There's just one little problem...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Last Weekend!!!
So my trip is coming to an end, and this weekend I stayed in Hyderabad for once!! :P
Saturday we went out to the movies with some of the staff and rotators (Anand, Mary and Johnathan from Belgium)and saw Eagle Eye at the IMAX. The first 5 minutes made me slightly uncomfortable, but the rest of the movie was good. There's lots of stuff blowing up, and I had no idea that Billy Bob Thorton was in the movie, so I was pleasantly amused. Seeing the Chicago skyline and Quincy and Wilson stops made me all "awwwww, I miss home", but I'll be seeing that skyline in just 6 days!! :)
After the movies, we tried to go to the Salarjung Museum and our stupendous driver got lost TWICE. The Salarjung Museum is one of the most well known places in Hyd, and it's even in our expat "Need to Check this out" booklet, and this guy had no idea where it was. After Jonathan and I both yelled at him to just take us back to the hotel, we took a much needed break, and then headed out the F Cafe to celebrate the birthday of one of the executive managers. She was turning 4 and was so ridiculously adorable - I bought her coloring books and Jonathan bought were a marker/crayon stationary type thing, and Mary, Anand and Katrina from Indy bought her books and stuffed animals. She had a cute little toy train birthday cake that was tasty too, and a good time was had by all.
After dinner, Jonathan was itching to go out, and after the Mumbai stuff, none of us were to keen to go out. I gave in though, and said ok. So we got ready and headed out. All the clubs we tried were closed, so we took it as a sign to just go back.
We get into the Novotel, and hear crazy music coming from the bar - looks like all the Tollywood/Banjara Hills kids came to our freaking hotel to chill! So after getting over the fact that we wasted time looking at other spots, we joined the crowd and had a nice time dancing like no body would ever see us again, since it's the honest truth!! :P
Today I went to church for the last time, chilled at Ravindar's house and had breakfast with him and his wife, and then spent WAY TOO MUCH on some do das and trinkets, and a lovely blue pashmina that I couldn't say no too. :/
So tonight me and Jonathan are going to meet up with Rakesh and his wife Aditi to see the long awaited Dostana movie. There are no subtitles, but I think I can get through the general concepts of the movie. If the soundtrack is any indication, I am going to dance throughout the whole movie.
Peace out!
Saturday we went out to the movies with some of the staff and rotators (Anand, Mary and Johnathan from Belgium)and saw Eagle Eye at the IMAX. The first 5 minutes made me slightly uncomfortable, but the rest of the movie was good. There's lots of stuff blowing up, and I had no idea that Billy Bob Thorton was in the movie, so I was pleasantly amused. Seeing the Chicago skyline and Quincy and Wilson stops made me all "awwwww, I miss home", but I'll be seeing that skyline in just 6 days!! :)
After the movies, we tried to go to the Salarjung Museum and our stupendous driver got lost TWICE. The Salarjung Museum is one of the most well known places in Hyd, and it's even in our expat "Need to Check this out" booklet, and this guy had no idea where it was. After Jonathan and I both yelled at him to just take us back to the hotel, we took a much needed break, and then headed out the F Cafe to celebrate the birthday of one of the executive managers. She was turning 4 and was so ridiculously adorable - I bought her coloring books and Jonathan bought were a marker/crayon stationary type thing, and Mary, Anand and Katrina from Indy bought her books and stuffed animals. She had a cute little toy train birthday cake that was tasty too, and a good time was had by all.
After dinner, Jonathan was itching to go out, and after the Mumbai stuff, none of us were to keen to go out. I gave in though, and said ok. So we got ready and headed out. All the clubs we tried were closed, so we took it as a sign to just go back.
We get into the Novotel, and hear crazy music coming from the bar - looks like all the Tollywood/Banjara Hills kids came to our freaking hotel to chill! So after getting over the fact that we wasted time looking at other spots, we joined the crowd and had a nice time dancing like no body would ever see us again, since it's the honest truth!! :P
Today I went to church for the last time, chilled at Ravindar's house and had breakfast with him and his wife, and then spent WAY TOO MUCH on some do das and trinkets, and a lovely blue pashmina that I couldn't say no too. :/
So tonight me and Jonathan are going to meet up with Rakesh and his wife Aditi to see the long awaited Dostana movie. There are no subtitles, but I think I can get through the general concepts of the movie. If the soundtrack is any indication, I am going to dance throughout the whole movie.
Peace out!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Black Friday
I enjoy the day after Thanksgiving because it means that Christmas is ever so close.
I tried to find "Biały Śnieg" on YouTube, but couldn't find it, so here, enjoy this little Piotr Rubik ditty instead.
I tried to find "Biały Śnieg" on YouTube, but couldn't find it, so here, enjoy this little Piotr Rubik ditty instead.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Unprecedented
So, I'm in Hyderabad, which is just under 400 miles away from Mumbai.
I was watching TV (Friends) after coming to the Novotel after work and started flipping through channels. I got to the news channels "section" of the remote, and every single channel had the activities going on in Mumbai on. Most of the channels are in Urdu or Hindi, but by the images, I could tell that not all was well.
Once the BBC had the story, I could understand what was going on, and the sheer horror of what had (and still is) taken place. It's scary to be away from home for any amount of time, but to be a clear foreigner in a country that already has political and religious instability just emphasizes the situation.
Hyd is clearly on alert - the security at the hotel has been increased, there are more police and men checking cars coming in and out of the complex our hotel is in, even at the office, they are doing bag checks and more detailed checks of the vehicles and people coming in.
I don't have much else to say except that this is senseless and my heart goes out to anyone affected by it.
I was watching TV (Friends) after coming to the Novotel after work and started flipping through channels. I got to the news channels "section" of the remote, and every single channel had the activities going on in Mumbai on. Most of the channels are in Urdu or Hindi, but by the images, I could tell that not all was well.
Once the BBC had the story, I could understand what was going on, and the sheer horror of what had (and still is) taken place. It's scary to be away from home for any amount of time, but to be a clear foreigner in a country that already has political and religious instability just emphasizes the situation.
Hyd is clearly on alert - the security at the hotel has been increased, there are more police and men checking cars coming in and out of the complex our hotel is in, even at the office, they are doing bag checks and more detailed checks of the vehicles and people coming in.
I don't have much else to say except that this is senseless and my heart goes out to anyone affected by it.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Nothing ever goes the way you expect it
So it's been a crazy four days of weddings, travel, birthday celebrations and the Taj Mahal. Let's recap.
Thursday
Thursday was Srinivas' wedding ceremony. I came to work dressed to go straight to the hall and people freaked because I was wearing a dress. I suppose I should do it more often. Anyway, I left the office a little after 6 as the wedding invitation stated 7:16 as the time. I found that weird, but it's based on the stars and birthdays and I went with it. Traffic was completely atrocious and it took me almost 2 hours to get there. I got there around 8:30 and found out that I had pretty much missed the entire thing. I went up to Srinivas and his wife Kalpana and said my greeting and congrats and such. Baki and Vijay popped out of nowhere and joined me (thank goodness since I wouldn't know what to do otherwise). People stared and randomly came up to me to take a picture. Then Baki and Vijay ate dinner, I tried some ice cream (still wasn't feeling 100% after last Saturday) and we trucked back home.
Re: the time on the invitations - so I guess the whole ceremony starts like 2 hours before, and they do pooja and lots of ceremonial stuff, and at 7:16 they start the official process of getting married. It's like saying "come see X & Y say "I do" at 3:47" in the U.S. (but of course we want you to be there for the whole thing, so we just say come at 3).
Friday
Friday was my birthday so I decided to not work and instead putz around the hotel and then go to the spa, and then get ready for the reception for Srinivas since the whole office was coming.
Sana took me to lunch and we had tasty pizza and these things called Snappers which is apple juice, cranberry juice and ginger ale - not bad! I went to the Nirva spa at the Ellaa and had some issues with the services I wanted/got. First, they don't do hand mendhi, even though they said they did on the phone. Hmph. Second, they couldn't do "anything" with my hair except blow dry it straight, when I wanted to have it a bit fancy for the reception. What they could do was tell me that I had a lot of split ends and that I needed a haircut. Right.
So I ended up only getting a mani/pedi which really wasn't soothing and spa-like at all. Maybe the Nirva is nice in Indian standards, but holy hell, if I got this service in the U.S. I'd flip. My nails are already chipped and it's only been like 3 days. Booo.
So it took me almost 2 hours to get the mani/pedi (when my girls in Niles can do both in less than an hour - LOVE EFFICIENCY) and I was a bit late in getting my stuff together for the reception. I grabbed all my stuff, and got ready at the office.
So the group also got me a cake for my birthday, which was very nice of them! This part wasn't so nice:
I still don't get the cake smearing thing, but supposedly it's obligatory...whatev. :P
So after cake and birthday wishes ("Many happy returns on your day") we headed out for Srinivas' reception. It was fun - we ate, chatted and finally danced after I started grumbling that I can't go to a reception without dancing. :P We left around 11 so that people could get home, and I went back to try and pack for the Delhi/Agra trip.
Saturday
We had a 6am flight, which meant we needed to leave a little after 4 am. After a quick nap, we headed out (me, Sana, Maura from Minneapolis and this guy John from the UK who works for UBS). We are on our way, on a new road to the airport, and something (of course) is wrong with the car. I don't have the pic yet, but the front tire somehow got flat along the way, but the driver tried to keep going to try and make it to the airport. At a certain point, there was a speed hump to get onto the main road, and he couldn't jump it. We had torn the rubber off the wheel and were pretty much driving on the steel where the tire once was. After sitting on the side of the road for about 15 minutes, counting the seconds we had available to still get on the flight, we got to the airport at about 5:40. We run to the check-in and find that Sana booked the wrong date and couldn't get on. Me, Maura and John all look at each other and say - um, I dunno? We figured out that we were still going to try and make the flight, and that Sana would try all the other airlines to get in soon after us. We run through security, down the hall to the gate like madmen, and make our flight with 4 minutes to spare. We land in Delhi and find that Sana was able to make it on a flight about 30 minutes after us, so we waited and were finally off to Agra.
Agra is about 4.5 hours away from Delhi by car, so we wasted no time in trying to get there. Our driver Dara was good and we mostly slept on the way there. We stopped at a tourist trap for lunch (which is fine with me - I'd rather eat where everyone else is) and sped towards Agra.
We visited some spots before the Taj, but really wanted to get to the Taj ASAP as it was closing at sunset. We made it, and it was simply SPECTACULAR. I had a great time seeing the Taj and learning about all the history of it, and just gazing at all the workmanship that went into building it. This is also where the "random men asking me for photos" thing started. First, two Iranian guys wanted pics with us "holding" the Taj (ala below) and later in the day, a bunch of Indian guys wanted a pic of me. It was really awkward, and I'm probably on a weird fetish/porn site somewhere. :P
After Taj we did some shopping, I bought a black star gemstone ring (I dig it) and then we had some grub. Our hotel was OK (hey, at this point, a bed and hot water were all that we needed) and then went to sleep.
At about 2am, we hear the fire alarm going off. Sana is dead to the world, while Maura and I are freaking out. I grab my hoody and camera bag and run for the door screaming like a banshee and Maura's right behind me but still trying to get Sana to wake up. It smelled like someone burned a toaster or something, but the hotel was like "Oh, no- it's cool, someone was just smoking". RIGHT. So we go back to bed still a bit freaked out. Sana has no recollection of any of this. Thank goodness there wasn't a real fire!!
Sunday
Sunday we drove back to Delhi and along the way, our driver Dara tried to disguise smoking breaks as random times to take pics of stuff. We went into a random temple that wasn't Muslim, Hindu or Christian (I think it was a Temple to a yogi or something) and we took another stop to get a few snaps of a statue of Shiva.
We got into Delhi and saw the Baha'i Lotus Temple, India Gate, North and South Block (political houses), the home of the President of India and Parliament (all in New Delhi). We took lunch, and headed out for the Red Fort (in Old Delhi), one of the last spots on the trip.
So Delhi is divided into two areas: New Delhi and Old Delhi. New Delhi was built by the Brits, and Old Delhi was built before by the former Muslim inhabitants of the city. New Delhi has nice wide roads, and is relatively (you guessed it) "new". Then, you pretty much cross a main road and are sucked into a crowd of like 20,000 people hawing their wares on the side of the road. It was the first time in India that I was scared for my life. Previous bombings happened in Old Delhi, and I wasn't about to make it on the 6 o'clock news. But when you are stuck in traffic, you are pretty much a sitting duck, so I tried to make the best of it but it was nerve wrecking.
We trek out into the crowd in order to cross the road to get to the Red Fort. We pass by "Pee Alley" since no one seems to have any problems peeing on the sidewalk here (and they aren't even DRUNK!) and check out the fort. It's pretty and historical and such, and I'm asked again for more snaps with random Indian guys (man, I hope I'm not somehow married now). Sana and Maura did a little more shopping and we were out of there.
Our last stop was a cute little tea shop (Xmas presents! For me! :p ) and then we were off to the airport. Our flight was delayed, but we made it back to Hyd safe and sound. On the way to the hotel, we saw an accident and our driver said "Don't look!" so I closed my eyes. Maura didn't and I don't know what she saw, but it must have been horrible. I just hope it wasn't a family on a bike that got hit. We got to the hotel around 12:30am and I think I fell asleep on the elevator up to my room. It was a really tiring experience, but definitely worth it to see the Taj.
So now I'm trying to catch up on work, come to terms with the fact that I have less than two weeks to go, and figure out where I'm gonna go from here.....
Thursday
Thursday was Srinivas' wedding ceremony. I came to work dressed to go straight to the hall and people freaked because I was wearing a dress. I suppose I should do it more often. Anyway, I left the office a little after 6 as the wedding invitation stated 7:16 as the time. I found that weird, but it's based on the stars and birthdays and I went with it. Traffic was completely atrocious and it took me almost 2 hours to get there. I got there around 8:30 and found out that I had pretty much missed the entire thing. I went up to Srinivas and his wife Kalpana and said my greeting and congrats and such. Baki and Vijay popped out of nowhere and joined me (thank goodness since I wouldn't know what to do otherwise). People stared and randomly came up to me to take a picture. Then Baki and Vijay ate dinner, I tried some ice cream (still wasn't feeling 100% after last Saturday) and we trucked back home.
Re: the time on the invitations - so I guess the whole ceremony starts like 2 hours before, and they do pooja and lots of ceremonial stuff, and at 7:16 they start the official process of getting married. It's like saying "come see X & Y say "I do" at 3:47" in the U.S. (but of course we want you to be there for the whole thing, so we just say come at 3).
Friday
Friday was my birthday so I decided to not work and instead putz around the hotel and then go to the spa, and then get ready for the reception for Srinivas since the whole office was coming.
Sana took me to lunch and we had tasty pizza and these things called Snappers which is apple juice, cranberry juice and ginger ale - not bad! I went to the Nirva spa at the Ellaa and had some issues with the services I wanted/got. First, they don't do hand mendhi, even though they said they did on the phone. Hmph. Second, they couldn't do "anything" with my hair except blow dry it straight, when I wanted to have it a bit fancy for the reception. What they could do was tell me that I had a lot of split ends and that I needed a haircut. Right.
So I ended up only getting a mani/pedi which really wasn't soothing and spa-like at all. Maybe the Nirva is nice in Indian standards, but holy hell, if I got this service in the U.S. I'd flip. My nails are already chipped and it's only been like 3 days. Booo.
So it took me almost 2 hours to get the mani/pedi (when my girls in Niles can do both in less than an hour - LOVE EFFICIENCY) and I was a bit late in getting my stuff together for the reception. I grabbed all my stuff, and got ready at the office.
So the group also got me a cake for my birthday, which was very nice of them! This part wasn't so nice:
I still don't get the cake smearing thing, but supposedly it's obligatory...whatev. :P
So after cake and birthday wishes ("Many happy returns on your day") we headed out for Srinivas' reception. It was fun - we ate, chatted and finally danced after I started grumbling that I can't go to a reception without dancing. :P We left around 11 so that people could get home, and I went back to try and pack for the Delhi/Agra trip.
Saturday
We had a 6am flight, which meant we needed to leave a little after 4 am. After a quick nap, we headed out (me, Sana, Maura from Minneapolis and this guy John from the UK who works for UBS). We are on our way, on a new road to the airport, and something (of course) is wrong with the car. I don't have the pic yet, but the front tire somehow got flat along the way, but the driver tried to keep going to try and make it to the airport. At a certain point, there was a speed hump to get onto the main road, and he couldn't jump it. We had torn the rubber off the wheel and were pretty much driving on the steel where the tire once was. After sitting on the side of the road for about 15 minutes, counting the seconds we had available to still get on the flight, we got to the airport at about 5:40. We run to the check-in and find that Sana booked the wrong date and couldn't get on. Me, Maura and John all look at each other and say - um, I dunno? We figured out that we were still going to try and make the flight, and that Sana would try all the other airlines to get in soon after us. We run through security, down the hall to the gate like madmen, and make our flight with 4 minutes to spare. We land in Delhi and find that Sana was able to make it on a flight about 30 minutes after us, so we waited and were finally off to Agra.
Agra is about 4.5 hours away from Delhi by car, so we wasted no time in trying to get there. Our driver Dara was good and we mostly slept on the way there. We stopped at a tourist trap for lunch (which is fine with me - I'd rather eat where everyone else is) and sped towards Agra.
We visited some spots before the Taj, but really wanted to get to the Taj ASAP as it was closing at sunset. We made it, and it was simply SPECTACULAR. I had a great time seeing the Taj and learning about all the history of it, and just gazing at all the workmanship that went into building it. This is also where the "random men asking me for photos" thing started. First, two Iranian guys wanted pics with us "holding" the Taj (ala below) and later in the day, a bunch of Indian guys wanted a pic of me. It was really awkward, and I'm probably on a weird fetish/porn site somewhere. :P
After Taj we did some shopping, I bought a black star gemstone ring (I dig it) and then we had some grub. Our hotel was OK (hey, at this point, a bed and hot water were all that we needed) and then went to sleep.
At about 2am, we hear the fire alarm going off. Sana is dead to the world, while Maura and I are freaking out. I grab my hoody and camera bag and run for the door screaming like a banshee and Maura's right behind me but still trying to get Sana to wake up. It smelled like someone burned a toaster or something, but the hotel was like "Oh, no- it's cool, someone was just smoking". RIGHT. So we go back to bed still a bit freaked out. Sana has no recollection of any of this. Thank goodness there wasn't a real fire!!
Sunday
Sunday we drove back to Delhi and along the way, our driver Dara tried to disguise smoking breaks as random times to take pics of stuff. We went into a random temple that wasn't Muslim, Hindu or Christian (I think it was a Temple to a yogi or something) and we took another stop to get a few snaps of a statue of Shiva.
We got into Delhi and saw the Baha'i Lotus Temple, India Gate, North and South Block (political houses), the home of the President of India and Parliament (all in New Delhi). We took lunch, and headed out for the Red Fort (in Old Delhi), one of the last spots on the trip.
So Delhi is divided into two areas: New Delhi and Old Delhi. New Delhi was built by the Brits, and Old Delhi was built before by the former Muslim inhabitants of the city. New Delhi has nice wide roads, and is relatively (you guessed it) "new". Then, you pretty much cross a main road and are sucked into a crowd of like 20,000 people hawing their wares on the side of the road. It was the first time in India that I was scared for my life. Previous bombings happened in Old Delhi, and I wasn't about to make it on the 6 o'clock news. But when you are stuck in traffic, you are pretty much a sitting duck, so I tried to make the best of it but it was nerve wrecking.
We trek out into the crowd in order to cross the road to get to the Red Fort. We pass by "Pee Alley" since no one seems to have any problems peeing on the sidewalk here (and they aren't even DRUNK!) and check out the fort. It's pretty and historical and such, and I'm asked again for more snaps with random Indian guys (man, I hope I'm not somehow married now). Sana and Maura did a little more shopping and we were out of there.
Our last stop was a cute little tea shop (Xmas presents! For me! :p ) and then we were off to the airport. Our flight was delayed, but we made it back to Hyd safe and sound. On the way to the hotel, we saw an accident and our driver said "Don't look!" so I closed my eyes. Maura didn't and I don't know what she saw, but it must have been horrible. I just hope it wasn't a family on a bike that got hit. We got to the hotel around 12:30am and I think I fell asleep on the elevator up to my room. It was a really tiring experience, but definitely worth it to see the Taj.
So now I'm trying to catch up on work, come to terms with the fact that I have less than two weeks to go, and figure out where I'm gonna go from here.....
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Photos and Updates
Yes, yes, I haven't been posting photos. I've been using the big boy (I like to call him Franek) since I want some nice ones for my photobooks. :) Plus my point and shoot is sort of crappy (Santa, are you listening?) and I don't trust it.
Today I am going to Srinivas' wedding. I am really excited, and Franek is coming with me. Should be a blast. The reception is tomorrow and I am busting out my sari with the other expats.
And then, TAJ! Finally going north to hit Agra and check out my 2nd of 7 world wonders.
Cheers kids!
Today I am going to Srinivas' wedding. I am really excited, and Franek is coming with me. Should be a blast. The reception is tomorrow and I am busting out my sari with the other expats.
And then, TAJ! Finally going north to hit Agra and check out my 2nd of 7 world wonders.
Cheers kids!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A follow up to NBC (and the U.S. in general)
I HATE YOUR SILLY COPYRIGHT LAWS!
**coughs**
sorry, but whatevs with this legal mumbo jumbo!! :P
**coughs**
sorry, but whatevs with this legal mumbo jumbo!! :P
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Singapore
Well, hello there.
So before I even came to India, I knew I wanted to go to Singapore. India is good in that it is fairly centrally located to other countries in the Asia-Pac region that I want to visit. My original goal was to go over Thanksgiving weekend since I get the days off. However, Sana came and she wanted to go to. So last Sunday, we booked our flights for the upcoming Friday, and off we were!
The trip on the way there was great. I can understand why I paid almost $600 for an economy class flight - tons of leg room, wide selection of meals (if you pre-order them), and the service really is nice. We took a red eye in, leaving at 11:30pm and arriving at 6:30 am (local time). There was no one sitting next to me, and I had an aisle seat (also pre-selected) and even though I couldn't really lay down, I got in a few hours of deep sleep.
We get in, and the MRT system (trains) is awesome - very much like Spain. I learned a good lesson from Kara traveling in Spain and made sure I knew I to get around from the airport to the hotel via train (so much cheaper!) and all the other places that I wanted to visit. We cruise along on the train, taking in what sights we could, and even got to check in early at the hotel. We got a smoking room, but didn't really care since we figured we'd be out most of the day, trying to squeeze in a Singapore experience in two days.
We are dead tired, but shower and decide to head out at around 10am. It started raining, so we took a boat tour around the river to see some of the sights - The Merlion, various hotels, some really cool bridges, ect. The rain stopped, so we sat outside for a bit and then hopped off near one of the Raffles statues in the city.
All the while, I was beginning to feel worse and worse. At first I thought I was just sleepy, or boat sick, but we went to a local spot for lunch, and it hit me. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but my stomach was in knots, and I just felt the need to lie down. I parted ways with Sana and trudged back to hotel, feeling myself dieing along the way. And then it really hit.
Food poisoning. :(
I freaking got food poisoning in Singapore of all places! 4 weeks in India and not one major sickness, and here I am, in paradise, sick as a dog in my hotel room. :( So much for all the plans we had!! I ended up tossing and turning, trying to sleep, with various episodes of ickiness I'll leave you to wonder about. I'm blaming it either on the cheese sandwich I had at D Block or the KFC at the airport - either way, I am staying clear of both forever.
So after laying around for almost 8 hours, trying to recover for "just a bit" more, and a little Starbucks to help along the way, we went to the Night Safari and had a good time. Then we hit Orchard Road to check out the Christmas in the Tropics displays (like the windows at Macy's) and marvelled at all the stores I wouldn't shop at anyway - Louis, Prada, M.A.N.G.O. and yes, even Gap! :P
Sunday I had every intention of waking up early to make up for the almost 8 hours we lost the day before, but I snoozed my wake up call for church, and ended up going to a later mass. I picked St. Andrew's Cathedral since it was the closest one to the hotel. The church is beautiful - white marble, very clean. The mass starts, the organs are playing, the choir is singing, and I'm like "Now this is what I was missing! Organs! Who knew?" I read through the bulletin really quickly, and see something about the Anglican community, and I think "Oh, that's nice - all the churches support each other here".
They start going through all the prayers, and some things are a little different, and I just think, oh well, every church can do things slightly different. And then the sermon starts and I start thinking, "Um, is this a Catholic Church?". The preacher is talking some good stuff about introducing your friends to Christ and such, and then he starts interspersing "Amen" and "Hallelujah" in the middle of his speech and I'm like "NOPE! This is def not a Catholic Church!!!" I try demising a way to leave nicely, and then the preacher asked who in the Church was visiting... I'm not about to lie in a church, during mass, so I get up along with the other visitors and everyone starts clapping and I get a bunch of stuff and now I really feel like a fool.
After about 5 minutes, I suck it up and leave. It was almost an hour after the Mass started, and they weren't but halfway done! DEF not Catholic. So I mope back to the hotel, disappointed that I couldn't even find the right church to go to while I was here, but press forward. We hit Chinatown, three temples (Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim) and grab some Chicken Rice for lunch on Maxwell Road. We did a little shopping, and then hit the Raffles hotel for a mandatory Singapore Sling.
By then, it's almost 5:30 and we trudge back to the hotel to pick up our stuff and head to the airport. The Changi airport is nice too - lots of shops (where I picked up 1 bag of mint chocolate Hershey's for S$10! - WTF) and then queue to get on the plane back to Hyd.
The flight back was annoying - there was a family of 5 split between two rows, and I had an aisle seat again. I managed to watch the new X-Files movie (it was good), bits of the Dark Knight (I could watch it over and over again) and the first half of Mamma Mia! (which is an injustice to all things ABBA) but all throughout had various members of this family climbing over me to get to the next row over. Everyone on this flight was sick, sneezing and coughing, and of course, not covering their mouths when doing so. Gross.
I experienced rain for the first time in Hyd, and it was POURING! I can't imagine having a rickshaw or bike here during monsoon season! We got back to the hotel dead tired, caught some of The Soup (Talk Soup), which I am glad they have here now and hit my pillow sleeping.
I wish I had more time there, but did see everything I was supposed to (Thanks Patrick!). I would totally go back to see the more 'everyday' things, but we'll leave that for another time. I still have Japan and Australia on my list, so till then, thank you Singapore for bringing my life back in check, and for making me ever more anxious to return to Chicago.
So before I even came to India, I knew I wanted to go to Singapore. India is good in that it is fairly centrally located to other countries in the Asia-Pac region that I want to visit. My original goal was to go over Thanksgiving weekend since I get the days off. However, Sana came and she wanted to go to. So last Sunday, we booked our flights for the upcoming Friday, and off we were!
The trip on the way there was great. I can understand why I paid almost $600 for an economy class flight - tons of leg room, wide selection of meals (if you pre-order them), and the service really is nice. We took a red eye in, leaving at 11:30pm and arriving at 6:30 am (local time). There was no one sitting next to me, and I had an aisle seat (also pre-selected) and even though I couldn't really lay down, I got in a few hours of deep sleep.
We get in, and the MRT system (trains) is awesome - very much like Spain. I learned a good lesson from Kara traveling in Spain and made sure I knew I to get around from the airport to the hotel via train (so much cheaper!) and all the other places that I wanted to visit. We cruise along on the train, taking in what sights we could, and even got to check in early at the hotel. We got a smoking room, but didn't really care since we figured we'd be out most of the day, trying to squeeze in a Singapore experience in two days.
We are dead tired, but shower and decide to head out at around 10am. It started raining, so we took a boat tour around the river to see some of the sights - The Merlion, various hotels, some really cool bridges, ect. The rain stopped, so we sat outside for a bit and then hopped off near one of the Raffles statues in the city.
All the while, I was beginning to feel worse and worse. At first I thought I was just sleepy, or boat sick, but we went to a local spot for lunch, and it hit me. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but my stomach was in knots, and I just felt the need to lie down. I parted ways with Sana and trudged back to hotel, feeling myself dieing along the way. And then it really hit.
Food poisoning. :(
I freaking got food poisoning in Singapore of all places! 4 weeks in India and not one major sickness, and here I am, in paradise, sick as a dog in my hotel room. :( So much for all the plans we had!! I ended up tossing and turning, trying to sleep, with various episodes of ickiness I'll leave you to wonder about. I'm blaming it either on the cheese sandwich I had at D Block or the KFC at the airport - either way, I am staying clear of both forever.
So after laying around for almost 8 hours, trying to recover for "just a bit" more, and a little Starbucks to help along the way, we went to the Night Safari and had a good time. Then we hit Orchard Road to check out the Christmas in the Tropics displays (like the windows at Macy's) and marvelled at all the stores I wouldn't shop at anyway - Louis, Prada, M.A.N.G.O. and yes, even Gap! :P
Sunday I had every intention of waking up early to make up for the almost 8 hours we lost the day before, but I snoozed my wake up call for church, and ended up going to a later mass. I picked St. Andrew's Cathedral since it was the closest one to the hotel. The church is beautiful - white marble, very clean. The mass starts, the organs are playing, the choir is singing, and I'm like "Now this is what I was missing! Organs! Who knew?" I read through the bulletin really quickly, and see something about the Anglican community, and I think "Oh, that's nice - all the churches support each other here".
They start going through all the prayers, and some things are a little different, and I just think, oh well, every church can do things slightly different. And then the sermon starts and I start thinking, "Um, is this a Catholic Church?". The preacher is talking some good stuff about introducing your friends to Christ and such, and then he starts interspersing "Amen" and "Hallelujah" in the middle of his speech and I'm like "NOPE! This is def not a Catholic Church!!!" I try demising a way to leave nicely, and then the preacher asked who in the Church was visiting... I'm not about to lie in a church, during mass, so I get up along with the other visitors and everyone starts clapping and I get a bunch of stuff and now I really feel like a fool.
After about 5 minutes, I suck it up and leave. It was almost an hour after the Mass started, and they weren't but halfway done! DEF not Catholic. So I mope back to the hotel, disappointed that I couldn't even find the right church to go to while I was here, but press forward. We hit Chinatown, three temples (Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim) and grab some Chicken Rice for lunch on Maxwell Road. We did a little shopping, and then hit the Raffles hotel for a mandatory Singapore Sling.
By then, it's almost 5:30 and we trudge back to the hotel to pick up our stuff and head to the airport. The Changi airport is nice too - lots of shops (where I picked up 1 bag of mint chocolate Hershey's for S$10! - WTF) and then queue to get on the plane back to Hyd.
The flight back was annoying - there was a family of 5 split between two rows, and I had an aisle seat again. I managed to watch the new X-Files movie (it was good), bits of the Dark Knight (I could watch it over and over again) and the first half of Mamma Mia! (which is an injustice to all things ABBA) but all throughout had various members of this family climbing over me to get to the next row over. Everyone on this flight was sick, sneezing and coughing, and of course, not covering their mouths when doing so. Gross.
I experienced rain for the first time in Hyd, and it was POURING! I can't imagine having a rickshaw or bike here during monsoon season! We got back to the hotel dead tired, caught some of The Soup (Talk Soup), which I am glad they have here now and hit my pillow sleeping.
I wish I had more time there, but did see everything I was supposed to (Thanks Patrick!). I would totally go back to see the more 'everyday' things, but we'll leave that for another time. I still have Japan and Australia on my list, so till then, thank you Singapore for bringing my life back in check, and for making me ever more anxious to return to Chicago.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Listening Skills
Those who know me well are used to me being very open and honest, and not the type to "beat around the bush".
People here don't listen very well. They just don't. They have their own agenda, and when you say something (repeatedly even), it just doesn't get through to them. We all speak the Queen's English here (and I've even picked up a broken English ala my mom to remove any indistinguishable words or phrases) so I am freaking clear as crystal. But problems prevail anyway.
Example 1# - Getting to Church
Sunday I didn't reserve a driver to go to Mass since in total it's only an hour and a half and you only need a reservation for trips more than two hours. I went to the driver desk and asked for a DT cab - none are there (which was a lie, I saw them leaving the parking lot, but that's a whole other issue here). So I take a hotel cab (that costs triple!) instead.
I tell the driver I am going to St. Alphonus Church in Banjara Hills.
"Eh, what is the street medam??
"I don't know - I'm not from here, but it's in Banjara Hills. You know where this is?"
"Ok, yes medam..... Church? Francis Church?"
"No, St. Alphonus.."
"Francis?"
"NO, AL-PHON-SUS."
"Oh yes, Francis Church - driver knows."
"No, it's not Francis, it's Alphonsus; AL-PHON-SUS, Catholic church in Banjara Hills".
At this point, it's 9:15am and the Mass starts at 9:30. I am getting pissed because these people clearly don't know what I am trying to say. Another driver comes up.
"You are Catholic medam?"
"Yes, Catholic. Do you know this church, Banjara Hills? Alphonsus Church?"
"Oh, yes, yes medam."
He goes to speak to the jerkface I was dealing with before, and they squabble about something, and comes back to me.
"Ok medam, this driver take you to Church".
"OK, thanks".
In the car, driving along. My driver is going really slow, and I know I am going to be late (which irks me). None of the streets have names on them, but I can recognize enough where I am by the stores and advertisements.
The driver turns off a road, and is going down a street, slowly and all I can think is "This guy doesn't know where he is going".
"Eh, medam, you know where church is?"
"No, I don't. I am not from here - I am expecting you to know this place".
"OK, medam."
He pulls up to a driveway, asks the security guard at the gate and comes running back.
"OK medam, here."
"Um, this isn't a church. This is houses."
"Yes, Church."
I get out and look around. This is clearly the wrong place. The guard comes up to me and says "Church, medam?"
"Yes, but is this the back way? I don't know this place."
"Yes medam, behind over there".
I start walking in this complex, and I'm like, WTF, am I coming in from the back way? I walk down to the end, and there is a fence. I turn around pissed as hell, and the guard runs up to me and points to the left.
"Church medam, right there".
I look and I'm like, that is not a church. That is some guy's house.
"Francis Church, medam - right here. You know him medam?"
I run back to the driver, fuming, and tell him to take me beck to the hotel because he took me to the wrong place. Along the way, I see the steeples of the church and tell him to turn. What a coincidence - it was St. Alphonsus....
Example #2 - Shopping
I wear a lot of dark colors with simple patterns. I just like streamlined things that are easy to wash and match with other pieces. I'd say half of my clothes are black, with the rest a mix of dark browns, greens, reds, purples. I hate pink on me (but on other people it can look cute) and I hate lots of design and pattern on things (again, not for me).
I went shopping with some girls from work to a new boutique that opened since I was looking for some Indian style tunics (kortas). At first I am just browsing, and then the shop owner comes in.
"Hi, how are you. What can I help with?"
"hi, good thanks. I am looking for some shirts, tunics."
"Oh, OK. What about this?"
She shows me a dress.
"No, not dress. Shirts, you know? Tunics - like this." (I show her a tunic).
"Oh, yes very pretty".
"Yes, I am looking for this, like, black, red, green - dark".
"OK, what about this". (shows me a orange one)
"Mmm, no, too bright. You know, black, dark".
"OK, what about this". (shows me a pink one with sequins).
"No, not pink. Dark, black, plain"
"OK, what about this". (shows me a white shirt with 3-D black flowers on it).
"Mm, no".
"But it's very pretty"
"Sure, but not for me".
After another 10 minutes of this, Zareen, who was there with me, busted out some loose fabric (dark blue and dark green) and saved me by having some shirts tailor made.
Example #3 - At Work
I asked someone if they could do a hypo calc for me. They said, yes, I can do this. I said, ok - here is the info. 5 minutes later they have a doubt. I come by the desk, and ask them to open the program.
They don't have the program.
THEN WHY DID YOU TELL ME YOU COULD DO THIS?!?!?
People here don't listen very well. They just don't. They have their own agenda, and when you say something (repeatedly even), it just doesn't get through to them. We all speak the Queen's English here (and I've even picked up a broken English ala my mom to remove any indistinguishable words or phrases) so I am freaking clear as crystal. But problems prevail anyway.
Example 1# - Getting to Church
Sunday I didn't reserve a driver to go to Mass since in total it's only an hour and a half and you only need a reservation for trips more than two hours. I went to the driver desk and asked for a DT cab - none are there (which was a lie, I saw them leaving the parking lot, but that's a whole other issue here). So I take a hotel cab (that costs triple!) instead.
I tell the driver I am going to St. Alphonus Church in Banjara Hills.
"Eh, what is the street medam??
"I don't know - I'm not from here, but it's in Banjara Hills. You know where this is?"
"Ok, yes medam..... Church? Francis Church?"
"No, St. Alphonus.."
"Francis?"
"NO, AL-PHON-SUS."
"Oh yes, Francis Church - driver knows."
"No, it's not Francis, it's Alphonsus; AL-PHON-SUS, Catholic church in Banjara Hills".
At this point, it's 9:15am and the Mass starts at 9:30. I am getting pissed because these people clearly don't know what I am trying to say. Another driver comes up.
"You are Catholic medam?"
"Yes, Catholic. Do you know this church, Banjara Hills? Alphonsus Church?"
"Oh, yes, yes medam."
He goes to speak to the jerkface I was dealing with before, and they squabble about something, and comes back to me.
"Ok medam, this driver take you to Church".
"OK, thanks".
In the car, driving along. My driver is going really slow, and I know I am going to be late (which irks me). None of the streets have names on them, but I can recognize enough where I am by the stores and advertisements.
The driver turns off a road, and is going down a street, slowly and all I can think is "This guy doesn't know where he is going".
"Eh, medam, you know where church is?"
"No, I don't. I am not from here - I am expecting you to know this place".
"OK, medam."
He pulls up to a driveway, asks the security guard at the gate and comes running back.
"OK medam, here."
"Um, this isn't a church. This is houses."
"Yes, Church."
I get out and look around. This is clearly the wrong place. The guard comes up to me and says "Church, medam?"
"Yes, but is this the back way? I don't know this place."
"Yes medam, behind over there".
I start walking in this complex, and I'm like, WTF, am I coming in from the back way? I walk down to the end, and there is a fence. I turn around pissed as hell, and the guard runs up to me and points to the left.
"Church medam, right there".
I look and I'm like, that is not a church. That is some guy's house.
"Francis Church, medam - right here. You know him medam?"
I run back to the driver, fuming, and tell him to take me beck to the hotel because he took me to the wrong place. Along the way, I see the steeples of the church and tell him to turn. What a coincidence - it was St. Alphonsus....
Example #2 - Shopping
I wear a lot of dark colors with simple patterns. I just like streamlined things that are easy to wash and match with other pieces. I'd say half of my clothes are black, with the rest a mix of dark browns, greens, reds, purples. I hate pink on me (but on other people it can look cute) and I hate lots of design and pattern on things (again, not for me).
I went shopping with some girls from work to a new boutique that opened since I was looking for some Indian style tunics (kortas). At first I am just browsing, and then the shop owner comes in.
"Hi, how are you. What can I help with?"
"hi, good thanks. I am looking for some shirts, tunics."
"Oh, OK. What about this?"
She shows me a dress.
"No, not dress. Shirts, you know? Tunics - like this." (I show her a tunic).
"Oh, yes very pretty".
"Yes, I am looking for this, like, black, red, green - dark".
"OK, what about this". (shows me a orange one)
"Mmm, no, too bright. You know, black, dark".
"OK, what about this". (shows me a pink one with sequins).
"No, not pink. Dark, black, plain"
"OK, what about this". (shows me a white shirt with 3-D black flowers on it).
"Mm, no".
"But it's very pretty"
"Sure, but not for me".
After another 10 minutes of this, Zareen, who was there with me, busted out some loose fabric (dark blue and dark green) and saved me by having some shirts tailor made.
Example #3 - At Work
I asked someone if they could do a hypo calc for me. They said, yes, I can do this. I said, ok - here is the info. 5 minutes later they have a doubt. I come by the desk, and ask them to open the program.
They don't have the program.
THEN WHY DID YOU TELL ME YOU COULD DO THIS?!?!?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Week 3
Wow, did week 3 go by in a blur. I can't believe I've already spent three weeks here, hanging out, doing stuff.
So, my return flight home was confirmed Tuesday night, and I'm sure that made my mom happy (even though she would vote Republican if she could). I an eager to see what change will come, knowing full well that it will be a tough battle ahead.
I spend most mornings debating whether or not to work out, whether to eat breakfast or not, whether to watch MTV India or read - really tough decisions here. My snooze button usually wins, I gripe about the weight I'm not losing, and I am totally in love with this song.
Work flies by - training, side trip planning, lots of questions, lots of snacks. I was invited to a wedding, so I went crazy shopping over the weekend with Sana (yay - she's here!) - sarees, bangles, jewels - oh my! We also went to Charminar, where the Belgian King closed it down to the public (jerkface) and by the time it had reopened, we were finished. We checked out the new T.G.I.Fridays and we all had a ridiculous meal. Appetizers, soup, entrees, fab dessert - and I wonder why I'm not losing weight? We also gossipped about rotators and expats, and how some people seem to forget who they are when they come here.
This week is an Exec visit, so I need to be on my best behavior here. :P more training, a big project and side trip to Singapore (YES!) in the works. and of course, more of this malarkey. peace out.
So, my return flight home was confirmed Tuesday night, and I'm sure that made my mom happy (even though she would vote Republican if she could). I an eager to see what change will come, knowing full well that it will be a tough battle ahead.
I spend most mornings debating whether or not to work out, whether to eat breakfast or not, whether to watch MTV India or read - really tough decisions here. My snooze button usually wins, I gripe about the weight I'm not losing, and I am totally in love with this song.
Work flies by - training, side trip planning, lots of questions, lots of snacks. I was invited to a wedding, so I went crazy shopping over the weekend with Sana (yay - she's here!) - sarees, bangles, jewels - oh my! We also went to Charminar, where the Belgian King closed it down to the public (jerkface) and by the time it had reopened, we were finished. We checked out the new T.G.I.Fridays and we all had a ridiculous meal. Appetizers, soup, entrees, fab dessert - and I wonder why I'm not losing weight? We also gossipped about rotators and expats, and how some people seem to forget who they are when they come here.
This week is an Exec visit, so I need to be on my best behavior here. :P more training, a big project and side trip to Singapore (YES!) in the works. and of course, more of this malarkey. peace out.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Things I dig about Hyderabad
As promised.....
1. The currency - I am seriously a millionaire here. When I take cash out and check my balance, it's like Christmas. I could totally retire with the savings I have right now, and not worry about anything at all.
2. The weather - I haven't used a hair dryer since I got here, and I wear sandals everyday to work. Those sweaters I packed - never gonna use them.
3. The importance of family - everyone here seemingly digs their family, and lives with them forever and ever. The stigma of living at home is nonexistent (in fact it's almost mandatory). Everyone has huge families with lots of brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews - maybe I secretly wish I had a bigger family or something...
4. The schedule - we work 2pm - 11pm here, but it works for me since I like getting things done in the AM. I workout almost everyday, read, blog, chill with people at breakfast, maybe hit a shop and then I go to work. Fab!!
5. Meeting people - there is a tight little expat community here, and it's fun to hang out with people from all over the US. Just sharing a drink (or a cab) is fun and you get to learn from each other.
6. The invitations - everyone wants you at their weddings, their homes, to hang with you shopping and share their experience with you. I haven't had professional shots taken of me and I won't be hanging up in some one's living room (poor Katie!) but sometimes it's cool to be the center of attention.
7. Lack of responsibility - I don't cook, clean, grocery shop, drive or have to get my own water.. I'm gonna get spoiled by the time this is over.
8. India Standard Time - I am ahead of most of the foreign offices I work with, and can yell at them in real time.
9. F Cafe, BBQ Nation, Ginger Court - I am blessed to have decent take out options available. Can't say the people 3 years before my time that the luxury!
10. Free time - I am sometimes bored at work. My email is up-to-date like no other. I feel like I am in control of my work life, which I haven't felt in a couple of (gasp) years....
This week: Charminar, sari shopping (got invited to a wedding!!) and maybe a museum or temple....
1. The currency - I am seriously a millionaire here. When I take cash out and check my balance, it's like Christmas. I could totally retire with the savings I have right now, and not worry about anything at all.
2. The weather - I haven't used a hair dryer since I got here, and I wear sandals everyday to work. Those sweaters I packed - never gonna use them.
3. The importance of family - everyone here seemingly digs their family, and lives with them forever and ever. The stigma of living at home is nonexistent (in fact it's almost mandatory). Everyone has huge families with lots of brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews - maybe I secretly wish I had a bigger family or something...
4. The schedule - we work 2pm - 11pm here, but it works for me since I like getting things done in the AM. I workout almost everyday, read, blog, chill with people at breakfast, maybe hit a shop and then I go to work. Fab!!
5. Meeting people - there is a tight little expat community here, and it's fun to hang out with people from all over the US. Just sharing a drink (or a cab) is fun and you get to learn from each other.
6. The invitations - everyone wants you at their weddings, their homes, to hang with you shopping and share their experience with you. I haven't had professional shots taken of me and I won't be hanging up in some one's living room (poor Katie!) but sometimes it's cool to be the center of attention.
7. Lack of responsibility - I don't cook, clean, grocery shop, drive or have to get my own water.. I'm gonna get spoiled by the time this is over.
8. India Standard Time - I am ahead of most of the foreign offices I work with, and can yell at them in real time.
9. F Cafe, BBQ Nation, Ginger Court - I am blessed to have decent take out options available. Can't say the people 3 years before my time that the luxury!
10. Free time - I am sometimes bored at work. My email is up-to-date like no other. I feel like I am in control of my work life, which I haven't felt in a couple of (gasp) years....
This week: Charminar, sari shopping (got invited to a wedding!!) and maybe a museum or temple....
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Things I miss about Chicago
I've only been gone two whole weeks, but I really really really miss the following:
1. Walking - I get driven around everywhere here. I pretty much only get to walk from my hotel room to the lobby, from the car to my cube...
2. Spontaneity - You can't just get up and go somewhere. You have to reserve a driver (and hope that they actually come), make plans, make sure your phone has enough minutes to call in an emergency, blah blah blah.
3. The food - I am all about trying to get to know a culture through their food, but I can only take so much. I was born and raised on pierogi (and man, what I would do for some....). You can't really trust the milk here (lukewarm? no thanks) and the coffee leaves something to be desired.
4. Current U.S. television - I can't use Hulu, iTunes makes you swear the purchase is in the U.S., and YouTube only posts like 5 minutes snippets of current shows. Bollywood movies aren't subtitled, and if you watch HBO too much, you see the same 5 movies everyday. We have tons of extra free time because we aren't cleaning, aren't cooking, aren't doing laundry, so help us, we need sometime to kill the time!
5. The Choir at 11am mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - the Catholic church here is nice, and the choir is 'quaint' but I swear the ensemble at OLMC channels in angels when they sing. I seriously can't wait to go back and hear them.
6. Central Standard Time - Now that daylight savings time is over, we are 11 1/2 hours ahead, which makes it difficult to connect with family while we are both awake. And you Pacific people - I miss you!!!!! Facebook only does so much to help keep in touch.
7. Saturday mornings on NPR - I used to get up around 9:30 on Saturdays, and listen to NPR all day (seriously, until like 7-8 pm). Wait Wait, Sound Opinions, Weekend America, This American Life, A Prairie Home Companion - what a soundtrack to the errands I run on weekly basis!
8. Chicago GES - not that everyone in Hyd isn't awesome, but they don't go drink with me, see concerts with me, have GA nights with me! :/ That, and the free access to pens, paper, scissors, push pins....
9. My friends and family - I know I would get crap for it if I didn't say it! But they know. :)
And not to sound like a whiner, I'll post the things I dig about Hyd tomorrow. :)
1. Walking - I get driven around everywhere here. I pretty much only get to walk from my hotel room to the lobby, from the car to my cube...
2. Spontaneity - You can't just get up and go somewhere. You have to reserve a driver (and hope that they actually come), make plans, make sure your phone has enough minutes to call in an emergency, blah blah blah.
3. The food - I am all about trying to get to know a culture through their food, but I can only take so much. I was born and raised on pierogi (and man, what I would do for some....). You can't really trust the milk here (lukewarm? no thanks) and the coffee leaves something to be desired.
4. Current U.S. television - I can't use Hulu, iTunes makes you swear the purchase is in the U.S., and YouTube only posts like 5 minutes snippets of current shows. Bollywood movies aren't subtitled, and if you watch HBO too much, you see the same 5 movies everyday. We have tons of extra free time because we aren't cleaning, aren't cooking, aren't doing laundry, so help us, we need sometime to kill the time!
5. The Choir at 11am mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - the Catholic church here is nice, and the choir is 'quaint' but I swear the ensemble at OLMC channels in angels when they sing. I seriously can't wait to go back and hear them.
6. Central Standard Time - Now that daylight savings time is over, we are 11 1/2 hours ahead, which makes it difficult to connect with family while we are both awake. And you Pacific people - I miss you!!!!! Facebook only does so much to help keep in touch.
7. Saturday mornings on NPR - I used to get up around 9:30 on Saturdays, and listen to NPR all day (seriously, until like 7-8 pm). Wait Wait, Sound Opinions, Weekend America, This American Life, A Prairie Home Companion - what a soundtrack to the errands I run on weekly basis!
8. Chicago GES - not that everyone in Hyd isn't awesome, but they don't go drink with me, see concerts with me, have GA nights with me! :/ That, and the free access to pens, paper, scissors, push pins....
9. My friends and family - I know I would get crap for it if I didn't say it! But they know. :)
And not to sound like a whiner, I'll post the things I dig about Hyd tomorrow. :)
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