The pleasure of finding things out

My office is barren. Most people have stopped coming to work as it constitutes a public place with large gathering areas [the pantry being one].

Meetings with more than 3 people have been stopped, and folks are asked to dial in to such discussions if the need arises. There is fear in the air, with employees wearing masks at all times and avoiding talking as much as possible.

Out of my team of 22, only 3 people [including me] are in the office today. The others are doing [supposedly] the wiser thing by working from home.

Our Vice President for India operations has sent out a missive asking people to work from home if they can, and that various precautions were being take in the workplace like regular swiping of doors, etc.

Unfortunately, I cannot benefit from it because I have a lot of international calls to make, and hence need to be in the office.. at odd hours, that too! :(

C'est la vie!

Last weekend we decided to visit the Agha Khan Palace in Pune. I've lived in the city for 4 years but have never bothered to go over :(

This visit was to rectify that, and also to take Shruti on a small expedition. I had expected the place to be just about okay, but the history and serenity that the place exuded blew me away. There were a lot of beautiful trees, a lush lawn and lots of benches to sit and enjoy it all.

I expect to go there at least once every two weeks, armed with coffee and books, and spend time sitting in the shade enjoying the breeze and the read. Even Shruti found the place quite interesting. The Palace itself is amazing. To think that it was made in this century, fairly recently [around the 1930s], and yet have so much history in its fold is really amazing.

Here are some pictures :)

Agha Khan Palace July 2009

I just finished reading "The Great Escape" by Paul Brickhill, and what a book it is. Don't miss it if you want some real life excitement. It's a living example of how necessity is the mother of invention. The ideas in the book are truly inspiring!

That aside, the wifey has been gone for 2 weeks, and is back tomorrow. Just can't wait :) The rains are yet to begin in Pune, and I can think of various small trips that are worth making in the monsoons. I truly want to chase the monsoons this time around :)

Currently ready "Go Kiss the World" by Subroto Bagchi and also "No Fullstops in India" by Mark Tully.

I will soon post a review of The Great Escape.

Our anniversary is this Saturday, so we decided to do an early semi-celebration by taking a trip to Dandeli about 2 weeks ago. Friends from my office were heading out there, and we decided to join them for a fun time!

All in all it was a blast, and included driving 900 kms (total) through day and night. We enjoyed sitting in a natural jacuzzi on the river Kali, white water rafting and a jungle safari.

Our route was: Pune > Belgaum > Dandeli > Belgaum > Pune. Dandeli is only about 80 kms short of Panjim i Goa. :D

We had a great bunch of friends who we hung out with, and had a blast. I think we'll be doing more of these going forward. Driving down was worth it, and I intend to make most of my trips using the road from now on.

Enjoy the photos (we sure did have a lot of fun) :D

Dandeli Trip 2009

I had picked this up on a whim while shopping at Landmark one evening with my lovely wife. We were in the area attending some pre-wedding ceremonies for a cousin of mine. We had some free time and decided to go browse :).

The book is interesting, but not as gripping as I'd expect travelogues to be. Let me correct that. It's not as gripping because I've set my bar to expect travelogues to be like Chasing the Monsoons and Butter Chicken in Ludhiana.

That said, it's a fun book. The guy has a sense of humour (even for a 54 year old) and a thirst for adventure. A patient who shares his thirst for riding bikes (but cannot any more after a semi-paralyzing stroke) is what gets Ajit back on the bike for a ride of his lifetime, over a decade after his last one.

He goes all the way from Pune to Shrinagar via Leh and Ladakh, and meets an ensemble of interesting characters along the way. The scenic beauty, though not best expressed in words, is well captured by Ajit who knows how to get a mind to see the right picture :)

He has luck all the way through, with no major mechanical issues along the way. It's more of a running diary of courage and stupidity it takes to partake such a ride. :)

All said and done, I'd give it a 3 on 5. Do read it once.

Recent Reads:

I have been struggling with The Blind Watchmaker. Richard Dawkins makes an excellent and very believable case for the Darwinian Theory of Evolution. It's an enjoyable book, but the last 70 pages seem to be a drag as he diversifies into a lot of topics at once. Extremely enjoyable though. I am about to finish it and take up another one. I need to be inspired like Violet seems to be these days.

Bleeds:

I feel like I want to get away... far far away from this mad rush of life. I think I need a real holiday :) I can see myself planning for one very very soon :D Our office has enforced a stupid rule that requires us to take a forced holiday the week of X'mas. I find it ridiculous because the reason stated for this forced PAID Time Off (PTO) is that folks in the SUS don't get overburdened with work when they get back after their X'mas break. I mean do we complain when we have piled up work right after we are back from Diwali break??

Photofeeds:

Here are photos from our first Diwali.

Our First Diwali (2008)

We spent a mere 3 days at Goa, our first real (actually second, if you count the honeymoon) outing post marriage.

The beach was beckoning, the weather hot, and all in all a good time was had. I wish we had spent a few more days there, and in a planned manner as the trip was quite ad hoc.

We divided the 3 days into beaches and Panjim, with most of the time at a beach here or there. Activities involved collecting shells, chilling under an umbrella, dipping our feet in the water and some frisby.

Here are snaps from our recent Goa trip:

Goa Trip 2008

Somehow whenever I spend time with my wife (which is everyday), she reminds me of this song:

Spent most of the last 2 months traveling: Goa, Ranchi, Mumbai :)

Will post pics soon.. they are already posted, I just need to caption them out. :D

My third trip to the US (post moving back to India), and I am simply saddened by the lack of an environment within which one can feel welcome.

I mean sure, the thank-yous, I really appreciate that, etc. do amount to something, but to me they seem superficial. Maybe it's a cultural thing, and maybe I need to see their point of view. But even still.

I have never felt so lonely in my entire life. Here I am sitting in a hotel room with absolutely nothing to do, and with no one to hang out. This whole country is so big... everything is so far apart, with lots of space.

Work is taking me to the US again, third year running. Albeit this time the trip is to last only 10 odd days starting on the 10th of July.

I'll be visiting the mid-North US which I have never done. Intend to do some quick shopping, sight seeing and then finally head back home to my lovely wife. Oh did I forget to mention that I'll be working most of the time? I guess not.

I can already smell Starbucks, taste Taco Bell (Taco Hell for some) and hear the FM radio.

Well
I know what I've been told
You gotta work to feed the soul
But I can't do this all on my own