Nokia Siemens Networks, another beginning....

Without any complicity, I have made another switch in employers this weekend. April 1st will mark the birth of the newly amalgamated Network divisions of Nokia and Siemens to form Nokia Siemens Networks . Its taken about 9 months since the announcement of the merger and I think the overall mood is that the future is bright. As these things go, I will get a new job as I am not moving to Asia and will have to find something in Munich to do, I am told that there are some open positions. Looking forward to the changes... The knee is better , though immobile life is no fun. I have started walking a little more now, I am usually able to walk back from the Physio sessions, a few blocks aways, with several stops along the way. I stop for a coffee along the way, I am quite popular there now because as soon as I sit down the waiter appears with my Cappucino. My vantage point allows me to anonymously observe life in Gartnerplatz and I have noticed some of those many faces are the same everyday. A group of mentally challenged school children who walk by, countless window shoppers (the same shop everyday?) and the retired alcoholics who hog the bench in front and seem to believe that they are not loud enough are among the many that I notice and look forward to seeing every day! I suppose the only other set of people who have as much time on their hands as me but are still quite handicapped to the place where they can hangout are the mothers of toddlers and the obnoxiously rich who live there and don't have to work. My conclusion is that most of the mothers in my 'hood are also obnoxiously rich. Its not so much the Gucci glasses or the Armani rags that gave it away, its the Bugaboos that caught my eye. What is a Bugaboo? Its a 800 Euro pram that owners swear by which provides the agility of 'M' series beamer and ruggedness of a Landrover. Last I heard, there were even murmurs that perhaps even changing nappies will be part of the product soon? Thats 800 euros without accessories. If you think you child deserves the best, then this would be a minimum commitment to you yuppie wannabe parents. Domestic discussions have compared business cases of lease payments for a BMW and that of a Bugaboo! Officially I have 'No Comment'. Ever heard of a Manpon? Yeah, thats right its exactly what you are thinking, its a tampon for Men. But then you are thinking, what orifice does it protect? Well go find out for yourself, coz I ain't telling.

One week down, 5 more to go

There are few things that set off emotional fire charges as that of tragedy the of the WTC. The reasons maybe obvious because of living to it in close proximity etc but the thread runs a bit deeper. Some of my fondest memories of the good times in the US were in on the 107th floor, Windows to the World, and perhaps the first place I got the feeling that 'Yes I can also live life kingsize'. Even during frequent trips to the city to meet a friend or to party in the village, a side glance at those towering beacons of hope always gave a me a feeling of accomplishment and in someway proof of the ingenuity of humankind. I was in Dallas the week the tragedy hit working on an assignment for a startup wireless company and I can still clearly remember the the sinking feeling in my gut when I saw towers crumblng in the company's cramped conference room. Eerily, no-one whispered a single word but stood wonderstruck in total non-belief of what they had just witnessed. Next monday when the staff came back to work they found the front doors sealed and a note explaining that the company has closed down due to the uncertainities caused by 9/11. This is was among many ways the fallout of the crumbling steel towers affected our life. I could ramble on but my point is slightly different.. Given that my new found immobility has given me loads of time to trawl the web and spends lots of time viewing documentaries and bizarre websites in the hope of actually coming to the end of the internet :) I have read odd reports about grandiose conspiracy theories about 9/11 and particularly about the WTC being a controlled demolition. I found a couple of videos that really make an excellent and perhaps even scientific case about it. The first video requires some time but is more elaborate and perhaps more convincing. A lot of evidence is provided but some of it can be circumstantial but nevertheless its cannot be ignored. As with all things in life, view it with a pinch of salt and don't forget that everyone has an agenda. The second one is more compact and is oratory in style though touches on the same points. I don't endorse this thoery but I must admit I am little more convinced than I was from reading these articles. Viva l'internet!! Imagine these theories were true, I shudder to think how powerless we are in so called free societies. Conjuring such an elaborate plan is probably more complicated than building the towers themselves and the brains behinds these hideous designs are not fit enough to be admitted to the finest psychiatric wards in the world. Lets hope and pray these theories are indeed claptrap.. A lot less pain and less dependent on my Ibruprofen tabs. Have physio appointments a couple of time a week and hopefully in a couple of days will move around a little more. I am reading an excellent book now, Shantaram, which is already on my top ten list of book and may end up at the very top once I finish it. Will post a review once I finish. I will start working a little from home next week.

Hospital blues

Checked into the hospital the night before the operation at about 2 in the afternoon. The hospital felt more like a comfortable old age home than an orthopeadic center. Only after getting to the room did I realise the democratic equanimity of my insurance company (had to share it with 3 other people) though the room itself was adequately comfortable. Killing time the first couple of hours were tough especially with my limited ability to make conversation with my bavarian room-mates and my disinterest in TV. I popped a sleeping pill at about 8:30 so it could help me relax and subsequently be less anxious about the operation itself, orders from the anaesthesiologist. Honestly, I felt no angst whatsoever.. I was shook awake a sliver before 6 by a burly nurse holding a large razor blade in her hand ranting to me in german only to quickly realize that her english was worse than my deutsch so we switched to sign language. Got shaved (not my face), showered and put on a gown and promptly went back to bed. Nurse was back a few minutes later with yet another relaxation pill which put me back into my now familiar woozy state. The operation itself lasted a little over an hour and I was wheeled back to my room before lunch time though I slept for the rest of the afternoon. I vaguely remember being poked numerous times and being asked questions like 'Can you feel the pain?'. I can confidently confirm that I came out of that operation with more holes in my body than when I went in. Everything else was a blur and my final image was that of the unshaven confident face of my surgeon smiling just before I completely blanked out. The operation was good though the damage to the knee was more severe than initially diagnosed so some additional procedures were done and the doctor has extended my remand period to six weeks on crutches. Since its been 10 years since I got the original injury, all the cartilage in my knee had disintegrated so the doctor had to perform small microfractures on my femur to stimulate cartilage growth though he warned me that its not necessarily a permanent solution but it should buy me some years. Not looking forward to repeating this excercise ever again. My advice, be kind to you knees The were a couple of tubes sticking out of my leg to drain the blood and which was the main cause of my grief and once they were removed the pain became manageable. The food at the hospital was good, dinner was served at 5:15 so I was usually ravenous by breakfast. My 60 year old roommate was quite entertaining inspite of being a violent sleeper and fervent swigs of beer in the middle of the night, the nurses never caught onto why his blood glucose was so high in the morning. Needless to say, the standard of care was excellent and I am glad I got it done here. I have started using a machine that will help stimulate cartilage growth, my insurance arranged for one to be dropped off to my house which they will collect back in 4 weeks. I am supposed to use this machine for 2.5 hours a days and I have to go for physiotherapy a few times a week. Came back home this afternoon and I am already bored. I wonder how I am going to kill 6 weeks at home. It was good to see Rohit in Munich again, came to the hospital too - looking well. Gotta go that my parents on the phone for the sixth time today calling to ask about the pain...

In Transit....

With an alcohol riddled liver and sleep deprived mind, I am patiently waiting for 2:00pm flight back to Munich. KL this time was very balanced, learnt some new things and there was no shortage of entertainment courtesy of my colleagues. Weather in KL was not too bad though the evening got a bit muggy and late evening showers made taxis hard to find. Thankfully not late nights. For the first ime since I have been going to KL, I was able to get a weekend to myself probably because I made a conscious effort not to be stuck in the office over the weekend. Went to an island, Redang Pulau, to get a tan and become sick of seafood. It took a bus+plane+taxi+ferry ride to get there and eventually spent more time trying to get there than actually on the island. Though to be fair it was mainly because we were handicapped by the ferry timings (1.5 hour ride) which was only twice a day. Our flight there was not quite the flying coffin that is common in the region though the airport in Kuala Terenganu was no bigger than Walmart car park(which could be huge actually). Interestingly, the pilot did a 360 degree turn once we got to the end of the tarmac so as to get to the airport terminal. Kuala Terenganu reminded me of Zaria, very rural and the populous being predominantly moslem. Once on the island and in the resort, you almost immediately become relaxed. I think its the soothing sea breeze or maybe it was the turquoise blue water, either way the ocean does wonderful things for my soul. Signed up for a snorkeling tour of the island, saw countless varieties of fish (2nd best snorkeling trip) and very odd looking coral. Most of the coral that I have seen is usually blockish in shape and very porous but this looked like some variety of vegetation (like vines on the ground) spotted with small mushroom clouds. Though after four hours of being in the sea and with sand in places I will not describe, it seemed wrong not to get a Balinese massage advertised at the resort. It was best decision that weekend. Spent a couple of more hours the next day and sadly left paradise for the concrete jungles of Kuala Lumpur. Had a fantastic seafood dinner on monday,team affair, and I am still licking my lips thinking of the cheese lobster! Confirmed my slicing appointment for next monday and consequently stacked up on pirated DVDs and books that I have always wanted to read. Yes, I did pick up Lexus and the Olive Tree. More when I am back in Munich...

A day in the life of an Architect

Hurried into the office a shadow before 10:00 in nervous anticipation what lay ahead on my first day. All the worker bees seem to be color coordinated in gray and black, another architectural urban legend come true, and the place seemed crammed for space which usually means business is good. Thankfully they were expecting my arrival so did not have to make awkward explainations. Dove straight into paperwork and was later summoned to be introduced to the crew who studiously looked up and acknowledged me (some even made pleasant conversation). The average age in the office is about 35 and I think consequently seems to be a nice vibe about the place. Not a suprise to know that they have not allocated me a space nor found a computer, predictable for most first-day experiences. The main architectural tool used is Vector Works and not AutoCad of course all in german! As if that was not enough, no Windows PCs but everyone seems to be using Macs though this one is a pleasant suprise. Lunch was quick affair, gobbled down more than I wanted which included some disgusting potato salad, the company was pleasant though. Post lunch session included an attempt to learn Vector works from an 18 year old, understanding my first project which is for a well known transportation company opening a new facility in Edinburgh, reading some documentation and figuring what tax class I will belong to now that I am going to be working. Left at 6, the first to leave the office, figured I could leave early being my first day. My boss seems cool but overworked, told him I will be in late tommorow upon which he went onto explain that it does not matter when you come when you go. I translate that as take as many winks as you want but please finish work on time. Came back home, bunked Yoga, irritated the spouse and finally decided to eat out. Started with Thai but could not get a spot to eat at, moved to Vietnamese but decided that was not spicy enough so settled on Chinese(fish in blackbean sauce). Winged about work some more while we eloquently mangled our food. Went later with a friend for drinks at a place called Nektar which used to be an old beer cellar. Parked our coats and went into the nearest room and got some wine only to find later that we just gate crashed a private party. Shamelessly continued drinking and enjoyed the festivities which included men (I think) regaled in Mardi Gras finery entertained the guests and some live music. 2 glasses of wine later, a husband with a swollen jaw in tow we headed back to the tram stop to head back to mi casa. - Regurgitated by Ranjith Cherickel

Toothless and in pain...

I decided over the weekend to get my smile fixed, dental appointment has been postponed for over a year, and luckily got one thanks to a last minute cancellation. This was no ordinary tooth filling job, this was dental surgery complete with an anesthesiologist. A hack job in Kerala and not enough information has prompted all this misery and material loss fifteen years later. I was knocked out by valium for 3 hours and woke up when the chiselling in my jaw hurt a bit and promptly went back to snoozing again. Doc had to take out my widom teeth in order to extract the bone from my jaw which is mainly what still hurts today. Bone was then grafted to my gum and an implant was placed. Felt like a boxer who just landed a knockout punch from Tyson all of yesterday, not a pretty sight either. The pain is probably going to pale in comparison to when I do my knee surgery, that I am told can be quite exhasting. Like I said at the beginning of the year, this year is all about fixing myself. Thanks God for Ibruprofen 600. About a 18 months ago when I met my friend Rajesh in Bangalore and he told me about his interview with Thomas Friedman, who dedicated 6 pages in his latest book 'The world is flat' and called him the smartest entrepreneur he has met, so I felt obligated to read his book. Anand, another buddy from Bangalore, suggested that I start with the first one that he has written which was 'From Beirut to Jerusalem'. A couple of months ago I picked it up at KL airport, the first 200 pages are excellent and gives a fantastic overview of the middle east and decades long crisis that have plagued it and often painting himself Indiana Jones style journalist. The next 200 pages is a constant rant about nothing though skillfully written to sound like a logical argument. The last hundred pages is just boring and claims to have the prose that will solve brickbatting between Isrealis and Palestinians. Still worth a read, an intelligent amount of thinking has gone into it and he does share some unique experiences. Going to be in KL ariport again next week so I will pick up part 2 - Lexus and the Olive Tree. Did I already mention that I used to read his column in the New York Times when I lived in the Tri-state area. Watched 2 movies in a row yesterday, Calendar girls and Old School. Calendar girls was inspiring, like movies in that category are supposed to be, Old School was cool but perhaps a little overhyped while I was in the US. Still another 200 DVDs to plough through before I give Toby back his case. Meanwhile Priya continues to do what women are great at doing, Sale Shopping, in anticipation of future earning. Gotta go, fish curry calling.. Yours Truly, Sympathy Monger