All over

Well my time is nearly up here and I am about packed and ready to come back to the UK.
It has been a long 12 days but worthwhile on the work front. Sapient aren't just a group of people asking us to comment on piles of documents but a very busy group of people working long hours to acheive a very good product.
All I can do is thank all I met for their warmth and hospitality while I have been here. They have asked lots of questions and I hope I have given lots of answers. I just hope the questions I asked weren't too difficult or sound too stupid.
Overall I can say I have enjoyed the experience for the most part, there have ben some very long days and then getting back to try and relax. But I have tried to take the positives and thank all those that looked after me getting me here and back as well as those while I was here.
All it leaves me to say is Happy Diwali

Wednesday week 2

As the visit nears it's end I have been thinking about the differences between here and back home.
We live in our little protected world built by the health and safety representatives. Not sure they would do so well over here. Hard hats and flip flops, how does that work? Motorbikes where the rider wears a helmet (or has it resting on the handlebars) while their female passenger sits side saddle. And I have at last worked out why a scooter has such a wide footplate, so your child can stand between your legs while you are riding it of course, why isn't he sitting behind you? Because your wife is there!!
Bangalore, or the areas I have seen seem split between a normal urban environment with many large areas filled with trees. So with this in mind, where are all the birds? Don't think I have seen one since I have been here, cows walking freely along the street but no birds.

On the work side things are going well here, there seems to be so much going on with people discussing so many areas of our solution. Epson must seem so confusing to them, do we do anything in a standard way?

Tuesday Week 2

Hello England India calling
Tuesday brings another day of testing. Things are now starting to fall into place with the building blocks starting to appear. We might be getting a new site after all ;o)

See what a little colour does to an office?

I was sat in the car comiing to the office thinking about the traffic and how it just seems normal to be diving or every gap and buses and scooters all just fighting for the same space. So either I am getting used it or I have been here too long. Was bad enough when myself and Mark both decided that the food didn't seem as spicy as it did when we arrived. Must admit I do think I will be giving curry a miss for a while when I get back.

Well news splashed across the TV. India will be the 6th country to have sent unanned probe to the moon. Headlines read successful launch all went smoothly, vehicle heading in the ight direction. Now call me cynical but most rockets start they journey pointing upwards, and when the engines ignite there is pretty much only one direction to go!!

Who says merchandising is complicated?

Monday Week 2

Monday Monday
The day started off with me being driven into the office my someone who had, I think, just got his license. That or he had driven a manual gearbox before. Bumped around and the very few smooth bits of the road let alone going over the speed bumps. And as for stalling across 2 lanes of oncoming Bangalore traffic, well even I started praying.

Today also saw the kick off of Itration 6 at Sapient. The whole team, and bloody hell it's big when you see them all in one room, discussing pros and cons of he previous stages as well as who is doing what for the next few weeks. I aim to finish testing what they have just completed before I leave. But the main work has been on building the structure of the site and they are now moving on to all of the business bits.

It was good to be included not only in being there for the meeting but also asked for my thoughts and comments about what I had seen and experienced while I have been here with them.

It's harder now to not think about the flight home as the clock ticks down. Will be good to get home and sleep in my own bed again, will just be wierd for no bed making fairy to appear while I am at work.

Mark sent me some great pictures of the time here and the flight back and will do all I can to get some of them on here.
The ones today were of office life and what you have to understand is these were taken and 7.50pm. Most of the team were still there working away

The weekend

The weekend came with dinner at expense of LG. Afgan food eaten with your hands off very low chairs. First meal that didn't really agree with me, too much information I know.
I woke Saturday with a text from Mark telling about his check in timings. Feeling a little jealous in a way as he was home to see is family.
Sat and watched the Chinese Grand Prix qualifing and then decided to go for a wander and do a little shopping. We had been shown a shopping mall that was about a mile down the road, this seemed easier than trying to find my way to the centre of Bangalore. And more finding m way back.
We had spent the first week wrapped up in a bubble really. Driven from hotel to office and back. Didn't really allow us to see what was outside. As I walked down the road I passed things you could never think of in this time and age. Concrete pipes along the side of the road, I guess ready for some construction work, were being lived in. People getting their water from taps in the street. Storm drains that seemed to smell like open sewers and something that was worlds apart from they way we had been living while we had been here.

The two pictures are views on different sides of the streets

It does amaze me that this country is really two countries in one. The haves and have nots. And when you see the work that has been completed and these huge modern structures it seems sad to see how others live. India is about to place a module on the moon but they have people living in these squalid conditions!

A strange thing that is on the streets everyday is the cows. Randomly wandering the streets, did ask how and what they ate seeing I always thought cows ate grass and lots of it.

Deciding to not walk back to the hotel in the very warm and close climate I decided to take my life in my hands and get back by auto-risckshaw. Just think of a shopping trolley wit wheels and you are not too far wrong.
The file is a little large and if I can find a way of getting it converted to something smaller I will. But it is well worth viewing and the onl way I can show the traffic and it's unique qualities.

The remainder of Saturday was spent in traditional English fashion with live premiership football what else?

Sunday as been a day of doing nothing, watching the Grand Prix followed by lunch of take out Domino's pizza and then writing this. This time next week I will be at Wembley Stadium watching a live NFL match. Two worlds so far apart.

Friday

Goooooooooood morning India!!
This is not a dream.
This is Bangalore!!!!
Well Mark has got to the end of his Indian adenture and will be on his way home by the time this is posted.
We were taken out last night to sample Indian BBQ, never made the main course as we were kept constantly fed with starters of chicken, fish, prawns and veg all on skewers with our own little supply of hot coals stored witin the table. Add to that a very nice selection of BBQ cocktails and long meal was very much enjoyed. Thanks to the guys for taking us out.

Thursday

I don't know, you try and explain how it is being this far from home and describe the work experience and people ask if I was cloned or my blog was hacked as I sounded all corporate.
I said if there was no great benifit coming out here then why come? So if I see or think a positive why not say :oD
Have had my QA head on today, this means finding fault in the things that other people think are perfect. I have decided that just because something looks good on paper or within a powerpoint presentation it does not always make sense when left to 'make happen' by the technical people :o)
Apart from that today has been a rainy day with it being constanly raining for the past 4 hours.
Big news over here has been the alliance between Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines. Up until thhis week they have been bitter rivals but due to finacial issues all over the world they playing nice now. First step is for Jet to make 1900 people redundant.
So the question has to be.
How many air stewardesses does it take to change a light bulb in India?
1 but there are 1400 applying for the job.
Thanks to MTV India for that, not my work before anyone complains

Never complain about our canteen again!!

Wednesday

Well thanks to a power cut in the hotel last night and the fact that there was no Wifi access as well I was unable to update the blog on time and managed to lose the text I was going to post.
Basically it was all about the universal addiction across all countries ie TV. Now one advantage I have found in the past few days is there are a quite a few English speaking channels and a few pure film channels only showing English films. The thing that links all of these channels are the adverts. They only seem to have about 12 in total. So once you have been shown the same motorbike, automatic gearbox, Garnier face cream, LG everything, Beat Samsung beat phone, Bank ads with kids playing football with Elephants Oh and welcome Raoul here is BigTV you have to think is this all that people are interested in? Or is it the mentality that you punch it into someone for long enough the believe it.
Sleeping is becoming an issue trying to convince your body that it's midnight and time for sleep wen it says 'No way it's only 7.30' is getting a little boring. Add to to that the constant beeping of horns that the 'noise prevention glass' seems to let through and it is not that easy to nod off. So you do an 11 hour day in the office and then find it hard to relax...roll on the weekend!!
Mark had is first introduction to Fatwire yesterday as I continued to crack on with the user case testing. It is so much easier to to and explain when something is not working when you are face to face with someone. All I can say is that the level of effort and speed of action makes it worthwile being here. I hope all that follow find the same.

What I see as I look up

Tuesday

Another day in paradise.
sight of the day was on the way to the offices through the 'traffic' 1 motor cycle and 4 milk churns all moving together at the same time. Couldn't get my camera out to take the picture but the guy had some balance riding it with them hanging off the sides
We will get some video and post that to try and show the chaos.

Novel situation in the building at present and all I can say is thank god for ups' all working away and suddenly it goes all dark except for the monitor screens.
Only twice today or I never noticed the rest of the times and I am getting used to it.

As you can see one of the things it can do here is rain!!

And just for Chris the hotel menu, the rest will follow through the week
(might need to click on them to read it properly)

Monday

Someone asked what it was like when we got here
Arrival into India is a matter of one queue after another.
Once you have filled out extra paperwork on the aircraft this is stamped and checked at passport control. Leaving you will a small tear off strip. Move forward 10 metres and someone now wants to check the strip you have.
Wander downstairs to find your bags and then off to the exit. Only to be stopped by someone who wants to take the strip off you once you have signed it!
Now move out to get your money changed and you are out to find your driver.
Welcome to India

Woke up and though great a new day, opened the curtains to be faced with
Small little slip up with the taxi being at the wrong hotel made us a little late. One problem with changing hotels so often. We're at one, driver at the other. And looking at the flow of the traffic guess which way we were going?
But hey with the suicide dash the driver sticks the nose into the flow and off we crawl to the Sapient office.

First impressions of the Epson environment...they out do Epson when it comes to white boards:o)
Would say we were made very welcome and good to meet people face to face. The mood around the office seemed good with high morale all round. Lots of interaction between the teams and they seem to be very industrious in what they were doing.
So that's day one down

Well we made it

Well it was a damn long time to be trapped inside a 747 but we managed it. And considering the hassle with passports and visas I am glad we got here at all. Grace thanks for all of your help, we know it wasn't your fault.
And for all those that have heard how bad the driving is in India. It's all true!!!
Rules, what rules??? Seems like everyone has a death wish with one day left on the planet.
And as for speed bumps on a motorway......