ORCHID Lunch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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