Scent Salon

Before coming to Bangalore, I had researched salons in the area. I stumbled upon Scent, and saw so many pictures of good blonde outcomes! I knew I would be making an appointment there to get my cuts and color. Today I visited and it was a phenomenal experience. Kevin is the “blonde expert” there. From North India, he has been working at Scent in Bangalore for 7 years. He is basically….a hair assassin. He examines your hair, has the right color prepared and has foils on before you can wonder what is exactly happening. His efficiency and expertise is simply amazing. I was in and out in 2 hours, with a fabulous blended color, new cut, head massage, and green tea! I haven’t been this happy with my hair in years. The salon itself is very upscale, modern, yet comfortable, with a staff of people that “walked me outside and chatted with me while I waited for the car”. Amazingly nice group of people who I will certainly return to see!

Scent
No. 67/2, Lavelle Rd, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001 ‎
080 4130 8479

10 Minute Errand, 10 kms, 4 hour Trip

It is a Festival weekend here, and people today warned me to “leave early”, there will be a lot of traffic. I compared this in my head to a holiday weekend in NC, where people take a ½ day, and then by the time 5PM is here, everyone has left town and the roads are not busy between 6-8pm. Turned out to be quite the fantasy thought. I left at 5:30 to just go halfway across Bangalore (10 kms), for an errand that would take 10 minutes once I arrived. It took the driver and me 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there, and over 2 hours to return. Bangalore is congested on any given day, but if you hear there is a Festival, let me give you a tip: Just go to the store the week before (like a snowstorm is coming to NC) and rush back inside your homes before the traffic jams start! (Unless you enjoy a good traffic jam.) I saw things out there tonight that I would never have imagined could occur. Some things I cannot post on this blog! Other things included a bus that had “had enough” and attempted to cross a small wall of concrete to turn around. The first half of the bus made it. There were 5 people working on the other half as we rode by. I think our side window actually hit another vehicle at one point, but no one stopped. Everyone was too tired I am sure. My driver…so kind….oh so kind…..yet, he said so many things to me that I could have taped and replayed a million times and will never understand a year from now. At one point I asked him what time he normally got off work, as we were supposed to be back by 7, it was now 9, and I had seen him working early this morning. Knowing he lives in Bangalore…..I asked him “When you get off work, how long will it take you to get home in all of his traffic?”. He said “It takes 4 hours to travel to Chennai”. Oh dear, he does not understand me either. Long day for sure, fellow travelers of Bangalore! Hope everyone enjoys the Festival weekend.

Indians are Fearless

Indian labor workers are daring, fearless, and have proven to me time and again, that “This is actually probably safe after all”. I have seen caution thrown to the wind, and in the end, no one gets hurt. I used to worry about the workers on the scaffoldings in RTP…

I have taken shots of 2 examples:
The first: There are water tanks (above what is pictured) and pipes that need to receive maintenance on the roof of this (1st) building. One day I saw a “ladder” placed. You can possibly tell from this picture that the ladder is very “stick-like”. No metal, and not even re-enforced materials of any kind. I stuck with the event, as I was sure someone was about to climb it once it was placed. I thought, sure enough, someone would be holding the ladder for safety, as it was not entirely "even" (not to mention twig-like steps). But, no...a Fearless Indian emerged, and climbed it like he does this sort of thing every day! Alone on the roof of this building, he was. I had my phone ready. I was ready to hit the Emergency Dial. But, he made it. He stood on a concrete barrier (12-18 inches tops) and attended to the pipes. On another day (and I tried to have my camera ready and did not!) he climbed above this particular structure to a 2nd roof of concrete (which you can see, above the "roof" of the pipes, pictured above in 1st 3 pics) without the ladder or any other assistance, and then when done, swung his body back over the side and miraculously made it to the 1 foot lip of concrete where the ladder rests (still 30 feet in the air). He basically defied the laws of momentum. I did not speak much the rest of the day, I was in such awe. I reconsidered my comfort levels at work. I really have it made.

The 2nd set of 3 pictures is of a building across a street where I had to really zoom, to capture an equally fearless Indian worker, who was on a lip of concrete not more than 1 foot. Tending to pipes, or electricity. He was just there…and it is the most amazing thing to me. I bet neither of these Indians “make a big deal” about this at the end of their days, either. They probably eat a curry dish and think of whatever Indian workers think about. (Or they wonder who that crazy woman was, taking such interest in them “while they were trying to work”).

Friday 22 August 2014

Delhi and Agra (TAJ MAHAL)

Over the weekend, some friends and I left Bangalore, and visited Delhi and Agra, 1500 miles away..... A 2.5 hour plane ride to Delhi. An awesome weekend with lots of good food, fun, laughs over dinner, history, and pedicures/ or massages. (On a side note, when I returned, someone at work said “yeah I saw you in the airport!” and I thought to myself, “In a state of a million, someone sees me in the airport, and yet in RTP, I never see anyone I recognize!”) The magic of India.

We visited 3 historical places: Sikandra, Agra Fort, and the Taj Mahal. Friday was Independence Day in India, so the crowds were a little higher than usual. Above photos are a mix of the 3 locations.

In Agra, we visited Sikandra, wherein lies the Tomb for Akbar the Great (b 1542, d 1605) (Mughal Emperor) who is highly regarded by people in Delhi, Agra, throughout India, and beyond. Those who refer to him today, speak of him as being “ahead of his time”, as he was a proponent of politicial, as well as religious diversity, and unity. He was tolerant in a way that is rarely seen by leaders today. “Akbar the Great showed the rulers of all nations everywhere that tolerance is not weakness, and open-mindedness is not the same thing as indecisiveness”. Being from Northern India (what is now Pakistan today) and raised in Afgahanistan (by a nurse, with his parents in exile), he took the throne at the age of 13, and through to the end of his reign, was amazingly successful in his ability to gain following of Muslim and non-Muslim followers alike. He adopted policies that preserved peace, was culturally diverse, and built a strong economy. He is considered one of the Top 25 leaders of all time. The guide we had gave such interesting info on this individual, I wanted to know more. Just as your life and mine exists, you will simply fail to capture it in one paragraph! There are PAGES....volumes of history and information surrounding him of which you can read on your own if this has piqued your interest. Google it out.

The last site, after Sikandra and Agra Fort (both rich with Akbar Emperor history) we visited was the TAJ MAHAL, of course! Built of marble in the early 1600s, and took 20+ years to “complete”, there is still continuous preservation going on today (there were workers there the day our group visited). The beauty, is of course, viewing the outside from afar. People say “Go visit on a full moon”, or obviously at sun-rise or sun-set, so you can get an amazing backdrop for your photos. I went with a fun group that shepherded me through the throngs of people moving towards the center of the building, where there is a cenotaph (empty tomb) of Shah Jahan, who had the Taj Mahal built in the name of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. They had 14 children and she died shortly after the 14th child was born, at age 38. I am positive you already know the history of the Taj Mahal. So, the visit…..Delhi, and Agra are much hotter than Bangalore in August. It was 90 +/- the day we visited, and our guide confirmed the fact that it gets much hotter during other months. The heat, not so bad….but when you are “heading into the tomb area”, there are so many people heading into one small hallway with little air and space. It was one of the most crushing experiences in which I have ever been involved. Worth it, but a little scary at the time. “Trampling” crossed my mind, but our guide was amazing. He was a “take charge” kind of guy, from an Indian military background. He would yell (in a respectful way) at the Taj workers to “maintain the foot traffic pattern!” and “Hey, you need to stop that group!”, the only guy in 100 yards that seemed to be aware of the potential dangers of lack of crowd crontrol. haha. He was always on the lookout for all members of our party. I came to love the sight of his plaid shirt as a symbol of safety by the end of the trip! (Not to mention the girls I was with always looked out for me especially, too.) Great day at Taj Mahal. Lived up to my every expectation. I would love to return on a moonlit night.

We left Delhi at 6:30 AM and returned to Delhi by 9 something that Saturday evening. On the way there and back, of course we were on a highway. Our driver did not fail to deliver with liberal use of the gas pedal. We actually passed an ambulance with lights flashing. This has never happened in my life, and I had to turn to my friends, and quietly mouth… “Did we just pass an ambulance?”

Oh, Brother!

My company shipped a crate of personal items that I had pre-packed, when I arrived in Bangalore. Well, I never found my tweezers, but everything else made it just fine. In Bangalore, there are no Walgreens nor Wal-Marts. I asked to go out to a place to buy some tweezers. The guys at the desk gave a blank stare. I began making a “plucking gesture” with my hands. (Not a good look for me, I am sure, but they finally understood.) “Pluckers!” They said. Yes….I needed “pluckers”. They said “You need to go to The Fancy Shop”. I thought “how interesting”…wondering towards what kind of a venue I was heading. Fancy, indeed! There are SO MANY little storefronts with random names in Bangalore, and so eventually we arrived at a small store, and after going through the hand gestures once again, they pulled out some tweezers from underneath a wooden counter. Yes! I also found, at this Fancy Shop, some bracelet bangles and earrings. They seemed to be selling things like headbands, etc as well. The store was probably 25 feet by 10 feet. I was so lucky to have “landed” on this set of tweezers in such a large city! I was fascinated and, however, a bit unsettled by the branding on these tweezers. The packaging said “Tweezers, Scissors, Ear Pick”. My mind turned to the young Indian people who would read this and think it is OK to stick these in their children’s ears to dig out peas, plastic toy soldiers and other objects. Oh no! I felt the need to start a personal campaign to get these tweezers re-branded, off the street. haha They are the most SHARPLY pointed tweezers I have ever owned (the best tweezers, actually, precision-wise), manufactured and branded in another Asian country. I can only think, that they are an actual surgical instrument that ended up by mistake….in “The Fancy Shop”.

Thursday 14 August 2014

That Smile (The Charmer)

One Saturday, I wanted to go for a walk outside, as Bangalore after May/June is 80s and low humidity. Quite a paradise to be outside when the sun breaks through the clouds! Well, there are several lakes in the city limits of Bangalore. I asked the driver to please take me to a certain lake that I had located on-line. The driver conferred with several people before we left, as Bangalore is a big city, and growing so fast that not everything has caught up to GPS. So off we went. We ended up at another lake with a name just as long, with the Indian “most common letters found in names” U, V, K and N (in no particular order, but be assured the name is LONG). I did not think we were at the lake I had written down and given to him, but we were indeed at a lake, and there was a trail, so I was content. I got out and walked and it was a beautiful green area. Pictures here do not show how nice the water appeared. As I walked I realized the lake trail was under some construction, and heard some machinery pass by me several times. I was lucky I did not have on headphones, as I needed to “jump out of the way” the first time I saw a “worker” riding precariously on a moving portion of the heavy machinery passing by, where there is no seatbelt (see picture below and please refer to future blog “Indians are Fearless!")

The highlight of my walk was seeing a family, carrying jugs of water on their head. When I first saw this, I was dying to take a picture, but did not want to seem rude. I took out my phone and motioned to see if I could, and they did not seem to mind. On my way back, the women who had been carrying water, now had their whole family together, and motioned to stop ME to take more pictures of everyone. They kept placing various family members in front of me and we had the most fun in this photo session. This was the nicest, most genuine family, and I had such a nice time meeting them. The “father figure” was absolutely magnetic to me. I could tell this family was not particularly rich in wealth, but rather had riches in DNA through chemical inheritance that enabled a sense of happiness and well-being. The man with the million dollar smile was SUCH A CHARMER. I have not forgotten him since I left the lake that day. That smile has not left me, and I will never forget this man and his family.

Wednesday 13 August 2014

Monks near Mysore

A few years ago, I purchased the book “Diary of a Korean Zen Monk” on my IPAD, fascinated by the day to day lives of these particular monks. It made me feel quite guilty for purchasing that 7th Kate Spade bag, taking such long showers, and not “couponing”. One example of how strict their lives were maintained is described in the book as quoted here...”December has come. When the winter retreat enters the second half, every seonbang observes Yongmaeng Jeongjin practice. Yongmaeng Jeongjin refers to the practice of never-lying-down-to-sleep. This practice continues an entire week.” The book continues, with sentences like “The most extreme pain leads to peace”, and goes on to describe vows of silence, that were even to be maintained while eating “special dumplings” in a group setting (think: Habanera hot, or super salty). Or even...complete restriction of food: “The monk who has been eating only raw vegetables and uncooked grains declared that he would begin a solitary fasting retreat…”. I was simply in awe after reading the book, and thinking that maybe the venti size macchiato really is a bit extravagant, every single morning. Being myself, a "giggler", a foodie, a fan of the mattress, these monks intrigued me. So, when I discovered I would be visiting India, and there were so many monasteries that could be visited by the public, I looked forward to seeing this firsthand. I visited the Namdroling Monastery (Golden Temple) in Bylakuppe (same state as Bangalore). First of all, let me say that it was a beautiful setting and the most colorful place I had visited to date, as far as architecture and grounds. Very green with lots of trees, beautiful flowers, an unrecognizable group of fowl on the lawn, and even a cat (first one I saw in India). Being from NC, however, and not familiar with any Tibetan Buddhist background except this random Zen Monk book, I was in for quite a surprise. These monks did not seem to be silent...reflective...diminished...in pain...sleep-deprived. Rather, these monks were on the move. They were leaving the grounds on motorcycles, texting on cell phones, wearing crocs, and “hanging out”. As I drove through the town, I swear I saw one eating potato chips from a roadside stand. I asked my colleague, when I returned to work, to “enlighten me” on all of this unexpected activity. He provided some good info....He explained that monks (at this particular temple), in general, do go into society (perhaps one day per week?) in order to keep their fingers on the pulse of general news, events, human sufferings, etc so they can take this knowledge with them, back to the monastery. Quite an intriguing experience.

Friday 8 August 2014

Triple 8, Double Zero

In riding to the tech park where I work every day, I hear about all of the work that various people do. I have shared cars with people from so many industries so far, and can report that there is a lot of technology discovery, research and production ideas currently underway in Bangalore. I have heard from individuals about their companies that are about to introduce technologies that are simply amazing. I think specifically about one individual who shared what his company was working on, and remembered that I had seen this in a recent movie, but it is not yet available to the widespread public, in a completely integrated way, and also is just available in limited markets. People have shared so many interesting technologies on which they are developing or perfecting, and so most every day, my ride to work is pretty interesting! My main point is, that the traffic that heads into the technology parks in Bangalore is heavy, and there is a LOT of groundbreaking work going on here. In my expat “intro to life” in Bangalore so far…these are the details…that make the visitors and the people of India fascinating to me every single day...The people with whom I work are from at least 5+ states in India. There are an amazing number of highly educated “20 to 30 somethings” in Bangalore, who are eager to learn and work hard and become leaders. Many have Masters degrees +, and have travelled to other countries to study in a lab, etc. prior to coming to Bangalore to settle into these tech parks.

There is the interesting way in which Indians recite a series of numbers. In the US, for example, a number with repeating numbers, we will invariably share as “eight eight eight”. In India, it is ALWAYS “Triple 8”, NEVER “eight eight eight”. In giving phone numbers, you hear “Double 0, Triple 8, 4, Double 7”. It is something I have never heard prior to travelling to India, and now I have actually started saying this myself. I wonder if Indians wonder why we don’t rattle off numbers in this fashion? Do they get impatient when we say eight eight eight? Haha After saying “triple 8” so many times, I cannot imagine ever saying eight eight eight again! “TRIPLE 8” simply rolls off the tongue. (I have not heard a quadruple yet, but I have a feeling it is coming!) The phone numbers here are a digit or 3 longer, so more chances for repetition, which maybe led to this. If you are taking down a number, you’d better be quick, as there are 9 digits which end up being shared in, oh, about 4 syllables. Quite efficient.

Finally, the Indians I have met do not have “questions”, but rather, they have “doubts”. I was in one of the first meetings upon my arrival, and after listening to some technical procedures, someone said “I have a doubt”. I thought “Oh no!”. I was thinking, are we “doubting” the overlying procedure, the technology? A doubt sounded quite serious! A time where we may need to “go back to the drawing board” and start over. But no...a “doubt” is simply a group of Indians saying “they have a question”……Ahhh. Got it now! Hearing these differences in the way we in the US, and the Indians interpret language is always fascinating to me. Never a dull moment. No “doubt” about it!

Saturday 2 August 2014

Sari, I didn't quite catch that?

So, being in India and talking to many people, I have learned that food varies greatly from state to state. I have several “guides” for the variations between regions for when I travel. Comparing to “back home”…just think of crossing the NC border into SC, and imagine you found a whole new world of food there, potentially unrecognizable? But here, there are more extreme food silos between the states, that make crossing state lines feel as if you are entering another country (and often, even within the same state, small communities prepare items completely differently). People from one state talk about the way other states prepare the same dish, only to make it completely different. The one thing this entire sub-continent of India has in common, however, is…you can be sure that there will be something spicy presented to you during your day…on your plate…in the buffet line…it is there, in the back of the mind of that Indian cook or chef as he cuts open that first chili of the day! Since I love spicy food, this has been a great experience food-wise. Today I went to a breakfast buffet and one item I chose was a kind of rice. You are never sure how spicy something will be, as the hot chilis here are green and yet there are also the chili powder spices that are red/orange. If you see a combo of both, you know you are in for a “hole in the tongue” experience. Well, this rice was almost a fluorescent orange. When I opened the chafing dish, it practically glowed. As I was eating this spicy rice, the waiter came over to ask how things were, and I told him how much I liked the rice. This was the conversation.

Me: “I really love this rice. What is it called?”
Waiter: “Your rice is cold?”

He looks distressed and ready to FIX THIS. I think “Oh no!”. I re-assured him it was hot, no problems here, and just looking for the “name”. haha So, the neat experience that I had with this rice, was, that I ate a bite of this, and a bite of a chocolate croissant, and then a sip of cappuccino, and it made the cappuccino amazingly spicy and sweet. Best cappuccino I think I have ever had. Never would have thought that rice could make a cappuccino so good!

Friday 1 August 2014

The towel twister

Living in Bangalore, I reside in a long-term rental, which is close to my job, and picked initially, partly on commuting distance reasons. The staff that work here have treated me very nicely, and all know me by name. I am sure they know me well for several reasons (i.e. there was the omelette incident, I will not bore you). But overall, I feel as if they like having me here (whether they are paid to make me feel this way or not, (and I actually feel they are genuine) it is the ultimate outcome that really matters), and so I like living here. A good situation as I am here for an entire year. I have a bedroom, bath, and living room with a mini-fridge. I have plugged in my Nespresso, and am very content. No stove and dishwasher, but I eat out all of the time, and have enjoyed not cleaning. So…the guy who has worked so hard as the cleaner of my space, bringer of fruit, creator of towel animals, and occasional part-time therapist, has left as of yesterday. He has a great opportunity (back in his hometown) and I am sure there will be another excellent replacement here. This past week, I worked here one day and was able to really observe what he was doing. I have 2 glasses and 2 coffee mugs that I use regularly, with those being the only dishes in here. I usually use one glass a day, as I am out most of the time. I have thought…..that this glass was being taken out of the room every day to a dishwasher somewhere and cleaned in the most scalding of water. I watch him pick up the used glass and head into my bathroom. I think to myself....”Oh creator of the beautiful swan-shaped towels, what, praytell, are you taking this glass into the bathroom for?” I do not say anything, but I wait…..I hear water running. He brings the glass back out and places it back in the pantry. I know, from experience that the water does not get hot at all in that sink. No scalding capabilities whatsoever. Also, he is carrying that same rag as he uses to wash mirrors, etc. At this point, I know....that I am going to have to have a fireside chat regarding microbe management with this oh so nice towel twister. This is going to be fun, as 1) we meet in the middle on language, but we are never quite sure what the other has said, and 2) I don’t want to make him feel bad. He has told me that I am his “top 3 favorite guest ever” so I have a reputation with him to maintain (aside from wondering what other 2 guests could have possibly beat me!) and yet, at the same time, I need to express my overwhelming distress at the potential bulk of bacteria that is still on the glass. I smile. I always start out a re-direction discussion with a smile. I have to maintain this “top 3 guest of all time” status! Never mind why. I let him know that the water is just not hot enough in my bathroom sink to really get the glass clean. He says “No problem! We will begin replacing them!” I know that a trip to buy paper cups is in my immediate future. Oddly enough, and a final note…I have been in Bangalore for almost 60 days, and so far...not one GI bug. Maybe he has some cleaning secret procedure “in my bathroom” that I do not know about….

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