Worship in Mysoor

Of course, as with every place in India, there are idols and temples. Here is a sample of them in Mysoor. Sorry about the poor quality of the cow.

Mysoor "Country Life"

These are just random shots of people in Mysoor. Note that it isn't near as crowded as Bangelore. People are also very humble.

"Mysoor" ANIMAL Sitings

I love living with the animals. People here act like it's no big deal. They take it for granted, its pretty cool. One animal did not move. Can you guess which one??

The "Down and Dirty" Diagnosis

I'd love to put one of the x-ray pictures with this one, but you will have to imagine that for yourself, they are bigger than my computer.

In a nutshell, here is the report of Dr. Sampath Kumar

IMPRESSION:
- Left posteromedial temporo parietal gyrifrom T2W & Flair hyperintensities with restricted diffusion on diffusion weighted images -

Possibilities; a) Acute ischaemia/ acute infarct.
b) Vasculitis

As I understand it, I had a "small stroke", a temporary shortage of blood to my brain which created an unforgetable loss of memory and other important functions, along with a lingering headache. The attending Doctor has stated that I am good to go, and live my life as normal. He would like to perform a couple of tests on me ie. EKG and some other heart related test. I don't know if I'll have that done or not. I am going to go back to get a cd of the neet pictures of my brain, just to prove to some of you that I do have one. ha ha

The amazing part of this deal is the speed of service and the cost. In two days I saw two doctors, had two MRI's, a battery of blood tests, three consultations, and it all cost 11,110 Rupees (approx. $ 247.00). While the hospital is not fancy by our standards, it was very busy and adaquate. It was all part of the adventure.

Trip to Mysoor

In the midst of my headaches after my little mishap mentioned below, I took a trip with my friend Ashok to Mysoor. While there, we visited his sister and brother-in-law at their coffee plantation about an hour from Mysoor. These are some pictures of Aruna (the lady) and Belliappa (the gent) who were very gracious hosts to us. The other pictures are of Ashok Madappa and yours truly. In the background, you can see the coffee fields, with trees that have peppers growing around them. This was a really cool trip, that I cut short due to headaches. Ashoks family was very warm and gracious, and took us to their club for lunch. GREAT PEOPLE!!! Great Time!!

Been to the Doc

Tonight I had an MRI. It showed that there is an inflammation on my brain at the base of the left side (which controls the vision for the right side) caused probably by a minor blockage. The headache that I have is due to the inflammation. The blockage is over. I'm going back tomorrow to get another MRI with dye to see if there is any significant obstruction in the blood vessels. If so, I'll probably need major work. If not, I'll be good to go. At least that's the way I understood it. I did find out for sure though that my chances for living to be 100 years old are extremely slim. Sorry for alarming everyone. I'm sure I'll be OK until the next crisis. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

I Need Your Prayers

Yesterday something very strange happened to me. I all of a sudden felt like I was drugged. I was at work, couldn't remember where I was or why, I couldn't remember any ones name, I felt dizzy, disorientated, and generally LOST! All I could do was go to bed. I could not read the computer or my phone list. The only feeling I have ever had like that was when I went under for surgery. I was very scared. I still don't feel 100%, and I am afraid of what this all might mean. I thought someone might have drugged me, but I was at work, and I don't think anyone at work would do that. I ate some vegetable rolls, but nobody else got sick, and it was a group lunch. I have thought it could have been a stroke or something like that, but I've never had one before, so I don't know what that feels like. I really felt like I was being prepped for surgery, and had been given a powerful drug. At any rate, I ask that you pray that I will be restored to full health and that god will protect me. I miss you all, and love you. Sorry no Picture with this one.

Standard Lunch at the Office

What you see on my desk is the typical lunch that Prakash and I share when in Bangalore at the office. Tandori (boneless) Chicken, Green Salad, Dahl(the yellow stuff in the bowls), and Tandori Roti (the bread). Our drinks are water in one glass and a "Fresh Lime Soda w/salt"(lime juice,club soda and salt stirred not shaken). I got the stuff the first time by accident, and fell in love with it.

Auto Rickshaw Trucks

The pictures above show the "truck style" Auto Rickshaw. I think these things are pretty cool. They are only 340 cc, and they run off of regular gasoline. They are literally everywhere in this country. I'm told they cost about $3,000. I am looking into the possibility of buying one and having it shipped home. I think it would be cool to trick it out and take it to Kulvers on Friday night. I would buy the standard 4 passenger model with all the available options. Those of you who like the hot rods, look out for when I hit the streets in one of these.

I Miss My Motorcycle!!!

This is the coolest bike I've seen in India. It's called a Royal Enfield. It comes from the U.K. and is a 350 cc machine. That is considered big here. You might have to blow the picture up to see it good.

OSHA?? I Doubt It.....

Check out this scaffolding. You see it everywhere. They also have steel stuff, but the wood is used a lot, and for high places as shown here.

A Few More Pic's of the Office

This is the Managers Cubicles, and the Glass Conference Room. Very Nice!

Co-Workers in ServiceMASTER Clean-India

The first picture from Left to right is Jayshree, Ceo's Secty., Manjistha, Customer Service Manager, Kalpitha, Office Receptionist/Manager.

The other Picture, Jayshree, Kalpitha, Me, Satish, Bangalore Branch Mgr. & Clement, Div. Training Mgr.

All are a great group of people, and come highly qualified for their positions.

Other Roaming Animals

Here are some shots of the goats that roam in Hosure.

The "Puja" Experience

Today was an exceptional experience. The "Puja" was performed by a Brahman priest to inaugurate the ServiceMaster Clean offices. This is a ceremony which is common in India that is designed to bring the Gods to the premises to bless it and ward off evil spirits. It is a very sacred ceremony, and involves burning stuff, sprinkling water, spice like stuff, and flowers. The Brahman Priest conducts the entire chant in Sanskrit which is one of the oldest languages in the world, and is not written. He learned it from his father, and he will teach it to his son. Brahman caste is the highest of the castes in India. The pictures are in the corporate training room, and the founder of SIS is in white with his wife beside him, the priest is the other guy in ceremonial dress. As a side note, I'll add that because of the fire place, the entire office are filled up with smoke. If we would have had smoke detectors they would surley have gone off. My eyes were burning. It was quite the sight...

What's My View From the Office

Well, I was asked in one of the comments (from Josh), What is my view out the office window. Here it is. I was surprised the other day to glance out the window and see 4 monkeys sitting on the ledge. I mentioned it to Prakash, and he said they are always around here. I decided to buy some bananas and coax them to my window, and one came. I'll bet nobody else reading this has that kind of view!! Yesterday we drove to a town southwest of Bangalore about 45 kilometers, and there were goats and sheep roaming the streets along with the stray dogs and cows. This place is cool!!

Happy Birthday to Me - Oct. 14

In India it is customary to buy sweets for the office when it is your birthday. Today I gave the Administrative Assistant (Kalpitha) Rs.500 and told her to get the sweets. She got cake, and they made it a big celebration. We stopped the manager training session to blow out the "4" candles. Prakash noted that there was one candle for each 15 yrs. Actually, today I turned 56, and I feel pretty darn good! I was also given another bouquet of flowers for my office. You might note that everyone is eating the cake with their hand. Use of plates, napkins, and forks is optional and not always required in Indian culture.

Houses of Parliment & High Court

The Government buildings for Karnataka in the capital city Bangalore..On the Parliment building it says "Government Work Is God's Work"...Always remember that you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it. If you do that to the one of me in front of Parliment, you'll notice the red dot that I got at the Bull Temple.

The Bull Temple

What can I say, a temple. I toured, took off my shoes, took a picture, and got a red dot put on my head. ha ha

The Tipu Sultan Palace

A Sultans Palace that I visited. Probably a couple hundred years old.

Amazing India

I have had a wonderful Sunday in India. I attended AA this morning, and then rode around the city to various tourist attractions and national monuments for 2-3 hours. A rickshaw driver took me all over for Rs 100 ($2.20 or so). The people here are amazingly friendly. Being a city boy from Chicago, I am suspicious when someone offers to do something nice for me. This place is really shaking that mentality. These people seem to be genuine in their friendliness. The driver offered to take me for Rs 20, it was my idea to pay him 100. One of the catches was that he took me to three souvenir shops so that they would give him petrol vouchers. I looked and didn't buy anything, but he gets the coupons even if I don't buy.

It is amazing to know that often when I eat in a nice hotel, my lunch costs more than the monthly pay for half of the people on the street. In one short week I have seen some of the most posh and wealthy conditions that I have seen in my life, and I have seen the poorest conditions of my life.

Every time I go out now, I get coins from the hotel desk so that I can give Rupees to the beggars. There aren't a lot, but everywhere I go I usually see at least one, and the only way to make them stop following me is to give them a couple of rupees.

Above are pics of the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bangalore. A nice place to take the family for a Sunday afternoon. The tree I'm sitting at is 150 yrs. old.