Another trip to the USA!

Well, it seems to be destiny that I follow my last post from exactly the same place...Yes, I am back in Texas, working with the same people...And this time, I have my own car to move around with...A hefty Nissan Rogue SUV! This is surely going to be very interesting...

Though I wrote two other blog posts, I was not able to post them (sheer laziness...that is the reason!) before this post...But as I got a chance, I thought I should better update my blog as it is lying idle as compared to my activities on SNS like Facebook and Twitter. Anyways, it is great to be back in the US and even more fun to be back to amazing work culture...Life here rocks literally...Unlike the pseudo-developed work culture in Japan...

There are a lot of things that intrigue me in the US and what impresses me the most is the ease in which people connect to each other. This is like a cool breeze after the reticent and xenophobic attitude that you find in Japan and is simply amazing!
I have been able to make friends at the workplace, in the hotel or even at the supermarkets...People are so very eager to express and connect to each other...

Well, there are also other things at the back of my mind when I am writing this blog...The earthquake and its aftermath is something I really want to write about, but am not getting time, and will share my experiences only when I am in the right frame of mind...Till then, will keep posting my updates from the US, as I am staying here at least for 3 weeks this time...Look forward to less laziness and newer experiences in the US!

Americaaa!

Well, this is another blog post after so many days...

And what made me write is the short business trip to the United States. Yes, I got the opportunity to visit the strongest country of the world! I should say that it was indeed worth the wait.

I won't go much into the details of how I ended up in the US, but would like to share a few observations about the US that really made me reflect on the work culture and my lifestyle in Japan.

First thing I noticed was there was no sense of unnecessary haste or tension. If you are in Japan, you can observe people under a very weird pressure that really gets on your nerves. In the US, however, things are all taken lightly and people are very informal.

Another important thing I learnt in Dallas was “Hey! How ya doin'?” Yeah! This is the way you greet each other in Dallas. More formal ways like “Good Morning” and all are not really in vogue. So I really loved it, because of two reasons. One, that this created a kind of informal atmosphere and sense of ease for everyone and two, that you could say this to anyone with whom you would make eye-contact. I can assure you, if you do this in Japan, what you will get is just a big frown, or simply no reaction.

Dallas Fort Worth area is a nice place to be in, provided you have a car to travel around. It was amazing to see a virtually haunted town when I tried to walk around the Downtown area on Saturday. But Uptown was bustling with activity as it was a Halloween Weekend. I have updated the pics on my Facebook account and was almost posting comments in real time, thanks to the good internet infrastructure in the city.

On the whole, the visit to US was really great. On work front, some objectives were attained. On personal front, it was great to visit Texas, a very friendly place. Looking forward to more and more visits. Am in Narita Express now, homebound for Diwali celebrations in the evening. Hope I'll keep posting more frequently.

Happy Diwali! (Kinda late though ;-)

A poem...

I don't know why I wrote this....a kind of weird way to get back to the blog....

There are times when I feel lost,
and a mist wraps me,
it takes me in a void, so deep and dark,
I feel I can't get back..
I struggle to survive, desperate attempts
of a prey trapped in the jaws of the Unknown..
It seems the Time has come,
I hear my breath, so heavy,
Is this me?
And then, yeah then...I hear your voice,
so lively yet so calm, so exciting, yet so soothing...
I come out of the darkness and here I stand,
with you my darling, in our wonderland :-)

Updates...

Well,

it is a nice feeling to get back to my blog...
Of course lots of updates are there as i am sitting in my apartment in japan with friends.....Last night was a nice reunion with friends - meeting after 5 years or so....It's fun to rewind the tape back and recall memories that never seem to get stale....

A quick update on what has happened since October 2008....
October I got my new job....Was deputed to Japan in November and have been slogging since...There is a lot of learning that has happened on various fronts, but nevertheless, life seems to have settled into a nice pattern unlike the meaningless spirals it was taking for last 5 years....

There are many things that can be mentioned, but i guess it would be nice if i talk more about my experiences here in Japan. Lots of things to be written and of course loads of pics to be put on the blog....Lemme take out time every evening now and talk about something that happened that day, and keep this blog alive....

For the time being, the tea with ginger in it has refreshed my mind and started off a nice sunday..

Tomorrow....another week of work starts :-)

Will be back soon...

I will be back soon.
Just am preparing to get into the blogging mode.

Enjoy and look forward to the posts!

Rain!!!

Yes!
The lashing rains are here...
My friends in Japan always wondered why i was not scared of getting drenched in rains.
A stereotypical answer would come out of my mouth..."Ukini umareta monde...(Since i was born in the rainy season)"....

Well, i guess the blame does partially go to me being born in the beautiful days of Shraavan (the month in Indian calendar when it rains continuously, in my part of the country) and also to my sunsign, Cancer, which is a water sign. Heh heh, don't think i am going to write anything on Zodiacs today...but it is surely about RAINS, the most rocking thing i have experienced about Pune!

As you would see in the pics scattered around in the blog, this is a bit of a view that my house gives, when the first showers of the monsoon quenched the thirst of the Earth, after a burning summer....temperatures had soared as high as 43 degrees celsius, and we needed respite....and so did it prove to be.

What is really fascinating about rains in India is the way the landscape changes. I will surely post more pics on this blog, but it is really nice to see Rain in its different forms.....Drizzle, passing showers to downpour, lashing rain, relentless, slow but steady pour...What gives rain it's fervor is the timing with which it comes....Yeah, in Japan, it loses it's value because it is simply a commonplace phenomenon, but in the part of India where i live, Rain, acts as the savior from the skies, relieving everyone from the clutches of summer...

I am sitting in front of the computer just now, listening to Miyanmalhar, a melody that is sung in the monsoon season...of course my mind is full of thoughts, and the pensive ambience is all the more stimulating....

Enjoy the pics!

The journey by train...

Well friends,
let me tell you, it's real fun travelling on a train in India...When you have a confirmed reservation and the weather is good..Otherwise it's hell!

Heh heh, what you see in the pic above is a snap from '2780 Goa Express' that took me from New Delhi to Pune (well, it had also taken me the other way some days back) and inspired the next post on this blog..

After a good one year and more, i've finally gathered the courage (and creativity, so to say) to update my blog. Of course, a few things have happened in my life in the meantime, and my other blog would surely inform you about those developments. Right now, let me not deviate from the topic...Yes! You've guessed it right..Train journey in India :-)



I won't give you any elaborate details of the journey. I would rather like to focus on the cleanliness factor that has been lacking in our society. India, though it does boast about its 'cultural heritage', is amazingly backward when it comes to disposal of garbage. I feel very unfortunate that i've not been able to get a snap of how people throw away stuff from plastic/paper cups, bottles, leftover food to newspapers, polythene bags and what not!
It's a painful sight and u feel excruciating pain when somebody picks up the garbage you've collected for throwing in the DUST BIN and throws it OUT OF THE WINDOW in a very unconcerned manner. That is 'courtesy/spirit of camaraderie' for you, albeit expressed at the wrong place in the wrong manner!
Hahahaha

Well, such lovely is this long distance train travel, that you end up getting addicted to it. At least i feel that i get an unusual high that intoxicates me and makes me grope for answers...Both within and from the society that surrounds me.

I'm reading 'India after independence', which has considerably enlightened me about the task that awaited the champions of Indian democracy after independence. It's a good reading.

Let me tell you one more thing. I've written this blog post on my cellphone, am about to save it now and will be posting it today (sice it's already past 12 now).

Don't worry..My India would not let me down :-)