Trip to India - July 2011 - Part 1

Hi,

This is first of the series of posts around my recent travel to India and then to US.

Had an early start at 4 AM. Got ready just in time for the cab to come at 5. Had an interesting cab ride to the
airport with an Afghani cabbie. In the 30 minute or so ride he gave me the basics of being a cabbie and what it takes to own a "plate". Apparently it costs about 400 thousand dollars to be able to own a license for a taxi (just the license not the car). The revenue potential seemed quite high - probably close to revenues from a medium range apartment in Sydney.

The check-in was a bit funny. The Singapore Airlines carry on luggage limits for economy says 1 piece of baggage upto 7 kilos and a extra allowance for a laptop. My hand luggage excluding the laptop was just over 7 kg. The agent says, "I'll allow you to take it together,but once in the aircraft you need to remove your laptop from the bag.". When I asked her the reason for it, apparently it is due to hazard restrictions in Australia that one should not get hit with a luggage more than 7 kg (if it topples over someone's head from the overhead bin).

The A380 experience - someone claimed that the economy was as good as business class in terms of space or maybe I heard it wrong. It does seem to have just a wee bit of extra legroom and maybe a few centimetres of extra width. Apart from that nothing great about the space. However the inflight entertainment system definitely rocks. For the first time I have seen actually something "informative" apart from the usual movies, music and games. There were book reviews, information about cultural practices in different countries. It was interesting to read about Indian business practices - very frank.

The flight overall was good. Had the entire row of 3 seats for myself. Got to see a Singaporean movie (My Magic)- which was apparently submitted for Oscars. It was truly Singaporean because it was a mix of Tamil, Malay & Chinese. It is a story about a stage performer turned drunkard. Not a movie for those faint at heart. Finally caught up with "Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya". Singapore Airlines continues to impress me with their customer service. There was one "uncle" in the next row who had chosen a vegetarian meal. I guess he changed his mind in the last minute and he wanted the normal meal served to general public. The hostess politely refused his request.The best part was she came back and checked with him if he would like that to be changed in his next segment to Delhi. That is customer service - inspite of the fact that he was quite a "high maintenance" traveler (with frequent requests). The "Uncle" beside me was interesting. After a "few" pegs of whiskey the hostess comes around with the freshening towel and he asks "Hot or cold?". :-)

Had a great time in Singapore. Got picked up by Mamai and Athai from airport around 2.30 PM. Went straight to Mustafa shopping center to finish some shopping. Got a new camera - a Panasonic. The best part of the camera was when the salesman took a photo of a mini table fun running nearby and it captured as if the blades were stationary. Here's a sample of what I took at the hotel of a normal running fan.

After relaxing a bit at Mamai's house went to a nearby seafood restaurant for dinner along with Uma akka and Sanku. Had the Singapore famous - "Pepper Crab".

Tried several other dishes couple of spinach varieties in different sauces. Sambal prawns tasted pretty good here. Now I can compare the Malaysian food in Sydney, yes the taste was quite comparable to what I get in Sambal. Post dinner went to the Sands hotel with an idea to go up to the top.
We spent so much time trying to get a parking spot, that it got too late by then.

Walked around the hotel complex and saw some nice laser cum musical fountain shows.

Singapore to Delhi was quite uneventful. Slept through the whole time after being awake for close to 22 hours.

The international airport at Delhi was quite cool. Especially the shower and nap facilities they had was close to what they offer in Singapore. Had a great time with most of my team members today over lunch. Many of them I was meeting for the first time in person.

Jet lag is slowly kicking in right about now at around 9 PM IST. Hope it gets fixed soon.

Guess I've made up for not being able to write earlier. :-)

Have A Great Week!!

C

The Speed Of Trust - A Book Review

Recently finished reading a book on a very simple, age old concept - TRUST. It's "The Speed of Trust" by Stephen M.R. Covey. I must admit that I bought the book thinking it was written by his father - Stephen.R.Covey (author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). This is one of those books which again make you wonder why you hadn't got hold of earlier in life. The concepts are not new. The stories are not new either. He has essentially given a good mix of "7 Habits..." and "Good to Great" (by Jim Collins). The book has its pages where you turn fast to skip to the next one, but it also has pages that you turn fast eager to see what is coming up next.

One key message or rather new message that I got was Trust is not just soft feeling attributed to good character, but also a combination of competence. Character + Competence = Trust. If only we can remember this, if not all, many of our relationship issues may get better (not solved). He says "Character includes your integrity, motive and intent with people. Competence includes your capabilities, skills, results and track record." Each topic is structured in a manner that the concept or habit has 2 sides to it. He discusses the 2 extremes and how one needs to be in the "sweet spot" - right in the middle for effectiveness.

When I first started with my new job in Sydney, it took a while before I could implement a few changes. At first I did not have any clue why such a time-tested proven methodology takes such a long time to be adopted. Now I realize it has got nothing to do with the methodology. The stakeholders here did not have any clue either about my character nor my competency. That simply slowed down the process. Mr. Covey calls them the "Trust Tax". I was paying them so heavily that I was almost bankrupt. :-)

Talking about capabilities and competencies, he says "The attitude and habit of continually improving is one of the prime differentiators between companies that remain relevant and succeed and those that fall by the wayside in today's global economy". Simply put - Complacency Kills!!

The author was not too convincing (in my mind) though in terms what he tries to say about re-building trust in certain extreme cases. Yes, he definitely does not give a false pretention that anything and everything can be patched up. However his initial arguments of the ability to restore lost trust and how one can go about it is a little weak.

All in all a good book. Definitely worth giving your time for this.

Enjoy

C

Sydney Stories - Week 76 & 77

Hi,

Hope all is well at your end. It has been quite hectic the past few weeks. Way too much happening at work and equally busy (or even more) on  weekends.

Finally got my name sorted out in this country. Yes, now I have an Australian ID which spells my name as it should be. It still didn't happen without a fight. After I got my passport changed it took me a few attempts to the RTA to figure out what I need to do. In my last visit I got pretty hmm...what's the word...mad? I walk up to the counter and the lady behind says..oh no we can't change a name based on your passport. I needed to get a certificate from the registrar of births and deaths. I had to explain that I cannot provide that and I was a temporary visa holder - there you go again!! She took offence when I told her to consult with her supervisors to handle this matter. She went and brought in a fairly elderly looking lady for 2nd opinion. In the first instant she too refused that it could be done. Again I insisted that someone from this very own office told me that this can be done. Luckily there was some soul who understood my situation and resolved the matter.

The other day we visited our famous Malaysian restaurant with a few other families. Normally we stick to the routine of mee goreng and char kway teaw and it never fails. This time 2 of us wanted to experiment something new. I ordered something I've always seen taken to other tables - Chilli Prawn. It used to look too  colourful to miss. What it was...was a bunch of huge jumbo/king prawns complete with the head, shell and even the limbs deep fried and then tossed in a special chilli sauce. The sauce was nice...great in fact...but eating the prawn was such a nightmare. It became a very messy affair and didn't feel like I ate anything...thanks to all the work spent on cleaning it up to eat. Chilli Prawns - Tick (but not again).

So long folks. Have A Great Week!!

C