Okay so I have been slack again with updating the blog. It’s not an excuse but I have been so busy since I have been back I haven’t even had time to catch my breath.

So the last time I blogged was the day before I went back to work. Well it was straight back in at the deep end. The first thing I had to do was catch up on the status of where my new departments were, and it was obvious to see the answer was not where they should be. So the first three days were really catching up and identifying key area’s that needed focus. Come Friday night all I wanted was a few cold beers and to veg out in front of the TV.

The Saturday was supposed to be a shopping day, so after a lay in I ventured in to town and started working through my list. It got to lunch time and I thought I’d grab a sandwich and chill out sitting in the sunshine when I got a call from the office advising that w had major issues with one of out largest systems. I managed to finish my sandwich as I headed back to the car and then spent the rest of the afternoon on the phone sorting the issue out.

Saturday evening was my cousin Jennifer’s 21st and Dad volunteered to drive so they picked me up about 17:00 and we headed out on the road towards Reading to a place called Longbridge Mill. It was good to catch up with the family again, and they were all interested to hear how I got on in India and what my plans were now. The issue at work was still bubbling away and the evening was slightly mared by the odd phone call.

Sunday was a chill out day and about 13:00 I headed up to Mum & Dad’s as they were doing a BBQ. However by 15:00 the clouds still hung in the sky to we decided to cook in the tradition fashion.

Monday it was back to work and before I knew it it was the weekend again. This weekend is the last free one I have as I am duty manager next weekend and fly back to India on Monday so I elected to chill out and sort some things out around the house.

That’s it really! Boring! Well I kind of knew it would be like this this time back but I am only back in India for 9 days so it should be easier after that. Maybe I can even start to have a Life?

Tags: Beer, Birthdays, Fun, Party

Okay so I arrived back in the UK Friday afternoon and was met on time by my taxi for the 40 minute run down the M25 / M3 to Basingstoke. Walking through the door I felt I could finally relax and kicked off my shoes and through myself on the sofa with a cold beer. I chilled out for about 30 minutes before I grabbed a shower and changed my clothes which made me feel about 10 times better, but I still couldn’t face unpacking so resigned to leave that until Saturday. I grabbed another beer and through myself back on the sofa. I managed to last until about 19:30 before I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and headed for bed. It was so nice being back in my own bed with big soft pillows I fell straight to sleep.

Saturday morning I was awake at 04:00 and ready to go. I had a bunch of shopping to do and Williams 3rd Birthday at 14:00. Then I remembered that the shops didn’t open at 04:00 so settled on unpacking my case. Now one thing I am not going to miss about India is the dust and dirt. This time around I brought the majority of my electronic equipment home. However before I could set it up I had to wash everything down as it was coated in a fine layer of dust. This is made even more fustrating when your an apple fan and most of the kit is white, well was white when I brought it. Once I had done this I needed to let everything dry off so I laid a big towel out on the landing and set everything up so it could dry.

At 09:00 I headed into town as another side effect of being away is that I have lost a lot of weight and none of my clothes fit me. So after buying a couple of new suits and half a dozen shirts I was feeling a little peckish. I headed to nearest cafe, where I found Mum & Dad just finishing lunch and joined them for Sausage, Egg, Chips, and beans. After lunch and catching up with the folks I had the energy to finish my shopping so headed back into the crowd and cringed everytime I handed over my credit card. It’s going to take some time getting used to spending in pounds again!

13:00 Mum & Dad picked me up and we headed to Katrina & Rob’s for Williams 3rd Birthday party (Photo’s here). Katrina & Rob had setup an big marquee and laid out sandwiches, crisps, and a variety of sweets. The kids all had fun playing with Williams toys and playing the party games that Katrina had organised, while the adults enjoyed a few beers and chatted. About 16:00 we set off as I was feeling knackered and Mum & Dad had things they needed to do. I got back home and had a couple more beers and contemplated how I was going to try and stay awake. I ended up washing down all the electronic’s equipment again as it all still looked dirty. I managed to stay awake until 21:00 but once again had no problems getting to sleep.

Sunday I managed to lay in until a respectable 09:30, and actually felt a little more human. I finished unpacking my suitcase and set about setting up my electronic equipment. I then set about catching up on my personal email and sorting through my post. By 13:00 I was about 50% of the way there but decided to head up to Mum & Dad’s as Mum was cooking Roast Beer and I thought it would give us chance to catch up. We had dinner about 15:00 and then were joined by Clive & Sue (Friends of Mum & Dad’s). I walked home about 17:00 feeling tired but mainly because I had eaten a big meal and enjoyed a few beers. I set about finishing sorting out my email and post and then sat and watched TV for an hour. I lasted until about 21:30 before I felt my eye’s straining to stay open and decided it was better to not fight it.

Monday I woke up at 08:00 and headed into town as I had realised that I needed a few more bits and pieces. I was finished by 10:30 and decided to take the car for a spin as it had been sat there for a while. I headed home for lunch and enjoyed my first salad since coming back. It was paradise! I spend the rest of the day sorting out the house, and a few personal things with the bank and insurance companies before chilling out on the sofa and watching a couple of films.

Today I woke at 09:00 and feel that I am back in the mix. I had a few personal things to sort out and it was nice to have the extra days to do them properly. It’s back to work tomorrow and I am looking forward to being back in London, if not the commute. It’s going to be slightly strange going back and picking up my new responsibilities, espcially now that former peers are reporting to me. I think the saving grace however is I know they are professional people and honestly don’t believe they will have any issues, as they are as eager as I am to see improvements, but I’ll let you know how it goes.

Tags: Beer, Birthdays, Family, Food, Friends, Party, Shopping

Wow, it has been over a month since my last entry but at least I have something to blog about. Well that’s not quite true, I actually have a lot to blog about! Now the hard bit is deciding where to start.

So in my last post I was Duty Manager and trapped in my apartment in India planning my trip to Thailand, so let’s start there. Well on the Monday Chris Gothard, a collegue from the UK arrived in order to meet the team and discuss a few organisation changes. It was a great week and Chris enjoyed putting names to faces and catching up with people that he had only spoken to previously via the phone and email. It was a busy week with a lot of stuff to cover but we got through everything and even resolved some long outstanding issues. Sometimes its just so much easier when you can sit down and discuss things. Friday was Chris and Sandra’s last day in India before they flew back to the UK so there was a big party to see them off. I think most people from the team in India made it along at some point and judging by the fact you couldn’t get on the dance floor I think everybody had a great time.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling a lot better than I expected to given the amount I had poured down my neck. I love a free bar! Karan was prompt as usual and after manhandeling my suit case into the car we headed for Delhi’s IGI Airport. I arrived with plenty of time to spare but I was in holiday mode and didn’t care as I sat there listening to my iPod watching the world go by. We boarded the plane, and my backside struggled to get use to the economy seats. Thankfully it was only a three hour flight and after few beers to top up Friday nights quota I was soon asleep.

We touched down at Bangkok’s International Airport about 20 minutes late and disembarked straight away. I sailed through passport control and my bag was on the belt waiting for me. Perfect! I headed out and grabbed the first taxi I could find and gave him the address of the Hotel and we set off. As we drove the 40 minutes to the hotel I answered the normal question on where I was from, how I was here on holiday, and yes I liked beautiful women. I looked out of the window at the high rise skyscrappers and felt very much at home even though there was palm trees everywhere. We arrived at the hotel and I checked in, grabbed a shower, and changed my clothes. Unpacking would have to wait as I had spotted a McDonalds across from the hotel as we arrived. As I walked in through the big glass doors I am sure I looked insane with the smile I was wearing, as I ordered I must have looked like a raving lunatic. As I approached the counter thoughts raced through my mind, how many Big Mac’s did they have in stock? Would I be allowed to order them all? Would they deliver to India? I approached with caution and ordered a large Big Mac meal. I don’t remember the next 3.6 minutes as I was in a “Happy Place”. As I liked my fingers and drained my full fat coke I could only think of one thing. A Cheese Burger Meal! So back at the counter and then back to my table and the “Happy Place”. After eating I just felt really tired, but knew if I went to bed to early I would be awake early hours so I went for a wander. It didn’t take me to long to find a bar and as I walked in I was welcomed by 3 or 4 very beautiful girls. I sat at the bar and ordered a beer and two of the girls sat down with me. They asked me the same questions the cab driver had asked me and made general chit chat. By the time I finished my beer one of the girls was sat on my lap and the other one rubbing my shoulders. I made my excuses, well they weren’t really excuses as I was totally knackered, and headed back to the hotel alone. I grabbed a quick drink in the bar and then headed to bed.

Over the next few days I enjoyed laying in, usually until 10:00 before venturing out to for breakfast. After breakfast I would do a little shopping and generally look around before heading in search of Lunch. Lunch usually focused around beef in one form or another. After lunch I would head back to the hotel to drop my bags off and would then spend a few hours by the pool. Around 15:00 I would generally doze off and wake a couple of hours later ready to eat. I would grab a shower and change, not that it was really worth it as I within 30 seconds of leaving the hotel I would be sweating profoundly. I would then enjoy a few drinks and make small talk with the girls. They tried to teach me Thai and laughed at my mispronunciation.

Tuesday night I caught the night train from Bangkok to Champon. It was very similar to the train I caught from Mumbia to Goa although there were less bunks per carriage and a lot more space. I arrived in Chanpon about 04:30 Wednesday morning and was meet at the train station by the company that runs one of the ferries between Champon and Koh Tao. It was about a 20 minute drive from the train station to the ferry terminal and then we had an hours wait until the ferry left. Luckily there was a cafe which sold coffee and snacks.

The ferry took about 3 hours and I got talking to one of the deck hands who spoke very good English which passed the time. We reached the island of Koh Tao about 11:00 and it was a short walk along the beach to the dive school. Once at the school I filled in the paperwork and checked into my room. The room was quite basic, bathroom, double bed, TV, but it would do. I grabbed a shower and then headed off in search of some lunch. It wasn’t hard as there were only two main streets and every other building was a resturant which sold good old English food. It was fantastic sat in shorts and t-shirts looking out at the beach eating Sausage and Mash. After lunch I headed back to my room and grabbed a few hours sleep. I woke up and headed to the bar grabbed a drink and got chatting to the other people that would be on my course. We all had a few beers and then headed off for dinner.

The second day we all met up at 09:00 and headed for the class room and a morning of video’s and tests. We finished about 14:00 by which time I was starving so headed in search of lunch. The afternoon was spent in the swimming pool running through some of the basic skills. Over the next few days we headed out to sea a practices our skills before diving the various reefs and huntng down different fish, stingyrays, and turtles. The last dive of the PADI Open Water exam was a night dive, which was in my view one of the best. We headed out about 18:00 and arrived at the dive site just as the sun was setting. We entered the water, turned on our torches and desended. It was amazing as there seems to be a lot more around. As we surfaced we all looked up and the stars seemed so bright. We bobbed around for about 10 minutes just staring at the sky before returning to the boat.

The next day we started our advanced course, and more book work. Luckily it was just the morning and in the afternoon we headed out to do our first two dives. The first was fish ID, which as it says was all about identifying underwater sea life, whilst the second was navigation, and I think my sailing helped a little as I was familiar with a compass and found the tasks no problem at all. When we got back I elected to do another course, NITROX, which allows you to dive on a mixture of Oxygen and Nitrogen rather than air. The benefit of this is that you can stay under for longer periods. There was another exam but it was basically algothrims so was pretty easy.

The folowing day was the last two dives of the advanced course and probably the most fun after the night dive. The first was the deep dive, which basically sees how you are affected by Narcoisis. We reached just over 30 metres and nobody showed any signs. Quite disappointing really. The last dive I did with a Dive Propelled Vehicle. This allowed us to cover an awful lot more ground and use a lot less air as we weren’t expending as much energy. As I had completed the NITROX course we completed the last two dives on Nitrox we were down for about 40 minutes on each dive and still came up with enough for another 20 minutes, but had to surface as others were low on air. That afternoon we completed all our paperwork and recieved our tempory certificates.

The following day was my birthday so I decided on a different type of sporting activity, namely drinking until I fell down. I was accompanied by a number of the Dive Master and Instructors and got to bed about 01:00 the following morning after basically crawling my way around pubs all day. I was surprised when I woke up at 10:00 the following morning with only a mild headache, which was quickly resolved after a visit to the NITROX tank building. That afternoon I signed up for two last fun dives. We went back to places I had seen before but it was a lot more fun as we didn’t have to practice all the skills and I was put with an experienced diver. We were on air for both of these dives but were down for over 50 minutes each time. When we surfaced I still had enough for another 15-20 minutes. That evening I went for drinks with some of the Dive Masters and long term visitors who just couldn’t bring themselves to leave.

The following morning I packed, ate some lunch and then headed for the ferry port as my time on Koh Tao was over. As I sat there watching the ferry pull in I checked my BlackBerry and saw an email saying that I was needed in the UK as soon as possible. I made a couple of calls to find out what was going on, and then returned to my holiday. The ferry ride took about two hours and when I arrived at the ferry port in Koh Sumai I was greated by GIANT. No kidding you this guy was about 40” Tall and like 18 tons. Okay maybe not quite but you get the picture. I swallowed hard when he held up a card with the name of my hotel on it. I wanded over and said “Hi!” He introduced himself as Vince and lifed my suitcase, which by now did weight at least a ton, cleanly onto his shoulder. I followed him to the minibus, where he loaded my case into the back and then waved goodbye. It was about a 30 minute ride to the hotel and I was pretty knackered. Koh Sumia according to everyone is very touristy, and that’s the impression I got as we drove through what looked like little spain. We arrived at the hotel, which was right on the beach and I checked before grabbing a shower and change of clothes. I went for a short walk, but there wasn’t much about, apart from the normal gift shops. I headed to the hotel bar and order a drink and something to eat but struggled to finish them both, so called it quits and headed to bed.

The following morning I woke up about 10:00 felling a lot better but didn’t really have time to do anything as my flight was at 15:00. It was only 15 Minutes to the airport so I opted for a morning by the pool. I arrived at the airport on time, and enjoyed the whole experieince. Seriously I have never seen an airport like it. You felt as if you were on the beech. They even had free fruit juice, fruit, and pasteries.

We departed on time and 2 hours later landed back in Bangkok where I repeated the actions of my first day and grabbed a cab to the hotel. I had a 18:00 flight the following day but a 14:00 checkout and 3 hour airport checkin, so I grabbed something to eat and then hit the bars for one last night in Thailand, and the last steak for a while. I got to bed about 02:00 and woke about 11:00 the next day. After showing and packing I had a quick brunch and then checked out and headed back to the airport.

I arrived back in New Delhi at 21:00 Sunday night and was met by a very happy Karan. He couldn’t wait to tell me the good news about he and his wife having a baby son. I got back to the apartment about 22:00 and unpacked. Well I think most of the clothes walked to the laundry basket themselves. Then headed to bed.

See the Thailand Photos.

Tags: Beer, Birthdays, Family, Food, Friends, Fun, Holiday, Party, Photography, Shopping, Travel

After feeling rough mid-week I decided I needed to take it easy and stick to a plain (English) diet. Thursday I was feeling better (In as much as I could function) but by Friday I felt normal again, but decided not to have an easy weekend.

It was Mik Bedson's (Operations Director) last day Friday, before he fly's back to the UK to take up his new role, and as always it called for a party. The band he played with here in India gave a very good performance and Mik, his normal fun loving self, was soon there guitar in hand to join in the fun. Friday night there were drinks and joint dinner party for Mik and Nick De Vansey, who is also leaving shortly, at the DLF Golf and Country club where we all got to say goodbye, or see you in a few months for those of us following in his foot steps.

It was a lovely evening and a lovely venue and I got to catch up with a lot of people I only usually speak to across a meeting room. It was a nice and relaxed evening and I was home and tucked up in bed by 23:30. Click here for pictures.

Friday Chris, Sandra, and myself had made tentative plans to get out and do something on Saturday. So after a nice lay in Saturday morning Karan picked us up and we headed towards Delhi. We first of all headed to a dear park which we spent about an hour and a half walking around before stopping at a restaurant for lunch. After lunch we had about an hours walk around the rose garden before heading to Buddha Jayanti Park. This was an extremely large park that has been created along what is known as Delhi Ridge, which according to the guide book is the last outcrop of the Aravalli Hills extending northwards from Rajasthan.

After about 5 hours walking we were all pretty tired and had trouble keeping our eyes open during the drive back to Gurgaon. Once in Gurgaon we headed to Harriez for something to eat and lots of water as we were all feeling pretty dehydrated after all the walking. Click here for pictures.

Today I woke up about 09:00 and did the normal washing and called upon the services of the Ironing man (really need to find out his name before I leave). Now I am sitting down with a cheese and onion sandwich sorting out my trip to Thailand, oh and another trip I am looking at doing 1st-5th May to Khajuraho and a tiger reserve. More on that later!

Tags: Beer, Food, Friends, Fun, Party, People, Photography, Relaxing, Sickness, Sightseeing, Travel

Okay so the New Year hangover has worn off and I am once again able to type a semi-coherent sentence (well as coherent as I ever am). So where did I leave off, that's right the Taj Mahal and my update on the 27th December. Well I haven't been sat around doing nothing.

After relaxing for the day after the trip I was ready to party and was in the New Year spirit so on Saturday 29th December I meet up with my Windows support team at a restaurant called "Cafe Morrisions" in New Delhi's Southern Extension. Parking in New Delhi is a nightmare but Karan my driver managed to get me as close as possible and I ventured off on foot to find the place. It took less than 5 minutes, mainly due to the bloody big sign (Not sure how we didn't see it from the road) but the guys were caught up in traffic so I took a look round and ended up buying a new pair of shoes (I've turned into a woman). We eventually tied up and ventured inside. I was surprised as it could have been any american themed dinner anywhere in the world. We knew it was India however from the Disco playing 80's and early 90's music loud enough to deafen if the hardest rock fan. The menu was international, well as international as it gets in India and we ordered a range of dishes, from the Mexican and Indian menu's. We drank, ate, and talked until midnight and then made our way to our respective homes.

Sunday was another quiet day, but I was hungry by midday and couldn't be bothered to cook and the thought of take away just didn't appeal. I made my way up to the mall's and settled on Ruby Tuesday's. I sat and read the paper while enjoying a cold beer and then ate chicken, mash, and vegetables and felt human again. I had a few more beers and then made my way home. I had a drinking head on by the time I got home, but had work the following day and a New Year party in my sights so made myself a coffee and sat down to read a book. I read for about an hour and my eye's started to get heavy so I laid on the bed and woke up about 4 hours later. I was hungry again but this time couldn't be bothered going out (life is complicated) so made myself bean's on toast covered it in cheese and ketchup and took to the sofa for a movie watching session.

Monday I was up at 06:00 and after showering I pottered around and waited for Karan to arrive. We headed off to the office and I spent the day wishing I had booked it off (I am not sure I didn't to be honest). Well the office was quiet and nobody was really in the mood to do anything too heavy so I caught up with my email and organized my diary for the coming week.

Vikram and I agreed to meet up at 20:00 to see in the new year as I left the office at 17:30. I got home and laid on the bed knowing it was going to be a long night and after setting my alarm for 19:30 allowed myself to doze off. The alarm woke me as it was supposed to do, and I grabbed a shower and changed. Karan picked me up at 20:00 and we headed for Vikrams, via the wine shop to stock up on a couple of items we had forgotten to get on the way home from work. Once at Vikram's we grabbed a few drinks before heading off to meet up with some of his friends. Once we had found each other we headed to a nearby society function and commenced the real drinking. As the night went on we drank, talked, drank some more, talked crap, and drank even more. As the countdown was announced I grabbed my phone and called home, slightly the worse for wear.

About 45 minutes later we headed back to Vikram's place as it was getting very cold despite visit's to the bonfire to warm up. We arrived back and met up with some of Vikram's other friends and drank our way through to 04:00. I remember leaving, I remember getting in the car, I even remember going to getting out of the car. After that I remember nothing, other than I woke up New Year's day at 13:30 with a very sore head, but safe and sound in my own bed.

Do I need to say that New Year's Day was very quiet!!!!

Then it was back to work. The remainder of the week has been very subdued, but things are starting to pick up. Next week I am expecting things to get back to full swing as the UK and Europe return to work but last night and tonight are quiet nights, aka recovery time. That said we are planning a Friday night curry and beers tomorrow, so who knows.

Anyway I will provide the normal links to the photo's (Please note no animals were hurt, well except the one's we ate), before wishing you all a very Happy New Year. Team Dinner, New Year 2007.

Tags: Beer, Food, Friends, Party, People

Well this week has been quiet compared to the normal chaos, but that was to be expected really with the wind down in Europe this time of year. Monday night Vikram and I grabbed dinner and Friday night we enjoyed a few to many beers, but other than that I haven't done that much apart from enjoying a few relaxing evenings in front of the TV. Saturday night me and my Windows support team went out for a long overdue meal at a restaurant called S4 in Delhi's Defense Colony. It was a chinese/thai menu and was very good. I forgot to take my camera with me so unfortunately there are no pictures,

Today I have taken it easy in anticipation of the parties ahead, but did manage to venture out and get my hair cut (Rs 50 / £0.062) and get some groceries in. Vikram will be on his own for Christmas so we intend on hitting a few bars and partying hard together, and no there will be no pictures. I am thankfully now off work until the 31st December so intend on getting out and about a bit, maybe even venturing down to Agra. Mum & Dad have now got there visa's and will be out on the 24th Jan so I need to step up my game and check a few places out for them. Otherwise I intend on doing little other than relaxing.

I'll try and post as I do stuff, but otherwise I really don't have anything more. so it just remains to wish everybody a very happy Christmas.

Tags: Beer, Food, Friends, Party, People, Shopping

Okay so tomorrow is one week since I returned from the UK and it has flown by, then again time does seem to move faster here. Wednesday night Mark Leggo and myself headed off to a restaurant called Earth and enjoyed a few beers, dinner, and generally caught up. Thursday was another quiet night, after work I went back to Laurence's and we ordered Thai curries before heading home about 22:30 for some much needed shut eye. Friday was a really busy day and leaving the office at 18:30 we all needed a beer so Chris and I headed to Dine Estey, a local (Indian) Chinese restaurant, not to eat, but just because the bar is one of the cheapest around. Vikram joined us later for a drink and then had to head off to meet up with some other friends just as Laurence arrived. Sandra joined us later and I think by the end of the evening was the only sober one there.

Yesterday was "lay-in/sleep it off" day and I didn't wake up until about 11:00. Mark Leggo and I headed into Delhi about 13:00 and visited the Indian National Railway museum. After spending a couple of hours looking around we had seen everything there was to see so jumped in the car and headed for Delhi. Karen took our to the Parliament building and then to India Gate (Photo's available in the gallery). About 16:00 we headed back to Gurgaon so I could do some much needed shopping. I had pretty much run everything down before returning to the UK so needed everything. Mark made a very good basket carrier!

Once we had stocked up on the necessary items (we also bought food), we headed back to my apartment for a snack and a beer. We met up about 19:00 with Laurence and headed for a nice Italian restaurant creatively named "Italino" for dinner.

Today we are off to the Red Fort in Delhi and then depending on the time into Delhi itself to do some sightseeing (I'll post some more pictures later). Tonight Laurence is hosting a Cheese and Wine party. Life in the fast lane!

Tags: Friends, Beer, Food, Party, People, Shopping, Sightseeing

This week has been a pretty quite week. There were a lot fewer people in the office, and those that were in were distracted with Diwali preperations. Last night Laurence, Chris, Sandra, and myself went for a Diwali dinner and drinks, and enjoyed the vocal delights of a young chinese singer who sent and received text message through every song.

Well today is Diwali and a National Holiday so I took the opportunity to have a lay in. I am still suffering with Man Flu so have settled for a nice quite weekend, although I don't suppose I will get too much sleep as there are fireworks, and firecrackers going off all of the time. I think I'll take a walk this evening (and some photo's) as the place is very well decorated and there will be a lot of parties in full swing.

In other news it's nearly time for me to return to the UK for a break and a few home cooked meals. I am back in the UK the week commencing the 19th November for two whole weeks rest and relaxation, so if you want to catch up let me know.

Well that's it for now but I have added some pictures to the gallery here of a few of the gang taken yesterday, and I'll post some more later of the decorations.

[UPDATE: 10/11/07 03:45] Okay well the fireworks ended about 2 hours ago, and I have been having a few beers with Laurence. I tried taking some pictures with the camera but as it was dark and the artificial light was so strong they didn't really work. So instead I have captured pictures and footage with the Handycam. I will try an put this together over the weekend.

[UPDATE: 11/11/07 12:08] Okay I have uploaded the footage I shot of the Diwali fireworks, you can find it in the Movie Gallery.

Tags: Beer, Food, Friends, Party

Well last week was a busy, but good week. I managed to leave the office by 18:00 every evening and have even caught up on some reading and movie watching. Wednesday night Chris, Sandra, Vikram and myself went out to dinner with Eve Green and Bianca Kress, and Friday night Chris, Sandra, Vikram and myself enjoyed a typical Friday night drinking session.

Saturday morning I really didn't want to get up (I think it was the peanuts), but I had to go shopping for my outfit for the COLT Diwali party. I met up with Chris and Sandra at one of the malls (I really have to start remembering the names) where we selected our traditional outfits. I left Chris and Sandra shopping and went and picked up some groceries before heading home for lunch. After lunch I couldn't decided between going sightseeing or going to the gym, so I selected to have a nap and think about it. I woke up about 17:30 and grabbed a shower and then headed off to TGI Friday's for dinner and a few beers.

Yesterday morning I had a nice lay in and spent the day relaxing, watching TV, and listening to some Pod-casts, in preparation for the Diwali party. I left (feeling slightly uncomfortable in my outfit) just after 17:00 and headed towards Sun City Farm near Delhi.

It was a good evening with plenty of beer and food and I think everybody enjoyed themselves. Everybody including myself was tired this morning and I think there will be a few early nights tonight. I have created a gallery with a few of the pictures here for those that are interest in such things.

Tags: Beer, Food, Friends, Party, Fun

Well this week has been just a hectic as normal but things are a lot more settled. The general atmosphere has improved in the office and people are a lot more content with what they are doing, we still have some way to go but it's great to see people discussing issues between themselves before escalating. My main body of work this week has been around setting up our new office in Bangalore, and recruiting staff to replace those that have left over the last 6 months. We have some very aggressive time-scales for the Bangalore site and an awful lot to do.

The most frustrating aspect has been trying to negotiate our own processes and systems, but by Friday we had made some positive advances. I think I am going to have to spend a few evenings this week making sure everything is in order, but I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing all the pieces together.

I managed to get to the gym Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday this week, and today enjoyed a Swedish deep tissue and Indian head massage after a good workout. I know I will have no problems sleeping this evening. Today I honestly thought my trainer was trying to kill me. After doing a 20 minute run and some weight training he had me doing abdominal excercises. I soon realized just how unfit I am, but Amit was pretty confident he could get me into shape. Simon, the Root Cause Analysis Trainer, has been over from the UK this week and we made some good progress on incorporating the training into our existing processes. Tuesday and Thursday we took the work back to Simon's hotel and ironed out some of the creases over a few beers. The 20-20 world cricket has been on and the Indians love there cricket so after a while we had to put the work to the side as we couldn't hear ourselves over the cheering.

Saturday night I met up with some of the Windows team as it was Parvinders (The Windows Team Leader) birthday. We headed in the new friends colony in New Delhi about 17:30 and met up in a one of the restaurants for some snacks and a few beers. The guys had strategically placed themselves right in front of a large TV screen so we could follow the India / Australia. At 20:00 we had to move on as there was a 1000 Rupee per head surcharge (because of the cricket). We soon found another restaurant that was showing the match and settled in for a few more beers and some more food. This morning I woke up and could still taste the green chillies I had eaten, and it took about a pint and half of water before I could feel my lips.

Tags: Beer, Birthdays, Food, Fun, Party

Well I know I have been quiet this week, but after a nice relaxing Sunday last weekend I decided I needed to concentrate on getting my head into gear. I have been spending between 12 and 18 hours a day working, and I knew I just couldn't keep the momentum going any longer. Monday and Tuesday were very busy days, but with Vikram on board they were much more manageable. Monday was the worst, I woke up with Delhi Belly and despite trying everything I knew I just couldn't shake it. I tried to get out of the office early but it just wasn't happening. I eventually left at 19:00 but I was still working at 02:00 Tuesday morning. Tuesday my stomach still hadn't settled down and I struggled through the day before declaring myself out of action at 20:00, opting to go straight to bed.By the time Wednesday arrived I felt much better, aided I think by a full nights sleep and all day I felt more in control, and although busy the rest of the week felt much more organized.

Friday night was Saurabh's Wedding, and I was determined I was going to make it. I finished work at 18:00 and headed home for a shower and a change of clothes. At 19:00 I headed back to the office to pick up three of the guy's and we headed into New Delhi. We arrived about 21:30 and felt like we were the first ones there. Saurabh arrived about 22:30 and things started to develop from there. I had to leave before the main ceremony, but Indian weddings are very long events and by 01:30 I was shattered and still had a 2 hour trip home. Not to mention my driver had to then drive back to Delhi.

The wedding itself was amazing and very colorful. The reception was held out doors and must have been at least the size of a football pitch. Everything was lit up and every color you could imagine was in is use somewhere. It's funny because in the UK we talk about colors clashing, but out here anything and everything just seems to work. The event was "dry" but Saurabh knew his audience and had catered accordingly. So about midnight we retreated to the comfort of the car park and enjoyed a couple of beers, before heading back for something to eat.

Check out the Movie Gallery for the video I shot. It's not quite BBC material but I am still getting used to the camera. It doesn't really do it justice but I think it gives a good insight.

Saturday I was up about 10:00 and Laurence and I headed into Delhi to do some shopping just after lunch. I picked up another UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) as I am fed up with the electric going out at the good part in a movie. Saturday evening I finally joined the gym and committed to giving up smoking again. As part of the membership I get full use of the Gym, Sauna, Steam room, Jacuzzi, foot spa, and nine free massages, which I think I will need given the amount of time that has lapsed since I did any real exercise. It's a new gym and all of the equipment is the latest, and best of all the gym is very quiet. After a workout and Sauna we headed for Berco's and grabbed dinner, before heading home about 22:00.

Sunday morning I was up at 09:00 and Karen, my driver, picked me and Laurence up for another gym session. We headed down about 10:30 and finished about 14:00. I am pretty sure tomorrow I will ache from head to toe, but it did feel good. After the gym we grabbed some lunch and did a little shopping before heading back to our respective apartments.

It's just coming up to 18:00 now and I am going to catch up with some personal email, before settling down with my Lonely Planet Guide to India. I am going to start planning out some weekend sightseeing, starting I think in and around New Delhi and then start looking further afield. I'll let you know what I come up with.

Tags: Beer, Party, Shopping, Weddings

Okay so I didn't get around to updating the blog yesterday but it's been a great weekend and I basically had better things to do.

So picking up from where I left off Friday morning I had my FRRO registration meeting. I was picked up at 10:00 by Rajeev for the 30 minute ride to the Ministry of paperwork. When we arrived it was like stepping back in time. It was just a large non-descript concrete building with rooms in every directions. In the rooms were old school like desks and plastic patio chairs. Outside each of the rooms was a bench that inevitably had somebody asleep on it. I was led up to the 3rd floor, past court rooms (based on the layout), and guards stations to another non-descipt room this time with aluminum dividing walls. You really wouldn't have known any official went on there except for the armed guards.

We entered one of the aluminum cubicles and I sat for about 20 minutes while Rajeev provided piece of paper after piece of paper, and the man from the ministry read each one three times, shuffled the forms he now had and requested others that Rajeev had to point out he had already handed over. Then he reached for a big book and filled it in before asking me to sign it and then stamping it with over 10 billion rubber stamps (okay, by this stage I was bored and I think he knew because he kept looking at me then the clock).

The next thing I knew is we were off, me, Rajeev, the man from the ministry of paperwork, the paperwork, and the big book were walking back down the stairs. We then approached what looked like an important area. This was apparent by the number of people with guns standing around. It wasn't until I looked at the labels on the door that I realized we needed to see the Deputy Commissioner of police and that he needed to sign the "book". We all bowed (well the other two guys bowed and I kind of thought hey this is cool smiled and nodded my head) and went in. The room was a lot more impressive. A single large dark wooden desk surrounded on three sides by green leather backed arm chairs. The book was presented to him, he signed it, they al bowed again and we left. (I think I waved as we came out I'm not sure) and that we all done. So I am now legal. I should get all the certificates this week, but work take care of that, but as far as paperwork goes I am almost sorted (just the UK tax office to go).

Friday night we had the COLT India Annual Event, aka "Spark" (Which I think was the name of the local Ind rock band that had been hired for the event). I must say the setup was very impressive and I would have a lot more pictures to show you if I had remembered to charge my Camera battery before going (I really need to get my act together on photo's and movies). The facilities guys really did a good job. I have some video footage that I will splice into a short film to give you an idea of the what things looked like, but I think it was agreed that it was a good night. I left about midnight and didn't need any rocking to get to sleep.

Saturday morning I got up and went to join the gym. After the tour and being told all about the facilities the sales director would not let me join until I has tried the facilities out at least three times free of charge. So I had about an hours work out, and an hour in the sauna and steam room before showing and leaving feeling great. I then headed to the shops and stocked up on a few essentials and then went home and cooked sausages, beans, and Mash potatoes.

After dinner I went for a walk for an hour before settling down with some traditional british rock and a book.

This morning (Sunday) I had a lay in and a lazy breakfast before doing a couple of hours work. I then had lunch and watched a movie (Zoro). About 15:00 Karan (my driver) picked me up and we headed for the Gym where I spent 3 hours. I came out and treated myself to a small domino's pizza, immediately putting back on the calories I had just burned off and probably a few extra besides, but I did enjoy it.

This week is going to be very busy but I am hoping not to stressful. Lets see.

Tags: Party, Beer