Another vacation ends

This is the day I dread; the end of my vacation. Next week it is back to the drudgery of work. There is a lump in my throat as I say goodbye. My in-laws are there again at the airport to bid us bon voyage. Femme breaks down and as the plane lifts off she cries softly. It's new years eve and the pilot wishes us a happy new year.

Twenty one years

My mom's younger brother is visiting from the States after a gap of twenty one years. That's an awful long time to be away from your homeland. He is holding a small party at a local hotel where relatives from my mom's side are invited. It is great fun to catch up with everyone. I meet folks that I haven't seen in years. The food is delicious and I have the most delectable fried fish.

50th

Today is the fiftieth wedding anniversary of my mother-in-law's elder sister. Fifty is a mind boggling figure and we raise a glass in their honour at a local restaurant. Later on we get the grand old man to drink some champagne, a moment that we record on film for posterity.

Christmas day

Since my arrival, I have been busy chaufferring femme around from one shopping mall to the other. I am a little sick and tired of shopping.

We wish the neighbors and a few of femme's friends Merry X'mas. Today my in-laws have plans to take us to a temple that is a replica of the famous temple in Tirupati. I have never been fascinated by temples, but my in-laws are eager and I don't want to disappoint them. After all it is just an hours drive.

What was supposed to be an hours drive turns out to be a three hour drive instead. The roads are bad and uneven and the folks in the back seat of the car have a tough time. We arrive at the temple in blazing heat at noon and find that there is a huge crowd waiting to get in for "darshan". We stand in line for an hour and half before we are let in. Inside there are minders and ushers who keep the line moving. Stragglers are asked to move on. We are allowed a quick darshan before we are ushered out. By the time we get back home, it is 4 p.m. and I have a slight headache. Femme thinks all this travel for darshan was just not worth the trouble.

On the way back I commit a traffic faux pas - turning left when the light is red. We drive straight into a trap and are pulled over. The policeman peers inside the car and for some reason takes pity on us and lets us go. Bless him!

Anniversary dinner

It is the day of our anniversary and we take femme's folks out to dinner. We choose a Chinese restaurant but I wonder later if we made the right choice. Folks in India are used to Indian Chinese food that tastes very different from authentic chinese food. In fact it tastes much like Indian food itself.

The ambience is great and femme and I think the food is excellent. Her folks have mixed reviews. But still it is an enjoyable evening.

Comic relief is provided by my father-in-law who manages to pack in eight folks into a Maruti 800. At the valet parking, the attendant is surprised when he sees eight people clamber out of the car that normally holds four.

Home food and my days at home

We reached my hometown four days ago after taking an overnight train from Bangalore. It is great to see mom and dad and spend some quality time with them.

We enjoy the most delicious food during our stay. Perhaps it has something to do with the vegetables grown there, but it is simply the best. Even femme admits that it is better than the food her mom cooks and it is hard to get her to admit such a thing.

Our routine each day has been to get up late, eat, take an afternoon nap, have tea followed by early dinner. It's the most relaxed I have been all year. How I wish life were like this in the States. You'll have to win the lottery if you want it like this back in the States, says femme.

At the local management institute, the director is a former student of dad's. He asks me to come and speak to first year management students. I talk to them about open source software and take questions. This is something I enjoy doing. Starting this year every student has a laptop - factored into the admission fee - and the institute has broadband connection. Assignments are submitted online and everyone has email. This is progress, I think.

Femme left a couple of days ago and headed to her hometown. I'll follow tonight.

In the train, I share a compartment with three other folks - a couple traveling with an elderly woman. I say hi and ask them where they are headed. "Pune" they respond. It's the same place I am going. I leave them alone and try concentrating on the book that I still haven't finished, but I can't help overhear their conversation. The couple live abroad and are visiting on vacation just like me. I wonder if they are from California. I catch little snippets of conversation and before long I learn they live in Dubai. A big chunk of their conversation is devoted to a missing toy car that was to be gifted to a relative. They wonder what became of it and whether they accidentally gave the gift to the wrong relative.

At 8:30 p.m. I have my dinner and climb up to the top berth ready to call it a night. We'll reach Pune at 3:30 a.m. in the morning and I have my alarm set.

Femme's dad is there to receive me at the station and we head home where I promptly fall asleep again.

First day in Bangalore

Femme's parents were there to welcome us at the airport last night. We are staying at one of femme's relatives. We get up to hot steaming dosas that are being served for breakfast. Dosas are a south indian speciality and I have my fill.

Femme has a wedding to attend and we hire a rickshaw to take us to the wedding hall. The groom is a friend of femme's. We wish the couple and head for lunch that is served on palm leaves in traditional south indian style. Guests sit at long tables that are set length wise inside the banquet hall. Sitting next to us is a man who relishes his food and clearly has a fondness for sweets. When sweets are served, he asks for an extra helping. A little while later, he asks for more but doesn't touch them. We watch amusedly as he wraps the extra sweets in a handkerchief and puts it in his pocket.

On the way back, the rickshaw driver takes us a circuitous route aware that we are not familiar with Bangalore streets. Fortunately I have a rough idea of the streets as we get closer to home and I am able to steer him in the right direction.

There is a pooja at another relatives place and we head there. It's an elaborate pooja done to invoke God's good grace and best wishes. Life has been pretty good to them, so I wonder what prompted the pooja. The house is bustling with women who are busy serving food to guests. We decline lunch having just returned from the wedding.

Reclining Buddha

After breakfast we decide to see the Grand Palace and the statue of the Reclining Buddha. We meet a tour operator who says he will take us around Bangkok and charge us just 150 baht. That is ridiculously cheap and I am suspicious. But it is too good to pass up and we agree.

On the way to the Grand Palace, the driver has talked us into going to a government gem gallery and a handicrafts store. Aha..Aha..I say. This is how he makes his livelihood. He must be a plant who ferries tourists to these shops and then gets a percentage of the purchase amount. Femme is interested in visiting the gem gallery and so are my friends. There is no getting out of this one.

When we get to the Grand Palace, we are told that it is closed to visitors because the King is in town. In stead we are driven to the temple where the statue of the Reclining Buddha lies. The statue is spectacular and we jostle to take photos amidst a rush of tourists.

Outside the weather has turned hot and our throats are parched. We visit another temple where we buy bottled water. Next stop is the gem gallery where femme spends an hour hunting for some jewellery. It is packed with tourists and I wonder if many have fallen into the same trap that we did.

We make another stop at the handicrafts store and by now our wallets are lighter than before. Our driver asks me the approximate amount we spent. I dilly-dally and he guesses an amount and I nod hoping to end the conversation. I wonder if a calculator is going off in his mind.

It is time to wrap up our stay in Thailand and head to India for the second part of our vacation. We get dropped off near the hotel. At the hotel we learn that we should have made prior reservations for a van to take us to the airport. We hire a taxi instead and the hotel conceirge negotiates a price. I tip everyone and we head to the airport.

We pick up our luggage from the left luggage counter and by 6 we are checked in. Our flight departs in an hour. At passport control we learn that we owe airport tax that is a further 500 baht per person. It appears to us that the whole visa process seems to be a money making machine.

We bid goodbye to our friends who are headed to another part of India. We'll meet them again in three weeks time for the return journey.

Back to bangkok

Early in the morning we head to the beach and play in the warm water.

My friend on his wanderings has reserved a cab for the ride back to the airport that is 500 baht less than the one reserved through the hotel.

Aware of how long it took for us to be checked in when we arrived, we elect to go down to the front lobby well in advance of our check out time to straighten out the bill.

The ride to the airport is uneventful. At the airport we spot Burger King and order a bunch of sandwiches. It's the best food we have had since landing in Thailand.

Back in Bangkok, we get our luggage but our friends luggage hasn't arrived. We wait while our friends try to sort out the problem with the Thai airways baggage counter. Just when they have given up hope, there is an announcement of the arrival of another flight from Phuket. They collect their luggage and we head to the hotel in downtown Bangkok.

Bangkok is a city that is quite modern with a highway system that is equal to any in the west. Why can't we do the same in India, we ask ourselves forlornly. There are high rise buildings everywhere as far as the eye can see. I notice that large portraits of the king adorn the front of most buildings. I learn later it is the king's birthday and that he is highly revered by the people.

I notice that the highway going the other direction has been closed. No cars are being let in from entrance ramps. I ask our driver the reason but he knows little English and I give up. Soon a convoy of cars with sirens blaring pass us. Perhaps it is the king going somewhere, we guess.

In the far distance, the sun gleams off the windows of another high rise. I can barely make out the banner that is on top of the building. For a moment it appears that the words are "SEX CINEMA". But later I realize it reads "SFX CINEMA" which is a chain of theatres in Thailand.

We check in to the hotel and are not surprised by how long it takes to complete the process. We share a two bedroom suite with our friends that has a living hall in the center. From our room we have a view of downtown Bangkok.

The streets are noisy. We notice that there are loudspeakers everywhere blaring out loud music apparently from a local FM station.

We head to the mall that reminds me of the malls in Japan that had shops upstairs and the subway downstairs. School children dressed in uniform seem to be everywhere shopping and chatting with friends. It is 8 p.m. in the night and I wonder what they are out doing at such a late hour.

On the way back to the hotel, I wait for our friends who have gone into a nearby shop. I sit down on a curbside bench watching people and the traffic flow by. A man saunters up and asks me if I'd like to have some fun. He says he can take me to a massage parlour. It is my first taste of the world famous Bangkok sex industry. I decline and he goes away.

The spa

Femme and I look forward to our spa appointment at 1 p.m. We are asked to have lunch at least a couple of hours before the appointment, so we have a light lunch.

The oil massage takes an hour and I am am lulled into sleep as the masseuse works her magic on me. After I am done, I head back to the room while they work on femme. I find out it'll take a couple of more hours for her to finish, so I head out to the beach and walk aimlessly just enjoying the place.

For dinner we head to the Thai restaurant in the hotel premises. We are the first guests to arrive and the place is empty. There is a thai dance recital slated for later, so we jockey for a table that will give us the best view. The waitresses are dressed in traditional Thai dress and I can count at least ten. Our arrival has triggered a frenzy of action and our table is surrounded by six waitresses all eager to cater to us.

The food when it arrives is less than delectable. There is a strong hint of oyster sauce and lemon grass in every dish. The vegetarian selection is non-existant. We are eager for some hot Indian food, but we'll have to wait until we get to India.

At the other table, I can hear another male guest admonish a waitress for bad service. The guest is accompanied by a woman who speaks Thai and the waitress and she engage in a vigorous conversation.

After dinner we head to the bar. A local band consisting of three girls is playing old time hits from ABBA and BoneyM. Next to us is a man who sits alone with a glass of beer that he has not touched for a while. He stares intently at one of the girls singing up on the stage. We think he is from India and my friend has the urge to go talk to him, but we dissuade him.

After a while, I am ready to call it a night. Femme wants to hang out longer. I leave her and head to the room. In the morning she tells me that one of the girls in the band came down later and sat with the man.

Tuk tuks

We have a heavy breakfast in the morning that we hope will keep us full until dinner. Soon after breakfast we head to the swimming pool where we spend a couple of hours.

Femme wants a massage and so we head to the spa to explore options. Soothing music plays inside and we are greeted by a cold drink that is delicious. Of course the prices are steep. The travel book suggests there are cheaper options outside, but we'll have to travel some distance to get there, which doesn't seem attractive to femme or our friends. We make an appointment for the next day and head to the game room for a game of table tennis.

In the evening, we take a tuk tuk to Patong beach. Tuk tuks are like India's rickshaws. We have heard that tuk tuk drivers charge extra for tourists, so we try to haggle but with no success.

Patong beach is a busy place. Every step of the way, someone is trying to sell us something. Several men try to get us to rent jet skis. The street next to the beach is full of shops and restaurants and upto its seams with tourists. Shops sell cheap imitations of everything and anything. My friend buys a Ray Ban imitation for $3, a good bargain from the original $10. On the way back to the hotel, we notice that the lens has a small crack.

I notice that a high percentage of the tourists are from Europe. There are very few Americans.

I wander off in search of a good place to eat and meet the owner of a French restaurant that has been open for exactly three days. The prices seem steep and the restaurant itself is empty. The owner has lived in Thailand for 10 years and now calls it home.

We finally select a place and sit out in the open. Service again is slow and I get the feeling that the waiter is irritated with us. I can't figure out why. The food though is passable, perhaps the best we have had so far.

We take the tuk tuk back to the hotel and call it a night

The tsunami

In the evening we walk to the beach that is in front of the hotel. It is the cleanest beach that I have been to. I ask someone what happened to the beach when the tsunami hit. He points out how far the water had come up. The hotel itself had been spared.

There are folks sun bathing on lounge chairs, up and down the beach. We go and sit on one, but someone comes up and says that it costs 50 baht ($1 USD). We don't plan on staying long, so we elect to get up and walk along the beach.

My friend has a new Canon Digital SLR and we take shots of the evening sun as it sets in spectacular fashion.

Walking up the road, we spy a bar that is out in the open. We order our drinks and chit chat. Travel had exhausted us and we decide to hit the bed early.

Phuket here we come

The plane ride to Phuket takes an hour. It's a full plane and most are foreign tourists. We land and pick up our baggage and hire a van to take us to the hotel. It is a 45 minute ride and we can't wait to get to the hotel and our rooms and shower.

It is cloudy and overcast outside. Our plans of getting to the hotel quickly are thwarted as the cab driver has other ideas. He pulls up in front of a building, opens the door and walks off for a toilet break. Soon a lady comes and greets us. She wants to know how long we'll stay in Phuket and what we plan to do. She tries to sell us a package tour, but we decline and tell her we'll call her if we need one. Another cab pulls up and the driver stalks off for a toilet break. The lady leaves us and heads to the other cab.

As we near the hotel a steady rain greets us. Phuket reminds femme of Kerala in India. The landscape is lush green and there are plenty of palm trees everywhere. Folks are on mopeds, but there are far fewer people unlike India that has close to a billion people.

The hotel is awesome, spread across 50 acres with an abundance of palm trees everywhere. We compliment ourselves on having picked a good place to stay. We are dropped off at the front entrance and then are ferried by bus to the main lobby.

Check-in takes an inordinately long time. We'll learn in due course that fast service is hard to find in Thailand. We haggle over the price of our room (that we noticed had fallen since we booked online) and the receptionist agrees to throw in free breakfast. After 20 minutes, we are still not checked in. We are all starting to get a little irritated.

Check-in done, we learn that one of the rooms is not yet ready. Resigned to our fate, some of us head to the lunch buffet and others to the lone room that is ready. A receptionist leads the way to the room and ends up taking us to the wrong building. Apparently it is her second day on the job and she isn't quite upto speed with the lay of the land. She apologizes.

The buffet is unspectaclar, but filling. Femme elects to order from the menu. She orders green curry that ends up being extremely hot and spicy. Thai food in Thailand is nowhere like the Thai food in California that we are used to. It tastes different. We'd like to stay away from poultry food because of the bird flu scare, but vegetarian food is hard to find.

After lunch we head to our room which has a spectacular view of the ocean. Reclining on the bed, both femme and I marvel at the view outside.

Visas

We finally land at 7:45 a.m. and the plane parks on the tarmac some distance away from the main building. We are ferried by buses to the main concourse. It is blazing hot outside and we quickly discard our jackets. As soon as we reach the airport building, we head for immigration expecting huge lines. Fortunately it is empty. There are forms to fill and documents to provide. Femme has a passport size photo ready. I stand in a separate line and we clear immigration quickly. At baggage claim, our luggage hasn't arrived yet forcing us to wait. I chat with a woman who recounts how the airline messed up her reservation and wouldn't let her get on the flight. I tell her how we found out about the time changes at the last minute. I wander off to find out how to get to the domestic terminal and the left luggage counter. We finally get our luggage and pass through customs and head for the left luggage counter.

At left luggage, our bags are inspected and we are asked to take out certain items that are prohibited. We repack trying to find space for the rejected items.

It is 9:15 a.m. and we still have enough time to make our connection. The domestic terminal is teeming with folks. We check in and pass through security. We'll make it to our connection with time to spare.

The ride to Bangkok

Long plane flights are no fun and this 17 hour journey is sheer torture. You can only sleep so much on a flight and I have had my fill.

The main worry is if we'll have enough time to catch our connection in Bangkok to Phuket. My friend and I decide who'll exchange money and who'll stand in line for the visas so that we can optimize our time. We were to land at 6:45 a.m. originally and then take a connection to Phuket at 10:45 a.m. But because of the delayed departure at LAX, we'll arrive an hour late. Is that enough time to get visas, collect our luggage, leave excess baggage at the left luggage counter, run over to the domestic terminal and checkin for the domestic flight? That question occupies our minds for the duration of the flight.

The airline has messed up our meals. We had signed up for Indian vegetarian meals and the ticket agent confirmed that our meals preferences was in the system when we got the boarding passes. But the flight attendants claim ignorance. One earnest FA asks us if Hindu meal would be ok instead? We say yes and he brings us back trays that are clearly marked as Muslim meals. In the same row at the other end is a Muslim who is given a Hindu meal. He throws a fit and the head steward apologizes furiously. Femme thinks the steward must be a nice guy.

We sleep some more. I make some headway on the book.

Boarding passes

When we checked in at SFO, the AA rep told us that we had to get boarding passes from Thai Airways for the LAX to Bangkok leg of the journey. After we deplaned at LAX, we headed straight to the Thai checkin counter.

We stood in line with other passengers and then were quickly ushered into a separate line for passengers who had no baggage to check in. Service was extremely slow and we waited for an hour and a half for an agent to help us. We finally got our boarding passes and headed for security.

The flight was scheduled to leave at 10:30 p.m. but that time came and went with no sign of activity at the gate. The flight info on the screen above the gate changed to announce a Qantas flight. Femme asked a gate agent if the flight had been delayed. The agent insisted that the flight was on time even though it was well after 11 p.m.

We waited some more and observed another gate agent checking if passengers had filled out the emergency contact info on their boarding passes. The Thai passengers had a hard time understanding English and were at a loss to understand what the agent wanted them to do. Eventually the conversation ended with a busy exchange of sign language.

As the clock struck 11:15 p.m. a few folks formed a line in front of the gate and were soon joined by others. Standing out in the crowd were a couple who wore wide brim hats with colorful ribbons around them. The hats seemed out of place, but provided some levity.

At 11:20 p.m. the gate agent finally announced that boarding was to commence causing a commotion as people rushed to the gate. We finally took off at 11:30 on a 17 hour journey that was to take us to Bangkok.

Waiting to leave SFO

We reached the airport well in advance of our 6:40 p.m. flight to LAX. Our shuttle ride showed up a half hour late causing a bit of worry. But there were no lines at the airport and the AA counter was empty and we were checked in within minutes of arriving. The shuttle ride itself was uneventful. Riding with us was another couple who sat in the front lost in conversation for the entire 45 minutes it took to reach the airport.

I like using shuttle service. It cost us $60/- for the two of us including luggage. Cheaper than disturbing some friend who has to leave work and drive us to the airport.

Our friends who were traveling with us had passed through security. We did the same and joined them at a cafe where we waited for our flight to be called. I read a few pages from "State of Fear" that I had picked up at Costco the previous night and that was to be my light reading on the plane. At 6:40 p.m. we took off on the first leg of the journey to LAX.

Tell me the route

If you visit Bangalore, the IT capitol of India and the capitol city of the state of Karnataka, you'll find yourself hailing a rickshaw. It's a three wheel auto that runs on gas (some are powered by natural gas) or petrol as it is commonly called in India. Rickshaws are the handiest modes of transportation in most parts of India aided by a size that is small enough to allow them to slither through heavy traffic (the traffic itself warrants a separate post) that is now a disagreeable feature of Indian roads. Rickshaws are also rickety contraptions that have no use for shock absorbers and given that roads in India are dotted with plenty of potholes (distinguished only by their various amoebic shapes) they can make for a bumpy ride that leaves you with a sore bum and a few bruised bones.

As unique as the rickshaws themselves are the men who operate them. These folks are a wily lot and have the uncanny knack of spotting a passenger who is a visiting tourist. The hapless souls are then literally taken for a ride. I speak the local language, but I haven't been spared either because they seem to know almost instantly that I haven't lived there for a long time.

When I rode a rickshaw on my last visit, I informed the driver of my destination and settled in. Midway through the trip we reached a fork in the road at which point the driver turned around and asked me what route he should take. I had no idea. I later learnt that both roads led to the same destination; one route was longer and the other shorter. It was a neatly laid trap designed to test my local knowledge. Had I answered it right, the rickshaw driver would have banished the thought of bilking me of some money by taking a circuitous route that I'd never know was long and windy. I don't quite remember what I answered, but the question, the context and the guile with which it was posed still startles me.

I asked some locals what they would say in such a situation. One person told me that they would ask the driver to do what is right. Another said he would ask the driver to chose the one that took the least time and avoided heavy traffic.

Regardless, the next time you hail a rickshaw in Bangalore, be ready to be hit with that question and have an answer ready

Travel agent or the airline

I don't know who I should be more cross with: the travel agent or the airline? The travel agent is Sunnyvale travels in downtown Sunnyvale. I bought tickets once before from them, but it was on a Singapore airlines flight and that airline rarely screws up.

What irks me is that the agent waltz off with her commission, but when we hit rough weather won't come to our rescue. She said something today that really got me all riled up. She had a hard time getting through to Thai and she just gave up and told me to deal with them. She basically washed her hands off our problem. Come on now! A travel agent is only worth the money if they can deal with these last minute emergencies. That's when they prove their usefulness. This one has been an absolute duffer and no use at all.

The hard part is that she is eight months pregnant and counting and right about ready to pop out a baby. So I have been restrained in my conversations with her.

If the few days before our journey turn out to be the worst parts of it, I'll be grateful. I hope it doesn't set the tone for our entire vacation. That will be a bummer.

Flight from hell

Our vacation to India next month is quickly turning into a nightmare thanks to a shoddy airline and an even more unhelpful travel agent.

A word of advice. If you can avoid Thai airways flying out of San Francisco, please do. It is just not worth the trouble.

We were booked on SFO-LAX-BKK-BLR flight. I checked Thai airways website and was informed that there was no need to reconfirm tickets. But I went ahead and reconfirmed anyways. Imagine my shock when the agent told me that our flight timings had changed. Even better that the flight number listed on our ticket no longer existed. We were passengers on a phantom flight. The airline did not inform us when the timings were changed or at least it did not get to us. They blame the travel agent and the travel agent blames them. Meanwhile I the consumer am left feeling the pinch.

We have a stopover in BKK and fortunately we still have enough time to catch a domestic Thai flight despite the change in flight timings. The return journey promises to be a nightmare. We leave BLR at 10:30p on 31st Dec. Originally scheduled to connect to BKK-LAX leaving at 8a on 1st Jan. Now that flight has been rescheduled to 8p in the night arriving into LAX at 8p on 1st Jan. Unfortunately well past 4p when our connecting flight from LAX to SFO leaves in the afternoon.

I found out that there is no flight to SFO after 8p in the evening on the 1st. We'll have to wait at the airport overnight and catch a flight on 2nd Jan at 10a. Return journey including flight time and layover is now almost 42 hours. The airline agreed to pay for hotel in BKK but won't put us up in LAX and we'll have to fend for ourselves.

Has anyone tried to call the Thai airline office in LA? Don't even try. Takes me at least 45 min to get through to an agent. Then agent tosses me to ticketing and they toss me back to reservation without even listening to me. They also seem to be understaffed. I have spoken to the same agent on both the days I have called. Somehow I don't think it is just coincidence. Frustrating!

If you are flying out of SFO, don't fly Thai. We only chose Thai because we have stopover in BKK on the outbound journey. Bad mistake! Should have gone with Singapore or Cathay that are more reliable and fly out of SFO.

The power of incentive

I was at the carwash this past weekend waiting for my car to be washed and cleaned when something caught my eye. The folks who were cleaning the cars appeared to be in a race, working at breakneck speed and hustling from one car to the next. I couldn't spot a single employee slacking off. These folks were probably making minimum wage, yet they seemed to be in a hurry to get to as many cars as possible.

My best guess is that the owners have an incentive in place that pays employees by the number of cars cleaned rather than a hourly wage. If that is indeed true, I think it is a brilliant idea. Think about it. I as a consumer am willing to pay someone to clean my car, but I want the service to be fast and efficient. The service provider has the same goal; they want to clean as many cars as possible in less time (and do a decent time of it at the same time) so that they can get to more. Talk about synergy!

It's a system that rewards itself, if everyone works as a team and with clockwork precision and weeds out sloths who drag the team down and hurt the team from performing at its best.

Gunned down for doing right

Stories like this chip away at ideals like faith, honesty and integrity.

Computer Associates

The company announced that they will change their name and be simply called CA. They'll change their logo as well. Why? It takes less space for sure, but the real motive I'd assume is to make people forget the financial scandals and the management improprieties that have plagued the company in the past few years. Quite a few companies have changed their names to disassociate themselves from a sordid past. It works long term as memories fade in the fuzziness of time. CA is betting it will work for them as well.

Low bar

I was talking to a particularly pesky partner at work today, pointing out some problems I found in their product. Their solution was that the problem existed in previous versions and didn't need to be fixed in the current version. What? Isn't that response dopey? They were suggesting in so many words that they had already set such a low bar for their customers in terms of quality that letting the problem fester in the current version would cause no grievous damage. I wonder how this company manages to be in business. Sad thing is that we are stuck with this partner thanks to some decisions that were made before my time.

Sales guys

Ever notice how all the sales reps at work are six feet tall, handsome and lanky?

Turning the other cheek

I was in either the seventh or eight grade at the time back in my hometown in India. Our class had let out for P.E. That was short for physical education. It was the one hour that we looked forward to during the day, when we played whatever game took our fancy. It was a break from the monotony of another dreary day at school.

The school I went to was co-ed. Sometimes the girls and boys played a game of volleyball or dodgeball together, but mostly, the girls were on their own. The boys played either soccer or cricket and that day we chose to play a game of soccer.

I was not much of a soccer player. My ball handling skills were feeble and I'll be the first to admit that my tackling was crude, but I still played for a reason that is not clear to me now.

We divided ourselves into two teams of roughly eleven players, give or take a few and played the game with no pretense of strategy or tactics. Our passes lacked precision and often direction; our drives were seldom coordinated. We ran to where the ball was, all twenty-two of us and from the ensuing melee someone managed to emerge with the ball at his feet.

On one such foray I stole the ball with what I thought was a deft tackle. Little did I know that in the process I had managed to bruise an ego and earn the wrath of a foe.

My lackluster skills were quickly exposed and I lost the ball promptly. As the game continued, I stopped to catch my breath and in the next instant was thrown to the ground by a violent shove that catapulted me a few feet away.

The ground was bare and my fall (from grace?) wasn't cushioned by a bed of thick grass. In stead I fell on some sharp stones that grazed my hands and legs.

From that fallen repose, I looked up at the perpetrator of my crime. He stood, hands on hips, looking down at me with eyes so wide that I could feel his anger. His pose suggested he was ready for a fight, ready to parry my best salvo with a more potent response.

His was the ego I had bruised.

I stood up and brushed the dirt off myself. And then I turned and walked away.

A short while later, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"I am sorry", he said.

"I am sorry too", I replied.

We remained friends until I lost touch with him a few years later.

Scam

If you are visiting Thailand, beware of this scam. I found this line particularly amusing:

A police lieutenant colonel has this warning for tourists: "Don't rush to kiss a stranger on the mouth or you will end up in a deep sleep."

Sania Mirza

I think she is beautiful, talented and has a very mature head on her shoulders. I hope she wins one of the big ones soon.

Affectation

Walking past the woman gabbing on her cell, I hear her say:

"I am so happy for you! I am so excited for you guys!"

I always find that sentiment forced and unnatural. I believe close family members are genuine in their feelings, but when friends or mere acquaintances say that to me I am not sure if their joy (at my good fortune) is feigned or sincere.

In fact I think it is normal to be bummed out. (Note to self: Keep stories of good fortune private! You won't disappoint anyone!)

It is possible that such expressions of delight and happiness are completely honest. I just think that in the vast majority of cases they are also accompanied by a tinge of envy.

Bumper sticker #1

Driver has no cash. He's married.

Red

The calm waves of the ocean slam into the giant rocks that dot the oceanside, like a car that has run into a hillside.

A short distance away another band of waves sweep water onto the sand and in retreat leave a trail of surf behind.

A mild wind ruffles my hair.

Out of the corner of my eye I spy red.

On a pretty girl who has colored her hair red and is busy foraging for sea shells.

Fillers

The manager who sits in the room not far from my cubicle showers his sentences with a liberal dose of "basically". As I listen to him, I play an odd game, trying to guess when the next "basically" will drop.

The engineer at the other end of the hall embellishes each sentence with a trailing "kind of". An otherwise well crafted sentence sags under the weight of that unwelcome intrusion.

Morning coffee

On the way to my desk at work, I have to walk past the desk of the administrative assistant for one of the bigshots here. Each morning, I say hi and she responds with a "Good morning" in the most mellifluous tone imaginable. It's an unexceptional morning outside but you wouldn't know listening to her.

Editing

I think I know what it feels like being an author. I find myself revisiting my old posts and editing them often (infact I just edited this post as well). I wonder if others do that too.

Just ask

At the networking event, we served lunch. That as usual generated a lot of garbage. So we bagged it all up and I went to look for a garbage bin where I could throw all the trash bags into. I couldn't find one nearby so I asked around. One person told me that the previous year each volunteer had taken two trash bags each and trashed them in the garbage bins in their apartment or their home. I thought that was insane.

So I called security and asked them if they could point me to a garbage bin on campus. They couldn't. So I asked them what were my alternatives. They sent security around and after a few calls they told me that I should bag up the garbage and leave it on the side. In the morning the janitorial service would come and clean up.

So just by asking around, we found a solution to an irksome problem that came as a relief to all of us faced with the prospect of taking two trash bags each and dumping it in the garbage bins in our apartments or home.

Entrepreneurs

I volunteered at a networking event for software professionals on Saturday. It was a whole day event that started around 8:30 a.m. and finished at 5p.m. Us volunteers reported at 7 a.m., which meant I was up on my feet for well over ten hours. I was tired at the end and my feet hurt, but I think the experience I gained was well worth it.

The experience of mingling with entrepreneurs of various stripes was inspirational. You can't help be motivated to see folks who have staked out on their own and built companies from the ground up. The other side of the pasture always looks greener, but I'd imagine that building a company from scratch is a more entertaining and fulfilling ride than being in a deadend job.

I was also fortunate to run into some old college friends of mine who I hadn't kept in touch with. There was one friend who I always knew had great things in store for him. I was elated to find out he is now an author and runs his own company. I got him to sign his book for me and I intend to read it soon.

The first panel featured Joe Krauss, co-founder of JotSpot. Joe is well known for his first venture Excite.com during the glory days of the late 90's. It was easy to see why Joe is a successful entrepreneur. He was articulate and passionate in his views and extremely charismatic. And indication of how well he came across was evident at the end of the panel discussion when a crowd gathered around him and picked his brains for well over 45 minutes while the other panelists were relatively undisturbed.

Unfortunately as a volunteer I had to run in and out and couldn't quite sit down and hear the panelists out fully. There were quite a few folks taking notes and I hope someone or the other has a blog and will post those notes soon.

At the end, a person billed as a motivational speaker took the stage. He started out on a promising note, but then flattered to deceive. I thought he was all over the map and though his intention was to leave us with just a couple of thoughts to ponder over, I got a hundred different incoherent messages that taken together added up to a lot of noise.

Peter Drucker

My dad was a management consultant and it was through him that I was first introduced to Peter Drucker. Dad travelled a lot and when he came back from his travels brought back with him a stack of books. One of them was Drucker's autobiography "Adventures of a bystander" which I read as a kid. I remember being deeply impressed by it. Drucker was a seminal force within management circles. His strength was to perceive business trends before their time and to offer simple solutions to seemingly complex problems.

Drucker passed away last week. May his soul rest in peace!

San Francisco

I played tour guide to my wife's cousin yesterday. We couldn't have chosen a better day to visit SF. The weather was picture perfect. Rarely have I gone to SF and not needed to wear a jacket and yesterday was one of those days.

I have taken friends to visit San Francisco so often that I now have a tried and tested route that I have optimized over the years. I start off at Golden Gate Bridge, then follow the 49 mile scenic route that is at the south end of the bridge heading west along the coast. I break for lunch at Cliff House after visiting the bath ruins. Then I head to Golden Gate Park which is my favorite stop. There's a lot to see here that can take an entire day or two. If you have time, you should visit the Rose Garden, the Botanical Garden and the Japanese Tea Garden. There is a nursery that has been renovated that is also worth visiting. And don't forget Stow lake where you can rent a rowboat. Then I head to Twin Peaks for a panoramic view of the city. After Twin Peaks I drive through the Pacific Height neighborhood where you'll find houses that form the distinctive landscape of San Francisco and are often printed on picture postcards. Then I head up Lombard Street toward Crooked Street before finally arriving at Fisherman's Wharf.

Yesterday, the area around Golden Gate bridge was a sight to behold. There wasn't a speck of cloud in the vicinity and the bridge itself was awash in brilliant sunlight. Something I like to do is to walk on the Coastal trail that is on the south west side of the bridge. There are great views of the coast and one particular spot where you can get great pictures of the bridge. The Coastal trail snakes along the edge of the coast. One day I hope to hike it all the way down to Cliff House.

Golden Gate park was brimming with people as usual. I love the lush open spaces and could spend an entire day there people watching. Along the way we stopped at Freddy's deli near Cliff House for lunch. It's behind the apartments that face Ocean Avenue and on the same street as the Burger King and the Safeway. Every time I play tour guide, I stop at this deli for lunch. Great food at great prices!

The view from Twin Peaks was breathtaking. I took some amazing shots of the entire city. My friend bought the Canon 20d recently and as I stood there I longed for one myself. Unfortunately, I'll have to break the bank to get me one.

I love the ride up Lombard to Crooked street. It is doubly fun when cars are backed up going up the hill. It is fun for the driver and nerve wracking for the passengers. My favorite is to drive halfway up the hill and then ask the folks in the back seat to turn around and take a look behind. It is usually a heart stopping moment for them. Yesterday the traffic was sparse and we made it up the hill in less than a minute.

Walking down the steps on Crooked Street, I wondered how those home owners cope with the constant stream of tourists everyday? I would go crazy if I lived on that street.

The seals on Pier 39 are still the draw at Fisherman's Wharf. They were a relatively disciplined group this time. The last time I went they were kicking up a racket. This time the sound was muted by comparison.

I find the stuff in the souvenir shops way too expensive. Wife's cousin bought a teddy bear. What's with women and furry toys?

I need to find a cheaper parking space near Fisherman's Wharf. We paid $12/- for an hour and a half. I thought that was steep.

Be forewarned though that packing all this sight-seeing into a single day can be exhausting. On the drive back home the folks in the back seat were fast asleep.

Oscar nominations

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the movie "Crash" and said that I won't be surprised if it becomes an Oscar contender. It wasn't a hit at the box office when it released back in April, but has become a favorite thanks to word-of-mouth publicity. And today I read in Newsweek magazine that people think it may be on the Oscar list.

One movie that disappointed was "Cinderalla Man". I am waiting for the DVD to be released. It reviewed well when it was released, but I think Russel Crowe's run-in with the concierge at a New York hotel generated such bad publicity that it doomed the film. Russel Crowe may be a petulant and insolent human being, but I think he is a great actor.

Jordan

If these reports are true, then I think bin Laden and his cohorts miscalculated big time in bombing the hotels in Jordan yesterday. A major ally for the West in the fight against terrorism has to be the people of the Middle East; only then do we stand a chance of winning this fight.

Phuket....

....awaits us in December. I can't wait for November to be over and December to be up on us. Phuket here we come...

Apple

I think this story has a lot of truth to it. Count me as one of the folks vowed by Apple products and seriously considering buying the iMac G5 to replace my ageing Pentium P3.

Femme has the 20GB iPod and loves it. I am not much of a music buff but was impressed with how well it was engineered. Even the package that it comes in is a work of beauty!

Job hunting.....

is a pain.

I went to a job fair organized by an Indian outfit recruiting for jobs in India as well as here in the US. So I went to test the waters and see if something caught my eye.

At the registration desk, I was checked in and handed a badge with my name on it. I was asked to stick it on my shirt so recruiters could see my name. I walked in to the ball room hoping I wouldn't run into someone from my present employer - it's not a smart thing to let your company know that you are looking for a new job. Fortunately I did not. Or perhaps we just did a good job of avoiding each other.

There were about thirty employers who were hiring and they had tables set up all over the ball room. I had gotten there about an hour after the event started and already there were huge lines in front of the Microsoft and Google desks. Most employers though were looking for folks with hardware skills. There were only a handful looking for software professionals which was a disappointment.

I walked around the room trying to make myself comfortable and searching out companies that I was interested in. Having made a mental note, I went and stood in my first line of the evening.
It took me about 10 min to get to the head of the line and for my first handshake of the evening. I met an earnest looking guy clad in a suit and we went through my work history and experience. After a while, I got the feeling that the dude wasn't all that interested in what I was saying. Perhaps I was babbling too much. Anyway I passed out my resume of the evening.

The dude at the Accenture desk was however the most earnest guy I met the whole evening. He was polite to a fault. He didn't interrupt or cut me off while I spoke; just listened to me attentively till I finished. When you are used to being cut off and interrupted, this purposeful and diligent behavior can be off-putting. Again I got the distinct feeling that I had been long-winded or maybe chatty. Note to self: brevity is appreciated!

I left after an hour having passed out four or five resumes. Thank God, I didn't listen to the email from the event organizers who advised each attendee to get thirty copies. That would have been a total waste.

It's been a week since the event and I haven't gotten a call or an email yet. That of course is not a hopeful sign.

Spice....

It wrecks an otherwise delicious meal!

Let me explain. My wife's cousin is visiting. She is a fabulous cook and whenever I visit India, I manage to finagle an invitation to a hearty meal at her place. The two days she has been here, she's been cooking for us and by jolly, does she like those chillis? Every time I put a morsel of food in my mouth, my skin jumps and my tongue burns. I am breaking sweat by the time I am through. My wife and I asked her to go a little easy on the spice and those chillis. We'll find out tonight if our remonstrations had the desired effect.

Campbell Brown

I think she is pretty.

Terrel Owens

You wonder sometimes what goes on inside that brain of Terrel Owens. TO is undoubtedly talented as an athlete. But that's where it starts and ends. I think his apology today is a case of too little, too late. I don't think the Eagles will allow him back. Though if I were Andy Reid, TO's apology would have taken me by surprise. They gave him every opportunity to apologize before taking action and he refused. I'd expected him to stick to that stance. His apology today puts a spanner in the works, so to speak and at least opens up the Eagles to questions of whether they will relent and let TO back given that they are 4-4 and could use his talents on the field. I don't think they should. But I'm sure the media and the people of Philadelphia will have a field day discussing this.

Saddam trial

A lawyer for one of Saddam's co-defendants was killed a week or two ago. Today two more lawyers for two other co-defendants were shot at. Don't know what to make of it? I'd suspected that if there was going to be violence, then the insurgents would target the judges in the case. I would think that the insurgents would be allied with Saddam and his fellow scoundrels. I find it odd therefore that they would go after the lawyers who are trying to defend their buddies. Perhaps this is their wicked way of unleashing rumors that the government or the coalition forces are behind these incidents.

Arranged marriages

I was chatting with a friend in the break room who is about to get married at the end of the year. His, like most Indian marriages is arranged and he is going back to India to get married at the end of the year. I was teasing him about his last few weeks of freedom.

We got to talking about how hard the first year of marriage is. I should know; mine was an arranged marriage as well. Marriage is hard enough when you have known the person for a long time. Imagine how hard it can be when you barely know the person. At first glance, many would arrive at the conclusion that arranged marriages never work. I don't know. I have had four friends who have separated in the past couple of years. Two had arranged marriages, the other two had fallen in love. A statistical wash!

I think marriage is really the art of compromise. I don't think two stubborn, headstrong folks can ever be in a happy union. Marriage succeeds when someone plays second fiddle. Somebody has to back off.

When luck is on your side

I have been following the Chicago White Sox fortunes in this season's baseball playoffs. And it seems to me that they are destined to win. They received some fortuitous calls in their favor in the first two rounds and last night lady luck smiled on them again when one of their batters was awarded first base when the umpire ruled he had been struck on his arm. Replays showed that he had fouled off and instead of a full count, the bases were loaded. Before you knew it, the next batter had hit a Grand Slam and the Sox were ahead. Fox sports - ever mindful of the ratings - wants a game seven, but I think this series will be over in five.

Update 10/28: The White Sox proved me wrong. They wrapped it up in four.

Ruby

And now there is ruby heralded as the next big thing in programming, even bigger than Java.

JSP, servlets etc..

Actually the last couple of days that I have spent boning up on JSP's and servlets have inspired me to work on a project and setup a website of my own. Hopefully I can get started pretty soon and have something up and linked to here. I have lots of ideas. Got to write them down so I don't forget.

Read somewhere that: " A great idea ain't worth nothing if you do nothing about it". All I can say is Amen!

Volunteering

Femme began volunteering last month and that inspired me to find my own gig. I volunteered back in '98 or so. Nothing came of it because the organization I was volunteering for disbanded a couple of months after I joined. This time, I wanted to do something long term. I searched Volunteer Match and found something I was interested in. We met for the first time last night. I am excited. I think volunteering for this organization will be a perfect opportunity to network and meet some successful entrepreneurs. Hopefully some of their success will rub off on me.

Language churn

Technology evolves at such a fast pace that it is hard to catch up. Over the years I had paid scant attention to presentation layer languages that are used to develop web applications. Lately they have become more powerful than ever witnessed by all those snazzy web sites with dynamic web content written using JSP, servlets, flash etc.

So I spent some time this week reading up and trying out some JSP code. In the process of digging up some online JSP resources, I read an article where Marc Andressen (ex poster boy for the world wide web of Netscape fame) says JSP is less richer and useful than PHP. Now I've got to add another language to the list that I need to acquaint myself with.

Peeved

I am peeved when I am speaking at a meeting and a colleague speaks over me. We are on the same team and I am sure she thinks she is supporting me by speaking up. I would appreciate it more if she waited until I finished!

Cruel

The Houston Astros loss to the Saint Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series last night was cruel. They were on the cusp of victory and had a firm grasp on a ticket to the World Series but were denied in heartbreaking fashion by the last man standing for the Cardinals. You could feel the air sucked out of the stadium when Pujols blasted the ball out of the ball park. It must have felt like a dagger through the heart for the Astros faithful.

I wonder if they can overcome last nights defeat. The mojo is on the Cardinals side for sure. The only thing Astros have going for them are their two top pitchers who are set to take the mound in the next two games. That and the fact that they need to win only one game of the remaining two to reach the World Series.

Disruptive teammates

At my previous job, a colleague in my group (I'll call him N~) was quite difficult to work with. He had a difficult time communicating and we had a tough time understanding him. It was not his accent - he spoke decent English - but rather the way he thought that put him at odds with the rest of the group. Often times it seemed to me and others that he argued over mundane matters. When he spoke at meetings, there was a feeling that the points he raised were obscure. It was fairly obvious that nobody paid much attention. Most people avoided N~ like a leech and often, he cut a lonely figure at company events and the cafeteria.

I find it easy to communicate with most folks, but I found my former colleague to be an exception. We sat in opposite cubicles and the few conversations we had were uncomfortable at best. N~'s thoughts were so disruptive that even a simple conversation about the weather turned into an excruciating exchange. But when it came to technical issues, I thought he had some cogent and powerful ideas that the team would benefit from.

I bring this up because I subscribe to the view that a team always benefits from people who think differently from the crowd and therefore challenge the conventional view. Every team I think benefits from a contrarian view that challenges status quo.

That is easier said than done, because groups tend to form around people who think alike and behave the same. N~ thought differently and was excluded from the group. And the group just did not take his views seriously.

Cut to my current job and I have a similar situation. I~ has a PhD and is a solid engineer. She is thorough and good at what she does. But her views are often disruptive. She won't toe the party line without questioning its merits and highlighting some of its weaknesses. When she speaks, most people turn a deaf ear. To my boss' credit, he gives her a fair and patient hearing.

Again I~ is the contrarian in the group. Her approach to doing Quality Assurance (QA) is vastly different from the rest of the folks on the team. She tests software by using it in ways our customers in the field would. Traditional QA seldom ventures into that area.

I~ works for my team. She is a tough resource to manage and a huge time sink. But I think it would be a big mistake to discount the work she does just because she is difficult to get along with.

Picasa review

A friend replaced his windows desktop with a Mac G5. He showed me the photo editing software iPhoto on it and I was mightily impressed. It is a cool photo editor, rich with features and extremely easy to use. Unfortunately Apple makes iPhoto only for Mac's. People have been clamouring for a Windows edition, but so far Apple hasn't budged.

Another friend recommended Picasa as the closest thing to iPhoto on Windows. You can download it from Google. I played with it this weekend and the first thing I noticed was that it eats up a lot of memory. You'd be well advised to have a half gig of RAM if not more. My old desktop that I rarely use has 256 MB RAM and it took at least 40-50 seconds to startup.

Picasa is much better than the software that comes with digital cameras. On startup it immediately scans your system and locates all image files including movies. You can turn that option off and run scans manually.

The timeline feature is nifty and neatly arranges photographs in a chronological order. It was amazing to see how many pictures I have compiled over the past four years.

The slideshow option is cool and you can play music while it loops through a bunch of photographs. By default, the slideshow displays low resolution images. If you choose high resolution images, it will consume more system resources and slow down your system further. By default, the images are full screen and I could not find a way to change the display settings. I would have liked the option to adjust the size of the photograph being displayed. I did find a workaround where I accidentally hit Ctrl-Alt-Del. I cancelled out of it and returned to the screen. Instead of full screen images, the pictures were 1/3rd the size and centered. It made for much better viewing.


I prefer the slideshow in iPhoto which has a movie style format, where photographs slide in and out and the software manages to zoom in on the main subject matter of the photograph.

I tried making a movie of a trip to India which contained about 150 photographs. The movie was in AVI format. For some reason, I was unable to run it. I suspect it was because my system was heavily loaded.

All in all, Picasa is a decent alternative to iPhoto on Windows. Of course I'd jump if Apple were to release iPhoto on Windows in the future.

Taking pictures in Bangalore

A German friend is visiting Bangalore on business. Here's a snippet of our conversation on IM:

Me: Have you been taking pictures?

He: I am taking lots of pictures; mostly of dogs!

That last line made me laugh out loud!

Crash

Watched "Crash" this weekend. Great movie! It was a toss up between "Talk to her" and "Crash". Both came highly recommended by friends. But the store didn't have any copies of "Talk to her" left. I am glad they did not; a friend who watched it was underwhelmed.

Great art forces you to question your beliefs. It leaves you a little less certain, confused, even a little less sure of yourself. Life is easy when you can make a choice between good and evil and black and white. The differences are stark, the choices are clear and the decisions uncomplicated. Life is rarely that easy. There are more shades of grey than black and white.

And that is what I liked about Crash; it made me question my beliefs. I won't be surprised if it gets an Oscar nomination. A thumping two thumbs up!

Another hurricane

Hurricane Rita is the 17th storm of the 2005 hurricane season. I don't know if it is the busiest season ever, but it will be a long remembered one after the destruction wrought by Katrina. As if that was not enough, this hurricane is also headed to the Gulf coast. And in a cruel twist of fate, it is forcing evacuees from New Orleans to move again from Houston to shelters inland.

I believe that every hurricane season, the agency that chooses names for hurricanes makes a list of 21 names. They are afraid they may run out of names before the season ends at the end of November.

I wonder if there is scientific research going on that is looking at ways to quell storms before they become hurricanes and hit land. That would be a perfect way to play offense. Waiting for the storms to hit and dissipate is proving to be far too destructive.

Ironically there is a silver lining in all this. Destruction forces people to pick up the pieces and rebuild, guaranteeing a flood (no pun intended) of investment money. The economy benefits and so do people who can provide services that are critical in the rebuilding effort.

For someone who has lost a house or maybe even loved ones, all this is probably moot. For them life will never be the same again.

Leadership

I often think of what makes a great leader. Here' s an example of someone I think fits the bill. Bono's activism is indeed inspirational.

The Robert's Hearing

Don't our elected representatives love to talk? I watched some snippets of the John Robert's confirmation hearings on the tube and it was hard not to chuckle listening to our senators ask questions of the nominee. Or were they questions? They were more like long winded speeches that ended in a feeble question.

Amazing

Don't know how a thirty five year old Agassi does it, but I just saw a fantastic match between Andre Agassi and James Blake in the US Open. I was pulling for Blake while femme was favoring Agassi. After the first two sets I thought Blake had it wrapped. But then Agassi found his rhythm and roared back. The final set was a classic and the tie breaker outstanding.

Fish

Hurricane Katrina did not spare the fish at the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. For more read here.

Pizza

Beware of that left over pizza at work.

An entire city gone

One week ago, it was common to associate New Orleans with Jazz, Mardi Gras, the smell of gumbo and historic French Quarter. Tonight those are distant memories. Instead New Orleans is a ghost town, with only a few determined stragglers wandering its forlorn streets. What a difference a week makes!

I can only imagine how shocking these past few days have been to this great city's inhabitants. The few and the lucky who survived and escaped the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, find themselves in distant cities, in unfamiliar towns, amidst strangers, forced to start a new life from scratch. Many others who shared some bond or other with New Orleans are orphaned.

I have a fleeting connection with New Orleans. New Orleans was where I first tread on US soil.

I landed in New Orleans when I flew to the US as a young student for the very first time. It was a bitterly cold day in April. My flight was originally headed to Atlanta, but had been diverted to New Orleans because of a snow storm that had blanketed the East Coast. For many on the flight, this was an inconvenience. For me it was fortuitous turn of events, because I was scheduled to catch a flight from Atlanta to New Orleans later on that day. As I waited patiently for an acquaintance to pick me up at the airport, I remember watching the snow fall outside. It was the first time I had seen snow. I remember leaving the terminal in search of fresh air and being slapped by a rush of cold wind that I had never experienced before. I remember rushing back in to the warm comfort of the building feeling a little stupid. And in between I remember being confused by the revolving doors that controlled entry into and out of the airport terminal.

I went back once; to visit the amazing Aquarium of the Americas in downtown New Orleans. I wonder what's become of the acquarium. I have scoured media reports for some mention of the acquarium and its condition and have found none. It was situated in an area that was affected the most by the flooding and that gives me little hope.

Nature's fury is stunning. The brutal strength of its lethal blow invites disbelief. Tonight it has claimed an entire city as its victim.

As human beings we yearn for the ordinary and the normal. We are comfortable with the routine. Six months from now, maybe earlier, maybe later, there will be stories of lives being rebuilt, of people returning to places they called home, of a city springing back to life. There will be stories of people searching for the normal, but when it happens it will be anything but normal.

Tempered

It's labor day weekend in the US. Time usually for some R&V (recreation and vacation). But partaking of pleasure while watching all the gloomy scenes from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina makes you feel guilty.

If you haven't donated, I'd urge you to do so. Check if your company matches contributions. Thats an easy way of doubling your contribution. For a list of all the organizations you can donate to, go here.

It was well know that New Orleans was a disaster waiting to happen. The city was below sea level. The levees surrounding the city were built to handle a category 3 storm; hurricane katrina was a level 4 storm when it made landfall; a breach in one of the levees would lead to flooding. But they never thought it would actually happen. When it did, everybody seems to have been caught napping.

Scary thing is that we in California live on top of another time bomb. San Franciso and the rest of the bay area lie close to the San Andreas fault. We are one major rumble away from disaster ourselves.

Time to go get my earthquake readiness kit ready!

One victory

The Indian cricket team beat New Zealand yesterday and already the pundits declare that the team has turned the corner. What? One victory doesn't make a whole summer! And besides, New Zealand were missing two premier bowlers in Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori. If they win consistently and in matches that matter, I am willing to proclaim that the team has found a second wind. Until then, please hold your judgement, will you?

Me says that our team remains an enigma. Why they play well one day and like pansies the other is beyond me.

"It is all mental", they say. But I thought we hired a foreign coach to sort that out. Apparently that experiment hasn't gone too well. I am all for foreign coaches, only if they make a difference. Hopefully, Greg Chappel has a magic wand.

Actually after the Austrailian and Pakistan series last year, I was quite proud of these guys. They seemed to be a well knit unit with a hunger for winning. But then it disappeared like cotton candy.

Here's hoping they rediscover that form. Consistently! Only then will I be convinced that we are good team once again.

Looting in New Orleans

This story makes you absolutely sick. In the midst of a natural calamity, you have goons looting stores around the city. At first I thought they were out looking for food and water, which one can understand. But they also seem to be stealing guns. There are reports of armed gangs firing at rescuers. Why? I can't get it! You'd think people would be suffused with a wave of human compassion and be out looking to help their fellow brethren. When the floods hit Bombay, India and brought that city to a standstill in July, there were stories of people helping each other out. No one was out shooting and firing their guns. This behavior is baffling. Why would anybody fire at rescue helicopters? Because they got their late? I don't understand the reaction.

Katrina

Somebody said that the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and surrounding states was our tsunami. It is indeed. The stories out of New Orleans are heartbreaking. Mother Nature can be cruel, but when you actually witness the sweep of its destructive force, it is humbling and mortifying.

The face that tells a story

Ever since the reorg at work I haven't been a happy camper. I am doing work that I am not interested in. Unsurprisingly I am not in a happy frame of mind. This morning, a colleague and I were talking about some issue at work. She left, then returned and asked me if everything was ok.

I laughed and said I was fine. "Why ?" I asked, curious to know why she had sprung the question on me .

"You seem kind of down. You are not your usual self." she said.

I thought I did a pretty good job of hiding my feelings. Not this time. I am still surprised though that my face provided such a revealing window into my mind.

Reducing junk mail

Are you tired of those incessant pre-approved credit card offers that flood your mailbox? I am! I recently heard about 1-888-OPTOUT that one can call and expunge your name from the pre-approved list of the four largest credit rating agencies. They also have a website that offers the same service. I recommend using the website because it offers an option to permanently remove your name from their lists. This option was conspicuously missing when I called the number.

Changing story

This story contradicts initial reports about the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate death of the Brazilian man in a London subway in the aftermath of the terrorist bombings in July. At the time of the incident, there were several reports that said that the Brazilian man was dressed in a bulky coat that aroused suspicion on a hot day. They also said that he ran when confronted. Video footage now shows that the man was wearing a denim jacket and was walking normally(even stopping to pick up a newspaper) .

I am conflicted over this story. On the one hand, I can understand how a harried London police force beseiged by two terrorist bombings and trying hard to chase down leads and suspects made mistakes. But in my view there is no excuse for them bending the truth even when the truth is uncomfortable. They have stuck to their original report and refuse to admit that they deliberately misled the public. That behavior does not inspire confidence and should be punished.

A new toy

I checked out the features. I wondered if it was worth the expense. I contemplated whether it was worth the indulgence. I dilly-dallied. I slept on it overnight afraid I was making an impulsive decision. I could not resist. The next day I went back and bought this. All that handwringing over that, you say? Well, some folks are just wired differently.

Tough week

We had a reorg this week. Saying goodbye to colleagues with whom you developed a kinship of sorts isn't easy. I knew something was in the works when my boss kept evading persistent questions about allocating resources to the project I am working on.

In my previous company there were seven layoffs during my time there. Each time there was a layoff, you wondered if you were on the "list". After the fact there was a sense of relief that you survived but it was also tempered with a sense of sadness as you bid other colleagues goodbye. Going to the office knowing that a layoff was due that day was no fun. Each time I go through this process, I am humbled by the thought that it could have been me packing my boxes and leaving.

There were some very good people with years of good experience who were let go. You wonder sometimes how they decided on who to lay off. Was it arbitrary or did they have some criteria?

It must be tough for the guys who have been let go. One guy just had a baby. Fortunately his wife works as well. So they have something to fall back on. There are others who are in more dire circumstances because of their visa status.

I went around and talked to the folks I could meet. I tried to cheer them up and asked them to keep their spirits up. I am fairly new in the company and I wonder if they looked at me and said how come he stays and I am let go?

Brook's law

Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later. I work in software and this makes perfect sense.

Terror lands in Bangladesh

There are reports that there were 350 simultaneous explosions across Bangladesh this morning. Granted Bangladesh is a tiny nation, but it still called for some coordination. I doubt you'd hear much about this in the media. After all Bangladesh is no Iraq.

Hybrids

Hybrid cars have intrigued me ever since they made their debut a few years ago. If they made economic sense, I was ready to entertain thoughts about buying one. But I am not convinced that hybrids (at least those available today) are economically viable. One more article that makes the same point. Mind check quote:

"Hybrids make great sense if you want to make a statement," adds Champion. "If you purely want to save money, they’re a little less defensible.”

Going up and up and up....

At the dinner table this weekend, the discussion turned to the surging oil and gasoline prices. Soon an accusatory finger was pointed at Bush and his oil company buddies. Many of my friends are vehemently opposed to the war and that disgust spills over into other topics. A more rational view of why oil prices have relentlessly plowed forward in the past year is presented here.

Weight loss

I lost a lot of weight in the winter of 2000. I wish I had a blog then, because I can't quite remember how I did it. I lost about 25-30 pounds in a matter of a month and a half and was pretty successful at keeping the weight off by watching my diet and working out at the gym at least 3 times a week. Late last year I started feeling really lethargic and stopped going to the gym. That continued till the first half of this year. Not surprisingly, I have put back 10 pounds. I started going to the gym again since May, but I haven't had any success yet in shedding weight.

I don't believe in the diet pills etc. I think the whole diet industry is a big sham. I think what works is proper diet and exercise. If you consume less than what you expend, then you will lose weight. I am pretty good with my diet in the morning, but I tend to be weak in the evenings when I get home. I have the urge to munch on something that I succumb to. Proper diet is all about staying mentally strong and disciplined. I have got to return to that mode if I want to get back to my ideal weight.

Peter Jennings

My father lived here in the 70's and talked fondly of Walter Cronkite. When I got here, Walter Cronkite was long gone. I sampled Tom, Dan and Peter during my first year splitting my time between the three before I finally chose Peter. There was something about his delivery that was calming and reassuring that I thought the other two lacked. He was smart, suave and polished; nobody would have guessed that he dropped out of high school. Somebody said this morning that his style was conversational. I couldn't agree more. Everytime he came on the tube, I listened, because I thought I'd learn something new. I''ll miss Peter.

A team

We have work to do and people who can do it. We plan and assign tasks to people. But there are some people who'd rather do something else. They want to do something else because they are bored. They want to do something new. They want to grow and be better. Who can argue with that?

Letting people do whatever they want to do would cause chaos. More importantly some work would be left undone because there is always something that nobody wants to do. We want them to do the work because we need to get the work done. There are deadlines to meet, sales to fulfill and bills to be paid.

So we try to convince people why they should do the work they do not want to do. We reach for the right words and the right message until we succeed.

But we want people to be happy doing the work they are assigned to do. If people are unhappy, they will move on. We'd like to prevent that. A trained resource is better than an untrained resource that we have to pour more time and money into. So we prepare a plan to help people transition and work on something they really want to do.

Welcome to the challenges of running a team.

My encounter with a flying snake.

Our house is at the bottom of a hill. On two sides of our property are roads; one that leads up the hill and another that runs perpendicular to the first. At the intersection of the two roads is a bustling corner full of shops selling sweets, pastries, snacks and tea. At either end of the intersection are bus stops. At any time of the day, there is a busy collection of folks sipping tea, snacking or just waiting for public transport.

The edge of our property is lined with huge trees. There is one that I am particularly fond of. Apart from being easy to climb, it has a perfect perch from where I can enjoy an unlimited view of the road that goes up the hill.

My mom worked at the local college which stood at the top of the hill. It is a twenty minute walk and she walked to work and back every day until she retired some fifteen years ago.

Every evening around the time mom was slated to come home from work, I sat on my perch. I waited patiently, watching people walk by on the streets, get down from the bus or buy sundry items at the shops. At first I was a source of amusement to the folks passing by but soon I became a fixture on the tree and people grew used to seeing me there everyday.

Each day, when I saw mom emerge in the distance, I called out to her happily until she waved back. When she reached the front gate, I used to climb down and run to embrace her. As I said, I did that everyday as a kid.

One day, I was up on the tree as usual when I saw folks gesturing toward me. I paid no heed. Then an acquaintance happened to be passing by and asked me to gently climb down the tree. I obeyed. Someone had noticed a flying snake jump from tree to tree. It had landed on my tree and was barely a foot above my head. It was a fortuitous escape.

For a few days, I abandoned the tree and found a different spot to wait for mom to come home. But nothing compared to my tree and I returned a week later to my favorite perch.

The concrete path

There is a concrete driveway of sorts that goes around our house in India. When it rains, it gets slippery and can be quite treacherous to walk on. It has been raining a lot lately.

Which reminds me of an incident that occurred when I was still in high school . It was a dank and gloomy day with dark clouds dominating the sky. It had been raining off and on for a few days and that particular day, it had rained quite heavily. The concrete path was wet.

A friend of my father was visiting us that day. He was a tall and lanky man with a balding head. My father and he sat in the front porch, shielded from the rain, engaged in conversation. At some point the rain stopped and our guest stepped out on to the concrete path, to pluck a fragrant flower that he had spied on a tree in our garden.

To the unsuspecting visitor, the path was fairly benign. My father and I knew better and we warned his friend to be mindful of his steps. Our warnings were of no avail. For the next thing we heard was a sickening thud. He had slipped and lost his footing and had fallen back on his head.

I ran to assist him, which was probably not the most prudent thing to do considering how slippery the concrete path was. He lay on his back and for a moment I feared the worst. We rushed him to a doctor, but after a few minutes of incoherence he seemed to regain his composure and was back on his feet.

There are some incidents from the past that stay with you and I cannot explain why. This happened some twenty years ago. And it is something I remember in vivid detail today.

Dosas

A friend of mine invited us over to his house on the weekend. For dinner he served us the yummiest dosas I have had in the northern hemisphere. It was prepared with a generous dollop of ghee that probably added to the taste and surely upped my cholesterol.

Dosas are hard to prepare. It takes a while to prepare the dough. You got to soak ingredients for 8 hours or more, then grind it into a paste and then let the dough ferment. Femme was inspired enough to try it. Tonight is D-day and I can't wait to go home and see how her dosas have turned out.

Update 8/3: They turned out real good.

A lack of resources

The project that I am currently on is like most projects I have been on during my ten years in the software field. There's lots to do and very few people to do it. Management however has found a couple of resources that they think we can use. Anytime someone offers to help, we jump at the chance. But this offer comes with a caveat.

"Use them for two weeks." says management.

"There is nothing substantial that they can do in two weeks. We need folks full time." we say in response.

"Two weeks is all you got for now" says management.

So we scratch our heads trying to figure out how we can make the best use of the two folks we have at our disposal.

Two weeks is no help at all. It is more trouble than help. But try telling that to management.

Bombay under water

The big news in India is the torrid downpour that lashed Bombay and submerged whole suburbs. Many people have died. You can catch all the news at rediff. This blog has the latest updates and links to posts from other bloggers who live in Bombay and write about their harrowing experiences in the past couple of days.

Wide angle

I watched a film on the plight of ordinary folks in Zimbabwe on PBS last night. The program is named Wide angle and I'd recommend you watch this film if you get the chance. It was a gut wrenching documentary about folks who cross the border from Zimbabwe to Botswana in search of work and money because opportunities in their own country have dried up, devastated by the despotic rule of Robert Mugabe.

Back in the 80's, Mugabe was heralded as the beacon of African revival. People looked upto him as an example of a leader the African continent badly needed. Then in the 90's he reverted back to the familiar terrain of tryannical and selfish rulers that litter the political landscapes of countries in Africa.

This film is about the oppressive rule of a government that has adversely affected the lives and fates of ordinary folks; folks who just want to work and earn a decent living so that they can put food on the table for their children.

A numbers game

Two men discuss the upcoming football season. It is early morning and I am in the weight room of the gym. They talk to each other in loud booming voices.

"I have a 330 pound 6'3" lineman who bench presses 300 pounds." says one guy. He looks like a former football player himself.

The thing that sticks with me are the numbers. Behind those numbers is perhaps a young boy with a name, but today his numbers are all that matter.

Change

I have always looked at change as a chance for a new beginning, a chance for a fresh start and the start of a new chapter in my life. But in light of a few changes at work, it occurred to me that for those affected by change, it can be disruptive and even depressing. A vital member of our team has decided to leave us and this impending change cast a somber mood on the workplace today. There is of course a silver lining to change. Change is an opportunity for others to step up and take on new responsibilities. Embracing change is hard, but change is constant and we might as well welcome it.

Dubious distinction

A dubious distinction for India's plastic industry.

Watching what you eat

Every now and then, a generous soul stocks the break room with cookies and sweets. I have a fondness for sweets and have a hard time keeping my hands off them. I came up with these ten reasons to watch what I eat. My hope is that when I am tempted the next time, I'll remember these:

1. No sweets = less calories = weight loss
2. You'll look good
3. You'll see a rise in energy level
4. The knees won't hurt when you run
5. You'll have a sense of accomplishment
6. You'll feel better
7. You'll look and feel healthy
8. You'll get an ego boost when friends compliment you on your new look
9. The clothes fit better
10. You'll live longer*

* That last one...In this day and age, I am not sure if that is a boon or a curse

Deceit

Did you hear about a woman who posed as Jessica Simpson's assistant and ordered merchandise worth 12000 dollars? Apparently she got all the information necessary to fool companies by watching Jessica Simpson's reality show on TV. It's a cautionary tale for us bloggers as well. Putting personal information on the blogs may be bad thing to do, because someone out there might be lurking waiting to glean information about a blogger and steal his or her identity.

Workout routines

I am trying to be more disciplined in my workout routines. I workout at least 3 times a week and sometimes add a fourth day. My regular routine is to do weights for about 30 minutes and then cardio for another 30. My focus is on improving my weight routine so that I get more results out of it. I feel like I have hit a plateau at the moment.

Most experts say that the best results from weight training accrue when you concentrate on specific muscle groups every day. I have been googling to find some workout routines that have worked for other. Here are a couple that I found:

• Intense workout
• Body building
  

The Don's son-in-law

It must be scary being married to the daughter of a mafia don. Dawood Ibrahim's daughter is tying the knot with the son of the famous Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad. It occurs to me that the groom is starting off at an obvious disadvantage in this case. Marriage is never easy at the best of times, but imagine being haunted by the spectre of a father-in-law wielding the long stick (and probably something more lethal) and keeping a watchful eye on his daughter. It would sure scare the bejesus out of me.

A satisfying meal

Yesterday we traveled to the beach to take refuge from the searing heat inland. The heat was nothing to compare with the heat in Phoenix where folks have had to endure much worse. But the cool breeze was still a welcome change. It was remarkable how the temperature dipped some 30 degrees as we neared the sea front.

The highlight of the day was however the dinner at an Italian restaurant named Meza Luna in Half Moon Bay. If you are ever in this area, I would highly recommend it. It was the most delicious meal I have had in some time. Every dish we ordered was fabulous. This restaurant is quite popular, so its best that you reserve ahead of time. We had to wait about an hour for our table. They take their time to serve you as well, but it is well worth the wait.

hot hot hot!

The weather has been particularly toasty the past week or so in our neck of the woods. Spoiled by the wet weather (and cooler temperatures) that continued right through the middle of June, most people have been cranking up their AC's to deal with the heat. My neighbors keep theirs on right through the night.

Everytime it heats up, California's power grid system is strained evoking memories of the blackouts that occurred in 2000-2001. Yesterday power consumption hit a peak sparking fears that more blackouts were impending.

As for me, I have found that sleeping with the windows open is the best source of cool air. At around 10 p.m. each night, a pleasant cool breeze starts blowing in and keeps me company as I drift into sound sleep. Besides, the local utility company has promised 20% off to those who can keep their bills low, which serves as an added incentive to keep the AC turned off.

Personality type

My resume is still up on monster from the last time I was looking for a job. Every now and then I get emails from prospective employers. One I received today said that to be considered I had to first complete this 10 minute exercise.

Defeated

Femme and I spent much of the evening yesterday assembling a bed we bought at IKEA. Femme had grand plans of decorating the guest room. She had bought matching sheets in coordinated colors and I must admit the initial prototype looked real good. When we finished putting the bed together, we put the old mattress on it. It didn't fit! Can you say frustrating? All that hard work for nought.

A new mattress is upwards of twelve hundred dollars. Looks like we'll have to return the bed frame and settle for something less.

Windows vista

Umm...doesn't rhyme, but longhorn is now Windows vista.

More time for a tan

Daylight savings time is extended.

Away in Iraq

At the gym this morning, I overheard a woman say that she had her hands full with her two kids while her husband was away in Iraq.

She seemed in good spirits. But it got me thinking what her life was like. Listening to the dreary news from Iraq that fills the airwaves and blankets the tube must be far from comforting. Every day and night must be hard.

I can only think of one word: Brave!

More madness

The repeat act in London took me by surprise and I am sure Londoners as well. I thought these abhorrent terrorists would lay low for a while. Fortunately the bombs didn't go off. My sentiments remain the same as expressed here.

Dilemma

A couple that we were close to and with whom we celebrated many occasions together separated recently. The wife sent me an email asking me for photographs of happier times. Question? Should I include photographs of the wife and her ex-husband? Since they parted on pretty genial terms, I think it should be ok. Maybe I should sort through the photographs and if both are in a majority of them, then the answer is already made for me.

The battle has begun

The Supreme court nomination is not a day old and they are duking it out already.

Wrapped in plastic

A friend bought a brand new cell phone. I asked to see it. He fished it out from his pocket, wrapped in a plastic bag!

Scene at the grocery store 2

At the Indian grocery store, a young lady at the counter greets me and asks me how I am doing? I am taken aback and surprised. The men and women behind counters at Indian grocery stores in the U.S. are known for their stoic demeanours. They ring up your groceries, announce the total and take your money in relative silence. They seldom indulge in pleasantries, small talk or sweet banter.This is a marked departure from the routine.

When I am done and about to leave, she says, "Have a good weekend!"

"Thank you! you too!" I respond with a smile.

She looks at me and says, "Me too...yes definitely."

Scene at the grocery store

At the grocery store last night, I watched a guy stand contemplatively in front of bags of pre-packaged cherries. He then poked a hole in one, extracted a cherry, popped it into his mouth and sampled it. After more deliberation, he picked one cherry from a pile that was being sold separately and replaced the one that he had eaten, before placing the bag in his grocery cart.

Conversation

I have to recount a conversation I had with femme last night.Femme as I have reported earlier is stressed at work. Last night femme made the startling statement that she is stressed out because I make too little money!

I would love to make more. Who doesn't? I have tried the lottery too! But back to the logic of it all or rather (me thinks) the lack of it. Femme is apparently stressed because she knows she has to work to make ends meet. I told femme that she could quit and we could easily settle for a more spartan lifestyle. Femme says that stresses her out. Hear that! Apparently a spartan lifestyle would stress her out!

I was so amazed when I heard this, that I responded with confounded silence.I don't think she means what she says. She is just too stressed to think straight.

Bush comes to shelf

A guy I work with - who happens to sit in the next cube - came over and with an earnest look on his face asked me what the idiom "Bush comes to shelf" meant. He actually meant "push comes to shove", but had heard it all wrong!

Plentiful

There are so many blogs out there that are worth a read, that I could spend an entire day doing just that and wouldn't get through half of them. The thoughts range from the mundane to the serious, the stories are compelling and the writing is rich and colorful. These blogs are testimony to a world full of people who are talented, caring, generous and thoughtful. The purveyors of terror can disturb the peace for a few fleeting moments. But they can never extinguish the light that is human creativity. May this world prosper!

Fake food

Went to lunch with colleagues to a place that makes fake meat. Well all the meat on their menu is actually made out of tofu. The last time I ventured there was six years ago and I didn't like the food. Today, I was actually surprised with how good their food tasted. Got to take femme there sometime.

Fake laughter

Just went to the break room at work. It is a rather small break room, so I couldn't help overhear the conversation two folks were having. What struck me though was one guy who said something in the most serious tone and then giggled after every sentence. He did that three or four times in a row. What he said wasn't funny at all. I guess its just a habit he can't shake.

A different tune

I spent a frustrating couple of days exchanging emails with a sales engineer at work. Each response resulted in ten additional questions that only managed to aggravate me.

Then I did what has always worked well for me in the past. I scheduled a call and talked to him over the phone. He was the sweetest guy you could talk to (plus he had that British accent that always gets me). All issues resolved! Yipeee!

Jaded

The moment O'Connor announced her intention to resign her seat on the Supreme Court, both the right wing and left wing machines seem to have swung into full fledged action. NYT had an article on the huge sums of money organizations on either side of the political divide have raised to influence the choice of the next member of the Supreme court.

Every Supreme court justice choice is an important one and this is perhaps more so than others. The country rests on a sharp political edge and if the results of the last two presidential elections are any indication it is tilted slightly to the right. With a conservative majority, decisions that have stood for the better part of a quarter century like abortion and affirmative action may be overturned. So passions are understandably high and the debate hot.

Yet I find myself avoiding the political gabfests that I once tuned into quite frequently. The endless barrage of spokesmen parroting their party's line becomes tiring. Pundits stare into the future and offer predictions that are comic. It is all very nauseating.

Political parties have come to function like sport teams. It is all about winning. Coming in second is not an option. I think it is sad when sport metaphors aptly describe political discourse. For the moment, I am one jaded spectator of this political season.