Winter, my new office in Houston and my b'day gift!

I had done some homework about the weather before reaching Houston. I was told that its not as cold as north of US, it never snows, and winters are fairly comfy. And summers, they are very, very hot. I landed in winter, 31st December, and it was indeed a comfortable chill - around 10 degree Celsius.

But 2008 had other plans. The mercury dipped constantly, and when I checked the weather today morning, I was amused and intrigued. Amused - because it said "4 degree Celsius, feels like -1 degrees"!!. Intrigued - because it was going to be my first sub zero experience.

Coming back to the forecast - what on earth does "4 degree Celsius, feels like -1 degrees" mean? I figured out soon - the winds make it much colder than the temperature. Makes sense, doesn't it? And yes, it did feel like that. My fingers were numb by the time we reached office - even though it took only 10 minutes and we were in the warm car!! Lately every one has been talking about global warming. But temperatures in lot of places have been hitting their minimum in ages (Delhi, maybe Houston also). Seems more like 'Global cooling' - may be I can take credit for coining this new term!!

Its evening now and still very, very chilly. I never used - rather never had - a jacket. Now it is a must have when I leave home!! So lots of new experiences already in 3 days. Ever seen ducks in a pond in office? I see that everyday. Whoever thought of it might have been a genius. It looks and feels so good! Lots of trees surround the pond, and there are bridges over it and ducks in and around it - all this inside a corporate campus full of swanky buildings, smooth roads and fast cars!!

Contrary to my thoughts, people here are very friendly. Though they tend to respect and expect personal space, once you get talking, they tend to make you very comfortable. I am already friends with Glenn & Harry, and they are not even in my team!! Traffic is very much organized here, and pedestrians are shown respect by car drivers. Folks, don't get carried away - I haven’t spent enough time here yet to find stuff which I didn't like (except food of course!), so lets enjoy stuff which I liked!

And yes, its celebration time! Sachin Tendulkar just gifted me a century on my birthday. Its much more special because he has been getting out in nineties for way too long, the last century coming in May against Bangladesh, and his last against a worthwhile team coming two years back!. Congratulations and thank you Sachin!! You made my day :).