Chennai-Noida-Orlando-Noida-Chennai

Just received an email from an old friend..."So where are you based out of these days?" he asks.

Good question...I would have to say..."out of a suitcase"

Two years after I thought I had left Noida for good...I had to pack my bags and go back for what I can only be thankful for...a short term assignment. Pity though that nothing has changed in this place. Most members of the male species...right from the rickshaw walas to the nice looking gentlemen will leer at anything that's female. Although, their perseverance does amaze me...once they catch sight of female footwear in the passenger leg space of an auto rickshaw, even the crazy traffic cannot deter them from craning their necks to have peek into the back seat of the auto where I am trying to make myself invisible. Hmm...maybe I should try wearing men's shoes the next time.

The traffic norms are mind boggling...its actually safer to keep driving when the signal is red...coz if you don't the guys behind you choose to use their weapon of mass ear splittuction (ok...thats not a real word)...this is one place where your car horn can actually make the vehicle ahead of you go faster. Although, watch out when the signal turns green...thats when the Schumachers on the other side think its alright to cut across in their Ferraris.

But I must say, this part of the country does have gorgeous looking people...sadly looks aren't everything :(

After a few fun weeks of reacquainting myself with the city and catching up with old mates...I flew to Orlando...a city that got me sun burnt and rain drenched on the very day that I landed. Touted to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, I did my routine google search on "places to visit and things to do". All I got was theme parks and water parks...hmmm kind of a damper for someone with an immense aversion to amusement parks. Not that I have anything against them...its just that my only reaction after a high speed/revolving/bumpy ride is a revolting urge to throw up on the person sitting next to me. Seems like a waste of money (10,000 bucks...are you freakin kidding me!!!) when I can get the same reaction by swinging my nephew around. Anyway, we did find a bunch of beaches that were quite nice. The night life, though not much, was pretty fun too...especially one particularly raucous place (can't remember the name though).

After a month of restaurant hopping, window shopping and wandering around in general (don't judge me...I did get some work done as well), me and my suitcase returned to Noida. Perfect timing...probably the best time of the year to be in this city. With winter starting to slowly creep in, the air is crisp and cool...and the pretty Diwali lights makes one want to stand around and stare...at least until the house owners start to get suspicious of you. With the short term assignment coming to a close... I'm actually a bit disappointed to be missing Dilli ki Sardi...

Back in Chennai now...I am however going to give it some more time before I put an actual location to the end of the sentence "I am based out of _____"...for now its still the suitcase.