Lean part of the trip

Its been a good ten days since I visited this place and wrote something. But the thing is, nothing major has been happening. This is the lean part of my trip. Work has been crazy and I am chasing a deadline for June 30. Can't wait for it to arrive and then have a blast over the long July 4 weekend!

The highlight of the last ten days has been my confirmation at the workplace after my 3 month probation. And I got a rating like I have never ever seen in my life before.Boss was incredibly happy with my performance and has given me a top rating. I almost couldn't believe that it was a rating done of MY performance!But felt great to have been evaluated on merit and being given tremendous encouragement for my future. All those dirty years of slogging, people accusing me of being incapable, etc just thrown into the backburner. Its my time in the sun now.

The Texas Folk Festival - June 12!

Ah! What a colourful Sunday it was! Got up at 12 noon, went and spent the next 3 hours in Kishan’s room. We had all planned a trip to visit the Texas folk festival happening right here in San Antonio.

Ten of us left the hotel at 4.45 p.m. and reached the venue after changing 2 buses. We were hit by colour, fun and frolic for the next 3 hours. Amazing fun! What liveliness! What energy around the place!

Got hold of the entry tickets and prowled around for a while, digesting the animation and colour at the festival. Grabbed a coke as it was blazing hot and then all of us took turns taking snaps at different spots inside the festival ground. We attended a small classroom, where an anchor ran us through a session where he explained how schools and classrooms worked centuries ago in Texas. There was even paper and quil ink on the tables that we were seated in. We had to write out our names in calligraphic versions on that paper using that quil ink. I just managed to write out the first letter of my name; just couldn’t hold that quil pen!

After this class, we cut wood! There was a huge axe in the middle of that foyer and we took turns cutting the wooded pieces strewn around the place. We then realized how tough it must have been for those guys in that era, cutting axe for a livelihood. And here we are, complaining about faulty air-conditioning systems in office! Get real!

The highlight of the festival had to be the next stop we made. There was this small hut where a man was playing some scintillating music with a wooden instrument that had 6 strings on it. We went into that shack and had an amazing musical composition. He patiently taught us the basics of using that instrument and we played it all in unison. It was as if, all of us were attending a music class. Simply breathtaking instrument! And then he removed another instrument that resembled a santoor! Not to miss, we took turns to play that instrument as well and when my turn came, the trainer remarked,” I like the way this kid is playing it”. Well, I was just shaking my head as if I was a expert at playing that instrument with my head movements synchronized with my hand movements etc!

And then, the belly dancers!Oops! All of them were amazing! Simply too good and so was the music. Fast, furious and the way these girls were moving on stage, sure did get all of us going! Can’t blame us, the girls were awesome, both to look at and at their dance! There was one girl who was especially good, in a lovely green attire. I thought I was the only one eyeing here, only to discover later that everyone who had come with me there was eyeing her as well. Hell, competition everywhere! Inside office, outside office!


Scouted around the rest of the festival, saw the Tower of America, tons of flags, a small museum and finally returned to the hotel by 9 p.m. Went with Ashwin to buy some groceries, returned and spent time in room no.1111 till 1 a.m. Vaishnavi was leaving back to India, and it was her send off. Had some terrific Indian grub that she had made for everybody! Sang my heart out too!

Trip to Bob's Cove

It was a day out in the countryside of Texas. Good fun indeed. There was an office picnic organized at Bob’s Cove. After yet another late Saturday morning with dawn at 11 a.m., five of us huddled into Ashwin’s car and hit the picturesque road to Bob’s Cove. We had a gala time in the car, with Sachin, Pavithra, Anand, Ashwin and I humming song after song, getting enamoured by the beautiful, winding road along the interiors of Texas, till we momentarily lost our way only to regain it in a few minutes! And finally arriving at the venue of the picnic, bang in time for lunch! Got there at around 2 p.m. and there weren’t too many people around from office. Looked like most of them would still be in bed…!

We hunted for other Americans we knew, but found nobody. Only Ashwin knew a few people. Pavithra found a couple of hunks and struck up conversation right after lunch, which was a sumptuous vegetarian burger with chips and coke! True blue, American food!

Once we were done with lunch, Ashwin and Pavithra hit the water, and Anand, Sachin & I went exploring the landscape around the Cove. We saw some beautiful ducks, a couple of private beach houses, which we were sure would be occupied by new honeymooners! After a long, animated conversation we explored the rough terrain in the interiors of the Cove, walking up muddy paths, taking snaps along the way, crossing a wooden bridge from which I almost fell off, and finally returning to the waterside. On getting there, Anand and Sachin wanted to jump in and called me in. I had unfortunately not taken my swim trunk along. So I told those guys to carry on and I would take care of all the paraphernalia that we had brought along! Not to mention, ogle at the babes in the bikinis there! Ooo, they were hot! It takes these American girls just a second to strip down to their swimsuits! Scores of girls came near the edge of the water, removed their robe and just jumped into the water in their tight bikinis. Amazing culture. For an Indian, I guess its something I have only seen on television.But I wasn’t complaining one bit to be seeing the action right in front of me!

Had a couple of cokes, took snaps of the beautiful landscape and all these guys were having fun in the water. I was humming songs and looking at the crowd around me. Looked around for a couple of the American girls from office, who had told me that they would come, but couldn’t find them.

Finally, these guys got out of the water after major fun and frolic and dried themselves off. It was 5.30 p.m. by the time we packed our stuff and headed back to our hotel in San Antonio.

On the way back, we stopped at an elevated position that had a snapshot of the entire horizon. Mind blowing sight and just took our breath away. Superb feeling of belonging with nature! Really got lost in the mountains, the trees, the blue water and the sights of the jet skis ripping on the water, as if somebody were riding a scooter in the middle of that huge lake! It was quite breathtaking, to say the least! We took tons of snaps there and on the way back too.

I was absolutely pooped on getting to the hotel and just wanted to crash. But we had a lovely music session going on in one of the rooms. Went there and we sang till 4 a.m. Quite an exhilarating experience to sing all those deep, old Hindi movie songs in the dead of the night with all the guys. It was Saturday night anyway!

Two days with my American boss!

Its been an incredibly happening week! I just booked tickets to the Big Apple! Got a good deal on the internet and decided to blow it up. After all, who knows if I will get another chance at all! So, just caught hold of my colleague, and booked the tickets online with his American credit card, as the airline needed US contact particulars etc. My temporary stay and contact details wouldn’t suffice. Really nice of that colleague, nice guy!

Of course, called Vali at New York and confirmed that he would pick me up and LaGuardia Airport. He said ok and would even take a day off and combine it with my weekend trip. That’s the hallmark of being friends with somebody for the best part of 16 years; some things just come, without having to ask for it. Can’t wait to meet Vali and gallavant all over one of the greatest metropolitan cities of the world! Wow, wow, wow! Not meaning to jump the gun here, but it’s like a childhood dream on the verge of coming true. Just hope no last minute deadline at work crops up. Will have a blast for sure!

The next day after I got my tickets to New York, my boss from the other end of the US landed up in office. It was truly a pleasure to meet him and the two days that he spent with us was an education for me in American, corporate professionalism. Amazing human being and incredibly down to earth. Nobody around could’ve believed that he was a Director in our firm! Sat down and had a long, marathon 2 hour session with him, where he ran me through different procedures of the firm. Our conversation began with one of the most positive feedback on my performance, which made me reinforce the self-belief that has been on the rise lately. Made me feel very good that I was assessed on my own merits and told where I was doing well and where I need to initiate efforts to improve. The meeting then drifted onto the current projects, the deadlines, the procedures involved etc.

After which, I threw some new ideas to him which he was very impressed with. I thanked all the hard work that I had put in over the last 4 years, to finally see a smile on a boss’s face, and a genuine one at that!

That was not all! This lovely boss of mine, escorted me personally to a training hall, introduced me to the training coordinator! Once that was done, we had a team dinner, again sponsored by this great boss! Well, since it was his treat, we had little choice in the venue. He wanted to eat seafood at Pappadeaux, which is one of the famous ones in San Antonio for that type of food. We just agreed. My team mate and I exchanged glances as we knew that we will not get anything remotely vegetarian at that restaurant!

Finally, headed for the restaurant and got in there pretty early. It was a Wednesday evening and to our surprise, the place was choc-a-bloc! The girl at the reception counter told us that it would take half an hour to get hold of a table for three. “Fine”, said my boss. He had his plans mapped out for the evening! He headed straight to the bar counter (learnt later that its called the Tavern) and ordered 3 mugs of beer. Am not too much of a beer-drinker, so left the choice of beer to my team mate! He told me to drink it slowly, lest, I get sloshed in front of the boss, on the dinner table! I just wanted to try what this thing called beer is all about, and didn’t want to miss the opportunity that had presented itself!

Once we were done with the drink, the call came that our table was free. We headed there immediately and had a long, animated conversation that revolved around careers, India vs the US, outsourcing, work related stuff, family backgrounds, how “tam brams” are the brightest talent from India etc! And for food, I had to make do with a salad, while my team mate dived into a plate of onion rings!

That was not all. Our boss sprung a surprise by ordering some dessert for us, after my team mate and I had stated that we were full! Well, in true boss style, the solution was, pack the dessert and save it for later! Wow!

We left the hotel, went to a pool parlour, but had to head back as I didn’t have my passport with me. Dropped our boss off at his hotel, returned to our hotel and crashed!

Music,dance and temple concert & swimming - June 4 & 5 weekend!

Saturday was more a case of catching up on lost sleep of Friday night, when all of us retired at around 3.30 a.m.The guys around me got drunk as hell and it got so bad that I had to physically drag Ashwin to his room and put him into bed. He was out, with some 3 rounds or rum, that too, on the rocks!Oof!But it was one helluva happening night, with all of us in the mood!Each one brought out one song better than the other and joined in the chorus.But the highlight was Pavithra who simply stole the show with her solo recital of that time-tested beauty,Killing Me Softly With His Song. Just stirred the deepest cords in me when she sang it with so much of flair and emotion! More numbers crept in with Ashwin,Anand,Vaishnavi & I hitting off on old Hindi songs - deeper ones emanating from our systems as the night advanced! Then on popular demand, Vaishnavi sang that MSS classic, Kurai Ondrum Illai in true carnatic style. She is am amazing singer and that is an understatement! What passion for singing!What energy!What involvement!What brilliance!And most of all, what a firm head on her shoulders!!More was to follow on Sunday!Got to my room with Hari at 2.a.m. and watched the movie, John Malkowitch for a while, before dozing off on the sofa itself.

We spent the rest of Saturday afternoon in the confines of Budget Suites(our hotel). Ashwin and Anand had still not recovered from their hangover of Friday night! Hunted the internet with Sucha for some good deals to NYC all afternoon,but the rates were incredibly exorbitant!Put the idea on hold, till we get a better deal to NYC, let's see. There are some painful roundabout routes, like getting to Philadelphia and then travelling to NYC etc, but have to look at the logistics.Wait and watch for now. Walked down with Sucha to the India store in the evening and bought some terrific Indian food!Slurp!Got back, checked email and watched Hum Tum for a while in Ashwin's room. We slept at 2 a.m. eventually.

Sunday was a very busy day.Woke up all of a sudden at 8.15 a.m and didn't have a clue as to what was going to come in the next few minutes, though pleasant! Got a call from Vaishnavi at 8.25 a.m. asking me what happened to my plans of coming with her to the temple,where she had a recital?I told her that all the cars headed there from our crowd, was full,so I can't make it. She then said that Alpesh is coming and I could hop in but would have to get ready in 5 minutes! That's it!I rushed,had a quick bath and was up in my new,red shirt and cream trouser in less than 5 minutes!Ashwin,Maalvika,Anand and Pavithra came in Ashwin's car while Alpesh,Hari,Vaishnavi,Harita and I went in Alpesh's car. It was a very fast-paced drive,but the countryside outside of San Antonio was very picturesque!Who said, Texas is a boring state?!!

We reached the temple in about half an hour and it was set in the backdrop of some beautiful hills,trees and a sloping road.Really nice place!Got into the temple and did some initial prayers, before Vaishnavi took off. Man!She is an artiste of HIGH calibre!Incredible voice modulation, terrific range of songs(carnatic to hindustani to bhajans!),great versatality,and utmost passion!Loved every single song that she sang and the crowd gathered at the temple instantly became her fan!We joked with her saying that she has an alternative career in singing,and can just chuck her job!

Once the music was done, there was a long discourse on the Ramayana by an elderly gentleman.He was relating the old epic to the current era and it made eminent sense!Quite enthralling,actually.And after all the rituals, we hit the snack room next door. Good Indian food and we gulped it down like starved pigs!Pains of staying away from home country you see!

Got back to the hotel, relaxed and had a brilliant Sunday evening!Swam!Rather, attempted to swim!Had my second swimming class with Anand.And this time, Vijay and Sachin joined in too,with Ashwin chipping in later!It was good fun. I finally managed to learn how to hold my breath under water, practiced kicking the water with my legs for movement holding the bar at the edge of the pool and finally, towards the end of the session, floated a wee bit too!!That gave me a big kick!Learning these two things are the key to swimming and the absolute basics. While I'ven't mastered it,I felt great that I managed to do it in my second session itself! Of course,this time, we guys got lucky in the pool. A lovely blonde was swimming around in a red swimsuit...!

Hit the jacuzzi with flavours of some passive conversation with Ashwin,Sachin and Anand.Finally,walked back to the room slowly,had a shower,and heated up parathas for dinner.Had them with Hari with full flurry and taste!Really enjoyed the dinner!Tried to sleep after that,but ended up helping hurry pack his luggage for his return trip to India!Slept at 4 a.m. eventually!Sigh!

Weekend begins - first fling at learning swimming,June 3 evening!

It was an eve to a weekend that I will remember! After a really hot day in office, Anand, Kishan, Harita and I walked to the bus stop to get to the hotel, but the bus ditches us! So we finally walked to another bus stop while Kishan & Harita walked all the way to the hotel. Anand & I got into an animated conversation about how we guys need to work hard to get the good girls for ourselves! He refused to believe that I didn't have a girlfriend! Left me wondering what I have done to make such a reputation (not that I am complaining, one bit!) .

We reached the hotel finally at around 7 p.m. and it was typical Texas weather - blazing! On a sudden hunch, Anand & Kishan decided to go to the swimming pool. They called me, but I was a touch scared about the water. But then I said, nothing doing, I am not going to miss it, I am coming!

And so, Friday evening began with my first ever dip into a swimming pool with Anand and Kishan, all the way in America! Never ever got anywhere close to a pool in India!

I was initially a bit apprehensive about hitting the pool, as we were approaching pool gate. I don't have a clue about swimming, why am I trying to enter this pool at all, is what I was thinking! But as with everything else in the last one year with me, I decided that I am not going to miss it, while the opportunity presents itself! And so,I jumped with Anand and Kishan into the pool! I froze!!!!!

It was a bit scary initially, but I stayed put at the 4 -5 feet level of water, lest I drown(though they told me that I will NOT drown as long as they are around with me!)! Am just 5'5" anyway, so no way could I drown! But I gulped down so much of water in the first few minutes, couldn't stand, didn’t know any of the intricacies to wade in water, was scared!

Gradually, as I got accustomed to the water, I started feeling a great sense of thrill in the water and started walking in water at the 4 feet water level. Then Anand taught me the first lessons in swimming - holding breath under water. I did that slowly counting seconds to hold my breath - first at 5-second intervals and then at 10 seconds intervals under the water. I was reminded of the days when I learnt cycling - I used to be just like this, scared and used to fall off from my bicycle every day! But now that I know cycling, it’s a life long skill that I have acquired. Same with swimming! Vowed to learn it by the time I return to India in August. And I have a fantastic guy like Anand to train me and er, save me if I enter deep waters!!!!! Skills can be acquired. Never let go the opportunity to do so!

We then stepped out of the main pool and went into a Jacuzzi. It was awesome! Warm water! Terrific experience! Finally, very reluctantly, exited from the pool, lay down on those benches (like I used to see in the movies), dried ourselves off and trudged back to the hotel room as we ogled at a couple of hot blondes entering the pool. Ah, what bad timing! I should've entered the pool then and screamed and gotten them to save me!!! Will remember to do that next time!!

Busy week - first week of June 05!

Its been an incredibly busy week.Just office,office and more of office!No time for anything else. Have been feeling miserable that I'ven't written for a few days!Here is a recap of the action this week so far:

Wednesday:
It was a good mix of office and shopping.During lunch break, went with Ashwin, Anand and Roopa to Frost Bank and encashed the June allowance.We were in such a lovely singing mood on the way to the bank that we enjoyed the lovely old Hindi songs that were played in the car CD player!Got back to office,and all ofus could barely stay awake!In the evening,went to the hotel,refreshed and headed to Target store and Walmart with Ashwin & Roopa. Walked all around Walmart and bought groceries for the first time ever in the US in these mega stores. Mind-blowing range of products!Just felt like buying one of each stuff from each shelf!

Am told that Walmart makes the manufacturers dance!Must be the ONLY retailer in the world who does that!Bought a long list of items and just blew up $50 on that - was not converting into rupees, but had I bought that merchandise in India,it would've dipped a hole of nothing less than a thousand bucks in India!Amazing prices here!Oh yes,took snaps of Roopa, Ashwin and myself outside Walmart - hope the snaps come out well!On the way back to the hotel from Walmart, we stopped over at KFC and had an apple pie!Delicious,slurp!As we were leaving,we sighted that the India store was open and barged into it!I bought parathas and my favourite brand of pickle,mango thokku(sorry, I don't know the English equivalent to this word!).

Thursday:
This was an unforgettable evening!It was the eve of Roopa's return to India!All of us had a blast!Left office early(as Norma dropped Roopa and me home in her Chevy Impala car), refreshed and watched some fine NBA action - Miami vs Detroit.We are all waiting for the next San Antonio Spurs match!Huge following of the same in office too, with banners all over the place,especially on the 4th floor, where the marketing guys sit!And then,the evening began!Roopa and Norma came to our (Hari & I) room,fully decked up!And then Prajjwol and Hariharan came in.We fooled around a bit,took tons of snaps(my camera conked in between)and they all left to room no.1111.I watched the NBA game fully and then went to room no.1108 and had a great time there!Ashwin, Anand,Vaishnavi and I hit some amazing cords and went into "sing-mode".We sang for nearly 3 hours -old Hindi songs,mesmerising carnatic(Indian classical)music(Vaishnavi is an awesome singer,a trained one at that!).It was just great!Pavithra joined us later and she hit off on some English songs,Killing me Softly being the killer!Wow!She's a super singer!

We dispersed at around 11.30p.m. and I went into room no.1111 to say bye to Roopa as she was leaving back to India the next morning.And in that room, I found another mehefil (singing session)going on with another bunch of 10 people!Joined them and sang till 1 a.m.Just too good,an awesome experience,regaling in old Indian music....quite scintillating!What deep cords we struck!Pavithra came there and sang another classic piece for us,later in the night!

Took some more snaps with Roopa and the rest,went for a short walk with Roopa,wished her a safe journey back and returned to my room at 1.30 a.m. and hit the sack!Couldn't get up this morning!

Car trolley in a store!

Was pretty much at home today playing with my niece,watching TV,browsing the internet etc.In the afternoon,went to a store near home to buy some groceries and saw a car-trolley!Its a trolley where kids can sit in a car sort of a cubicle in the front of the trolley,while the mothers can push the trolley and buy the groceries from the store.No hassle of keeping track in which part of the mall the kid is running around etc!Again, what struck me was the manner in which this country thinks through the simplest of processes.I mean, just going to a store with your kid and concentrating on what to buy at good prices, rather than hurrying up and getting distracted with a kid running around all over the place!Oof!

Chatted with Leena from Mumbai too,for a couple of hours,uploaded some photos onto my Yahoo Photos today and had total Indian food at home.No junk food for a change!

Returning to San Antonio tonight.

the Galleria mall- May 29!

It was an afternoon in upmarket,downtown Houston.Some real flavours of the US.Visited and loafed right through theGalleria mall.Reminded me so much of CrossRoads in Mumbai,The Forum in Bangalore and the Spencers Mall in Chennai, of course, those three being miniature versions of theGalleria.HUuuuuuuuuuuuuuge mall,very,very upmarket,all the leading brands,terrific jazz,amazing quality,brilliant decoration,fantastic ambience and of course,equally terrific prices!

Infact,I entered a women's store with my sister,can't pronounce it(Neimus Radis or something).And it had a wing full of lingerie,another wing full of gowns and party wear,another full wing of robes,coats and chic stuff,flannels,umbrellas that the really,really rich wave in the heat(remember people like Mrs.Thatcher,waving an umbrella with her hat on?Same type!)...oof,it was mind blowing!I had fertile imaginations of my dream girl(am still wondering who it is!)in those outfits and it had its impact on me!The very imagination of her was a WOW feeling!And to top it off,there were very,very UPMARKET bikinis!Made me say a bigger, WOW!


Had one of the experiences in my life,with a visit to Band & Olufsen,the electronics supergiant!Amazing products!And it was an experience in selling techniques for me at that store.There was this bespectacled professional,who met my brother-in-law and me at the door,pretty much figured out that it was our first trip to that expensive store,spoke to us so well,talked about the technologies behind those sound systems.And then gave us an experience, which we will treasure!He took us to a small room which had a couch each on two corners of the room,two sofas directly facing a home theatre system,and a fantastic stand with candle in that room.Speakers were there at each end of the hometheatre video screen.

Anand and I sat on the sofa facing the video screen and this salesman,played a clip from the movie,Kill Bill.Look at the way in which he made a sales pitch!To show us the stereo effects,as the scene enveloped on the screen,and the audio in the closed room reached a crescendo,the salesmen DIMMED the lights!Yes,for added effect!Oh!That was something else, I felt as if I were transported into some other place!Amazing piece of electronic genius and even better way of selling it!And as the scene in that clip ended,the bright lights came on again.Wow!I was almost wondering why on earth I was stuck with my bro-in-law:a hot chic in that romantic setting would've been a blast!But,it sure was an experience!Supposed to be one of the best audio systems in the world!

We exited that electronics store and a couple of carts went past us,full of cakes and cheese,with a hot blonde to follow!As Anand remarked to my stare at the hot blonde,"the icing on the cake,the blonde"..!!I just smiled!

We then went to Starbucks,and I got an aerial view of an ice rink!Yes,an ICE RINK!It was stupendous!People ripping at the rate of knots with ski shoes on,turning,skating,dancing with partners,playing the fool...quite amazing!We had our coffee and slowly trudged towards the ice rink on the grownd floor for a closer view.It was even better!Have taken a lot of snaps of that ice rink!Quite something else.The manner in which this country packages,markets and does anything is what has struck me most.I mean, an ice rink in the middle of a shopping mall!Such a simple concept and so real!And a great business idea,if I may add!

Got to learn some of these things from these Americans.They know to create avenues to enjoy life and make it accessible to the general public,even in upmarket malls.Terrific!

Came back home,checked email,chatted on the net with a few more India friends and crashed!Of course,I chatted with that new,lovely Chennai friend of mine too!

Katy Mills Mall - May 28!

I never knew that a human being could spend 6 hours in a shopping mall and still not be done for the day! That's exactly what happened today. We went to Katy Mills Mall here in Houston today.Reached at 12 noon and got back home only at dinner time! It was something else.

Beginning with the sprawling parking lot to the technology and range of products inside,it was something seen to be believed. I must have walked at least 5 kms inside that shopping mall today in the course of those 6- 7 hours.Not a very athletic rate of walking, but that's the key.Every stall/store/shop had me spellbound!

Hell, there was a big store for pets! Another one for yatching, cycling, canoeing, mountaineering, boating...basically,the rough terrain stuff! Shoes, jewelry, junk food, clothes, denim wear, summer wear (yes, revealing, colourful bikinis were there all over the place!), gadgets, phones, food stores, icecreams, coke vending machines, puppets, electronic stores,home utility stores,medicals,furnitures stores,painting and artifacts stores (a famous one called, Kirklands), stationery items, hats, caps, suits, lingerie, sexy negligees, balloons, pillows, CDs, DVDs, car interiors stores, caricature artistes... you name it,and that mall had it!

The highlight of the day HAD to be that massage I got for USD 12.00. Oh!What an experience!Was damn tired after walking all over the mall,taking snaps etc.And massage was just the right recipe to sign off the day.The guy was a trained massage-er, some Chinese variety,and he relaxed every inch of my masculine body,I swear.He even massaged a couple of hot blondes,lucky girls!Wish there were a babe to have massaged me,rather than this hunk!All the same,it was very,very refreshing and incredibly relaxing! There was another mechanised massage sofa too in that mall!I mean, the manner in which technology has permeated every facet of livelihood in this country, is seen to be believed!

Anyway,did some sample shopping here and there, had the best vanilla icecream of my life so far, ate a spicy garlic pretzel (not too much of a garlic freak, but this was yummy!), and finally left the mall at 6.45 p.m. Of course, was with Priya, Anand and Anjali throughout.

We ate at IndianWok on the way home and I was chatting with a couple of my Indian friends till 1 a.m - one from hometown Bangalore and one from Mumbai!Slept at 1.45 a.m.! Just crashed!

Drive home - May 27

The drive from Houston Hobby airport to my sister's home was something else. There was one big road that we entered called the Beltway 8. It was a looooooooooooooooooooong,very,very,very long road that we went on for nearly half an hour non-stop.Every vehicle on that road was ripping at, at least 120 mph.Huge road,with about 6 lanes,almost reminded me of an exaggerated version of Mount Road in Chennai,or Marine Drive in Bombay!The trip from the airport to the house was longer than the duration of my flight from San Antonio to Houston!Chatted away with Anand,and we stopped at a Starbucks Coffee joint on the way,before finally reaching home at ust past 7p.m.

Immediately,ran into the arms of my lovely little 4 year old niece, Anjali and played the fool with her!All of us then went out for dinner to one of my sister's friends' place, Umesh & Priya.It was pretty nearby and I dived into the food like a starved pig!Paav bhaji with masala,tomato rice and curd rice with Lays chips and Coke!Yummy!The paav bhaji was something else.Met some of my sister's other Indian friends,all couples(I was the only singleton there,other than the little kids!) - Suresh:Kavitha,Hari:Raji:Umesh:Priya,and my sister & brother-in-law,Priya:Anand, of course!Took a snap of all of them,and finally was so tired that we just left that place early.

Came home,got online and chatted with that new,lovely Indian friend of mine for more than 2 hours!Just didn't know how time flew by.Slept at 1 a.m. eventually!Felt great to chat with her!Finally,dozed off!

Team lunch and off to Houston - May 27

Well,was really busy and couldn't write on this page for the last 2 days. Its been incredibly happening.Its the long Memorial Day weekend here in the US.

Friday began with everyone in office entering office in a holiday mood.Went with Ashwin,after packing in my luggage into the trunk of his new Nissan car.In office,as I was checking my emails,a tall,red-haired,blue-eyed American came to my desk and introduced himself as Joe.He is the global VP for our technology research practice!Wow,he could pass off as a pop icon,that's how he looked.After the initial pleasantries,he invited me for the team lunch. All of us went out to an Italian restaurant and had an amazing vegetarian pasta!Yummy,even if a touch without the Indian spices that I am otherwise used to.We sat outside,in the garden,under a tall greenwood tree,it was amazing!Reggie,Ashwin and I were at the edge of the table, while SV,Mireya,Mukul,Stacy and Joe sat along the other seats around the table.

It was an engaging conversation with Reggie and Ashwin about the US automobile industry.Both of us(Ash n I)got enough and more tips on how to use the automobile industry to our advantage, to find hot babes for ourselves.There was a suggestion that we buy inexpensive cars,so that we figure out whether the babe we are out with loves us for our cars or loves us because of us!With an expensive car,answering that becomes a stiff proposition!After lunch,we dropped off Joe at the office.He was an engaging conversationalist.Real good fun!Was talking about the technology practice too,and apparently, our boss had some kind words about Ash & me!Whoops!Felt good hearing that from the global VP!

From the office,Ashwin and I went straight to the San Antonio airport where he dropped me off to catch my flight to Houston.It was a nice drive as we played some really terrific,old Hindi classics and got lost!Reached the airport,handed over a cover to Alpita there(Ashwin's old friend)and then walked into my aircraft.Took a snap at Starbucks Coffee too,and walked around the airport terminal!The flight was a bit boring, was deep in thought about a million things in life!

Waited outside Houston's William Hobby airport terminal for Anand for nearly half an hour.Was observing the US systems at the airport terminal.Quite amazing.Not a SINGLE car honked,no traffic jams though there were scores of cars and people running helter-skelter.Just amazing.Perfect discipline,no noise,no shrieking of people,pay phones working perfectly...amazing!Anand came,and I hopped into his Toyota Camry and we began a long drive home!

Frost & Sullivan CEO visit to San Antonio

Its been an incredibly busy day. Got up late, gobbled up some bread for breakfast and rushed to office at 9 a.m. Lot of work and had to finish two write - ups today. Just no mood to work at all. Had tons of emails to catch up with from India, and then sent tons of sms to my new Chennai, lawyer friend. What a fantastic friend she is! Itching to get back to India and meet her in person. Got mails from Tash, Lizz, Ami, Namrata and lots of other people today. Felt great! Just added to my 'no-mood' to work!

Finally, got down to some serious work by noon and wrapped up my two write-ups and sent it to Seema and Fred by 5 p.m. Lunch was a bit of a bore, had rotis and coconut podi with Hari. It was an interesting combination of dishes, just gulped it down as I had no time to breathe and wanted to wrap up my work while I was in the mood to work!

Just as I was peaking and finishing my deadline, got an email from the admin guys saying that there is a meeting in the training room. Went up there with the other Indian folks around me and saw my company's CEO for the first time. He was a shortish man, blonde hair,bearded, firmly built and of course speaking endlessly!He took off on growth, global companies, markets etc for a while. Typical American CEO language! Had seen it on TV for years,but saw it in front of me for the first time. No great shakes, I thought.He presented a few awards to some oustanding people in the company and many of them were hot women!Well, it was cloudy outside, so sure could've done with some heat around the place!!And these bosses are so lucky here, they get to kiss these award winners in skimpy dresses!

Got back to my seat after that session,and just put my head down and finished my work. Once that was done, sent a long email to my new,special Indian friend in Chennai! Also,spoke to Priya and confirmed that she would pick me up at Houston airport tomorrow.Ashwin will drop me off here to San Antonio airport.Long weekend coming up!

Created a record of sorts today by sending in 62 text messages from the internet to a mobile phone!

Roopa's birthday - Indian lunch!

It's my colleague's Roopa's birthday today! The day began for me even before midnight with Ashwin & I being the first ones to enter Roopa's apartment for the birthday bash. Slowly, the others in the Indian gang put up in different apartments in our Suite, started trickling in and soon,there were nearly ten of us at the same time,all set to wish Roopa on her birthday!And as cliched as this may sound, as the clock struck 12, we gave Roopa a cake and she was surprised as hell, cut it in the background of a noisy, boisterous bunch of guys!All of us wished her and dived into that cake, yummy, slurp!What an amazing cake that was!Lip smacking, in the true essence of the term!And once this was done, Pavithra entered the room. It was her wedding anniversary!All of us wished her and she cut another lovely cake, this time,a doughnut cake!It was a feast allright, at midnight!

I trudged back to my room as I was too sleepy and was into dreamworld in a matter of seconds. Came to office with Ashwin in his new Nissan and had these series of interesting emails, from my very interesting,exciting new friend from Chennai. We were busy exchanging email after email, despite the time difference between India & the US!And at the end of it,were still not done with it.Hmm,been a while since somebody brought so much of excitement into my life, let's see!

After that, it was back to work.And then, lunch time with Roopa,Ashwin,Anand and Norma!We first went to check out an Italian restaurant, Olive Garden,but it was choc-a-bloc!We then turned to good old Indian cuisine,and went to Sarovar here.Had a feast of a meal!Tamarind chutney,idly,cauliflower pakodas,coconut chutney,rotis,daal,paneer,and kheer just fulfilled the appetite in ample measure. To top it off,was the best ever mango lassi I have ever had. My goodness,gracious, me!What an awesome drink that was, gulped it down like I have never done before!Too good, had me gasping at the end of that gulp!

Returned to office and all of us were struggling to stay awake after such a hearty lunch!Our plan is to leave office early today,go to the hotel room, have an early dinner and catch up on lost sleep!Anyway,most of us are taking off to different parts of the US this weekend,as its a 3 day Memorial Day weekend.So,we need to ensure that our sleep is not back-dated,during the weekend,lest it creeps in and spoils the fun!

Holiday mood sets in!

We have a long weekend coming up in the US, this weekend.Memorial Day weekend,as they call it - May 28 to 30th. Am off to Houston and then to New Orleans.Leaving this Friday, but am already into a holiday mood!That too,am taking a half day on Friday,which makes it even more exciting!

It was pretty much a usual day at the office.Spoke to Fred(boss!)and he told me that I write very well.Was quite surprised to hear that as I have not even met him and he has only seen some of my reports so far.Well,I am not complaining one bit!He is a terrific boss,not just because he gave me a compliment,but,even otherwise!He has even told me the see the sights around the US during my trip here!Now, how many bosses would speak THAT language?Should be meeting him sometime in June when he comes down to meet the team here - all the desis in his team,that is!Should be fun, even though he is an old hat!

Had a 9 a.m call with a client and it lasted under half an hour.Set up a few more meetings for the week and next week. Let's see how it goes.

Poor Norma, she is so saddled with work.Chatted up with her and got her to smile!Oof, she hasn't slept properly for a few days now, thanks to deadlines!

Am off early today,want to go for a jog and trim some flab.Am eating too much of junk food here-cookies,chips,pizzas,wafers,chocolates,strawberry,yogurt,etc!

Rasam - soup juice!

I've never heard that before.It happened during lunch time today,when Roopa,Hari,Norma and I were sitting and chatting in the lunch room about Indian food.In the course of conversation,we spoke about the typical south Indian dish,Rasam.And Norma called it,SOUP JUICE!I just burst out laughing!Haven't ever heard of that version of rasam's identity before!But it made perfect sense. For an American, not used to the Indian tongue,rasam would indeed be soup juice!An unforgettable moment!

The day began with Ashwin dropping us off at office on his way to return his rented car.Pretty much saddled with work all day.Had brought rotis along for lunch, but no side dish. So Hari and I went down to the canteen and had cheese castilla!Fattening,again!But I'm jogging since yesterday!

Received long emails from Emilie,Kamala,Nirish and Subha and replied to all of them!Nothing like a friend's email to cheer me up.Oh yes!Sent in my next article for zine5,this time its about my spotless shoe!

Chatted with Fred and got an approval to take a half day on Friday;off to Houston and New Orleans, you see!Can't wait for Friday lunch time to arrive!

Weekend at San Antonio

It was a very interesting weekend, most of which was spent with Ashwin. On Friday evening, had a quiz in office and it was very interesting.Managed 3 answers, after which all of us left office.Ashwin had rented a car, a nice Ford Focus!We made plans of eating out and seeing the city of San Antonio on this lovely Friday night!

Reached the hotel,refreshed, got into some dashing clothes and off we went for dinner first. Reached Taco Cabanas,a Mexican restaurant near our hotel. Just didn't undertand one word on the menu card, and Ashwin did all the explaining to the waiter about our need for veg food.No meat,no frying in non-veg pans etc!It was an effort.Finally had a strange item that was a combination of rice,roti,rajma and papads - sorry, can't pronounce the name of the dish even now!Generally fooling around the place on the dinner table, with full manners - fork, spoon,towel on the lap etc - oof, just wish I could eat with my hands, full Indian style!So much easier!

We then took off to the city side of San Antonio.Was struck by the huge malls,arcades,car dealer joints,roads,lights,hoardings etc.As Ashwin said,"Everything in the US is big".Naughty fellow!On the way back, we stopped at iHOP, a coffee joint.Am not usually too much of a coffee drinker,prefer good old tea,but this iHOP coffee was quite something else.And the pancake with the banana sauce to go with it made my mouth water.Lip smacking dish!Reached the hotel after that and was in deep conversation with the crowd, before hitting the sack at around 3 a.m.

Saturday,ah, the laziest morning of the week!Got up at 11.30 a.m(mom would've freaked had I done that at home, but well, charms of being alone!).Went to the bank near our hotel and encashed the cheque for the month.Was half-expecting a nice, attractive blonde at the teller counter,only to run into a hunk with a crew-cut!Groan!Collected the cash,stopped at the nearby foodmart,bought milk and Pringles wafers and back to the room and watched a nice Michelle Pfeifer movie, Dangerous Minds. It was about a bunch of students who did everything but study in school and how she transforms them into good human beings. Good that I was indoors,as it was just too hot outside,almost a 100 degrees Fahrenheit!

Spent the evening in the electronics world at Circuit City and Best Buy.What products!What a range of electronic goodies!Incredible product features,amazing utility value,tremendous value for money.Checked out a couple of laptops and digital cameras.Will indulge in them before I leave for India in August!Mind blowing stuff!

The best part of the day was Saturday night, where we sat back and laughed our gut out watching Dil Chahta hai for the umpteenth time, still not getting tired of it!I added further flavours while watching the movie, by chatting with Namrata,Arundhati and Pranit for close to 2 hours,right there in the hotel room!Felt on top of the world!Nothing like a good old Indian friend to make the day!Slept at 4 a.m!

Sunday began with another laidback morning. Nothing too spectacular till the evening, actually.Watched The Untouchables in the afternoon.Will just say that I was speechless at the end of it!Must see movie,for anybody even remotely interested in classy movies.Sunday evening was big bang!Ashwin turned up with his brand new Nissan Centra car, with a crocodile frontage.And we hit the road for a long drive on IH 10,a lovely freeway,just outside San Antonio!Beautiful car,lovely moon up above and was left wondering what I am doing with guys around me in a brand new car on a warm summer's night on a Sunday night!Groan!We ordered food from Papa John's and it definitely has to rank as the best pizza I have ever had.This is the second time in two weeks that I've tried that place and its quite something else.Wish they open an outlet in India, I will surely be one of their regular customers!

After the pizza,it was back to the room and a long walk around our Budget Suites hotel just past 11 p.m. with Roopa.Nice,engaging conversation!Walked her back to her room,chatted for another hour and then went off to my room to sleep.Further conversation with my room mate,Hari before we hit the sack at 3 a.m.!

Interesting weekend,I must say, a nice mixture of rest,sleep,doing nothing,and then overbalancing that with outings,drives,pizzas and internet chats!

Kudi in the lift - what a morning!

I just got into office, and couldn't resist writing about the person I just saw. I was standing near the main gate of the office here and waiting for the security system to open (its so procedure driven here in the US!). As I did that, a tall, striking American girl came and stood behind me. She was blonde, wearing a cream skirt (hmm,yes,a mini!) and a greenish shirt with her sleeves folded up. Incredibly striking!

The gate opened and I remembered one of the first lessons I was taught on getting here - always open the gate or the car door for a girl, if she is going the same way you are! Remembered that lesson just in time! As I got to the gate, I opened the main door and stood there for her to arrive behind me with her short, firm walks & black sandals making a tick-tock sound (music to the ears!). She reached the gate and smiled at me - ah, I fell flat! What a striking smile! And that added to her beauty!

As we walked towards the elevator together, a couple of eyes in the corridor darted towards us. I was grinning. Loved the attention for a change with that babe right next to me! Agreed, as usual, she was taller than me. But hey, I have a great track record of getting along very well with girls taller than me!T hat too, the pretty ones!

Well, we stood in front of the elevator as she pressed the UP button and we waited for that engineering machine to come down from the top floor to take us upstairs. It was a good wait as the elevator took its own time. I wasn't complaining one bit! Took the opportunity to smile at her and to watch her closely. I realised what an absolute beauty I had run into first thing in the morning! Ah, delectable lips, awesome features, sharp nose, incredible attire, long legs, a blazing smile and a cute little handbag tucked up under her arms (how I'd love to have been that handbag! Groan!

The elevator finally arrived and we got in. We were the only people inside. I couldn't believe my luck! I immediately started smiling within myself, remembering the power cuts back home in India and all sorts of naughty thoughts crossing my mind! How I wanted a power cut right then, but sadly, they just don't happen in America!

As the elevator moved up, she shifted about in the space inside, lifted her hair back with her left hand (oh,that was so stylish!), inserted her shirt into her skirt (oblivious to my presence!), touched up her cheeks and stood firmly with her hands in her pocket and that handbag under her arms. Oh,she was so pretty, nay, cute and an immense breathtaking beauty! Right in front of me!

As we got off the elevator, I was dancing when I saw her walk into the other cubicles in my office on a different wing. Now, that is a start as I can find out more about her! Lonely Indian in a strange country - sure could do with some company and see the "sights" around the US, right?

What a way to begin the day! Incredible beauty, who I didn't even talk to! Had me vibrating! Hmm,its a Friday too...!

A long, long day - May 18

OK,the reason I am putting dates after each title on the blog is because I am running short by a day.As in,I am writing yesterday's happenings,today!Will resurrect that as soon as I write two blogs in one day and be back on date!

Today was a very long day at office.Just work,work and more work!Groan!Missed my 604 morning bus and had to take another one (92) and walk about 15 minutes to office from the other bus stand.Didn't have time to eat breakfast(too lazy and overslept!),so had a banana in office

Began work in right earnest and before I realised it,was done for the day.Its still 7.40p.m. here,but it seems as if its 5p.m.That's how very bright it is in San Antonio today!

The highlight of the day was a nice,long internal chat with Ashwin,Pavithra,Vijay and Sachin on our plans for the weekend.We are looking to rent a car and were looking for value-added services.Well, I suggested "lap service", viz.,the car has limited space and so,the babes can sit on the guys' laps!I think that is a fair deal,especially since we will be footing the gas bill,lunch bill,etc!C'mon girls,give us a chance.This is America!Like the say,when in Rome,be a Roman!In the same vein,we Indians in America for these 3 months,want to be Americans!Anyway,have to get back to India eventually right?So,why not live life to the fullest.Lap service!I just hope it doesn't end up as lip service,eventually!

I've been harbouring studying further today.Maybe do a good master's programme in a top university.Just finished 4 years work experience a couple of weeks ago and I think I can take a crack at these universities,GMAT,TOEFL etc.Let's see how it goes,at least the seed of thoughts are planted!

Am off for the day now.And before I sign off,am back on track today.I have written today's happenings,today itself.Hopefully,won't write the date on the title field from tomorrow.

Not feeling upto it,will mostly take the bus back home today,not in a mood to walk.Good night!

Walked to Budget Suites - May 17

Met Ashwin today after a week.What a blast of a team mate I have!Sure am lucky!Had lunch with him in the canteen.We are not supposed to take our own food to the canteen,but bent the rules and did just that by taking my good old lunch box to the canteen,as Ashwin ordered some noodles for lunch.Soon,we were into a very animated conversation!

Got into an adventurous mood in the evening as I was leaving office at 8p.m.(I just don't know why,we Indians work so hard and so long,when all the Americans leave at 6 pm sharp!).As I exited office and walked towards my usual bus stand to catch the city bus(its a great piece of jazz here in San Antonio),I just hit upon the idea to walk home.Have been walking home from office,back home in India,so just thought I would try that out here in the US as well.And it works just fine.

Walked down the spick and span street,on the even cleaner footpath with finely trimmed grass,lost in my own thoughts.Hit the bend on the road about half a mile from office and bumped into my room mate!He was jogging all over the place,and had taken the day off as he had overslept!Lucky guy!Anyway,here he was,with his walkman on and a chewing gum to boot,with his jogging attire stinking!Chatted up with him for a few minutes and walked all the way to my hotel room.Made it in 25 minutes flat!

And then had choco-biscuits, chocolates and vegetable pulao for dinner and crashed!