More commuting pics

The commute lacked for very little in terms of sensory stimulation...here's some of the more attractive color in women's clothing material...It was always fun to see the school kids in uniform for school...
Some popular shopping options - shoes or steel cookware, or plastic crap.
Hungry anyone?
A very popular corner temple...
A beautiful white-haired woman...
It was truly amazing what could (and was) frequently carried on a bike...
Once in a while the fruits or veggies on the carts did look ok, if you ignored the dust, pollution and insects among other food safety concerns.
There were some real reasons to think about being a vegetarian, religious considerations aside. Mutton and pork were readily available though... Chicken anyone?Fresh fish? .... NOT!
Another construction scene...
Never a shortage of life - people, animals, insects...
Another splash of color with women visiting a temple.
I liked that this picture turned out a little blurry. I felt terrible taking it, but the poverty along side of the road was such a part of the fabric of life in India. These blue tarp villages ranged from long-standing to highly mobile, with workers digging a trench and then moving on once it was completed. The proximity to the road offered a daily glimpse into a life that really brought some perspective to the daily "nuisances" of being an expat.
On a much lighter note, there was the "Dinning" hall.
Another templeI found this one in particular to be a little violent, with the gods with knives on each corner...
And this is just hysterical as marketing goes...

Final scenes of commuting

I never really got a good video of the commute in, and I concede, it's just not possible to capture the experience in a few shots. But anyhow, here are a few in the "ordinary" commute randomly snapped to try to capture a flavor of the both mundane and strange.
For example, about 4 times a week I'd think "I should take a picture of this sign - how can you spell "AIR POART" incorrectly?" But I never did get a clear picture of it, and one day they papered over it with an ad for mobile phones - apparently the sign wasn't helping people get places and was more valuable ad space??Totally over-said that traffic was crazy and beyond description...Typical street corner - crumbling concrete, vegetable cart, cyber cafe...
Ads everywhere, but always with a heavy smattering of some political figure, actor or other guy of some importance or another worthy of a sign.
Anyone not liking their job?? Try to imagine being a traffic cop in Bangalore. Aside from the general futility, heat, health risk and noise...
Shopping mall with tailors, clinic, electronics and wine shop...
Our favorite buffalo - just couldn't get enough pictures of them. :)
Anyone need a toilet? One for every preference, even squatty.
Spelling mistakes are quite understandable and forgivable (my Hindi script is also terrible) but did add a bit of humor to a LOT of signs. Hopefully this repair shop is more attuned to repair details than spelling...
Thank goodness this very fancy bus clarified not only that it has A/C, but also that because of that would not be using hand signals... also good solid advice in most traffic scenarios to keep your distance, but especially helpful since this bus has a rear engine.
More pics to come...

Construction scenes

I was entirely unsuccessful in finding anything resembling facts or even compelling assertions on the pace of construction in Bangalore. I was also unable to find any *objective* editorials on the methods. I'll grant I didn't search too hard, but anyhow. So back to my biased observations... the construction pace is utterly dizzying - everywhere, all the time. And the method is perplexingly manual to the point of being comical. And safety seems non-existent.
The average age of construction worker seems to be about 15. Every morning there are literal parades of them heading toward countless construction sites everywhere. I am not sure why many appear to be carrying beams or lumbar with them - don't the companies provide construction materials? Many times the women carry the materials on their heads - wish I had gotten a clear picture of that. I totally envy the balance and poise that must take.During my stay in Bangalore, these apartments came to be - enormous block after block of apartment buildings. Also amazing was watching them get painted, by hand. Man does that have to be an ungratifying job not set up for success. And then to do two coats... This is the common site - pylons of metal climbing into the sky. The multiple levels were put up with sequential layers of sticks as far as I can tell. Actually, it made me a little afraid to get into or near a multi-story building. I have no idea how concrete is normally poured, but I don't think I've ever seen so many sticks involved in getting to structural integrity.One of my favorite daily check-ins was with the other half of a bridge on the way to work. The first half was finished a couple months after we arrived, and the second half was about a year in coming. The construction crew was a case study in not judging a book by its cover (although I'm not quite big enough to not be a little skeptical). From what I can observe, building a bridge involves putting layer after layer of metal rods in concrete, covering it with dirt and then painting it.

Things I missed getting pictures of include pulling up to work to find a guy using a jackhammer, wearing flip-flops and no eye-wear or hearing protection. The above doesn't nearly capture how manual it all is, and how despite the fact that construction seems to take forever on every individual project, groups of projects seems started and complete all over they city, all the time. The construction site almost always come with super cute little kids around, and generally with a temporary tent village housing the mobile communities doing the construction. At times it was difficult to tell if a project was construction or destruction, and if something was newly constructed or twenty years old.
It was a fascinating thing to me and impossible to capture in a few photos.

Happy Ugadi

As I understand it, Ugadi is something like New Year, but with explicit pressure that the tone of this day sets the tone for your year... Ours went something like this:
Lokesh was totally determined that we would visit his family, along with the Murphy's and insisted we come by..."just for one hour". After much discussion between various two's of us (Tracy and I, Wade and I, Wade and Tom, etc.) we had all agreed we would NOT do this... a long holiday weekend would best be used in leisure pursuits behind the gates of Palm Meadows (the tone of our year need not be too altruistic, and a leisurely, hedonistic year sounded ok). But, Lokesh persevered, finally asking enough of us alone and in defenseless combinations that we could no longer resist (compelling excuses are hard with your only source of transportation).
We did breakfast and waited for Lokesh...and waited...and called ("just 30 minutes ma'am"). Our year might not be totally as per timeline.
We were picked up and made our way to Lokesh's nearby village where we were greeted like royalty with everyone eager to see us. In Lokesh's house were more pictures of Wade, Caden and I then anyone else which is something I found distinctly uncomfortable. We were served soda and then ushered to the temple for puja. Our year might be an experience.Wade and Harini (Lokesh's daughter) at the temple.
After the temple, we were all ushered to another friend of Lokesh's, where food and more onlookers awaited. With our late departure, and with our promised "hour" almost up, I had an appointment at the spa for a head oil and pedicure (the year needs to be a little relaxing, right?). Lokesh and I headed back to Palm Meadows, where he was going to pick up Murphy's to continue the fun.
Wade, Caden and the Murphy's settled in for a full meal amidst the banana plantations in what I understand was a somewhat surreal experience.
Perhaps the lesson for the year, is that the world outside the gates of Palm Meadows can be an interesting and different experience, enriching to you and those around you.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed my time at the spa and wandered back to the house in the warm summer sun to get ready for taco night with great friends and neighbors in the comfort of home.
In any event, it should be a good year.

Happy Easter!

We've already covered that March wasn't my high point of blogging - but it was eventful! Easter morning started the way many mornings do... making an extra large pot of coffee and pouring with a big thermos. Except that this morning, the coffee smell made me gag. I hadn't been feeling well at all for days (which is not at all unusual in India), but NEVER have I not been able to drink coffee...except...that one time... when...I was...uh... pregnant with Caden...
A morning test confirmed the very unexpected news...Caden was going to be a big brother, and my plans for Easter (aka champagne) brunch were about to change dramatically. Come to think of it, my entire (admittedly not totally healthy) lifestyle was about to change instantly and dramatically. No more drinking. No more smoking. Where in the world was I going to get healthy food?? My normally non-linear mind jumped singularly from behavior change to behavior change. But wait, this was good news, right?!?
Luckily the rest of the day brought busy distraction...Amber, Abhi and Roshan hosted a fantastic Easter egg hunt and muffin breakfast for all of us. I am continuously awed by Amber's seemingly effortless domestic skills... a totally fun time for all, complete with candy and plastic eggs with prizes. Super well done - thanks!!
The kids eagerly awaited the official start...
Then raced into the yard to find the much anticipated rewards...
Everyone ended with full baskets and big smiles!!
But lest we stop there, brunch was right around the corner (ok a 45 minute drive around the corner at Taj West)...where we met up with another 20 or so folks to enjoy brunch. While I carried a half glass of champagne around the whole time (quite sadly), the food was fantastic as usual with lots of good choices and the kids had a blast playing and getting covered head to toe in glitter...
An eventful day, and the end of my blogging for a month as sleep took priority and partying took a backseat. But Happy Easter - I guess those eggs really are a pagan symbol of fertility! :)

Happy Holi! Happy St. Patrick's! Go TRACY!!

Holi, the festival of colors, was again a hit with the little guy - how can a kid not love a holiday where you are given a squirt gun, a bag of colors, and permission to shoot anything and anyone you want?
*unfortunately*, I had a pre-departure to-do list in mind that included a haircut and shopping, and wasn't able to partake... Chandra joined me instead for an afternoon of the spa, lunch at Sunny's and shopping Commercial Street...before the St. Patrick's Day round 2 at Murphy's. We had a great afternoon chatting and "focusing on the positive" with the occasional discussion item of the, er, not so life of leisure and luxury. My haircut was once again not exactly the small trim I'd requested (more like Posh Spice, but without the body or husband's body to go with it). But lunch was great, and we spent all our shopping time at the jewelry store - man will I miss that place! Full and happy were we!
Back at the ranch, the kids continued to enjoy Holi celebrations in full swing...
At the end of it, Caden's hair was red, Bob's head was green, but it was a good day!
The evening brought a celebration - Round 2 of the Murphy St. Patrick's Day party, with a special twist for Tracy's promotion to Director!!! I couldn't think of anyone that deserves it more Tracy - congratulations and you ROCK!!! The Murphy household was decked out befitting the magnitude of the celebration! The short red hair is mine - go figure. I think a not-favorite haircut is good once in a while and builds character. This being the case this year has been amazing character development. Or does the hookah counteract that some...??In any event, it was a great time. Congratulations again Tracy!

First a note...

Ok, so "Spring" didn't bring with it a blossoming of blog entries - I've heard! But (insert series of excuses here). I'll try to get caught up to date and share some thoughts on repatriation before retirement...
But first a note that these will not come in order - I fully intend to use this handy feature of blogger called "date stamp" where I can change the date and time to be whatever I want it to be! For the record, I will briefly acknowledge that everything after this is really done in late April or so... but let's not talk about that.