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October 2003
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
March 2004
April 2004
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June 2004
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August 2004
stuff
Hindsight
-Guy Kawasaki
One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown
is the belief that one's work is terribly important.
-Bertrand Russell
Wear sunscreen
-Mary Schmich
Man was given an imagination to compensate for what he isn't;
a sense of humour to console him for what he is.
- Francis Bacon
Leisure
-W.H. Davies
Not all those that wander are lost.
-J.R.R. Tolkein
Life is a tragedy for those who feel,
and a comedy for those who think.
-Jean de La Bruyère
The average person thinks he isn't.
-Father Larry Lorenzoni
Computers are useless.
They can only give you answers.
-Pablo Picasso
Become who you are.
-Nietzshe
Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you.
-Frank Tyger
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
-Anon
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muse
second day in cairo! first impressions include - its dusty, colourful, "developing" and friendly. has a little bit of an "old delhi" feel to it... been an interesting two days so far - seen some pyramids and eaten at a coffee shop that's been open 24 hours for the last 200 years! lonely planet's been a great aid so far, and the ugly possibility that i'll have to reduce the size of the pictures i take (despite the 256mb card on the camera) is rearing its head. cybercafe's have FAST internet access!
more gradually!
10:21 AM
Thursday, December 25, 2003
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Leaving for Egypt in less than 18 hours - with a full night of sleep and a day of work in the middle - and I'm finally starting to pack!
11:30 AM
Monday, December 22, 2003
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Hopped around town in search of John Grisham's new book, Skipping Christmas - and dredged up only two copies; after hitting three book stores. It says something both about how little attention his recent books have earned and about how well stocked the better bookshops in Hyderabad are! His last book, Bleachers, was again a-typical of his genre, but an interesting read nevertheless.
Was hoping to make this book the thank-you-gifts for the team that organised the company Christmas party at the Taj Krishna last Saturday - but it seems unlikely we'll get enough copies before I'm off.
Dined at Just Oriental (imaginatively abbreviated to JO) - a spanking new restaurant in Banjara Hills, Road No. 12 (so new, they don't accept credit cards yet!). Robert, the maitre de is not shy about recommended his favourites, and the liberal use of spice goes down well with people sharing my kind of palate. The "steamed" rice is shudh basmati, which does give the dishes an interesting flavour!
10:39 AM
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Many moons ago - when in college - my roommate and me were visited by a bunch of seniors who'd just returned from a trip to Shimla. Roommate decided it'd be fun to visit Shimla over the weekend too, but I laughed off the idea. Fortunately, his persuasive skills were well evolved - and by 10pm, we were at the Inter State Bus Terminus in Delhi, trying to get onto buses headed in the general direction of Shimla! It was a fun weekend, even if we did end up huddling in towels, since we hadn't packed for the cold weather there!
Many moons have passed; same travel companion; more exotic destination; if you thought our planning has improved in the seven years that have passed, think again though! We're off to Egypt over the Christmas and New Year season - and beyond getting tickets - and finally this weekend, the visas - we've done woefully little. Two days to go - and lots of packing, research and figuring to do...
9:43 AM
Sunday, December 21, 2003
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My maid speaks Hindi as well as I can speak Telugu. That means most of our communication consists of nodding heads, big loopy smiles and lots of pointing and arm waving. When I left Hyderabad, I explained that I'd be back in the vicinity of the 15th. It's been two days now, and I've been waiting for her to magically materialise - and it's only more dust that seems to be coming home. I hope she'd figured it was date=15th and not month=15th. Meanwhile, a poor friend who's coming in from Bangalore tomorrow will have to wade through the insides of my house - which look like the aftermath of an explosion! A messy one at that..
Highpoint of coming back is my cable operator is finally showing AXN, MTV, Channel V, HBO, Star World, Star Movies and the works! Funny thing to be excited over - but when you've been deprived of these channels for over five months - it's quite a treat to get them back! I've never understood the business model my cable operator used though. Ever since he stopped providing these channels - most households in my complex stopped paying him. They couldn't switch because there aren't alternate providers here - but the lack of paying customers didn't seem to overly concern him - he didn't try and convince people to pay - or turn back on the channels - until now! I guess, alls well that ends well...
9:29 AM
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
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Back
in Hyderabad after over 24 hours at 30000 feet! Home, dusty, home. Or at least mine was when I got back after two weeks! I'll be even more delinquent with the blog until I'm caught up with work...
 I'd posted earlier on the joys of watching a sunrise from above the clouds, and now here's a picture. The sun's rising out in east, but the city I was over - Seoul, was still cloaked in night. You can faintly see the lights of the city that's still waiting for the sun to come out.
6:24 PM
Monday, December 15, 2003
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 Dinner at Bennihana's was a blast! The "japanese" food was prepared right at our table teppanyaki style with dazzling effects by chefs who slide, dice and cook your order - while juggling knives and flipping food in the air. Was introduced to Sake bombers - you drop little "shots" of warm sake (japanese rice wine) into half a glass of Japanese beer - and then tip the glass over into your mouth! It doesn't take many to lose count…
Also tried Afrikando, a tiny Senegalese restaurant in the downtown area. Food was interesting - lots of cabbage, cassava and spices, but a little different than what we've been used to. I guess it's an acquired taste :)
5:55 PM
Thursday, December 11, 2003
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 Driving around in Seattle, takes getting used to, after having driven around in Hyderabad. More so, when you're still getting used to freeways. We were able to find all the places we set out to find, despite me acting as navigator (supported by a trusty copy of Streets and Trips) - though between being wary of where to make U turns, and challenges getting into the correct lane to take freeway exits - we typically travelled 30 miles for every 10 miles we intended to traverse. We did get to see a lot more of the city than we'd have normally though!
My colleague was fascinated by a pair of musicians playing on a sidewalk near the Space Needle. Despite all advice to the contrary, he shelled $15 for a CD with their music. Live music on the sidewalk has an almost magical feel to it as you walk past, nursing a cup of steaming hot coffee in the cold Seattle weather. Unfortunately, he's realised that the cover version playing in your car captures very little of that mood!
5:45 PM
Sunday, December 07, 2003
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delightfully tacky yet unrefined
In 1983, six fun-loving businessmen, with no experience in the restaurant industry, opened a joint with girls in orange shorts, chicken wings as the feature item, and an owl in the logo. The casual, beach-theme restaurant known for the surfer girls next door has since morphed into a chain with over 330 locations in locations as diverse as Singapore, Switzerland and yes, Seattle!
 The atmosphere in Hooters typically includes an open kitchen with boisterous cooks; rock and roll playing from the jukebox; sports on television and Hooters Girls hula-hooping and singing. Interestingly - they've had to explain to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission on their hiring practices that discriminate against men!
Finished the evening with loads of sangria - a delightful mix of wine, fruit juices and soda, and a photograph that'll get me killed if the other guys in it find it on the internet!
5:30 PM
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The smallest digital camera in the world is in my hands! A friend just bought the Pentax Optio S - and I'm "beta testing" it until he gets here next week. It's credit card sized, and at under an inch thick, packs as much punch as my mini-tank, aka Canon G1. Image quality isn't stellar - but I'd probably use a decent camera the size of my phone a lot more than my Canon - which weighs almost as much as my laptop (to be fair, its the laptop that's really light - at about a kilogram :).
I want one!!
Ok. Amazon says they'll get it to me before i leave for home next weekend :)
7:18 AM
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
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do you really want to meet The Man?
When on the road I love to be able to eat at quaint, interesting restaurants that have character. My favourite eating joints have often been tiny places the size of my bedroom, where the owner hangs out and is willing to sit at your table and take the time to describe why you'll salve your soul by ordering the linguini instead of the penne.
Dixie's BBQ is one such place. They serve lunch out of an auto repair shop - and while the quality of their meat is debated, they're definitely known for their sauce - The Man. Legend has it that The Man is prepared in the same sauce pan; Everyday; In the dreg's of yesterday's sauce. The pan hasn't been washed in eons - which is what contributes to the flavour. Server's attempt to bully customers into trying just a taste - on the tip of a toothpick - that's how hot it is! There's a thin line between bravery and stupidity, and few cross it.
Did you notice the small qualifier I used about Dixie's serving lunch? We hadn't noticed that when we set out in search of Dixie's, ignoring the sleep deprivation that had been creeping up on us. We reached the street it was on within 15 minutes, and then spent the next 45 driving up and down in search of the place. After much badgering shops in the vicinity for directions - we finally found the run down garage it is - and realised it was closed!
Ended up at the in-car-service, drive-in Burgermaster and got a nice greasy burger with fries. Their trays that hang off the car window while you eat brought back memories from Sanjha Chulah - a favourite hangout in Delhi - during college days - where they'd prop an empty Coke bottle under, so you could use your car bonnet as a flat table! Far from a gourmet experience - but some of our best meals ever!
6:55 AM
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We're flying into a sunrise as I type. Sunrises at 30,000 feet are a marvellous experience - minus the sound of the engines :). When the darkness has just begun to lighten up - you're floating on a sea of clouds, with just the hint of the morning to come at the horizon - with a blush that's orange, pink and purple. The sky lights up gradually… and my marvelling comes to a rude stop as the lights in the cabin flicker on. Orange juice time!
11:16 AM
Monday, December 01, 2003
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