DC at EMA in the following several years and organized EMA days and participated in an EMA General Assembly.
Taguspark Campus
Some of our classes in the first semester were in Taguspark. A long shuttle journey twice a week also became part of our life. Taguspark is in the middle of nowhere. So when we had lectures there, we had to spend the whole day on the campus. Luckily, the Tagupark canteen offered relatively good food. All you can pick at once with a fixed price. We also had some good memories and made some local friends at the Taguspark campus. The Taguspark campus was also more modern than the Alameda one. Later during the Ph.D. I had the Data Quality course in Taguspark - thus reliving those Taguspark memories after 2 years.
Praca do Comercio
In Saldanha, right next to our campus was "Canela e Acucar", a cafe restaurant that offered cheap food, starting from 4.45 Euro. Bacalhau, the salty dry cod fish is a popular Portuguese food that we tried often. We also had several fish including Carapasinhos (the small fish, fried), Dourada, and Robalo. We also had other options such as Francasinhas. We learned one thing quick. If you ask for "Sumo de Laranja" you will get some orange soda. Not the real orange juice. You must ask for "Sumo de Laranja natural" for freshly squeezed orange juice for like 2 Euro or 2.50 Euro. The orange juice maker was virtually in every cafe in Portugal. We liked to have orange juice as it is natural and 100% orange. No water, sugar, or anything else added. The Civil department canteen food was 4.50 Euro, with daily options for 3 Euro food also. Then there were also subsidized canteens for students in the main building, as cheap as 2.35 Euro. We tried all the canteens - their food options and desserts.
Despite our busy schedules and group projects, we still had lots of fun. Our university also hosted some interesting events, such as the annual musical evening of Arraial Do Tecnico. Music, snacks, and beer. That was fun. Thanks to our diverse friends, we even had our own "cultural days" or international students' days - including a Chinese party and a Brazilian party. We also visited the Hindu temple close to Telheiras in Lisboa, as well as the mosque in Sao Sebastiao! As time passed by, I experienced my first autumn in Lisboa - much wetter and colder than the summer. I enjoyed my first Halloween in Lisboa, meeting new friends.
Bairro Alto
Every Friday evening we would visit the "Erasmus Corner" in Bairro Alto where we have beers and some drinks and meet other exchange students as well as some locals. Bairro Alto hosts the Erasmus Student Networks and an Erasmus Bar. The place had a unique smell of beer, Portuguese and international food, and the occasional smell of urine from some corners. Bairro Alto is popular for its cheap beer - 1 euro per cup. Bairro Alto neighborhood was also special for me - especially the view from the corridor where I had a birthday celebration in 2013.
My first new year in Lisboa was exciting. Despite the exams, I decided to do a big shopping, because I was so energetic. I also had received my scholarship money. So why not? Falling in love in Lisboa was a wonderful feeling. The experience was mesmerizing. We recall the new year of 2013 and the romantic memories of Praca do Comercio (with the Terreiro da Paco metro station) every now and then. After several years, we still fondly recall those first 6 months of 2013 as "those days".
On the way to Freeport from Oriente
I also had started to travel outside Lisboa. I first visited Fatima with 2 of my Sri Lankan friends. It was an average Portuguese village, if you remove the religious significance. But it was also my first trip in Portugal outside Lisboa. Therefore, it was special to me. During these days, EMDC also had our Winter Event in Nuria, Spain. We met our EMDC mates from Barcelona for the first time. It was also our first international trip from Lisboa. We traveled to Madrid and Barcelona and stayed in cheap youth hostels - dorm rooms and bunk beds. We enjoyed the snow and a real winter of -11 C. It was also my first time getting drunk. In my entire life, I had got drunk only twice. First in Barcelona (2013) and then in San Francisco (2016). Strong memories.
Romantic Parque das Nacoes
Not all walks are memorable as our extended weekend (Thursday evenings - Monday mornings) walks. Parque das Nações had become our regular romantic getaway. We walked by the riverside, from Cabo Ruivo, Oriente, Moscavide, and until Sacavem. Over the years, we witnessed how the Parque das Nacoes neighborhood evolve. We visited all the restaurants along the river. Some restaurants later closed down and new ones, including a fancy Chinese restaurant appeared years later. We also visited the newly popping up restaurants in Parque das Nacoes. We fed the seagulls close to Oceanario and also fed the geese in Estrela park. I got used to walks and metro rides between my university (IST) and ISCTE-IUL. We also frequented the Hard Rock Cafe in Restauradores and Starbucks in Rossio train station, as they both are close to each other. In the blue metro line, we also visited Santa Apolonia. The photos bring back vivid memories.
Drinks at Hard Rock Cafe Lisboa
Arroios neighborhood had a Dim Sum restaurant. Although the service was bad, the food was good. Therefore, we visited it several times. There was also a Chinese buffet restaurant, which was similar to every other Chinese buffets in Lisboa. There was also a Portugalia that we visited once. Estefania neighborhood, in between Arroios and Saldanha was a good one for a walk from our apartment. We used to buy lots of things from Pingo Doce and take them back home. Eventually, we also started to visit the nearby Continente.
A night walk in the Avenida neighborhood
We watched several movies. At times, two movies back-to-back in the same day in the same shopping mall. We also had the loyalty cards from the movie theatres! There was also a night we decided to stay in the streets just outside Centro Comercial Colombo after a late night movie from 2 am until 6.30 am when the metro station eventually opened. Yes, we were crazy. :) I also started cooking in Lisboa. Initially I started for fun and to save money. I became quite good with cooking eventually. I actually was enjoying cooking various interesting recipes. First I followed the recipes to the letter. Later, I started to innovate. I used to post photos of my cooking to Facebook, until I retired from Facebook in 2015 December. Eventually, as I started cooking, I reduced the freqeuncy of my visit to the Nepal restaurents. However, I would still take my friends to a Nepal buffet.
Beautiful view of Obidos
My first spring in Lisboa was refreshing and romantic. We made boat trips to cross the Tagus river, which separated Lisboa from most of everything. From Cais do Sodre port, we would take a boat to Cacilhas in the other side of the Tagus river. From Cacilhas, then we take a bus to the beach towns such as Costa da Caparica. We attempted our best to see dolphins in Setubal. But we failed several attempts. ;) Óbidos was a town that we loved visiting - its cherry wine / ginjinha (ginja) in a chocolate cup was truly unique, best of both worlds. We played Chess there while enjoying some ginja in a romantic hotel (Pousado do Obidos). We visited Obidos once again later for its chocolate festival. We also went to the Freeport open-area shopping mall twice, taking the bus from Oriente.
Typical Portuguese food along the river
We frequented many good restaurants in the city. There was a Nepal restaurant, Restaurante Kathmandu, in our road. I was frequenting it, especially because it was the closest to Sri Lankan food I was able to get while in Lisboa. I took many of my friends to that restaurant at several occasions. I also visited some other Nepal restaurents. We also frequented Restaurente Destino, a friendly restaurant in Restauradores neighborhood. We would often walk from Restauradores to Avenida, along Avenida da Liberdade.
My move to Stockholm came close too. I had to go to Sri Lanka before that. We visited Porto and Lagos before I left Portugal. Saying goodbye is hard. But I reassured I would come back. Since we were spending time in Porto and Lagos before I left Lisboa, time went real quick when we were finally back in Lisboa. I came to Lisboa 10 months back with a free memory. I left Lisboa with a strong association to the city. I knew I would be back soon.
1.4: Party Never Ends 2013 August - 2013 December
Vila Franca de Xira riverside walk
While I was in Stockholm, I visited Lisboa twice. First, immediately after arriving in Stockholm, to enjoy the summer in Lisboa and Setubal. Then, during the mid-semester break, which was already wet autumn in Lisboa. During my second visit, we also made a metro station trip, visiting each and every neighborhood connected by Lisboa's extensive metro line - that we had missed previously. We also visited Alcantara-Terra, the touristic riverside of Lisboa. We also visited Vila Franca de Xira by train. It is a riverside town that can be reached by the train from Lisboa that goes towards Azambuja. The town hall had a free open wifi by the riverside in the town. But when I visited the town later, the wifi was no more open for public.
The beautiful Lagos
When I am away from Lisboa, I often think of the days I spent there. Despite my 7 years there, most of my memories revolve around 2013 - specifically those days, the first 6 months there. The memories are addictive and intense, and they are like a drug - I can feel the blood circulations with the memories. My memories of Portugal also is correlated with a few songs I listened to during my stay in Portugal. There are a few songs, mostly of Romanian origin - I always associate them with those romantic memories of Lisboa - because I listened to them for the first time during those days. Some songs bring back the memories of youthful moments, nostalgia, and the longing feeling that is defined as Saudade in Portuguese.
I always made sure to revisit the places that I loved visiting such as Obidos and Evora. But I never revisited Porto and Lagos later. Therefore, those memories are sealed as the memories of 2013 summer. But I, of course, want to revisit Porto and relive those memories. It will always be like time traveling to 2013 if I revisit Porto or Lagos. On the other hand, the place may still be the same. But it may not be possible to recreate the exact moments. We can try.
Pradeeban Kathiravelu is a distributed systems researcher. He holds a Ph.D. double degree, Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate in Distributed Computing (EMJD-DC), from INESC-ID Lisboa / Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal and Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium. He also holds a Master of Science degree, Erasmus Mundus European Master in Distributed Computing (EMDC), from Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, and a BSc (Eng) Computer Science & Engineering from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.
His research interests include Distributed Systems, Network Softwarization, Software-Defined Systems, Cloud-Assisted Networks, Big data Integration, Internet Measurements, and Service-Oriented Architecture. He is highly interested in free and open source software development, and is an active participant of the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) program since 2009, as a student and as a mentor.
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