A Day in the Life of PF3

Life in a Foreign Town

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:01:00 +0000

Most of the time you never know exactly what God has planned for you. Sometimes even your wildest dreams are surpassed by God's plans.

From the time I was a junior in high school, I knew that I would be a computer geek, but I had no idea of exactly where that road would lead me.

I have had many great adventures so far in life. I moved from southern California to northern California having no thoughts of how that would work. God had his plan and it was far greater than mine. While in southern California I was not able to get a job in the computer field due to lack of experience and being "too young." God opened a door into the computer field when I listened to a buddy's advice, which I have since credited to God speaking through that buddy and moved north. I not only got one job in the computer field, but actually got two computer jobs with the help of meeting someone at the first job. That same person also helped me get my third job in the computer field which led me all the way across the country to the east coast.

I had never lived on the east coast before and had barely even visited the east side of the country as a kid. Again I had no idea what was ahead of me and what God had planned for me. As aforementioned, God's plans are always bigger and more grandiose than we could ever plan.

The best item in God's plan for me was matching me up with my wife while I was on the east coast. I had no idea that someone as wonderful as my wife existed and would want me. God's plan was much greater than mine. At the end of the project we headed back to California.

Little did I know that while I was working on the east coast I would acquire a skill that would positively change my life dramatically. God had a bigger plan in mind that would slowly unvail itself almost 15 years later.

I remained working in the computer field but God redirected my attention from living in California to moving to Oregon. Little did I know that the skills I learned while living on the east coast would help me get a job in Oregon. God was moving one step closer to what He had planned for me.

About six years into the job, using the experience I gained while working on the east coast, I was given the opportunity to be the liaison to India. About a year later, God opened another door for me and I had the opportunity to go to Bangalore, India for two weeks. Never in my wildest dreams growing up did I ever think I would get to travel to India. God's plans were and are greater than mine will ever be.

Litle did I know that God's plans for me were not done yet. A little over three year's ago I was in a car accident that by all rights should have killed me. God was not ready for me to go "home" yet; He still had more plans for me here.

A little over a year ago, the company that I am working for in Oregon was trying to win a contract with a company based in Australia. With God's help, my company chose me to help work on the proof of concept project and sent me to Sydney, Australia for several weeks twice. I was fortunate enough, again with God's help, that my company allowed my wonderful wife to come visit me for a couple of weeks while I worked in Sydney so she could share in my gift from God.

Most preachers say in their sermons at least a half dozen times a year that you can out give God. God was not done giving to me. About two months after completely the proof of concept, my company won the bid for the job.

Now a little more than nine years into the job, it seems that God figured that I gained enough experience for me to take the next step in His grand plan. My company asked me with several of my other co-workers if we would move to Sydney, Australia. The apartment that we live in overlooks Darling Harbor and cruise ships come to the dock a few times a month to let people off to visit this wonderful city for the day. The library in the apartment building, which is on the twenty-ninth floor, overlooks the circle quay (pronounced "key") and you can see the Sydney harbor bridge and the iconic Opera House. I am blogging to you from the library looking at the Opera House. God is good.

Never, even in my wildest dreams, as a sixteen-year-old, did I ever think that becoming a computer geek would ever lead me to travel to countries around the world - granted it is only two countries, but it is still more than I ever imagined.

If you get out of God's way, He can do wondrous things for you.

Remember to perform a random act of kindness. You never know how much God will repay that act of kindness.

Life in a Foreign Town

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 01:48:00 +0000

Grandparenthood

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 01:04:00 +0000

Ron Howard has a television show entitled "Parenthood" which tells the story of an extended family and how everyone interacts and delves into the topic each week that no matter how old your kids get, you never stop being a parent.

My wife and I recently became grandparents, which means our daughter recently became a mother. No matter what generation you are part of, no books are Vulcan mind melds are available for making someone know everything there is to know about how to be a parent. Lots of books and doctors, such as Dr. Spock and Dr. Phil, giving you their opinions on what parents should and should not do to and for their kids. The lesson that I have learned through my experience is that all kids are unique and you have to learn life's lessons everyday.

Just because your kids have kids does not mean that you stop being your kids' parents. It means that you have new lessons to learn and new ways to learn how to work with, help and love your kids.

Being a grandparent is a whole new bailiwick. Most of the new challenges are enjoyable. Babies, whether they are your kids, grand kids, or just someone else's kids, are very simplistic; they want to feel loved, want to eat, sleep poop and be entertained. If they are upset, they let you know; if you don't pay attention to them when they are calmly expressing their displeasure, they will then voice it loudly in a screaming yell. Then it's your job to figure out what they really need or want. Is it a "change me I'm dirty" cry or "feed me I'm hungry" cry or "I'm so tired but I don't want to go to sleep" cry. If it is the later, you need to be strong enough to let the baby cry himself to sleep.

One of the coolest things about being the grandparent is spoiling the grand baby and then giving him back to his mom and dad. Another cool thing about being a grandparent, or a least the grandpa, is that when the baby makes a stinky, you can give the baby back to his parents and say he needs to be changed.

One of the less cool things about being a grandparent is trying to learn how to help your kids with their new issues or be able to walk away when they don't want your help.

One of the challenges of being a new grandparent is learning how to share again. Our daughter is fortunate in that her partner's parents are both alive as well and we have to share our grandson's time with them and they with us. The cool thing for the grand baby is that he gets double spoiled.

The biggest lesson for the grandparents to learn is to remember to tell your kids that you still love them and love them no less because their is a grand baby now.

One last reminder, make sure to perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as offering a night of babysitting of the grand-baby so the parents can have a couple of hours of quiet time with each other so they can remind each other that they still love one another and love one another no less just because they have a baby.

Sunrises

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:45:00 +0000

Two of the things that I enjoy most in the day, besides my wife and daughter, are sunrises and sunsets.

Here in Sydney, Australia, it is winter time, as we are in the southern hemisphere, where it is summer time back home. Being winter time, I have not been able to see any sunsets as by the time I get out of work, it is already dark.

I took the picture above the other day from my room window at the Marriott at Hyde Park. As you can tell, my view does not stink. It is not quite the same as being able to view the Sydney bridge or the opera house, but it is still a nice view.

There are certain pleasures in being easily amused.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as easy as sharing a sunrise with them in the morning.

Good Day, Mate

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:49:00 +0000

I have not been much of a world traveler when compared to some of my colleagues from work, but here I am in Sydney, Australia, for a third time.

Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so it is winter time here and summer back home. The current temperature is 19° C, which is about 66° F. It is comfortable to me, but cold for the locals.

During the week, I have been mainly working. This weekend, I have taken some time to walk around the city. Yesterday while walking around Hyde Park, I saw a couple of gentlemen playing chess in the park.

It was rather interesting watching old school battle Gen-X. The younger guy was quite confident in his abilities and his game. His problem was that he was too confident in his game. He made one move that cost him the game. He realized it and was actually a gracious loser. Fortunately for me I am easily entertained. I watched these guys play for about 15 minutes and it did not cost me anything but the 15 minutes of my time.

Last night a few of the guys and I went to dinner at a place called Durty Nelly's. The other guys all had the 300 gram sirloin steak. I had the Seared Duck Breast, Cider Braised Lentils, Caramelized Witloff. I highly recommend the seared duck break. The place is kind of a hole in the wall - if I did not know it was there, I wouldn't have ever known. This is one of those places that does not show up on the best places to go in Sydney, but really should.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as taking them to a restaurant that entice their taste buds beyond belief.

Never Buy a Refrigerator

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Sometimes mole hills become mountains - even if you are not trying to make them into mountains.

A couple of weeks ago, I was thirsty and I decided that I wanted a glass of milk. I went to the fridge and took out the milk container and it was not cold like it should be. I did not think too much of it, until I started pouring the milk. The end result - let's just say that after checking the refrigerator, it was time to get a new one.

So the adventure of looking for a new fridge begins. The questions starting coming faster than I can even write them down.

What brand do I want?
What color do I want?
Do I want the freezer on the top or the bottom?
What store should I get it at?
How much money do I want to spend?
How do I get rid of my old refrigerator.
How big do I get it? (How tall and how wide?) This is the most important question above all other questions.

So, my wife (Yvonne) and I continue our adventure by checking out some web sites of brands that make refrigerators. Yvonne and decide on the type of fridge we want, now it is just a matter of how much we want to spend and how big of a space do we have for a big refrigerator.
We go into the kitchen to see our current refrigerator that is almost keeping things cool since we took out almost everything and found that we had lots of space between the wall and the counter. I take some rough measurements and now we are ready to see how big of a refrigerator we can get as our current refrigerator is almost large enough to be useful.

Yvonne is pretty sure of the make and model she wants and we take measurements to make sure the dimensions listed will fit in our space (There is a big lesson to be learned here).

It is all fine and dandy to look at pictures on the web, but it does nothing to give you the real look and feel of the item. After visiting a couple of stores to see other models to make sure that there is not something else we like better. We finally decide on the make and model Yvonne originally picked and went with store "A".

Store A was actually very helpful - they let us know there was a "big" sale starting in a about a week. We already emptied our old refrigerator, so it was not a big deal to wait a week. After waiting a week, we go to store A and make the big purchase. The fridge is supposed to be delivered on the following Saturday so we just have to hurry up and wait.

Saturday finally arrives and so do the delivery guys. They look at the entry door, the hallway and the turn it will take to get the refrigerator into the kitchen and into the corner where it belongs. Then they measure the area to put the refrigerator - note that earlier I said the measuring had a big lesson to be learned. They measure it a few times and say, "it won't fit. The space is not wide enough in the front of the cabinet, although there is plenty of space in the back. "

They gave me a couple of choices:

I can take out the cabinet that is causing the space issue.
They can leave the refrigerator and I can try to move it into the space myself.
I can refuse the refrigerator and try to find a different model.

I did not like any of the options as we don't have a great deal of counter and storage space already and I don't want to damage the new refrigerator before we even get to use it.

After contemplating my options for a couple of minutes, I decide on option 1 - I will remove the offending cabinet - it is small and I figure I can make do.

So while I figure out how to take out the cabinet, the delivery guys go back to the truck to unpack and unload the new fridge. I empty the cabinet and find that there are only a couple of nails keeping the cabinet attached to the wall - so it is going to be really easy to remove the cabinet. I pull out the cabinet with relative ease; this is the last of the good things that happen this Saturday. After pulling out the cabinet, I find that the floor is not level where the cabinet used to be. There are a couple more layers of linoleum on the floor around where the cabinet was versus the hole that is left.

Just as Yvonne and I are agreeing that the floor is a mess, the delivery guy comes running into the house yelling "don't tear out the cabinet yet. Your refrigerator is damaged." We walk out to the truck to inspect the refrigerator to see how bad it is. We chose a black refrigerator that has an incredible shiny finish. The problem with the bright finish is you can see any and all dents in the doors. There are several dents at the top of the doors and by the handles.

Not only did I take option 1 on this Saturday, but I also took option 3 - refuse the refrigerator. We ask the delivery guys how long it will take to get another one out to our house. Remember when I said that taking out the cabinet was the last good thing to happen on Saturday - it was. The next new refrigerator needs to be ordered and can't be delivered until Thursday.

I refuse the refrigerator and Yvonne and head back into the house to examine the floor again.

Both Yvonne and I agreed that we could not handle looking at the disparity in the floor for a long period of time. So ... we need to get either new flooring or try to patch what is there. Did I mention, there is linoleum on the floor? To boot, my house was built during the mid 1970s - it is not pretty linoleum.

Neither Yvonne nor I like the linoleum that is on the floor - it does not match to what is in the hallway that passes next to the kitchen and also has linoleum nor does it match the linoleum that is in either of the bathrooms.

It's time to look for new flooring.

We decide to check out a couple of stores and call company "B" to have someone come out with some samples to show us.

Nothing at the stores looks like what we want and it can't get installed by the stores by the time the new fridge is supposed to arrive. So we wait the day for company "B" to come to our house.

The day comes for Company "B" to show up at the house. The sales guy brings samples of what we originally asked to look at as well as a couple of other alternatives. Yvonne and I view each of the samples and decide there are a couple that look like what we were thinking of for the floor and then place them down to view in the kitchen. The both look ok, but nothing that says, "man i gotta have that." So next the salesman brings out some alternative choices and there is both Yvonne and I spot the one sample and say that it is what we were really wanting. Next is the fun part - how much is it going to cost us for getting what we really like? Believe it or not, what we really wanted was actually cheaper than what we thought we wanted and about the price range that we expected to have to pay. So we finally have something go our way with getting this new refrigerator. And some even better news - the new floor can be installed prior to the delivery date of the new fridge. Mind you now, the refrigerator is now costing "X" plus the cost of the new flooring - this refrigerator is getting expensive. One of the silver linings - we finally get to get rid of the hideous 1970s linoleum.

Now that we are getting new floor, we have to clear out the kitchen, pantry and hall closet so the new flooring can be installed. We are moving stuff all over the house to get the kitchen ready for the flooring. In a little over a day, we went from organized, to chaotic and then we should be back to organized again in about another day or so.

The next day, the installer comes to install the floor and states that he should have no problem putting the new floor over the top of the old linoleum. Hold your horses there lulubell. That is not what I had in mind - we were supposed to have the old 1970s linoleum removed and the new floor installed. The installer says he needs to make a call to see what is supposed to happen versus what he had originally planned. While on the phone, the installer notes there are 3 layers of linoleum on the floor and asks when the house was built. I tell him in the mid-1970s and after notifying the other person on the floor, the next question is, "do you have anything in writing that says the linoleum is asbestos free?" I look at him and say, I have no real idea, I just bought the house last year and I have all the paperwork from that transaction. So far, things are not going overly well with this installation. I pull out all the paperwork and start searching - nothing in the home inspection and nothing in the main paperwork that says there is no asbestos in the house. The installer says that unless we have a "clean bill of health" the old linoleum cannot be taken out of the house; he is willing to work with us and he can still work with us and install the new floor over the old linoleum - he can build up the hole where the old cabinet was and the new floor will be fine - it is a "floating" floor, so technically, it would be fine. We have one major problem - we have a "BIG" new refrigerator coming the next day and with the new floor on top of the old linoleum, the refrigerator won't fit under the cabinet. In the meantime, the installer's boss calls and gives me the information about not being able to dispose of asbestos products and we would need to have a written document stating the linoleum was asbestos free. I asked her if she had any companies that she worked with in the past that could do this and how when the floor could be installed when/if the floor was asbestos free. She gave me a few numbers to call for companies that they have worked with in the past and said that she could have an installer out the next morning if all was good.

I call up one of the companies that was more local than the others and speak to one of the inspectors. He said that he could be out later that day, but the turn around time is normally about 48 to 72 hours. My day has definitely become more challenging.

One of my best friends IMs me and asks how things are going. I tell him that they could be a lot better and give him the lowdown on what has already occurred. He says that the cabinet is not a real problem - just raise the cabinet up and the new floor can be put on top of the linoleum and I won't have to worry about disposing of asbestos linoleum if the test comes back positive. Now I like this idea. I tell Yvonne about the idea of lifting the cabinets and she likes it as well. My only challenge is how do I do it.

Yvonne talks to our neighbor about the problem and she says that her husband can help do that - it should not be a problem. Later that evening, our neighbor comes over to look at the cabinets and formulate a plan. Less than 90 minutes later, the cabinets are lifted up and Yvonne is on the phone to the floor company and they will have an installer out the next morning. This is a good thing as our second round on delivering the new refrigerator is supposed to happen tomorrow as well.

We now have a minor problem. The cabinets are now 2" higher on the wall than before, and the paint color of those two inches does not match the rest of the wall. Yvonne says that she will paint the walls so they are all one uniform color tonight as it will be easier with everything out then after everything is moved back into the kitchen. A quick run to the paint store is in store. This is never a really cheap venture, especially when you want good paint that won't peel and will hold up to all the rigors that a kitchen has. The refrigerator just got more expensive.

Tomorrow comes and we actually get the same installer as the previous day. We explain to him what our choice was and what we did to come to this decision. The installer is a very hard worker and is doing a good job not to disturb us, as much as possible when there is hammering going on, and is friendly answering whatever questions we have when we ask. We tell him that the new fridge is supposed to be delivered sometime today, but we have not received a confirmation call yet stating when it will be delivered. He said that would not be a problem; he will move the refrigerator to where it needs to be when he is done. We only have one minor problem. When taking down the old 1970s coving that is supposed to pass for baseboard trim, parts of the drywall come off and the new baseboard, which is tremendously nicer, is not as tall as the old trim. Some more work is required by Yvonne and me to fix and paint the areas above the new baseboards when the floor is completely installed; this needs to be done before the fridge gets here, or it is going to be more work moving the fridge around some more.

When the day is done, the floor looks great, but there is no refrigerator. Then finally, we get an automated call stating the refrigerator will be delivered tomorrow. The silver lining to this is we have some more time to repair and paint the walls. The installer gave us his card and said that if we need his assistance with anything regarding the floor, give him a call -as lives in the area and wants to make sure we are happy.

The next day, towards the end of the time window provided for the delivery, the new refrigerator arrives. Yvonne calls me at work and tells me she has some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the new fridge arrived. The bad news, the fridge won't fit in the space where it is supposed to go - not because it is too tall, the raising of the cabinets actually worked correctly, is again too wide due to the baseboard trim and the upper cabinet. Yvonne calls the installer and he comes by and modifies the baseboard so that the refrigerator will fit in the space - mostly. Remember when I mentioned my house was built during the mid-1970s? The cabinet is not perfectly straight - part of it leans inwards towards the new refrigerator. The space now is just barely wide enough for the fridge to fit. Somewhere down the line, we are now going to have to get new cabinets so the cabinet and the new refrigerator are not so close. The good news is that going with company "A", the old refrigerator was removed as part of the installation of the new one, we get a rebate for buying an energy efficient refrigerator and get a credit on our taxes for the same reason.

We have our neighbors over to look at the new floor and the new refrigerator in the freshly painted kitchen. I ask the manly questions -what do you think of the new floor and the new refrigerator? Ooh. Ah. Very cool were the responses. Yvonne asks the womanly question - do you like the color of the kitchen and does it clash with the new floor. Being as dense as a brick like I am, I don't get the clue that Yvonne does not like the color of the kitchen any more. The silver lining is that we have not moved much back into the kitchen.

Yvonne is going to paint the kitchen the color we decided for the spare bedroom - it looks much nicer with the new floor. Cha-ching - that refrigerator just got more expensive.

The mole hill of getting a new refrigerator because the old one was going out, became a mountain with all of the obstacles that we encountered while trying to put it in the kitchen.

In the end though, we have the refrigerator we want, the floor that we want, and Yvonne has the kitchen the color she wants. :-)

My parting advice - Never buy a refrigerator.

Make someone's day and perfrom a random act of kindness. It could be small or as big as helping your neighbor raise their cabinets 2" higher in their kitchen.

At the End of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:40:00 +0000

The company that I work for, Fiserv, is truly a global company.

Headquarters is located in Wisconsin. We have offices, in NY, GA, OH, Oregon, Europe and India, to just name a few.

The reason that I mention this is because of come of the colloquialisms that I hear on a daily basis.

Don't worry about it.
No worries.
Forget 'bout it.
You're welcome.

All the above are responses you could get depending on who you are talking to when you tell them "thank you."

The phrase that I have been hearing frequently from people from Georgia is

At the end of the day ... yada yada.

Most of the time I state when all is said and done ...

The majority of the time I hear either phrase, it relates to how important or unimportant something is. For example, at the end of the day, does it really matter if I wear my brown shoes with my brown belt, or my black shoes with my black belt?

There are a lot of events that happen during a given day and very few of them really matter at the end of the day.

Don't let small things bother you all day because at the end of the day, they probably won't matter.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as easy as reminding them at the end of the day, the small thing that was bothering them really does not make a difference.

86400

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:47:00 +0000

If 86,400 is the answer, what is the question?

How many seconds are there in a day?

You can always get more money, but what you can't do is get more time.

How well do you use your 86,400 seconds a day?

Do you find yourself spending your time wishing for the good 'ol days? Or being mad at someone for something they did to you in the past? Or waiting for something good to happen to you?

Make the most of the time you have and make the good things happen. One of the best ways to make good things happen for yourself to make good things happen for someone else.

Let the past be the past; don't carry around the burdens of the past with you today. Enjoy all the good blessings that are in store for you today.

Make the most of your 86,400 seconds starting right now.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as reminding them of how good today is.

Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:39:00 +0000

Thanksgiving 2008

I have lots to be thankful for this year.

A tie for first place is that I am alive to celebrate Thanksgiving this year.

The second half of the tie goes to being able to spend the time with my wonderful family.

I am thankful for the good friends that I have.

A minor thing that I am thankful for is the price of gas going down.

I am thankful for living in a country where we have the freedom to write a blog if we so choose.

I am thankful that I have a great job during the global economic crisis that we are experiencing.

When you are feeling down, remember to count your blessings, they far out way your problems.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as reminding them of all the things they have to be thankful for.

Eli Stone

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:16:00 +0000

Last night was the first episode of the second season of Eli Stone. For those who don't follow the show, the basic premise is the character Eli Stone is a San Francisco lawyer who starts having visions which leads him to find out that he has a brain aneurysm. His visions lead him to accept cases with little monetary gain but a lot of moral goodness; in short, it leads him to God.

This is a pretty risky show for a big network to take on as it could alienate viewers that don't share the same beliefs. I give ABC kudos for doing so. When shows were being canceled for this season, I was extremely happy to see this show make it for at least a second season. If you can watch the first season and the first episode of this season, I think you will be hooked as well.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as sharing time with them and watching this week's episode of Eli Stone.

Gone to the Movies Lately?

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:26:00 +0000

For as much as I like movies, I seldom actually go to the movie theater; I normally don't stay awake during the entire movie.

I don't have a real high standard for movies - if it can take my mind off my troubles for a couple of hours, it did its job and I will classify it as a decent to good movie. If the movie is on a subject that I enjoy and is somewhat accurate, I can classify the movie as good. There are not many movies that I classify as great, even movies that I consider my favorites.

This past weekend I went to see not one, but two movies at the theater. The first one was the Coen Brothers movie, Burn After Reading (BAR). OMG, this movie has to fall into the category of Ishtar and Waterworld as one of the worst movies ever made. BAR used the f-bomb like it were one of the character's names in the movie; and that was not the worst part of the movie. I had a hard time following the storyline; there were a couple of funny scenes at the beginning of the movie, but that was about it. I dozed a couple of times during the movie, which is part of the reason I don't go to the theater very often.

I saved the best for last.

The second movie I saw with my friends was Fireproof. The premise of the movie is a couple's marriage is falling apart and the husband, through the help of his father, starts this 40-day journey to find the true love of God in order to share with his wife and save his marriage.

Fireproof is the first movie that has really moved me in a long time. Needless to say, I did not doze or fall asleep during this movie. It is a religious movie (there I said it) that can get you back on the right path, help you walk the path, or lead you further down the path with God than you have ever been. This is a movie that can change your life for the better if you let it. No matter what state your marriage is in, you need to see this movie.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It can be as simple as taking them to see the movie Fireproof.

Bringing Mom to the 21st Century

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:36:00 +0000

I recently returned from a trip from visiting my in-laws.

When ever I go to visit the family, I am the resident computer geek. Something on the computer needs to be fixed, updated or configured - "Phillip will fix it." is the normal statement. Any geek worth his salt generally likes to be that guy.

This trip was no different in the demand, but it was very cool for what my mother-in-law wanted. Mom upgraded from a desktop computer to a laptop computer, mostly on her own, but without any help from me since the last time I visited. Way to go Mom.

I brought my Garmin (my hand-held GPS unit) with me, since I can get lost in a brown paper bag. My mother-in-law saw it and saw how easy it was to use that she decided that she thought she wanted one. We went to one of the big stores there and we meandered to the electronics and television department. Mom said that she was interested at getting a flat-screen television; one of the cool factors of shopping for televisions is that most stores have multiple televisions displaying the same show or recorded program so you can see the difference in sets.

Mom found a 32" flat-screen television set that she liked and we asked the associate if there were any in stock; unfortunately, there were none, but we were told to check back on Saturday, as they might get a shipment. We call back on Saturday -no shipment. Mom is resourceful; she has another place she can go to find a good flat-screen. We go to this other place and Mom finds a nice 37" HDTV Toshiba flat-screen that she decides she wants. Mom is still pretty simple, she does not need the very latest and greatest, but she wants something big enough to watch her sports on, especially her beloved NY Yankees. While we are there, she decides that she wants to see if they have a Garmin Nuvi 260W like I have. To her happy surprise they do, so she decides that she is going to get one. So we head home with not only a larger television than she originally thought she was going to get, but also a Garmin. I quickly programmed the Garmin with her home address and set it to go home and Mom used it to get home - if you are looking to get a GPS, I highly recommend Garmin - my friend Ron got me hooked on it. She was a happy camper.

So we get home and my first task is to setup the new television after taking down the old one. For physical tasks, this is pretty easy. Her old 31" CRT is tremendously heavier and bulkier than the new flat-screen television, but still easy enough to move. So the first challenge comes about for connecting the satellite to the new flat-screen and making it work - this should be a no brainer - boy was I WRONG.

Mom has the second connection to the satellite and it operates on channel 73, not the standard 3 or 4 that old cable would use - this still should not be a big deal. I make the physical connection and turn the television to channel 73 - after allowing the set to automatically search for channels. A great big nothing - only gray and white snow on the set. Mom says that she knows the number for the satellite company and calls it. She talks to the guy for about 2 minutes and decides that if she wants it done with the smallest headache that I should talk to the guy, so I do. The guy is pleasant and appears to know what he is doing. He has me go to where the primary satellite hook-up is located and press the menu key and 6-1-5, select the secondary connection, change the channel to 60 and save. He then tells me to go to the secondary set (the new flat-screen set) and change the channel to 60. Voila. Like a champ, it is working.

The problem with a satellite connection is you need to have a receiver for every television in your house, or all the televisions have to display the same show. The reason I mention this is because Mom has a little 19" CRT set in her bedroom that she uses as white-noise to go to sleep. Mom goes into her bedroom to do something and turns on her "little" television - nothing but white-snow. She calls to me and asks what did I do, because she can't watch television in her room now. I do the typical geek thing, scratch my head and say, "hmmm." The first idea that crosses my mind is to turn off the big-screen and perform the same steps I did to get the other television working. [Buzzer sound] Thanks for playing, but you lose is all I get. Ok, I scratch my head a little more and think that the televisions are two different types. So I wonder if I change the channel back to 73 using the main system, if the CRT will work. What do you know - the small CRT works and as expected, the flat-screen does not. I tell Mom I know what the problem is and she has two options - either buy a smaller flat-screen to watch in her room, or go without. Mom has to think about this as she says she only watches about 15 to 30 minutes of shows in her bedroom in order to fall asleep. For the present time - we do nothing for the bedroom.

Earlier, I mentioned that Mom upgraded her computer system to a laptop system. She has an additional keyboard and mouse for the laptop so her great-grandson does not destroy the laptop by banging too hard on the keyboard or touch pad. Another cool -factor about the LCD flat-screen is that it has a VGA connection so it can be used as an additional monitor. The next time we went back to Mom's regular store, I looked around for a male-to-male VGA cable, but there were none to be found. Well, any self-respecting geek knows where he has to go - even though he will seldom admit it - when he needs an electronic part and the regular store does not have one - RadioShack®. So I ask Mom to bring me there and I pick up the part I need. We get back home - using the Garmin of course - and I connect the laptop to the big screen and push a couple of buttons and Mom can now see the laptop screen on her big screen television. She is as giddy as a school girl with her first crush.

One small problem with my setup. Mom is a neat freak and does not like having a mess anywhere. The geek in me has to figure something out so she will use this cool stuff she has.

The next day we are expecting the great-grandson, Anthony, to come over for a visit. Yvonne and I saw some cool 3D chalk one time back home, but have not been able to find it since. Yvonne's twin sister Darlene says that she saw it at Toys R Us. So we all decide that we are going to meet for lunch, but Mom, Yvonne and I will stop off to get the 3D chalk first. When we get to the store, we see a sign on the window that they have WII in stock. Yvonne and I have been trying to buy a WII for months, without any luck because they have been out of stock. I digress; Yvonne and Mom start looking for the 3D chalk and I set out on my own mission to see if they really have WII in stock. Yvonne and Mom have good luck and find the 3D chalk. I in the meantime am still looking for the electronic games section, which I finally find. I ask the associate if they truly do have any WII in stock and she tells me they just got some and they still have some. By this time, Mom and Yvonne found me and Mom says that she wants a WII too. I shake my head in bewilderment wondering not only why does a 72-year-old woman want a WII, but how does she even know what one is. Mom knows exactly what one is and thinks it will be something good for Anthony to use when he comes over - as well as looking really good on her new 37" HDTV. Color me surprised, but she ended up getting one.

While we are in the store, we find out that Darlene is running late, so we can take our time and meet her there in a bit. We have lunch and we head back to Mom's place where my next task is hooking up the WII to her big screen television. Fortunately, there is nothing overly complicated about setting up the WII and we are playing games before long.

Mom decides that she would like to have a television in her bedroom, so we head out to her regular store and start looking at smaller sets. She finds this nice 20" LCD HDTV that is in her price range and they have it in stock. She gets the television and homeward we go for me to setup the new television. The first thing I need to do is disconnect the old CRT television. The challenge in doing this is that the plug for the television is behind her heavy dresser. The dresser is not all that heavy, but it is bulky and challenging to move, as we had to take most items off and make sure the mirror was connected securely,which it was. After getting the old television removed and connecting the new HDTV in Mom's bedroom, I changed the channel to 60 and Mom was again able to watch television in her room in high definition.

While I am unplugging the television, I find that her printer is also connected to the outlet behind the dresser and her USB cable for connecting the printer to the laptop is not nearly long enough to reach the laptop where she currently has her laptop setup so it can connect to the big screen. My mind starts to churn again for a possible solution.

Later in the week, we go to the local mall and start bee-bopping through the mall. Mom decides that she wants to be connected to the internet again so she can make good use of her laptop computer. We cruise the mall and find Mom's phone carrier and ask about getting her connected. For $19.99 a month, Mom can have wireless access to the internet from the convenience of her home. She is sold. The only issue is that hardware is not going to arrive until after Yvonne and I are home. The salesman and I both assure Mom that it is not very difficult to hook up. Again Mom is happy that she has more technology at home.

While we are walking through the mall, I see a computer store that I can peruse to get some ideas to make Mom's life easier with her new technological advances. Since Mom likes to sit in her recliner across the room from her television and do pretty much everything - watch television, make phone calls and take a nap, to name a few of her favorite activities - I figured that her recliner would be a pretty good place for Mom to use her computer as well. I decide that Mom needs a wireless keyboard and mouse so she can use them from the comfort of her recliner and that we can get a longer USB cable to connect to her printer so she can print stuff and not have to worry about trying to move her printer to where her laptop is or vice-versa. She was again giddy with this idea. One final stop at her regular store to get her a laptop desk to put her keyboard and mouse on to use from the comfort of her recliner and life is grand.

Before I left I had to give Mom a tutorial on how to access all of her old and new toys so she could use them. After a couple of times through the list of what to do to access her VCR, DVD, WII, and computer, she was a natural.

On a side note, Mom and I need to have the rubber match game for bowling, as we are tied at 2 games a piece in the best of 5. Mom beat me one game 221 to 183. I need to be on my A-game to beat her.

More on my adventures with my WII at a later time.

Make someones day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple, or complicated, as bringing them up to the 21st century.

Are you a ladder or an "adder"

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:41:00 +0000

Sometimes you are the person that is struggling. Other times you are the person that the struggler is going to for help.

When that someone comes to you explaining/complaining about what is happening, are you an adder or a ladder for that person?

An adder is one who throws more gas onto the fire, agreeing with all that the person is complaining about and stokes their emotions, as sort of an emotional support.

A ladder is someone who tries to lift the person out of their predicament by offering words of encouragement and ways to resolve the issue.

Being an adder is really easy. It makes the complaining person feel righteous in their complaint and it makes you feel good because you are standing behind that person.

Being a ladder can be a bit more challenging. It does not mean that you don't support the person that comes to you. It just means that you find ways to make the person truly feel good and productive about themselves. What you say to that person may or may not be receptively received. The person is angry about a situation or another person and wants instant satisfaction and/or gratification. If you disagree with what the person's issue is, the person might walk away without hearing a word you have to say. In the long run though, you are helping the person out far more by being the voice of reason for them and helping them resolve their problem rather than just egging them on.

Being a ladder is not easy.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple (or complicated) as being a ladder for them.

Enjoying or Enduring?

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:33:00 +0000

Are you just enduing life? Or are you enjoying life?

Granted, some days are better than others, but everyday has the potential to be a great day.

Some people have their mind preset to expect the best. Having this mindset can make you a self-fulling prophet for the good that happens in your life.

If you fill your mind with at least 80% of good thoughts, the 80/20 rule will work in your favor.

If your mindset is to just get by everyday - you are enduring life.

When you look forward to all the good that is going to happen each day, you are enjoying life.

Life is way too short to endure life. Enjoy life and get the most out of it.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as helping someone enjoy life.

Totem Poles

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:57:00 +0000

I was talking to a buddy (Stuart Celarier) at work the other day about work in general. I made a comment to Stuart about where I stood on the totem pole, so he needed to take my comment for what it was worth.

Stuart said that he had to disagree with my place on the totem pole. His point was the totems higher on the pole might be seen more, but without all of the the lower totems, the higher totems would not be the presence that they are. If the base of the totem pole crumbles, the hole pole crumbles.

Garth Brooks has a song entitled Friends in Low Places. I am not exactly sure of the intended meaning of the song, but I like to think that if you want something done, it is better to know people in low places that can actually get the work done than knowing someone at the very top who may or may not have time to try to find someone further down the totem pole to get the task done for you.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as reminding them that they are important to the totem pole even if they are not seen as they are towards the bottom - or on the bottom.

India - Day 10 (Thursday)

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:36:00 +0000

One of the cool things about the Bangalore office is its proximity to many different restaurants all within walking distance. There are numerous different cuisines, so it was not like I had to eat the same kind of food every single day. I think I only ate at the same restaurant, other than eating breakfast at the hotel, one time while I was there.

Today was probably the best food I have eaten so far. We ate at a restaurant called Serengeti that was like eating in a rain forest. The atmosphere was great and the food was even better. The only thing I did not eat were the prawns, which is something I would not eat back home. I tried them just to say I that I at least tried them, but I could not get past the chewing, leathery texture.

One of the items we order was a soup called Murgh Shorba Badami. It was served in a glass (this was the second time I have had soup in a glass, so I was not surprised this time) and it had a good balance of spice and sweetness to make the soup very enjoyable. I think this was Suzy's first soup in a glass, as she seemed a bit surprised as to what was being served.

A couple of different rices were part of the lunch. Both were vegetarian rices (Vamsi is a vegetarian) and both had flavors that did not require meat to make it taste good. I need to find a cookbook that shows me how to make rices like this.

I took a tour around the restaurant to see soak up the atmosphere. The whole restaurant was setup to make you feel like you were in the jungle including waterfalls and streams running throughout the restaurant. There were various semi-animated animals and birds in different areas, but the one that I thought was best was the elephant at the entrance; it was motion activated that would raise its trunk and trumpet whenever anyone walked by. My daughter loves elephants, so it was special to me because it made me think of her.

The rest of the CheckFree team that was touring the different India centers made it to our office later in the afternoon. Like the other sites they saw, they came to see what was happening at the Bangalore office with all the different groups. Each group had a presentation that they gave to the group.

After the presentations were over, we called it a day and went back to the hotel. The CheckFree crew was staying at the same hotel that Suzy and I were staying at, so it made it easy for meeting for dinner. We ended up eating at the cafe at the hotel where we have breakfast each morning. What was kind of interesting though, they seated us at the bar where all the breakfast items are set out, due the large number of people we had in our party.

Today is two days before the elections in Bangalore. The reason I mention this factoid is because starting two days prior to the election through the election day no alcohol is served anywhere in the city legally. This did not bother me at all, because I don't drink, but the majority of the other members of the party were definitely saddened by this. Suzy said that she was very happy she had her beers the previous night at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Dinners were somewhat optional while I have been here because I generally was fed extremely well during lunch that I was not overly hungry come dinner time. Today, was one of those days when I was not overly hungry, so I ordered a four-cheese pizza. The pizza used naan for the crust and there was no mozzarella used at all. The sauce was a light garlic olive oil. For not being very hungry, this was a very good pizza. Suzy was the only person at the table that ordered Indian food. The rest of the party tried their hand at Italian food and most of them found it too spicy to eat; a couple of the ladies sent it back (with a little urging) to get something less spicy - even at that, it was a bit too spicy for them.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as asking the waiter to redo an order because the person is too shy to ask him/herself.

India - Day 9 (Wednesday)

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:44:00 +0000

Today is the day we decided to really go out for dinner; we wanted to go to a place that was not in walking distance of the hotel. We decided that we were going to go to the Hard Rock Cafe. There was a minor problem - the driver had never heard of it and the people he was calling had never heard of it either. Suzy and I could not really figure out how such a big named place was unknown in such a big city. We were about to give up and just head back to the hotel when the driver found someone who not only had heard of the place but knew where it was located. I give Rambas, our driver, credit; he did not give up looking for the Hard Rock Cafe, just because a couple of people had never heard of it.

The Hard Rock Cafe was pretty much what I expected, as it had music blaring (note to self - you are not 19 any more and cannot handle music at decibels that rival a jet airplane) and musical paraphernalia hanging from the walls. The majority of the wait staff looked out of place, except for our waiter. He had the rocker-motif going and he looked like he was supposed to be working at HRC. He spoke with an Indian accent, which is what he should be speaking with since he is from India, but that is the only thing that seemed strange for him. I wanted to take a picture of him because he so looked the part, but I did not want to insult him, so I didn't.

The menu was set to cater to Americans as there were hamburgers and other meals that had beef. The oddity about ordering a hamburger was that it was either 7 ounces or 10 ounces instead of half-pound or 3/4 pound. I ordered the Hickory BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger (7 oz.). It was a very juicy burger and very messy. It ended up being a burger that I ate with a fork and knife. I was barely able to finish the burger - it was very big and very tasty; because it tasted so good is why I finished it.

You can't go to a HRC and not get a t-shirt. Remember when I mentioned in a previous blog that I towered over the majority of the people every where I went? They did not have an XXL t-shirt there. When I asked the attendant, she thought I wanted 2 shirts size XL. I did end up buying an XL shirt, as it looked like it would fit me, as long as I never put it in the dryer.

We were done with dinner and my souvenir shopping so we called Rambas to pick us up. He came by shortly thereafter and drove us back to the hotel - all of about 10 minutes away.

Well, after a little research, I found out why no one had heard of the Hard Rock Cafe - it had only been in Bangalore since December 29, 2007. HRC had only been open about 5 months when we went.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as taking them somewhere they would really like to go.

India - Day 8 (Tuesday)

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:46:00 +0000

What a difference a day makes. I feel tremendously better today than I did yesterday.

The trip to the office was uneventful, which was a blessing in comparison to the 2-hour trip back to the hotel last night.

No matter how well you try to plan things out during the day, things don't always go the way that you want them to happen. An itinerary was planned out for a couple of days and it was off schedule from the first day.

After work, Suzy said she had some energy and was willing to check out some of places next to hotel. Walking the streets in Bangalore is a challenge as the pedestrians do not have the right of way like they do back home. Fortunately, the walk to the mall was very close.

We checked out the various different restaurants and decided on a Chinese restaurant called Noodles. I think it served Cantonese-style food, as the food centered more around the sweet tastes rather than spicy. Most of the items on the menu I have not seen at the Chinese restaurants back home, but the food was tasty. One idiosyncrasy that I have yet to grow accustomed to at the local restaurants is the staff serving you food all the time. You are not supposed to serve yourself.

We completed our dinner and made our way back to the hotel without anything eventful happening. Suzy says that I am her protector on the streets; I am big enough to scare most people off and since I survived the car accident earlier in the year, the small cars here don't stand a chance.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as having dinner with someone who would normally have to eat alone.

India - Day 7 (Monday)

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:04:00 +0000

Today is the first day that I won't be the only Hillsboro person here at EDC. Suzy, one of my big bosses, came in this morning at about 1:30 AM and we are going to be at the office at 9:00 AM this morning. She gets the same sleep, or lack there of, that I got on my first night in Bangalore.

To the left is a cow walking the streets of Bangalore that I saw from my hotel room window.

Getting to the office was the easy part. Getting back to the hotel was the challenging part. The average time to go from the hotel to the office was about 20 minutes, when there were no special events or cricket matches. Today, there was a cricket match in town. It took us 2 hours to get back to the hotel from the office. And we even left a little earlier than normal; if we left at the normal time, I think it could have taken 3 hours. I don't think this was exactly the experience that Suzy was expecting.

Up to this point, my visit to India was uneventful when it came to health. All was good. Until late this morning. I did not do anything out of the ordinary for me. I ate breakfast - and the only thing that I tried new from any of the other days was an apricot danish. A custodial crew came walking through the office spraying an air freshener today and it was overpowering. By 10 AM I was starting to feel miserable. I was hot and nauseous. The watermelon juice that I had at breakfast was the only thing I could taste. The boss at the office took Suzy and I out for lunch, but I could not eat more than a couple of bites. The waiter brought cool towels for us to wipe ourselves down, but came by to pick up the towel before I was ready for him to take it back. I had to ask for another cool towel so I could keep myself in check. I was able to make it through lunch without tossing my cookies.

I got back to the office and the air freshener smell was still strong, and I started to feel bad again. We had a meeting in a different room a few minutes later and the lack of smell in that room made me feel a little better. Lucky for me, jet lag started hitting Suzy and she was ready to leave early.

I got back to the hotel and food was not sounding appealing at all. I went back to my room and laid down to try to shake this feeling. I kept going between hot and cold and used the shower to try to regulate my temperature.

I was never so happy to see the end of a day as I was today.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as providing a cold towel.

India - Day 6 - (Sunday)

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:18:00 +0000

Yesterday was a full day and then some. Suman said that we could go see a movie or something today and I was hoping that it would be later in the day.

I ate breakfast at the cafe Lido at the Ista Hotel, where I stayed, most mornings, both because of its proximity to where I was and because the breakfast buffet was good. Lido was not considered to be their restaurant, but the staff was always waiting on you and willing to get you whatever you wanted.

Being Sunday, things were not like they were during the week. There was a brunch rather than a breakfast - which started at noon. I figured that I could wait until noon and just have a long meal; the food was very good, so I am glad I did. The best part of the meal was the lamb shank with a rosemary au jus. There was live entertainment, which I really like. There were only two guys - a guitar player and a saxophone player and they played songs from mostly the 70s, but were good enough to keep me entertained. I found that people in India were not much on applauding the guys, but I did anyway.

After eating brunch and taking a nap, Suman and I went to the mall to see a movie. We saw Death at a Funeral. If you like British humor, this is the movie for you. If you are not into the Monty Python type humor, you had better skip it.

When you go to see a movie, there are always snacks. Not only did I find normal popcorn at the theater, but there was also sweet corn that you could get seasoned in one of many fashions. I decided on the black pepper corn and sweet butter. It was pretty good, but it does not compare to regular popcorn. One of the other oddities at seeing a movie in Bangalore was that they created an intermission about half way through the movie so you could take a bio-break and buy some more snacks. Not a bad idea.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as taking them to the movie when they could really use it.

India - Day 5 - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:16:00 +0000

We left the 3 rivers and it was time to get lunch. We did not just go anywhere to get lunch, we went to a hotel whose slogan is, "We're not a palace, but we'll treat you like a king."

This hotel, Lalitha Mahal Palace, pictured on the right, was built in 1931 and is humongous. It was built by the Maharaja of Mysore to host the Viceroy of India. If you decide to eat here, make sure to bring your credit card (or take out a second on your house), as it is not cheap. The food is very good though.

We finished lunch and made our way to Mysore Palace - one of India's best kept secrets from the rest of the world - albeit it is very well known in India.

Now the Mysore Palace made the Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel seem average size. This palace was built in 1912. Before you can enter the palace, you must turn in your camera to a camera room, very similar to a coat room. You also need to take your shoes off prior to entering the palace, but your shoes go to a different place than your camera does. There is a standard fee charged for shoes here - 1/2 Rupee. I think I got more than my money's worth this time as they had a watch my size-15 shoes.

I got a kick out of walking around the palace and watching the reactions from kids and a few adults as I meandered the hallways. I already stood out from the crowd because I am white and it looked like I had not been in the sun for months - I live near Portland, Oregon, what do you expect? - but I towered over the majority of the people there as well. The little kids would look up and me and I would smile at them and they would smile back. The adults, on the other hand, looked like they were a little worried. The average height in India is about 5'5". The average height at the palace was doing good if it were 5'. There were many people shorter than than that, so those people were having to look up at least 18". My height was an advantage as I could look over the top of the majority of the people to see whatever there was to see in any particular room.

Words cannot describe the architecture and craftsmanship that was put into the building of the palace. Built way before the time of power tools, remarkable is not a strong enough word to describe it. I have no idea how they built the structure as tall as they did. If you ever go to India, I do recommend going to see Mysore Palace.

Our last stop prior to heading back home was to see St. Philomena's Church. The Gothic structure was built in 1956 and is a marvel to the eyes. While we were there, a wedding was happening. It was rather cool to see a historic building actually being used for what it was originally intended.

The trip back to Bangalore seemed so much longer than the trip to Mysore. I think the reason was that we were tired from our adventure and that we did not have any stops along the way to entertain us as we made the stops on our way out.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as showing someone the sites around your area.

India - Day 5 - Saturday (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:38:00 +0000

Today we went to Mysore. Mysore is noted for the grand palace that is there, but there are also wonderful attractions to see while on your way to Mysore. Now to travel to Mysore from Bangalore by car is no small trip - it is not an hour and a half like some tourists are lead to believe - it is about 3 hours if traffic is good.

The day started out at about 6:30 AM. My Driver Rambas came by the hotel and we went out to Suman's place to pick him up as he was going to show me around so I would not get too lost.

Our first stop along the way was to get some breakfast. It looked similar to a rest stop on the side of the highway back home, but then you went a little ways back there were at least two different outdoor restaurants and both were extremely crowded. We sat down at the first one and found out that they were not serving breakfast, so we decided to go to the next one. It seemed to be more crowded than the first, but it was a buffet, so people were constantly moving around giving it the feeling of being overly crowded. The food was good - so it was understandable to why it was so busy.

Our first official stop was in Srirangapatnam (don't even think about asking me how to pronounce the city name). The picture at the top of this blog is of Tipu's summer palace. Its grounds were so peaceful filled with many very colorful red trees. This is also where the Tipu Sultan is buried next to his wife and son. There are also numerous other tombs around the grounds; some are adorned with silk covers. We could not figure out exactly why some were and some were, but our best guess was that they ones covered were those of women. Before you can enter the palace, you must take off your shoes. No big deal. I take off my shoes and one of the guys manning the shoe area hands me a red token with a number on it. Suman takes off his shoes and does not get a token. We go touring and when we are done, we go back for our shoes. Suman walks out without any problem. I try to walk out and I am blocked until I give them some rupees. I can just see the headline - Man heald hostage for his size 15 shoes. I give the man 10 rupees and I go on my way. I tell Suman and he says he must have gotten lucky.

So we start on our journey again and we make a stop at a park where the three rivers all meet and flow into one. It is well off the beaten path, but it is definitely not unknown by people, because there are vendors and people everywhere. There were organized vendors with some facsimile to booths and others who tried to solicit business by going person to person. If you did not pay attention to them they would yell either Hello or excuse me or both. I felt like I was being rude to them by not turning back around, but I did not want to buy what they were trying to sell. The coolest attraction I saw at this park was the river rides (pictured to the above left). They would take people on short rides around the river on the disc-like boats. Suman and I both decided that it probably would not be a good idea for us to go on a ride on a disc for two reasons. Firstly, the disc probably could not support my size and weight. And secondly, the drivers probably would not know how to balance one with someone my size on the boat and then everyone on board would end up going for a swim. I did not exactly feel like getting that wet and having to remove leeches from my skin.

I must stop for now as I need to get ready for the day. I will continue the trip on my next blog.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as showing someone the sites around town that they have never seen before.

India - Day 4 - Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Sun, 04 May 2008 03:21:00 +0000

I have not been able to tell what time the sun rises here in Bangalore, as it has been overcast each morning. The sun did come out for a little bit, but it turned to rain later in the day.

Today I went to lunch at a different style of Indian restaurant - don't even ask, I have no idea, other than it was not a place that I had been to yet. Suman ordered a green salad for an appetizer (known as a starter here). I expected lettuce for a green salad, but it was cucumbers, carrots, red onions, and what I thought was a snow pea. I really like snow peas, but it looked like there was just one snow pea, so I left it for a while to see if Suman was going to eat it. Well, after sometime, he did not eat it, so I decided that it was fair game so I ate it. After about 30 seconds, I found out that what I ate was not a snow pea. I started sweating like someone opened the dam gates. I told Suman that I ate something hot. He asked what I ate, and I told him the snow pea, and he said that was not a snow pea but a green chili pepper. I tried eating the chips, drinking the coke and eating more cucumbers and carrots, until the heat finally became bearable. Then our main meal came. With the meal came naan, which would have been really great to have had to get rid of the heat of the chili.

Back at the office, it has been enjoyable to see how fast the team - Vamsi, Suman, Mrinalini - has been catching onto everything I have been trying to teach them.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as getting them a couple of pieces of bread if they happen to eat a chili thinking it is something else.

India - Day 3 - Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:29:00 +0000

Today is a holiday here in India - Labor Day. Since the Ness office is closed, I worked from the hotel so I could try to catch up on my regularly assigned work. My hotel room has a broadband connection - and they do not offer it free here - so it is almost like working from home, but not quite as fast. The power outages are definitely a challenge here.

The picture above is the pool at my hotel, Ista. The hotel and people are very nice.

I did see something very strange to me though. A car was smoking very badly in front of the hotel and I saw that a person was putting the smoke into the car - at first glance, it looked like the inside of the car was on fire. I found out the reason for the smoking of the car was because a mosquito was found in the car. Mosquitoes are carriers of Malaria and they were doing what they could to get rid of the bugs.

I ate lunch at the hotel restaurant. I had a minced lamb and coriander soup that was really tasty. On the whole though, I prefer the restaurants that Vamsi, Suman and Mrinalini brought me to eat.

Jet lag hit me today. I think I am over it now.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as holding the elevator door open.

India - Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip) — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:34:00 +0000

I got to go to two different restaurants today. China Pearl was the first place we went. The menu had lots of items on it that I had not seen before. One of the interesting traits of the menu I thought was the quantity of different soups. Suman and Mrinalini asked me what I wanted to have, and I told them I would like to have something they would normally eat, so we each selected an item from the menu to have. Other than chicken and fish, I have no idea what we had, but it was good.

Then later in the day, Vamsi and Suman took me to an Indian restaurant for a snack. Unlike the Indian restaurant that I went to on the first day with Vamsi and Suman, Vamsi and Suman were not the only Indian patrons at the place. This place today had lots of Indian patrons and I think I was the only non-Indian patron. Vamsi ordered us what he called breakfast for snack time. It seemed like a cross between a pancake and a crepe filled with curry potato. There were a couple of dipping sauces for it as well. I would eat them again.

No more mugging attempts today, so it was a good day.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as asking them to go to lunch or snack with you.