Bevo completed a long journey and finally showed up at my desk. Among the two suitcases of stuff that I brought back from the US, this had the privilege of being included. I had to (sigh!) cut it in order to make it fit in my luggage but glued it back soon as I got the chance. It was sitting at home since I didn't want to bring it to work since the Longhorns were winning and I didn't want to jinx them. So I waited and waited and now that the 'Horns won their season finale, it was time to bring him to work and tell everyone, "See, I'm still worshipping cattle."
Monday, January 12, 2009
A proud longhorn
Bevo completed a long journey and finally showed up at my desk. Among the two suitcases of stuff that I brought back from the US, this had the privilege of being included. I had to (sigh!) cut it in order to make it fit in my luggage but glued it back soon as I got the chance. It was sitting at home since I didn't want to bring it to work since the Longhorns were winning and I didn't want to jinx them. So I waited and waited and now that the 'Horns won their season finale, it was time to bring him to work and tell everyone, "See, I'm still worshipping cattle."
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Taad-gole, Parasailing and Shredded feet
Just spent the best day of my Pune stay so far. It's hard to see it being topped easily. A team from work planned a trip to Alibag, to visit the beaches there. Since not everyone from that team could make it, there were a few vacant spots on the rented bus and I jumped at the offer. This team is a very close, fun-loving group of people so that made the trip a lot of fun. There was antakshari and Bingo on the journey. So much screaming and shouting :) The thing was, it didn't feel like a trip with co-workers, it felt more like a college trip with the casual camaraderie and banter.- Coming to India I decided to indulge in all sort of foods, including fruits and vegetables that I won't normally find in the US.
One such item is "tegalu". These are sprouts of the palm tree that are planted, sprouted and then boiled. Another item is called "munjulu", basically fruits of the palmya tree. I love these things. 
I used to look forward to my annual trips to Vizag to eat them because you didn't get one ones in Hyderabad. And now, after maybe 15 years I got to eat them. At first I didn't believe my eyes when I saw a cart selling them. I ran to the cart, found out they were selling 3 for Rs. 10, and started. The vendor was amused by how eager I was to eat them. Soon the other members of our trip were curious and tried eating a few. It kinda made me sad to realize that there are people growing up in India right now who don't know these things. - At one of the beaches we visited, this guy was running a parasailing operation on the beach. He saw our group and approached us with an offer to carry us for a reduced price since we were a big group. For the low price of Rs. 250, I got to fly behind a jeep for a couple of minutes. It was great fun.
- The worst thing about the beach though was the rocks under the water. In all the inital excitement we didn't mind that these rocks were sharp but after the adrenalin wore off we realized that our feet were cut up pretty bad. A few guys were even bleeding from their cuts for a while. Luckily we had a few bandages to wrap. Also the salt water helped keep the wounds infection free while they were still raw.
- One interesting aspect was the flat nature of some of the beaches there. The land there was so flat that we had to walk about 150 meters to go from the high tide point to the low tide point. This of course meant that you could walk quite some distance into the water as well. I prefer that to the Vizag beaches where the drop-off is quite steep and scary.
- The drive to and from the beach itself was worth the cost of the trip. We drove through the beautiful ghats and as beautiful as they were in the daytime, they were even more beautiful at night, under the full moon. Just a beautiful vision the entire way back.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Night blindness
For almost a whole week, I had a bad problem - I couldn't drive at night. Saturday night, when I went out with my friend, the headlight of my bike went out. It must have happened when I turned on my bike with the light still on. For a guy that used to insist on people turning off all lights/air-conditioning/stereo before turning on their car, that was an inexcusable mistake. Thing is, it wasn't the first time I did it, but it clearly wasn't a problem before.
I didn't even notice it for a while while I was driving. Luckily I have "parking lights" that prevented me from getting tickets but basically, if I was driving at night, on an unfamiliar road, I'd have to drive at 5 kmph to avoid falling into any potential holes on the road. So no night driving! Had to leave work early, had to avoid meeting friends at night.
On the other end, the repair shop closest to my place closes at 6pm, exactly when I leave work. So when I took my bike there at 7pm, they did everything short of laughing in my face before politely asking me leave. The next day I drove like crazy just to make it there by 6:30pm and the guys, bless them, didn't make a fuss. They just repaired it as fast as they could.
The worst part with having no lights was that I couldn't fight back against my biggest nemeses on the road - the high-beamers. Everytime I see a gratuitous high-beam headed my way, I flick my own high beam to let them know that they should dip their lights. Now I couldn't do that. After the repair, I'm back to "communicating" with the other drivers on the road.
(In case you're wondering, my success rate at getting people to dip their headlights is about 1-in-30.)
I didn't even notice it for a while while I was driving. Luckily I have "parking lights" that prevented me from getting tickets but basically, if I was driving at night, on an unfamiliar road, I'd have to drive at 5 kmph to avoid falling into any potential holes on the road. So no night driving! Had to leave work early, had to avoid meeting friends at night.
On the other end, the repair shop closest to my place closes at 6pm, exactly when I leave work. So when I took my bike there at 7pm, they did everything short of laughing in my face before politely asking me leave. The next day I drove like crazy just to make it there by 6:30pm and the guys, bless them, didn't make a fuss. They just repaired it as fast as they could.
The worst part with having no lights was that I couldn't fight back against my biggest nemeses on the road - the high-beamers. Everytime I see a gratuitous high-beam headed my way, I flick my own high beam to let them know that they should dip their lights. Now I couldn't do that. After the repair, I'm back to "communicating" with the other drivers on the road.
(In case you're wondering, my success rate at getting people to dip their headlights is about 1-in-30.)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
You're fat!!!
Indians don't hold back when it comes to commenting on another person's figure/weight. Now maybe it's just people at my place of work. I'd also like to say, "maybe it's just because they've become very comfortable with me and don't feel the need to censor themselves". But the latter is definitely not true. My first day at work, J, a guy who met me when I was in Houston, told me that it looked like I'd gained 10 kgs (22 pounds) since he last saw me!
Since then the people at work don't seem to mind giving me a piece of their mind when it comes to my weight, or what I'm eating etc. Stuff like, "Are you sure you want to eat that?" or "Hmm, have you gained weight recently?" or "Man, if this is you now, I wonder what you'll look like after marriage." That last one comes from this observation that guys in India balloon up after marriage. That is understandable because these people are usually working odd hours, eating lousy food, which translates to not eating at all. But after marriage, with a wife that's cooking tasty food every meal, the weight gain is inevitable.
Thing is, I don't mind these comments because I actually have lost weight after coming to India, my clothes are loose. But the sad truth is that while I was average or a little above average when I was in the US, I will always be significantly over the average weight while I'm in India. (The plus side to this is that while I was definitely much below average height in the US, I am of average or at worst, slightly below average height in India. Almost all the girls at work are shorter than me, many by about 3-4 inches, which almost never happened in the US.)
One change I've noticed in India is that a lot more people are now getting health conscious. Indians will never balloon up like Americans simply because they walk a lot more, eat out a lot less and in general have a different genetic composition. But now I'm seeing more people frequenting Gyms. They're actually aware of what's in the food they're eating. They're not counting calories or obsessively dieting, but atleast they don't stare at me when I say "this food is too fattening". My parents, maybe because of constant nagging from me and my brother, have begun eating earlier in the nights and reduced the quantity of rice they eat. A good change.
One last observation. The "fat" Indians I have seen almost always fall into one particular body type. They don't seem to have any fat on their faces, but their midsection and posteriors gain weight. These are people who by looking at their face you'd think were thin but certainly have a "tire" around them.
Since then the people at work don't seem to mind giving me a piece of their mind when it comes to my weight, or what I'm eating etc. Stuff like, "Are you sure you want to eat that?" or "Hmm, have you gained weight recently?" or "Man, if this is you now, I wonder what you'll look like after marriage." That last one comes from this observation that guys in India balloon up after marriage. That is understandable because these people are usually working odd hours, eating lousy food, which translates to not eating at all. But after marriage, with a wife that's cooking tasty food every meal, the weight gain is inevitable.
Thing is, I don't mind these comments because I actually have lost weight after coming to India, my clothes are loose. But the sad truth is that while I was average or a little above average when I was in the US, I will always be significantly over the average weight while I'm in India. (The plus side to this is that while I was definitely much below average height in the US, I am of average or at worst, slightly below average height in India. Almost all the girls at work are shorter than me, many by about 3-4 inches, which almost never happened in the US.)
One change I've noticed in India is that a lot more people are now getting health conscious. Indians will never balloon up like Americans simply because they walk a lot more, eat out a lot less and in general have a different genetic composition. But now I'm seeing more people frequenting Gyms. They're actually aware of what's in the food they're eating. They're not counting calories or obsessively dieting, but atleast they don't stare at me when I say "this food is too fattening". My parents, maybe because of constant nagging from me and my brother, have begun eating earlier in the nights and reduced the quantity of rice they eat. A good change.
One last observation. The "fat" Indians I have seen almost always fall into one particular body type. They don't seem to have any fat on their faces, but their midsection and posteriors gain weight. These are people who by looking at their face you'd think were thin but certainly have a "tire" around them.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Saturday night: Out on the town
I barely spent a few hours at home this weekend. That's of course bad news for my apt (needed cleaning) and my clothes (needed washing). But it was worth it. It started off with cricket like last week. People were in better shape and fewer injuries. That was followed by a trip to a "Andhra Mess". I'm loving discovering these new eateries around town. This one in particular is closer to home and I anticipate coming here to eat once a week. (Incidentally, this mess is in a giant neighborhood called "Magarpatta City": more on this place later.)
Then I went home with the intention of taking a nap but couldn't sleep. I got a call from a friend who wanted to hang out, so I went to one of the malls in the city called E-Square. Turned out, my friend wanted to hit up a lounge called "Not Just Jazz By The Bay". This is a place that offers music and food and drinks. A slightly upscale clientèle and definitely one of the places to be on a Saturday night. Lots of well-dressed people, although you must keep in mind, in India jeans apparently count as "well-dressed".
They had a "cover" of Rs. 500 but apparently the way it works in most clubs/bars in India is that you pay the cover, and get coupons for that amount to be used there on that day. So in essence it turns out to be a "Rs. 500 minimum" instead of a cover. That was fine by me since I was starving and didn't want to pay an additional amount to eat the expensive "bar food". Also, we had to sit at the bar since all the tables were reserved. I didn't mind it so much and even got to chat a little with the bartender.
On Saturdays this place features a live band and on that day it was "One Night Stand" from Mumbai. I think this was a former college band that recently had a reunion. They covered a lot of popular classic rock songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's, so you can imagine I was very thrilled to be there. (I hate listening to new music unless it comes highly reviewed and recommended. Yeah, I'm close minded.) They were very good except for a few places where their guitarist screwed up the guitar solos.
One very odd thing I observed there is that there were kids in the place. And yes, they weren't "carding" anyone. So I guess underaged drinking isn't really a problem here. Also, my friend told me about how Shiv Sena went on a rampage a few years ago trying to shut down places like these. I just left that place thinking it's gotta be really hard to try and live like an Austinite over here in India.
Then I went home with the intention of taking a nap but couldn't sleep. I got a call from a friend who wanted to hang out, so I went to one of the malls in the city called E-Square. Turned out, my friend wanted to hit up a lounge called "Not Just Jazz By The Bay". This is a place that offers music and food and drinks. A slightly upscale clientèle and definitely one of the places to be on a Saturday night. Lots of well-dressed people, although you must keep in mind, in India jeans apparently count as "well-dressed".
They had a "cover" of Rs. 500 but apparently the way it works in most clubs/bars in India is that you pay the cover, and get coupons for that amount to be used there on that day. So in essence it turns out to be a "Rs. 500 minimum" instead of a cover. That was fine by me since I was starving and didn't want to pay an additional amount to eat the expensive "bar food". Also, we had to sit at the bar since all the tables were reserved. I didn't mind it so much and even got to chat a little with the bartender.
On Saturdays this place features a live band and on that day it was "One Night Stand" from Mumbai. I think this was a former college band that recently had a reunion. They covered a lot of popular classic rock songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's, so you can imagine I was very thrilled to be there. (I hate listening to new music unless it comes highly reviewed and recommended. Yeah, I'm close minded.) They were very good except for a few places where their guitarist screwed up the guitar solos.
One very odd thing I observed there is that there were kids in the place. And yes, they weren't "carding" anyone. So I guess underaged drinking isn't really a problem here. Also, my friend told me about how Shiv Sena went on a rampage a few years ago trying to shut down places like these. I just left that place thinking it's gotta be really hard to try and live like an Austinite over here in India.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The shortest period of happiness associated with a certain event
I woke up early Saturday morning to go play cricket. When I turned on the computer, one of the first bits of news I read was that Peyton Manning won the MVP, his third. It was a terrific start to the weekend. I was so excited, I fished out my Colts cap and wore it all day long, even at night. That meant that I was driving without a helmet and getting beaten up by the dusty roads but I didn't care. I was a happy Manning fan and I wanted to show it. He deserved to win, and I couldn't have been happier that he won it with a wide margin.
Then of course Sunday came, and since I wasn't at my apt, I had to wait till 10am to check the score of the Indy/SD playoff game and I saw they were in OT. I thought, OK, they can still pull it off. But they lost as a result of a drive by Phillip Rivers. Insanity. Ruined my Sunday. I couldn't even look at the Colts hat after that.
Oh well, there's always next year.
Then of course Sunday came, and since I wasn't at my apt, I had to wait till 10am to check the score of the Indy/SD playoff game and I saw they were in OT. I thought, OK, they can still pull it off. But they lost as a result of a drive by Phillip Rivers. Insanity. Ruined my Sunday. I couldn't even look at the Colts hat after that.
Oh well, there's always next year.
Friday, January 2, 2009
A very happy new year to everyone
I rang in the new year in a very sober environment, surrounded by a couple of married couples, a 9-year-old kid and a lot of colleagues from work. Not that it wasn't fun but it was no Dec 31st 2006.
What sucks is that today (Monday) is a working day for us, so we couldn't just stay up as long as we wanted. Inspite of trying to be a time Nazi, I couldn't close my eyes till 3am. And then get up by 7am so I could come to work.
Of course, work had a very "school's off" feel to it today. People sharing their NYE stories and wishing each other. Of course I could barely keep my eyes open all day and hope to catch up on my sleep tonight because there's another cricket match and a trip to the temple coming up.
What sucks is that today (Monday) is a working day for us, so we couldn't just stay up as long as we wanted. Inspite of trying to be a time Nazi, I couldn't close my eyes till 3am. And then get up by 7am so I could come to work.
Of course, work had a very "school's off" feel to it today. People sharing their NYE stories and wishing each other. Of course I could barely keep my eyes open all day and hope to catch up on my sleep tonight because there's another cricket match and a trip to the temple coming up.
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