Chu Chu Train

January 24, 2012

I have never had cable TV for all the years I lived in the U.S.; I was pretty content with the basic channels of seven. As a matter of fact, I spent a lot of time watching whatever was on TV. I very often videotaped shows on one channel while watching another. I developed the love of hotels as they all have cables. I would stay up late and watch TV. My friends never understood why since the majority of population in the U.S. has cables.

This is the first time I have cable at home. In the beginning, I cannot get enough of it, not after I went on for a year without TV. One thing stays the same. There is still nothing to watch on cable at any given time. Sure, cable TV offers over 1,000 channels with anything from A to Z and beyond, but who has time to watch 1,000 channels every day? Most of us watch a handful of channels on daily basis. I am drawn to old TV sitcoms that I watched when I had basic channels, Cheers, Frasier, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Home Improvement, Roseanne, etc. The biggest surprise is the commercials, their length and frequency. I first channel surfed but can never time it right to get back to the channel I was watching. I then got up and did yoga, ballet, Zumba until I clocked accumulated, one hour daily exercise but it was not my bedtime yet. My final resolution is to read a book. Before I know it, I finished Anne Lamott’s Plan B, Further Thoughts on Faith, total of 320 pages, after three movies. Talking about time management!

This way I get to watch the movies and read the books (not the same title, of course) I like at the same time. Oh, did I mention the moves on TV have stretched to three hours because of commercials?

January 23, 2012

I came to realize within a few days of arrival that it is going to be tough to find a non-waitressing, non-sales, non-healthcare job in town.

I can count with my hands and toes for the why’s – slow pace, high homogeneous student body, a touristy town, significant India reservations, one commercial airline serving Pulliam airport to Phoenix only, higher than national average senior population, nearly 10% sales tax, close to six months of temperature less than 50F, one shopping mall and no major-league professional sports teams. These factors are crucial to generate jobs.

On the other hand, it is a great town to live if you have skills to work from home. There are plenty of bike trails, open space, and local coffee shops. If you love outdoor activities, there are lots to do. Locals are kind and are willing to offer help at grocery store or bus stop. But don’t be mistaken, it might take a while (if ever) to make friends with locals. To know locals is imperative on job search. You almost have to know someone locally to get an interview.

November 24, 2011

I arrived in San Fran on Thanksgiving day, a big holiday in the U.S. The airport is quiet and the streets are quiet. I welcome it.

The next thing I know, I am talking to a French girl from Marseille. She is on a tourist visa but is trying to find work here. With the current U.S. economy, she is not having much luck and is trying to get out of here as long as she can find $1,000 to fly home. Judging from her conversation with her friends over Skype, she is aiming at $500 a night, working at a club or some private party. I have no idea if it's euro or U.S. dollars she is referring to. A local guy addressed that if there is such work, the Americans would be working for it instead of leaving the spots for the foreigners. I, on the other hand, am too chicken to ask what kind of work she does at the club or private party.

How many people came to the U.S. looking for their American dreams? And how many of them had their dreams bursted into bubbles with an empty pocket?

I considered myself lucky. I am authorized to work, with an advanced degree and some 10+ years of experience on me. Of course, these requirements could become liabilities, depending upon how I utilize them. But we can always dream.