This Better Be Good

Got up early das morgen so that my mentor and I could call

simrob

 in the US of A. 8am for us was like 10:30pm for him, so it kind of wasn't convenient for anyone. Then afterward, he and I got some breakfast and had a long talk about "the new India" and all the money that is coming in from abroad, primarily in the technology sector. I am becoming more and more convinced that it (by which I mean outsourcing) is a good thing for both the US and India, but I'd be willing to hear doubts.

I forgot to mention the best part about the zoo that I went to last weekend. At one point this group of people came up and asked if we could "take a picture," which I assumed meant that one of us would take a picture of their group. Little did I realize, they wanted the picture to include us (me and my friend from Slovakia) I guess as sort of proof to their friends back home that they really did see two genuine westerners. Good times.

Going to Hampi this weekend via overnight train. I don't know too much about it, but it's supposed to be rad and I am going with a bunch of people from work. I should read up on it before I take off...

Le Tigre

Le Tigre
Originally uploaded by DixiePistols.

Today I went to a Zoo/Safari place about 12 miles south of Bangalore. It was amazingly crowded, and I had my first true Indian line experience. We waited in line for tickets for about 20 minutes, and it was literally nut-to-butt (as Nick would say) the entire time. The guy behind me in line was resting part of his body weight on my shoulder, it was that tightly packed. Anyway, the zoo was neat although not too different from any one you might see in the US. The safari was also cool, even if it did have the feel of something you might do at Disney's animal kingdom. The tigers were all very blase, and you got the feeling they had seen 10,000 other tour buses like ours. Although ambivalent predators do make for some nice pictures. Saturday also saw me taking pictures, this time in my local neighborhood. The outcome was mostly crap though. Click the link to see some of the better ones.

The Wind Up Bird Chronicle

Early this past week I finished reading "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami, a book that Rand recommended. I've posted a review of sorts where I always post these things.

Dispatch from the Future

So I figure it's high time for another update of the old blog face. Join me, won't you?

So things are still going really well in India. I was pleasantly surprised to learn when I got here that we are now getting to the end of the hottest months in India. Apparently because it's a tropical climate, the hottest months are more like March-May. I'm not exactly sure how that works, but it's good news regardless. Also because Bangalore is at a relatively high elevation, it's even nicer here. So far the weather has been pretty nice, and in general it's been hotter in my apartment than it actually is outside. It does rain about once a day, but that's usually while I'm at work, so no biggie.

So here are a few more things I've noticed since being here:

• Auto Rickshaws - In India they have these auto rickshaw things that are like 3 wheel motorcycles with seats in the back. They have little two stroke engines so they are noisy as hell and pump out a ton of gnarly exhaust. However, they are also an extremely convenient and fun way to get around. From my apartment to work (I've been taking one for the past few days) is 12.5 rupees (like 25 cents) and it takes about five minutes. They're really small, so the drivers are always trying to weasel their way around other cars and motorcycles, and they have this giant lever on the inside that they have to yank up in order to start the engine. The best part is that because the whole thing is open, you really feel like you are out on the streets rather than sealed up in a car, and I think it gives you a better feeling of the city. That being said, I really wouldn't won't to be hit by a car in one of these things...
• Polution - So the polution is a little bad here, and I'm not the first person to notice this. There always seems to be something burning around, or at least that's what it smells like. Combined with the aforementioned rickshaw exhaust, and you have for a rather polluted city. It honestly doesn't bother me that much, but I guess I do kind of feel sorry for the people who live here, since I wouldn't want to have to breath it day in and day out for the rest of my life.
• Power - The power goes out so often that people don't even bat an eye, at work and at my apartment. At work all the computers and Internet equipment are on UPS, so it doesn't actually matter, but it my apartment it can get a little hot without the fans...
• Santosh - Santosh is the guy who works at my apartment (other people call him a 'house boy,' but I can't really bring myself to say that). He does a ton of stuff like cleaning the rooms, making the beds, bringing up our food, and filling our water. But an amazing thing happened when I came back a little late last night. I tried to get in and realized that the gate was locked. After banging around for a little while, I got worried because I realized I had no key to this gate. All of a sudden, I saw a head move on the porch, and Santosh hopped up to let me in. He had been sleeping on a bed on the porch of my apartment, and that's when I realized that he really did live there and was basically working all the time. Sounds like a pretty hardcore way to make a living.

There are a couple more things worth mentioning, but in order to keep this entry from getting out of hand, I'll cut it there. In summary, good times all around. Of course I like to point out the strange and interesting things, but honestly, it's been pretty normal here, and adjusting hasn't really taken all that much work. That probably has a lot to do with where I am and who I am working for, but it was still a surprise to me.

The Future

There was something I was thinking about today while I was taking a shower. I am nine and a half hours to twelve and a half hours ahead of most of my friends and the people who might be reading this blog. One way to think about this is that I am living in the future. In other words, when you get up early Friday morning, I have already finished with Friday. Don't even bother living through Friday yourselves because you can call me and I can tell you what happens.

Albert

Originally uploaded by fiatvera.

Just in case you didn't know, my friend Albert here in Pittsburgh is like a genius photographer. Even better, he does fashion photography, which is my favorite kind. You should check out all the pictures he has taken, as they are quite dope.

Even more impressive, he just does it in his spare time, as a hobby.

First Day at Work

Trust
Originally uploaded by DixiePistols.

Today was my first day at work! It went really well, and now I am totally excited about this summer! (Not that I wasn't before, but these past two days where I didn't really do anything were kind of getting to me...)

So anyway, we started this morning at about 10:30 when the company car came to pick us up. I would have liked to head over there a little bit earlier since I had been up since about 5:45. but interns get last priority on the cab service, so we kind of have to wait in the queue. I am going to start walking to work pretty soon (it's like 2km, but I want to be outside) but I still can't figure out exactly how to get there. Tomorrow, one of the full-timers is going to walk with me so I can figure out how to do it.

Like I said, though, I am really exited about work. Aditya, my project mentor guy, laid out the full details of the project. It is sounding really neat so far, and we are even shooting for the summer POPL deadline. (Ahem, Rob, we need you here ;-)

Anyway, the office itself is quite swank. In fact, the contrast between life inside the office and the hectic/dirty Bangalore streets is staggering. For one thing, there is glorious A/C. There is free coffee and sodas and candy and fruit and most of the things that jaded tech workers have come to expect from their employers. We also have a delicious Indian buffet every day out on the terrace. The food is even better than the normal meals that they bring to my house. Then at around 5pm, someone brought samosas and this fruit drink to the lounge area. Again, quite delish. I can already tell that I may be putting on some pounds this summer (or Dehli Belly, as a certain J refers to it).

The people, of course, are very nice and interesting as well. Most of the other employees and interns are from India, but there are a fair amount who go to school in the US. A couple of Danes and some misc. Europeans/Asians round out the ranks. I went home at a normal hour tonight because of my jet lag, but frankly, given the nice environment and my excitement about the project, I can see myself staying late on a regular basis.

Okay, enough about work. Today I got a cell phone, and I am posting the number here:
91-9986935753
I think from the US you have to dial a 00 first. I don't entirely expect anyone to call, but I thought I would put it out there just in case (oh, and texts work too!). It's actually probably much cheaper for me to call you, so let me know if you're into that sort of thing. Normally it would seem weird to post my phone number like this, but frankly any stalker willing to dial to India is dedicated enough that he/she should have my number.

Okay, enough for tonight. I post again when I have some real war stories/pictures.