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  • 2007
    • December
      • Closer to Fine
        12/02/07
        I’ve been back in the US for two days now. It feels really good to be home with my family and in the region I’ve grown to love.

        Today I wanted to reflect on something the assignment in India has reminded of. I’ve written about this about twice before but with a different perspective. When

    • November
      • Follow the Sun
        11/14/07
        Have you ever noticed that a flower “Follows the Sun” to get the most out of what it needs? It’s energy source moves across the sky throughout the day and a flower will change shape and become flexible to achieve it’s optimum efficiency.

        Time Lapsed Orchid Example

        Twelve mont

      • Priceless!
        11/09/07
        - A business class ticket to India; $6,000 US Dollars
        - Monthly Bill in a 4 star Indian hotel: $8,000 US Dollars
        - Spending Diwali with your US friend & his family in India: Priceless!

        One of the engineers that works for me in the states “Suresh Lankalapalli” is in I

    • October
      • Hello, May I Have a Kiss!
        10/27/07
        Every 2-3 weeks is a new experience for Mike and I. As new associates arrive in Hyderabad, we enjoy playing host and ensuring safe travels around the city. Today Mike and I took our local friends Jim and Shiela as well as our co-workers Pratik & Troy to Qutub Shahi Tombs (7 Tombs).

        He

      • Catching Up
        10/24/07
        I can literally feel the final 5 weeks of my assignment slipping away. The extreme hours have been difficult and last week was no exception. I flew to Delhi and stayed in a subdivision called Gurgoan. Delhi certainly has a different look and feel from Hyderabad. Delhi being the capital city has a lo

      • Inshala
        10/13/07
        Friday morning while eating breakfast, a man decided to sit with me across my table. He was older by about 20 years and I’m not sure if he intended to share the table for company or if he mistakenly sat with me. The Indian culture is so friendly I can’t discount either possibility. My friend Arun, w

      • Be the change you want to see in the world
        10/11/07
        While I haven't been jet-setting around India, I feel like the pace of my life in the last 3 months has been extreme. I do long for the comfort of my home, the love of my family & the embrace of my wife. I'm not sure how I'll adjust to slowing down when I do finally regain these b

      • Head Cold
        10/09/07
        Well, i'm officially sick for the 4th time now. At first, for 3 days, I felt tired fighting off a mild head cold. This morning I woke up and it had advanced to the point that I need to call the doc.

        I'm sure he'll get a kick out of my call.

        I really appologize fo

      • Another Day in Paradise
        10/06/07
        One of the many challenges on this assignment has been the lack of familiarity with anything in India. A nice break from the 4 month realities of my cultural submersion has been the US associates traveling over to perform knowledge transfer. I’ve met many people whose names I’ve known for years but

      • Missing Link
        10/03/07
        It's been a very busy week with about 13 US bank associates in town. I'm exhausted as my schedule here continues at a busy pace. Since I continue to be short on time, I thought I would post some links to sites in India I've come across that either provided information or entertainment

    • September
      • Double Vision
        09/29/07
        One thing I’ve consciously worked on here in India is building relationships. Greg Doyle and I talked last night and he reminded me of a conversation we had in the US. I stated that I would avoid making friends in India as I didn‘t want to lose them when I left. I had it in my mind that I really hat

      • What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger!
        09/24/07
        I’m over here laughing at my condition. Please laugh with me :)

        In a small way and because there isn’t much I can do about it and in large part because I’ve been taught to persevere, I am working through these recurring health issues. I’m the kind of guy who always tried for the no-sick

      • A Sunday Drive
        09/24/07
        After 55 days in India (8 weekends), Mike and I have been running out of new places to see in the Hyderabad area. Sunday we decided to head out of the city and see a large Dam which holds the main water reservoir for Hyderabad as well as a Waterfall and possibly take a boat ride.

        It was a

      • Revisting the Charminar
        09/22/07
        Mike and I didn't venture out of the city today as it was expected to rain fairly hard. We decided to visit the Charminar again. It ended up being a wonderful day with partly cloudy skies and a warm sun.

        I took some video for a change and put it together in an Indian music video form

      • Saturday Morning Comics
        09/22/07
        At last, we’ve finally reached another weekend and I’m not feeling sick, yeah!

        Mike and I are heading out for more sight seeing and photo opportunities. I wanted to start the weekend off by sharing with you something that gave me a great chuckle at breakfast this morning. If you‘ve been f

      • Sri Montezuma - Redeux
        09/19/07
        Well, I woke up with it again this morning.

        On the positive side, I knew the symptoms immediately this time and called the doctor for a refill on the meds. I paid Rs. 200 or $5.00 US for 5 prescriptions. Things seem to be under control this time and I should be ready for work tomorrow and

      • Sick Again Today
        09/16/07
        I don't mean home sick though I do miss my family. Something about India and my immune system just don't agree. I had travelers sickness last week and couldn't stop visiting the facilities. Since taking extremely stong medicine to stop that, I haven't been able to use the restroo

      • Personal Space
        09/15/07
        Today Mike and I went out into the city for a shopping run. The intention was nothing more than to see things we hadn’t before. We accomplished this but I feel compelled to share a neat observation about Indian culture.

        I’ve mentioned before that India is a much more humble and respectfu

      • 45 Days In India
        09/14/07
        We saw the sun yesterday for only the 2nd time in 45 days. There’s a lot you take for granted growing up in California and the weather is sure one of them. We’ve been working so many hours that simple things like weather are not a daily concern however, Mike and I walked outside the Bank building th

      • On the Mend
        09/09/07
        My apologies for the lack of recent updates. I started to feel nauseous on Tuesday the 4th and I've been very sick since Thursday the 6th. I think I've lost more than 10 pounds in 4 days and much of my appetite is gone as well. Now, I can say India has changed me both spiritually and physi

      • Sri Montezuma - Need I say more?
        09/06/07
        I'll try to have another update this weekend.

      • Mind & Body, Heart & Soul!
        09/01/07
        In a previous update I mentioned that I'll have a 180 day tenure here. It's actually only 120 days and I'm now 25% complete. India, in these 30 days, has been a life changing experience in many ways. There is a wonderful commercial on TV here that shows their national sport "Cric

    • August
      • Planning for September
        08/29/07
        This weekend Gulshan is flying to Delhi to see his brother. Mike and myself are staying behind and plan to do a number of interesting activities from buying backpacks for our planned travels to seeing the Hyderabad zoo (Largest in India).

        We’ve been researching where we can go inexpensiv

      • August 27th
        08/27/07
        I knew when I accepted this assignment that 4 months was a long stay. I convinced myself to look at a longer scale, like a calendar year so it might seem shorter. I thought about it as “only” ¼ of the year or that I’d be back before Christmas or that I wouldn’t miss either of my children’s birthdays

      • Dozens killed in India attacks
        08/26/07
        Weekend crowds targeted; tension mounts in the Andhra Pradesh capital; When terror struck: Bodies lie strewn at the Lumbini Park in Hyderabad after a powerful bomb explosion on Saturday night
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      • It’s what’s on the inside that counts
        08/24/07
        Today we depart the Novotel due to a host of infrastructure problems from Internet to cable. This truly is a nice hotel and I understand why it‘s rated 5 stars. It has a great gym, very nice staff, beautiful grounds and good restaurant.

        Nietzsche is quoted as saying: All great things brin

      • More Stress Please!
        08/23/07
        One thing I don’t seem capable of avoiding here are very long work days. There's so much to do that my morning is directed toward work around 9:00am and my calls and office work don’t normally end before 10:00pm. This isn’t unique to me either. The three of us leave the office between 8:00pm an

      • August 19th, 2007
        08/19/07
        Today we took a trip to Ramoji, Film City. This is in the Guinness book of records as the largest Film Studio in the world. Mr. Ramoji is a famous Telegu film actor and producer.. We had very few expectations before departing and just wanted to see something new and experience the local culture. My

      • August 17, 2007
        08/18/07
        Time for another update!

        Work has been extremely busy this week and a lot has changed in our turbulent lives. Monday of this week the 3rd and final Delivery Lead from the bank arrived. We all work for the organization known as the Network Computing Group but perform very different but r

      • August 14th, 2007
        08/13/07
        So today I’m hoping to paint a different picture as I was able to get out and see a little more.

        Over the past weekend, Bank of America in Hyderabad had its Founders day. We were invited to an event that was explained as a fashion show. I expected a small celebration with mostly business

      • August 9th 2007
        08/09/07
        Hello to everyone following my little blog. I want to start by thanking the many friends, family and colleagues following my adventure.

        Today I traveled into Hyderabad to research what’s known as Serviced Housing. This is either an apartment or bungalow with security & servants. We�

      • Tuesday August 7, 2007
        08/07/07
        Today was my second full day at the office. At lunch I sat with some of my peers in India and discussed the city, real estate and the night life. My new friend Gulshan is also on assignment here and is native to India. He's been helping me quite a bit with the culture, getting around and integr

      • Sunday August 5th
        08/05/07
        Today I finally had an opportunity to venture out into Hyderabad a little. I still haven’t walked among the people however, I did join a Hotel tour to a historic Palace & mosque. The royal family lived there 200 years ago and at that time it must have been wonderful but very hot. I’ve taken a fa

      • Day #1 at the Office
        08/03/07
        I just woke up and it's 3:30 AM here. I left the computer on and the virus update has a verbal announcement that woke me. Now I’m having trouble getting back to sleep.

        I found out yesterday "My first day at the office" that India goes through routing in China to reach the

      • My Arrival
        08/02/07
        Well, I made it safe and sound. It certainly was a long flight. Thankfully Bank of America paid for Business Class which made the duration MUCH more comfortable. I can't imagine making that flight in coach. By the 14th hour on the plane, I started to feel antsy and ready to get off. I did get i

    • July
      • Welcome to my blog!
        07/29/07
        I leave for Hyderabad India on Wednesday and as promised I've setup a blog to centralize my communications back home. I plan to write frequently and post pictures so check back every fews days if you find yourself wondering what I'm up to.

        Thank you all for comming to dinner and