A Year Later

Life is strange indeed.

Sometimes it's like a lazy Sunday afternoon. You have no plans and so you wait for it to get a move on, to pick up the pace, for something, anything to happen.

Sometimes, it's like a rollercoaster ride...it's moving so fast you can't see the huge drop that's coming up, waiting to plummet you to the ground while you're screaming your head off!

Why am I feeling this sense of nostalgia? Because I have the time for it today. I've just wrapped up a couple of days of hard work on a new project and so I have time to share my thoughts a bit. And I'm thinking about all the things that have happened recently.

For one, 11th of February was my daughter's first birthday. When she was born, I couldn't believe that I had contributed towards making something that beautiful. And now, I can't believe that a year has already gone by since I first held her. I've seen her grow and change so much in this past year, from a pale-faced little baby, all wrapped up tight in bundles of cloth, to a little crawling, gurgling bundle of joy. And now, she's walking! The sweetest moment on her birthday was when she got her birthday gift...a toy dog that yips and wags his tail. Funnily enough, the first time she saw him, the batteries were down and I didn't have spares. Beth didn't know that her new toy could do all the things he could, so imagine her surprise that same evening when I put in new batteries and the dog starts barking and wagging his tail! I'll never forget the wide-eyed look of surprise on her face!

I can't believe all the things that have happened in this past year. There have been some good memories, some bad, and some downright painful. It's difficult sometimes to come to terms with just how much my life has changed, how quickly every thing moves on. In some ways I'm still in the same place I used to be a year back, and in some ways everything is different. My wife and I are expecting our second child, so it feels like my life has come full circle. But this time around, I'm not surrounded by friends at work, I'm not rushing through work so I can drive my wife back home, because we don't work in the same office any more. No more looking to my manager when I want to give vent about a really messed up project because now I'm manager myself and it's time to support others. I'm not part of the old office gang that's practicing for the cricket tournament again this year, but I'm back to enjoying my PC games...sometimes the lack of human interaction can be a blessing in disguise.

Right now, life is like a lazy Sunday afternoon. I have no plans but I'm not exactly waiting for anything to happen either. One day I know I'll be back on the roller coaster, chugging along slowly towards the steep drop that I know is there but I just cannot see. So, I'm just going to sit back and make sure I'm strapped in safely!

Moving On and Moving Up

July 11, 2008 was my last day at Brainvisa Technologies. Four long, absolutely fun-filled years! And that's pretty ironic because when I moved to Pune four years ago to join BV, I was miserable! I pretty much hated the old "row house" BV office. I didn't even find cheer in the upmarket location of Koregaon Park! But how I miss BV today! How I miss the old gang, the smoke breaks, the joking and bantering. I'm sure it all still happens, but I'm not part of it anymore.

I'm not part of BV because it was time to move on. Move on and move up. Actually, moving up was never the plan but moving on had become necessary. I needed to retrace my steps and make right several wrongs. So I had to bid adieu to a place that had become such a close part of me. My whole life centred around the office then, not because I was (or am) a workaholic but because all my friends were those I made at work.

The last time I went down to BV, I realized I didn't belong there any more. The place seemed very different from how I remembered it. Familiar faces in the same old places, and yet everyone looked different, busy...distant. There were times when work would take a back seat to fun and laughter, but right then the silence was deafening! I miss the good old times, especially because in the last three months that I've been at my new workplace, I've learned that moving on can be heart breaking. And moving up is not all that it's made out to be. One of the perks of my job is that I get to put up with horseshit from a disillusioned team member who thinks of herself as manna for the Israelites! I can't remember the last time I had a good laugh, a good conversation, or played a prank on someone!

I know it's time to move on and maybe moving up won't be so bad once I learn how to deal with the horseshit better but, for now, I sure do miss the old times!

Cricket Country!

India is the land of culture, tradition, yoga...and cricket! Tourists can't get enough of the first three and we Indians can't get enough of the last! Having learned the game from our one-time conquerors, the Brits, we've modified it many times over to bring in a more local appeal. We've given it names like "box cricket" and "gully cricket" and introduced our own rules to either ensure a fast-paced game or to insure against breaking our neighbour's windows!

Last weekend, while on a family vacation in Dapoli, I witnessed my first game of beach cricket. Not that I've never seen people play cricket on the beach, but there's a difference between a bunch of holidayers hitting a ball around the beach and a bunch of local kids coming together for a quick game of cricket before the sun goes down. The latter is all business! What made it more interesting is that these kids weren't playing on the beach because it was a novelty; it was probably their only play ground close to home. And yet again, the game was modified to suit the arena. Hitting the ball into the sea restricted the batsman to one run, and to quicken the pace—these kids had to get back to running their family-owned shops in the village and everyone wanted to bat—every batsman had to take one run of two balls. Simple rules, and loads of fun!

Buddy!

Buddy is my sister's Labrador. Only about 8 months old, but built like a darn horse! This guy is like a seriously hyperactive kid, with a fetish for footwear! I like this picture because it seems like he posed for it, and that's quite an achievement considering how difficult it is to get him to sit quiet. If he ever gets a movie offer because of this picture, I'm going to have to send him a bill!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Some more action, shot on my new camera! You can tell that the next few dozen posts are going to be dedicated to my budding hobby! Last evening, I shot some pictures of the fireworks going off right opposite my balcony. I stood there for half an hour, aiming and firing at any and every rocket that went up in the sky, while my family went "ooh!" and "aah!" at the vibrant display of colors. The camera has a special "Scene" setting that lets you click pictures of fireworks as well. I just had to try it out.

Diwali can be a rather chaotic mix of beautiful lights and fireworks displays that light up the evening sky and noisy firecrackers that continue to go off late into the night, thanks to obnoxious and uncaring neighbors!

In 8 Mega Pixel

My latest pride and joy is my spanking new digicam, the Sony DSC H7. We bought it last Sunday and I have this silly smile plastered on my face ever since! 15x optical zoom and 8.1 megapixel...sweet! I'm no professional photographer, not even close, but this camera can give anyone a hobby! I'm still figuring out its features and all the different settings. For now, here are a couple of pictures I clicked. The second picture (the lanterns) is courtesy a friend and colleague, Jeba Dharamraj. I love the perspective!

Fond Farewell

My work life is soon going to be a lot emptier. Tomorrow will be the last day at work for two of my closest friends. When I first heard they'd turned in their papers, I wasn't too perturbed. After all, moving on is a necessity of life. I was happy for them because they were happy for themselves. But the enormity of their decision only hit home this evening. Before I left for home, I took a trip down memory lane, looking at some old photographs and reliving some of the memories that we had made together over the past three years. And that's when I realized how badly I would miss them. Not because they're moving to another city, but just because they won't be there for the 8 hours during which I've learned to take their companionship for granted.

It's a funny thing, friendship. It begins tentatively, then slowly blossoms, growing stronger as you care and nurture it. Sometimes you don't even bother too much about nurturing it; it just grows on you like a habit. Sometimes it takes over your life to such an extent that it starts suffocating you. You become cranky and crabby and holler for some much needed space. And strangely, when that space does present itself, you suddenly feel a little alone. You want to reach out for the old and the familiar. Perhaps this space is exactly what we all need, to ignite the old fires of camaraderie. Begin new memories that will spark off new, exciting conversations. New tales, new jokes, new gossip with the old yet true friends.

A Walk in the Clouds...at Panchgani

15th August was a much appreciated break from work and the missus and I took the 14th off as well to enjoy two relaxing days in Panchgani. Some of the members of my extended family own a place in this hill station. The peace and quiet of the place make it a frequent haunt for family members, especially Lisa's dad. So come 14th morning, the missus and I drove down with her dad and sister. The holiday was a welcome break for me from my regular chore of driving between home and work. Stopping for breakfast along the way is part of the family tradition of holidaying at Panchgani. Lisa's dad usually picks a nice spot and we stop for sandwiches and coffee. This time he picked a doozy!

I don't always like going down to the family home in Panchgani. It's quiet and peaceful...and it gets to me after a while! I'm not the sit back and relax type anyway. (There are only so many books one can read on a vacation!) But what grabs me about the place is the magnificent, breath taking view. The three-room bungalow sits overlooking a deep ravine, with a lake running at the bottom, and small village houses dotting the landscape. Bang opposite the bungalow, in the distance, the mountainous terrain continues. Each of the three rooms has big windows that open out onto this view and every morning the sheer beauty of it hits you full in the face. My favorite moment on every Panchgani trip is sitting on the porch with my first cuppa coffee, watching the mountains in the distance, feeling the breeze blowing through the silver oaks that line the edge of the drop. Imagine if you will the mists coming up towards you from the mountains across, stretching over the wide expanse in between, bit by bit blocking out your view of the lake below until suddenly there is but a white nothingness extending out from 10 ft ahead of you! Heavenly!