Indian Passport Renewal Experience, Processing Time and Timeline at Indian Embassy in Washington D.C.
I’m about to start the Indian Passport Renewal at U.S. Embassy in Washington, D.C. via CKGS. This blog post as a placeholder to share the experience, timeline and processing time (and lessons learned). Please read all the instructions before starting your application process at CKGS. There are a couple of places where things could go…
Read MoreHow to Negotiate New Car – New 2016 Honda Odyssey Buying Experience and Price Paid
We purchased a new vehicle last month (August 2016). I posted our buying experience and price paid in the Edmunds Forum. One member sends me a private message requesting the name of the dealer and name of the sales person. I gave him the details. Then a few hours later, I got the following email…
Read MoreWhy You Should Switch An Utility Account In Your Spouse Name?
Do you have atleast one utility account in your spouse name? If not you should switch one account to spouses name. We used to get our water bill with my name and my wife’s name listed on the billing statement. After they switched the billing system they removed my wife’s name from the bill. While…
Read MoreMy Dear Friend JP, RIP (and Help His Family if You Can)
JP – Jayaprabhu. RIP. It’s hard to believe that you are not with us anymore. I’m writing this for three reasons: I (we) just miss him Help raise fund for his family Why we need a Will It’s been years since I meet him in person, but the time we spent as classmates in B.E. is something…
Read MoreOCI Card Experience – Application and Processing Time
We finally got the OCI Card for our son. This OCI card application process took a while to apply. 4 Months to be specific after completing the first application ( and generating the web reference number). OCI Card processing takes place in two stages Stage 1: Submit required supporting documents, application for processing Stage 2: Send…
Read MoreMetLife Grand Protect – Home (HE7) and Auto Insurance – Review
We had our Home Insurance with IDS Property Casualty Company (Ameriprise) and Auto with GEICO for two cars. It was time to renew our Home Insurance. In recent years, home insurance premium was going increasing. So, I decided to shop around for Home Insurance. My plan was to find an Agent, who can do the work.…
Read MoreHere’s How to Order Cheap Check Books.
We ran out of Checks on our Bank of America Checkings Account. I went to Bank of America online account to order Checks. I was taken to third-party check book provider from BOA website. Their Check Book ordering website requires an update. It looked as if was developed during GeoCities Days (in other words, not helpful). I could…
Read MoreInvest in NRE or NRO Fixed Deposit in India for Higher Interest Rates? Maybe Not.
I was having this discussion with my neighbor last night. Here’s the topic Is it ok to invest in India as an NRI? Fixed Deposits in India pay 8% to 9% interest on Deposits. This is how our discussion went I: “I was exploring about potential investment options, like Fixed Deposits in India, Real Estate…
Read MoreMake Free Passport Photo From Your Home – Passport Photo Maker
Once in a while, we need passport size photos for Visa, Passport Renewal or OCI Card applications. Here’s what we do to get passport photos printed from home or Walgreens. Take a Photo at home with a White Background (use DSLR or Phone) Use photo editing tool or online site to create passport photos Order…
Read MoreHow to Pack for the Cruise Ship and Elegant Night Attire
According to Carnival FAQ’s we can take two 50 lbs suitcase per person. We took 3 suitcase , 2 bags and one backpack. I don’t think 3 suitcase was required (Madhu would argue otherwise). We had to add 3rd suitcase at the check-in place because we decided to take 36 bottles of water (which was…
Read More