Different week, different continent

Aight… so after a week of freezing my ass off, I’m in another continent this week. At least this time it’s mid to high 20 deg Celsius. Heckuva a change from the 2 degrees before wind chill and snow. Good thing about it this time is that I’m approaching this flying West over the Atlantic instead. Last few times I was in the US, I’d fly East over the Pacific. Coming out to Houston would have taken something like 20+hours travel time. Very, very painful!

Texas Oil companies never change. Well... sort of… they grow with the times, but the culture remains I think. I’m a 2nd generation oil company employee. In fact I spent something like a year of my infant life in Texas… actually if you ask my parents, I was umm… made in Texas? Well, you know what I mean. Anyway, this ain’t exactly homecoming for me, but having grown up around Texan expatriates back in the various places my dad was located, it struck me that some of the mannerisms of the folks here mirrored my dad’s. I was in a meeting when this dude leans back on his chair, entwines his fingers and rests them on his chest and continues speaking. Dang, boy! That’s what me dad does when he’s sitting in his chair and about to go on a tirade about something or other. Uncanny how external influences shape a person’s life. My life though (the not so depressing side…) I think is shaped the OZ way. Too flipping laid back, eh, mate?

I came over with one of my bosses to attend some future architectural thingamajig. The sort that kinda shapes the way the organization will head for the next couple of years. I used to be involved in these kind of activities some years back and it was sort of a re-awakening for me, especially when familiar faces ask where I’ve been hiding myself for the last 3 or so years. It’s good to be amongst the smart minds of the enterprise again… although I do want to emphasise these guys are more upstream folks than IT. EP rules people, stop denying it.

Anyway, it’s great having global connections. One of our global circuit providers got wind that I’m in town and invited me along to the Houston Rodeo. Unfortunately it clashes with a farewell party for the boss. Well, farewell only for the local folks cos he’s just relocating to Europe, no big deal… so it’s a no-brainer rite? yuh-huh… It’s the rodeo, baby! Errr… Yeehaaawww… (stop thinking brokeback, ok…)

So it’s not too bad then that I’m missing this year’s Malaysian leg of Formula 1. It’ll be the first one I actually miss since they started racing at Sepang. At least I get to see another sporting spectacle. Being Texans and cowboys in general.. the Rodeo is a special occasion for the folks here.

Being entertained over here is a whole different level. Back home, entertainment involved maybe fine dining and drinks after. Here, we get invited to their corporate suite at the event where we’re wined and dined while we’re being entertained by the rodeo. But it’s interesting for me to note that during the hour and a half of the rodeo, the stadium was about half-full and that it only really filled up something like about a half hour before Hillary Duff (errr.. woohoo?) came on as the night’s star entertainment… go figure… But amazing… the 65000 capacity stadium was packed.