S and the city...

There are perks and downsides of living in a big city -a city that is more like an unplanned, overgrown town. I love and hate Houston for all these reasons, and then some:

1. Not many skyscrapers. The city expands horizontally, not vertically, giving people more breathing space - literally. And this expansion, like they say, is Texas size.

2. H-town is old - really old and rugged. It is not beautiful. It is not romantic. It is pure business. Sharp and to-the-point, in an honest, uncouth way. I love it in people and in cities.

3. It is dangerous to drive here. People are not too law-loving. Generally distracted or drunk, many end their lives on these roads. The worst case I heard is of a woman painting her toe-nails at a stop sign. You'd see lots of really old models still on roads. It is funny to see how old money and new youth makes you so blind to rules - plenty of that in here.

4. The love for cattle and cowboys is exhibited every year during Rodeo - it's goona start soon and I can't wait to be back. They have hats, horses, stock shows, competitions, country music, barbecue and everything rural you can think of for whole 3 weeks. I can not think of being anywhere else but here during this time.

5. You never need to dress up to go out, unless you are interviewing or going to weddings or churches, or unless you are independently rich. Jeans and T-shirts are perfect for almost any place or occasion.

6. Oil is the bloodline of this city and everyone you meet(ok, so not everyone - but most works either in oil and natural gas industry or in healthcare - two most cutting edge technical areas - and people are good at what they do.

7. Life is affordable. Really. you can buy a house with a big backyard, a white picket fence, a pool, if you please, in a really short time - as compared with other big cities. Texas is mostly cheap - except the high property tax.

8. The local crowd is conservative. Works just fine with me.

9. Diversity is thy middle name. So you can celebrate Holi with 5000 others(like we did today) or just think of a cuisine you fancy and would find it within a few minutes drive, wherever you are.

10. It floods often. the city has sudden downpours and the old streets are flooded within minutes. I was amazed at the size of drops when I first saw my first rain. Everything is big in Texas.

11. Houston is so different from NYC or SFO or LA, it is difficult to think of it as being one in their league. People actually have time to talk to you, and they actually do.

12. Environment is not a big concern. No. Not for Texans. you would not find as many big cars, hummers, pick-up trucks anywhere else in the US.

13. Religion is serious here. Many places of worship for every religion. I was amazed to see a Shiva, Meenaxi, Swaminarayan, Hare krishna dham, Saibaba temples and 3 gurudwaras here.

.....and so, the affair continues.