No more wire hangers!!!

Ok, in my case, it's "No MORE COOKIES and CHIPS!" I don't want to sound like an ungrateful S.O.B. (those of you who know me well can just hold your tongues, please) here, but I came to India hoping that I might lose a pound or two. That fragile dream has been derailed by an onslaught of hospitality by our Indian hosts (here they just call them hosts). Every morning we come to the office and are greeted by mounds of Danish butter cookies (there they just call them butter cookies, I suppose), and Ruffles potato chips.

Every morning my resolve lasts about 10 minutes and then the next thing you know I'm covered in sugar crumbs and grease. Every afternoon, before lunch, I find the person in charge of this trans-fat free for all, and I, in my most "I don't wish to offend you, but" voice, beseech him to lay off the fatty fat fat.

"Of course sir, no problem sir." He always says.

Every afternoon, when we return from lunch, there is a new pile of sugary and salty goodness. Again, even though I've just eaten, my resolve lasts 10 minutes.

And yes, I always move the treats to the opposite end of the conference table, and yes every afternoon they're back in front of my laptop.

So today, I'll find the guy and I'll ask him to hold off on Monday, but if I know my Idilly I'll have an entire weekend to map out new strategies that keep me from gaining another kilo without offending our wonderful, wonderful hosts.

And that folks, and I apologize in advance for this, is how the cookie crumbles here in Chennai.

Blessed Routine

Ahh blessed routine.
By the third day at Birlasoft, Ted, Anil, and I had settled into a comfortable groove.
Ted and I would spend an hour or more in the gym at 6am, meet Anil at breakfast, and then head to the office. Our lead-footed driver ?? always made the 1km trip an adventure.
After arriving, we would sign in with Security. A ritual as carefully choreographed as a dance by Bill T. Jones or Twyla Tharp. First we would sign in for our badges. First name, Last Name, Company, Purpose of visit, Time of entry. Then we would sign in our laptops. Make, Model, ID number (we've decided that the Dell number is unmanageable, so we use the Rap serial number on the bottom of our machines.
Through the gauntlet we head upstairs. The man who is apparently paid to open doors for us springs to life and races ahead of us up the stairs. We all think this is ridiculous. We can open doors for ourselves, but to protest would be rude. So we smile and say thank you.
After about 20 minutes of checking e-mail and getting ready for the day ahead, we call in the entire team for Event and Education training. We stick to a pretty strict routine. We discuss the topic at hand for about 20 or thirty minutes, then there's usually a question that allows us to extemporize on association management and how Magic works. That lasts about 20 minutes.
As we continue the discussion we are peppered with questions about how the system should handle potential error conditions ("what should happen if a person registers for a class twice?" for example). Those questions enable us to get to the heart of the matter and to explain how we see the product working at the programmatic level. Because Ted is such an excellent teacher and facilitator, the team feels free to point out issues with our design and we make quick corrections on the fly. This exceptionally interesting back and forth takes us to lunch.
Lunch takes an hour and then it is back to work.
The remainder of the afternoon is spent reviewing screens from the Accounting manager. Like Event and Education training, this also has a routine.
First we bring in the three or four people who worked on a specific screen or set of screens. Once their seated, we offer a pile of praise for the application, which is richly deserved, and then we proceed to tear it apart at an almost microscopic level. It really must feel like being nibbled to death by ducks.
We let no stray pixel, or un-centered button go unnoticed. If there is too much space between one border and a field label and too little between another, we speak up. People base their confidence in an application based on how it looks. If it looks right, it probably performs right. If it looks thrown together, well, it's hard to have confidence.
Once we have the UI issues out of the way, we review the workflow of the screen and verify that it is logical and intuitive. We point out problems. We offer praise. We spend many hours in this endeavor. The team responds well to this work, they ask excellent questions and never get defensive when we point out things we'd like to improve upon.
Through this effort, we've found many issues and the team is working hard to resolve them before we leave in a week or so.
After three or four hours we call it a day and head back to the hotel for dinner and a good night's sleep, so we can be ready for the next exciting day.

Photo-palooza

Here are some photos from our journey to India. We start in Los Angeles.

Ted and Anil at LAX. They're excited to travel halfway around the world. The journey from door to door took 38 hours.

In L.A. this would probably be plastic. In Singapore it's incredibly alive and fragant...no, not Ted, the flowering plant behind him.

The Singapore Skyline is quite impressive. The Ferris Wheel will be the largest in Asia and will allow people to see more than four countries at the top.

Singaporeans have such a colorful way to say "No guns, knives, or other nasties on the plane, please."

Welcome to Chennai

An enormous tree in front of the hotel

More soon!

Day 2 at Birlasoft

Day 2:

"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb."

– Sir WInston Churchill

Who knew that 10 hours could fly by so fast?

It was an exceptionally productive day. During the first half
we concluded our discussion about the Event manager and began a
theoretical discussion about courses in the Education manager.

Ted and Anil led the team through their paces and they
responded eagerly. By asking great, probing questions, they
made us think hard about workflow we had come up with for the
Event and Education managers. In addition, they all seemed very
enthusiastic when making suggestions and improvments. In a very
short time we seem to have built a strong rapport with the
developers.

This is a very important thing. While the first half of the day
is education and training for what is to come in the product,
the second half of the day is devoted solely to reviewing the
product and pointing out defects. That can be hard on the ego.
Because we have such a good working rapport, our five hour
session of saying "well, that's good, but what about this? And
this? And, oh...that's a biggie, we'll have to fix that."

Programmers, as Ted pointed out -having been one himself-, tend
to take defects personally. That didn't seem to be the case
yesterday. There were no impassioned defenses of "Of course the
system should work like that, it's how we programmed it to
work!"The defects were noted and everyone seemed to be content
with the session.

We broke around 7:30 pm and headed home for the day quite
satisfied with a job well done.

And Now, Here's the Weather

Accu-Weather? Not so much.

About three weeks before the visit to Birlasoft, Ted, Anil, and I decided to see what the weather would be like in Chennai. We went to the Web site for Accu-Weather, the world leader for weather forecasting.

We panicked. We thought about exporting ice cubes. 130 degrees? Were they kidding? What sort of humans can exist in 130 degree temperatures? Who in the world would willingly live in such conditions? No wonder they use centigrade. 40 degrees seems mild; 130 seems absolutely put-me-in-a-straightjacket-and-leave me-in-the-padded-cell crazy. Every day we checked the weather. Every day we said they've got to be kidding.

Turns out they were.

The weather here has been delightful. Sure it's been hot, but it's been about as bad as L.A. with 100 percent humidity in July. You know, 94 degrees and really humid. The heat lasts until around midnight, but that's really been the only difference.

While the other shoe may drop and the mercury may indeed soar, well, right now we're enjoying the balmy weather and wondering what the hell we're going to do with all those ice cubes.

Shouldn't be a problem, you really can't drink the water here anyway.

First Day of Work

Birlasoft Day 1:
What a welcome.

As our car arrived at the office for the first full day of work we were greeted with an almost Presidential greeting. In addition to a beautiful sign welcoming Ted Young and Jay Hauser from Rapattoni Corporation, we were also given a ceremonial ?? and a cascade of flowers. For two very low-key people, it was a little overwhelming.

"It was a wonderful expression of the Indian hospitality, which we greatly appreciated," said Ted.

After the welcoming ceremony we went upstairs and got started on our first day. Because we had met the team on Saturday and laid out our plan for the week, we were able to dive right into teaching the team about the requirements for the Events and Education managers in iMagic.

The 12 or so programmers seemed eager to learn, and peppered Ted with questions as he filled a white board with diagrams that explained how the Event module should work.

To keep things interesting, we decided to offer a prize at the end of the visit to the person who asked the best questions. So far, last year's winner Subramani has taken the early lead by asking questions that show that not only does he understand the workflow of the system, but also how it relates to the Membership and Accounting managers.

In addition to Subramani, the team also includes Sundar (Project Manager), Magesh, Chanchal, Tappan, Kartik, Ramkumar, Rajalakshmi, rajashwari, Manjula, and Matti. All are very bright and very motivated. It's been a pleasure working with them.

After Ted explained the Event Module, Anil went into greater detail and displayed the prototype he developed. During these two sessions we came up with many new enhancements to the product that will make it even better.

After a lunch break we returned and continued to explain the event module. We will continue our work on Tuesday, complete the discussion and begin talking about the Education manager.
We made a lot of good progress. And we're looking forward to tomorrow.

BTW: It was "only" about 94 degrees yesterday. Not too bad. Also, Indian Pizza Hut comes with ketchup packets...and corn. So yummy.

I'd tell you all the exciting things we did that night, but Anil stayed late at the office, and Ted and I went back to the hotel and crashed after dinner.

Photos soon

I'll post photos when I have a decent Internet connection. I've got about 56k at the hotel. I've been swamped at the office as well. So sorry.

First Day in Chennai

In the Beginning

Culture shock fades quickly in a car on the wrong side of the road.

As we whiz by motorcycles, scooters, auto-rickshaws, cows, and people (usually by mere inches), the immediate sense that we're all going to die, and rather soon, disappears. It is replaced by the sense that while we have absolutely no idea how people live in conditions like this, that there is order. There are rules. We don't know what they are, but they most certainly exist. People can't speed inches away from traffic coming toward them in the opposite direction and live without rules. Rules = sanity. Sanity explains away the oddity of cows walking in the street, the trash fires burning in the street, the urinating in the street, the piles of...stuff...everywhere.

It's chaos at first glance, but then, after awhile, the logic emerges. Our driver honks the horn, the motorcyclist carrying his wife and toddler shifts every so slightly to the right. We pass. The truck coming directly at us, and fast, toots, and we shift ever so slightly to the left. At the same time, the person directly behind us and to the left slows so we can fit in a space no longer than this --------------------------------- gap.

So there is order. Order is good. Order allows us to see the sights, to hear the sounds, to smell. Order allows us to ignore looming, speeding death, and the fact that we've put our lives into the hands of a complete stranger who speaks little English and even less Hindi. It allows us to focus on the adventure.

And what an adventure our first full day in India was. These few pictures do no justice to what we saw or did. These few words, even less so. Still, here are the details.

To the Temple...Part I

The day started with a drive into the countryside. Looking for a temple devoted to Anil's guru Baba Neem Karoli Ji. Ted, having been here before, offered me the front passenger seat. He wanted to gauge my reaction to traffic in India. There are still marks on the dashboard.

After wending our way through traffic, we made it out into the countryside and to the temple. At about 20 feet per side, the temple was of medium size. It was decorated in an ornate but unobtrusive manner. Surrounded by several outbuildings, the gated complex radiated an energy that was palpable (might have been the oppressive heat though, who knows?).

Unfortunately, two issues arose. First, the priest was not available. He had gone home for lunch and refused to return for just one devotee. Second, we learned that had he returned, it would have been in vain. The temple for Anil's guru, who is revered in Northern India, had been razed. Apparently, not many people in the south worship Baba Neem Karoli Ji and so a temple for another guru had destroyed the temple in order to make space for an expansion.

Upon hearing the news, Anil reacted with equanimity. Is a testament to his character that he did not become furious. Given the same circumstances, I don't know that I would have behaved as well.

The First Test

From there we headed home for a quick lunch and another test. Crossing the street. Crossing the street, I learned, is an exercise in focus and sphincter control. To succeed, you can only look toward your goal. Do not look to the left or right, or it is possible that you will freeze like a deer in headlights. Of course, when you hear a horn honk for you...and how you know it is for you is a phenomenon I cannot explain...you must discern the direction from which it came, determine the vehicle from which it came, look that way and then slow up or speed down depending on the situation. Easy enough, right? Not quite. There are dozens of cars, motorcycles, people, cows, etc., on the road at the same time. Not only do you have to avoid the vehicle speeding toward you, you must do so without impacting, or forcing into traffic, any of the other obstacles that surround you.

The solution? When in Rome.

I stayed hard on the heels of an elderly woman in a beautiful sari. I was her shadow. When she went right, so did I. When she slowed, so did I. When her foot hit the sidewalk, so did mi...ok, so I stopped and kissed the ground first (The doctors say the infection should go away by next week). The food at the Malaysian restaurant was delicious. Even more so because I was thrilled to be alive.

Meeting the Team

From there, we went to Birlasoft and had a quick meeting with the team. They all seem very bright and focused and really excited to be working on iMagic. Listening to Ted and Anil speak about our plans for the week and reviewing the plan for the development of the Event and Education modules for iMagic, I was struck by how well they communicated some very complex ideas, and how much the team respected them. Given our interaction, I know that the next two weeks will be highly productive.

The Birlasoft building looks 1,000 times better than every other building in Chennai. Where most seem slightly disheveled at best, it looks like it could be at home in any office park in America. We could have been at home. Like Rapattoni, it was a beautiful setup of cubicles and computers. The only difference was that the cubicles were mauve, not blue.

To The Temple...Part II

Given the disappointment earlier in the day, Anil decided to go to another temple to make an offering to his guru. He was kind enough to invite us along and Ted and I readily accepted. As the sun faded slowly in the west, and we removed our shoes, our driver took us to the temple. Nestled on a busy avenue, the temple was teeming with worshippers. A neon sign, in Tamil on top of the temple, blazed above the throng and illuminated their faces. Outside the temple, several women were earning a fairly good living by selling items to be offered up in worship. Anil explained how items were offered, we took the opportunity to purchase coconuts, hyacinth, and some sort of leaves to present.

Worship at the temple is a constant cycle. The crowd gathers, men on one side, women on the other, separated by two long brass railings. In between, the priests do their work. First they gather the offerings from outstretched hands. Second they present worshipers in the front few rows with a red powder (we were lucky enough to be against the railing), which is placed on the forehead. The priests then present a somewhat sweet, somewhat smoky liquid which is sipped and then rubbed into the hair (scalp in my case). On their final go round before closing the curtain and presenting the offerings to the statue representing ??, the priests extend handfuls of leafy vegetable matter. Some people eat of it, some, like Ted, Anil, and me, just held it in our hands.

A silence fell over the crowd as the curtain closed; the indecipherable chanting from inside the temple was almost hypnotic as we strained to hear. After one or two minutes, the curtain re-opened and the priests came out holding the remains of the offerings people made. For me, a half coconut, some hyacinth, and a few strands of greenery. I took the remainder of my offering, and like millions of people before me, I circled the temple clockwise, my mind open and reflective. I offered up prayers to a god I did not know and wished for a healthy and happy life for all the people who shared the experience with me. It was profoundly moving. As I circled the building and offered up my thoughts, more people filled the spot I occupied against the railing and the cycle began anew.

What brought me out of my reverie was an insistent tug near my hip. Looking down, I saw a small child. She and her mother were begging for rupees, for anything really. I didn't know what to do. Anil, ever wise, suggested that I take a bite of coconut to signal my communion with ?? and then give the rest of my offering to the poor woman and her child. The look of gratitude from that woman will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. Her face was haggard, her bones obviously weary, but her eyes blazed with life as our hands touched and she accepted my small kindness.

On the ride home, I peppered Anil with questions about what we had just experienced. It was a wonderful way to learn and also a wonderful way to ignore that people drive the exact same way at night in Chennai as they do during the light of day.

The End of the Day

Dinner at the hotel restaurant was delicious. The conversation was spirited as we planned for the future of iMagic and solved the world's problems as well.

After a quick tour of the disco, where we saw men dancing wildly together to incredibly suggestive American rap music, we marveled at all we had seen and called it a night.

I can only wonder what new experiences the next two weeks will bring.

A lovely day in Singapore

It's about 7:30pm Singapore time. Our flight to Chennai loads in a few minutes. Today was quite uneventful. We did the tourist thing and went on a 90 minute tour of the city by bus and boat. It amazes me how advanced architecturally it is here. The buildings are swooping, futuristic visions of concrete glass and steel. Straight lines are frowned upon, and floruishes for flourishes sake are encouraged. By contrast American architecture is so hum drum. We'll see how Chennai compares. Ted and Anil have already warned me that it won't. In any case, we're all quite excited to begin the last leg of our long journey. If we can all stay awake on the flight, we'll be able to easily synch to India time. We arrive around 11:30pm India time, so by the time we get to the hotel it will be midnight or later. With 8 good hours of sleep, hopefully our bodys will easily adapt to the 12.5 hour difference between Chennai and Simi Valley.

More tomorrow...

Finally in Singapore

24 hours after locking the door of my house in L.A., we landed in Singapore. Piece of cake. The flights were uneventful and now we have six or so hours to kill before heading to Chennai. A five-hour flight from here.

In a few hour, after Ted, Anil, and I shower, we will go on a tour of the city. No idea what to expect, but I'm quite excited.

Finally, Not to bag on LAX, but it's a dump compared to this airport. This is like being in the world's biggest mall, that, oh, by the way, also has big heavy things taking off and landing once every few minutes.

Exhausted, but giddy with excitement. More later.

It's tomorrow in Taipei...wherever you are

Just landed after a marathon flight. It was something like 16 hours. Ted and I were in the same row, seperated by a lovely woman who was heading to Singapore to see her folks for the weekend. Crazy.

Some thoughts. Singapore Airlines is amazing. Great food. Fab service. Comfy seats. 80 movies on demand, and all the trivia games I could play kept Jay a happy boy. Gotta get back on the plane. More from Singapore

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