Vij

I probably have blogged about this before, but I have to write about it again, now that old memories have been rekindled by a friend.

This long weekend, a friend visited Vancouver, British Columbia. On a previous visit, my wife and I ate at a restaurant named Vij in downtown Vancouver. We loved it so much that we recommend it to friends visiting Vancouver. My friend came back lovestruck. And this is a guy who is extremely fussy and critical about his food!

Without question, both my wife and I think this is the best restaurant we have eaten at period! The sophisticated and classy presentation combined with a tempered ambience are alluring attributes. But what sets it apart is the warm personality of Mr Vij himself who makes you feel like you never left home.

Reservations aren't taken, so expect to wait for more than an hour for a table. It is well worth the wait though, and Mr. Vij makes it comfortable by plying you with fritters and cups of tea that are on the house. Of course, you could order a bottle of wine and get an early start.

The next time you are in Vancouver, save time for dinner. It is an experience you will cherish for a long time. I promise!

Haven't heard back

The recruiter from the big online company promised to get back last week. So far, no phone call or email. Isn't that rude?

I wonder if I really want to work at a place where folks are so unresponsive.

Fedex St Jude Classic

My BIL had managed to snag tickets to the final round of the PGA Tour's Fedex St. Jude Classic in Memphis. It was the first golf tournament that I had been to and I had fun following the pros around.

I have to admit though that it was a bit depressing watching the likes of David Toms, Chris Di Marco and Fred Funk hit the golf ball at the practice range. They made it look so easy, hitting it effortlessly in a straight arc.

Memphis over the weekend, was hot like a boiling cauldron. I was wearing sandals and at the 8th tee, as I watched Chris DiMarco and Fred Funk tee off, I felt a burning sensation in my feet. The sun was so fierce that it had burnt through my sandals and cut through my skin leaving me with a bloody foot. But I was having so much fun, I didn't care.

At the second green, I saw a face that looked very familiar. It was Corey Pavin: the 1995 U.S. Open Champion. I also spotted David Feherty of CBS Sports at the 9th.

My BIL and I seemed to be bad luck for the leaders. The last group got off to a bad start and fell off the leaderboard. So we moved to the group ahead who hitherto had been doing well and had moved up the leaderboard. As soon as we joined that group, they started making bogeys as well and with that went their chance of winning the tournament.

Finally the heat was too much to bear and we chose to sit in the skybox instead, behind the 17th green watching the players come home.

Despite the heat, it was a day I'll remember for a long time to come.

Scare

At the Denver airport last night, I went to thrash some garbage that we had accumulated. Absent-mindedly, I thrashed our printed boarding passes as well. It so happened, that a janitor was replacing the garbage bags at that very moment and so instead of throwing the stuff into the garbage bin, I threw it into a trolley that she was pushing.

Just before the plane started to board, I realized what I had done. For a few seconds, I couldn't spot the janitor and thoughts about spending the night at the airport briefly flashed through my mind. I finally found her and rummaged through the trash and let out a huge sigh of relief when I found the boarding passes.

It was a scary moment. Wife wasn't too happy and gave me a talking to. I always nag her about being careful and this was her chance to get back at me.

Podcasts

I discovered podcasts a couple of months ago, and now the trip to the mall with the wife isn't that boring after all.

iTunes has a great library of free podcasts that one can subscribe to. There are so many radio programs that I wish I had the time to listen, that are now available as podcasts. Before we leave home, I download the most recent episodes onto my shuffle and take it with me.

Now, I can listen to my favorite radio programs at the gym as well as on walks that I take in the afternoon on weekdays.

Try it if you haven't. It's just another example of technology making a difference in everyday life.

Opening mail

I logged in this morning and saw that familiar icon that indicates new mail. I clicked on it gingerly and with bated breath waited for the emails to show.

Will there be "that" email, I wondered. What will it say? Will it bear glad tidings or will it be a polite rejection? Someone out there - the folks making the decision - already know.

I can finally see my emails. I scour them once and then again. That email isn't one of the many unwanted emails I have received.

How many more days of this, I wonder. Maybe it'll come during the course of the day. Who knows?

I'll wait and maybe this process will repeat again tomorrow.

Gasoline

Interesting stats on gasoline in last week's edition of Newsweek. In Iran, the price of a gallon of gas is 40 cents. Of course they have vast amounts of oil in their own backyard. But one way the government there keeps people happy is by supplying cheap gas. Ditto in Saudi Arabia and some other oil rich states.

India runs through 2.5 billion barrels of oil every day; America burns 10 times that. In almost every debate on this issue, the media cites increased consumption by India and China as reasons for the rise in gasoline prices. Seems to me, their usage is like a drop in the bucket.

Another story said that contrary to expectations, sales of SUV's have picked up over the summer. The Chevy Escalade has been selling so well, that they can't make enough of it. We seem to be addicted to our unhealthy habit of driving big, gas guzzlers. One guy in the story said he liked driving in a big SUV looking down on other folks on the road. Go figure!

To put some perspective on the price of gas here, over in Japan and Europe they shell out the equivalent of $7/- for a gallon of gas. Compared to them, we have it pretty good here.

I won't be surprised if gas prices reach $4.50 this summer end. I have seen a $100 increase in my gas bill compared to the same time last year. And my grocery bill has risen proportionally.

The answer has to be conservation. Today's Mercury News has a story about a guy who has started taking the train to work. We have got to make decisions like that and not live foreever in the hope that this rise in gas prices is temporary.

On edge

Last week, I was told that the verdict will be handed down this week. I am talking about the job I interviewed for at the big online company. I am on tenterhooks now.

I hope this turns out the way I want it to.

Yesterday

A gloomy and rainy day spoilt our hopes of showing the relatives around SF. Not that I am complaining. I have already made three trips to SF in the last two months showing visitors around and I am sick and tired of that routine.

I wonder why someone doesn't start a bus tour that starts from San Jose. It'll be a lucrative business. I know there are tours starting in SF, but that requires one to drive all the way to SF, which defeats the purpose. I thought of putting them on Caltrain, but they aren't the most travel hardened folks around and I'm afraid they'd be lost.

Maybe I should give up this job and start the business myself!

The relatives

Wife's relatives are visiting. They are quite finicky about food, but fortunately they cook their own food. Wife's aunt is a pretty good cook and made some delicious food yesterday. But she is quite prone to dirtying the kitchen as she goes about preparing her elaborate dishes.

Wife guards the kitchen zealously. She likes it spick and span. She doesn't like people going in and messing it up. Twice in the last two days after a hard cooking session, she and I have spent a good 45 minutes cleaning up the mess. The relatives make fun of us now for being so fastidious.

I wonder how wife will cope when her mother visits us later this year. MIM is also picky about food and I am sure she'll spend considerable time cooking and I'll bet that'll drive wife crazy.

The second onsite

Another stressful weekend preparing for the interview.

The first interviewer was the hiring manager again. This time he just let me ask questions. Again, this man won't let on a smile unless he is compelled to. Wonder what's ticking him off?

The second interviewer asked fluffy questions. I guess she was really interested in finding out if I was a good fit for the team.

The third interviewer was a software engineer and he took me off guard. The previous interviews had been fluffy and this guy wanted to dig deep technically. I don't think I did as well as I could have. This one may ultimately hurt me.

The last two listened to my presentation. I think they were impressed with my presentation. They tossed a few questions and I think I was able to answer them.

I await the final verdict

A game of cat and mouse

I have spent the past week trying to schedule the second onsite interview. The recruiter keeps passing the buck.

Is the hype about this company in the media the real truth?