Luke's Law of Team Strength!!

11 is never equivalent to 11 in sports. Its either 12 or 10 depending on the 11th jackass you pick!!!

Yuck???

Octopus soup anyone?

I have been travelling on work for a few years now, usually on short term assignments with fellow colleagues from India!  And as is typical for Indian work colleagues we don’t really bond well (or pretend at least) unless we have had our share of ‘arguments’.  I have had numerous ones on topics ranging from presidential campaigns to sports teams, from the state of the economy to the more serious issues of our times like who’s hotter between Scarlet Johansson and Megan Fox? Scarlett of course! But no other topic of argument has come up as often as the great debate on Vegetarian vs. Non Vegetarian food.

Now this is a topic of discussion that has been fought out passionately across the length and breadth of our county (and others considering we pretty much inhabit every part of the world now!) and for good reason.  No other country that I know of has such a high percentage of vegetarians. A fairly reliable (or contentious?) free online encyclopedia (got it yet?) tells me that as much as 31% of Indians are vegetarians!!  No they don’t eat ANY meat, poultry, fish, seafood or in most cases even eggs. Onions and garlic is also taboo among the Jains who number as much as 4.2 million followers.   It’s only natural that when you travel abroad (for the record I have absolutely no problems) where a spicy vegan meal is “challenging” to find, to say the least, you end up hearing all kinds of arguments for vegetarianism. (Partly out of frustration I suspect J). Arguments range from vegetarianism being the healthier choice to cruelty to animals.  But the one argument that is hard to “bite” is “My Choice”. 

Is it really your free choice or is it based on conditioning? Just like mine may I add before you jump to the conclusion that I have an agenda!  The “free choice” argument doesn’t really fly.  The reason I don’t eat lizards today is because I have grown up in a culture which finds eating lizards “gross” and distasteful!!  If I were born and brought up in some part of China I might quite relish the thought of “sundried spicy lizard ” or whatever its equivalent is!!  Same rule applies to vast majority of Indian vegetarians. The only reason they don’t eat meat or fish is because it’s not acceptable in their socio-religious environment. They find chicken, lamb, beef or even the delightfully tasty pomfrets just as “gross” as I find eating lizards. In the perfect world we would have a fully understanding (in this scenario that would be ‘taste’ I guess) of all our choices and our choices would not be as influenced as it is today by where and which families we are born into! But obviously it doesn’t work that way.  Unless you are the guy from Man vs. Food, our choices for the most parts have been made before we were born and we just find rationalizations to justify those choices. With a deeper understanding of factors that drive my choices (or the lack of it) I am ready to experiment. Frog Legs? Sure. Lizards? Ehh…not sure if it’s healthy J

Crushed cans and hope!

Big sporting events are when bloggers come alive.  I must say I had plans to blog about my ‘perspective’ on Vuvuzelas, Larissa and some football this past World Cup but as I mentioned in my previous post, work took an unlikely precedent over following sports!!! And YES I plan to start my next few posts complaining  about the lack of work life balance only coz this blog is still anonymous and its highly unlikely that my boss will stumble upon this!! J  Anyway, the good part about work right now is travel. And the opportunity to experience something special if you keep you eyes and ears open.  Here I was in the middle of 100000 colorful Dutch fans in Amsterdam watching the World Cup finals. The overwhelming smell of weed. The pile of crushed beer cans. And hope.  

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Under the carpet

Mudras at New Delhi airport

So I did (could) not execute 1/12^th of my New Year resolution on time. “A post a month” resolution. I am tempted to seek solace in my genuine (and almost original) excuse of insane timelines at work but I am one for looking forward. So here it is. A new post!

Delhi’s new airport terminal (T3) has been described as “swanky” and “glitzy” and no doubt is a hugh improvement over the previous versions. Various reports I have “googled” tell me of the numerous immigration points, check-in counters, aerobridges, travelators, lounges, shower rooms, restaurants, bars, cafes and everything else that you should expect from a world class airport.  First impressions matter. And going by the number of Japanese tourists (I take the liberty of assumption) with cameras in front of the magnificent and tastefully done traditional Indian hand gesture (Mudras) sculptures, so far so good.

But peculiarly first impressions were not what I was thinking about as I walked the long walk from the arrival gate to the immigration check point. (Pretty sure every flight right now is being asked to taxi in at the last possible gate so that the arriving passengers get a full “taste” of our national pride.)  T3 possibly is the most carpeted airport terminal in the world. And not just any carpet. Thick carpet that will suffice for a mattress when your flight’s delayed or give you  enough practice on how to walk on a water bed when you are standing up!!!  As my initial bewilderment of looking at this vast expanse of carpeted area wore off, I wondered how on earth are we gonna keep this bloody thing clean. Pardon my skepticism but will we in three years have the world’s largest dirty carpet???  Very very likely.  I saw the odd janitor at work but something tells me I’ll find it hard to find a dustbin when I need it, a couple of years from now.  We don’t have to build the biggest or the swankiest airport in the world to create a positive first impression. We just need to build a practical airport with standard amenities that we can keep clean with minimum of supervision. Looking forward apparently is not a very common trait!!

Arsenal and their beautiful football!!

I reached 15 minutes before the game but it was probably 15 minutes too late.  Not just were the bar stools (my favorite vantage point) gone but every single table was occupied.  The bartender thankfully remembered me from the previous week and offered to find me a place.

“Anywhere” I said in desperation as I watched the two teams walk out.

The two gentlemen were kind enough to let me join them at their table and I tried to be as non interfering as possible by turning my back on them and squeezing myself out of their view.  Tonight was going to be about football and my eyes were glued to the screen.  The ears though were a different story.

“Inter” said the Italian behind me.

“I don’t think so” said the Englishman next to him. “Bayern are playing the more attacking football.  They are definitely going to score.  Inter just holds back and it’s not going to work”

“This Inter team does not play the classical Italian game” retorted the Italian. “They attack too. Counter attack!  They beat Barcelona 3 – 1 in the first leg. They beat Chelsea 3 – 1 in aggregate”

“Fair point Mr. Italy” I thought but I ain’t interfering. Tonight was going to be about football.

I heard faint grumbling every time there was a hard “challenge” during the course of the first half and then after watching a delightful run down the wings by Robben the Englishman could not hold himself back around the 54^th minute.

“Who is playing the better football?  Who is playing the beautiful football??”

The reply was curt. “1-0 Inter?? What are you talking about?”

I held my chuckle at the Italian’s reply but I ain’t interfering.  No I ain’t. Tonight was going to be about football.

“No but that’s not beautiful football…”. More grumbling.

At the end of the game (and two large pints) I couldn’t help but …interfere. I turned around, mumbled something about it being a good game and as soon as I drew a smile from the Englishman I innocuously asked “Are you by any chance from London and an Arsenal supporter??”

A pause and a reluctant grin later “Yes!! That is very perceptive.  How did you know??”

State of Miles

2 hrs 34 mins, GRU, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 0 Air Miles

That was nice. The lunch with friends but maybe I shouldn’t have pushed the time again. What if I didn’t get lucky with the traffic? The lady taxi driver did just fine though. “Voce e premiero mulher taxista” I told her in my broken Portugesh. Pleased her plenty I tell you!  Here I am staring blankly at another airport crowd.  Already missing Brazil. 45 more minutes to go before boarding. How am I going to deal with this multi continental journey?  The only book on me is Midnight’s Children and honestly I am not sure if I want to even start it. If the preface is any indicator, Rushdie is going to be about big words that make you wish there was a dictionary app in your head. Sleep. Need it. And Gatorade.

18 hrs 24 mins, JFK, New York, USA, 4760 Air Miles

Don’t remember how much I slept on the flight. Forgot to keep the watch in my pocket but I am sure it was decent.  Thank god I could just drop off my bag after customs and didn’t have to carry it around terminals till check in again.  Still good 8 hours to go.  The lounge is quite and nice. No bed though. The couch will do.  Rushdie is doing OK (I’ll say it for you..."Look at this little p@#$%...what credentials to judge Rushdie!!”). Lots of detail but I get the picture and that’s all that should count to the storyteller.

22hrs 15 mins, , JFK, New York, USA,

Oh that nap on the couch (leg up) felt good. May have come across as a ragged backpacker (or obnoxious Indian! or both!) to the few business travelers (trim and proper) who walked past but what the hell. Needed it.  Woke up dreaming about the Asian woman’s arrest I saw earlier today. Should check if Stoke did us a favour against Chelsea. That will be real cool.

25 hrs 58 mins, JFK, New York, USA

The best thing I have done this trip so far. Check into this lounge instead of going into the city and catch up with friends. I am not just talking about the cost saving but also the effort. Still have 24 more hours to go before I see a bed. The shower was fully equipped. Feel clean except my socks. Worst thing I have done on this trip so far. Forgot to pack one more clean pair of socks in my carry on luggage.  Not done. It ain’t stinking yet but I am conscious.

29 hrs 16 mins, JFK, New York, USA

What a great physical game of basketball!! Unbelievable 3^rd quarter against the Mavs by my fav team (only coz I saw them live once) San Antonio Spurs. Hope they can close out in style coz it might get really really close. Haven’t followed the playoffs this year.  Don’t even know which game this is. Got to hit nba.com once I get back home.

Found socks. Bought it. Hell now I can take my feet out during the flight without worrying too much!! Not that I smell …but 29 hours in the same pair can do it to anyone!! Better safe than sorry. 

I gave Rushdie a break. I think Midnight’s Children has to be another one of my projects like Fountainhead. Picked up Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Couldn’t resist it when I saw it in Hudson News. I ‘discovered’ him following a link from gaurdain.co.uk. It was an article about how a weaker girls basketball team did well in some championship and the philosophy of ‘press’. David vs. Goliath kind of thing. Brilliant it was. Have in the past few months read a lot of his articles and find them extremely interesting. Love the simplicity of his writing and the ‘logicality’ of his thought process. Had to buy this. It’s holding good.

Hungry?  A little. Probably just wait for dinner once I board.  Might catch a movie as well.

31hrs 14 mins, JFK tarmac, York, USA

The rain is really coming down as the flight rolls out onto the runway. Managed a side aisle with no one next to me. English newspaper with all the football action from the weekend. Not bad huh?

31hrs 32 mins, JFK tarmac, York, USA

Perfect!! The flight’s f@#$%^g delayed due to bad weather. Do we really need to add any more minutes to this crazy trip??

41 hrs 19 mins, Mid Air (must be somewhere over Europe or closer to Middle East actually)

Don’t know when but at some point during the night my legs hurt. I think I just stood up, stretched my legs and then napped again with both my legs up. Helps that the flight is empty.

Watched Crazy Heart. Uncanny similarity to The Wrestler. One a wrestler…the other a country singer…but everything else is déjà vu! Btw the flight was delayed by ‘only’ 45 minutes. Not bad considering it was really pouring ‘cats and dogs’ in New York. As long as I and my bags can make it to the connecting flight I won’t complaint.

45 hrs 26 mins, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 11610 Air miles

Maybe an hour to go before boarding my last flight to Delhi.  If there was anymore delay at JFK probably would have missed this connection or at least my bags would not have made it. I still don’t know if it will make it. It should. Can’t afford that to happen. This time I did not see the magnificent blue dome of this airport that I saw last time. Really cool. Wish I could just step out for a bit. Never really seen Middle East. Oh if only I could step out and explore the country in between connecting flights I would have ended up seeing twice as many countries. Lost count of the number of European airports I have been to. Never stepped out.

Desktops with metal keyboards and free internet access. The keyboard feels weird but heck it works. 2 in 3 people were on Facebook.  It’s amazing how many people around the world are on Facebook. And half of them are addicted.  I updated my status too. “44 hrs on the road…and one more flight to catch to Nova Delhi…beat that CLOONEY”. Obvious reference to Up in the Air. Only difference is right now I don’t see the sultry seductress in sight!! Most are covered head to toe. One thing that was obvious, last time I was here, was the dependence of these Middle Eastern cities/ airports on immigrants.  Pretty much everybody working here (except security) is either from the Sub continent (Indian, Pakistani) or South East Asian (Pilipino, Malay). Looking forward to Delhi and some unhealthy but spicy food!! Hopefully my roomie shows up at the airport. He doesn’t have the best track record to be honest. Need to buy daru for him at duty free.

51 hrs 22 mins, New Delhi, India, 13030 Air miles

Bed.

Brazil's "Route to the Indies"

It’s really amazing how well connected the world has become.  And I don’t necessarily mean economically or even geographically. In fact I can get carried away by my current job profile and say geographic distances don’t really matter (only coz my company pays for my ticket J) but surely its has become a lot more affordable to a lot more people to say the least.  But what is really amazing is how well the world is integrating culturally.  I for example just finished watching a Japanese and an Iranian movie thanks to torrents. Had Vietnamese ‘Pho’ soup for lunch and am craving some Brazilian “café” to set right this lazy afternoon in Brussels. And in every big city in every corner of the world people are discovering a culture other than their own in restaurants, television, movies and of course the Internet.  In fact I’ll stick my neck out and say that there is not so much of a cultural difference around the big cities of the world especially if you come from middle class families (and above…lucky B@#$%^&s! J).  You grow up watching the same silly stuff on T.V, playing the same video games, listening to pretty much the same tried and tested bands from America or UK and spend half a day checking out other people’s profiles on Facebook.  A young kid growing up in a nice apartment building in Mumbai for example probably has more in common with someone from Johannesburg or Auckland than let’s say some kid from Hanamkonda in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh, India (I just looked up the place in Google Maps…so don’t worry if you have never heard if it). You could look at that last bit as a negative but for now I would much rather ponder over the beauty of the ‘commonalities’. Now that the theorizing is done…here’s a story.

Here I was on Copacabana beach talking to my new friends and they want to know about the untouchables from India. 

“Untouchables?” 

“Yeah Dalits?”

As baffled as I was about their knowledge of the caste system, I went on to explain (somewhat untruthfully…if I am completely honest) that caste divisions are more prominent in villages and that most urban Indians don’t care about stuff like that.

“But where the hell did you learn about it??  Textbooks??” I asked worried that Brazilian kids are probably learning a negative aspect of my country right in school!

“No! Caminhos das Indias…it’s a soap opera on T.V.  Its in Portuguese with all Brazilian actors but shot in India.  They don’t let the lead characters marry each other because one’s a Dalit and the other's upper caste!”

“Wow” I am thinking. “What an original Indian story!” J