I took a colleague to Mysore for the day, visited the Palace, and then the bird sanctuary. The boat ride was a trip... I didn't take many photos, but got a couple of the birds.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Kitchen Spider
I caught this spider in our kitchen. I just love the colors. It's too bad the camera didn't focus well at this range. Maybe I needed the flash, I don't know.
Home Alone
It's been a quiet couple of weeks. I've been at home alone. I spent most of last weekend cleaning up and organizing from the move. Got books unpacked, organized on bookshelves, clothes closet put in order etc. Not much exciting there. So I decided last sunday to go for a walk. It was late in the afternoon. I walked up 80 Ft. road across from Ramiah Hospital in RMV. I came across this house which had been cut in half.
The road was recently widened. We often drive by here on the way home, and I just liked seeing all of the colors open to the passers by. There are any number of smaller houses which have also been bisected further up the road on the opposite side. Sometimes I wonder if they had encroached on city property, or if they were 'condemned'. Did they get compensated for the loss of living space? Never know around here.
By the time I got close to home, it was already dark, and I tried out some night photography.
Didn't turn out too great, but still fun.
I'll have to try some more to see how I can get more of what I want.
Now I'm off to get my hair cut.
And then tomorrow I'm showing a colleague from Finland around Mysore. So, yet another palace visit, maybe go up the hills, and certainly try to see the bird park.
The road was recently widened. We often drive by here on the way home, and I just liked seeing all of the colors open to the passers by. There are any number of smaller houses which have also been bisected further up the road on the opposite side. Sometimes I wonder if they had encroached on city property, or if they were 'condemned'. Did they get compensated for the loss of living space? Never know around here.By the time I got close to home, it was already dark, and I tried out some night photography. Didn't turn out too great, but still fun. I'll have to try some more to see how I can get more of what I want.Now I'm off to get my hair cut.
And then tomorrow I'm showing a colleague from Finland around Mysore. So, yet another palace visit, maybe go up the hills, and certainly try to see the bird park.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Late nights, and leisurely mornings
I guess the weekend has been one for late nights out. Friday we went to Sundowners. They turned off all the lights in the bar at 11:30, but we left at about 12:15, certainly after the drinking curfew. Anyways, it was a very slow and lazy morning, but we got invited by Prakash and Ritu to go out for "retro music" which turned out to be music from the 50s and 60s at the Bangalore Golf Club. Very nice atmosphere and a very pleasant event. As things would have it, we left there just before midnight. On the way home we saw a beautiful moon. So both Cindy and I had the idea to go on the roof and try to get some interesting photos. Here are a couple I took.
And a couple of Cindy taking photos.
Also Cindy and I took a walk on Sunday morning and I got a couple more, just for fun. There were a number of couples obviously enjoying the relative privacy and quiet of the park.
And the good news is that we think we have a house lined up to shift into at the end of the month... Not far from where we live now. Hurrah!!
And a couple of Cindy taking photos.
Also Cindy and I took a walk on Sunday morning and I got a couple more, just for fun. There were a number of couples obviously enjoying the relative privacy and quiet of the park.
And the good news is that we think we have a house lined up to shift into at the end of the month... Not far from where we live now. Hurrah!!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Mangoes
The mangoes have arrived in Bangalore. I saw the first vendor yesterday, and another today. This guy had at least 4 varieties to sell. They're not all completely ripe, but they've arrived.
It seems early this year, which I attribute to the early warm weather. I've also read that the crop is seriously smaller this year.
We've also been having some serious weather in the last week or so. It was truly coming down in buckets. It thought I might get a nice picture of everyone hiding from the downpour, but since it was getting late in the day, the flash went off and all I got was the reflection.
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As you can see, there's a lot of it coming down. We had hail that day so much I had to terminate a phone call because neither of us could understand the other(I was in the car and it was LOUD).
I also spotted this in a goods carrier (delivery truck) on the way to work. I liked all his 'danglies'.
It seems early this year, which I attribute to the early warm weather. I've also read that the crop is seriously smaller this year.We've also been having some serious weather in the last week or so. It was truly coming down in buckets. It thought I might get a nice picture of everyone hiding from the downpour, but since it was getting late in the day, the flash went off and all I got was the reflection.
As you can see, there's a lot of it coming down. We had hail that day so much I had to terminate a phone call because neither of us could understand the other(I was in the car and it was LOUD).
I also spotted this in a goods carrier (delivery truck) on the way to work. I liked all his 'danglies'.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Home Sweet Home
We spent almost 2 weeks in California. It was hard to be home, knowing we would leave again soon. The house was available for us to use, but not furnished much-- Cindy had gotten a few items out of storage, but not much.
Best part was the garden being in bloom. The roses were just starting.
And the apple tree was really going strong.
The children had fun playing in the yard. The other fruit trees were already past blooming.
Fortunately the day of Smitty's funeral (the reason for our quick visit back) was beautiful and sunny. We were able to have everyone over for a get together in the yard after the event. It was good to see everyone, even if briefly, and now it's good to be back in Bangalore again.
Best part was the garden being in bloom. The roses were just starting.
And the apple tree was really going strong.
The children had fun playing in the yard. The other fruit trees were already past blooming.
Fortunately the day of Smitty's funeral (the reason for our quick visit back) was beautiful and sunny. We were able to have everyone over for a get together in the yard after the event. It was good to see everyone, even if briefly, and now it's good to be back in Bangalore again.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Odds and Ends
So it's been a while since I've posted. I've traveled to a couple of locations, but for business, and didn't get to take many pictures.
First off I went to Finland. It was strange in a couple of ways. One, I went from a very warm Bangalore (35C) to a very cold and snowy Helsinki (-10C). So I really had to use the winter clothes, and the change was dramatic. But more than that, every other time I've been to Finland, the snow has only been a few centimeters and they really clean up the downtown area quickly, so after a couple of days, the sidewalks and streets are clean. Now there was about a half a meter of snow on the ground everywhere except the streets which still had several centimeters of snow, and it snowed every day--adding to the winter wonderland effect. It was the most snow they've had in Helsinki in several decades. In a way it was very pretty and clean. The snow didn't have a chance to get dirty as there was always new falling. All in all, I liked it a lot, but the residents were complaining how much it impacted their lives. I guess it is nice to visit the snow, but not to have to shovel it daily to get your car out etc.
More recently I traveled to China again after about a year. It was really interesting being there as I didn't feel as much of an outsider. I think I did see more foreigners in Hangzhou than before, but maybe I'm also just used to being stared at, now that I've lived in India for more than 2 years. Somehow I just didn't notice so many people looking at me. I did find I created some confusion from time to time as I would occasionally do the 'Indian head bobble', which I've become used to doing in India as a way of getting acceptance and letting people know I'm 'a local'. This of course got a very confused look back from the Chinese who don't recognize it at all. It's amazing how quickly one can pick up local culture somewhere and have it become habit.
So back to Bangalore. Haven't done much exploring around, but have been suffering the local traffic on our main road. Now they were doing a major retrofit of the road when we moved here and they finished by paving it and redoing all the sidewalks. The repaving was completed about a year ago. Then 6 months ago, they dug up the road from one end to the other to put in a new sewer pipe. Not only did they mess up the new pavement, but they left piles of dirt next to the ditch for weeks. That was finished about 4 months ago, then just in the last couple of months they started digging again (about 2 meters from the sewer ditch) for a new water line.
Here we go again. The dirt is piled up on top of where the sewer pipe was put. This reminds me of the way government departments in the US don't coordinate roadwork. I guess this is the same the world over, bureaucracy cannot coordinate to do things efficiently.
I did get to go to Donna's for a dinner party yesterday evening. It was really nice to be able to just relax and talk with other people without having to be on my toes as I do at work. Had a lot of fun and took a few snaps for Donna (center here).
Nice trade-good food and conversation for a few pictures...
Otherwise, it's been hot here and no sign of cooling off in the near future. Maybe the mangos will come early this year--I've already seen 'raw mangoes' (unripened) in the stores today.
And yet one more discovery. Today we ate at Cafe Noir at UB City. Food was delicious. But that wasn't the discovery... The pastry chef told us where we can get chocolate chips near Commercial St. Yeah! I know someone who will be very happy now.
First off I went to Finland. It was strange in a couple of ways. One, I went from a very warm Bangalore (35C) to a very cold and snowy Helsinki (-10C). So I really had to use the winter clothes, and the change was dramatic. But more than that, every other time I've been to Finland, the snow has only been a few centimeters and they really clean up the downtown area quickly, so after a couple of days, the sidewalks and streets are clean. Now there was about a half a meter of snow on the ground everywhere except the streets which still had several centimeters of snow, and it snowed every day--adding to the winter wonderland effect. It was the most snow they've had in Helsinki in several decades. In a way it was very pretty and clean. The snow didn't have a chance to get dirty as there was always new falling. All in all, I liked it a lot, but the residents were complaining how much it impacted their lives. I guess it is nice to visit the snow, but not to have to shovel it daily to get your car out etc.More recently I traveled to China again after about a year. It was really interesting being there as I didn't feel as much of an outsider. I think I did see more foreigners in Hangzhou than before, but maybe I'm also just used to being stared at, now that I've lived in India for more than 2 years. Somehow I just didn't notice so many people looking at me. I did find I created some confusion from time to time as I would occasionally do the 'Indian head bobble', which I've become used to doing in India as a way of getting acceptance and letting people know I'm 'a local'. This of course got a very confused look back from the Chinese who don't recognize it at all. It's amazing how quickly one can pick up local culture somewhere and have it become habit.
So back to Bangalore. Haven't done much exploring around, but have been suffering the local traffic on our main road. Now they were doing a major retrofit of the road when we moved here and they finished by paving it and redoing all the sidewalks. The repaving was completed about a year ago. Then 6 months ago, they dug up the road from one end to the other to put in a new sewer pipe. Not only did they mess up the new pavement, but they left piles of dirt next to the ditch for weeks. That was finished about 4 months ago, then just in the last couple of months they started digging again (about 2 meters from the sewer ditch) for a new water line.
Here we go again. The dirt is piled up on top of where the sewer pipe was put. This reminds me of the way government departments in the US don't coordinate roadwork. I guess this is the same the world over, bureaucracy cannot coordinate to do things efficiently.I did get to go to Donna's for a dinner party yesterday evening. It was really nice to be able to just relax and talk with other people without having to be on my toes as I do at work. Had a lot of fun and took a few snaps for Donna (center here).
Nice trade-good food and conversation for a few pictures...Otherwise, it's been hot here and no sign of cooling off in the near future. Maybe the mangos will come early this year--I've already seen 'raw mangoes' (unripened) in the stores today.
And yet one more discovery. Today we ate at Cafe Noir at UB City. Food was delicious. But that wasn't the discovery... The pastry chef told us where we can get chocolate chips near Commercial St. Yeah! I know someone who will be very happy now.
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