Family...

I always complain that I don’t like this country (USA)… and people always ask me why… everyone loves this country why don’t I? They say there is everything here. Well my experiences since I came here are like this. You have a fantastic middle class or lower middle class life here. I don’t have a car. So there is a fantastic bus and train service here. All the public places are well maintained and clean. But I don’t have that kind of a life in India. I never had to travel by bus in India. So technically I had a better life in India.

Besides, there is more to life than just a standard of living. I was seeing this commercial on TV where they were advertising this device, that if you press the button, the emergency paramedics would come over to your house. So if you fall down and you are living alone and can’t reach the phone, you can press the button and the paramedics arrive. Now such a thing would never be sold in India. Not only that, it cannot be shown on TV. It would be considered bad culture. Because no matter what, people live in families out there and there is a lot more value given to elders out there.

There is another commercial I was watching where this woman comes and asks her daughter what she is eating. She tells her mom that she is eating some sandwich that saves a lot of money and the mother says, “If you are saving so much money, why are you living with me?” parents literally throw their children out of their houses. They wait for their children to leave. This is absolutely unimaginable in India.

Parents kick their children out of their house and then they stay alone and weak when they grow old. Isn’t that funny? There is so much importance given to independence here that families have lost its value. I mean that’s what families are right, Interdependence? Parents take care of their children when they grow and children take care of their parents when they are old. If there is no interdependence, what’s the point in having human society in the first place?

The bum...

Well the biknig experience is pretty good... I am going to the gym every day on the bike...
luckily I have memorized my way back now... I also go shopping and everything on the bike... sometimes parking is a problem...

yesterday a bum was standing near my bike and asked for money saying that he protected my bike... damn he was stinking... gross.. I have seen beggars in India too... and technically it is warmer in India... So they should stink worse... but these guys stink worse... I mean i had heard about bums stinking... but this is the worse stink i have ever smelt... I quickly gave him a couple of quarters and ran...

First when i got the stink, I thought it was the meat... (that I had bought)... i thought it was kinda rotten... didn't realize that it was the guy standing behind me... He was stinking like rotten meat... I was so pukish...

Well the biknig experience is pretty good... I am going to the gym every day on the bike...
luckily I have memorized my way back now... I also go shopping and everything on the bike... sometimes parking is a problem...

yesterday a bum was standing near my bike and asked for money saying that he protected my bike... damn he was stinking... gross.. I have seen beggars in India too... and technically it is warmer in India... So they should stink worse... but these guys stink worse... I mean i had heard about bums stinking... but this is the worse stink i have ever smelt... I quickly gave him a couple of quarters and ran...

First when i got the stink, I thought it was the meat... (that I had bought)... i thought it was kinda rotten... didn't realize that it was the guy standing behind me... He was stinking like rotten meat... I was so pukish...

Weekend...

ok some weekend...

mostly boring... entire saturday... i cooked, cleaned, went to the laundromat, watched a little tv and studied...

Sunday cooked, cleaned again, prepared the Migration strategy to Visual Studio 2005 Team System, mailed it to Jonathan, mailed Henry regarding how long Prajyoth's engagement is with GP, my engagement, salary raise issue and also about Banco... later in the evening went out to look for a bar...

I forgot the cigarettes and took a stop at a place to buy cigarettes... found out that if i buy 2 camels, i would get a zippo free... well what do you know i have a zippo now...

I had researched on the net looking for bars nearby and went and found out that they all suck... so i walked down to the bar near my place... called flannegan... pretty cool place... it is just a bar... you don't get food there... it is a sports bar... pretty cool... had a couple of beers... then packed pasta... now that cost me $10... i thought it was a bit too much... but when i saw the quantity when i opened it up.. man.. this thing is going to last me at least 2 days...

so all in all the weekend ended up pretty ok...

More Business

As far as I can thin I don't think there is going to be any value addition to this project... The team is good and I have guaged that Jonathan has a good business knowledge regarding the project. I would have to understand the business behind the application. The best thing that I can do to add value is to try and understand the business better and understand the processes better.

Then later on probably when I have a better relationship with the client, I could find out ways to get more business. This definitely shouldn't be the last thing that kanbay does for Georgia Pacific.

Another big news is that Banco Popular is giving more business to Kanbay and there is nobody else to take care of the business and development... and so they might call me... I am a little confused as to what to do I have settled in here and now i don't really want to move to Chicago for the Banco business... But if it is doing good for my career i don't mind as long as i am able to move back to India around September or October...

Calm before the storm

Ok i had posted quite a lot of blogs after i moved in here but i can't see them... i guess i would have to republish the entire blog...

anyways nothing much to write today except that I have to stop watching everybody loves raymond and get a little more disciplined...

work pressure has reduced a bit and things are going pretty ok right now... but that is because this is the time between the initial set up and the actual project management... this is the time when the onsite team is answering queries and the offshore team is studying the project and asking questions...

I don't know what else i am supposed to be doing here except providing a decent environment to the onsite team and the offshore team...