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

So yesterday I woke up about 09:00 and decided that I needed to do something with the day! Karan picked me up about 10:15 and we headed to the local shops so I could get my hair cut and pick up some groceries. We were done by midday and I headed back to the apartment for some lunch. After lunch we headed off towards Surajkund. There wasn't much to see but I didn't want to hang around the apartment all day. On the way back we stumbled on an old fort, but unfortunately it was closed as they are currently restoring it, but we had a little walk around the outside.

We got back to Gurgaon about dinner time and I got Karan to drop me at TGI Friday's. The staff were all please to see me again as I hadn't told them I was going back to the UK and they thought I had left. I told them not to worry and that they still had a few more tips coming there way. I had a couple of beers and something to eat when a bunch of the staff from the Crown Plaza (The hotel I stayed in when I first arrived). came in. They all said hello and were keen to hear what I had been up to and what I thought about India. I then grabbed a rickshaw home and had a few more beers. I must admit this morning I woke up with a sore head.

Tags: Beer, Food, Relaxing, Shopping, Sightseeing

Well it has been two weeks since I flew back to the UK for a short break and time has really flown by. I have spent most of my time catching up with friends and family, eating, drinking and generally relaxing. I did manage to get down to Boscombe Beech and took a few pictures, and I also managed to get into the office one day and meet up with a few people, although I didn't take any pictures there as most of them would of just been people drinking.

Well now it's time to do some last minute shopping and pack my case before I fly out on Sunday. Its been nice being back, but I have missed the sunshine. It's a little over four months until I return to the UK permanently and have quite a bit of work and travel to do before I eventually return.

Tags: Beer, Family, Food, Friends, Photography, Relaxing, Shopping

Okay so the week dragged, mainly as all I could think about was my trip home, but Thursday came before I knew it. I left the office and headed back to the apartment for a little lay down before grabbing a shower and a change of clothes. Karan picked me and my luggage up and we headed off to Dine Estey, where I met up with Laurence and Vikram for a few beers. I headed over to the Crown Plaza as I needed to see a friend of mine there, and there were a bunch of COLT people staying there who were on the same flight as me. I bumped into them just as I was leaving for the Airport and met them again in the check in queue.

After checking in and blagging a pass to the Business Lounge we had a few more beers before clearing security and boarding the plane. We took off on time and I had just enough energy to consume a few bottles of red wine and watch a film before passing out. I woke up about an hour from Heathrow and had enough time to have a coffee and a quick wash before we landed.

We landed on time and it all went pretty smoothly as I cleared immigration and collected my case. I exited the terminal and had about 10 minutes until the Rail Air coach arrived which was just enough time to get my nicotine levels back up to normal. The coach trip to Woking, and then the train trip to Basingstoke was straight forward with no waiting about and I was back at home about 10:00.

I grabbed a quick shower and changed, unpacked my bag, and then headed round to Mum and Dad's to say hello. Katrina and the kids dropped round about an hour later and I got to say hello to everybody. By the time lunch time arrived I didn't really know what planet I was on and decided to take a walk into town to get some fresh air. It was certainly fresh, so much so that my teeth chattered as i walked, but after I got going I warmed up a little and soon started to feel comfortable.

I walked around town not really looking at anything in particular, although I did stop off at Jessops to take a look at camera's before walking home via McDonalds and a large Big Mac Meal. I got home and laid on the couch watching TV, but could feel myself drifting off so decided to settle in the study and sort some of my post out. I got about 80% of it done, and realized that I needed a clear head to focus on the rest so started to take a look around the house and asses the work that needed doing.

The kitchen waste water system has fallen to pieces, and the garden fences came down in the storm a few weeks ago. The freezer had defrosted but thankfully Mum and Dad had thrown away the contents and installed 5000 air fresheners to get rid of the smell. The driveway and patio need weeding and cleaning, but otherwise things were in pretty good shape. The kitchen has needed redoing since I purchased the place, but has been usable, but I know that I will need to gut it and redo it completely when I return in August. Time to start saving!

So this morning (I think it's Saturday today) I woke up at 06:00 and thought I would take the car out for a run as it's been stood for a while. My suspicions where confirmed when I got in and tried to start it and the battery was flat. So I rang Jaguar and am now waiting for the man that can to turn up and sort it out. Once that's done I think I will take a drive to the supermarket and stock up on provisions. The only real plan after that is to meet up with Dad for a few beers.

Tags: Beer, Family, Food, Relaxing, Shopping, Travel

Okay so going back to work was hard today! The work was the same but I was still chilled out and relaxed and everything just seemed to annoy me for some reason. By mid-afternoon however I was back in the flow and realized how many things I had to do, and started ploughing my way through them. Tonight however I have no energy at all and intend to do nothing more than order a pizza and have a few cold beers while i plan my next holiday.

Well not strictly my next holiday as that is already planned, Easter weekend I fly back to the UK for two weeks, no I am talking about the one after that! One thing that I have realized is that I don't really have much time left in India and still have so much to see. The downside is I still have a job to to, but flights and accommodation are so cheap there is nothing to stop me getting away for a weekend or even a long weekend if I plan it. So that is exactly what I am going to do!

Tags: Relaxing, Beer

Okay so starting at the begining Karan picked Laurence and I up at 07:30 Saturday morning and we drove to the domestic airport terminal. Laurence, Sandra, and Chris all flew with SpiceJet but I was on a Go Air flight that was supposed to leave 5 minutes earlier, not that is the reason I booked it, I booked it because I wasn't paying attention. The flights were about an hour late taking off but we all arrived at Mumbia airport within minutes of each other and all met up outside. Leon, a friend of Chris and Sandra's, flew into Mumbia International from the UK and the hotel cab picked him up then came around to the domestic airport to collect us before we all headed to the Farias hotel where we checked in, dumped our bags, and meet by the pool for a few drinks and a late lunch. After lunch we headed off into Mumbia, checking out the Gateway to India on the way.

We wandered around the streets taking in the sights, sounds, and smells, before making our way towards the beech for a long walk along the promenade. We stopped off for 10 minutes to take a walk down to the sea. Laurence and I then headed to Leopolds bar for a few beers leaving Sandra, Chris, and Leon on the beech. We got to Leopolds and it was obvious we were not going to be able to eat as the queue for the restaurant was out the door and half way up the street. So we headed upstairs to the bar and ordered a couple of Budwiesers. The place was dark, crowded (mainly with ex-pats) and very very smokey. We were half way through our second beer when Sandra, Chris, and Leon walked in. We quickly decided we were all hungry and tired so we finished our beers and decided to walk back to the hotel for dinner. We walked, talked, and headed in the general direction of the hotel. We were just starting to doubt ourselves and a street kid came up to us offering to show us the way. We turned left and walked about 200 yards and we had arrived. Laurence gave him about 8 rupees (10p), and we all laughed at his demands for 20 as we headed for the hotel restaurant. We grabbed dinner and a few more beers before all heading to our respective rooms for an early night.

Sunday morning we met for breakfast by the pool and discussed the plans for the day. We decided to head off on a boat trip to an Island called Elephanta (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/elephanta-caves.htm). The island is basically a set of 5 temples all carved into the rock. They are pretty worn now, and any restoration that has been done hasn't done anything to preserve the beauty of the carvings etc, but we walked around all 5 caves and then up to a place called Cannon Hill. Named basically as it featured a large cannon on top of a hill. After a little rest and a bunch of photo's we headed back down the hill only stopping off for a quick soft drink. We were just in time for the 13:30 boat back and most people snoozed all the way. We arrived back at the hotel and met up with another friend of Chris and Sandra's called Scott who has setup camp in the bar. We dragged him out and up to the poolside bar where we had lunch and got to know each other over, yes you have guessed it, a few cold beers.

It was early evening by the time we set off out taking Scott to see the Gateway to India and the streets of Mumbia. We found one of the other hotels we had considered and decided to stop for cocktails and later dinner. We had to be at Mumbia train station for 23:00 so we all ordered stuff that we knew wouldn't take long to prepare, cook, and eat. We left the hotel and grabbed taxi's back to the Fariyas to collect our luggage and then drive us to the train station.

We arrived in good time but checking the boards we found the train was running 45 minutes late so we headed to a waiting room and waited it out. The train eventually arrived and we found our bunks. We made ourselves at home and then sat back and took in everything that was going on around us, you know the call for Coffee, Tea, and Chicken Lollipops, before eventually succumbing to tiredness and falling asleep.

We woke up Monday morning traveling through some beautiful countryside and it all looked so much more civilized. I decided to go for a smoke and stood by one of the open carriage doors watching the landscape rush by. We arrived about two hours later and booked a couple of pre-paid cabs for the journey to the hotel. It was so nice seeing different (non-city) scenery and now I felt like I was on holiday. We arrived at the Oceanique Hotel about 45 minutes later and by this time we all needed a little down time. We had slept on the train, but maybe not as well as any of us would have in our own beds. We checked in and the first thing I needed was a shower and a shave. I came back down to find Leon, Scott, and Laurence by the pool and it took no effort to join them lying there in 33 degrees as they organized the drinks.

After a swim and a few beers we headed out in search off food by way of the beech. Sandra, Chris, and Scott has gone ahead of us and had found "Bob's Bar", or something like that. Laurence, Leon, and myslef had waited for Ndidi, who had flown in from Delhi that morning, and then walked down to join them. We took our seats and enjoyed some great food and yes a few more cold beers. We sat, we talked, and we watched the ocean before heading back to the hotel for some more R&R agreeing to meet up later in the bar. Well after a shower (yes another one, well it was hot) I wandered down to the bar and ordered a beer. My intention was to have one, maybe two, and then go exploring as I wasn't tired. It didn't quite work out that way. I was about halfway through my first beer when Ndidi walked in. She wasn't tired either, having only flown the couple of hours from Delhi. She was closely followed by Laurence, Leon, Scott, Sandra, and Chris. Now after this things are a little bit of a blur. I remember sometime later we decided it was time to head out for dinner and I remember walking into town with the gang. I also remember saying to Chris that I wasn't hungry and was going off exploring. The basic upshot was that I had figured out I was rat assed and needed to go to bed. So I wandered back to the hotel, stopping off for a beer or two on the way, and once back at the hotel I promptly passed out. I am told that the rest of them bar Chris and Sandra didn't fair much better as they were drinking until about 02:00 Tuesday morning.

Tuesday morning I found Chris, Sandra, Scott, and Ndidi in the restaurant having breakfast. Sandra had arranged for cab's into old Goa. Chris, Sandra, Scott, and Myself headed off in the first cab about 10:30 and the others left about 11:00 in the second cab.

Goa was invaded and occupied by the Portuguese and is predominately Roman Catholic. We looked around ruins of old Churches and some of the older churches and cathedrals that are still very much in use, before heading down to the Quay and the admiralty arch that most of those that came here entered through. We then headed back towards the hotel as Sandra, Chris, Scott, and Leon were all due to leave. Scott and Leon for Jaipur and Chris and Sandra for Delhi.

We decided however there was enough time for lunch if we went straight there and that's exactly what we did. Well Sandra, Chris, Scott, and myself. Leon walked down from the hotel as they had got back before us and went for a final dip in the ocean, and Ndidi and Laurence walked down to say goodbye. I got the cab back to the hotel with Chris, Sandra, Scott, and Leon, and opted for a few hours by the pool.

A couple of hours later, a subtle shade of red, hot, and sweaty I decided on a shower followed by a couple of cold beers. Laurence met me in the bar and we headed down to the beech to find a bar and food. Ndidi was going to catchup with us as she had a massage booked. We sat, drank, ate and then bar hopped our way back to the hotel.

Wednesday morning I woke and the guys had arranged to go and see a spice market. I had already toured the Delhi spice market and decided a day by the pool and on the beech was in order, and we agreed to meet up at the airport.

I spent a couple of hours laying by the pool before heading off to the beech. I spent my last 5 hours sitting on the beech, swimming in the sea, and sitting at a beech bar with a cold beer watching the world go by, before getting a cab to the airport to meet up with Laurence and Ndidi.

We had a good flight back, and I slept all the way. Laurence's driver picked us up at Delhi Airport and dropped us all back home.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday I chilled out at home, did a little shopping, got my hair cut, and drank some more beer. I think tomorrow I might venture to the gym!

Checkout the Photo's, and over the next few days I intend to cut the footage together I shot with the Handycam and upload that to the Movie Gallery.

Otherwise check out some of the photo's the others took;

• Chris's Photo's.

Tags: Beer, Food, Friends, Fun, Relaxing, Sightseeing, Travel

So Friday night I had my team leader monthly offsite dinner, which was good. We all ended up at a place called the Golden Dragon, a Chinese / Thai restaurant. located at the DLF Mega Mall. Saturday morning I woke up about 10:00 and was quite surprised I didn't have a hangover, given the amount of Kingfisher I had drunk. I got up and had a lazy breakfast of bacon, egg, and baked beans followed by a shower. The weather here has changed again and it's starting to hot up and it felt really good getting into shorts and a t-shirt, and I made the decision there and then to spend the day on the sofa, chilling out.

Lunch time arrived and I got a phone call from the Essel towers convenience store advising me that my sweet order had arrived. 10 minutes later the door bell went and I took delivery. Do you think I have over done it?

Anyway I spent the rest of the day watching films, listening to music and generally relaxing, and I intend on doing exactly the same again today. I have just sent all my ironing off to be done as it's back to work tomorrow, but thankfully only for a week, and then I am off to Mumbia and Goa for some serious R&R.

Tags: Beer, Food, People, Relaxing

Okay Mum and Dad arrived back from Goa on the 14th February. They had both caught the sun and looked a lot more relaxed. I was working so after work I returned to the apartment and we caught up over a few beers before heading out to dinner at a restaurant called Earth. Now none of use had even given the date a second thought (14th February) but it soon became apparent when we arrived at the restaurant, as there were heart shaped balloons all over the place. We didn't have a reservation but the waiter said he would try and find us a table. We sat down at the bar and had a few drinks arriving at the conclusion that everywhere would be the same. Finally, about 22:00, we sat down for dinner. We were all starving and tired by the time the main course came, we just ate and then headed for home.

Friday was back to work for me and I also had to go to the ministry to re-register but after that I sent Karan back to the apartment to pick up Mum & Dad who then went off shopping. Friday night was the start of my first Duty Manager shift so Mum cooked at home (Home cooking). I eventually finished work at 04:30 Saturday morning. Mum and Dad had arranged for Karan to pick them up at 10:00 and they headed off to spend some more money. I woke up about 10:30 and resumed working. Mum cooked again and we had another evening in. About 04:30 my internet line stopped working and I was left working on my BlackBerry, eventually getting to bed about 05:30.

Sunday I still had no internet connectivity so went around to Laurence's where I camped until about midnight. Lucky things were going largely to plan and I finished about 01:30 Monday morning. I grabbed a few hours sleep and then Mum, Dad, and I headed off the Delhi, in particular the old part. We went straight to Karims for lunch before touring the narrow side streets, stopping off so Mum could buy ribbons and other handy craft bit's and pieces and so Dad could take a look around a Jain temple. We headed back towards the point we had agreed to call Karan from but he found us before we could get there. We headed back to the apartment for a shower and a change of clothes and then to Dine Estey for dinner. Tuesday morning Karan picked us all up at 11:00 and we headed to the City Center mall were we left Mum to have a Manicure and Pedicure. Dad and I headed to the gym, where Dad had a massage and we both had a Sauna. We then headed back to the City Center mall and met up with Mum at Ruby Tuesday's for lunch, before returning to the apartment for a sleep as Mum and Dad had an early morning flight. We woke up about 19:30 and headed to TGI Friday's for dinner.

Mum and Dad left at 03:00 Wednesday morning, and me, well I went back to bed. I woke up at 11:30 and opted for a lazy day, chilling out on the sofa. Thursday morning Karan picked me up at 11:00 and I opted for another me day. I headed to the City Center mall where I had my first every manicure and pedicure. I then headed to the gym where I had a Balinese massage, and a sauna, before returning home for an afternoon nap. I woke up about 18:00 and Laurence and I headed to Italiano for dinner and a bottle of wine.

This morning I had another lay-in (Something to do with the bottle of wine) and headed to the Metropolitan Mall to do some shopping. I have had my eye on a pair of Bose headphones for a while now and finally took the plunge. They weren't cheap, but I figured I was owed a treat. So now I am back at the apartment. Karan is due to pick me up at 16:30 so I can goto the gym and then tonight I am off out with my team leaders for our monthly offsite team dinner.

Not sure what the plan is for the weekend yet, but it's warming up here now (28 Degrees) so am contemplating sitting by the pool at one of the hotels, but then it depends largely on alcohol consumption this evening.

Tags: Family, Relaxing, Shopping, Food, Gym

Okay so my mind has kind of moved away from food now I have satisfied the few cravings I had. The last few days have been spent catching up with friends and family, paperwork, and shopping. Yesterday afternoon I visited Katrina and William, picking William up from nursery. His face was a picture and while he gave my a big cuddle he kept touching my face to make sure I was really there. Today I have spent waiting in for a parcel to be delivered, which surprisingly hasn't arrived but it did give me a chance to catch up with all the paperwork that was outstanding, and to play with a few of the new Wii games that I have brought to take back with me. At the moment I am addicted to Star Wars with all the characters made from Lego.

Tonight I am off out for dinner and to the cinema, not sure what we are seeing yet but I am sure there will be something on. Tomorrow I start my Christmas shopping.

Tags: Shopping, People, Relaxing

Okay so I am back in the UK. I left my apartment at 04:30 IST Friday 16th November for New Delhi International Airport. We took off about 07:30 and arrived in the UK at 11:35 GMT. I managed to get about 5 hours sleep on the plane so felt pretty good. I travelled with only hand baggage and had cleared immigration and customers by 12:10 and caught the 12:30 coach from outside terminal 4 to Woking train station. I arrived at Woking at 13:00 and the next train was at 13:16 so I had enough time to grab my first ham, cheese, and pickle sandwich in three months, which was made "even more delicious" (That's a joke for the guys in India) by adding a pack of walkers salt and vinegar crisps.

I arrived at Basingstoke station about 13:45 and headed straight for the Carphone Warehouse store to pick up my new iPhone. 14:30 I grabbed a cab and headed for home, arriving just before 15:00. The first thing I did was put the hot water on for a nice shower, while the water was heating up I unpacked and setup my laptop. As it downloaded my email I took a look at the post that had been delivered while I was away. Mostly junk, but there were a couple of official bits, but I decided they could wait. I phoned my parents and let them know I was back home, safe and sound.

Once the water was hot enough I had a nice long shower and changed into some fresh clothes, I felt human again! I had a couple of beers and read my email, then set about activating my iPhone. I was surprised how easy it was and within 15 minutes I had not only activated it but synchronized it with my iTunes library.

At 17:30 I walked around to my parents house to a very warm welcome, and an nice cold beer. We talked for a couple of hours before we sat down to one of my favorite meals, cottage pie. After dinner we caught up a little more and about 22:00 I walked home. I still wasn't particularly tired so I opened up the MAC OS X Leopard disks I had pre-ordered . I decided to follow the advise of Don McAllister over at ScreenCastsOnline and backed up my existing setup before even opening the disk box. Once the backup had completed I started the upgrade process and went to bed.

I woke this morning at about 07:00 hours and after a shower and breakfast I checked my MacBook Pro. It was complete so I logged on. I checked the applications that I use most often, mail, safari, and they all opened up without a problem. I then commenced playing with some of the new features.. At 08:45 I decided I needed to get on and headed into Basingstoke town center. First stop the police station.

Yes, I did say the police station. It would appear that last weekend some person (as yet unknown) thought it was a good idea to shoot at my Windows with an air riffle. My father had reported it but I wanted to know what was going on and needed an incident number for the forth coming insurance claim. The guy behind the desk was very helpful and gave me all the information he had and the incident number, and has advised the officer dealing will be in contact with me shortly.

From there I headed to the garage to arrange the annual service on my car and then for a fried breakfast at Mr Munch. After double sausage, bacon, egg, beans, and a fried slice I felt heavy but satisfied. I then took a walk around the town center window shopping for nothing in particular. The only things I did end up buying where a sailing and computer magazine.

It's now 12:36 and I am off to make myself lunch. Not sure what it will be yet but I will more than likely contain beef.

Tags: Food, Relaxing, Shopping

Okay so this week started out well, things certainly seemed to be getting better all around. Thursday night I went to Laurences for a BBQ and met his Aunt and Uncle who are out visiting, and to say goodbye to his Mum who goes home Tuesday. Friday however it all just went to s**t. There was just so much going on and going wrong at the same time the only thing I could think of was if it was worth all the stress. I was juggling so many things and inevitably failing at them all. Saturday morning I woke up still wondering what I was doing here at all and missing home and somebody to talk to. By Saturday afternoon however I had talked some sense into myself and remembered why I came here; because I want a good suntan, and a boat.

Karen, my driver, picked me up at 15:00 and we went and did some shopping. After that I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do for the rest of the day but knew if I sat in my apartment I would just end up working. So Karen suggested a nearby park (Leisure Valley). It's quite a large park, like you would see back home (minus the wild dogs) and it took me a good hour to walk around it. I can see why Karen likes it as it has lots of trees under which you can catch a rather decent 40 winks, and quite a bit of wildlife if you look closely. What really brought a smile to my face was all the young couple's sitting on benches innocently holding hands but sitting about a foot away from each other. Well they were by the time I noticed them but by the looks on there faces they hadn't been a few minutes before. I instantly flashed back to my school days when we all used to rush home, change, do/not do our homework and then rush to the park to meet our "Girlfriends". The big difference is that we didn't flinch if someone came close not even if it had been the "girlfriend" you were supposed to be with.

After that I got in the car, and Karen said in his normal unassuming manner "Where Sir now?". I sat there for a minute just looking out the windows. Karen waited a couple of minutes and simply said "Sir?". Karen I said lets go for a drive. It was like magic! As if I had found Karen's on switch. "Yes Sir", he said. "I show you". We toured round Gurgaon first with Karen pointing out the offices, funny he started out with Fidelity. He then explained the name Gurgaon. It apparently mean's Sugar Cane Village, and pretty well describes the origin's of this new metropolis. Then after telling me about all the other parts of India where there is too much sugar cane, he drove me into old Gurgaon. I don't know why but it reminded me of Hanoi in Vietnam. As I said, I don't know why, it was a lot cleaner and a lot more colorful. I gave the now accepted "Let's park" command and Karen pulled the car into, the well nowhere in particular position, jumped out and opened my door.

Now I stepped out and was immediately over taken with a variety of smells, most of which I will say were pleasant. Every car horn and bicycle bell were now going as Karen said again "I park here sir". I said okay and headed into the throng of people, rickshaws, and bicycles. Spices, silks, and fabrics of every color were on display. Together with pots, pans, religious statues, and jewelry. I wandered around, for the most part pretty unmolested until I came across one shop that caught my eye. It was full of small wooden handcrafts but high up on the shelf were too wooden die. Now for those that no me I collect gaming equipment. Dice, cards, poker chips, and the like. I was just about to move on, aware that I had only brought a few hundred bucks with me, when an older very well dressed gentlemen stepped out of the doorway next to the store. "Good afternoon sir, may we be of any help to you?" The most perfect English I had ever heard, even in England. "Are you English Sir, I just presumed that you were. Sorry if I have offended you."

I laughed and said I certainly am, but don't tell anybody I am undercover and I don't think anyone else has noticed yet. He laughed, held out his hand and introduced himself as Rajeev. I shook his hand and complemented him on English and his shop. In hindsight not the smartest thing to do (Compliment the shop) if you intend to start bartering with someone. Anyway he moved straight into the normal ex-pat interview questions, Where are you from? How long are you visiting for? What do you think of India? Do you like the food?

When I said I lived south of London in a place called Basingstoke I was amazed when he said M3 from Southampton. It turns out he lived there for 26 years and came home when his father passed on to take care of his mother. He is married to an English lady called Wendy and they have three sons and a daughter. His wife came back to India with him, but all the children still live in the UK. When I said I was living here he nodded and said it was only fair. I laughed again when he said, but the thieves in India are a lot more honest. He offered me a cup of tea, which I accepted (I hate tea). I drank it (slowly) and we talked for another 25 minutes. I thanked him for the tea, shook his hand once again, and moved on. I walked around for another 30 minutes and found myself (accidently) back at the car. It was a good job as I hadn't a clue where I was.

It was only as I got in the car and said "Okay Karen, let's go home." I realized that Rajeev the shop owner hadn't tried to sell me anything and I didn't by the die. So I guess I am going to have to go back. On the drive back I was in a much better frame of mind. As I smiled in the back seat of the car. Karen asked, "feel better now sir?". I was quite surprised that Karen could read me already, it's only been two months, but then again he does see me in many different forms and moods. The serious business manager, when I am with the team or members of the team, right down to the depressed ex-pat that is missing home. "Yes Karen, Thank you!" I said.

As we pulled up to the apartment, Karen asked if I would like to go and see a temple Sunday. I didn't need asking twice, I said yes. Karen told me about a water show that doesn't start until the sun sets. He suggested we leave at 16:00 so I arranged for him to pick me up at 13:00 so I could go to the gym first.

I got to the gym about 13:15 and Amit the god of pain was on duty. He asked why I hadn't been all week and I could only say work and parties. He immediately made me get on the scales and weighed me. He was surprised (so was I) that I am still down (69 Kilo's to 64 Kilo's), but never the less made me do an extra 15 minutes on the treadmill and cross trainer as a punishment. After weights and an abdominal workout where all he could say is one more, I agreed not to miss any more sessions. (I think I would have agreed to anything at that stage).

I got back to the apartment about 15:30, changed quickly and then we headed for the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple via Delhi, and the India Gate. and Karen pointed out absolutely everything on route.

As we got close to the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple, I got the impression this wasn't like any other temple I had been to before. This is a very new temple, in fact they are still working on it, but it is huge, and very impressive. I wandered around in awe of the work and size and enjoyed the water show about 18:30. I did a couple of the exhibition centers, but think I will save some of the others for when people visit (Including the main temple). There were thousands of people there, and everybody just seemed to exude happiness and contentment. I am not a religious person, but do have an interest in religions and the Hindi (Hindu) religion is certainly a beautiful one. Now the downside is that your not allowed to take camera's into the temple, which is annoying but makes sense, if you did they wouldn't be able to sell you the book and DVD.

Well I bought the book but there for photo's check out this link. Tomorrow I go back to work and I feel good about it. I think I have found my balance, and understand that I need "My Time", and will be booking more time off and admitting when I simply don't have the bandwidth to take any more on.

Tags: Relaxing, Shopping, Temple, Sightseeing, Beer

Well it's only now I feel that I have truly settled into the pace of things here in India. The reason I say this is that I have been sat here for 10 minutes trying to think what I have done, both at work and outside of work.

On the work front all I can say is I did stuff for about 9 hours a day, and lost a day in the process. The new Bangalore site and interviewing has taken up the cast majority of it, but the rest I can only describe as "doing stuff". At the time they are most important issues known to man, but when you look back and try to identify them they mainly translate to removing barriers, making decisions that nobody else wants to make, and sorting out personnel issues. It would be unfair to say that the individuals are harder work than anywhere else, it's just they have different priorities and values than I am used to. It really is a question of me adjusting some of my views than simply imposing my will. It's interesting however, and I am constantly learning as are my team and those individuals in other teams I interact with. On more than one occasion now somebody has said to me they hadn't thought it about it in the way I presented it and that it was a better idea.

On the personal front I went out on Wednesday night with Laurence's CMS (COLT Managed Services) team. All part of breaking down some of the cross team barriers and to explore some of the opportunities that they may have for my team, in terms of career progression. We kept it rather high level, but it was very positive. It wasn't all work however. Laurence's Mum Marie is over and it was the first time I had met her. A very nice lady, like Laurence, she slipped straight into the spirit of things and I think enjoyed the evening.

Today I had a well earned lay-in, getting up at 10:00. Then it was time to catch up on some washing (very exciting) and then a few hours work. 16:00 Karen picked me up and took me to the Gym where Amit (My Trainer) once again did his best to make me sweat (which he did) but he did say that he wouldn't try killing me until tomorrow.

Tonight I am meeting up with some of the guys that are over from the UK working on setting up and transitioning a new system.

Other than that I will take my leave, but I will just point you to a new gallery. My friend Christine completed a sky dive for the Welsh Air Ambulance service, a very worth while cause for anyone that is familiar with some of the terrain in Wales.

Tags: Beer, Relaxing, Photography

Okay once again another busy week, but I think this is all part of the new role. The good thing is I feel that I now have more control.

On Tuesday my new manager, Vikram, started, and I think we hit it off straight away. The week really has been a blur since then.

Friday however I got the best invite I could receive in India, and that is a wedding Invitation (Not mine, I hasten to add!!!). My Workplace Technologies team lead, Saurabh Sharma is getting married next Friday, so standby for the pictures (Click here to see the wonderful invite pictures). Friday night we said enough was enough and needed a beer. Chris had organized a night out with the testing team so I decided to tag along (Invited or not). It was an early night for Chris as he had to return to the UK, but Vikram and I sat at the bar and sang along with the karaoke, while solving most of the world problems.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early, well about 09:00 to be honest, and then spent the day catching up with the work I had neglected during the week.

Sunday however Laurence and I were both in need of some serious R&R. So we we headed for the "Grand Hyatt", visited by members of the Indian cricket team (We won and this will help in all discussions for the next week at least) but we needed some pampering.

A wonderful day sat doing nothing, except listening to some traditional tunes on the iPod and reading books. We left about 17:00 and headed for the nearest (Read cheapest we have found so far) beer shop. We are now enjoying a couple of cold ones and timing our pizza delivery.

Tags: Beer, Relaxing, Friends