It's been a while...

...since I last wrote! Heavens! Half a year -- I see my last entry was in January. Well, what can I say? It's been crazy, at work, and my life in general. Work's been insane, till I moved to a new team (which I absolutely LOVE), and my Mum and sister were visiting me in the interim, so what with juggling a new job, and showing my family around the city (this time in a car!), I didn't really have a lot of time to devote to other pursuits -- like writing on this blog.

It's been an eventful six months! For one, I've completed two years at Dell, which is quite an achievement. I never thought I'd last two years anywhere unless it's a compulsion (like studies). But I've stuck it out in Dell entirely by choice for two years, and while it hasn't been a smooth ride all the way, it's certainly been a learning experience! And I'm wiser and happier than I was two years ago, which is what matters, right?

I've traveled a bit! I took my Mum and sister around Austin, around Texas and around the country during the two months they were here. We visited the little towns of the Texas Hill Country -- Burnet, Fredericksburg, Johnson City, Wimberley, Dripping Springs, Marble Falls...and enjoyed it immensely. I think there's something just so fascinating about small towns! And since I'm a girl of the hills at heart, I really enjoyed exploring Texas Hill Country! We went in the peak of wildflower season, when the hills were ablaze with flowers of various hues, and the very wind seemed fresh and fragrant. Lovely! We also did a road trip to New Orleans, which is by far the longest I've ever driven -- 12 hours in one day, practically without stopping! But what a trip it was! We saw the gorgeous Louisiana bayou, the beautiful pine forests of East Texas (Loblolly Pines, I believe they're called?) and the gorgeous, gorgeous city of New Orleans. We later went to Disney World, and had the most fantastical, magical, incredible five days there. Ahhhh!! What a couple of months it was!

And now, I am all set to go to Atlanta to visit an aunt. Well, technically, she is my great-aunt, but since she is almost my Mum's age, I call her aunt. I've been looking forward to this trip for a while now, so I'm excited! Plus, it's always exciting to see a new city, though the most exciting thing in Atlanta I'm looking forward to is the historic house of Margaret Mitchell, and see the setting of Gone With The Wind. Plus, it's Georgia! The very name evokes thoughts of gracious southern hospitality, so I'm quite looking forward to the trip.

And, I've been immersed in the wonderful, magical world of Enid Blyton. She was quite my favorite author growing up, and even reading the books now, I've realized that no matter what, she'll always remain my favorite author, of all time! Why, the magic! I've raced through the "Barney" mysteries, as they're called, and the Adventure series. The "Barney" mysteries are the exciting stories of siblings Roger and Diana, their younger cousin Snubby (quite a pest!), his dog Loony, their wandering circus-boy friend Barney, and his monkey, Miranda. From meeting the rather wild Barney in The Rockingdown Mystery, through Barney's search for his father in the hilarious and mysterious The Rilloby Fair Mystery and The Ring 'O Bells Mystery, and the culmination of the search in the heart-rending, haunting, melancholic The Rubadub Mystery, it's been a magical series. I try to ignore The Rat-a-tat Mystery and The Ragamuffin Mystery as they're nowhere near as good as the first four. The Adventure series is the exciting adventures of siblings Philip and Dinah Mannering (and Philip's collection of pets), and their friends siblings Lucy-Ann and Jack Trent, and Jack's adorable talking parrot, Kiki. Exciting, adventurous, and hilarious (especially when Kiki scares off the bad guys with her nonsensical babble), it's been a fun read. Ah, I do so love Enid Blyton's books!

I'm planning on going to London later this year, probably around my birthday (which falls very close to Labor Day weekend). I'd love to see the rest of England, especially the places Enid Blyton wrote about -- the beautiful Dorset beaches and coast, the Devon moors, and the cliffs and beaches of Cornwall. But let's see! At the very least, I'd love to see London (and I hope I can snare something from one of the boutiques on Bond Street while I'm at it!).

Whew! I've blabbered on for quite a bit. That's what happens when you don't write in a while! Things just pour out in a rush. Well, I guess I'll head off to Atlanta, and hopefully have a ton to say when I return! Sayonara!

Year of Travel

2008 was certainly a significant year in my life. I've graduated from grad school, and started working -- this year marked what was possibly my last year as a student (though, with my penchant for studying I wouldn't rule out a return to academia). I also started working at Dell Inc as a software developer, a job that I've enjoyed so much since the day I started, it's sinful. I absolutely adore my teammates, and I love delving into the code and understanding how it works. And I actually get paid to do that -- life's just great!
After the obligatory bill-paying and buying all those things I lusted after when I was a poverty-stricken grad student and didn't have the money to buy them (one of those was, for some strange reason, a flimsy bookshelf at Barnes & Noble), I finally decided that I would indulge in another thing that I wanted to do forever -- travel.
After deciding that, my first destination was fixed -- New Zealand. I've wanted to go there since forever, I even wrote a book based in New Zealand! I had to see it. So I booked tickets to Dunedin, in South Island. I can't wait for that trip!
Next on that list was India, of course. In November is my parents' 25th wedding anniversary, and there's no way I could miss that! So after weeks of stalking travel websites for a decent ticket to India, I finally got the right one -- and I'm going to Bombay from Nov 15th to 29th.
And then, everyone was going away for Labor Day weekend, and I felt like an idiot for having no plans but to lie about the house reading books and surfing useless websites on the internet, so I've booked another getaway, to Denver. I'm going to Denver for the Labor Day weekend, and I'm sure it's gonna be fun! I love getaways too, where you don't know a soul in the other place -- you just roam there by yourself with no one to judge you or anything.
So by the end of this year, I would've been to: Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Denver, Bombay and Dunedin. Not bad!! I aim to increase the length of that list next year, but let's see. I've always wondered what I'd do with so much money -- I'm a pretty frugal person, and I don't go on shopping binges at all, not even in Barnes & Noble, my favorite store. But now, I've found a way to spend that money and indulge in my passion -- traveling!
I bet 2009's gonna be an even more interesting year.....

Riding the bus to work

This is one I've been meaning to write about for quite some time...the unique experience of riding the bus to work. To begin with, I think I'm the only Dell employee that takes the bus to work, at least to the South Parmer campus (which is where I work). I live all the way in downtown Austin, so the journey is more of a voyage! It all starts with waiting for the bus at the little bus stop at the UT Law Library, the stop closest to my house. The Wait is an experience in itself. I can see all manner of interesting things while I'm waiting for the bus -- students rushing for classes (the ones who take summer classes, that is); cars whizzing by at top speed down the street; people scurrying to work; the occasional EMS truck howling down the quiet street; and, my personal favorite, little squirrels playing hide-and-seek with each other on the trees.
Today, for instance, I saw a family of squirrels, squabbling with each other for a piece of something that didn't even look edible to me! They are funny animals. After some time, they gradually started disappearing, and I wondered why. Finally, when the song on my iPod stopped, I realized the reason -- it had started raining! Chester Bennington screaming in your ear to Shut up when I'm talking to you! tends to drown out the pitter-patter of rain. By the time the last bushy tail disappeared into the undergrowth, the 174 came trundling around the corner, and I waved about an arm to flag it down.
Flagging the bus is quite an experience. You have to hop onto the road, wave your arms around like you're part of a dance troupe, all the while nimbly keeping out of the way of other vehicles. When you see the bus' brake lights flash, you hop back equally nimbly to the pavement before the gigantic vehicle can run you over. Quite a bit of activity! (Note to fitness freaks: catching the bus is good workout activity)
Finally, I got into the bus, nodded my usual good morning to the driver. I have no idea whether he said anything.....Chester Bennington was back to his usual activity -- screaming in my ears, this time to tell me that he wouldn't be ignored. Fine, Chester. With you screaming like that, there's no way I can really ignore you -- unless I'm coding or drawing. All the same, I like Linkin Park a lot. At least Chester screams tunefully.
Then began the ride through the I-35. Normally I like it a lot, because the bus moves without any hindrances; but today, the driver decided to take all the feeder roads instead of taking the highway, so we stopped and started more times than I can count. I had given up all hopes of reaching my stop on time, but the driver maneuvered beautifully through the traffic, getting the bus to the North Lamar Transit Center at 7:00 am -- right on time. Anyone who can handle the beast that the bus is so well has my respect.
NLTC is where the seething mass of humanity enters the bus. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. Not seething, maybe. But mass of humanity, certainly. The near-empty bus goes to near-full in a matter of minutes. Today was no different, but my interest was piqued by the Seeing-Eye dog that settled down near me. He was pushed under the seat, and lay there, looking out at me, and whoever else passed in the vicinity with soulful eyes. The bus, meanwhile, continued on the US 183, finally hitting Burnet. It continued down Burnet, all the way to Braker, which is where I get off. Braker and Burnet. Sounds almost like a law firm or something, but for me, it's time to change buses.
I got off with alacrity, for the next bus, the 392 that takes me to East Parmer, was just 6 minutes away. I walked up to the crossroads, and waited for the pedestrian signal to turn green. Next to me, a boy came to a screeching halt on his bicycle, dressed all in black like a goth follower, and smoking a cigarette. This intrigued me -- he managed to keep his balance on the rickety old bike, while smoking, and looking cool (or trying to), all at the same time.
The bus stop for the 392 is a little distance away -- a half-mile, perhaps? Not a lot, but a goodish walk. I kept glancing over my shoulder to ensure that the bus wasn't on the way. When I finally reached the stop, the bus still hadn't arrived, so I was glad -- I got some time to take a breather.
The 392 arrives at Braker and Burnet at 7:18 am, and today was no different. It was right on time, and the driver, a man I've come to know quite well by now, smiled a good morning, dreadlocks swinging. He knows by now it's no use actually talking to me -- I just yank the headphones out of my ear, and go "huh?" like a dimwit. I took my usual place, and watched the streets go by.
The 392 takes a long, circuitous route to East Parmer. It goes all the way down Braker, crossing the streets of Kramer, Lamar, Parkfield, Metric, and then the I-35. It finally turns down Dessau Road (I've often found myself wondering about the origins of the quaint names), then Shropshire Blvd, then Thompkins Drive, then Yager Lane, and finally down Tech Ridge Blvd, where I finally get off.
I did so today. The ride, in itself, was rather boring today. It is often livened up by strange people entering the bus, but today's passengers were all the same, including the freaky guy with hair longer than mine, dressed all in black with black nail polish on his stubby nails, and John Lennon glasses. It didn't even rain on the way, and I reached office safe and sound -- and dry! And that summed up a typical day's ride in the bus to the office.