Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 a mixed bag

2010 has gone and what a year it has been. It has been a year filled with lots of excitement and drama. It has brought an end to a very exciting decade through which entire world has gone through a facelift.

If I were to give it a name, I would call it a scamster's year. We have seen all kinds of scams come out in the open. Right from 2G spectrum, Adarsh housing, stone pelting, land grabbing, and CWG mess. It had all the ingredients for a bollywood masala potboiler. Just to spice up everything Sheila and Munni did their bit. So much so that two sisters in Maharashtra(coincidentally named Munni and Sheila) got their names changed. After all the scams the power structure of our country stays unchanged. Though one doesnot expect a change of guarg so fast. I personally hope and pray atleast this leads to a introspection throughout. I hope 2011 is a year when there is a resurgence of conscience and thought.

All said and done, not everything was dark. Damage caused by the polity was slightly overshadowed by the sportsmen/women of India. Indian atheletes performed like never before in the commonwealth games. Though one may think that the scams and stink kept best in business out of the game. Still the performance was outstanding. In cricket, We saw the Indian cricketers perform out of their skins. They achieved the no.1 test ranking. Hope they retain the same once they are done with the series in South Africa.

2010 also signalled a change in world order. At the beginning of last decade, we had a single superpower calling the shots in world affairs. Now the hegemony is challenged and the emerging powers are taking over. Same story with the cricket world. After almost a decade of arrogant dominance, Aussies are being challenged in their own backyard. In short it has been a year when there has been resurgence of the dominated powers who have now started to dominate.

The wheel of change has been very interesting and has proved that the only thing constant in this world is change. The baton of power changes hand. One can only gain/retain the baton of power by being dynamic and constantly in tune with the changing environment.

Personally it has been a year when I have moved from singlehood to being a married man and after 2 years I have managed to not get bored at work just as yet. I have completed a year plus with HCL technologies and it has been a really interesting phase.

I am looking forward to working hard and also play harder in the years to come. I am hoping the next decade is going to be one where everybody rises and rises because there is a resurgence of ethics, conscience and peace.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

What a weekend...

This weekeknd was fun. Enjoyed cricket, swimming and also went out go-karting with my cousins Sakhib, Zafar and Nayeem bhaiya.

The weekend started brilliantly. Got to know earlier about my company's cricket team that practices in VET ground on weekends. Had not found time till this saturday to join them. Went to the ground at 0630 hrs early in the morning. It was a repeat of school days when I used to play cricket more regularly.

We were forced to only hold fielding practice as very few team members were available. The fielding practice was a bit of an eye opener for me. My ground fielding was below par to say the least. I was not able to bend and catch the ball when it moved at some speed. Though, close and high catches were much better. Managed catch more than drop. Hope to attend cricket practice more regularly and in the next session I am looking forward to bat and bowl. Let me see if I can play comfortably.

Soon after the fielding session, I left for a swim in Jayanagar swimming pool. Though, I have been swimming atleast few times every week, the feeling of swimming in the morning is unmatched. The pool is relatively empty and there are no baricades in the deep end. Both cricket and swimming remind me so much of my school/college days. Hope to keep these habits alive for many more years to come.

I feel through last few years of professional life I missed many opportunities to do things I really enjoy. Though I have been pretty busy, I should somehow find time for sports to keep me fit and stress-free. I feel there is no better stress buster for me than smimming or cricket. I feel completely liberated from all the pressures and worries when I am in water. In short, I need to manage my time much better.

Watched the first Ashes test match after the swimming. It was an amazing game of cricket. The aussies gaining control on saturday and the Poms getting back in the game on sunday. Though the game is most likely to end in a draw, it is a game which had immense competition. The battle between bat and ball is the characteristic of test cricket. In my opinion, T20 will never replace test cricket for this reason.

Another fun event this weekend was meeting Sakhib, Nayeem bhaiya and Zafar. I had lunch with Sakhib today and decided right there that we need to do something fun. Been a while since we enjoyed together. We quickly decided to go-karting. Found through "Just-dial" about a track around Kanakapura road. We guys left around 1630 hrs in the evening, reached around 1715 hrs after some expedition. The races were fun though I did not win any. What was most important was the adrenaline rush it gave and truly Sakhib was the deserving winner.

The weekend was pretty action packed and I enjoyed it completely. One thing however is that Ruqu is still in Hyderabad. I am expecting her return next week. I am waiting to have her home and planning more action packed weekends with her.

Now I am feeling so tired and sleepy. I am definitely gonna sleep well and get back to work afresh with a formatted hard drive between my ears.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

All is well...

Been long since I wrote anything on the blog. Last 3 months have been a mixed bag for me.

On the work front... things have been pretty steady. A new phase of the current project was released. The release has been appreciated as it is a marriage between a legacy system and business intelligence. Some of the business leaders at the client side have taken notice of the hard work and appreciations have been showered. However, this phase was a very easy one compared to the previous one. Not always is hard work proportional to the results.

On the personal front... it has been pretty good. Ruqu and I are now closer to completing one year together. One year has gone completed really quick and has been pretty busy at times and pretty lazy at times. Overall, the lazy times have balanced the busy times. Most of the holidays we had together have been to her hometown(Hyderabad). Looking forward to a vacation like the one we had to Malaysia last year. It might be a short one but will be a well deserved break for both of us.

Of late mind has been occupied with thoughts that are very fluctuating regarding most things in life. I have been into the same profession for more than 5 years now and feel like doing something new. Maybe a new role or maybe relocating to a new location. The travel/adventure bug has returned to haunt me. Lets see where destiny takes me.

I have started to enjoy things I often did as a kid. Started swimming(3 days a week on average) and playing TT(ping-pong) at office. Helps me relax my mind and get my lethargic body moving. Looking forward to a positive change to my lifestyle where work, family, fun and some kind of education are happening continuously. First step towards that is perhaps cutting down on my time with the idiot box and haveing an early to bed...early to rise lifestyle. Best days of my life have always been when the day started at dawn(fajr prayers). Of late, the consistency has been missing. Looking forward to get going on this front. Though my indecisiveness has been replaced by some spontaneity, there is a big room for improvement.

Lets see if I have made any progress till my next post. Bye for now.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Me and my indecisiveness

Three months have passed since my last blog entry. I give the credit to my indecisiveness and hectic schedule. Yes life has been really hectic. Work has kept me on toes even on weekends. As usual a new project begins with its honeymoon phase then the work starts. Good news has been that the first phase of the project has released and at this moment I am relatively free but only relatively.

Not that the last couple of months have been only work. I had some interesting trips to Hyderabad(Golkonda fort visit was awesome), Mysore(lovely drive and a relaxed weekend) and Hassan(Sakhib's wedding). I was just too lazy and indecisive about writing anything on the blog. The idea would strike but I would often lose my flow. My mind has been filled with work related tension and stress. In short many thoughts have kept me held up but no action taken because of the confusion. I have just not been able to decide.

I have been planning to buy a new car for atleast two weeks now but not able to decide. One day I think of a petrol next day of a deisel engine. Next day I restart exploring the auto market. Lots of planning but no decisions taken yet.

Yesdarday I swam after a long time. The weather was good outside. I felt like riding my bike. There was a small crack in one of the fiber parts. Just decided to fix it then go swimming. I suddenly decided to go swimming and went in less than 30 minutes. I swam for an hour and returned home. It was so much fun. One thought that crossed my head is that more I think more indecisive I get. My instinctive decisions are much better than planned ones. I have made many quick decisions in my life and never regretted even one of them. I have never been able to decide on anything when I start planning.

I think its time to take some decisions on the fly based on instinct. Hoping to have taken some of them before my next entry and some interesting updates till then.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

February went fast...really fast

Not because February is just 28 days long but Kullu's wedding in February and loads of work at office kept me really busy. Now that the wedding season is over everything seams so empty. It looks like there is nothing to do besides work. I am sure this feeling won't last forever. I am planning another holiday sometime soon and also waiting for the IPL to begin next month. Besides, my project is moving to a very interesting phase. My design/planning will be translated to code. There will be lots to learn and hopefully there will be more interesting to write in my next entry.

Monday, January 25, 2010

New year...new challenges

New year has started with new challenges. Since marriage, life has been fun but new responsibilities have kept me on my toes. To begin with my office is now near ITPL. Though the project is interesting, the distance to work is more and perfect time management is needed to strike a work life balance.

At work, I am now designing an application for a banking client. It is a responsibility I have not taken up till now. It is a challenge professionally to bring together technical and management skills. Especially communicating to the client and about my design and convincing them that my approach is a viable one. Its challenging but fun. Especially when the client is from the US of A, it becomes difficult to get your message across. Most of the US clients that I have worked with have a do as I say attitude(especially when there is an American desi sitting over there). Well, that is how it goes. Taking such things personally only spoils your night's sleep. I can never compromise on that.

At home, life has been different. Now I have to finish work on time and rush home. Someone is waiting for me. Most of my friends have started complaining that I do not have enough time for them. Even preparing for my sisters wedding has made my life pretty hectic. In short everything has been hectic but interesting.

Many of my friends had warned me about the responsibilities marriage will bring along and marriage as an unpleasant experience. For me marriage has been the only way to seek a companion for life. It has come with its own challenges but it has been worth it and I am definitely not complaining.