South-east Asian hospitality

If you are an air traveller then you need to fly through Singapore or Hong Kong. The service is par excellance; the environment wonderful and its always good to look at a smiling face treating you like you are travelling business class! I was floored by the way even the immigration officials put on a smiling face answering stupid tourist questions.

Not only is Singapore's airport the best I have been to, Singapore airlines beats everything else when it comes to service.

Just as a side note European airlines are the most snobbish of the lot.

From my limited interaction with Singaporeans I gathered that their smiling face was not a mask but sense of beaming pride about their country that they want the whole world to notice.

Things to do: Take the free city tour if you have more than 5 hours of layover. Also try the Kongee at the noodle shop.

In the Pic : My bud Ganesh who waited 4 hours to see me for 5 minutes; Inside Singapore Airport

And it's funny ... You enjoy your life

... When you're happy to be alive - "High of 75" by Relient K

This song is so true!

I was talking to a friend of mine who recently made a miraculous recovery from throat cancer and could sense the optimistic change in him. Small pin-pricks did not matter any more and neither the lack of frills in life, he was just happy to be alive! I have been there, and I am still here inspite of the doctors giving me a few years to live (11 years back). So sometimes when I sit and crib about why the world won't give me a million dollars, I remind myself on why I should stop wining and enjoy my life; 'cause Jesus has given me a new life ... literally.

Six days to India

It's that time of the year again, when I go back home to inject a concentrated dose of Indianess in me. An almost yearly ritual, only this time around I had only two week to prepare for it. The main casualty of this short notice has be the usual goodies that have to be carried to India, specially "American" chocolates (Not that I am complaining). I have no idea where or when this ritual started but, from time immemorial, people who 'return' from the US usually carry enough chocolates with them to start a candy shop! The irony of this ritual is that, these same chocolates can be bought in India for a fraction of the cost.

For those in India: yes this is an excuse for not bringing any chocolates this time around ... need a better excuse? I'll give you one next time!

Introducing Mr. Hansel

More Pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/ajohnjoseph/MyBabyPhotos

I am an Uncle as of 2:40P.M CST!!!!

The cost of love

In a stark reminder of the huge pseudo-cultural war between "supposedly-Indian" culture and "new-age western" culture, a couple were shot on the way their marriage because the girl's brothers did not approve off it. I cannot but find it ironic that the society frowns upon 'love marriage' while at the same time churning out 10 movies a day themed around "love".

Any Indian movie would not be complete without a major love story in it, but if it were to happen in real life there is hell to pay. Are we still that hypocritical in the day and age? We most definitely are!!

Touch wood

All these days I was telling everybody within earshot about the boring and stress free nature of my work, so when an issue hit me today it made me work on it for 14 straight hours. A valuable lesson learned, never dis any good thing in life, it might just come back to bite you and to show you it's true worth. Today was also an eyeopener to a new employee in my department who was expecting to learn DB2 UDB inside out within a month, but was overwhelmed by today's issue (her second day at work), which was a good dose of reality.