This will be my last blog...hang on before you start thinking that I will quit writing..I meant for the year 2009 :) As I rewind my memories of 2009, it was a year which most of us would like to forget for reasons ranging from the gloomy economy, high unemployment, soaring prices and regional troubles. 44th United States President Barack Obama's inauguration was the much awaited event grabbing more eyeballs on the internet and the television than any other event in recent history. Personally 2009 started off on a bad note for me when my employer Satyam Computer Services (which is now Mahindra Satyam) founder Ramalinga Raju's confession shocked the people and left the future of the company in doubt. Mahindra Satyam has recovered from that but the scars will surely take time to heal. Michael Jackson, the iconic pop star bid adieu to the world and we will surely miss him.

Although most of 2009 was very disappointing for me, it did end on a promising note. I could fulfill my long cherished dreams of working in the United States and the economy (its still early days) seems to show positive signs of recovery. I hope and wish as always that the spirit and strength with which we managed to cope with the worst crisis and learnt some useful lessons will endure as we look forward to ushering in the new year . I wish everyone a Happy New Year 2010

(Image courtesy: http://rlv.zcache.com/new_year_2010_holiday_postage_stamps-p172594239822487567anr4u_400.jpg)

Its Christmas time and what better place to celebrate than in the United States. Every house here is decorated with christmas wreaths (tied neatly with bright red ribbons), bells, rein deer + Santa Claus (most of them are made of decorative lights). It's like a festive atmosphere.

I am right now in Bowling Green, Kentucky (the birth place of the Sixteenth US President Abraham Lincoln). It's a quiet place much like rural India. I have come here to spend some time with my brother who is studying at the Western Kentucky University (WKU). Its cloudy for most part of the day however early mornings whenever there is sunlight its a blessed place. The house where I am living is closer to the university. I can hear the bells chime every hour and the honking sound of the train. Its cold out here. After initial hiccups I am getting accustomed to the weather. I took a bicycle ride in the sprawling WKU campus and it was quite awesome. The bicycle was pretty cool with shimano gears. However I didn't use the gears as I wanted to use my strength to power the bicycle rather than relying on the gears. It reminds me of my bicycle rides in India when I used to commute to the gym.


Yesterday while I was walking down to Walmart (one of the biggest retail chains in the United States and probably the world) which is nearly 3.2 miles from my place, I was hit by a car. Now in India people have to look carefully over their shoulder lest they become a statistic for road accidents. However here people are supposed to stop for the pedestrians at a safe distance. Now there was an intersection leading to the main road. It was almost dark and a car was waiting to get on to the main road. I began crossing the road to get to the other side and suddenly the car started hurtling towards me. I was taken completely by surprise and shrieked loudly.

My hands fell on the bonnet of the car as I leaned on it and by some quick thinking I pushed my legs back to protect against injury. The car dragged me a few metres and then stopped. There was a female driver behind the wheel and she put her hands up to indicate that she was sorry. I was shocked and stunned as I was definitely not expecting it. From then, on my return journey back home chastened by experience I am letting the vehicles go even if they stop for me. Did someone say once bitten twice shy :) It was my lucky day as I didn't even have medical insurance. Getting injured and treated in the hospital here can financially impair someone who doesn't have medical insurance. Now that's a current topic here as today the Health Insurance reform legislation (Obama's poll promise for universal health care) was passed with a majority and must clear a final hurdle which might be just a mere formality.

When I narrated this incident to my brother he chided me for putting myself at risk by walking down to Walmart. The fact is although there are pavements for pedestrians here, except for a minority (which is very rare) people here seldom walk. They just drive. No wonder then people passing in motor vehicles looked at me as if I was an alien from another planet :)

(Image courtesy: http://www.walmart.com, http://media.photobucket.com/image/merry%20christmas/mandyr5_photo/christmas.jpg?o=7,http://media.photobucket.com/image/merry%20christmas/donutz_photos/merryChristmas.jpg?o=6)

As I had mentioned in my blogs earlier, working in the United States was one of my long cherished dreams. On 10th December 2009 when I landed in Dallas, Texas my dreams finally came true. It's a small step as there are miles to go.
(Image courtesy: http://www.photos4travel.com/large/Statue_Of_Liberty.jpg)