Three minutes ago it was raining. When I look out of the 9' x 7' window beside me I can see clear skies as far as the horizon reaches. Which is not very far. Most of the view is blocked by the huge maple tree (actually the leaves look similar to the one on the Canadian flag, ergo..) just outside the window and the rest by the massive almost-a-century-old office buildings surrounding me (I am sitting in one of these - which of course isn't interfering my view) and the huge steeple of the church just across the road. It more or less describes the view from my workstation and the weather that I have encountered since reaching Nuernberg.
I have hardly ever seen the sun. The maximum temperature has never gone beyond 15°C, except on those rare occasions when there has been sunlight. Early mornings and nights it is always below 5°C. (Check here for details.) Yes, even in late May. This though has the locals surprised and me worried. Not only because it is getting too cold but also because it puts a question mark on my World Cup plans.
Yesterday while returning to office I had a strange experience - strange here, not in India. There was some problem with the U-Bahn (known as Metro Rail in India) service so some trains had to cancelled. When finally one came, it was more or less like the Mumbai local trains. Only no one was hanging outside, because you cannot (not that I think these guys would have if they could have).
A couple of days back I read this book called "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. Something I should have done long back. It is only a 54 page book (if you are reading the PDF version) so it shouldn't take more than a few hours to finish it. And I would suggest if you haven't read it yet do so NOW. It is a "...an allegory of the corruption of the socialist ideals of the Russian Revolution by Stalinism..." (quoted from Wikipedia), and to a smaller extent capitalism . (It features in Time magazine's list of 100 best novels). Definitely one of the best pieces of satirical literature ever written. But then George Orwell is the best in the genre (1984 is actually considered one of the best ever). So if you wondered why the Communists are still ruling Bengal, read it.
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