Sunday, February 25, 2007

Life's Like That.

Imagine you're on an all-expenses-paid cruise!
And you fall overboard trying to touch a rainbow...

You wave and shout, and a pretty lady notices you!
But then she turns and walks away...

She returns with the Captain of the ship!
Then they both turn and walk away...

You notice the ship is turning back towards you!
Then you realise it is dangerously close...

The searchlights are turned on and shining at you!
But you are blinded by the brightness and get real nervous...

...you are getting rescued, right? Think again.

Life throws you a life line, only to have that line coil around your arms and legs, immobilising you in the water.

You try to struggle but can't move;
the rescuers don't realise they are hindering you.
You try to keep your head above water;
the life line holds you down.
You drown...

Life's Like That.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

From India, With Love

Greetings from Vishakhapatnam, to be exact.

I arrived on Monday for a 4-day business trip and through the four days i took in the sights (and vastly different) life in this Eastern Coastal City of India.

My stay in brief:
Day 1 - Official "Hello" to a senior partner in the morning, official dinner at night (host = us).
Day 2 - Visit to the partner firm in the day, official dinner at night (host = them).
Day 3 - 7km run up Dolphin's Nose hill to take in a beautiful sea view, then business lunch, then business dinner.
Day 4 - Personal errands (buying stuff), driving up to Dolphin's Nose Hill (again) but this time to visit the Dolphin's Nose Lighthouse (built in 1957), then driving to another famous hill across town, then an official dinner at night (host = Regional boss).
...through all these, while transiting between locations, the livelihood of the locals was evident from the car i was in...

As i am unfamiliar with the less fortunate citizens of our world, this visit was an eye-opening experience for me; the under-priviledged were sleeping along the roads, the poor (even children under the age of 10) approaching your car to ask for alms, the urgent relieving by the roadside, the motorcycles haphazardly plying the hazardous streets, the 3-wheeled taxis weaved between buses and trucks, the cars giving no-hoots about any other road users (vehicle, pedestrian, dog, or otherwise), and the pedestrians jay-walking freely, oblivious to the metal-on-wheels...

City of VizagAt a Roundabout in Vizag
Contemplative DankSubmarine Museum at Vizag's RK Beach
Lighthouse Sign...the Stroll

Hope all is well wherever you are reading this!
...since 14 April 2005