A Simple Disciple's Life

I did my HIV test today, as I am legally required to do. I don't need the results, I know it'll be negative, but I have to have done it, just in case someone in the government feels like not liking me.
It would be interesting to find out which % of foreigners who have to do it have done it...

I went to Bangalore last weekend. I had two dates with a sister, and generally enjoyed myself. I spent a few hours with a former colleague and his daughter. We went to a park and to a state aquarium. I always delight in God's creation, and that time in the aquarium was no different.
I really enjoyed the company of this sister too. She's smart, has wide interests, and has lots of conversation. Don't panic yet... she's not my feminine equivalent... she's not a geek :)
The traveling sucked, and I was in Hyderabad in Monday mostly braindead thanks to my train ride. Oh well.

Lately, I have been witness of two historical events: the successful launch of India's first mission to the moon and the election of Barack Obama. Its great to be witness of history in the making. Who would've thought India would have a real space program? And it certainly beats the Canadian one...
And I was sure that Clinton would've won the Democratic candidacy, only to be beat by McCain down the road...
Maybe I'll revise my judgment on the US in a few years, and make it on the list of places I would accept to live in.

Things are more or less settled at work. I have recently upgraded my computer to Ubuntu 8.10. It is working very well, looks sharp, and I don't have to do much Windows :) The problem that I have is that I don't get much work done, having to deal with all the things that aren't well oiled in the company. Let me give you some examples: papers for FRO registration (HR didn't know what to do), bugs in the accounting system that made it so that I didn't get any money, couldn't apply for advance nor for a loan (HR had to switch to a manual process), and problems with my email that essentially locks me away from the whole intranet (I'll spare you the details), and some neverending workflows which may yield some money at some point.

Anyways, its almost all done now.

I'm moving to my new flat now. Its OK located, but not superb. And everybody in the office is worried about me. Its a Muslim neighbourhood. You know that I don't care about that stuff. But, in Hyderabad, those words are synonymous of poverty (and all the ills that come with it) and of risk of communal violence. I'm not so worried, because I live at the periphery of it, and next to a government facility where I can always run away to in the worst case.
To me, these things are so prevalent anywhere in the country that I don't see much of a risk difference. Prayerfully, God will keep things safe for me.
That flat ended up needing a lot more renovating than I thought it would be. To make matters worst, I had to entrust that to someone to do. That brother is very good to do all that. But the loss of control and the constant delays made it difficult.
Let me summarize:
- I don't have control over what is happening
- I have no money, so I have to rely on others' generosity and hospitality
- I never move in when I think I'm about to move in
- There is always something else to be done
- The work is not always done at the quality I could have done it with.
- Cheap furniture hunting is not so easy. Prices go up when people see me.

Meaning that I had episodes of freaking out every now and then...

Anyways, I'll give it a shot for some time, and I think it'll be OK. If not, I'll move in somewhere else, more expensive, and have to slash some other expenses.