On the last day, while we were going around downtown Seattle, I asked Allen Smith how he could tell the difference between an Indian and a Pakistan. He did not know the answer, and so I told him.
Do you know how you can tell if an individual is Indian or Pakistani?
Answer: The Pakistani would have a cell-phone to his ear. ;)
"May I buy you a drink?", I asked Amanda Chilson, a beautiful lady I met in Seattle. ;) "Hmmm, strong hand.", said the Customs official, holding his nose, at Newark Liberty International Airport when my hand accidently hit him on the face when he asked me to raise my hands for the extensive body search. "Oh, you are from Pakistan? You look like an Indian.", said Dhamayanthi, an Indian MVP working for HCL Technologies Ltd, India when I told her I was from Pakistan. "All Pakistanis look Indian, and all Indians look Pakistani.", my reply to her. "Great, I wish I could try that.", I thought while inside a bookshop at the Pike Place Market in Downtown Seattle, when a couple came into the store, kissed like crazy behind a shelf, and then left. "The only things folks over 40 do is use a lot of toilet paper and vote Republician.", Micheal Moore in his TV Show "The Awful Truth" while talking about the baby boomers in USA. "...you can do a urine test...", the subtitle on the large screen during the live key note speech by Jim Allchin when he infact has said "...you can do a unit test...".
"I know, I have travelled on an aircraft many times before.", said the Muslim who had the isle seat on the flight from Karachi to Dubai when I requested him to give me some room so that I can move to my window seat. "I am so sorry", said the man who I accidently bumped into at London Gatwick Airport. "Bhencod pehlay dekh ker nahee chaltay, baad mein sorry bol detay hain (Jeeay Altaf)", the man would have said if I had accidently bumped into him at Karachi Airport. "Can you sit here and watch my baby for me while I go get some water?", the lady sitting adjacent to my seat on the Continental flight to Newark from London; all other seats in the row were empty. "This is pretty hi-tech stuff.", said the officer at the Department of Homeland Security desk when I told him the stuff that I do for a living. "Why are Shittes are Suuni always fighting in Pakistan.", asked Gary, my chaffeur, when I told him that I was from Pakistan. "I hate this fucking town.", the panting guy who apparently got very tired by walking up the steep streets in Downtown Seattle. "We welcome the MVP from Pakistan...", Steve Ballmer in his keynote. "May I hug you?", asked JoAnn Paules, the Microsoft Office Publisher MVP from Pennslynia citing her female cousin who converted to Islam and refused to get huged by her own brother. "I am not Gay, but my boyfriend is.", a bumper sticker for sale in Downtown Seattle. "Department of Homeland Security, Fighting Terrorism on US soil since 1493", the message on a T-shirt on sale in Downtown Seattle with pictures of Red Indians, referring to the natives who were wipped out by people coming to the new world. "Thats probably because of Iraq too.", fellow MVP from Chicago citing rising property prices and increasing poverty in USA, and joking about President Bush's attempt to link everything to Iraq and Al-Qaeda. "Why dont you come and live over here?", JoAnn Paules, Microsoft Office Publisher MVP. "If you are from Pakistan, that means you are my enemy.", the Indian lady at the reception at the Hyatt. "Indian and Pakistani sitting together.WOWWW!!!", the Microsoft Employee on the shuttle to the MS Company Store on asking me and Anand where we were from. "Fine with me, as long as you dont ask me to take my clothes off.", said I, after the Customers official at Seatac Airport asked me if I was ok with an extensive body search in public, or would I rather have it done in a private room. "Love, Cherish, Defend it", the message at the base of the American flag post inside the Columbia University Campus in New York. "Love, Chreish, Defend Pakistan; Hate, Kick, Fuck Altaf Hussain", the message at the base of the flag post if I had one put up at every University in Pakistan.
The last day was more about goodbyes then anything else. After breakfast, I attended 2 presentations, DLinq and the Wrap-up session. Before we even knew it, it was time for lunch, the MVP Barbeque. After an extended period of goodbyes, we were all set to go. I had checked out of my hotel room in the morning, so I had no where else to go but the airport; with still 8 hours before my flight to Newark. Fellow BizTalk MVP Alan Smith and I ended my deciding to go and see downtown Seattle once more.
Microsoft's strategy in the recent years has been very focused in knowing what their Customers require and expect. The main reason for spending thousands of dollars to bring together so many MVPs is for Microsoft to meet up with its core customers, customers who not only evangelize Microsoft technologies, but also use then extensively, and are in a very good position to suggest improvements/enhancements. Day 2 was full of sessions, specifically geared towards showcasing upcoming features and technologies, and getting live feedback from MVPs. Although its not possible to take all the sessions, it was thrilling to be talking to the actual people who built the Microsoft technologies we use 24 x 7 x 365. Of particular interest was the ISV Roadmap, LINQ (Language Integrated Query), and C# 3.0 Orcas.
All the MVPs were dropped at their hotels by 5:00 and were told to be ready by 6:30, so that shuttles could tranfer us to the MVP Party at the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum. Th party went on into the night but I had came back much much early to my room, to rest and prepare myself for the long journey home.
The day kicked off with light refreshments, and the opening keynotes from Lori Moore (Corporate Vice President, Customer Service and Support - CSS), Steve Ballmer (CEO, Microsoft) , Jim Allchin (Group Vice President of Microsoft Platforms Group) , and Kevin Johnson (Group Vice President of the Worldwide Sales, Marketing and Services Group - SMSG).
Both, Lori Morre and Steve Ballmer explicitly welcomed me, "We welcome the MVP from Pakistan", and I immediately got a pat on the back by fellow MVP of Microsoft Office Publisher Group, JoAnn Paules who was sitting next to me and who I had been talking to all morning. Anyway, it was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL to be welcomed explicitly in the 2 keynotes this way. Also, it was great to be in a hall with almost 1600 MVPs from more then 70 countries. No camera or any kind of recording equipment had been allowed inside the halls, and the presenters kept emphasizing that we were not to disclose anything that was said during the presentations and meetings to the outside world, keeping in mind the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) MVPs sign with Microsoft.
Although I would refrain from posting what was said in th presentations, I would definately say that Microsoft does have a very strong plan for coming out with the best technologies in the next decade. Steve Ballmer was also very particular and aggresive in pointing out very explicitly the competitors that Microsoft would be going after (his slide had logos for all the competitor organizations). Also, MVPs would play a very important role in Microsoft's future strategy by getting sneak previews of technologies much before they are released, and interact directly with Microsoft Product Groups to fine tune before the final release. Steve Ballmer also narrated an incident how he had gone to have dinner at a restaurant with a high-school friend 2 nights before, a friend who he was seeing after a very long time, and was abruptly stopped by an MVP on the street who asked him if he could have his picture taken with Steve. The MVP was none other than Anando Chatterjee, a brilliant guy from India was who awarded MVP status at the age of 19. He is 21 now, and lives in Halifax, Canada all by myself with a shitload of MSDN DVD discs and three computers while his parents are in India. Also a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), truly a great guy to talk to.
After the key notes and lunch, we boarded on the shuttle for the MS Conference Center, where we were to meet our Product Groups. The Windows SDK Product Group, which I am the MVP for, were all ears to the comments and suggestions of all the MVPs. Once we were done, we again boarded the shuttle for Building No. 9, which houses Cafe No. 9 (Surprise Surprise) for dinner. At the dinner table, I had a great discussion with Ty Carlson and Anando Chatterjee (the youngest MVP I mentioned a little while ago) also joined us. Anado and I also talked for quite a while after Ty left.
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The MVP Summit would start from tomorrow. MVPs arriving from around the world were required to register today at the Microsoft Conference Center, a building on the Microsoft Campus. All those who registered could then go to a small exhibition in the adjacent hall that also housed MVP-leads from many different countries. This provided a good opportunity for professional to network and learn about some of the current and upcoming products from Microsoft. Shuttles were also running between the Conference Center and the Microsoft Company Store and Museum to allow MVPs to buy products from an outlet on the campus that sells only to Microsoft employees at a discounted rate.
As I entered the conference hall, I was overwhelmed to see the Pakistani flag was the first amongst the flags from other countries. As I stood in the queue to register myself, I was also able to communicate with the first and only MVP from Saudi Arabia. Once I got into the exhibition hall, I was able to communicate with Microsoft employees showcasing some of the new and upcoming features from different projects at separate booths. With refreshments laid out in the wide corridor outside, people also had a chance to eat while they mingled with MVP-leads and each other.
I caught up with Abhishek Kant, the Community Program Manager from India, who we were unable to meet when we were visiting New Delhi in July as he was on holiday at that time. It was wonderful talking to all the MVPs from India about how we (India and Pakistan) could collaborate on various community and business projects.
We took the shuttle to the Microsoft Company Store. All MVPs had been provided with a pass to allow them to shop from the Company Store, and shop they did. I saw guys with carts full of stuff. As for me, I only bought Map Point 2004 for $20, not because I wanted it, but simply for the sake of buying something from the Microsoft Company Store. The Microsoft museum was great as well, and had some interesting technologies. The one I liked most was a game that could be played using only hand movements without ever touching anything.
After we came back to the Conference Center, it was time to leave for our hotels for a Microsoft hosted regional dinner. Although Abhishek asked me to drop by at the APAC (Asia-Pacific) Regional dinner at the DoubleTree Hotel, I was too tired to go anywhere once I finished.
The first day here had been remarkable. Meeting up with people from such diverse backgrounds and technical skills truly provides a unique learning experience. I am surely looking forward to tomorrow.
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The shuttle was supposed to pick us up at 12:30 pm so I decided to go around and explore downtown Seattle in the meantime. Hyatt Regency Bellevue (the hotel I was staying in) had a couple of limo transports available outside so Chris, the guy at the frontdesk, arranged for me to be driven downtown. On the way, when I told the Gary, chauffeur, that I was a Pakistani, I was amazed at how knowledgable he was about my country, and the things that go on, the Shia-Sunni divide etc. He was also kind enough to take me to show million dollar real-estate in a city where a house typically costs around $330,000, up from $210,000 in February. We got off at one point so that I could take a picture of the floating bridge that connected Bellevue to downtown Seattle. I snapped a couple of pictures quickly because we were trespassing on private property. After he dropped me off in downtown Seattle, I walked a couple of blocks snapping pictures of the fascinating architecture, finally getting a cab to return to my room after about 4 hours.
A week ago, I had a dream/nightmare that I had reached at the boarding gate at the airport just moments after it had been closed and the aircraft was being pushed away from the building. Guess what? The dream/nightmare actually came true today (as have many of my other nightmares before this one). I was left stuck at Newark Liberty Airport (EWR), New Jersey because it took too long for the Department of Homeland Security people to register me (I dont blame them; they were very courteous and understanding, and their extra caution is understandable considering that green passport people have been very active lately). And when I was finally able to get to the boarding gate, I saw the aircraft being puched away from the terminal building for departure. If I'd been 5 minutes earlier, I would have been on the flight. Luckily for me, and since its a common occurence here, the Continental Airlines staff here arranged for me to board the next flight to Seattle. So, 3 more hours spent at EWR, I was finally able to get to Seattle. I did not feel jetlagged; thanks to guidelines on the British Airways website, but I am sleepless considering the little physical activity I've had. The 36-hour journey has finally come to an end.
The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Program recognizes and thanks outstanding members of technical communities for their community participation and willingness to help others. The program celebrates the most active community members from around the world who provide invaluable online and offline expertise that enriches the community experience and makes a difference in technical communities featuring Microsoft products. - Description from MVP website
Microsoft honors its MVPs every year by a hosting an MVP Summit. The MVP Summit this year is taking place at the Microsoft Campus in Seattle, providing MVPs an unprecedented access to Microsoft Product Groups (PGs) and employees. The 3 day event would also feature a lot of parallel technical training sessions for the delegates, providing an indepth insight of the things to come.
1500 delegates, representing 70 countries around the globe, only ONE from Pakistan. Apart from the fact that I would be visiting USA after 21 years, this is the 4th time I would be representing My Pakistan on an International Forum. Lets see how I fare.
