Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Awakened by the Generator Kicking On

What's today? .... oh yeah! ... it's Thursday. That means power outages throughout.

Seriously, who needs an alarm clock ... when the generator and surge protectors all beep on and off?

Thursdays are the days in this part of Pune where the power is cycled off occasionally ... rolling outages.

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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

A Package Arrived from Home

I knew that it was coming ... just not quite sure when it would get here ... yesterday (Tuesday) I finally got it ... a box from home. (Hooray!)

So now I have my PopTarts(r) ... I mean, after all, what's a guy like me doing in India without my PopTarts? ... they are one of several sweet snacks that are just too yummy ... a certain vice perhaps, but a delicious one nonetheless.

Other munchies arrived (sorry to say that the Halloween candy didn't make this trip very well ... the bag popped open and the candy mixed with the styrofoam peanuts). Now when I am watching late night Hindi TV, I will have several tastes of home.

And some cards from my family, too. They were very sweet! ... brought a smile to my evening. I miss them very much ... and it won't be long before seeing them.

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A Really Good Workshop (If I Do Say So Myself)

A huge thank you to my friend and colleague from back home who sent over materials for this workshop.

Today I delivered an interesting workshop for the Pune Team - giving them a chance to experience ... what I called "ILT American Style."

I think that some real breakthroughs were made as well ... particularly around how to communicate and what to communicate between my firm and the Pune Team.

They've become more comfortable with me ... they've always been gracious and wonderfully accommodating ... but today I actually saw some of them apply what we've been discussing these last weeks - becoming more comfortable asking questions and pushing back a bit when they want to suggest an idea to make projects better.

Ahhh ... the sweet smell of success!

And I really have to hand it to them over here ... this is something that they're not typically used to doing. So it really was a big leap for many of them.

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A Rooftop Birthday Bash

Today was the birthday of one of the Pune team. We gathered together on the rooftop of the office building to celebrate. I have to say that it was pretty cool - as in awesome ... not as in temperature. And I was grateful that they invited me to be a part of the celebration.

There was cake and sandwiches and chips ... and we all hung around outside on our little terrace - five stories up - looking over the city itself ... just as the lights were starting to come on in the buildings off in the distance.

It was a nice break during the workday.

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Monday, November 27, 2006

A Rough Day

I knew that it was bound to happen - eventually ... and it seemed to hit me hard today for some reason. I thought that it might creep up on me last Thursday - thinking of home, hearth and family; but it was a work day here ... so I was able to keep a focus on the immediate things around me regarding work.

But today - maybe because it was a holiday here ... and as much as I tried to get some work done from the hotel room ... this was the day it hit ... and it hit hard.

It's been a long time away from family ... and November is a month filled with family events (birthdays, holidays, beginning of Advent, and the inevitable planning for Christmas) ... as much as I know that I will be home soon, today was when my heart just ached.

And it was very difficult to concentrate on anything work-related today ... my mind wandering to over 10 timezones away - missing what some may refer to as the mundane day-to-day ... but those day-to-day moments, no matter how ordinary or mundane or routine, are that which mean so much to this middle-aged guy.

For instance ... my little man will be auditioning for a county-wide arts program next weekend. When he was nominated for the program ... coming home from school ... pulling out the nomination sheet and information packet ... and saying with gusto, "This was the best news ALL WEEK!" ... telling us all about the program and how much he wants to be a part of it. ...

And I'll be missing out on the day of the audition ... being there to wrap my arms around him ... in congratulations or in a comforting hug. ...

OK ... I knew this was part of the deal by going here. I'm not regretting this trip FOR A SECOND! ... And I'm grateful for the opportunity ... It's just difficult at times ... today being most difficult ... that's all.

So, what did I do?
One thing was to go to Youtube and listened to/watched one of my favorite songs (it may not be everyone's cup of tea ...) by Mercy Me - I Can Only Imagine ...

A University City

If you look up Pune on Wikipedia, you'll read that this is called "The Oxford of the East" because of all the colleges and universities here. In fact, Pune is VERY famous for being a 'college town.' ... the most famous being Pune University, itself.

And I've been told by many in the Pune team (who've received their degrees from it) that Pune University has probably the most rigorous academic requirements pretty much anywhere in India.

Apparently, when you graduate from a university in India you must take an exam whose purpose is to certify your degree. And this exam is quite difficult, I am told. (There are a lot of colleges and educational institutions that are not accredited, so the need of this exam is universal here in India).

Well, if you graduate from Pune University you do not have to sit for this certification exam. Your degree is automatically certified just be making it and graduating ... and having Pune University on your resume is quite a feather in your cap.

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Cultural Day: Dinner and Dancing (Whew!)

(Part Seven)

Whew! The entertainment lasted until 10 pm or so ... four and a half hours of music, dance, comedy and sheer fun ... and then it was dinner ... YUP ... Dinner at 10pm ... I've posted before about how late everyone eats here.

It was a glorious buffet set up in the back of the lawn area, with servers from the banquet hall company manning the hot dishes.

The buffet table was essentially divided in half ... vegetarian only on the right side and non-veggie food on the left.

And, boy! was it delicious. I took my very oversized plate ... it was much more the size of a platter - at least 20" diameter ... and tried just about everything they had available on the non-veggie side.

Sitting at a table, everyone looked at me a bit quizzically and each asked if I am able to eat the spicy food. "I am doing just fine with the food, thank you, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit."

And spicy was an understatement ... whether it was the rice, chicken, or hot and cold salads my taste buds were brought to life with curry, chilis, pepper, coriander, and I'm sure a whole handful of spices I'm not familiar with ... and I relished each and every bite. YUMMMMMMMMM ... even went for a second round.

During dinner I had the opportunity to meet others from the Pune team who work with other clients besides my firm. So, we did "talk shop" a bit ... but I really wanted to learn as much as possible about Pune from their point of view as well as life in general here in India. And - as always - everyone was gracious ... willing to teach me about this area, its history and what it's like to live here.

After dinner the hall opened up to dancing ... the party was just getting started at 11:30pm ... but I was so tired, that I came back to the hotel ... arriving here slightly after midnight.

A night that was very special ...

Cultural Day: Fashion Show & Awards

(Part Six)

The evening's fun ended with a fashion show ... again, I'm hoping that others took photos of this as I was not doing very well with the camera by this time ... The fashion show was a celebration of the ages as seen through Indian dress - traditional and modern.

Then it was the presentation of the awards for the Sports Day events ... handed out by the company officers from the Delhi office ... to those individuals and teams who came in first in soccer football, relay races, chess, carem, and lemon/spoon race.

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Cultural Day: History of Dance

(Part Five)

There was soooo much dancing too. [You must rent a Bollywood movie to really know what I'm talking about ... give Bride and Prejudice a try, since it's an adaptation of the novel Pride and Prejudice ... you'll see quite a few Bollywood song and dance numbers. It really is difficult to describe, since we don't have anything comparable to it in the US. Even our movie musicals (like Singing in the Rain or The Bandwagon) don't compare very well as a reference point. Get a Bollywood movie and you'll see what I mean. ]

Okay ... this is where my ineptitude in taking night time photos - and of dancers - just shows ... sorry about the blurriness ... I'm hoping that someone else has much better pictures of all the dance numbers so I can keep them as a fitting memento of the night's fun.

This group were decked out in T-shirts, wraps, and body paint ... they danced to a raucous song that had everyone hooting, cheering and clapping. They were such a hit, that the crowd chanted: "Once more! Once more! Once more!" ... so, after a few minutes to catch their breath, the troupe came back onstage to perform the number again.



The one thing I'm sorry that I didn't capture in photos was a "history of dance" from the movies. A troupe from the Pune team danced to numbers that were from the 60's, 70's, 80's ... and concluded with a HUGE Bollywood number - with at least 20 people onstage dancing to an incredibly fast and driving beat.


They even changed costumes inbetween the musical numbers - the costumes reflecting the era ... so, we had "mod" suits for the 60's, sequinned shirts and headbands for a disco number, jeans and t-shirts for an 80's number and such ... And the lights played an important role as well ... effects from a glitter ball, flashing colors of red, yellow, orange, and green ... a strobe ... I mean it was quite a production number!


And the talent was awesome. I've met and worked with several of these folks ... and their personalities at the office are nothing like what I saw on stage tonight. They are soooo serious at work, and quiet too. But when the drums and music started to blast through the speakers ... LOOK OUT! ...

Cultural Day: Skits, Music and Dance

(Part Four)

The evening's fun was filled with lots and lots (I mean LOTS) of entertainment of a wide variety!

All of the skits were performed in Hindi and/or Mahrati (the local language here), so I needed a lot of help from a translator, who filled me in on the basics of what I was watching. It didn't really matter to me, though, because so much of the night's fun for me was also watching the crowd's reactions.

Just to be able to be with such a group of people all having a great time - enjoying the night laughing, hooting (which is not like heckling in the US ... it's more a show of support) and applauding ... THAT was as much fun for me as watching all the acts on stage.







 

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Cultural Day: After the Band

(Part Three)

ISM's set is finished ... they're breaking down their setup ... and the master of ceremonies announces that there will be plenty of other entertainment and even a little game played throughout the evening.

At various points throughout the evening, he'd come out and ask a question (like the old TV Game Show, "Let's Make a Deal") if anyone in the audience had some sort of article of clothing or object ...

The requested items ranged from a yellow scarf/kerchief, red handbag, green cap, pink cap, a 1-Rupee note, a 1,000-Rupee note, a sock with only one hole in it ... and so forth. Anyone who had the article was to get on stage to show the audience, and then they could claim a prize (a wrapped present of some kind). I didn't have any of the objects called, so I didn't win a prize ... oh well.

The next act was a duo who rapped (this is the best description I can think of ... it was actually more of a cross between rap and R&B vocal flourishes with some chanting thrown in for good measure) ... in a sort of 'challenge' where each would do a quick vocal bit, then the other would match it ... going back and forth between the two as an entertaining 'one-ups-man-ship' performance. The crowd went wild with it!

 

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Cultural Day: Opening Act (ISM)

(Part Two)

After the soloist finished, the evening started off with a performance by ISM - The Incredible Sound Machine - a band made up of members from the Pune team. They played a couple of Hindi songs ... the crowd recognized them and even sang along with the chorus ... from famous movies.

The lead guitarist is someone that I've been working closely with during these last few weeks. Some of my co-workers at home may recognize him.

Not only did they play Hindi songs, there were also songs from Pearl Jam and Linkin Park. So there was something for us 'temporarily transplanted Americans' as well.

And here's that lead guitarist again ... playing the licks from Chop Suey!

 

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Sunday, November 26, 2006

Cultural Day: Sunday 11/26

(Part one)

This is an annual event for the Pune team ... they've been doing this for the last few years, I'm told ... where they all come together to have some fun by enjoying music, skits, dancing, and a fashion show.

It is such a big event, in fact, that the company's chief officers flew in from the Dehli office just for this event. Even one of the founders of this company was there. (Those back home in my firm have met one of the founding brothers back in January '06.)

The event was held in an enclosed outdoor area ... sort of like a large outdoor garden that is part of a banquet hall or small convention center of sorts. It reminded me much of the kind of place where one would have a large wedding reception.

The stage was set up with sound equipment and all manner of lights. The lawn had tables and chairs all scattered ... with the rose colored table cloths it looked to me like a very large garden party.

The evening's entertainment began a little after 5:30 pm ... starting with a beautiful Hindi song (of course I don't know the lyrics, but I was captivated by the haunting melody as the singer soared to a very high soprano)

It is rather hard to tell from these photos ... sorry ... I'm not used to night time photography with the camera ... but her sari was an exquisite black peppered with sequins.

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A Brand Name that Means What it Says

This one is filed under the "say what you mean; mean what you say" category ... and I just can't resist this.

We're all familiar with the brand names of plumbing and bathroom fixings in the US ... Kohler, for example ... well ... the one brand name that I've come across is:

Here's a brand name that pretty clearly tells you what it's for ...

 

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Saturday, November 25, 2006

It's a mini-UN

I don't believe that I've posted about this ... sorry ... but, at the hotel here it's like a mini-United Nations. There are others from the US here (in fact, there's a person from Texas who is also working with the Pune team ... for a different firm and for a different reason).

There's a rather large UK contingent ... and BOY! can they get loud at dinner whenever a soccer football match is on the television (which is augmented considerably with several bottles of wine flowing at their table ... the loudness, that is). And tonight was the loudest and most boisterous of all ... tonight on ESPN was a match between Liverpool and Manchester City. I was told by one of the guys here that this is a bitter rivalry. (I noticed that the fans in the stands take to throwing all sorts of objects at the players on the field).

There are two gents from Croatia ... no, they do not watch ER and have not heard of Dr. Kovacs.

Germany is represented, as well as France (in the person of an older guy who has taken to sitting in a booth in the lounge with his laptop).

And a delegation from Japan is here as well.

Interesting note ... nearly all of these travellers are men.

I have only indulged in the small talk of "where are you from," "what are you doing here," "how long will you be staying," and "do you like it here?" Beyond that it has been mostly hellos and goodbyes as we pass each other in the hallway or entrance to the hotel.

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Friday, November 24, 2006

Two More Weeks to Go

Can it be? Yep ... I just checked the calendar and as of tomorrow (Saturday 11/25) there's just two more weeks left to my assignment here in Pune India.

Wow!

Tomorrow will be a short workday; and then I'll rest.

Sunday is "Cultural Day" and I've been invited ... don't quite know what will be in store ... but it sounds like fun. There will be live music - performed by a band led by a leader of the Pune team. I'll be sure to take pictures.

(I better get shopping soon!)

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

What I Am Thankful For ...

It's official ... right now (in my neck of the woods) it is Thursday 11/23 ... just another workday here in India; but it is Thanksgiving in the US.

So what am I thankful for? (a short list, in no particular order)

  • for a job that pays the bills (mostly)
  • for this opportunity to travel to India, meet and work with the Pune team, to learn about and experience a new culture firsthand
  • for mom, dad, grandma and my sister ... who knew me as an obnoxious teenager and didn't kill me (as much as they may have wanted to at times) ... for their constant support, prayers and love right now.
  • for my (our) friends back home (and those whom I've befriended at work) who have helped us through tough times, invited us to spend vacations with them, celebrated with us and have invited us to celebrate with them all those milestones of First Holy Communions, birthdays, funerals and such ... who "check in" with my family at home while I'm 10-1/2 hours away ... and who are just there when that's all we need - just being there with us through this adventure of life

ESPECIALLY and MOST IMPORTANTLY ... for my family ... my safe harbor in this sometimes tempest-tossed world. My wife and her love sustains me and challenges me to become a better husband and man. My son is a reflection of the wonder and awesomeness of God's creation. It is a gift, a privilege ... and sometimes for me it is a personally daunting task ... to be entrusted with his care. He is fun to be around and to learn from ... to share quiet moments together and to join with him in a battle to the death in a game. Both he and my wife are the greatest blessing I could ever have wished for.

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If It's Thursday, then It must Be Power-Outage Day

It's a weekly ritual ... lights on/lights off ... and it's started again in the morning.

Likely to be this way throughout the day. I'm getting used to it.

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What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Of course my being away from home during Thanksgiving is a bit difficult to take. I know, I know ... I agreed to this timeframe for the assignment ... yet, still ... and everyone in the firm acknowledges this, so I know that this is not going unnoticed ... this is a sacrifice for me and my entire family. Because that is what Thanksgiving is all about for me - the blessings of having such a great and loving family!

I just couldn't resist this one ... which I found on some other blog that I read ... I just love the fact where my results say: "People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why."

Too funny! Made me laugh.

So, the part of Thanksgiving that's me (or is that 'that's I?') ... I'm the stuffing.

You Are The Stuffing
You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.
 
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Tuesday, November 21, 2006

A Universal Dislike of the Tax Man

While having breakfast this morning (Wed), one of the managers of the hotel ... she is also a partner in the corporation that owns the hotel ... came by my table to ask how I was enjoying my stay. I was complimentary of everything I've encountered so far.

"That is good to hear, sir," she replied. "Today is a difficulty day."

"Oh?" I ask. "What is wrong?"

"Today the sales tax authorities are here. Of course, they're here to line their own pockets."

Hmmmmm .... a near universal dislike of the tax man.

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Elegant to the Max

All I needed was a teaspoon ... let me set the stage ...

The lounge here at the hotel (I'll have to take a photo of it to share) is such that there are usually three to four waiters serving a total of about six to eight tables. So, they have this room pretty well covered. All I need do is look in their general direction and I have a couple of the waiters (they're all men, by the way ... don't really know why) approach me at my table. I've mentioned before how their service is nothing short of fantastic.

So ... I wanted a teaspoon.

The waiter goes over to his stash, picks up a tray (the kind you'd normally bring a set of dishes on), places a doily on the tray and then sets the teaspoon in the center of the doily on the tray. He glides over to my table to "present" me with the teaspoon.

The kinds of places I would go to back home usually have their spoons and other plastic cutlery out in the center of the floor - each individually wrapped in cellophane - for me to take.

But ... no ... I get mine here presented to me on a doily. Too cool.

And to a person, every time I say 'thank you' ... they'll respond, "My pleasure, sir." It doesn't matter what it is. They bring over my toast in the morning ... 'thank you' ... "My pleasure, sir." ...

'May I have another cup of coffee, please?" ... "My pleasure, sir."

I'm getting spoiled.

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Monday, November 20, 2006

It's Hot in Pune

Today's high will get up to 88 (Farenheit) ... with sun and some clouds. And this is very typical here in Pune. I knew that this was to be expected to some degree ... after all, I'm closer to the equator here than in my hometown (which by the way is looking at high of 47 today).

And they call this their "winter weather."

The thing about the heat here, though, is that you can get dehydrated very quickly ... especially in the afternoon sun. Because Pune is situated on a mountain plateau, there isn't much in the way of humidity.

So when you perspire (and I've been doing a lot of that! ... thanks for sharing ... I know ... ), it just jumps right off your body fairly quickly. So, your body does cool down; however, you lose so much water that you can dehydrate before you even know it.

I've gotten used to carrying a bottle of water around wherever I go ... otherwise there'd be lots of trouble for me.

This means, too, that you have to be very careful about alcohol consumption here ... beer/wine will speed up the dehydration process.

This past Saturday I almost slipped into some nasty heat-related problems. With all of the walking around in the sun ... by the time I finished lunch I was in the midst of a horrible headache ... I mean the kind that makes you want to crawl under the covers, close all of the curtains and just zone out in quiet darkness. Lesson learned ... need to watch my fluids and pace myself a bit better.

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My Reading List

Besides diving into blogs and other news/opinion sites (I use Google Reader for my web-based RSS aggregator) ... there's also an English newspaper - The India Times - that is delivered to my door each day, weekends included.

On top of those, I did bring four books ... three of which are in my done column.

Okay ... I love Star Wars - the epic saga, a geek's paradise, and especially in the original trilogy (#'s 4, 5, & 6) I thought the characters' stories and development were just too cool. I mean, who wouldn't hold back a small tear at the end of Episode 5 when Han is being lowered into the carbonite freezing chamber and the shot cuts to Chewie as he cries out in a desperate wail ... okay ... might not be your particular cup of tea ... but I like it.

So, why bring up Star Wars in a post about my reading list ... simple.

Before leaving for India, I mused to my wife that it would be neat to learn how the rest of the story goes ... you know ... into episodes 7, 8, and 9. And within a few days of departure, my wife found the three authorized novels that indeed tell the story. (We love yard sales in my family)

And those are the three books that I've finished so far. (The New Republic is threatened anew by the remnants of the Empire, but in true heroic fashion Luke, Han, Leia - whose now married to Han and is expecting twin children - Chewie, Calrissian, and all your favorite characters save the galaxy from the new threats.)

My next one is a novel about WWI, written by Jeff Shaara - To the Last Man.

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Sunday, November 19, 2006

At the Half-Way Mark

In a somewhat biblical (albeit unintentional) arrangement, my assignment in India - including travel time - is 40 days.

As of today ... it is officially half over. I've reached the 20-day mark. Wow!

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Shopping on a Saturday

After all of the excursions to the three great sites today (Saturday) ... Parvati Temple, Kelkar Museum, Snake Park and Zoo ... and right before lunch, I went to a grocery store.

I just ran out of toothpaste and ... well ... that's something that I really can't do without.

Besides picking up the essentials, I also purchased some snacks ... more the traditional Indian snack foods rather than those I'd usually eat at home (potato chips, popcorn and such) ... hey! ... while in Pune - do as the Pune folks do ... (I don't know if it should be Puneites or Puneians - hmmm).

So, the Planters nuts are my one nod to a snack I'd have in the US ... all of the others are more in the line of Indian snackfoods - some spicy, others not ...

Grand total for all the stuff (some not shown here): 1010.00 Rupees, which at today's rate is about $22. Wouldn't you know that the Planters Cashews are the most expensive at 499 Rupees ($11 US) ... oh well.

The gift and souvenir shopping will be another day ... but now when the munchies strike in the night (that sounds like an interesting song title: When the Munchies Strike at Night), now I have something to quell the grumbling.

By the way, the toothpaste cost 45 Rupees ... that's roughly $1.

Update: Where I've Been So Far

So, I've updated this interactive map to show you where I've traveled so far in Pune.

You can click/drag the map image ... and be sure to click on those little markers. They'll describe the places I've been.

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The Raja Kelkar Museum - Part of Saturday's Excursions

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the museum ... as they are not allowed. Don't want to get into trouble.

We visited this museum - in the heart of Old Town Pune - as our second stop ... before the Snake Park and Zoo. It is a three story building filled with exhibits of all kinds.

The museum is the collection of Mr Kelkar - an historian and cultural guru of sorts - that was turned over to the city of Pune and government of India as a way to celebrate and preserve the culture and heritage of this amazing place.

There are artifacts ranging from several centuries ... the most impressive are the doors and facades ... okay ... just imagine the amount of effort to remove an entire building's facade and then reassemble it inside a museum ... and there are many such exhibits in the museum.

By far the most exquisite displays were the carved, ivory doors ... oh my goodness! ... there was one door - standing about 8 feet tall - that had inlaid ivory carvings of lotus flowers and leaves. Each one was no bigger than a quarter ... So, there were numerous carvings going the full length and width of the door.

I did purchase a souvenir book from the museum that contains a description of the museum and many photos of the exhibits on display. So, even without my being able to take photos I can still remember this experience ... and show my family and friends what I did see.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Right Before Lunch: Rajiv Ghandi Zoo

"Leopards and tigers and bears ... oh my." The zoo is next to the Snake Park ... it's in the same complex, really ... they are just two halves of the same park ... on the left are the snakes and on the right is the zoo.

All of the animals are indigenous to India ... macaques, deer, sloth bear ... and a white bengal tiger - who was being rather uncooperative .... Didn't he get the memo that I was coming? At least he could have come a bit closer (I had to use maximum zoom on the camers) and turn his head? 

 

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Covering All the Bases

File this one under "cover all your bases ... so as to be absolutely, explicitly clear to anyone who visits." I just couldn't resist snapping this photo of a sign in the snake park. The park administration can't say they didn't warn you.

I think they meant "heckle" rather than 'hackle,' which are feathers on the back of a birds neck. One could "raise my hackles," but I don't think that's what they meant here ... could be wrong ... but just guessing that "heckle" is among the prohibited behaviors.

But they're missing ... do not pet or feed the animals. I guess if you happen to fall into one of the pits, you become fair game (pun fully intended).

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Stop Three on Saturday - Zoo and Snake Park

The Katraj Snake Park was our next stop on Saturday. Quite a few pits of all kinds of snakes that are found throughout India. Some are venomous ... others not. As well as snakes, there are reptiles of all species, shapes and sizes.

This is just a single python basking under a heat lamp.

All of the animals are indigenous to the Indian sub-continent. Thankfully, this is the only true wildlife in Pune (except for the drivers, of course)

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Going to Our Next Stop ...

I've posted before about the traffic in Pune ... well ... here are some shots of that "organized chaos" as we were making our way to the second stop of the day - the Raja Kelkar Museum.

Pune is in the Guiness Book of World Records has having the most two-wheeler accidents in the world ....... ummmmm ........ yeah ........ Pune has the most two-wheelers, period!

The exhaust from all those cars, buses, mortobikes ... along with the dust from construction and the side of the roads ... is not the most pleasant of things (obviously). So many here will wear a mask or scarf over their nose and mouth. And people will just hop in and out of vehicles right in the middle of the street.

Pedestrians are another matter entirely ... there is no such thing as crossing a street at the corner. You cross the street at any place you darned well please ... traffic weaving around you as you go to the other side.

I have been amazed each and every time at the traffic here.

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More at Parvati Temple

Looking up from the main temple area you can see the "thinking place" (which I got to go to ... that's where the photo of the city of Pune was taken). I'm told that this would be a place where the Peshwa ruler would come to think and to survey his territory. Facing east, we could see the sun rising over the city.

I managed to catch a snap of my friend and tour guide for the day ... he's from the Pune Team. The buildings behind him ... the one on the right is another temple area; and the one on the left is the palace court, which is now a muesum.

So, this was a fortress and a royal residence ... as well as is a temple still visited by many folks each day. I wasn't allowed to take photos inside the museum (but I did pick up a booklet that contains many pictures of the items there). The museum is filled with tons of items ... from everyday utensils, to the adornments placed on elephants and horses, to musical instruments, to jewelry, and so forth.

In the middle of the room - which served as the main court of the Peshwa ruler - were actually litters used to carry the king and queen. Okay ... imagine being one of the poor guys having to carry the litter up and down that danged mountain. Talk about being in great shape.

This photo is of the gardens which are right outside the museum. ... Lush and filled with flowers of different colors ... hard to believe that it is the middle of November!

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Saturday Sightseeing: Parvati Temple

Today, a friend from the Pune team took me around the city ... It was a jam-packed day, which started at 7am. The first stop was the Parvati Temple. Here's a view of it as you approach it from the road ... Yes! It is very high up!. It is actuall 2100 feet above sea level .

There are 105 steps to climb in order to get to the top. Each step is about 6 feet deep and about 10-12 feet wide ... and the problem is that the steps are not level ... they are all at the same incline as the mountain you're walking ... I'm guessing that the steps are themselves at a 10 to 15-degree slope. There were quite a few people walking up and down ... some of the more athletic (and you really have to be in good shape for this!) were running. I've been told that folks will sometimes go up and down three times as part of their morning exercise routine. I had to stop in mid-climb once to catch my breath.

Once arriving at the top ... and catching my breath yet again ... I got to explore the temple grounds and buildings. There are actually several temples on the grounds. This one is the main temple area ... the temple is dedicated to Parvati, who is the goddess of love, wife of Lord Shiva and the mother of Lord Ganesh. So there are also shrines to Ganesh and many symbols of Shiva all around. And, of course, when entering a temple area ... the shoes must come off.

When it is open, you can pay 2 rupees to gain access to the wall surrounding the temple area. Not only is this a temple ... it was at one time a fortress. So, I was imagining myself being a sentry on the walls looking down the mountain. The one thing is that there are not guard rails (no pun intended) to prevent you from tumbling over the edge ... so ... gotta be careful. 2100 feet is a long way down. This picture is of the main temple area looking down from the wall.

From the fortress wall you can look down to see the city of Pune, which sprawls all along ... as you can see. The morning fog hadn't quite burned off just yet ... but you could still see plenty in the distance.

 

Walking around the temple, we came across another temple area ... this one dedicated to Lord Ganesh. I could only take photos as I was approaching ... were not allowed to once inside the temple proper. As we were approaching, we heard the chants of morning prayers.

 

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Friday, November 17, 2006

Happy Birthday, Mom

Today, November 17th is Mom's birthday ... the Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary! How appropriate.

I'm sorry that I'm not able to be there ... but I'm there in spirit.

Hope your day was a good one ... filled with joy and love.

 

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A Long Friday

I awoke at 4:20 am ... don't ask me why ...  I just did. Ugh! Couldn't get back to sleep as much as I tried; but to no avail. So, I made a cup of coffee in the room ... they have those little packets that make one cup at a time ... and read my email and newsreader (I use Google Reader ... which has become my RSS reader of choice) ... trying to keep up with the news here and back home.

Bleery-eyed I planned out my day ... had breakfast, which is always a treat here at the hotel. This morning's delights included chicken sausages, fried potato fritters (stuffed with spices), roasted potatoes with ample sprinklings of rosemary, scrambled eggs and toast. Then it was off to the office (I'm there usually be 10am local time here ... )

This was one of those sh*t hit the fan kind of days. But we all got through it with grace and style, I must say. A lot of digging into what went wrong ... and some action plans to work on getting solutions were the focus of today's work.

It is now 10pm local time ... and I've just finished having dinner. Tonight I just wanted something really substantial and un-exotic. So I opted for the pepper steak with veggies and mashed potatos. Yum ...

So, the day has come to an end ...

Tomorrow will be a full day of sight seeing for me here in Pune. I'll give a recap in another post ... with pictures and all.

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Thursday, November 16, 2006

A Lakh Is a Lot

... and a crore is more!

Two words that I've encountered with a great deal of frequency - from headlines to TV news shows to everyday conversations.

"15 lakh estimated in air passengers this year" was a headline in today's newspaper.

A lakh is part of a numbering system ... it is 100,000.

So, 15 lakh is 15*100,000 ... or 1.5 million ... but it would be written numerically as 15,00,000 instead of 1,500,000.
And 30 lakh is 3 million ... which would more commonly be written out as 30,00,000 instead of 3,000,000.
It's the same amount of zeros ... just organized differently. How's that for "new math?"

A crore is one hundred lakhs ... which is ten million.

My head hurts.

On Again - Off Again

Today was another day filled with power blips ... actually, it started last night. Tough part last night was that it played havoc with the hotel's servers ... I wasn't able to connect to the Internet. No email or blog posts. Oh well.

And throughout today (Thursday) the power is - how shall I say this? - in perpetual hiccups.

So, this is not the best analogy ... but I've been having pictures of Mr. Miyagi (you know ... that old guy from The Karate Kid ... played by Pat Morita ... who was also Arnold in Happy Days ... ) saying: "Lights on. Lights off."

The tough part is that the air conditioning goes out; and today is among the warmest since I've been here.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Food ... Glorious Food ...

"Food, glorious food!
Eat right through the menu.
Just loosen your belt
Two inches and then you
Work up a new appetite.
In this interlude --
The food,
Once again, food
Fabulous food,
Glorious food." (Lyrics by Lionel Bart from Oliver!)

Right before I left for India, a manager at my firm said: "We've sent many associates to India and have always brought them back home safely ... ten pounds lighter, perhaps ..."

Not me! I'm having none of it. Bring on the food and let's add to my ever-growing, middle-aged belly's width.

And I have taken the dive into Indian cuisine. Yes, it is spicy ... some spicier than others ... but oh so good.

Two dishes I've had and very much enjoyed:

Coriander Chutney - this has been the spiciest so far. I had it on Saturday ... in fact, the woman who was serving wore a knowing smile when she asked if I wanted to try it. "Yes, I would," was my reply. Her eyes followed me as I took my first taste ... and ... KAPLOW! I think she enjoyed my sudden expression of surprise. Yet, after the initial shock wore off, I managed to relish it all. It was served with steamed rice cakes that were used to mop up the chutney.

Biryani - this is a very traditional dish. There are as many variations on the recipe as there are those who prepare it. I opted for the chicken biryani. This variation included rice, pieces of chicken meat, sliced veggies and spices ... all served together in a clay pot (a small crock, really). On the side included a yogurt sauce that had cucumbers and red chilis ... so there was a cool and hot action going on.

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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Just Too Weird

Having dinner tonight was a mix of elegance with the weird ... in one of those 'dog-tilt-your-head-to-one-side' kind of ways.

I chose the grilled lamb chops with mint and chili sauce. YUM. And they were grilled right there in front of me ... an interesting little treat. The food and service were the elegant part.

The weird part is that in the lounge there are two televisions mounted on the walls ... they are each angled so that you can see what's on them from nearly every seat in the lounge. On one TV was a cricket match (I still don't understand the game even after watching lots of it on TV) and on the other was an episode from Animal Planet about hippos.

Cricket ... hippos ...

I fail to see the connection ... but it was quite amusing to say the least.

Good food, great service and interesting TV choices. Just too weird.

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A Quick Conversion Quiz

One US Dollar is (as of my writing this) is equal to 44.9 Indian Rupees.

I have to keep reminding myself of this conversion rate ... $1 is roughly equal to 44-45 Rupees ... and I'm still not used to doing the calculations in my head. Thank heavens for this website!

So, now I'm getting ready to settle my hotel bill for these last two weeks ... the rules for my trip are that I'm responsible for meals, drinks, and hotel services like laundry and such. The company pays for my room. ...

Here we go ... I'm handed several pieces of paper ... the bill is 11,372.00

My first reaction was a HUGE KNOT in my stomach ... because I just jump to thinking this as dollars ... For a moment there I thought I was going to have to take out a second mortgage ... but then it has to be converted. Oh, but wait ... this is in rupees ... whew!

But how much is this really?  Roughly $250.00 .. Okay, that's better.

These Very Very Late Days ...

... can sure take their toll. Okay ... a bit of perspective ...

I'm a morning person (just ask how annoying that is to my night-owl wife), which means that because I'm up and ready to go so early in the day ... I get really pooped out come 9:30 or 10:00 at night. I'm often found in quiet meditation on the living room couch at that time ... okay! ... I'm asleep.

And whoa boy! what a difference here in Pune! It is typical that I'm finishing work and getting my dinner at 9pm here. The deal here is the the Pune team do work late to be able to accommodate meetings with the teams back home. Let's say that the home team schedules a meeting for 9am EST ... this translates to a start time of 7:30pm local time in Pune. In a one hour meeting ... the Pune team is wrapping up work around 8:30 - 9:00 ... at night. Ugh

So, it's dinner anywhere from 8:30-10:00pm for me much of the time I've been here ... Of course, I don't want to go to sleep so soon after eating a full meal ... so I try ever so desperately to stay awake ... at least to stay vertical (I do tend to nod off while sitting in the chair in my room) ... because were I to lie down, I'm sure to wake up in the middle of the night with some heartburn ...

And you'd think that if I go to bed so much later, then my body would adjust and wake up at a reasonable hour in the morning, huh? NOPE! I still wake up at the time I'd usually do were I back in the USA ... These are very long days for me.


Monday, November 13, 2006

Rest in Peace, Bella

I've not posted about this, because other things either took precedence and ... well ... because I knew how hard this would be.

Upon my arriving in Pune, I received a call from home that our cat Bella had died. It was unexpected ... and it did sadden us all quite a lot.

She was a people cat, to be sure ... as you can see she'd just lay out and nap right on my lap. It became a nightly ritual of her cuddling up and dozing off on my lap ... until the puppy arrived - then she chose to stay upstairs in the bedrooms.

We got Bella from a shelter ... and I remember the day of her arrival: I came home from work, entered the front door only to find my little dude crouched on all fours peering underneath our loveseat ... "I'm looking for Bella."
"Uhhh ... what are you talking about?" I asked, a bit wary.
"We got her today."
And with one look at her, I was smitten with our little kitten.

Bella lived with us for several years; her death was unexpected. We believe that she was only five years old -- or thereabouts. But things just happened; and even with our vet's best of efforts, Bella died.

So just imagine my first night in Pune ... still a bit jet-lagged ... and mildly apprehensive and unsure of the adventures awaiting me ... when in the wee hours of the morning the phone rings Only to hear the sad news of Bella's passing. I could only reach out with my voice to comfort my family; and that was probably the most difficult part of all ... not being able to hug my family to reassure them. But that was just not in the cards.

Here are some photos of Bella ...

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My Northeast American Accent

I really don't get much into these quickie web surveys ... "What type of snack food are you?" kinds of things ... (Okay, I just made that up ... but I'm sure if you google around you'll find a quiz just like that).

But this one was a little different ... I found this on another blog I read regularly and thought to try it out ... just to see.

Lo and behold, they nailed it. My American accent is from the Northeast. Uh-huh.

What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Northeast

Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.

Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes
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More Photos from Sports Day

Looks like fun, huh? ... Well it was a lot of fun on Saturday!

Racing while holding a lemon on a spoon ... in your mouth

We won!! Whoo-hoo!!

Now it's the men's turn with the lemons and spoons.

A different race ... have to dash out to pick each one up ... return to put in the basket ... then go get the other one ... Lots of running back and forth.

Football (er ... soccer) stars in the making

A friendly lil' ol' tug of war. This year the rope held together (last year's actually broke sending both sides tumbling backwards)

No ... they're not injured ... just another race

The Sports Day Committee ... making all of this fun happen.

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