For those of you that have been reading the news over the last few weeks fully know that June 1 is a pivotal day for GM. And I am sure that the thought has crossed your mind, 'what about the Patel's in Bangalore'....
Rest assured, we have not been asked to pack our bags....
We just had a meeting with all the other 'expats' that are here with the senior leadership and they assured us that it is 'business as usual'.
So that being said, I will keep my nose to the grindstone and keep plugging away. And making the most of everyday and all the experiences that come with each passing day.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Life Changing Trip....
It was exactly a year ago.... to the day, that we took the trip that has changed our life......
Yes, it was a year ago that we took 'the' trip to India. This was the trip where we were getting everything set for the move. We looked at houses, schools, the area.... and took in everything that is Bangalore. For Vim, this was the first trip to India after almost 30 years... for me it had been over 10 years.
Now a year has passed from that trip... and our lives have changed.... and I am sure we have changed. The change is inevitable, I suppose. It is all for the good... I think we have a broader perspective to life.
We welcome the change!!
Don't get me wrong... We are still the same Vim, Dev, Mira and Milan that you remember, maybe just a little more enlightened!!!
Yes, it was a year ago that we took 'the' trip to India. This was the trip where we were getting everything set for the move. We looked at houses, schools, the area.... and took in everything that is Bangalore. For Vim, this was the first trip to India after almost 30 years... for me it had been over 10 years.
Now a year has passed from that trip... and our lives have changed.... and I am sure we have changed. The change is inevitable, I suppose. It is all for the good... I think we have a broader perspective to life.
We welcome the change!!
Don't get me wrong... We are still the same Vim, Dev, Mira and Milan that you remember, maybe just a little more enlightened!!!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Weather
The weather is now aligning between here and there.....
Looks like you are in for some good weather for the Memorial Weekend!! Enjoy the picnics and barbeques that traditionally kick-off the summer on this long weekend!!
I read the other day that the 'monsoon rains' are expected to hit Bangalore on May 26! Now over the past few days, it has been raining hard... really hard. Now, if these were not the real 'monsoon rains', then we are in for some serious soaking come May 26!!!
I will keep you posted on the downpour activity!!!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Pictures from Mahabalipuram
These are pictures from the trip to Mahabalipuram.....
As you can see from the pics.... we had a great time!!
So there is a funny story that goes along with the Monkey picture. We were taking a short break when we were touring the temples and we came up to this group of monkeys. In front of our eyes, one of the monkeys grabs a plastic container of food from another family (not in our group). The monkey proceeds to make its way to its own little area, away from the other monkeys, he opens the plastic container which was a twist off, and enjoys his little snack. It was so clever how fast he did it all... meanwhile one of his 'pals' was sitting close by completely jealous because he did not get anything. So this other monkey starts staring at Vim... Now vim thought that it was just the monkey 'checking him out'!! But no, the monkey was after something.... Vim had a water bottle in his hand. As soon as he set it down, whooosh, the monkey came swooping down and grabbed it.... And the same skills.... he opened it by twisting the cap off.... It was really cool to see them in action. I am sure that they could scare those that are unsuspecting as they sneak in for their catch.
As you can see from the pics.... we had a great time!!
So there is a funny story that goes along with the Monkey picture. We were taking a short break when we were touring the temples and we came up to this group of monkeys. In front of our eyes, one of the monkeys grabs a plastic container of food from another family (not in our group). The monkey proceeds to make its way to its own little area, away from the other monkeys, he opens the plastic container which was a twist off, and enjoys his little snack. It was so clever how fast he did it all... meanwhile one of his 'pals' was sitting close by completely jealous because he did not get anything. So this other monkey starts staring at Vim... Now vim thought that it was just the monkey 'checking him out'!! But no, the monkey was after something.... Vim had a water bottle in his hand. As soon as he set it down, whooosh, the monkey came swooping down and grabbed it.... And the same skills.... he opened it by twisting the cap off.... It was really cool to see them in action. I am sure that they could scare those that are unsuspecting as they sneak in for their catch.
Posting Pictures
Sorry it took so long..... but I am finally getting around to posting pictures from my 'girls-weekend'.
It was me, Jignasha and Suvidha that went. Suvidha was the local (she grew up in Mysore). She know how to speak Kannada (local language) and she can drive in India. It was a huge advantage having her with us... especially when we were trying to bargain with the local vendors!!
A great trip!! Jig is already trying to plan the next one!!
It was me, Jignasha and Suvidha that went. Suvidha was the local (she grew up in Mysore). She know how to speak Kannada (local language) and she can drive in India. It was a huge advantage having her with us... especially when we were trying to bargain with the local vendors!!
A great trip!! Jig is already trying to plan the next one!!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Busy Weekend.....
After having been out of town for the last 2 weekends.... I was looking forward to a quiet, relaxing weekend at home. Unfortunately, it was far from quiet or relaxing!! The weekend started on Friday by me coming home a lot later than planned... almost 7:30pm. We had friends coming over for dessert and drinks... So we were busy. Saturday was an eventful morning with my usual morning walk, Milan had swimming, and Mira had tabla. I managed to sneak out for a bit to get a pedicure and get Milan a haircut. Sat afternoon we had friends over for swimming and dinner. On top of that, we were watching 2 other boys for our friends (Jignasha). We had 7 kids and 4 adults.... ordered dinner in, managed to keep the kids quiet with a movie while the grown up played cards.... A very nice evening!!
And Sunday I was treated to a wonderful Mother's Day. We went for Brunch at a nice Indian Restaurant with another family.... we sat, ate, talked, ate some more.... spent 3 hours indulging after which we were all in desperate need of a nap from all the food!!! Instead of succumbing to the temptation of the nap, we had the group back over to our place for some tea to help shake off the food coma!! It was a nice evening..... and a great wrap-up to the weekend.
It is now Monday and another weekend whizzed by in a blur!! I was hoping to post pictures from our trip last weekend but just did not get the time to do so... Maybe tonight....
Hope you all Mother's out there had a wonderful day yesterday!!
And Sunday I was treated to a wonderful Mother's Day. We went for Brunch at a nice Indian Restaurant with another family.... we sat, ate, talked, ate some more.... spent 3 hours indulging after which we were all in desperate need of a nap from all the food!!! Instead of succumbing to the temptation of the nap, we had the group back over to our place for some tea to help shake off the food coma!! It was a nice evening..... and a great wrap-up to the weekend.
It is now Monday and another weekend whizzed by in a blur!! I was hoping to post pictures from our trip last weekend but just did not get the time to do so... Maybe tonight....
Hope you all Mother's out there had a wonderful day yesterday!!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
10 Months!!!
Yes, we are in the double digits now!! We have been here for 10 months!! And it was a year ago that we were planning out first visit out here!! It is really hard to believe... it has really flown by for us!!
A little catch up....
The trip to Mahabalipuram was great!! It was very hot there and humid so we spent most of our time either in the pool or at the beach, or in the hotel room with the AC kickin.
We had a caravan of 3 cars which was good b/c we had company but it made for a bit of a challenge in the driving part. We realized that all 3 drivers had very different driving styles. Lets just say, our driver was speedy Gonzales!! We had to tell him to slow down so the rest of the pack could keep up. Then we had to deal with kids in another car getting car sick.... After 7 hours we reached our destination!!! The hotel was very beautiful but like most things it was lacking a few of the finer details... particularly in the area of customer service. But, I have come to realized that you need to lower (or adjust) your expectations here in India, you can't have it all!!
We made a day trip to Pondicherry. It was a cute little town that has a lot of French influence. It was seen in the way the city was laid out and in the architecture of the buildings. It was very nice. We visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram while we were there. It was very serene to see. I think that I will have to do another post just around the Ashram.
We also spent another day in the town of Mahabalipuram where there were a lot of old temples. It was very nice. The only downside... it was HOT.... we were dripping in sweat. And that was no lie. At one point Mira says to me.... 'Mom, my underwear is wet and sticking to me'.... I think everyone in our group felt her pain!! After the temple tours... it was off to the pool!!
On the way home from Mahabalipuram we stopped off in a town called Vellore. Here they have a temple called the 'Golden Temple', and yes, it is Gold. It is one of the most beautiful temples that I have seen in India so far. Also it is very clean and well run. It is not often that you get it all together in one place (beauty, clean and well run). Like most temples in India and in other parts of the world, they have 'rules'. One common rule is dress code. No shorts, no tank tops, etc... Vim was sporting his capri (man-pris) and they said 'no'. In protest, he did not tour the temple. I think that we will go back so he gets a chance to experience the temple too.
I will post some pictures of our trip soon.
A little catch up....
The trip to Mahabalipuram was great!! It was very hot there and humid so we spent most of our time either in the pool or at the beach, or in the hotel room with the AC kickin.
We had a caravan of 3 cars which was good b/c we had company but it made for a bit of a challenge in the driving part. We realized that all 3 drivers had very different driving styles. Lets just say, our driver was speedy Gonzales!! We had to tell him to slow down so the rest of the pack could keep up. Then we had to deal with kids in another car getting car sick.... After 7 hours we reached our destination!!! The hotel was very beautiful but like most things it was lacking a few of the finer details... particularly in the area of customer service. But, I have come to realized that you need to lower (or adjust) your expectations here in India, you can't have it all!!
We made a day trip to Pondicherry. It was a cute little town that has a lot of French influence. It was seen in the way the city was laid out and in the architecture of the buildings. It was very nice. We visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram while we were there. It was very serene to see. I think that I will have to do another post just around the Ashram.
We also spent another day in the town of Mahabalipuram where there were a lot of old temples. It was very nice. The only downside... it was HOT.... we were dripping in sweat. And that was no lie. At one point Mira says to me.... 'Mom, my underwear is wet and sticking to me'.... I think everyone in our group felt her pain!! After the temple tours... it was off to the pool!!
On the way home from Mahabalipuram we stopped off in a town called Vellore. Here they have a temple called the 'Golden Temple', and yes, it is Gold. It is one of the most beautiful temples that I have seen in India so far. Also it is very clean and well run. It is not often that you get it all together in one place (beauty, clean and well run). Like most temples in India and in other parts of the world, they have 'rules'. One common rule is dress code. No shorts, no tank tops, etc... Vim was sporting his capri (man-pris) and they said 'no'. In protest, he did not tour the temple. I think that we will go back so he gets a chance to experience the temple too.
I will post some pictures of our trip soon.
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