Gozer the Traveler

ORCHID Lunch

2011-02-10T00:13:00.004-05:00

थे टीम गेट्स लार्गेर एवेरी इयर। इ ठनक याच एंड एवेर्योने ऑफ़ यू फॉर अल ठाट यू दो फॉर में थ्रौघ आउट थे इयर। अस अल्वाय्स आईटी इस अ प्लेअसुरे। बिलु

Brigitte

2011-02-09T22:54:00.006-05:00

The Phase 1 team took Brigitte and myself out for the "last supper". Me, Brigitte, Mithun, Varsha and Tejas.Food was great and so was the beer. I wasn't drinking, it was Tejas....

When I uploaded this segment I found this picture of Bhargav,Tim and Mike somewhere in Mumbai, I don't recall where.

After the Phase 1 supper, I decide to take a rickshaw out for a spin. I am confident this could supplement my next trip to Mumbai, the hours are good and driving in Mumbai is "fun".

I picked this lady up one night. She was stumbling out of a pub swearing in German...
something about her boss.....Once I loaded her in the rickshaw and spun her around the neighborhood she calmed down and slept like a baby....

Hookah

2011-02-06T07:08:00.005-05:00

Hookah at a place called Mochas. There is a hookah den close to the Motel. Brigitte if I had only known........Sunita one of the leads for some of our studies and Yatin her co-lead and my body guard took me here to "spend some time with you Bill, you looked a little 'down' this time....." Evidently reaching 30 again took the starch out of my shorts, another saying from the woman who raised me....to some of you this explains much...too much.

If you are not familiar with hookah you might google it, I may not have spelled it correctly, this is what showed up when I did a spell check. No, I don't ALWAYS use spell check. Anyway I had a cappuccino and a couple "bowls" as we used to call them in the 60's before flavoured steam became the rage. I had a nice chat and learned much about this ever evolving ORCHID team and its roots. We enjoyed a lunch afterwards and ICE CREAM, a staple of mine when in Mumbai. They make it in a rice cooker. I return to RTP this Friday. I was hoping to bust into the EXCOM meeting with my green chiffon wedding dress but looks like I may only make the lunch afterwards. I look forward to seeing y'all.

This give meaning to second hand smoke....

I would not take Sunita's picture because she passed out after the first hit. But she was so sweet just sleeping there..and quiet...very quiet....a scene which has not been witnessed by anyone who knows her since birth.....Yatin and I had a great time nevertheless.

Another one bites the dust

2011-02-06T06:42:00.005-05:00

As luck would have it there was something in the local water. Marriages were in bloom in February. Below is a picture of Pankti who leads the GRM team in Mumbai and her husband Tushar. I had thought we would make the wedding on time but Mumbai traffic is worse, much worse, than the big Apple. By the time we reached the wedding it was intermission. Evidently her first outfit was beautiful, I don't know how it could have been more beautiful than below, but she was adorned with flowers. I had a pleasant chat with her dad who was very nice and accommodating and her sister was just as sweet as Pankti. We all had a great time. Pankti was radiant.....I can here some comments already from Mr. Moser in RTP, lol, I told you Tony and I had something in common......
Tejal's wedding is next Tuesday. I have a nice green Chiffon number I went out and purchased especially for the occasion. I think I can expense clothing if I have nothing to wear, I had nothing to wear to weddings. ...
Cindy Stroupe, I heard Deb say she will capture this on film...LOL...OMG, I will most likely break into song "I am pretty, oh so pretty......"
I expect they are all marrying so that their husbands can stay home and cook for them when they arrive at 11pm at night after working.......

Mike I tried to find out where the honeymoon was incase you needed to call her for a SSD report but closest I could get was somewhere in Malaysia....

Below is most likely the resason the traffic was so bad on the way to Pankti's wedding. I just learned that evening that some of the ORCHID team actually drives in Mumbai. Below is Manali , one of the leads from GSP. I have not slept since and every red car that passes my taxi in the morning or evening causes stomach problems.....

This me and my "muse", Sundar. Last year he immitated me by losing weight. This year he keeps a wardrobe in his office of some of my outfits, he wanted to be impressive at Pankti's wedding so her wore the exact shirt,slacks and shoes. I should have brought the hot dog or pairate or Vimpat man outfits, I am pretty sure he does not have those.

Deb Rubin is here from RTP GRM. The GRM team took her out this weekend, I will see if I can get some snaps from the GRM ladies for the blog. Brigitte.........I want that photo of when you were hear on your last night!!!! Stay tuned , its a classic.

Three idiots and a lady

2011-02-06T06:24:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure accompanying Satish and his wife Preeti and close friend Jigoo to a restaurant in the city. It is always good to go out with this group. I still do not understand what Preeti sees in Satish, she should have married a man like myself or Jigoo, we are much more settled and mature than Satish.

This is at a beach earlier that evening in Mumbai. We had several conversations that lead to an eventual good time and two first time events for me. Thanks Jigoo................payback is hell, just remember that......

Dear Mr. Slate

2011-01-23T11:05:00.003-05:00

Dear Mr. Slate.
Please open a quarry over here so you and I can spend some quality time. They are constructing buildings all over the place... hello...cement and crushed rock...granite, marble.
This building was not completed last March.
I love the architecture here, I love the people. The downtown Powai area is teaming with construction and many many skyscrapers. We could retire here.
Barney Rubble.

Mistress of the Park

2011-01-23T10:44:00.005-05:00

Timmmayyyy!!!! "They are real and yes, they are spectacular." quote from a Seinfeld episode..

Below is a statue I have probably passed for two years now on each trip and have never noticed it until a colleague was intrigued so I thought it to be a good picture to share with loved ones and friends at home. There are many deities over here and I would be guessing at the name. I am sure I will find out tomorrow when the team takes a look and educates me.
I had a great day. I am at 75.8 KGs. just .8kgs away from my BMI weight. Started at 81 when I arrived footloose and fancy free, whatever that means. Ah, to be free of fancy. Something we all try to achieve but seldom do. I am not sure if your fancy falls off or if an operation is needed. As far as footloose, I recall the movie, but never understood the title unless it meant carefree, and both of Kevin Bacon's feet were loose most of the movie.
LOL. BMI, Thanks to IBS I reached my BMI. Didn't need the FBI or the CIA or the KGB or the ACC or the NFL or the AFL or the AFL-CIO or the WWF either.
I was invited to a free buffet by the hotel Beatle and force fed by men in red vests. Eat, eat, Mr. William. Would you like some pumpkin soup? It is very spicy. Dude, that soup kicked arse. Best I have ever had but as far as pumpkin, i tasted none.
I had some green stuff and some yellow stuff, some stuff with chicken, some stuff with lentils, and some naan. Yummy. Topped it off with hot galob jamin with 2 scoops of ice cream, so much for my BMI. By morning I'll have IBS and end up in the ICU and will need to WFH( not Wake Forest Hospital).
Who cares?
Bilu

Lean on Me..when you're not strong....

2011-01-23T10:32:00.004-05:00

and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on.......

I pass this tree on my way to walks in a near by park. Last year it was just leaning, now it has some help. We all need a little help sometimes. We think we are growing up and reaching the sky as we journey through this ever demanding life, just like this tree.
At one point in time it was straight and stiff like a rock. It was a force to be reckoned with. It moved the bricks at its base as it grew. All the other trees were proud to call it friend. I assume a strong wind accompanied by a monsoon or possibly a wayward bus ladened with passengers helped it reach its current condition. But it's a testimony to others coming to the aid of someone or something in this huge circle of life. A need to help others. An act of kindness.
To be honest, when I first saw it, I thought of Viagra.
Cheers from sunny Mumbai.
Bilu

Not your Grandma's picnic

2011-01-22T10:22:00.041-05:00

Dawn breaks on Dabhosa. We are told these falls are the largest in India. We were also told it would take 3 hours to get here. Like Gilligans Island, a 3 hour tour, a 3 hour tour. we arrive 7 hours later....After 7 hours of ORCHID singing Bollywood songs we all slept well.
This is my first sight of the falls in the morning. I envisioned going over them in a barrel or possibly a mango cart or rickshaw. We had been told it would be a picnic, but I have been on Indian picnics before.......

This is the magic bus. Nuff said.

These signs were proof there was civilization somewhere close by.

Sundar and Bhargav discussing how scared they were to make the descent into the canyon. Both openly confessed they wanted their mommies.

This guy obviously played poker too long the night before and was trying to remember how much money he had brought because he had nothing left in the morning.....

Tim bunked with Mike, I bunked with Bhargav. No we had separate beds, at least Bhargav and I did. Sometime in the night i awoke to something being killed outside the bungalow. No idea what but from the screams it was a grizzly death. A half hour later a freakin mouse ran up my leg. A squirrel would have made more sense..........Bhargav hysterically laughed
himself back to sleep. It could only happen to me. Obviously Bhargav is challenged by sleeping lengthwise in a bed. Maybe the mouse moved him, no idea , but this is how Tim and I found him after we enjoyed our coffee, which was brought to us precisely at 6:00am accompanied by constant ringing of our door bells. Cruel and unusual punishment of which I blame Satish and Sundar.

Me and Dabhosa. For some reason I thought of the Jolly Green Giant after several beers at a local pub..

I have no idea what the hell happened to this picture

Satish, Sundar and Suchit. They looked so excited to be the last ones to arrive to the bottom

Sandesh with the waterfall in the background. Sandesh and I were the first ones down to the base. I think they told him to keep an eye on the old man and possibly if I fell to step aside and let me roll to my death

Tim was cheerful the whole trip. I don't know what he was 'smokin' but he did have a big bag of goody pills claiming they were malaria pills and other "health" supplements. Anyone remember "ludes"???lol.

Thirupathi (not sure if I spelled this correct so forgive me) . I liked the t-shirt

I thought possibly Moses saw this as the burning bush some years ago and it had grown back.

I had a seizure. No big deal, brought some Vimpat with me.

Relaxing at the base of the waterfall.

Everyone loves to be photographed.

I mean everyone.

Bhargav seemed happy to make it to the top, right after I took the picture he slipped and rolled all the way back down.

Bhargav repelling across the valley

Dipti replelling across the valley

At first only the strong and only the men were willing to go across, but for some reason when this old dude went across all the women were shamed into following.

Mike performing. There was talk he had once been in a travelling circus.

Satish said this was just like escaping from his old apartment during the last floods in Mumbai.

Sundar had nothing to lose. I was surprised the rope could hold him as it was obvious he had gained all the weight back that he had lost last year.

Varsha said that after working with Brigitte on phase ones this was a piece of cake.

Again, Tim was just giddy and reckless all at the same time. Look Ma, no hands!!! He thought he saw a moose.

Yatin looks bewildered in this team building game where you had to avoid "bombs", predetermined squares that if you stepped on them you had to go back to the beginning and start again.

Sundar was just lost, he spun around like a top out of control. LA LALA RA RARA LALALALA RARARA. LOL.

The winners of the "memory" game. I was on Sunitas team, I think we came in second. The other teams cheated. We had them beat with clap clap clap. bow bowbow caw cawcaw meow QUACK!! LOL you had to be there.....

These 3 are trouble. Gargi, Tejal and Varsha.

The ladies.

The men.

ORCHID.

I had a great time. As did everyone. I missed taking pictures of the kayak races which were hilarious as some were in competition with the snakes.....

There was also a night walk where the people from the camp tried to scare the team. I think Sundar had to change his shorts after that. But all was well, we returned the next day to Mumbai. It was nice to spend a weekend without the honking of horns or the threat of being run over by an auto-rickshaw.

Hello RTP, I miss you all......yes Christy I said all...LOL.

Bilu

2010-12-27T07:46:00.009-05:00

Below are some pictures of our Christmas in North Carolina

Me and Anna Grace
Back yard

The street

Our House
Our Front yard taken from our porch

Our Back yard

The apple did not fall far from the tree.....

Michele, Chase, Bryce and Santa

Varsha's Trip to RTP

2010-11-22T10:30:00.012-05:00

I neglected to post these pictures, but seeing how it is raining in Mumbai and cooling off in RTP, I thought I would. Below is Michele and Varsha. Had I known how famously they got along, I may have postponed her trip.....LOL

Below is a scene too often replayed throughout my life time. Michele talking about jewelry. Varsha and her were Best friends after this....

Wilmington, NC. The town as viewed from the boat we took for a tour.

This is the Battleship North Carolina. We would have taken this out for a spin but its stuck in the mud.

It was a nice little cruise, these two were "joined at the hip".

We have some beautiful beaches in NC. Varsha found a new home. She was shoeless as soon as we hit the beach. This was in July so it was nice and warm but always a good breeze at the beach.

Again, inseparable....When I pass on to the after life, it think Varsha will come live with Michele....and spend whatever I leave in money on jewelry....

Second to jewelry comes cooking. Michele is a great cook, but it was fun to see another great cook from Mumbai grace our kitchen. It was fun shopping for the ingredients but more fun watching Michele watch someone else cook. And Varsha was right at home, as if she had done this before....

Varsha cooked us a spicy meal. I almost felt guilty that she was doing all the work...ALMOST!

I call these "Little Brown Moons
", but I believe they are called Galob Jamins(phonetically, I am sure I spelled this entirely wrong). Satish, TOO bad you could not have been here, but I am glad you were not, we ate these for several days..Yummy.

Varsha, thank you so much for gracing our kitchen and the RTP office. Everyone enjoyed your visit in July and you were a hit...

2010-09-18T05:33:00.019-04:00

Hallo Everyone:
I am back in Monheim, Germany. To visit friends and colleagues and work, work, work. A colleague from Accenture, Sunita Poojary, also is visiting so we are getting reacquainted and meeting some new colleagues and some old ( one is actually a year older, Sascha celebrated his Birthday on Friday.) We had many pastries supplied by Wendy who was gracious enough to give me money to bring over, and Sascha brought a cake. We danced and sang most of the day and during lunch we rode horses and played a quick game of cricket.....

On Saturday, Sunita and I left for a short walk to the Rhine river. We returned two hours later....You all are aware that I am directionally challenged.... Below is Sunita with the Rhine in the distance.

Sunita wanted to walk out into the river and I would have let her go if I knew Karl would not be upset that she floated off down stream, never to be seen again. S
he has a few studies to work on so I thought best we stay on shore.

Below is a huge barge or something. It was not accepting passengers.

I told Sunita that the water was like bath water, as in Monheim it is always sunny and a balmy 30C and that a nice dip in the Rhine would do her good.....Lucky, the dog, was having a nice swim. I call him Lucky as it was a wonder he was not frozen.

Tourists!!!! Always have to take pictures!! Sunita will have many memories to take back to Monheim. She has mentioned SEVERAL times that she LOVES Monheim and that it reminds her of her home town in India. Satish, I think she wants to move here.....However her mother has been faking a sickness and has told her on the phone to return. She leaves next Saturday.

This is on our trip back from the Rhine excursion when Sunita thought it wise to follow a map. It took us about an hour to get to the Rhine with my directions and 20 minutes to return using the map......LOL..

Sunita was wanting to ride this horse back to the hotel, she is not in the physical shape that I am, I felt sorry for her. Every step I had to worry that she would fall and not get up again. I had to carry her most of the way and she cried how tired she was the entire trip.

Below is Sunita with Brigitte, I had thought when God made me that he had broke the mold, but evidently he/she created Brigitte in Monheim. LOL, and I do mean Laugh Out Loud, she has the best sense of humor and is a joy to work with.

You can tell that I do not like this woman very much.....

After trying to survive on Pizza for 5 days, I convinced Sunita to accompany me to this Asian restaurant where we suffered through trying to order by looking at pictures on the menu we ordered an excellent meal.

Below is a sign I saw while walking Friday evening trying to get reception fro my Blackberry.

Which STILL does not let me send emails from the Hotel......

This sign has a story to tell...

Having a Cow

2010-06-08T15:58:00.003-04:00

Ever talk to someone and they seem like they are having a cow expressing themselves? Mooooooving from once place to another is just an effort for them and they always seem to have a beef about something or a steak in the conversation. They try to steer you the wrong way? Udderly ridiculous!!!

Last night in Mumbai, First Day in Goa

2010-03-18T10:07:00.005-04:00

Good Bye Bilu

2010-03-18T09:25:00.011-04:00

It's hard to get out of India without someone throwing a party. But looking at all the smiling faces I recall a party at UCB when the honree could not make the party and I believe it was Sascha who said, sorry you could not see all the smiling faces........

You can not out-do the masters of throwing a party, even if if it was a lame excuse as "We are celebrating October and September birthdays...LOL..OMG that actually had me thinking...Neha....Neha ha ha ha.

Check out and see if you find Yatin NOT talking on the phone...HMMMM Romance in the air?? I hope he was paying attention when he gave me a "lift" on the back of his motocycle to the restaurant in busy time (7:00am-6:59am everyday) Mumbai traffic. I think the claw marks are still on the side of is bike.....

Deepali, PYT I will never read another horoscope without picturing you two and Anup Vijaja and Shradha.

Vishal is my resident expert on American movies from 1930 to present. Vijaya is lord of the dance.

Yatin...still on the phone. A group of ladies as fine as these come into your life once, I did not let that moment pass me by.

Rajesh and Sathish, two contagious smiles, had nothing to do with the drinks....

Manali is our resident poet. Dnyanada ( from Canada), makes her name easier to pronounce Yanada from Canada.

This is the Princess with her grandfather in the background. This older guy kept showing up at different parties and functions, a real ladies man.

Finally this is the table they prepared for me. Not sure if Yatin

Shopping trip and temple visit

2010-03-07T04:25:00.006-05:00

This started as a shopping trip to get some jeans back in the first week of February so that I had something to work for in my weight loss challenge. they are lose on me now...Sundar....
Sunita, Yatin and Vilas took me out "shopping" and we ended up at this temple. The statues of gods were incredible.

We then went to another "temple", The Mall..LOL. and I had my picture taken with this statue...

Michele this is the size of purse you need to carry all the time.

Below is me, Sunita and Vilas( who just celebrated a birthday this Friday). You wouldn't guess it but Sunita LOVES ice cream....!!!!!

Below is Yatin( the protector) , me and Sunita waiting for our cab to take us home. This was a great weekend and I am always impressed when the team takes me out and sacrifices their time to make me feel at home, most of them had another 2 hour trip to get home after leaving me at my hotel. It is not necessary, as I keep telling them , but it is always appreciated.

I had my eyes on that cone of Sunita's since we left the ice cream shop. I ate mine in something like 10 seconds and I think she just kept enjoying hers to make me crazy.......

Yatin

2010-03-07T04:02:00.002-05:00

Below is a childhood picture of Yatin. Even here at one year old he was big. He is my "body guard". LOL. When he showed me this snap ,I asked him if I could put it on my blog. Yatin is co-lead on the Cimzia 46 project with Sunita and is one of the original 12 hired. Yatin and Sunita....two people at opposite ends of the growth spectrum. He is my gentle giant who has a passion for biostatistics. He and Sunita ( Princess) keep Ganesh in flowers at their desk to preside over the ORCHID team to bring good luck.

Lunch from UCB

2010-03-07T03:34:00.006-05:00

Last Friday it was my pleasure to take both GSP and GRM ( Eileen that means you have to take GSP out when you come..LOL..we only have 26 people in GSP...) out for lunch. After being here for 2 months and never had to pay fro a single lunch or break chai and several dinners, I thought it would be nice to treat. I know , looking below it looks like maybe I treated half of Mumbai.. It is possible I did, because the waiters had to keep adding tables to accomodate everyone. LOL.

It took 2 pictures to attempt to get everyone in the picture. Typical for Satish and Bhavesh they had arranged that the head waiter bring out a bogus bill of I think it was 95,000 rupees which would have been about 2000 American dollars. The actual was 11,000 rupees and a greatdeal. Evidently everyone over here is related to Satish because we keep getting these great deals in restaurants. ORCHID, all of ORCHID, has been very accomodating and I want to thank them all. I will miss you very much when I leave. From the Horoscope readings from my new friends in GRM to the many many chai breaks to the cafeteria lunches and Spice 5 restaurant trips for lunch and most important ice cream. Not once was I left out of a celebration. Each morning I was greeted by the team and felt welcomed. Each mporning Sundar and i would spar as to who had lost the most weight ( truth be told he looks great) . Sundar graciously gave up his office so that I would have privacy for some of my UCB meetings.

Below Sundar was counting up all the palms from all the drinks he had during lunch. Pankti(I call her "PYT") had to load him in a taxi and send him home. He was still brooding over losing the weight loss contest.......
....

Surviving The Mean Streets of Mumbai

2010-03-07T02:26:00.009-05:00

OK, As I was walking today thinking pleasant thoughts of my last 7 weeks here in Mumbai and my last week as I held back the tears and had another epiphany: The Survival Pyramid of Mumbai. You know we have food chain pyramids, well here is a westerner's view of surviving the ever moving and less forgiving streets of Mumbai.

The bus. Top of the chain of survival. Don't walk in front of one and think that they will stop. Neither wind, nor rain, nor old bald white man, nor brown for that matter will prevent this vehicle from its appointed stop. Today the bus was travelling light, there are some laden with local passengers hanging on the windows from the outside while the rest are like sardines inside. I think the outside ride costs more because you can see where you are going and just drop off at anytime. That is why the Indian culture have no obese, they have to run and jump on some of vehicle in motion, no stopping, just like in Indiana Jones or is it Kevin Jones...not sure.
Ahhhhh, next in line is the Goods Carrier, smaller than a bus but able to leap most medians except the one on the way to the Accenture building where I waited in traffic for a half hour as one of these was straddling the median, all 4 wheels off the ground. Possibly tried to avoid a pedestrian...Nahhhhhhh, more likely a bus and he were headed straight on for each other and the driver let the bigger vehicle, I guess let is not the best word, the driver in fear for his life took the high road.

The next is your typical auto, can range anywhere from a suzuki version of a mini to a full grown Honda Accord or Mercedes. On my way home to write this a small compact and a small Goods Carrier could not share the road, recall in another blog, I said that there at times only 6 inches of space between vehicles, these two were like they were soldered together. The auto stops for nothing smaller than itself. It is usually driven by someone with no regard for human life or some woman looking for a new sari to wear to work on Monday.

OK, here we have the ever popular auto rickshaw. Capacity, 3 Idiots. I actually jumped into the back of one of these with Satish and Bhavesh last May while it was moving and carrying my laptop. Good times, good times. While in the auto rickshaw keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle(remember only 6 inches between vehicles) and if you have a bad back be prepared to see a chiropractor when you get out. However do NOT come to Mumbai and NOT ride in one. I will be taking Michele shopping in one when she arrives. Don't worry Michele, it's just like that wooden roller coaster at Hershey Park only there is nothing to strap you in and you can't raise your hands up and scream, well, you CAN scream, but it will do you no good because you won't be heard over the honking horns.

Lari, look , motorcycles!!! As I said, these puppies can carry one to 5 people and at times a whole family. If you could drive one of these for more than 15 minutes in Mumbai without getting in a wreck you could drive on one of those extreme tracks in the US. These are to me the most dangerous because they do not slow down for the speed bumps. I forgot to mention there are speed bumps usually on the side streets. the bikes can go around these and not slow down, and trust me just because you are walking and prone to be maimed or killed, this is not a deterrent.

These two were just sitting there, I am sure the drivers were somewhere tallying up the number of people they made go home and change their underwear today.

And next to last the bike. "Fat bottom girls you make the rockin world go round....get on your bikes and ride....." Again, prey to larger vehicles but more powerful than the pedestrian or westerner looking up in the sky to see the wondrous sites of plants on the top of the buildings and hotels.

OK, we are now at the bottom of the survival pyramid.

Here we have man, well sort of, this is Sundar, mentor for ORCHID and revered professor of telling tales out of school. He is here washing his hands after gorging himself on a meal I paid for. I guess he finally gave up(I.E. "washing his hands") on trying to surpass me in my weight loss. I am at 75.5 kgs a whopping 7 kgs from where I started around 15-16 pounds lighter.

Holi

2010-03-01T06:12:00.011-05:00

Holi Celebration, Batman.
Satish took me to his neighborhood to give me the experience of the Indian Holiday called Holi.
Involves a huge bonfire. Also powdered paint which get APPLIED WHEREVER

One of Satish's frriend, an old man, and Satish's brother Sudish.

My spelling of some names may be off....

Prayers and offerings are given to the fire. I'm glad it wasn't me.....

And so the fun began.

And then things got better...This is Gigoo, Satish's best friend and Preeti Satish's wife. You can tell she really likes the two of us....

It got better........

Everyone LOVES Holi. This little princess danced the whole time.

I had a great time and it was a fun experience.
This was the last photo , Preeti,Satish and me. We actually went to a resturant later, where Preeti tried to convince me that marrying Satish has made her very happy..........someone is delusional..

Old fart at an old fort

2010-03-01T04:14:00.020-05:00

A few weekends ago the team ORCHID took a trip to an old fort, Janjira Fort, that started being built in the mid 1500's and completed over a century and a half. The fort was never conquered. Below I have some pictures of that trip and the Arabian Sea.
The sunset was as beautiful as those in North Carolina and made me home sick.
I took dozens of pictures but will only upload a few .

The team had cottages that bordered the sea. We spent one full day and returned on Sunday.
Below is some native "scenery".

One of the cannons that protected the site was 18 feet long and whatever metal it was constructed from did not conduct heat so it remained cool to the touch regardless of the 90+ degree heat outside that day.
Boys will be boys. Obviously this was a joke.
We had one adult with us. This is Gargi and her son Swayam(spelling may be incorrect) I called him Trouble....

Many people took horseback rides Neha below has ridden horses for most of her life and lives up to the name on her t-shirt daily.....
The "princess" on board.
This was the last time Satish was laughing because the horse took him out to sea and we have not seen him since.

This is a view outside my cottage.
Morning tea.
On the way in the bus Sundar discovered we had a terrorist on board.

The Park

2010-02-14T07:40:00.012-05:00

OK, so I 'found' this new park. I go there each morning and walk, it's about 3/4 to a mile from the Beatle Hotel and Gloria Jeans is about halfway. A win-win for me. So I thought this weekend I would hangout there, play some horseshoes or volleyball, do some wind sailing....OK they don't have any of these things in the middle of the city. LOL. But the park is beautiful and has many NC plants and flowers like crepes, lantana, something similar to a tulip magnolia, some plants like those giant glads we have on the medians off I40, just brings back a little feeling of NC in the spring to me. No daffodils though. Anyway I went there at 10:30 to find they close during the day...at 10:30, so i hung out by the wall near the fence that surrounds it and pouted for 2 hours and took pictures. I did manage to get a nice sun burn. It was an excellent day today. I went back at 5:00pm and it re-opened. It's so hot during the day that they close, what Indian in their right mind would go to a park just to hang out in the sun?? No one, so I see their point. But I did take pictures inside. In the mornings it is teeming with would-be runners, yoga instructors, meditating maniacs and a few lilly white foreigners like my self. Its very friendly and it is nice to see so many parents out with their children stretching and walking and playing before school. The park is surrounded by these massive "sentries". Buildings that reach to the clouds, one is brand new, not even painted yet, but spectacular, just like the girl who went out with Jerry in Seinfeld. This evening it was 70 degrees and a steady breeze, it was beautiful.
Sundar, I walked most of the day after getting on the recumbent bike for 12 miles. I dropped another KG. Sorry, you may as well give up and concede. Sundar, senior for the ORCHID group and most excellent mentor, has lost quite a bit of weight prior to my arrival, but not as much as me. I weighed in here at a whopping 82.4 KGS and now weigh 78.5 KGs on my way to 75 KGS. (181-172lbs). I feel bad for the "old" guy. LOL.
I know RTP got another 3-4 inches of snow. I feel bad for you there, LOL, I actually had to put some sun screen on today, Lari you would have been proud of me, I stayed out in the sun for about 6 hours. Melanoma, you got nothin on me...well maybe that little brown spot on my head....
Enjoy the snaps

Pastries from Sascha

2010-02-06T04:49:00.003-05:00

I saved ALL the money that Sascha and Deanne gave me and bought two cakes from Ribbons and Balloons. One for the Rotigotine crew, the other for us peasants. Thanks Deanne and Sascha, hope you both have already bought pastries for a month for both Monheim and RTP with the $100 I sent to each of you.

2010-02-06T01:31:00.011-05:00

Last weekend I was invited to the "Annual Town Hall" in Bangalore and accompanied Sundar and Satish. This is an annual event that Accenture Leadership sponsors and lasted from 2pm until 9 pm with skits, dances and singing. The entertainment was all local talent and the theme was Leadership. It was an excellent event.

Sanjay was kind enough to invite me to this event and I thank him for all his support to UCB and for his gracious company and he and Sridhar made me feel at home. They started the event by entering the pavilion on motorcycles!! Below Sanjay expresses his thanks to his employees.

Sundar( far left) and Satish( far right) have many friends at the Bangalore office. There was no way I could keep up with all the names.

A couple of bookends. Sundar and I are in a challenge to see who looses the most weight before I leave. I have the most weight to lose, so I really don't think there will be any competition.

After the leadership events it was disc time. Lots of food, drinks, even ice cream( there goes my diet) Someone likes to dance, guess who.

Mike , we missed you for Dances with Men.

I was resting here and took this wierd picture.

This is Archana and Priya.

Archana and the dancing machine.

Priya and satish.

I had a great time, it was a nice break and I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Kumaresan who heads up the Narrative Writing on this side of the world partnering with UCB. It is always nice to put a face with a name, unless of course it is my face...LOL..

We all arrived safe back to Mumbai the next day.

French Quarter

2010-01-18T12:45:00.005-05:00

These pictures are from my room at the Beatle motel in beautiful downtown Mumbai. This area was to mimic a French Quarter, however I have not seen a poodle and the women here shave their legs. This hotel is not as luxurious as the Leela, but it's location and lack of pretension has drawn me in. The first morning I walked out of the hotel there was no surrounding gate to 'protect' us from the culture. When we put up walls we beckon all in....There is a coffee shop, several ATMs in about a 100 feet, about a quarter to half mile down the road is a huge mall . I believe it is the Caladia(SP) Mall, but is supposed to have EVERYTHING, and several really nice restaurants near by. The Beatle has 3 restaurants, I have only had the pleasure of dining at one..so far. The people that work at the Hotel are very nice and accommodating. I ended up taking a taxi this week as the return trip is very hard for the auto rickshaws, but I may try that next week. Walking is not going to be an option, the route is as busy 9:00 pm at night as it is at 10:30 am. My being overwhelmed on my last visit had me anxious on this one. But I am in a better place this visit mentally and more accepting of what Mumbai has to offer, because Mumbai offers life from the richness of it's Bollywood to the raw humanity of the indigent, and that is OK. That is life, we accept and move on at any level and the measure of the richness can be found in a mud puddle as well in a pool in a palace.
I am intrigued every time I step out of my shell. I am currently seeking a guide for meditation and one of my colleagues has a relative who is working on it. Living in the current, in the now. Sounds daunting to me, but worth the effort if I can become more aligned.
Today I got up, made out my laundry list threw all my clothes that I could wear here in Mumbai into a bag. They have a DO NOT DISTURB and on the back of that sign they have a DO DISTURB (this is a first or me), so I hung the DO DISTURB on the knob facing out, so you know they read the DO NOT DISTURB and I came home to dirty towels and laundry. lol. I am sure they think I am one of those filthy American bohemians. Lesson Learned, don't put anything on the door especially if you are already disturbed, and trust me, most of you are or you would not be reading this blog.
Ted and Judy, hello in L.A. Patty, keep up the good work, I think what you are doing is within the realm of a compassionate warrior. She will come to reason or she will not come.
Oh, news of the press, Maria Hackenson is retiring. I have tears running down my face. I have met many people in my short time here, but I must say, I have not met a more witty charming and devilish person I find fun to be around. I am not alone. Maria..........damn.

I'm not in love

2010-01-17T03:31:00.002-05:00

"I'm not in love, so don't forget itIt's just a silly phase I'm going throughAnd just because I call you upDon't get me wrong, don't think you've got it madeI'm not in love, no-no(It's because...)"
LOL. 10cc, anyone remember that one? Well that plays in the elevator and halls ALL the time, I mean all the time. When I took my walk and weaving around the sleeping dogs on the sidewalk,I kept humming it. LOl. Well I am in love, with me...........Michele knows better.
I'm taking an auto rickshaw to work this week. Costs about 50-70 Rupees. Look for some pictures of that experience. That is about a $1 to$1.50 for the ride. Can arrange that anytime 10 minutes before the journey to the Accenture building. The roads are very populated and it is an ocean of humanity.
To any Accenture employees online, "I 'm here, I'm queer, deal with it". Hopefully the ice cream bin at the Accenture building is well stocked, I think there might be another contest tomorrow just to see who is 'bull of the woods', LOL. Rene you know.. Buill.......I heard from David Hebert so his smiling face will be back at RTP on Monday. Mike is on his way to Belgium to stand alongside the "peeing boy"...LOL.
Sascha, hope all is well at Monheim tomorrow. Feel free to wear anything I left in the suitcase, I had a nice pink chiffon number you could wear while watching King Kong on your beamer. Give me the address of the UCB building and I will send some pastry money so the initial absence of me won't be so traumatic,,lol. I'm off to buy clothes, makeup and hopefully some malaria pills until my luggage arrives.

Beatlemania

2010-01-17T02:00:00.008-05:00

Ok, finally in Mumbai. Got switched a few times on the flight but arrived at 1:45 am. My luggage is somewhere in the Mimbai airport and seems like the luggage is happy because it has not arrived as yet, I was told the Lufthansa "lost and found" is closed on Sunday so hopefully Monday. No big deal, I have one shirt and a pair of slacks, that could last for months....Am awaiting Bhavesh's call and maybe I will go buy a shirt and some sneakers. The weather is great, balmy 80 degrees at the moment, was around 70 when I got up at 9:30 from rooms ervice...I arrived at the hotel at 5:00 am. Took 3 hours to fill out lost luggage forms.....Does not warrant an explanation unless I can actually tell you in person. lol. Took a walk in my spiffy trousers, short sleeve shirt and cordovan wing-tips, got a blister on my foot. That is fine because it reminds me I am human and alive,...well alive anyway. Below is my room, Rm 2007 ( a good year) if you want to send a ribeye overnite to me...The bed has real pillows and a man's blanket. Those 4 hours of sleep were like heaven. Internet is free and with a cable. Skype was not so good when I talked to my son Brent and the singing/dancing duo machine, Bryce and Chase, fortunately they have Ashleys rhythm and not that Elaine thing I have.....also talked to Megan, my daughter, and that was somewhat clearer, may try buying a wireless card, Tata is big over here and see if that helps. Monday I go to the Accenture office, I assume Bhavesh will show me wheer I am located, my luggage has my walking and teenis shoes so will probably take a taxi or auto rickshaw( schpaaz) to the office. Had breakfast in the dining room, was nice and friendly. Mike, I ate a tomato and had coffee before asking if they used bottle water.......trouble could be on the way...
They have 3 restaurants, a gym full of crazy weight lifting Indians that look like they might be on parole..LOL...There is a pool here somewhere, but I don't think it is outside. Anyway, it looks to safe. Its not the Leela but this is perfect for me and a lengthy stay and gives me a better view of the culture. Y'all are just getting up or still sleeping but its 1:00pm here so I will sign off.

Joerg and Claudia

2010-01-14T05:19:00.004-05:00

Below is my friend and former colleague, Joerg and his wife Claudia who entertained me this week. Joerg played an important part in my first trip to Mumbai and last year officially on December 31st, was Rama Rama Joerg Day in Mumbai. Joerg has two handsome twins, Sebastian and Michael. Michael, I loved that tie, but I was not happy that you did not want to replace me at work today, as I am very tired and could use a nap. Below is a small meal that Claudia had prepared. I had all I could do to fit thru the hotel door at the Achat when I was done...I wanted to sneak that Tiramasu in my brief case when I left but Sebastian and Michael would have nothing to do with that!! ..ORCHID: Joerg has given me sweets to bring to you and they are in my suitcase and ready for the trip. The German people are very friendly, even the ones that know me.......Thanks Joerg and Claudia for inviting me, I will send you the bill for a new wardobe as now my trousers are too tight!!!

Wencke

2010-01-14T05:01:00.002-05:00

Below is Wencke, one of my colleagues (Sascha's) beautiful girls. It is very fortunate that both Rieke and Wencke received 99% of their gene's from Telse, Sascha's wife, who for some reason has stayed with him for more than a week. I had the pleasure of enjoying their company a night this week but forgot to get a picture until the next morning and Wencke had been so infatuated with me ( how could she not be? look at her father......). Anyway she had breakfast with me and I was impressed that she also likes the breakfast of champions that Brian Mabe, David Hebert and I enjoy often at RTP, Strawberry Nestles Quik,....Yummy,,LOL. Wencke is very interested in American Indians and we talked for a long time about TONKA TONK -- buffaloes. Reike is stuying dance and singing and is accomplished at shining my bald head with a napkin, along with cleaning my ears....LOL. I had the best time. Sascha is a very lucky man, as I guess all men are when women are involved. I enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Telse who is also an accomplished artist and is in contention for sainthood having put up with Sascha for so long.
Thanks Sascha for showing me some German culture and letting me part of your wonderful family for a short time. See Deanne, I did behave!!!!!

Monheim Tuesday Morning

2010-01-12T04:21:00.003-05:00

Good Morning from snowy "Appletown" as my colleague Sascha calls it. This is a view from his penthouse office in the UCB building, Greta, his "assistant" has just left his office after putting out his slippers,massaging his feet and bringing him a cold Alt for his morning break. The colleagues over here have such luxuries that we at the RTP office only dream of. I would like to have Christy bring me my slippers and a cold beer but I am afraid asking this of her would only cause me a severe beating.
Bhargav!! Stay out of my cube!!! Phylly, keep an eye on him, in fact both eyes, he is shifty.
Guido threw me out of his office, claiming to have "important" things to do today, I think it was the snoring that was distracting him, and he was just being kind. Sascha introduced me to all the new programmers yesterday and today I find out that one is leaving. All I said was hello to her, honest!
I will try to get a photo (snap) of everyone before the end of the week but it will probably cost me another truck load of pastries. Bhavesh, when I see this snow, I recall when you, me, Satish and Mike were here in April and you wore ear muffs, you would need body muffs for this weather!!!! The food has been great here as usual as is the camaraderie. I am already looking forward to my return trip. I did not sleep last night, must be the adjustment. The seasoned travellers say the second day is the worst for getting sleep. So today it will appear as I am having a seizure and in need of VIMPAT.
All of ORCHID, hope to see you soon. RTP, it will be a little while. Moser, stay clear of my cube or i will send Mabe up for reconciliation, that is if he has not already done something. Tracy, please keep an eye on Tony and watch what he eats, he is going downhill fast and losing that GQ look of yesteryear....Rene....Mark..........miss talking to you both, keep that chair warm for me when I return in March as I will have many stories to peak your interest.....
Everyone, Have a great day!!!

2010-01-10T07:58:00.004-05:00

There is nothing like returning to Monheim to be greeted by old 'friends'. The Godzilla egg, still to be hatched, welcomed me on my walk throughout Appletown, as Sascha calls it. It was also nice to see the girls again, nothing like a girl with a mustache......got cream? I assume they are drinking hot chocolate, which has another connotation in an alternative lifestyle. But I digress. The snow is melting and there is a threat of the sun coming out this week. I can't sleep so will just stay up. Patrick and I plan to do dinner at 6.
Only the restaurants are open and a pastry shop, same one I shopped at the last time I came over. The pastries here are excellent.
And its not hard to find some 'LEG' in town, as it is advertised in the area, see below. I did not see any 'TAIL' signs so it must me a myth that Europeans are openminded of such shenanigans. Its quiet. Will stay here until Friday evening then leave on a train from Cologne to Frankfort and fly out to Mumbai Saturday morning and arrive Saturday evening. Betty and Dan, pick a real team to support, those Dookies are losers.
later

2010-01-09T15:56:00.004-05:00

Patrick Liu and I had our first 'meal' together at Chilis in Chicago. It would have been nice if we had a gift card to use......... , but it is most likely the last time I will eat there anyway. Just landed in Dusseldorf and at room in the luxury hotel Achat. Will try to get some sleep to rest up for an exciting time tonite with Patrick and the locals. Hey Mr. Croom, looks like the IPASS does not work over here for some reason. Although it shows up on the list and you can connect you need to have a signon and password from the Achat front desk. Will check that out later. The frauline at the front desk said only free internet is if you use it in the lobby. How can I access porn and feel comfortable in the lobby? I only brought one trench coat........