Working Weekend

Saturday we worked all day. It was beautiful outside, but we were in and it was tiring. We got back to the hotel, I had a beer with dinner and it felt terrible, so I went to bed and didn't get up until Sunday around 11.

Our new Blue Team members had flown in overnight and we brunched with them.

During the meal, a lame magician came over to our table and did some tricks. Things like turning two foam balls into three; that sort of thing.

Afterwards, most of us set off and a walk to exciting Brigade road. Shawn needed RAM and we were hoping to find some. On the way we passed the guys above working. They were sawing down this tree. You can see that they are using a giant two-man lumberjack saw to get out chunks of the tree. There are a lot of cool, gnarled trees sprouting up in the middle of streets here. I hope these dudes dont have to cut too many of them down.

We got the RAM, which was great. Brigade road is fun, lively shopping with lots of hawkers trying to get you to buy cheap sunglasses, watches, chess sets, whatever they can find. We were noticing that although there is the crush of people you see above, we had gotten used to it and just worked our ways through the crowds and didn't mind the stares.

On the way home I took a snap of the girls that are working on the wall across the street from the hotel. They are big carry-on-your-head'ers, bringing loads of cement mix back and forth evey day.

That night we went to a restaurant on the 13th floor of an old hotel in the city center that one of the TCS folks recommended. We sat on the deck in the open air, watching the city. It's apparently the place they send the foreigners, because there were several other tables of Westerners. The place served Thai and British fare as well, although the food did not agree with me.

Oh - and I forgot! On our walk, I spotted a guy sitting on the sidewalk with what looked like a crazy giant block of parmegan cheese. I asked him what it was and it turned out to be a root of some sort- maybe taro? He was cutting paper-thin wedges off and told me it was sweet. For 20 rupees, sure I'll try one. He rubbed it with lime, sprinkled sugar on it and served it in a newspaper. It was sweet and limey. Mmmm, Bangalore!

Up in the Air

Check out the dude drinking in the first picture. This is the Indian way of drinking from bottles. I mentioned the mysteriously-filled bottles at work and how they drink from them - this is it. That's what they do. Keep that mouth away from the rim and pour it through the air. I can't do it yet: I either spill or rely upon my lower lip to steady the position a bit by touching lower on the bottle.

I've noticed also that I drink a lot more water than them. Now, I hydrate quite a bit but they aren't even at the same table as me.

I also snap my gum, sing songs out loud, make foolish jokes and generally comport myself with a carefree attitude. This is very un-Indian of me, or at least that's how it seems. I sometimes feel like the big loud lout to their considerate, polite gentlemen. Of course I have a business face, too, but sometimes I wonder how foolish I appear.

Anyway- these were shot from my hotel room looking across the street. 300mm lens. The project is crazy and I have to sneak a snap or two here and there. Even now I should be sleeping; another long day and we have to work Saturday.

Nice news is that more teammates arrive Sunday.

Oh, and although everyone thinks I'm a fool, I want to try some street food. The vendor in the second picture does brisk business- must be doing something right. I'm thinking more along the lines of roasted nuts, though. Something easy to deal with.
We'll see. I expect I will mostly sleep and work the next 48 hours.

Nighty night

Turn Away, Gentle Readers

Okay, so: here is the facilities in my hotel room.

I have to say up front that bathroom concerns weighed on my mind when I first set out for India. I had heard stories and seen movies. And the whole left-hand thing was very troublesome to me. It's easy to picture a scene where you have Deli Belly and have to rely on lefty to get clean and I was very upset about having to do that.
So, the first thing I did when I checked in is run to the toily to see what was what. There are several things I want to point out to you in the above picture. First, there are two buttons above the commode; a large one and a small one. The larger one makes the water (which is very vigorous) run longer. So; bigger job, bigger button.
Second you might have noticed the thing that looks like the hose by the sink in your kitchen. I don't know what they call that, but it is apparently a common device. Obviously, it's like a bidet but with a manual aspect. It shoots only cold water, but there is a handle that controls the pressure. Now- there is toilet paper in the picture and they have that here, but they clearly are not big into it. Even here at this swank hotel the paper is rather coarse and harder to come by.
I haven't tried the hose-thing yet, but feel that as a traveller it is my duty to have new experiences. So, at some point I will, but not today. Frankly, I have some questions about aiming and drying.
Now, other places have different arrangements and we all snoop around to see what's what where we go. There have been the usual funny stick figure signs that show you the proper use of such devices and a fun "toilet karma" sign that outlined some do's and don'ts. I will try to get pix of that as well.
But the short story is - no lefty so far, no Deli Belly for that matter either: things are fine.

Republic Day at Work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoGqwPOFCcQ

Ok, I'm exhausted from a long work day and gearing up for another very long one, but I have to post this.
We roll into work at noon and go on up to the roof where the whole group has gathered. Like us, they are mostly all wearing traditional clothing. Many of their clothes represent their traditional areas and backgrounds' style. So, there were a lot of different outfits.
They bought us clothes as well, so we were decked out, too. I will post photos later.
So, the program on the roof starts with the preseident of the company giving a speech. Then, as in the state-wide program, there is entertainment. A gentleman started out with a traditional drumming exhibition. Next came a dance, but there was a technical glitch with the audio. So, they announce the problem and say, while we are waiting would anyone like to come up and sing a song. Brief pause and then, yes, someone does get up and belt out an accapella number. Big round of applause.
The dancing turns out to be more Bollywood style, but it is very exubeberant and we cheer loudly. They do a couple numbers, including one to a rap-style song. "East to West, India is the Best", that sort of thing.
Finally it's games: an eating contest and then charades. I go first and the phrase I draw to act out is "there are two kinds of men; the dead and the deadly". Wha? I figure the best bet here is to just make a fool of myself pretending to be dead and deadly, in hopes that it is a common phrase. I flop around dead and somehow act like a lady to make them get "man" but time expires and they are left bewildered but amused.
Most of the phrase ones were unfamiliar to us like "Tarzan on the tallest tower". I don't know if they are idioms or just tricky sentences.
Afterwards we had a home-cooked meal which was delicious. At the end they served paan, which is a betel leaf chew. It was minty and surprising. I think I should have chewed it more slowly or treated it like a tobacco plug. It was a little strong. But overall, a great Republic Day celebration and such gracious hosts. I couldn't be happier with them.

Republic Day

Republic Day started at 6:30am for me. We were supposed to meet our local counterparts at 7am and I had to get up to get ready. All of my teammates had bagged on me so I was flying solo. We were up until 2 or so the night before working, so I can't really blame them.
Anyway, 7 comes and my guy isn't around. He worked late too and is behind this morning. Around 8 when I've given up and gone back to the room he shows and we are off to the show.
We get there and it turns out we need a pass to get in. We have no pass, but my man Sasi says no problem. He scouts around, puts the schmooze on a couple people, points out a big dumb American and it's No Pass, No Problem - in we go.
The event is held at the parade grounds and it's pretty crowded but not as bad as you might think. The show starts with speech from the State leader and then a parade of the military, civic groups and bands. Afterwards it's a series of ethnic dances and shows by kids in groups around 600-700. Big, show affairs with props and music. Overhead a well-spoken MC breaks out the symbols and meanings of each affair in a delightfully poliet, clipped tone.

These kids were part of a dance about the diversity and unity of India. They were dressed up as different religions (including funny Christians dressed as brides and grooms carrying upside-down crosses) to show how the had harmony within diversity.

The grand finale was this troupe of military men that climb poles in crazy formations. It's a form of enjoyable calisthenics, the man said. When this started, one of the military guys that had been hovering around me the whole time pushed me towards the edge of the crowd so that I could get a better shot, shouting "you go there- your spot!" It was crazy. They breathed fire and leaped up and down that pole with great shouts and huzzahs. I went home greatful and tired. Thanks Sasi!

Big Buildings

This is the ISKON temple.

ISKON is an international Krishna church with temples worldwide. Picture a Hindu version of an American Mega Church and you're on the right track.

The first thing is, they don't allow photography inside. That's a shame, because the view from the plateau of the surrounding areas was great and a lot of what was inside was pretty photogenic.

Most of it didn't make any sense to us. We were shuffed through a series of icon viewings and then sat in front of an altar to watch a monk perform a ritual. At the end we shuffled past an incense censure he used in the servicve. Everyone scooped some of the smoke and breathed it in, so I did the same.

I didn't understand what was going on, I'll have to look it up. Before the ritual they gave us two sealed baggies that held coconut. Later they wanted us to exchange the baggies for a discount on religious texts. In the ritual (the paja?) the monk sprinkled plant shavings on a statue while chanting and then cleaned them up. Several other monks were chanting in other areas. The floor had been roped off so that paying customers like us went up front while all the people there for service were on the floor behind us.

After the brief service I was feeling the Krishna love. I was barefoot and happy.

Then they looped us through a near-endless series of shopping stations. Buy a book, buy beads, buy art, buy a snack, then it repeated. Several times. It took a long time to get out and being barefoot in the snack stations wasn't so neat. So, I'm glad I went but I'm all set with it for now.

This is the Palace at Bangalore.

The ground is a thick red clay dust. I'd like to say I learned a lot about the owner of this place and the unbroken line of kings that were his fathers back to the 1400's. But, our guide was nearly incomprehensible.

He showed us around the mansion, which you could see was beautiful once, and tried to explain the antiques. Ah, a very old coffee maker. Hmm, a scale used to weigh jockeys. Say, an old fashioned icebox. Ok.

The tour included several pieces of furniture made from an elephant's feet an trunk. The guide offered us a chance to sit on the elephant-foot stools for pictures, but I wasn't interested in doing that. I guess it's a part of history and the Raj and all, but between this and the corridor of crude naked lady paintings I wasn't feeling terribly sympathetic with the king. He had a nice summer palace in Mysore as well by they way. At night it's lit with 80,000 light bulbs.

Later we went back to the store for some Red Bull shopping and tried to lounge around the pool. But by then the pool was closed and we mostly vegged out.

Next stop: Republic Day on Tuesday, hopefully game preserve safari next weekend.

Shopping Day

This is the doorman at the Chancery Pavilion in Bangalore. We call him the General. He spends his team beaming at people and wearing a fun outfit. I like his moustache and told him so. He seemed pleased with this but he's generally pleased with everything, especially the rupees I slip him. He located our driver this mornng as we set out for an expedition to the local shopping centers.

We told the driver to take us to the stores the girls at work recommended, but he took us here instead "just so we can get an idea". The persistent salesmanship here would make the hawkers in Cancun blush. Most of us walked out with things we could have gotten cheaper elsewhere and a vague feeling that our driver was in cahoots with them somehow. Still, I sometimes don't mind being taken along for the ride and it was fun.

Later we went to a couple of local shopping centers. They were madhouses. Checking out took forever. But, the places were very lively. They had live dj's and push-up contests; things like that. Again, Salesperson City and we got to wondering how people who live there take the constant mental bombardment and crush of people.

We crossed a busy street - twice - and felt like we had just been skydiving. Laughing like fools at having survived the dash as cars made no attempt to slow down for us.

Sir, Sir! An Image I Require!

For people speaking the same language, my students and I have a hard time understanding each other.

Typically, I have to have them repeat everything they say. It dawned on me the other day that they prolly miss the bulk of what I say, too. Of course, I'm ennunciating everything and speaking slowly; running a class. They usually mumble and look down and fail to even gesture.

Anyhoo- one of my favorite students at the moment is Mahesh.

But this may require I back up a step. The first day I got in nothing was set up but they were all waiting for me. The first class they just stared at me no matter what I said. No computers worked, so I had to give an impromptu 8-hour lecture. I took every opportunity to ellicit response from them.

At one point I was trying to make a reference to Treasure Islamd. It has to do with spot colors, but that's not important. I made the reference and then realized they might not get it. So I asked them "Who's heard of Robert Louis Stevenson?". Nothing. "He wrote Treasure Island. Ever hear of it?" Nothing. "It's a book about pirates. No who hear can tell me what a pirate is?" Nothing. "You've never heard of pirates?" No reply. They barely blink, but they are all giving me looks like I'm insane.

And at that point, I was. I wanted a response, any response from any of them. But I got nothing. So I persisted: "None of you has ever hear of pirates? You have no idea what a pirate is? Johnny Depp in that movie? Pirates of the Carribean? No one? Really? None of you know what a pirate is?" I asked it like I was sure they were messing with me.

But really, I get them a bit better than I get Spanish, so why should they understand me? Accent is a big part of it, but phrasing is key too.

But by asking things in a way that allows them to open up without exposing them to shame or being wrong and by working hard to give them ways to learn without appearing weak in front of their supervisor, they are starting to open up after a week.

Maheesh is funny because he starts every sentence addressed to me with "Sir, Sir!" So it's "Sir, Sir! deeblackandudderoneitis maybe not sameok?" That's right, Maheesh, they arent the same but the stroke is so small no one will notice and it will do it's job. Ohh...ok. "Sir, Sir! Maybe boxturn, is ok?" Mmm, no the specs have it going the other way. Do it like this. Ohhh... ok.

Today we were getting images and he started to get excited. Keep in mind - I've been in a tight corridor with these people for a full week and most of them have yet to speak aloud to me. So when we work the ads and Mahneesh finds that file he needs he raises his hand and peeps: "Sir, Sir! An image I require!" I have to chuckle.

Please Don't!

Today was kind of a swing day. I woke up feeling great and with plans to go sightseeing but soon fell back to sleep and didnt get up until just before time to go. At work we kind-of got around a corner, but there is a long way to go.

Every day we show up and there is "bottled" water waiting for us. Except I notice that the Indians drink it by pouring it into their mouths and not touching it to their lips. Plus it seems fuller than bottled water should be. Of course this realization made my sore throat way worse as I talked myself into being sick.

So far, though, not a hint of traveller's troubles, though a diet coke did make me feel a little weird.

We have to work out our weekend plans still. Our counterparts all want us to see the Taj Mahal, I'm so-so about the plane ride. I think we will shop and maybe see some sights.

Speaking of which, here's a charming sentiment:

Viva la Banglaru, Baby!

Overpassing

Today I was hanging out at my swank hotel feeling tired and I decided that it was time for a stroll. It was my first time walking around in downtown Bangalore; up to now it's been sleeping and working all hours. I figured it was time for a consititutional. So I got on a pair of shorts, sunglasses and a ballcap. Here we go Bangalaru!
I took a stroll down the main drag. It was fun. I was for sure a subject of curiosity, but you walk with purpose and you're fine. Some people trailed me around a bit. I have to say I was very concious of my belongings and that made me feel a bit weird- gripping my camera strap so tight. The idea was to go find a little cafe and get breakfast, but the farther I got from the hotel, the more it turned into schools and such. Eventually, I looped back.
Now- the streets are crazy busy. So much so that there is a pedestrian walk way over the main drag for dudes like me. I took a walk up and stopped for snaps and blissful privacy.
I have to say after walking maybe 45 mins, my throat was dry as dust. This place is a dusty, and full of carbon monoxide.
The picture above is from the overpass. The place is crazy with little yellow three-wheel taxis. The dudes mob you to take you places - little sight seeing jaunts.
I'm very interested in riding in one. I can tell you the ride to work in a mini-van is daffy; being in one of those most be a riot. Maybe I'll go see parliment; it looked cool on the way in.

Hatfull of Handsome

Yeah!!
Party hat! Like the Good Humor Man!
You asked for it, you got it: this is the hat they gave me upon arrival at McMillan. I will wear it on Republic Day next week.
Excitingly, I realize that I will be here March 1st, which is Holi - the throw stainy stuff holiday. By then I think the project will be smooth enough that I might get to enjoy myself.
Today I slept til 7, woke up and semi-slept until noon. I was up til 3 working the night before. Then it was a quick lunch and into work. Today went better. I'm looking forward to getting out more, though - so far it's been all hotel and work. But really, that's all it could be. We have large tasks.
But now I have this swank hat to wear out. Stay tuned, true believers.

Welcome and Silence

Ok.
So, I'm beat and tired now, but I have to focus on the awesome.

I wake up at 3am and fail to get back to sleep. Bad.

Class starts at 3:00, we plan to show up early to get the classroom squared up.

They show up late, the ride over there is *very* exciting and makes me feel both very alive for having survived so many apparent near-deaths and incredibly serene.

Truth time: on the plane in I saw this Bollywood movie. It was about a nice little town that was fine the way it was, but one guy wanted the town to be more popular so they invite this horrible, drunken money-grubbing famous guy who happened to be born there to come and stay to boost the civic profile.

Madcap hilarity ensues until everyone learns their lesson and the fat guy kisses the midwife that help birth him. Yes.

Anyway, the part that struck me was that the town was all vegetarian and did penance every time the fat guy made them get him omeletes and stuff. He drank a lot too. Now, I'm not going to foreswear booze the whole trip. Hell, I'm having a beer now, but I could use a little authentic Indian redemption experience in this posh posh hotel, so I'm laying off the meat for the near future. Maybe I'll try to make it til March and the new year. No promises, just think it would be better for me.

So: flash back to 12 hours ago, we arrive at the job site finally and the whole place is there to greet us in ceremonial garb. The have decorated the lobby with flower petals and give us the whole moxa, rose water, garland and forehead stain. They also gift us with a hat we can wear on the upcoming national holiday.

In all, it was very touching and pleasant. You can see I made a bungle of the iPhone video. Later in the evening (around 2:30am) when our workday was done, the flower arrangement was stil in the lobby. That's am iphone snap of it above.

Oh, and halfway through class the tea wallah showed up, delivering delicious strong coffee.
Later he came by offering us a snack.
It was a like a thick, spicy porrige served on a plate. It was tasty and hot, but I couldn't really eat it and teach.
For evenening meal we went up to the cafeteria: basically a covered open-air area on the roof of the building. The night air was as delicious as the food they served us.
Class was a different bag of fish. The computers weren't set up and the class basically just stared blankly at me for 8 airs and wouldn't even respond when I asked them basic questions. Even deliberately silly ones like: "Who knows what a pirate is?"
I think its a combination of culture, new job, and the presence of their superior in the class that is making them timid. The only response I got was at how badly I mangled their names.
In any case it was a tough day on the teaching front, but what a welcome.

Skipping Saturday

Here's the breakdown:
Arrived in Logan at 8am
Arrived Chicago at 12 or so
The flight out was delayed until 9pm, so it was a long chill
Being Business class, we had access to the Executive Lounge, which was very comfortable.
Business class seats on the flight over totally ruled. It was like old-school flying, where they offer you magazines and you order from a menu. Lots of legroom. The seats were lazy-boy style, they reclined fully and had very adjustable controls and a built-in remote control for your teevee. The staff waited on you hand and foot, it made it pretty bearable.
The plane also had an external camera that you could watch as well. So you could see us landing and taking off. It was an interesting perspective.
We stopped over for two hours in Frankfurt, but didn't deplane. They just cleaned it (it was freezing when they opened the doors) and got a new crew. Then it was seven more hours in the air to Mumbai.
Because of the delay, we had to do Customs in Mumbai. Our luggage didn't come for a while, making it the most tense part of the trip. They kept announcing how transfers to Bangalore like us ought to hurry up or we would miss our fligfhts. Meanwhile, no baggage. Eventually it came and we got on a bus to the domestic station. By then it was like 5am or some such but the place was still jumping.
We finally worked that all out, but we had missed the 6:15 flight and waited again until the 9:30. Ambitiuos baggage-dudes helped us out and we finally made the quick flight to our final destination.
We were immediately picked up by our drivers and made the 30km ride to the hotel. This took us through the old section of town, which was very lively and dirty. Traffic was amusingly death-defying. It all seemed to work out, with people tooting each other constantly. There were several times when cars were a hairs-breadth from us. Lanes seemed like less than suggestions - more like dotted line decorations in the road. Everyone was very calm about the chaos though. You would see girls in saris riding sidesaddle on the backs of motorcyles zipping in and out of traffic barely bothering to hold on. Whole families crammed onto mopeds.
Then its into the military-style courtyyard of the hotel, complete with bomb-snoopers. The hotel seems fine, and is very western. By then it caught up with me and I crashed hard.
We got up and had dinner, though. I got the buffet and it was fine - very artistic presentation, especially the deserts. So far food has been no problem, a joy even. And the stories of the city smell seem exagerated. Even the old town wasn't much different than places in the Yucatan.
So, so far so good, but I haven't really done much. Work starts tomorry. Hope to get some photos soon, meanwhile, here's a couple videos

Slow Time

This morning I woke up hard and slow.

Everything was ponderous and I felt like my feet weighed a hundred pounds.

After struggling through a shave and shower I was buoyed by the sight of a cool sunrise-lit cloud line over the ocean. It was dramatic, red and independent from the rest of the sky. I fished my memory card out of the reader, plugged it back into the camera and continued dressing.

But everything was still slow and I felt drugged. By the time I was ready to leave the cloudline had been burned apart by the rising sun. I hesitated and wavered my hand over it, but in the end I left the camera bag on the coffee table. The sky was dull and flat now.

Next it's time to get gas. The place was full so I went around the corner and got coffee.

I finally got back to the pump and walked around the car to open the cap. Each step around the car seemed like a chore. Time was running incredibly slowly. I watched the numbers of the gas pump escalate like I was under water. $1.00... $1.10... $1.15. Each number seemed to tick by ridiculously slowly. Birds flew by with wing flaps so exaggerated I was dully surprised they stayed aloft.

Then a disembodied voice said "Stop".

I looked around but there was no one around.

"Stop." said the deep, authoritative voice again.

It was the guy from the store over the speaker. I had shopped there a hundred times but never heard the speaker before. I was somehow surprised it existed. "Stop" he repeated. "Stop the pump for 5 seconds and start again. It will go faster."

I nodded and obeyed. Success! The gas started flowing faster and my brain began to keep pace, pulled into the timescape of the living by a five second pump pause.

With my brain right I saw the good light had slipped around behind the house next door and was illuminating it with dazzling results. I should have taken my camera after all.

Alone & Out of Focus

After Cali, I slept for two days and then went to CT to see the family. The whole team was there and we had a great time. I really hated to go.
Generally, I like living alone. The only times I feel lonely are after I leave from a visit. Then I miss them and feel lonely. As I drove North I was acutely aware that I wouldn't see them again until after India and that I was headed into one of the most isolated stretches of my life. India is going to be an adventure, but it's going to be one where I'm going to be alone in a crowd for two full months.
Work is changing badly too. Today they announced another layoff. By the time I get back from the road, many of my friends will be gone or in different jobs. With my promotion, the things I liked best about my job I do less and less now.
And I've been away so much that things that should seem routine and comfortable, like my office and apartment, are alien. In general: I'm out of sorts and I need to straighten up in a hurry.
The shots above are from the Hartford Science Center. Dark place. I try to use the 1/mm size speed minimum rule. So using a 200mm, I try to shoot at at least 1/200th. This was around 50mm so I shot at 1/50th. I'm open up to f2.8 and 400ISO.
Should be perfect, right?
Problem is, people move. This place is full of activities; things move, jump around, everyone is constantly in motion. 1/50th plus a crazy shallow depth of field and jumping peoples means that I missed a bunch of shots. Look how soft the faces are in the second shot. Curses. In retrospect I go back to high ISO and dealing with the grain. I have to get over it.