Roller-Coaster Ride in Mumbai

I'm on a two week vacation to visit my sister & folks in Mumbai.  I believe the last time I was here was in 1989 - it has been a while.  I don't have too many memories from my previous trips to Mumbai, however, I am loving the city a lot this time around.

Today was the first day I got out of my sister's apartment to trek around the area.  And, the most convenient way to do it has been to hop in an auto-rickshaw - convenient and thrilling.  The way that these three wheeled speedsters edge into and out of a swarm of other auto-rickshaws; squeezing in between the taxis, cars, and buses, and navigating around pedestrians only to stop on a dime when called for can't help but quicken the pulse and keep you on the edge of your seat!  Although, being on the edge of the seat on the ride might not be such a good idea.  The most amazing thing is that while all of our senses were being assaulted the whole time - the constant honks, the smell, the potholes in the road, the sights of a busy city - I never saw any of these urban chariot drivers so much as nick another thing.  Mumbai has the same vibe for me as NYC.  The pace is relentless in an energizing way.

As a postscript, I did see a Pizza Hut, a SubWay, and a McDonald's.  Oh! And, the McDonald's here has a delivery service - we passed a McDonald's delivery guy on his motorcycle in our auto-rickshaw.  How cool is that?!

Safety at the Cost of Freedom?

I was listening to NPR on my way home from work earlier this evening and I heard this story of a family of Muslim travelers who were taken off an AirTran flight because another passenger on the flight misconstrued the conversation they overheard between a man and his sister-in-law about the safest seats on a plane.

One of the most disturbing aspect of this incident is the suggestion the Air Marshall made to the man when interviewing him that he shouldn't be discussing these sorts of things on a plane.  What makes it positively scary is that so many listeners of the broadcast fed back similar views on the story's website.

Are we ready to give up the real freedom of (reasonable) speech for an illusion of safety?  Are we prepared to be subjected to an unreasonable invasion of our person because of the paranoid delusions of someone else?  Do we all now need to be cautious about what we say and where we say it for fear that someone would turn us in and we might be rendered and tortured someplace for views we hold or express?

I choose not to give in to such fears.  I shall carry on reasonable conversations in public.  I will not leap to conclusions based on my biased perceptions.  If anything, I will engage any and all of my fellow travelers to make connections and build bonds.  It is only in this way that I earn trust, trust in return and feel secure.

Happy 2009

Wednesday was a wonderful end to a year that had tested me in many ways.  I could not have asked for a better way to say goodbye to the past and hello to the future than in the midst of steady old friends & budding new friendships.

I start again.  A new reference.  Challenging goals.  365 days before re-evaluation.

Small Successes

For the last few months I had been feeling "down"; in a real funk. But, this post isn't about that. It's about how small successes can turn things around. Yesterday, I took my pre-test test for my Six Sigma certification at work. Other than attending the training classes I hadn't really studied. Needless to say I was nervous about how I would do. It was important that I passed the test as it was a prerequisite for taking the actual test that was scheduled for today. I passed. I got a 77/100 and qualified for the test today. Nothing great, but, it was a positive. I followed up that success today with a 91/100 on the actual test; the top score in class! That felt great! Without even realizing it, until I sat down to write tonight, I feel like I am out of my funk.

In the bigger picture, the tests really don't matter. However, in the immediate present, they gave me a sense of achievement and boosted my self confidence. That's all you need to get back into the groove.

World Cup - Day 2

Ah! It's World Cup time again and I've got the fever. I spent all day (8:00 AM - 4:00 PM) today watching all three matches: England (1) vs Paraguay (0) ; Trinidad & Tobago (0) vs Sweden (0), and Argentina (2) vs Cote d'Ivoire (1). Football in high-def; what a rush!

Alright, the first game between England and Paraguay was a snore. Neither team got into any rhythm and seemed to be playing some sort of back-alley scrimmage instead of World Cup football. I was hoping for more intensity. For crying out loud, it was England with Beckham (who scored the only goal) and Rooney (who didn't play). Where're the goals? I have to admit though, whenever Beckham did touch the ball, which was only a handful of times, he made it look so effortless.

The other two games were just brilliant! The Trinidadians put up a magnificent fight and held Sweden to a draw. OK, let me repeat that, the Trinidadians, who were at the World Cup for the first time... ever, held Sweden, a football powerhouse, to zero goals! Holy crap! All thanks to Shaka Hislop, the Trinidadians' goal keeper who rejected everything Sweden threw at him. Sensational! And, get this: he wasn't even the originally slated keeper. He was, literally, a last minute replacement. What's more, he is 37, the second oldest keeper to hold a team to zero goals in World Cup history. Besides having a great game, the players were super-sportsmen; exchanging jerseys at the end of the match.

The last game of the day between Argentina and Cote d'Ivoire started out slow, but things got super-charged quickly. The first Argentinian goal was ruled not a goal. It looked like a goal to me, but apparently the entire ball didn't cross the plane of the goal line. You could hear the collective groan of the stadium. The Argentinians didn't waste any time though. Riquelme (the next Maradona?) quickly fed a ball to Crespo who scored and soon after fed a second ball to Saviola who put them up two goals to none. Drogba, the main man for the Cote d'Ivoire team, was sensational; never giving up. As the game was almost to an end, he scored the sole goal for Cote d'Ivoire.

Mesmerizing football. Fast. Dramatic. Thrilling! And, it's only the second day. (I wish I had TiVo.)

India Trip - Day 2

I ended up being stranded in Chicago last night. Surprised? Hell no! We left Austin an hour late. There was no way we were getting to Chicago on time to make my Delhi connection. Did American Airlines help after I got here? Hell no! Their position is that "We do not accommodate delays caused by the weather or traffic." How about accommodating bad advice by the Austin ticketing agent? He knew we were delayed even before we left Austin. He had no information that the Delhi flight was not leaving on time out of Chicago (which it did). I had twice requested to be rescheduled for the following day if there was even a remote chance of me missing my connecting flight. But, thanks to his advice, here I am in Chicago, stranded for the last 24 hours. I'm now waiting to make my rescheduled flight. Hopefully it will be uneventful.

On a related note, the O'Hare airport has no free wireless access; no easy paid wireless access and no decent affordable food.

India Trip - Day 1

Everything started off well today (for the most part). I made it to the Austin airport with plenty of time to spare only to wait at the gate for the bad weather in Chicago to clear before our flight can be on its way. Apparently, they have thunderstorms rolling through there. The gate agent seems to think I will make it to Chicago on time to catch my connecting flight to Delhi. I'm not sure I share his optimism. It'll be awfully close. I hope they wait for me to get there. But, if I do miss the direct flight to Delhi, he said that American Airlines will route me through London. The thing is I don't have a visa for the UK. This trip will be interesting, if nothing else.