Today morning, I was deep in thought when I walked through the GH doors to get into the office cab. So I was very surprised to see the winter wonderland that had suddenly sprung up during the night before.
The roads, the cars that were parked outside had a thick layer of snow on them... and better yet, it was still snowing!!
"In India, you do not have snow?" the guest house manager asked me while he shovelled ice off the garage pathway. "No," I replied back, still marvelling at it all (Not really true, since it does snow at certain high points in India, but hey who's counting :) ).
I've never seen snow in my life and I was ecstatic... to say in the least.
The snow flakes were small but by the time I reached office, they grew larger. Unfortunately as the day wore long, thd sun came out and the temperature increased a bit; so it stopped snowing and started drizzling instead.
I don't have a digital camera so I can't take photos. I'm hoping to buy one soon so that I do not miss an opportunity like this again.
:)
Friday, January 11, 2008
Nutshell
I had written a very long entry about Korea the other day... Unfortunately, it didn't get saved and neither did it get published. So I'll rewrite everything in short I suppose.
As I had mentioned in one of my previous blog entries, I was not feeling well on my flight from Bangalore to Singapore. I was quite apprehensive about boarding the next flight which would take around 5.5 hours to reach Korea. But thankfully, I fell asleep during take off and I woke up feeling great.
Singapore Airlines is really good. I'm a die hard Emirates fan, but I could definitely find both airlines comparable. Hospitality is great and so is the food. But entertainment wise, I find Emirates leading all the way to the top.
Singapore Changi International Airport is a big and beautiful place... Apart from a variety of shopping venues and restaurants, it offers many services to it's travellers like free Internet access, movies, games and even a free city tour (but you can't get out of the tour bus though). I would love to take a closer look on my way back to Bangalore.
We reached Korea on Sunday afternoon around 4 pm. Then we took a limosuine bus from Incheon to Suwon (we had to get off at a bus stop called Hotel Castle). The ride was very comfortable. In fact, I liked it better than both the flights! :D
The Guest House people drove us from Hotel Castle till Park-22. I found myself sharing a room with another lady due to the unavailability of single rooms at that moment. But my room mate was fun and so I made a lady friend. In fact, on the same night we even went on a walk to a nearby mart called HomePlus.
I really like Suwon. The roads are wide. The streets are clean. Since it's winter, the trees have shed their leaves but they still have a quiet elegance about them. The Koreans seem nice and friendly. But most of them do not know English. So it can be a laugh for them and for us when we try to communicate.
On Monday evening, two of my colleagues and I went to a nearby store to buy icecream. It was bitterly cold and I could barely distinguish between my fingers and the icecream, but hey it was delish! The ice cream I had was a choco bar with a layer of chocolate cookies. Yum!!
The Samsung Campus is HUGE. A lot of the buildings have 20+ floors and all have very good facilities... The elevators are super fast, the security is tight... I was (and still am) impressed.
It's Friday and I'm hoping to explore during the next couple of days. I love walking. So me looking forward to a great weekend. :)
As I had mentioned in one of my previous blog entries, I was not feeling well on my flight from Bangalore to Singapore. I was quite apprehensive about boarding the next flight which would take around 5.5 hours to reach Korea. But thankfully, I fell asleep during take off and I woke up feeling great.
Singapore Airlines is really good. I'm a die hard Emirates fan, but I could definitely find both airlines comparable. Hospitality is great and so is the food. But entertainment wise, I find Emirates leading all the way to the top.
Singapore Changi International Airport is a big and beautiful place... Apart from a variety of shopping venues and restaurants, it offers many services to it's travellers like free Internet access, movies, games and even a free city tour (but you can't get out of the tour bus though). I would love to take a closer look on my way back to Bangalore.
We reached Korea on Sunday afternoon around 4 pm. Then we took a limosuine bus from Incheon to Suwon (we had to get off at a bus stop called Hotel Castle). The ride was very comfortable. In fact, I liked it better than both the flights! :D
The Guest House people drove us from Hotel Castle till Park-22. I found myself sharing a room with another lady due to the unavailability of single rooms at that moment. But my room mate was fun and so I made a lady friend. In fact, on the same night we even went on a walk to a nearby mart called HomePlus.
I really like Suwon. The roads are wide. The streets are clean. Since it's winter, the trees have shed their leaves but they still have a quiet elegance about them. The Koreans seem nice and friendly. But most of them do not know English. So it can be a laugh for them and for us when we try to communicate.
On Monday evening, two of my colleagues and I went to a nearby store to buy icecream. It was bitterly cold and I could barely distinguish between my fingers and the icecream, but hey it was delish! The ice cream I had was a choco bar with a layer of chocolate cookies. Yum!!
The Samsung Campus is HUGE. A lot of the buildings have 20+ floors and all have very good facilities... The elevators are super fast, the security is tight... I was (and still am) impressed.
It's Friday and I'm hoping to explore during the next couple of days. I love walking. So me looking forward to a great weekend. :)
Lunch!
I looovvveedd today's lunch. I have GOT to write about it.
For the past 3-4 days, I have been having Indian food (which can be good but I was getting a little tired of it). As it was so cold outside today, my team mates and I decided to have our lunch from the basement of our office building.
I opted for the Continental menu... and wow oh wow! I got the spaghetti (with lots and lots of Parmesan cheese on it), a slice of garlic bread and a green salad on the side. Then I had a peek at the Indian menu, and (yay!) there were chicken pakodas (boneless too!) and big, wonderfully soft cupcakes. Yumm...
I usually don't eat much during lunch since I have a tendency of dozing off afterward but I threw caution to the wind today and I indulged. And I felt happy... silly happy really.
:D
For the past 3-4 days, I have been having Indian food (which can be good but I was getting a little tired of it). As it was so cold outside today, my team mates and I decided to have our lunch from the basement of our office building.
I opted for the Continental menu... and wow oh wow! I got the spaghetti (with lots and lots of Parmesan cheese on it), a slice of garlic bread and a green salad on the side. Then I had a peek at the Indian menu, and (yay!) there were chicken pakodas (boneless too!) and big, wonderfully soft cupcakes. Yumm...
I usually don't eat much during lunch since I have a tendency of dozing off afterward but I threw caution to the wind today and I indulged. And I felt happy... silly happy really.
:D
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Friends
Something I have been meaning to post for a long time...
Book for November 3rd week was the novel 'How To Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints)' by Kathy Lette. Don't get shocked! It's a chick-lit book (gifted to me by DJ but that's another story altogether!) about three girlfriends who stick by each other even when their spouses are adulterous(??)/inattentive/con-men. The gist is that if you have true girlfriends (or friends in general), you can survive life no matter what.
To an extent that is so right.
In November, I was having some personal problems, and I was dealing with it in a very Me-way... by procrastinating. DJ and JJ knew about it and they wanted to make me feel better. One day, when DJ was in the vicinity of my office, she stayed back till I got out. On our way to her place, we spoke of serious topics and other matters not relating to my problems as the whole point was to avoid them altogether. :D
We reached DJ's home where JJ had already started making a very simple but a sumptuous meal. I guess it was more delish because of the fun we were having. Our dinner lasted around 1 hour! We talked of old stories and laughed at the same things that used to make us laugh years ago. I had a wonderful time. When it was late, and I couldn't postpone leaving, I walked my way home.
I didn't want solutions to my problems. Just needed an outlet, and my friends gave me what I needed. DJ & JJ, thanks for being there. :)
Book for November 3rd week was the novel 'How To Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints)' by Kathy Lette. Don't get shocked! It's a chick-lit book (gifted to me by DJ but that's another story altogether!) about three girlfriends who stick by each other even when their spouses are adulterous(??)/inattentive/con-men. The gist is that if you have true girlfriends (or friends in general), you can survive life no matter what.
To an extent that is so right.
In November, I was having some personal problems, and I was dealing with it in a very Me-way... by procrastinating. DJ and JJ knew about it and they wanted to make me feel better. One day, when DJ was in the vicinity of my office, she stayed back till I got out. On our way to her place, we spoke of serious topics and other matters not relating to my problems as the whole point was to avoid them altogether. :D
We reached DJ's home where JJ had already started making a very simple but a sumptuous meal. I guess it was more delish because of the fun we were having. Our dinner lasted around 1 hour! We talked of old stories and laughed at the same things that used to make us laugh years ago. I had a wonderful time. When it was late, and I couldn't postpone leaving, I walked my way home.
I didn't want solutions to my problems. Just needed an outlet, and my friends gave me what I needed. DJ & JJ, thanks for being there. :)
Co-passenger
My flight from Bangalore to Singapore during Saturday night was not very comfortable. It was a night flight but I couldn't sleep because I was so sick. I could almost imagine myself running towards the cockpit, banging on the door and demanding to be taken back to India so that i could go back to my home remedies. But then I would think, 'Take a U-turn?? That would take even longer!' So I would quietly settle back in my seat, willing my discomfort to go away. That and the fact that if I had attempted my antics, I would have been caught by the police after being labelled a hijacker also helped me to settle down. :D
The seats next to me were occupied by an Indian father and his daughter. His daughter was around 3 years old and it was quite evident that she had a Singaporean mother.
The girl was absolutely gorgeous. She had jet black, silky straight hair and her black almond shaped eyes were enormous. She kept persistenly asking her 'Daddy-ia' to show her 'pictures' on his Blackberry, while he was in a frantic hurry to tap away the last email before the plane took off. 'Sweetheart, let Daddy finish typing this email,' the man kept telling his daughter.
I'm a woman with least maternal instincts (I'm more of a pets person rather than a mother), but something made me want to give the little girl a big bear hug and hold her rosy cheeks against mine.
Obviously I had to refrain from doing so. I didn't want her father to think that I was weird. :)
The seats next to me were occupied by an Indian father and his daughter. His daughter was around 3 years old and it was quite evident that she had a Singaporean mother.
The girl was absolutely gorgeous. She had jet black, silky straight hair and her black almond shaped eyes were enormous. She kept persistenly asking her 'Daddy-ia' to show her 'pictures' on his Blackberry, while he was in a frantic hurry to tap away the last email before the plane took off. 'Sweetheart, let Daddy finish typing this email,' the man kept telling his daughter.
I'm a woman with least maternal instincts (I'm more of a pets person rather than a mother), but something made me want to give the little girl a big bear hug and hold her rosy cheeks against mine.
Obviously I had to refrain from doing so. I didn't want her father to think that I was weird. :)
Friday, December 21, 2007
Politics
I feel sad whenever I hear of politics at one's work place.
Who doesn't but I still feel awful...
I was brought up learning to exist peacefully with Indians (and obviously others). Not live with Keralites, Tamilians, Gujuratis or Sindhis.
I feel awful when people discriminate on the basis of state and mother tongue (to say in the least). I mean, hey, its a free world and you should do what you want to, but you can't get your things done at the expense of someone else.
I often hear of people who are left out at a tele-conference because the rest of the people present converse in their common native language. This leaves the unlucky one unable to understand what's going on. The others could be discussing important topics which really affects the non-speaker like his reports, performance or issues.
I often wonder what gives such thoughtless people the right to act with such unprofessional behavior? Are they trying to launch a common language speakers club? If so, form it outside! Don't bring it into one's professional life.
That's just one painful way I've heard on how a person toys with another one's job.
Some people are so proud of their heritage and tradition. It's as if they have taken the trouble to bring it up themselves. Don't they understand that the only differences between another person and themselves are their births? Why can't people just think outside themselves for once and try to see the big picture? I feel that such people are very small and that their pride and arrogance are a waste of time, effort and emotion!
It's not as if I don't know discrimination. I've seen a few Arabs discriminating against Indians and other 'colored' people. I love visiting my home town, but I hate the airport that I have to get through to go home... or to be more specific, the passport control. I understand very little arabic, but once i distinctly remember one of the people at the counters calling us animals!!
But back to the topic... I feel very apprehensive these days. You just cannot be too careful these days.
:(
Who doesn't but I still feel awful...
I was brought up learning to exist peacefully with Indians (and obviously others). Not live with Keralites, Tamilians, Gujuratis or Sindhis.
I feel awful when people discriminate on the basis of state and mother tongue (to say in the least). I mean, hey, its a free world and you should do what you want to, but you can't get your things done at the expense of someone else.
I often hear of people who are left out at a tele-conference because the rest of the people present converse in their common native language. This leaves the unlucky one unable to understand what's going on. The others could be discussing important topics which really affects the non-speaker like his reports, performance or issues.
I often wonder what gives such thoughtless people the right to act with such unprofessional behavior? Are they trying to launch a common language speakers club? If so, form it outside! Don't bring it into one's professional life.
That's just one painful way I've heard on how a person toys with another one's job.
Some people are so proud of their heritage and tradition. It's as if they have taken the trouble to bring it up themselves. Don't they understand that the only differences between another person and themselves are their births? Why can't people just think outside themselves for once and try to see the big picture? I feel that such people are very small and that their pride and arrogance are a waste of time, effort and emotion!
It's not as if I don't know discrimination. I've seen a few Arabs discriminating against Indians and other 'colored' people. I love visiting my home town, but I hate the airport that I have to get through to go home... or to be more specific, the passport control. I understand very little arabic, but once i distinctly remember one of the people at the counters calling us animals!!
But back to the topic... I feel very apprehensive these days. You just cannot be too careful these days.
:(
Friday, December 14, 2007
Feminism
Some of my friends, after reading my blog entries, commented that it seems as though I hate men and that I am a big feminist.
One question... Is it THAT evident??? Haha.
Well, to clear the air, I'm not much of a feminist. But I do want to see both sexes be treated equally. I hate the fact that women can't do this and that but men can. Just because God made me a woman doesn't make me any weaker than a man. Yes, genetically we are built differently but should those physical differences mean different rights? Even women should have the same freedom of saying 'yes' and 'no' rather than being forced to doing it or not... Anyway, that's another topic altogether...
I was brought up in a female dominated environment. Grew up with my elder sisters as my role models. Unconsciously I like female singers more than male artistes. I love sketching women (hopeless at drawing men). Have more girls as my friends than guys.
I've had bitter experiences with a few guys... But it has happened with a few nasty women as well. I do tend to be wary. But that doesn't mean that I don't cultivate healthy relationships. I love spending time with my male best friends and I have crushes on guys all the time. :)
It just happens that I've been influenced by some strong women and maybe my writing protrays it. :)
One question... Is it THAT evident??? Haha.
Well, to clear the air, I'm not much of a feminist. But I do want to see both sexes be treated equally. I hate the fact that women can't do this and that but men can. Just because God made me a woman doesn't make me any weaker than a man. Yes, genetically we are built differently but should those physical differences mean different rights? Even women should have the same freedom of saying 'yes' and 'no' rather than being forced to doing it or not... Anyway, that's another topic altogether...
I was brought up in a female dominated environment. Grew up with my elder sisters as my role models. Unconsciously I like female singers more than male artistes. I love sketching women (hopeless at drawing men). Have more girls as my friends than guys.
I've had bitter experiences with a few guys... But it has happened with a few nasty women as well. I do tend to be wary. But that doesn't mean that I don't cultivate healthy relationships. I love spending time with my male best friends and I have crushes on guys all the time. :)
It just happens that I've been influenced by some strong women and maybe my writing protrays it. :)
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