May was eventful ... by being a non event! Paradoxical you ask? Indeed - met several interesting folk, had great conversation, but, at the end, all a bit of a dampner on things. However, being the eternal optimist(sic), and my preferred quote from Lycidas, we shall persevere. Also the US seems to be happy hunting grounds ;-)
Professionally things started looking up - the trip to the US of A finally materialised and here I am in Sunny New York (well .. across the river at any rate), gazing fondly upon the ESB spire peering from the Manhattan Skyline!
The trip itself was mildly interesting - wonder of wonders, the co passenger was someone who had spent some time in Dar and had been there recently with his kids to relive old memories. So it was great getting updates on the city, the new resorts, the catamaran to Zanzibar, the night life, the sea side at Oyster bay and the general commercial landscape! The 9 hr flight flew and in between the 40 winks, one managed to run through a fair selection of in-flight movies.
Note: Cloverfield is avoidable. Particularly if you have seen Godzilla or have had a meal.
The flight landed on-time at LHR and after a brief chat with the doctors at Surrey, I boarded the next Virgin flight to EWR. As luck would have it, the co-passenger was a college sociology major named Polly, who was heading out to "Camp America" to teach dance for 3 months! Sweet kid (or sizzling platinum blonde - depending on which side of 30 you are at) , if a bit paranoid about her luggage, the US, the weather and the inflight entertainment! But made good conversation and time flew.
Finally the flight landed at EWR and an hour later (the Customs and Immigration weren't too bad either), rendezvoused with cousin A and off we went to Edgewater! And the festivities began.... Soon, it was early morning and we slept...to be woken bright and early by the elder chuha. It was good to be here - after a sumptupus breakfast one started off to troll the neighbourhood, and see first hand, the effect of the real estate crash.... and the opportunities therein! let me not describe this, will put up pictures if I manage a camera soon (the current shortlist is a Nikon D60 with 2 lenses available from Costco). evening saw us at Queens, great evening with friends, excellent biryani and accompaniments and generally shooting the breeze, discussing golf, economy and recession... the day capped off with a short snooze in the "car" (this is a complete misnormer - the truck is a 4.6ltr behemoth, belting out an impressive 400bhp and the size of an avarage Bombay apartment, or larger, Nissan Armada). But then the cousins are somewhat tall people, 6 something and Dee is 5'9"...and there are 2 kids...
So this is how the first working day dawned..started with sorting out my local phone..then figuring out the laptop adapter... and then the calls. Now its lunchtime and all work is done, except lunch so I am off to cook. Reminds me of my freelancing (and free wheeling) days...the freedom, the excitement of entrepreneurship, and not having to worry about time!
So Ciao Ciao, maybe this too portends happier times....who knows? Maybe Atlanta does?
Professionally things started looking up - the trip to the US of A finally materialised and here I am in Sunny New York (well .. across the river at any rate), gazing fondly upon the ESB spire peering from the Manhattan Skyline!
The trip itself was mildly interesting - wonder of wonders, the co passenger was someone who had spent some time in Dar and had been there recently with his kids to relive old memories. So it was great getting updates on the city, the new resorts, the catamaran to Zanzibar, the night life, the sea side at Oyster bay and the general commercial landscape! The 9 hr flight flew and in between the 40 winks, one managed to run through a fair selection of in-flight movies.
Note: Cloverfield is avoidable. Particularly if you have seen Godzilla or have had a meal.
The flight landed on-time at LHR and after a brief chat with the doctors at Surrey, I boarded the next Virgin flight to EWR. As luck would have it, the co-passenger was a college sociology major named Polly, who was heading out to "Camp America" to teach dance for 3 months! Sweet kid (or sizzling platinum blonde - depending on which side of 30 you are at) , if a bit paranoid about her luggage, the US, the weather and the inflight entertainment! But made good conversation and time flew.
Finally the flight landed at EWR and an hour later (the Customs and Immigration weren't too bad either), rendezvoused with cousin A and off we went to Edgewater! And the festivities began.... Soon, it was early morning and we slept...to be woken bright and early by the elder chuha. It was good to be here - after a sumptupus breakfast one started off to troll the neighbourhood, and see first hand, the effect of the real estate crash.... and the opportunities therein! let me not describe this, will put up pictures if I manage a camera soon (the current shortlist is a Nikon D60 with 2 lenses available from Costco). evening saw us at Queens, great evening with friends, excellent biryani and accompaniments and generally shooting the breeze, discussing golf, economy and recession... the day capped off with a short snooze in the "car" (this is a complete misnormer - the truck is a 4.6ltr behemoth, belting out an impressive 400bhp and the size of an avarage Bombay apartment, or larger, Nissan Armada). But then the cousins are somewhat tall people, 6 something and Dee is 5'9"...and there are 2 kids...
So this is how the first working day dawned..started with sorting out my local phone..then figuring out the laptop adapter... and then the calls. Now its lunchtime and all work is done, except lunch so I am off to cook. Reminds me of my freelancing (and free wheeling) days...the freedom, the excitement of entrepreneurship, and not having to worry about time!
So Ciao Ciao, maybe this too portends happier times....who knows? Maybe Atlanta does?
