04/27 -- 10 am IST
The biggest challenge of this visit -- visa stamping... Last night while seeing the IPL, i figured out that I am missing one very important document... I logged in on to the VFS website and could not retrieve that document... So had to wait until next morning 9 am to find out whether that letter is actually neccessary... He confirmed that it is not necessary...
Went to the lounge... This lounge is a service offered by the Mumbai consulate where they prescreen your document, ensure them for validity and sequencing, give you a coffee, cold water, a sandwich and let you sit in a ac room which also plays a local hindi film songs channel and relax until its time for your interview... When its your time for interview, they take you to the consulate in their own bus... Its a good service, especially in Mumbai where there is hardly any place for you to stand outside in peace on a tense day...
Dad came along, we reached there way ahead of time... So we were subjected to a 1.5 hour torture of those hindi songs... But atleast we were sitting in a warm room... Yes the AC was on, but its so hot in Mumbai that ACs actually make a room warm and bearable... Outside, its HOT and unbearable...
When it was my turn to go to the consulate, we went into the bus, and into the consulate... Security and 2 long queues afterwards, I had my fingers printed... I got my sequence number which was atleast 80 odd numbers after the current number being processed... I thought that I had another 1-2 hours of meditation to do when my number was called in less than 5 minutes... I went to the window, gave my passport in... And the reply was -- mr Raikar, you are all set... you will get your visa in 2 business days... it will be sent to your address by courier...
Thats it... all the chaos and confusion and document collection was useless again... Last time in Chennai, they atleast asked me where I worked and for how long... This time, it was a thorough happy disappointment... Not that I would mind it when I get my GC... I would love such experiences, again and again and again...
Came home after a 1 hour ride in a "warm" cool cab... A bottle of nimbu paani at home and we were set to go out for Mom's bday celebration... BIL and Sis took us out to Saffron and Spice in MIDC... Its a very very good and expensive place... Food was awesome... The moment when they played BDay background score and mom cut the cake, was all worth it... Absolutely... This is the moment of my visit... Giving her one breath taking moment of her life... She will remember this for the rest of her life...
Sanat (my nephew) had the entire soup and noodles, all by himself... It was the first time I saw my nephew eat by himself and it was such a happy and a proud moment for all of us... He is very choosy in food, but as long as he eats the right stuff, aal is well...
After a drive back, crashed in less than 10 minutes... 10 hours later, I woke up to realize that I had overslept and S must be sleeping as well... I could not talk to her and am feeling so so guilty... She is all alone there and the only thing she wants is me spend an hour with her every day... I didnt do that today -- so so sorry and torn...
Morning activities all done plus amazing breakfast (poha) and tea... life has never been better...
On another note -- Mumbai is HOT... Its so hot that water from the taps is hot... The only sign of a AC room or a cab is that it is warm... One realizes that he/she is in an ac room only when they come out of it... The most profitable and most difficult business today in Mumbai is selling cold water... profitable is because there is so much cold water sold and difficult because ice melts so fast that its so difficult to keep the water cold... thankfully, they have enough uninterrupted power supply in my area, so we can atleast have the fan running continuously... Cross ventilation done by the architect 40 years ago still works and we have a breeze blowing which makes things less devilish inside the house... Within 15 minutes of taking a bath, I am sweating and sticky all over again...
Okay, enough of sulking and whining... Now is the time to reach out to near and dear ones and schedule a "date" with them... A visit to Siddhivinayak becons later in the day... Till then, ciao....
04/26 -- 6 am IST
The jet lag hit me at the worst possible time... if you sleep in the late afternoon after the jet lag, you are bound to continue doing so for days to come... Fortunately for me, Sis, Bro in Law and nephew decided to show up within 30 minutes of me falling asleep... Sis and BIL were considerate enough to wait for me to get up... But nephew could not hold on for very long... He woke me up and saved me from the igonomy of a prolonged jet lag...
The next few hours were just fun... Chit chatting and yapping with sev puri and of course tea... Any Maharashtrian get together is incomplete without tea... Sis made a special delicacy - Station Bhaaji -- for dinner along with alphonso mango juice and freshly made phulkas... You can not understand the fun of freshly cooked phulkas, unless you eat them once off the flame... Just like Pani Puri tastes best right of the Bhel-wala bhaiyya, phulkas taste best off the flame... I am having it after almost 7 years, and the taste has not changed even an ounce...
Caught a glimpse of a game called cricket in midst of thousands of advertisements and shows... The game was good, picture clarity was nice... The game was good, except that Sachin and Mumbai lost... It went all the way until midnight and by the time I crashed, it was almost 1 am...
Am a light sleeper and can wake up by the slightest of noises... My street wakes up and kicks of business by 5 am... calls for some pretty short nights... here's an early good morning!!!
Today is Mom's 60th birthday... My very very small way of gratitude for all that she has done for me -- to be present with her on her birthday... Cake cutting and celebrations later in the day... In the meanwhile, got to get ready for the visa appointment...
More to come... soon...
The jet lag hit me at the worst possible time... if you sleep in the late afternoon after the jet lag, you are bound to continue doing so for days to come... Fortunately for me, Sis, Bro in Law and nephew decided to show up within 30 minutes of me falling asleep... Sis and BIL were considerate enough to wait for me to get up... But nephew could not hold on for very long... He woke me up and saved me from the igonomy of a prolonged jet lag...
The next few hours were just fun... Chit chatting and yapping with sev puri and of course tea... Any Maharashtrian get together is incomplete without tea... Sis made a special delicacy - Station Bhaaji -- for dinner along with alphonso mango juice and freshly made phulkas... You can not understand the fun of freshly cooked phulkas, unless you eat them once off the flame... Just like Pani Puri tastes best right of the Bhel-wala bhaiyya, phulkas taste best off the flame... I am having it after almost 7 years, and the taste has not changed even an ounce...
Caught a glimpse of a game called cricket in midst of thousands of advertisements and shows... The game was good, picture clarity was nice... The game was good, except that Sachin and Mumbai lost... It went all the way until midnight and by the time I crashed, it was almost 1 am...
Am a light sleeper and can wake up by the slightest of noises... My street wakes up and kicks of business by 5 am... calls for some pretty short nights... here's an early good morning!!!
Today is Mom's 60th birthday... My very very small way of gratitude for all that she has done for me -- to be present with her on her birthday... Cake cutting and celebrations later in the day... In the meanwhile, got to get ready for the visa appointment...
More to come... soon...
04/25 -- 2 pm IST
Had my first hand experience of a Mumbai Sunday after a long long time... Could not sleep for long and the milkman rang the bell to flush whatever chances I had of catching any wink... Met my neighbours, caught a glimpse of a childhood friend... Made tea for myself... Grabbed the newspaper... Newspaper in the morning makes an awesome combo with 2 items -- ginger tea and toilet... No not together -- I mean -- ginger tea and newspaper makes a good combo... likewise, newspaper and toilet makes a good combo... I had both the combos today...
The cook showed up and made awesome breakfast... Thalipeeth -- a traditional maharashtrian dish which can be best explained as -- crepes made out of mix pulses flour... It tastes awesome, especially with cottage butter and pickle... S is a big fan already and there are bunch of friends and family asking me to get some samples... Mom's already busy making 2 kgs of the mixture... All this, with ample cups of tea...
Then spoke to some relatives and some friends... Everyone is curious why S did not visit along with me...
Went and had a haircut... Before me, there was a gora who got a haircut, oil massage, facial massage, shampoo and blowdry... His bill was Rs. 100 and he tipped them Rs. 100... He has promised to come back next week and they are already fighting as to who will work with him next...
My haircut was good... Short and sweet... Got a Thanda Thanda Cool Cool massage... Something which I was missing for a long long time... Amazing feeling, cant describe it in words... Came home, had a nice cold water shower... Feel human again...
Then came time for lunch... Vaal (sprouted beans) is my favorite and the cook made vaal curry and chapati... Its awesome... It takes 3 days of prepping before this dish gets ready... For my readers, some day I will treat you to that dish and I am sure that you will never forget the taste...
Now, jet lag is acting up and I am going to crash any moment... So, until I wake up again, ciao...
Had my first hand experience of a Mumbai Sunday after a long long time... Could not sleep for long and the milkman rang the bell to flush whatever chances I had of catching any wink... Met my neighbours, caught a glimpse of a childhood friend... Made tea for myself... Grabbed the newspaper... Newspaper in the morning makes an awesome combo with 2 items -- ginger tea and toilet... No not together -- I mean -- ginger tea and newspaper makes a good combo... likewise, newspaper and toilet makes a good combo... I had both the combos today...
The cook showed up and made awesome breakfast... Thalipeeth -- a traditional maharashtrian dish which can be best explained as -- crepes made out of mix pulses flour... It tastes awesome, especially with cottage butter and pickle... S is a big fan already and there are bunch of friends and family asking me to get some samples... Mom's already busy making 2 kgs of the mixture... All this, with ample cups of tea...
Then spoke to some relatives and some friends... Everyone is curious why S did not visit along with me...
Went and had a haircut... Before me, there was a gora who got a haircut, oil massage, facial massage, shampoo and blowdry... His bill was Rs. 100 and he tipped them Rs. 100... He has promised to come back next week and they are already fighting as to who will work with him next...
My haircut was good... Short and sweet... Got a Thanda Thanda Cool Cool massage... Something which I was missing for a long long time... Amazing feeling, cant describe it in words... Came home, had a nice cold water shower... Feel human again...
Then came time for lunch... Vaal (sprouted beans) is my favorite and the cook made vaal curry and chapati... Its awesome... It takes 3 days of prepping before this dish gets ready... For my readers, some day I will treat you to that dish and I am sure that you will never forget the taste...
Now, jet lag is acting up and I am going to crash any moment... So, until I wake up again, ciao...
04/25 -- 5 am IST
Emirates turned out to be better than I had anticipated... Rather amazing... It was a full flight, like I mentioned before, almost 95% Indians... One thing abt us Indians is that for us, flights are supposed to include food, drinks, in-flight entertainment and lastly, the actual travel, in the order mentioned... We are very demanding on those aspects... But the Emirates crew handled everything pretty well...
This time I did not have a window or a aisle seat, but luckily, the next seat was empty... So I was really comfy... The inflight entertainment system (called ICE btw) is superb... It does not wait for the flight to take off to be enabled... The moment you take your seat, you can start your mini-TV... There is a power outlet for every seat and even an USB drive (though I do not know what it can be used for)... The menu on the ICE is so vast and varied that the programs will suffice for the entire duration from Mumbai to RDU, ... There were good movies, games, TV serials, podcasts, radio and the variety under each option was really good... Hats off... The seats were not too close to each other and there was ample leg room -- there was no 5 inch leg room sale... There were a few other cool features from the flight -- there are a bunch of cameras attached to the plane and one gets to see the real time view of the city when the flight is about the land... Its pretty cool actually when you see it for the first time...
I managed to watch the movie "Couples Retreat" starring Vince Vaughn and Kristin Davis, amongst others... Okay movie, not funny like the other frat pack movies... Then caught up on a Friends episode, one Ashes 1981 test match highlights and eventually some good scenes from Munnabhai MBBS...
Flight landed on time... Got my luggage without much hassle... Customs and Immigration was cool, because I had nothing to hide this time... As soon as I came out, I met mom and dad... The entire stress of the last 22 hours was worth it in that one moment... They came all the way to the airport at 4 am in the morning, just to receive me... Mom looks really old for someone who is 60... Dad is holding up pretty well for someone who will touch 66 in a couple of months... Sis woke up at 4 am for the first time in 7 years and spoke to me for 3 minutes before she went back to sleep for another 7 hours...
As soon as I got out of the airport gate, I could feel the Mumbai heat and humidity... I was sweating in less than 30 seconds, at 4 am in the morning... Supposedly the coldest time of the day... Cant wait to see hot hot it is going to be when its 4 pm... Dad told me on the way that its a hot and humid 36 in Mumbai and superhot 40 in Pune... A prepaid cab ride and home at 4.30... A bottle of cold water, a glass of fresh mango juice and a cool water wash later, I am feeling at home... I wanted to drink tea but looking at the condition of my mom and dad, I just decided to wait for another couple of hours when the maid comes in...
Switched on the TV... Dad got a 42" LCD fixed sometime last year... Its cool... The picture quality is really awesome and I do not miss my 46" TV from home at all... The programs suck though... Sachin's 37th birthday is being celebrated like Mahatma Gandhi's 100th birthday or India's 100th independence day... Every single channel is dedicated its lineup to wish him for the big day... The next big thing is IPL and its scandal... Rest of the channels have pledged up to some cheap hindi songs, movies or reality shows.... India's biggest dancing star is having her day of glory to be thrown into oblivion tomorrow...
Within 10 minutes, the TV was off, the laptop was up and me blogging on my first 2 hours in Mumbai... Now crashing, just so that I avoid any jetlag and am fresh enough to get my work done for Mumbai...
Emirates turned out to be better than I had anticipated... Rather amazing... It was a full flight, like I mentioned before, almost 95% Indians... One thing abt us Indians is that for us, flights are supposed to include food, drinks, in-flight entertainment and lastly, the actual travel, in the order mentioned... We are very demanding on those aspects... But the Emirates crew handled everything pretty well...
This time I did not have a window or a aisle seat, but luckily, the next seat was empty... So I was really comfy... The inflight entertainment system (called ICE btw) is superb... It does not wait for the flight to take off to be enabled... The moment you take your seat, you can start your mini-TV... There is a power outlet for every seat and even an USB drive (though I do not know what it can be used for)... The menu on the ICE is so vast and varied that the programs will suffice for the entire duration from Mumbai to RDU, ... There were good movies, games, TV serials, podcasts, radio and the variety under each option was really good... Hats off... The seats were not too close to each other and there was ample leg room -- there was no 5 inch leg room sale... There were a few other cool features from the flight -- there are a bunch of cameras attached to the plane and one gets to see the real time view of the city when the flight is about the land... Its pretty cool actually when you see it for the first time...
I managed to watch the movie "Couples Retreat" starring Vince Vaughn and Kristin Davis, amongst others... Okay movie, not funny like the other frat pack movies... Then caught up on a Friends episode, one Ashes 1981 test match highlights and eventually some good scenes from Munnabhai MBBS...
Flight landed on time... Got my luggage without much hassle... Customs and Immigration was cool, because I had nothing to hide this time... As soon as I came out, I met mom and dad... The entire stress of the last 22 hours was worth it in that one moment... They came all the way to the airport at 4 am in the morning, just to receive me... Mom looks really old for someone who is 60... Dad is holding up pretty well for someone who will touch 66 in a couple of months... Sis woke up at 4 am for the first time in 7 years and spoke to me for 3 minutes before she went back to sleep for another 7 hours...
As soon as I got out of the airport gate, I could feel the Mumbai heat and humidity... I was sweating in less than 30 seconds, at 4 am in the morning... Supposedly the coldest time of the day... Cant wait to see hot hot it is going to be when its 4 pm... Dad told me on the way that its a hot and humid 36 in Mumbai and superhot 40 in Pune... A prepaid cab ride and home at 4.30... A bottle of cold water, a glass of fresh mango juice and a cool water wash later, I am feeling at home... I wanted to drink tea but looking at the condition of my mom and dad, I just decided to wait for another couple of hours when the maid comes in...
Switched on the TV... Dad got a 42" LCD fixed sometime last year... Its cool... The picture quality is really awesome and I do not miss my 46" TV from home at all... The programs suck though... Sachin's 37th birthday is being celebrated like Mahatma Gandhi's 100th birthday or India's 100th independence day... Every single channel is dedicated its lineup to wish him for the big day... The next big thing is IPL and its scandal... Rest of the channels have pledged up to some cheap hindi songs, movies or reality shows.... India's biggest dancing star is having her day of glory to be thrown into oblivion tomorrow...
Within 10 minutes, the TV was off, the laptop was up and me blogging on my first 2 hours in Mumbai... Now crashing, just so that I avoid any jetlag and am fresh enough to get my work done for Mumbai...
04/24 -- 9.00 pm Dubai ST
Sitting here in heaven at the Dubai International airport... By heaven, I mean I have all the 3 ingredients of a loner's heaven -- laptop, internet connection and power outlet... I tried every power converter that I carried, none seem to work... Eventually, just the regular laptop plug works...
The flight from DC to Dubai was crazy... The food was horrible as usual... Luckily I was in the aisle seat of a 2 seat column... So I had enough room for myself, but still did not have to get up as many times...
There was a contingent of Bangladesh sportspersons and I have never seen any group in a flight being any louder... Two of them were in the same row right across the aisle and one of them wanted to go to the bathroom as soon as the plane started taxi... He asked the same Q to their leader, who chose to sit atleast 10 rows away from the rest of the gang, atleast 20 times in 15 minutes -- Madam, Bathroom... she would never reply... Eventually, after the flight took off, the stewardess let them go... They chose to keep chatting in the loudest possible Bangla for the entire duration of 13+ hours...
Whether I am sitting in a plane or or a train or a bus or a car or a bike, as long as I am not driving, I can sleep as soon as the vehicle starts moving... Today, thanks to the Bangladeshi gang, my virtue was tested... But after struggling for the initial 30 minutes, I could sleep nicely... I would wake up only when food was served... I passed on the paneer tikka (lunch) and aloo paratha (breakfast) and survived on apple juice...
Got up in time to see the movie "Up in the air"... Pun not intended but it was a very sweet movie... I am seeing this movie for the 2nd time and enjoyed it equally the second time... The importance of doing dirty work with dignity is very nicely underlined in this movie... Reminded me of Amitabh in lakshya when he explains to his platoon -- even if you are fighting the enemy, it should be done with a certain level of dignity... How true and very nicely depicted in the movie...
Dubai Airport is everything that I had expected of... Unimaginably huge... Beautiful architechture... Every signboard in English and Arabic... Sheikhs in their white tunics and red head scarfs with hoards of burkha-clad wives tagging along... Indian labourers in groups of 10s trying to figure out where to go...
The lavishness of the duty free gold shops messemerizes you... This is the only time in my trip when I feel happy that S is not with me... The watch showrooms of Omega and Tag Heur made my casio look like a Maruti 800 in front of a Merc... Grabbed a cuban black rum for my B-I-L from the duty free alcohol store...
Another funny incident, this time at security check... Like the US practice, I removed my laptop and placed it in a separate tray... Backpack goes in the next tray... Then I removed my shoes, watch, wallet, cell phone... The guard at the security gate gave me a bewildered look... As soon as I removed my belt, he thought I am going to strip down and immediately rushed to tell me that all this is not needed... The security rules in Dubai are very lax and the US stringent measures are not needed at all... I felt like a fool, all over again...
This flight is going to be interesting... Almost full... 95% of them being Indians... Heard good things abt Emirates Airlines... Lets see how well they do...
Sitting here in heaven at the Dubai International airport... By heaven, I mean I have all the 3 ingredients of a loner's heaven -- laptop, internet connection and power outlet... I tried every power converter that I carried, none seem to work... Eventually, just the regular laptop plug works...
The flight from DC to Dubai was crazy... The food was horrible as usual... Luckily I was in the aisle seat of a 2 seat column... So I had enough room for myself, but still did not have to get up as many times...
There was a contingent of Bangladesh sportspersons and I have never seen any group in a flight being any louder... Two of them were in the same row right across the aisle and one of them wanted to go to the bathroom as soon as the plane started taxi... He asked the same Q to their leader, who chose to sit atleast 10 rows away from the rest of the gang, atleast 20 times in 15 minutes -- Madam, Bathroom... she would never reply... Eventually, after the flight took off, the stewardess let them go... They chose to keep chatting in the loudest possible Bangla for the entire duration of 13+ hours...
Whether I am sitting in a plane or or a train or a bus or a car or a bike, as long as I am not driving, I can sleep as soon as the vehicle starts moving... Today, thanks to the Bangladeshi gang, my virtue was tested... But after struggling for the initial 30 minutes, I could sleep nicely... I would wake up only when food was served... I passed on the paneer tikka (lunch) and aloo paratha (breakfast) and survived on apple juice...
Got up in time to see the movie "Up in the air"... Pun not intended but it was a very sweet movie... I am seeing this movie for the 2nd time and enjoyed it equally the second time... The importance of doing dirty work with dignity is very nicely underlined in this movie... Reminded me of Amitabh in lakshya when he explains to his platoon -- even if you are fighting the enemy, it should be done with a certain level of dignity... How true and very nicely depicted in the movie...
Dubai Airport is everything that I had expected of... Unimaginably huge... Beautiful architechture... Every signboard in English and Arabic... Sheikhs in their white tunics and red head scarfs with hoards of burkha-clad wives tagging along... Indian labourers in groups of 10s trying to figure out where to go...
The lavishness of the duty free gold shops messemerizes you... This is the only time in my trip when I feel happy that S is not with me... The watch showrooms of Omega and Tag Heur made my casio look like a Maruti 800 in front of a Merc... Grabbed a cuban black rum for my B-I-L from the duty free alcohol store...
Another funny incident, this time at security check... Like the US practice, I removed my laptop and placed it in a separate tray... Backpack goes in the next tray... Then I removed my shoes, watch, wallet, cell phone... The guard at the security gate gave me a bewildered look... As soon as I removed my belt, he thought I am going to strip down and immediately rushed to tell me that all this is not needed... The security rules in Dubai are very lax and the US stringent measures are not needed at all... I felt like a fool, all over again...
This flight is going to be interesting... Almost full... 95% of them being Indians... Heard good things abt Emirates Airlines... Lets see how well they do...
04/23 -- 9.00 pm EST
Sitting at the Dulles airport, waiting for the second leg of my flight to kick off...
The luggage checkin at RDU was surprisingly good... You go to the airport and weigh your baggage and both the bags weigh 49.5 pounds each... How often does this happen? Isnt it wonderful... But do you know what is better? Well it happened to me!!!
Inspite of weighing my bags again and again during packing, my bags weighed 53 and 53.5 on the airline scale... With the stringent guidelines that the airlines follow nowadays, I would have ended up paying $50 each for each overweight bag... So, reluctantly, I opened both the bags to see where I could "lose" some weight... This whole act of opening the bags in front of everyone to remove some excess baggage is more embarassing than disappointing... It is a testament of carelessness and lack of planning... For someone like me, who loves to plan his stuff well ahead of time, this is akin to getting slapped in public...
So, while I was being slapped in public, I removed 1 giant shampoo bottle from each bag and now the bags weighed 51 and 50.5... Anxiously, I placed them for checkin and was hoping that I would not be charged for the excess baggage... The lady there did not charge me... So, with a sheepish grin, I asked her if I can add both the shampoo bottles to my bags... The weight jumped to the original 53 and 53.5... Looking at her grim reaction, I said -- "Nevermind, I'll take it off"... Her answer was, "Dont worry abt it... You need shampoo to clean your hair"... She let me take additional weight, without any charge...
Isnt it better than the 49.5 thing mentioned above... This act of her was really sweet... Nothing can make an Indian happier than the word -- FREE...
After the checkin, came the most difficult moment... The moment of separation was hard but very quick... S and I were chatting when a friend called to invite S for dinner along with them... They were planning to go to a new concept called Dosa Truck -- a moving van which serves fresh Dosa and Samosa... S jumped on the opportunity to make me jealous and took off after a long hug and a few tears...
Do you know the most expensive part of virtual real estate? Leg room in an airline... United Airlines is selling extra 5 inches of legroom for $149... So, the rental of 5*12 inches for 14 hours is $149. This comes out to be $600 per sqft per day... Isnt it amazing... Naturally, I declined it...
The best part of travelling alone is that you are really alone... You can sleep when you want, read when you want, eat when you want and no one cares... There might be some smiles shared with fellow passengers, but nothing more... This is a loner's dream... Give me my laptop, an internet connection and a power outlet and I am in heaven...
Sadly, I do not have a wi-fi connection, so I have a offline heaven... But a game of chess can make it good enough... So, my almost-heavenly journey continues in a few minutes on the next leg of my flight -- Dulles--> Dubai... 14 hours.... Until I grab my laptop again for the next chapter of this blog...
Sitting at the Dulles airport, waiting for the second leg of my flight to kick off...
The luggage checkin at RDU was surprisingly good... You go to the airport and weigh your baggage and both the bags weigh 49.5 pounds each... How often does this happen? Isnt it wonderful... But do you know what is better? Well it happened to me!!!
Inspite of weighing my bags again and again during packing, my bags weighed 53 and 53.5 on the airline scale... With the stringent guidelines that the airlines follow nowadays, I would have ended up paying $50 each for each overweight bag... So, reluctantly, I opened both the bags to see where I could "lose" some weight... This whole act of opening the bags in front of everyone to remove some excess baggage is more embarassing than disappointing... It is a testament of carelessness and lack of planning... For someone like me, who loves to plan his stuff well ahead of time, this is akin to getting slapped in public...
So, while I was being slapped in public, I removed 1 giant shampoo bottle from each bag and now the bags weighed 51 and 50.5... Anxiously, I placed them for checkin and was hoping that I would not be charged for the excess baggage... The lady there did not charge me... So, with a sheepish grin, I asked her if I can add both the shampoo bottles to my bags... The weight jumped to the original 53 and 53.5... Looking at her grim reaction, I said -- "Nevermind, I'll take it off"... Her answer was, "Dont worry abt it... You need shampoo to clean your hair"... She let me take additional weight, without any charge...
Isnt it better than the 49.5 thing mentioned above... This act of her was really sweet... Nothing can make an Indian happier than the word -- FREE...
After the checkin, came the most difficult moment... The moment of separation was hard but very quick... S and I were chatting when a friend called to invite S for dinner along with them... They were planning to go to a new concept called Dosa Truck -- a moving van which serves fresh Dosa and Samosa... S jumped on the opportunity to make me jealous and took off after a long hug and a few tears...
Do you know the most expensive part of virtual real estate? Leg room in an airline... United Airlines is selling extra 5 inches of legroom for $149... So, the rental of 5*12 inches for 14 hours is $149. This comes out to be $600 per sqft per day... Isnt it amazing... Naturally, I declined it...
The best part of travelling alone is that you are really alone... You can sleep when you want, read when you want, eat when you want and no one cares... There might be some smiles shared with fellow passengers, but nothing more... This is a loner's dream... Give me my laptop, an internet connection and a power outlet and I am in heaven...
Sadly, I do not have a wi-fi connection, so I have a offline heaven... But a game of chess can make it good enough... So, my almost-heavenly journey continues in a few minutes on the next leg of my flight -- Dulles--> Dubai... 14 hours.... Until I grab my laptop again for the next chapter of this blog...
India Journey
04/23 -- 3.30 pm EST
In less than 3 hours, begins my India sojourn... What eventually started as a surprise visit, turned into a know-all affair...
Its my mom's 60th birthday on 04/26 and having missed dad's 60th and 65th, I had to make it this time... S and I attended her dad's 60th birthday last year and it made him so happy... Just the joy of having your most loved one with you on this important milestone of life made him grin from ear to ear, for the entire 1 month of our stay there... I hope my mom will be equally happy when she cuts the cake on Monday...
On a disappointing note, S can not make it this time with me... Her work is crazy currently and her manager denied her the time off... Kya kare, paapi pet ke liye karna padta hai... This is the first time when we are going to be away from each other for such a long duration... We have stayed away for 2-3 days duration when I travel on work or when she is visiting her relatives etc but that is too short... The only other time we have stayed apart for so long is when S went on a Europe tour with her entire family about 6 months after we got married... But that time, she was with a lot of ppl and I was alone... The loner that I am, I had a good time reflecting on my married life and what needed to change for us to be happier...
I have a lot of sleep to catch up on and this aching body needs some rest... What better than a 14 hour flight across 3 continents in a dark flight full of strangers... Starting now on, caffeine is a strict no no... No food or aerated drinks as well... Only water and non-alcoholic juices to keep yourself hydrated for the tenure of the journey...
So guys, tighten your seat belts as I take off for a solo sojourn for the next 3 weeks... I promise to bring you the salient moments from every single day and keep you entertained...
And just like I do before starting on any road trip -- Ganapati Bappa.... Morya!!!!
In less than 3 hours, begins my India sojourn... What eventually started as a surprise visit, turned into a know-all affair...
Its my mom's 60th birthday on 04/26 and having missed dad's 60th and 65th, I had to make it this time... S and I attended her dad's 60th birthday last year and it made him so happy... Just the joy of having your most loved one with you on this important milestone of life made him grin from ear to ear, for the entire 1 month of our stay there... I hope my mom will be equally happy when she cuts the cake on Monday...
On a disappointing note, S can not make it this time with me... Her work is crazy currently and her manager denied her the time off... Kya kare, paapi pet ke liye karna padta hai... This is the first time when we are going to be away from each other for such a long duration... We have stayed away for 2-3 days duration when I travel on work or when she is visiting her relatives etc but that is too short... The only other time we have stayed apart for so long is when S went on a Europe tour with her entire family about 6 months after we got married... But that time, she was with a lot of ppl and I was alone... The loner that I am, I had a good time reflecting on my married life and what needed to change for us to be happier...
I have a lot of sleep to catch up on and this aching body needs some rest... What better than a 14 hour flight across 3 continents in a dark flight full of strangers... Starting now on, caffeine is a strict no no... No food or aerated drinks as well... Only water and non-alcoholic juices to keep yourself hydrated for the tenure of the journey...
So guys, tighten your seat belts as I take off for a solo sojourn for the next 3 weeks... I promise to bring you the salient moments from every single day and keep you entertained...
And just like I do before starting on any road trip -- Ganapati Bappa.... Morya!!!!
RECIPE FOR DISASTER
What happens when you take a lit cigarette butt near a gas station? What happens when you squeeze a slice of lime in a pot of milk? What happens when you mix cocaine and champagne or for that matter drugs and alcohol?
In one word -- DISASTER.
All the ingredients in the combinations listed above may not be lethal in silo, but together, these can do a lot of damage...
So, the same is true about cricket + money (loads of it) + politics... Each one of these elements MAY drive a sane person or organization to ruins... But together, it WILL take everyone down, for sure...
Thats what has happened in IPL today... Cricket craze in India + ridiculous amount of money + politicians and their incurable lust of power + a dictatorial honcho... Sure shot recipe for disaster...
Tracking the happenings on Prem's blog is very entertaining... Try it here... He seems to collect all the right material at one place and one need to go sniffing to umpteen websites just to uncover the dirt...
In one word -- DISASTER.
All the ingredients in the combinations listed above may not be lethal in silo, but together, these can do a lot of damage...
So, the same is true about cricket + money (loads of it) + politics... Each one of these elements MAY drive a sane person or organization to ruins... But together, it WILL take everyone down, for sure...
Thats what has happened in IPL today... Cricket craze in India + ridiculous amount of money + politicians and their incurable lust of power + a dictatorial honcho... Sure shot recipe for disaster...
Tracking the happenings on Prem's blog is very entertaining... Try it here... He seems to collect all the right material at one place and one need to go sniffing to umpteen websites just to uncover the dirt...
CHICKEN OR MUTTON
I happened to read this post from one of the blogs that I regularly follow... This is so true... and touching...
Reminds me of a similar experience last year during my visit to Mumbai...
Our cleaning maid (her name is Rashmi) had joined just a couple of months before my visit and my mom was pretty satisfied with the quality of her work and her punctuality...
BTW, the quality of her work really amounts to clean floors, spic and span furniture and sparkling utensils with no mistake... There is no six sigma here... It has to be clean, irrespective of how hot and dusty it is outside... The dishes should shine, irrespective of whatever has been consumed in them...
And punctuality translates to coming to work twice a day, every day, 24 * 7 * 365... There are no sick leaves, casual leaves, no long weekends...
And if she met the "demands" of her employer, it was deemed as just "met expectations"... She can not fight for an "E" or an "O" because her salary hike and bonus does not change based on all that... It depends on the mercy, whim and fancy of her employer...
Her husband used to work at a local gas agency distributing gas cylinders... He was worried about losing his job because all the local consumers were switching to pipeline gas instead of cylinder gas... Once the transition was complete, no one would need cylinders and that will mean that he will not have a job...
Just a week before we reached Mumbai, her husband met with a serious accident at work... He broke his leg with 3 fractures and suffered serious injuries on the head... He was unconscious for 2 days... As soon as he regained consciousness, the owner of the gas agency got him transferred to a government hospital, paid his pending salary and "honorably" discharged him from his duties... He frankly refused paying any further medical expenses or give him any money to take care of their bills... According to her, the owner is a god because he took care of the bills until then because she could not afford to pay anything at that point...
The government hospital deemed his condition to be good enough to be discharged and gave a long list of medicines for a quicker recovery... The doctors also recommended healthy nutritious diet to ensure that the medicines are not too strong... Just the medicines and recommended diet would come to about 2.5K per month... Her salary amounted to about 2K per month only and they did not have any savings...
I felt so bad for her that I gave some money to her through my mother, just to ensure that her husband has enough good food... My mom gave them (Rashmi and her husband) breakfast and one good meal every day until her husband could get back on his feet (pun intended)... I also ensured that our family doctor takes care of her husband's injuries and all the bills are paid directly by me...
Her response -- I will keep your house cleaner and be more punctual...
Reminds me of a similar experience last year during my visit to Mumbai...
Our cleaning maid (her name is Rashmi) had joined just a couple of months before my visit and my mom was pretty satisfied with the quality of her work and her punctuality...
BTW, the quality of her work really amounts to clean floors, spic and span furniture and sparkling utensils with no mistake... There is no six sigma here... It has to be clean, irrespective of how hot and dusty it is outside... The dishes should shine, irrespective of whatever has been consumed in them...
And punctuality translates to coming to work twice a day, every day, 24 * 7 * 365... There are no sick leaves, casual leaves, no long weekends...
And if she met the "demands" of her employer, it was deemed as just "met expectations"... She can not fight for an "E" or an "O" because her salary hike and bonus does not change based on all that... It depends on the mercy, whim and fancy of her employer...
Her husband used to work at a local gas agency distributing gas cylinders... He was worried about losing his job because all the local consumers were switching to pipeline gas instead of cylinder gas... Once the transition was complete, no one would need cylinders and that will mean that he will not have a job...
Just a week before we reached Mumbai, her husband met with a serious accident at work... He broke his leg with 3 fractures and suffered serious injuries on the head... He was unconscious for 2 days... As soon as he regained consciousness, the owner of the gas agency got him transferred to a government hospital, paid his pending salary and "honorably" discharged him from his duties... He frankly refused paying any further medical expenses or give him any money to take care of their bills... According to her, the owner is a god because he took care of the bills until then because she could not afford to pay anything at that point...
I felt so bad for her that I gave some money to her through my mother, just to ensure that her husband has enough good food... My mom gave them (Rashmi and her husband) breakfast and one good meal every day until her husband could get back on his feet (pun intended)... I also ensured that our family doctor takes care of her husband's injuries and all the bills are paid directly by me...
Her response -- I will keep your house cleaner and be more punctual...
MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
S and I were looking to veg out last Friday - just grab some take out food and catch a movie, just to crash early... Thats what we have been doing after a long hard week... We were looking to catch a light comedy, nothing spectacular, just something to laugh it out and soothe us to sleep...
The name got us interested and so did the cast... George Clooney (esp after "Up in the Air" last week) and Kevin Spacey do not do the same movie many times... I was looking forward to something like the Hangover...
But when we watched the movie, it was utter crap... The whole logic behind the movie is unclear... The story is stupid and there is nothing worth watching really...
We did not get anything light, anything to laugh... But yes, it soothed us gently... We were snoring nicely in less than 10 minutes...
My word - stay away from it... Unless you want to sleep after a long hard day...
The name got us interested and so did the cast... George Clooney (esp after "Up in the Air" last week) and Kevin Spacey do not do the same movie many times... I was looking forward to something like the Hangover...
But when we watched the movie, it was utter crap... The whole logic behind the movie is unclear... The story is stupid and there is nothing worth watching really...
We did not get anything light, anything to laugh... But yes, it soothed us gently... We were snoring nicely in less than 10 minutes...
My word - stay away from it... Unless you want to sleep after a long hard day...
BREAK AND MAKE...
Last couple of weeks, I have been on a breaking spree... I have broken pretty much everything that I have touched...
Here are a few instances --
1 - Knife -- A good Farber ware knife which we have been using for more than 4 years broke while I was trying to chop ginger for my tea... Can you imagine a metal knife breaking while trying to chop ginger?
2 - Mug -- A New York souvenir mug broke slipped out of my soapy hands when I was trying to wash it. The handle broke into 3 different parts. Fortunately, the remaining part of the cup was intact.
3 - Water Hose -- The spraying nozzle of the watering hose loves the watering hose so much that the nozzle now refuses to separate from the hose. It is a simple thread based assembly, but somehow, they are inseparable lovers now. WD40 can not break the bond. The only option is to cut the watering hose and get a new one for $100.
4 - Sprinklers -- First sprinkling session of the year, all the sprinkler heads need some mending. The first time I started the sprinkler, it choked and my attempts to clean the head led to a missing sprinkler head and a small pipe.
5 - Car -- While reversing the car out of the garage, the passenger side view mirror crashed with the garage frame and started dangling like a dislocated shoulder. The car showroom politely offered to fix it for $300.
Now I am on a making spree --
1 - Mug -- Crazy glue came to my rescue and I could fix the handle together. It seems to he holding up pretty well and I will not be trying to drink hot tea in that mug any more. It will truly be a souvenir hence forth and command a unique place in the cabinets.
2 - Water Hose -- My kind neighbor stepped up and offered me to use his hose and nozzle and saved me about 100 bucks. That sponsors my Cold Stone Creamery visits for the brutal summer this year.
3 - Sprinklers -- A quick search in the grass for 2 very small items helped me understand the entire sprinkler assembly. Now I am good for the rest of the season and for the season openers henceforth.
4 - Car -- Youtube has a bunch of DIY videos and I found a very custom video right for my car. The process is not really difficult and I found the right mirror for just $46 and free shipping. It was delivered yesterday evening and after a urgent visit to Lowes, a big pair of scratches on my forearm, 2 bruised fingers and a hyper sweaty T-shirt, the side mirror is replaced. It looks perfect, as if it had never broken. The fact that the car is black and the mirror comes in black as well, saved me some painting work as well.
The aftermath --
1 - Mug -- I can not have tea in any ceramic containers. Currently I have been downgraded to steel glasses and any spilling accidents will end up me getting demoted permanently to sippy cups.
2 - Car -- Fixing this mirror flawlessly has upped my confidence level and now I am ready to break and make more things.
Happy times are back!!!
Here are a few instances --
1 - Knife -- A good Farber ware knife which we have been using for more than 4 years broke while I was trying to chop ginger for my tea... Can you imagine a metal knife breaking while trying to chop ginger?
2 - Mug -- A New York souvenir mug broke slipped out of my soapy hands when I was trying to wash it. The handle broke into 3 different parts. Fortunately, the remaining part of the cup was intact.
3 - Water Hose -- The spraying nozzle of the watering hose loves the watering hose so much that the nozzle now refuses to separate from the hose. It is a simple thread based assembly, but somehow, they are inseparable lovers now. WD40 can not break the bond. The only option is to cut the watering hose and get a new one for $100.
4 - Sprinklers -- First sprinkling session of the year, all the sprinkler heads need some mending. The first time I started the sprinkler, it choked and my attempts to clean the head led to a missing sprinkler head and a small pipe.
5 - Car -- While reversing the car out of the garage, the passenger side view mirror crashed with the garage frame and started dangling like a dislocated shoulder. The car showroom politely offered to fix it for $300.
Now I am on a making spree --
1 - Mug -- Crazy glue came to my rescue and I could fix the handle together. It seems to he holding up pretty well and I will not be trying to drink hot tea in that mug any more. It will truly be a souvenir hence forth and command a unique place in the cabinets.
2 - Water Hose -- My kind neighbor stepped up and offered me to use his hose and nozzle and saved me about 100 bucks. That sponsors my Cold Stone Creamery visits for the brutal summer this year.
3 - Sprinklers -- A quick search in the grass for 2 very small items helped me understand the entire sprinkler assembly. Now I am good for the rest of the season and for the season openers henceforth.
4 - Car -- Youtube has a bunch of DIY videos and I found a very custom video right for my car. The process is not really difficult and I found the right mirror for just $46 and free shipping. It was delivered yesterday evening and after a urgent visit to Lowes, a big pair of scratches on my forearm, 2 bruised fingers and a hyper sweaty T-shirt, the side mirror is replaced. It looks perfect, as if it had never broken. The fact that the car is black and the mirror comes in black as well, saved me some painting work as well.
The aftermath --
1 - Mug -- I can not have tea in any ceramic containers. Currently I have been downgraded to steel glasses and any spilling accidents will end up me getting demoted permanently to sippy cups.
2 - Car -- Fixing this mirror flawlessly has upped my confidence level and now I am ready to break and make more things.
Happy times are back!!!
WELL SAID
After a time, you see only the trees — the greater beauty of the forest is lost to you.
- Prem Panicker, when asked if writing about Cricket as a profession is lucrative. According to him, when one has to write about cricket as a profession, the charm is lost.
What a beautiful way to put it.
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