{balki Blog}
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I appreciate US Airways for all the amenities and entertainment they provide in their flights (see my recent blog posts for details).  But the credit card sharks in all the airport terminals really get to my nerves.  So, this is my tribute to all those who hate the US Airways Credit card pushers with a vengeance…

Credit Card Pusher (CCP): Sir, sir!  Do you have a US Airways boarding pass?
Man: Yes.
CCP: Great!  Can you please step over to the side so we can talk?
CCP: What state are you in, sir?
Man: In a state of confusion
CCP (in a state of confusion himself): Sorry, sir!  What state do you reside in?
Man: Oh! in a state of eternal despair.
CCP: I just need to know where in the 50 states you live…
Man: Ok.  What are the different states?
CCP: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut….
Man: Ok.  I am from Oregon.
CCP: Great.  then you qualify for 5000 free miles if you sign-up for a credit card now.
Man: I thought it was 500,000 free miles?
CCP: No, sir.  I can go up to 15,00 miles maximum.
Man: Ok.  Give me a call if you can do 450,000 miles or better.
CCP: Whatever!
Man (to himself): YES!!! If only 10 more people annoyed these CCPs like our man everyday, nobody would want to take up such a lousy job.

(NOTE: this inappropriate comment series is based on true events but some of the statements were glorified for dramatic effects)

I got a chance to board a US Airways flight after a long time when I flew from Portland to Chicago last weekend.  I was instantly hooked onto the fun trivia quiz on the overhead Televisions courtesy of Cranium (and “travelQuest” on another US Airways flight).  While Cranium’s questions were based on fun facts and brain teasers, travelQuest questions were focused on specific travel destinations (on my flight the focus was on Amsterdam and the Netherlands).  I even had a healthy competition going on with my neighbor about who would answer the most questions right (although after a few minutes she claimed that she had an important article to read in the Glamour magazine and withdrew from the competition)

Some of the questions were:

• What type of wood are “Clogs” made of?
• Which language does the word “Volvo” (as in the safest car) originate from?

Does this mean airlines are attempting to change their monotonous and “necessary evil” image by providing more entertaining and educational options as part of their in-flight services (at least for geeks like me)?

If so, what else is next?  Personally I would love to play “Friends Scene It” on my next flight

Ginger & Pepper: Over the last 4-5 years, we bonded really closely with Ginger and Pepper, and we just cannot imagine our lives without them. Taking them with us could be an option but we don’t want to risk their health and well-being. Plus, how the pets born and raised here might survive in the harsh tropical climates of India is still unchartered territory. Every time we talk about moving back, Maanasa keeps fixating on Ginger and Pepper. This one reason alone could be a deal-breaker for us, especially for Maanasa!

Traffic: Every year the traffic keeps increasing exponentially; the traffic conditions were quite unbearable this last trip. It takes for ever to go anywhere. Panjugutta intersection has become the city center for all practical purposes and it is the most congested. Everybody is hoping and praying that the new flyovers in that area will ease the traffic flow a little. Traffic in the Hi-tech city is not bad though. If we were to live, work and shop there and minimize our trips into the city, this should not be such a great concern.

Pollution: Pollution is glaringly evident throughout the city (most likely throughout the country also). The booming retail, automobile, construction and infrastructure industries are causing all sorts of pollution including air, noise, dust and water. I hardly saw any evidence of proactive measures to curb such pollution. When a CEO of big multi-national company visited Hyderabad, he was quite shocked with the ubiquitous pollution and warned that it could become the “single-point of failure” that could cripple the Indian economy. I agree completely.

Weather: Over 80 degrees of heat in December!! I was literally sweating in the middle of winter and had to carry a towel and water at all times to clean up my sweat. I shudder every time I imagine living in the 120 degree humid climate of Hyderabad summers. Fortunately, I was able to avoid the unforgiving Indian summers for the past 8 years but I need a hell of a lot more money to avoid the harshest of months (April and May) if we move there permanently.

Family: Too much of a good thing can sometimes be not so good. Enough said.

Freedom: I don’t have concrete examples or reasons how and why, but I feel a lot freer in the States than in India. It could be the constant pressure to please my family and relatives, or the fear that any mistakes I make will be easily caught or I am just smoking. I cannot get this thought out of my small head - “I have unlimited freedom in this country, and no where else!”

Cheap Gas: Last time I checked, gas prices in India are almost double those in the US and thats a significant difference unless I plan to use public transportation The gas saved by the smaller cars/engines in India is most definitely offset by gazillion hours spent in idling traffic, and hence gas prices are still way too high in India.

Convenience: Most routine things are still a hassle in India like bill payments, and any government related work. Corruption is still prevalent and you have to forget ethics and principles if you want to get any amount of work done in the public sector. Although I have to admit that the country made huge progress in this area after the government liberalized the economy. I think the country needs just a few more years to finally catch up with the western world in this arena.

Nature: We love the Oregon nature and the summer outdoors in the US in general. I might be ignorant in this aspect, but I seriously doubt if there is anything back in India that matches the great natural wonders of North America.

Afford-ability: Even until two years ago, India was my backup retirement secret (I used to proudly proclaim to all of my colleagues and friends - “if I cannot retire in the US at my target age of 40, I will cheat and go back to India to retire like a king”). How stupid was I? My head was reeling in disbelief looking at the rate people are earning and spending in Hyderabad during my recent visit. In the current economic climate of India, I will have no means to retire EVER, let alone retire at 40! The inflation rate is pegged under 10% according to government figures, but I am sure the number is at least > 50% in real-life.

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Best food in the world: Yes, I am talking about all the delicious varieties of Indian food available at home and outside. Especially the yummy ones that my mom cooks each morning, afternoon and evening without fail. There is absolutely no match to my mom’s hand when it comes to cooking (don’t tell my wife, though) and I would go back home to India in the blink of an eye, even if just to savor all of this home-cooked food. Also, there is no dearth of great food available in all sorts of restaurants.

Help: Abundant help is available in the form of maids, cooks, drivers, servants, etc. For example, my mom can afford the following people to help her out: a maid to clean the dishes and clothes, a maid to clean the house, a driver who also washes and cleans the car every single day and finally a full-time maid who helps her out with just about everything else. How convenient is that?

Action-filled lifestyle: There is no scarcity of fun-filled action and drama in day-to-day life. For example, I accompanied my mom to a Hindu temple on one of the auspicious nights. On the drive to the temple (which is only about half a mile away from our house), we got honked 12 times and our driver honked 14 other vehicles. Our driver also yelled and swore at a couple of pedestrians (who promptly swore back in no uncertain terms). As we reached the temple, the “Aakasha Deepam” (a ceremonial fire raised into the air supported by a gold-coated pole called the “Dwajastambha” and a rope) caught fire and started throwing sparks all over the place. The devotees instead of running away from the fire started gathering around the pole to watch the blazing fire in amazement. While at the temple, I was pushed and shoved by devout women and my mom almost called for an ambulance as I nearly lost consciousness in the hustle. On the way back home, we stopped to pick up my mom’s medical reports. As we were inside, the cops started yelling and screaming at passersby and ordered us in to strictly stay inside and not come out under any circumstances. My mom came out anyways and I cautiously came out behind her. The cops were trying to clear the road because our state’s Chief Minister was passing by in his convoy. Our driver fled in fear and I spent 15 minutes trying to locate him in the complex maze of the side streets. As I was walking on the side street, somebody spit out an ounce of chew-able tobacco from a city bus which I deftly managed to escape. If I can get this much action in just 30 minutes, imagine living my entire life in this adventurous city?

Family: Although we do not live in a joint family, not one day passes by without seeing a family member or a relative. Our house is in a central location in the city, so literally dozens of family members, friends and relatives stop by even if to just say hi. The feeling that there is somebody out there that thinks and cares for us is quite incredible.

Change and growth: I have been visiting India every year and am still amazed at how rapidly the changes happen. Huge new apartment communities constructed almost overnight, new shopping malls all over town, international brand stores at every corner, cell phones in everybody’s hands, new cars, new jobs; the only thing that is constant is change.

Variety: As more and more Indians are building wealth, they are also trying out different things which add to an incredible variety to colors, design, clothes, buildings, music etc. With all due respect to the

US , I think most Americans are pretty conventional in the way they dress, live, and drive (except for that occasional sight of a Gothic chick/dude you encounter on commuter trains). But the variety you can see in India is mind-boggling. There are unlimited combinations of patterns, colors, and styles in men’s and women’s clothes and that is only the first dimension to variety. You should really come and watch the variety yourself instead of me explaining in vain.

Ability to maintain my current (western) lifestyle: For years now, many non-resident Indians (including myself) have been delaying our permanent move back to India because we were all too certain India could not provide us with a lifestyle comparable with the western world. Not anymore. During this visit to Hyderabad , we found nearly everything that we thought was only available in the US . Everything western is readily accessible here: starting from basic groceries to luxury cars and the latest iPods. And the premium we pay to acquire these goods and services has been quickly diminishing in the last few years.

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• Cell Phones, SIM cards, accessories everywhere: All types of old stores are being converted into cell phone/accessories stores. Even other grocery stores, barbershops, pan shops, bakeries are selling SIM cards and cell phone accessories. The latest statistics released in November for new cell phone sales showed that Indians are buying phones at the rate of 5,00,000 per month! To put that number in perspective: it is equivalent to the entire population of Oregon & Idaho buying new cell phones… each and every month over and over again! My state Andhra Pradesh is at the forefront of this race with 650,000 new cell phone connections a month.

• Ubiquitous Sania Mirza: She currently endorses sodas, airlines, bicycles, sportswear, mobile handsets and pretty much everything else. A week days after I reached Hyderabad, an international magazine touted her beauty and declared that she belongs to the “Top 10 beautiful tennis stars of all-time” list along with the likes of Gabriela Sabatini, Anna Kournikova, and Maria Sharapova. She is everywhere in the media and almost 20-30% of billboards in the country are happily leveraging her fame and beauty.

• Wal-Mart entering India: Ten days after I landed in Hyderabad, on an auspicious Monday, Bharati Enterprises announced that they were opening several retail stores all over India by franchising Wal-Mart’s now world-famous/controversial and extremely successful supply chain model.

• Dhoom 2: Clothes, jewelry, accessories… nothing is ineligible for Dhoom-2 branding. Pepe Jeans is allotting exclusive shelf space for Dhoom-2 branded apparel and accessories. (the movie itself on the other hand was of questionable quality, especially the second half)

• FM Radio: Radio Mirchi, S FM, Big FM are the latest craze with teenagers and adults alike and Hyderabad is going wild listening to the highly anticipated and high-quality audio programs (mostly latest Telugu and Hindi filmi songs) on the move, at home, school and work.

• WorldSpace Satellite Radio: Teenage girls everywhere are excitedly demoing away the latest digital radios in town. WorldSpace started selling satellite radio sets with subscriptions starting around Rs.250 per month with up to 40-commercial free radio stations. These radios are not available for cars yet but the business model looks quite promising.

• Everybody works in IT companies and Call Centers…. the remaining people are real-estate tycoons: Every second person in Hyderabad is an “IT professional” and works in or near Hi-tech city. Many others who used to wander on the streets without any purpose or work are now into “real-estate” business and are supposedly making millions of rupees buying, selling, brokering, building, and flipping plots, apartments and houses.

• Inflation: Inflation rate is simply unbelievable. When I went to school, my parents paid 50Rs. (approx 1$) a month for fees in a prestigious high school. My sister pays 1200Rs. (approx 27$) a month for her son’s somewhat mediocre school. I heard rumors that there were international / concept schools in Hyderabad and Bangalore that charge up-wards of 20,000Rs. (approx 450$) a month in fees! All this increase in just over 15 years since I passed out of high school. And am sure most of that inflation happened in the last 3-4 years. Prices of all basic necessities including food, clothing, shelter, and transportation increased several folds and most people seem to be able to miraculously afford them!

• High-end Restaurants: Classy (read expensive) restaurants are everywhere and they employ dozens of staff to treat the customers with utmost care and concern. The food was mediocre at best at these places but we loved the royal treatment. We pretty much had a dedicated set of 5-6 waiters attending to our fancies as long as we were in these restaurants. The prices were comparable to average American restaurants but the treatment was top-notch (just imagine the exact opposite treatment you get at your local Macaroni Grill

• Major Hotels associated to international brand names: Many big hotels that maintained their independent identity over the years are starting to associate (not sure by being acquired or by partnering) themselves with international brand names. Some examples: Grand Kakatiya Sheraton, Best Western Amrutha Castle, and Hyderabad Marriott Hotel (formerly Viceroy Hotel).

• New cars, bikes everywhere (resulting in horrible traffic conditions throughout the city): I did not see any old cars and motorbikes driving on the road. Each car was newer, bigger and nicer looking than the next one. The situation reminded me of the San Francisco bay area where everybody drives Mercedes, BMWs and Lexuses. The roads were never meant for everybody in the metro (approx 7.5 million people) driving four-wheelers. Traffic jams and accidents were commonplace throughout the city any time of the day, accompanied by suffocating pollution levels.

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While planning my current visit to India, I wanted to stay in touch with my US-based friends, colleagues and clients. So, I researched various options and narrowed down to Vonage V-Phone (mostly based on their ubiquitous ads). I picked one up at the local Best Buy and subscribed for the unlimited calling plan at Vonage.com. The enrollment process was straight forward and mostly uneventful. I got my new phone number almost instantly.

I made a few calls with the V-phone powered by Comcast broadband and the sound quality was impressive. I attributed this quality to the strong underlying broadband connection and was still skeptical about the quality in India (where reliable Internet connections are still a premium). I got my first chance to verify my skepticism during my layover in Frankfurt. I paid a nominal fee to get Internet connectivity from a T-mobile Hotspot in the airport terminal and made some calls to the US and India. The sound level was a little low but the quality was first-class.

Since landing in Hyderabad, I have been using the V-Phone on a 256kpbs DSL connection and am extremely pleased with the consistent sound and connection quality. I love the device itself and the seamless process of making free calls to the US and beyond.

Here is some obvious (and subtle) goodness in the device / service:

1. Completely divorced from any single computer system: Works like a charm on any computer as long as the computer is on a decent Internet connection (128kbps or better speeds recommended)

2. No footprint software: I just connect the USB dongle to any internet-enabled computer and the computer instantly recognizes the phone and is ready to make calls within 5-15 seconds. When I am done, I simply remove the device and there is no trace left on the system.

3. Great form factor: I like the orange color for the dongle and the blue LED light (that represents a successful connection). The included headset provides superior sound quality and the cable is long enough to allow me to move around comfortably without ripping out the dongle from the USB port.

4. Additional 256MB space on the USB drive: I do not carry the V-phone everywhere I go but can see how the additional space on the USB could come in pretty handy when you are on the go. The included key ring is cute and convenient.

5. Auto Load and Unload: This is my favorite feature. The soft phone keypad launches automatically when I insert the USB drive and disappears after I remove it. No worries about corrupting the drive or annoying pop-up warnings.

The only shortcoming I can think of is that there is no facility to import or leverage existing Outlook contact details. This is my biggest annoyance. I have enough devices already that force me to reenter my contact numbers and the V-phone is the worst offender of all. There is no interface to import contacts from anywhere. I really hope Vonage adds the import facility in their next version. Another minor annoyance is that the cap is really hard to remove from the device. I can understand their concern the cap might be lost, but there are other ways to secure it rather than making it impossible to pop it open.

If you travel international (or even domestic but worried about running over your free minutes on the cell phone), do try out the Vonage V-phone. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.

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(Click on the strip to view a browser-based slideshow of all the pictures)

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We were in Chicago for a week in late August celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary. We had a great time in Chicago and I wanted to add a quick blog entry with some highlights and tips for the posterity.

• Although several friends warned us about the exorbitant parking prices in downtown Chicago, I still cringed with pain every time I had to cough up upwards of 20$ to park the rental car for a few hours. Based on this experience, I suggest you consider one of these options if you visit Chicago:
• • Stay in downtown; even though the hotels are pricey, you will easily make up the difference in parking fees. You will have to figure out the public transportation system but between Metra, CTA and the free downtown trolley, you can pretty much go anywhere you want.
  • Stay near the airport; there is a wide choice of reasonably priced accommodations available there. This option is cheaper than staying in downtown but the trade-off is the 45-60 minute commute to downtown each day on the train. You could also rent a car for the stay, drive to downtown everyday and park it in a cheap garage (the one we used was at the intersection of 8th and State, 10$ for 24 hours) and use the free trolley system to go around downtown.
• Here’s a quick rundown of things to do in Chicago:
• • Museum of Science & Industry: The museum is fantastic! We spent an entire day there but I still could not savor the place completely to my satisfaction. The temporary exhibit “Leonardo Da Vinci: Man Inventor Genius” is simply superb and a once in a life-time event. The 4-million dollar model railroad exhibit is a treat to grownups and kids alike. The coal mine exhibit was exciting and educational. Here’s a list of all the great exhibits at the museum: http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/exhome.html
  • The Field Museum is also a must visit but if I had to do it again, I would skip the much-hyped King Tut special exhibition and the Underground Adventure.
  • One of the many available architecture cruises. I recommend the cruises on Chicago’s First Lady.
  • If you are into people-watching, I highly recommend a day long camp-out at the Navy Pier, especially on a Saturday. I heard the pier is also has the best vantage spots for the Wednesday and Saturday night fireworks. The pier was still bustling with activity even after midnight Saturday when we went for a late night Supernatural cruise on the lake!
  • Go onto the Hancock Tower instead of the Sears Tower. You will have better views at a better price
  • A nice leisurely walk through the various sections of the Millenium Park, one of Chicago’s newest attractions.
  • Do not forget to eat your share of heavenly food - yes, I am talking about Giordano’s Pizza, the best stuffed crust pizza on earth!
• A few things we really wanted to do but could not:
• • A leisurely bike ride on the miles of bike trails along the lake and in the various parks.
  • A fun guided bike tour (I still blame Maanasa for not planning our trip to accommodate The Friendly Neighborhood Tour on the last day of our stay in the Windy City)
  • A geeky Segway Tour of Chicago.
  • Free walking audio tours of the different downtown loops. The geek in me would have been extremely happy with the free downloadable audio tours available here:
  • • Art Loop
    • Landmark Loop
    • Theater Loop
• No blog entry of mine is complete without mentioning a high-tech (aka geeky) gadget…
• • At the da Vinci exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry, you could take a self-guided audio tour of the various models and the hands-on activities. Nothing fancy, right? No! The audio devices used for the tour were Motorola RAZR phones combined with a blue-tooth headsets! I thought that was a great way to leverage technology. Now, if they offer visitors to download audio tours onto our personal windows mobile smartphone it would be even more fun. Don’t you think?

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