Every year during this time, I write a blogpost expressing my disdain over turning a year older. While I was turning 23, I felt myself inadequate to make my own decisions and pledged to take charge of my life. While turning 24, I realised that I had an enjoyable 23 and did not want to let it go.
Now while I am turning 25, I have mixed feelings. I am matured enough to understand that however much I wish, I cannot buy time and wish it to stop. I have to go with the flow. There is a plan in the pipeline to register a charity in the UK, a charity which will cater to the needs of the street children in India. A separate blogpost detailing this effort will follow in the days to come. I solicit the cooperation and the best wishes of you all in making this effort not only beneficial to the thousands of kids who deserve the same livelihood as ours but also enriching enough to keep us motivated and focussed throughout.
Some other aspects of turning 25 are – I am now allowed to open a pension fund of my own, essentially as I turn 25, I can start planning for my retirement. I will move to a higher age-group, from my current 18-24 age-group (the young person’s age-group in the UK) to 25 and above age-group. This means that I cannot avail any more discounts (eg. rail/bus) based on age anymore. Thoughts of marriage pop up here and there. Marriage is fun, only if you get to marry somebody you fall/rise in love. I am trying to gain knowledge and expertise in the responsibilities that come with a married life post 25.
Unlike all the years when I have strongly resisted turning older and pleaded time to stop ticking, this year is a bit different however. I do not want to resist it, as I understand that it will still happen (probably this is the maturity that I have gained in years 23 and 24), I rather want to pray that 25 turns out to be the best year yet of my life. I am looking forward to you 25, rock on!!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sobbing Lloyds, sombre Lords
I have been meaning to write since a while now. Last week I started a new job in another bank. One year of work at Lloyds (where I saw the transition from Lloyds TSB to Lloyds Banking Group and was a part of it), came to an end. I felt sad not only about the fact that I will be leaving a nice bunch of people, but also about leaving my manager/boss/teacher. Being my first boss, he has been instrumental in shaping the professional that I have become from being a lecturer back in India. He helped my transition from academia to industry – two very different schools of thoughts.
The last few days at Lloyds were emotionally charging for me. Be it the ‘leaving lunch’ or the ‘last treat of cake’ – I struggled to talk and found myself on the verge of tears at the mention of a farewell. The farewell I got can not be described in words; I was very touched to say the least.
Having worked at Lloyds in the ‘City’ (London), I am now working in Canary Wharf. They say that the experience of working in Canary Wharf is quite different from working in the City and it indeed is. City was professional, but not mechanical, while Canary Wharf is professional and to an extent mechanical. May be my opinion changes as I move on to become a part of it!
That Friday, 12th June will get engraved as an important chapter in my memoir - when I left my first company and went to see a 2020 Cricket match at Lords. The grandeur of the place took some time to sink in – an emotional me at LORDS. It helped me look back at my life; it helped me find solace amidst the hustle-bustle of the thousands of cricketing fans around!
The last few days at Lloyds were emotionally charging for me. Be it the ‘leaving lunch’ or the ‘last treat of cake’ – I struggled to talk and found myself on the verge of tears at the mention of a farewell. The farewell I got can not be described in words; I was very touched to say the least.
Having worked at Lloyds in the ‘City’ (London), I am now working in Canary Wharf. They say that the experience of working in Canary Wharf is quite different from working in the City and it indeed is. City was professional, but not mechanical, while Canary Wharf is professional and to an extent mechanical. May be my opinion changes as I move on to become a part of it!
That Friday, 12th June will get engraved as an important chapter in my memoir - when I left my first company and went to see a 2020 Cricket match at Lords. The grandeur of the place took some time to sink in – an emotional me at LORDS. It helped me look back at my life; it helped me find solace amidst the hustle-bustle of the thousands of cricketing fans around!
Thursday, June 04, 2009
An experience to remember
5.30 in the evening it starts. Since morning my eyes are fixed at the tiny digital clock at the right-most bottom of my mega computer screen. I try to concentrate on the two big monitors in front of me with numbers, codes, and everything uninteresting that I can think of at that moment. I am supposed to be modelling (I do not mean modelling as in modelling, I mean financial modelling). My model has to go live next week and release documentation and bit of testing remains. But then it starts at 5.30 today, I have been dreaming about it since I was a child. I cannot model today I tell myself.
Gosh this tiny stupid clock, takes ages to tick. I think my computer is slower than usual today, am I running too many processes which make it think so much that it has stopped ticking the clock? I open Start->Control Panel->Date and Time and then stop. I think I am going bonkers. Go out and get some fresh air I order myself.
I come back to my desk thinking I will now do some work. Documentation is the last thing I want to do when I am so restless (yeah I need a lot of patience in commercial documentation, as one needs to ensure that everybody, however naïve he/she might be, surely understands it). So I decide to finish the testing bit. Concentrate I tell myself and get on with it.
Wow lunch time! Cannot help but tell my boss that I plan to leave by 4 today and so I will have a quick lunch on my desk (not that I have very elaborate lunches on other days, still!). Those couple of hours till it gets to 4 were the hardest – time has never been so painstakingly slow.
Huge traffic, lots and lots of people on my way! I manage to reach my destination at 4.45. My pilgrimage! My brother is already there waiting for me, I say a quick hi. And I fall into a trance. I let it all sink. I see Bhajji, Yuvi, Dhoni, Raina, Pathan in blood and flesh. I see Afridi, Younus Khan, Akmal all in front of me. I am at The Oval to see the India-Pakistan 2020 match.
Immediately those childhood days of watching cricket on TV being played at Lords and Oval flash in front of me. I remember how my brother and I would dream of becoming capable so as to be able to visit the Mecca of cricket. I feel overwhelmed.
I hear and sing along ‘Jeetega bhai jeetega – India jeetega’, ‘You hit a four, or you hit a six, you are still the famous Yuvraaj Singh’, ‘India zindabaad’ and lots more that you pick up with the crowd and then forget later.
The crowd around me is mixed, Indian and Pakistani fans. Some untoward incidents do happen (with men dipped in beer to the brim, I did expect so), but mostly people appreciate each other and their affiliations which I feel glad to see. Any verbal fight I see around, I immediately hear the crowd singing the famous song to pacify the heat – ‘Ye dosti hum nahi chorenge, todenge dum magar, tera saath naa chorenge’.
India won the match. I absolutely loved the experience. I felt accomplished. My next match tickets are for THE LORDS!!!
Gosh this tiny stupid clock, takes ages to tick. I think my computer is slower than usual today, am I running too many processes which make it think so much that it has stopped ticking the clock? I open Start->Control Panel->Date and Time and then stop. I think I am going bonkers. Go out and get some fresh air I order myself.
I come back to my desk thinking I will now do some work. Documentation is the last thing I want to do when I am so restless (yeah I need a lot of patience in commercial documentation, as one needs to ensure that everybody, however naïve he/she might be, surely understands it). So I decide to finish the testing bit. Concentrate I tell myself and get on with it.
Wow lunch time! Cannot help but tell my boss that I plan to leave by 4 today and so I will have a quick lunch on my desk (not that I have very elaborate lunches on other days, still!). Those couple of hours till it gets to 4 were the hardest – time has never been so painstakingly slow.
Huge traffic, lots and lots of people on my way! I manage to reach my destination at 4.45. My pilgrimage! My brother is already there waiting for me, I say a quick hi. And I fall into a trance. I let it all sink. I see Bhajji, Yuvi, Dhoni, Raina, Pathan in blood and flesh. I see Afridi, Younus Khan, Akmal all in front of me. I am at The Oval to see the India-Pakistan 2020 match.
Immediately those childhood days of watching cricket on TV being played at Lords and Oval flash in front of me. I remember how my brother and I would dream of becoming capable so as to be able to visit the Mecca of cricket. I feel overwhelmed.
I hear and sing along ‘Jeetega bhai jeetega – India jeetega’, ‘You hit a four, or you hit a six, you are still the famous Yuvraaj Singh’, ‘India zindabaad’ and lots more that you pick up with the crowd and then forget later.
The crowd around me is mixed, Indian and Pakistani fans. Some untoward incidents do happen (with men dipped in beer to the brim, I did expect so), but mostly people appreciate each other and their affiliations which I feel glad to see. Any verbal fight I see around, I immediately hear the crowd singing the famous song to pacify the heat – ‘Ye dosti hum nahi chorenge, todenge dum magar, tera saath naa chorenge’.
India won the match. I absolutely loved the experience. I felt accomplished. My next match tickets are for THE LORDS!!!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Gandhi and Elections
I was surprised by the election results – surprised more because this is the first time that I had not been following the day to day update on Indian politics during the run-up to the elections. I had formed opinions and judgements from the quick-bites I got from Indian newspapers during my lunch time (on-the-desk-lunches).
Now on introspection I would like to believe that I am pleasantly surprised. India badly needed a ‘stable government’ more than the need of a ‘good government’ as I do not think any party seemed to have promised good governance. I knew the markets would react more strongly not to the news of which party wins the elections, but to the news of how decisive would the win be. And I am happy that it is a clear and decisive mandate which resulted in strong stock exchange performance.
Everybody seems to be giving credit to this decisive win of Congress in India to Mr. Rahul Gandhi and his campaign. I do not doubt that he has been instrumental in the election campaigning, all I am trying to question is – does he really have the merits or the suffix ‘Gandhi’ in his name gives him an advantage?
I know most of you would go for the answer – both. And guess that is the best answer to this question. You cannot take away the edge he gets for being a Gandhi clan, and at the same time he could get the maximum mileage out of this advantage because he is clever and knows how to exploit it.
I feel happy whenever I see a youth getting into politics, at least somebody is bold enough to dirty their hands and clear up the mess instead of being a spectator who only passes comments on the anomalies. I am glad that they will bring in new ideas on board; they will pave the way to a new India. But a question still lingers in my mind – is it only a bubble of over-enthusiasm that will burst just like the current economic situation, or is it a sustained willingness to make a change and contribute which will see them face challenges with strong heads on their shoulders?
Now on introspection I would like to believe that I am pleasantly surprised. India badly needed a ‘stable government’ more than the need of a ‘good government’ as I do not think any party seemed to have promised good governance. I knew the markets would react more strongly not to the news of which party wins the elections, but to the news of how decisive would the win be. And I am happy that it is a clear and decisive mandate which resulted in strong stock exchange performance.
Everybody seems to be giving credit to this decisive win of Congress in India to Mr. Rahul Gandhi and his campaign. I do not doubt that he has been instrumental in the election campaigning, all I am trying to question is – does he really have the merits or the suffix ‘Gandhi’ in his name gives him an advantage?
I know most of you would go for the answer – both. And guess that is the best answer to this question. You cannot take away the edge he gets for being a Gandhi clan, and at the same time he could get the maximum mileage out of this advantage because he is clever and knows how to exploit it.
I feel happy whenever I see a youth getting into politics, at least somebody is bold enough to dirty their hands and clear up the mess instead of being a spectator who only passes comments on the anomalies. I am glad that they will bring in new ideas on board; they will pave the way to a new India. But a question still lingers in my mind – is it only a bubble of over-enthusiasm that will burst just like the current economic situation, or is it a sustained willingness to make a change and contribute which will see them face challenges with strong heads on their shoulders?
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Panacea
I have been thinking about the concept of Panacea, so thought of writing it down. As per wikipedia, Panacea is named after the Greek Goddess of Healing and is used to call medicines which can cure all diseases.
But does something like this actually exist? If I ask for a single solution to solve all my problems, can somebody provide me a Panacea?
Such questions come up sometimes when I am thinking very hard about my life and the direction it is moving in. The questions may seem reasonable or unreasonable, but I still continue to ask them.
I am reading a book called ‘The Zahir’ by Paulo Coelho. Part of the reason for this introspection is driven by this book. It is a book which drives you into soul-searching, asks to you stop for some time and look at life from a distance like a painter. Some personal and professional experiences tell me that I need to stop. I need to sit back and think about my life and the lives I, intentionally or non-intentionally, affect. And I am enjoying the process. I am convinced that at the end of this search lies my elixir for life. I am determined to find my Zahir.
But does something like this actually exist? If I ask for a single solution to solve all my problems, can somebody provide me a Panacea?
Such questions come up sometimes when I am thinking very hard about my life and the direction it is moving in. The questions may seem reasonable or unreasonable, but I still continue to ask them.
I am reading a book called ‘The Zahir’ by Paulo Coelho. Part of the reason for this introspection is driven by this book. It is a book which drives you into soul-searching, asks to you stop for some time and look at life from a distance like a painter. Some personal and professional experiences tell me that I need to stop. I need to sit back and think about my life and the lives I, intentionally or non-intentionally, affect. And I am enjoying the process. I am convinced that at the end of this search lies my elixir for life. I am determined to find my Zahir.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
A quickie
I know I have not been writing since some time, and I apologise that this is not going to be a long one either. The turn of weather in London, from winters to spring has meant that I am spending my free time in appreciating the beauty around and the sunshine which I used to earlier spend on blogging.
Today a friend from college said that she has started learning Guitar. I think Guitar is one of the toughest instruments, guess all string instruments are tough. So on asking how is coping up with it, she replied that she is struggling but feels ecstatic just by the thought of possessing a guitar. I encouraged her to continue and added - 'you have crossed the line of those who do not know to those who try to know and then eventually (hopefully) to those who know'. She felt motivated and good. Thought of sharing this with you.
I have been watching some good movies. Watched Julia Roberts and Clive Owen's Duplicity yesterday - a good and intelligent movie. I also liked the most recent Bollywood sci-fi 'Aa Dekhen Zara' starring Neil Nitin Mukesh - recommended to all those who want to see the sci-fi genre in Bollywood having matured by this movie.
Lots more later!
Today a friend from college said that she has started learning Guitar. I think Guitar is one of the toughest instruments, guess all string instruments are tough. So on asking how is coping up with it, she replied that she is struggling but feels ecstatic just by the thought of possessing a guitar. I encouraged her to continue and added - 'you have crossed the line of those who do not know to those who try to know and then eventually (hopefully) to those who know'. She felt motivated and good. Thought of sharing this with you.
I have been watching some good movies. Watched Julia Roberts and Clive Owen's Duplicity yesterday - a good and intelligent movie. I also liked the most recent Bollywood sci-fi 'Aa Dekhen Zara' starring Neil Nitin Mukesh - recommended to all those who want to see the sci-fi genre in Bollywood having matured by this movie.
Lots more later!
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