So in a sudden change from being comfortable and complacent in good old Dubai, I have, this week, plunged headlong into the rush of life in the Big Apple. I’m still trying to come to terms with it.

Stung after having to pay the equivalent of almost three hundred dirhams as cab-fare from the airport to our hotel, I quickly got around to buying a metrocard and trying to find my way around by the subway.

America is indeed a land of diversity and New York city, even more so. The standard deviation for shapes and sizes is far greater here than anywhere else. But the wonderful thing is that people here seem to have no qualms about it. They seem totally at ease with themselves, wearing just what they want to, however much it may shock the innocent onlooker. Yesterday, in the bus, I had just about got over seeing one lady with green hair wearing a sort of red crepe bandage around her body when a man (not a Scotsman) walked in and sat in front of me. He wore a ring, a T shirt with a leather skirt that had zippers all over it. His hairy legs were adorned by boots, also zippered.

I have been eating out three times a day and am trying to get some fun out of it. Like, I get a kick out of ordering a drink at Starbucks and telling them my name. In the last four days, they have put my name down as Bosco, Roxy, Pascal and Oscar. There is a story going around that the employees at Starbucks do this on purpose. Just so we post it on facebook and give them free publicity. Clever?

PG Bhaskar is a private banker and has authored several books. He tries hard to keep up with the times @bhaskarpg and www.pgbhaskar.com. Look out for his weekly humor column on B-Change Saturdays.

Featured Artwork: Bhoomika Ghaghada