Happy new year 2009 to everyone (if anyone) visits this space
So its new year and coincidentally I am beginning a new phase of my life. I have quit my job and have not decided what I would be doing next. I remember once I said to my mother that "I would never quit my job without having another one in my hand". I guess no can predict what decisions one would take under given circumstances and situations.
This is the first time since September 1996 that I would be truly "jobless". I do plan to start working "part-time" or "freelancing" however it is very difficult for IT professionals in India to find these kind of opportunities. So today I am completely blank about what would happen or what I would let happen to my career. There are many reasons why I quit my job and I am not comfortable with the uncertainty that I have chosen for myself however at the same time I am in high spirits as on 17-Jan I will attain freedom from the corporate world
So this post is basically about the things that I would like to do once I am elevated to the "stay-at-home-mom" status.
Most of these fall under the regular chores however in the past years I never got the time to do these at my own pace so I am sure I am going to enjoy doing them.
1) Clean all wardrobes in the house and mercilessly throw away all clothes that are old/unused (except my soft, worn-out "Sleep-ins" nightdress, dark blue jeans that will never fit me, all my sleeveless dresses which I have never worn, cute woollen dresses of the kids, all baby pink and blue dresses, socks, bibs bought at Mother Care, Baby Shop etc. and the endless list of clothes that I have carried with me through the multiple houses and cities that I have moved :-)
2) Organize financial papers, bills etc.
3) Clean the store-room. This time I resolve to throw away the carrom board which we never use.
4) Organize audio-video cassettes, CDs and DVDs. I am sure I am going to listen to "Saath-Saath" at least 3 times while doing this.
5) Take a look at the few plants that I have in the balcony and mend them
6) Download photos from camera to laptop and shortlist some for printing
7) Download video recordings from the camcorder to laptop
8) Create a weekly kitchen plan
9) Practice 45 mins of yoga everyday
10) Walk for 1 hour 4 days a week
11) Play with the kids for 1 hour everyday
12) Sign up for a music class
13) Make a new friend. I haven't made a good friend since my college days.
Monday, 12 January 2009
Friday, 7 March 2008
Google, I am lost
I have not been able to access "Google" from office since Wednesday.
You think "big deal, uh!" ?
But trust me, it, is a "BIG DEAL".
Today I tried accessing Google for searching the below and much more which I cannot recollect.
1) Qantas airways website
2) Testing parameters
3) Mumbai Airport Website
4) Checklist for home renovation
5) Wikipedia (Can you believe? I search for Wikipedia URL also through Google)
And when every time Google took me to the "We're sorry" page, I didn't know what to do.Didn't even think of typing the likely URLs in the address bar and just giving it a shot.I did try Yahoo, MSN and Altavista but then they are not the same as Google. My eyes are so tuned to the Google website that any other search results do not make sense. I realized, Google has turned me into a handicap when it comes to finding stuff on the Internet.
And the last line on their "We're sorry" page says "We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we'll see you again on Google". Are you joking? I will be accessing your URL every 10 mins to check "just in case you are back". I have so much to search.
You think "big deal, uh!" ?
But trust me, it, is a "BIG DEAL".
Today I tried accessing Google for searching the below and much more which I cannot recollect.
1) Qantas airways website
2) Testing parameters
3) Mumbai Airport Website
4) Checklist for home renovation
5) Wikipedia (Can you believe? I search for Wikipedia URL also through Google)
And when every time Google took me to the "We're sorry" page, I didn't know what to do.Didn't even think of typing the likely URLs in the address bar and just giving it a shot.I did try Yahoo, MSN and Altavista but then they are not the same as Google. My eyes are so tuned to the Google website that any other search results do not make sense. I realized, Google has turned me into a handicap when it comes to finding stuff on the Internet.
And the last line on their "We're sorry" page says "We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we'll see you again on Google". Are you joking? I will be accessing your URL every 10 mins to check "just in case you are back". I have so much to search.
Friday, 29 February 2008
To my lost comrades
I lost touch with some when I moved from one place to the other due to my father's job, with some after school, some after college, some after changing jobs, some after changing cities, some after fights, some after misunderstandings and some just like that.
With some,I lost touch gradually and with some others it was abrupt. With the ones I lost touch gradually, initially we exchanged letters, then phone calls and emails, then just emails, and then the silence.
Most of them are just a email/phone call away but there is still a very big distance in between. Not sure what that distance is about and why it got created. I guess, its just because people move on to newer places and hence new people.I do hear about them once in a while, sometimes from group-mails , sometimes from someone's orkut profile or sometimes from some new friend.
Sometimes I do feel like getting back in touch but then I know that things won't be the same again.
So, this post is for all my lost comrades-I am glad we met,talked,listened, laughed,cried, fought-made up-fought, helped, ignored and much more.
Life would not have been worthwhile without you guys.
Monday, 28 January 2008
Goodbye X
31-Jan-2008 will be my last working day at X (my current company). I have been with X since 2000. I have worked for another company before joining X, but X has been my first job in the true sense. The rich experience at X has shaped me into a good professional. I have had my share of issues with X, however deep down I know, I have a lot to be happy about, thanks to X. Today as I sit and think about the few issues that I have had, I realize that the issues are almost neligible compared to what I have gained from X in the last 8 years.
I am going to miss being part of X, I am going to miss ...
1) The "brand X" - I have been enjoying the "Brand X" for the last 8 years. Wnenever I told people that I worked for X, I would more or less get these responses/expressions-
Older generation - "acchhi bacchi" (proud)
College going -"wow!"(but she looks so "non-corporate" kinds)
Friends, "well, okay.."
Relatives "uh! so what"
Strangers "okay" (so she must be worth something).
I am going to miss the "brand X" a lot.
2) The "speed of operation" at office - Being in this company for 8 years, I know the processes in and out, I know from whom/where I can get what information. I know the right channels, the right people who can help me. This has increased my "speed of operation" tremendously over the last few years. So I got to spend more time in adding real value to the work rather than
getting stuck in the operations.
I will miss this "speed of operation" - atleast till I achieve the same in the new company.
3) My employee number - after I joined X, the company added more than 50,000 employees to its rolls, so my employee number shows that I am an "old timer" at X. Some people in the company admire that while others think of us oldies as "jerks who cannot get any other job".
But I always took pride in being one of the oldies at X and I would definitely miss that.
4) The beautiful campus, the sprawling lawns, the facilities, the huge library,the very efficient support systems and staff.
5) Bulletin Board - Definitely the saviour of my "bench" days. Though I have hardly contributed to it, I have spent a lot of time reading movie reviews, jokes, poetry, matrimonial ads, general discussions and most importantly the fights :-) I have immense respect for X for providing such an open platform for expression of ideas and feedback.
I will miss being part of such highly intellectual and creative group of people.
Although I will not be an employee of X after 31-Jan-2008, X will always remian "my company".
I am going to miss being part of X, I am going to miss ...
1) The "brand X" - I have been enjoying the "Brand X" for the last 8 years. Wnenever I told people that I worked for X, I would more or less get these responses/expressions-
Older generation - "acchhi bacchi" (proud)
College going -"wow!"(but she looks so "non-corporate" kinds)
Friends, "well, okay.."
Relatives "uh! so what"
Strangers "okay" (so she must be worth something).
I am going to miss the "brand X" a lot.
2) The "speed of operation" at office - Being in this company for 8 years, I know the processes in and out, I know from whom/where I can get what information. I know the right channels, the right people who can help me. This has increased my "speed of operation" tremendously over the last few years. So I got to spend more time in adding real value to the work rather than
getting stuck in the operations.
I will miss this "speed of operation" - atleast till I achieve the same in the new company.
3) My employee number - after I joined X, the company added more than 50,000 employees to its rolls, so my employee number shows that I am an "old timer" at X. Some people in the company admire that while others think of us oldies as "jerks who cannot get any other job".
But I always took pride in being one of the oldies at X and I would definitely miss that.
4) The beautiful campus, the sprawling lawns, the facilities, the huge library,the very efficient support systems and staff.
5) Bulletin Board - Definitely the saviour of my "bench" days. Though I have hardly contributed to it, I have spent a lot of time reading movie reviews, jokes, poetry, matrimonial ads, general discussions and most importantly the fights :-) I have immense respect for X for providing such an open platform for expression of ideas and feedback.
I will miss being part of such highly intellectual and creative group of people.
Although I will not be an employee of X after 31-Jan-2008, X will always remian "my company".
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
"Library" of plants
"Plants Library" - I saw this advertisement on my way to work today.
What it means is - library of potted plants from where one could rent plants. rent plants? Although an interesting concept, I found it quite weird. Why would someone rent plants? Just to decorate their house?Renting plants just for decorating and changing them after some time somehow does not fit in my scheme of things. I am neither a great lover of plants nor a great gardener, however when I do pot a plant I somehow get attached to it, it becomes a part of my home. I cannot give it away just like that unless my balcony is overcrowded or the plant is not doing well.
I fail to understand what satisfaction one would get by renting a plant for few days and then replacing it with the next one. It may satisfy the eyes for some time but what about the satisfaction of seeing a plant that you potted grow to its fullest potential.
It may sound stupid to some, but to a certain degree I feel the same about books. I usually buy the books that I read and very rarely borrow from the library. Along with the words in the book, I enjoy the smell of the new book and the feel of the fresh pages.
Did someone say, there is a "library" of sarees too? Sure, only if Shabana Azmi, Satya Paul and Shaina NC are members :-)
What it means is - library of potted plants from where one could rent plants. rent plants? Although an interesting concept, I found it quite weird. Why would someone rent plants? Just to decorate their house?Renting plants just for decorating and changing them after some time somehow does not fit in my scheme of things. I am neither a great lover of plants nor a great gardener, however when I do pot a plant I somehow get attached to it, it becomes a part of my home. I cannot give it away just like that unless my balcony is overcrowded or the plant is not doing well.
I fail to understand what satisfaction one would get by renting a plant for few days and then replacing it with the next one. It may satisfy the eyes for some time but what about the satisfaction of seeing a plant that you potted grow to its fullest potential.
It may sound stupid to some, but to a certain degree I feel the same about books. I usually buy the books that I read and very rarely borrow from the library. Along with the words in the book, I enjoy the smell of the new book and the feel of the fresh pages.
Did someone say, there is a "library" of sarees too? Sure, only if Shabana Azmi, Satya Paul and Shaina NC are members :-)
Monday, 26 November 2007
My Triplets
Yes it has been quite some time now.So thought of doing something that I have never done before. Since no one reads my blog and so obviously no one tags me, I decided to pick up the tag from http://anewsha.blogspot.com/search/label/tags. So here it goes.
3 smells I love
1. Smell of new born babies - its a great combination of milk, soap, oil etc
2. Smell of a new book
3. Smell of jasmine
3 smells I hate
1. Dried fish
2. Smell at the hosiptals
3. Those room freshners which are worse than the smelling rooms
3 job's I have had in my life
I have changed 3 companies in my career as a software engineer however here are the weird jobs (weird in the sense,normally no software engineer would have done them) that I have done
1. Soon after my college I took up a job as a secretary in a company that made water purifiers. All that I did for 2 months was wait for my boss to come back from the long vacation that he had taken. Finally I quit before meeting him.
2. Took up a teaching job at a software institute. Here I realized that I can be a good teacher. I got a 10/10 in the feedback from students. No teacher in the institute had ever got this before.
3 movies I could watch over and over again
1. Godfather I
2. Munnabhai MBBS
3. Dil Chahta hai
3 fond memories
Actually there are many-many of them. Just listing those that come to my mind immediately
1. The day my father bought a bicycle for me
2. All hostel memories
3. The day my husband flew in from Bangalore to Mumbai for my birthday
3 jobs I would love to have
1. Any job that I can do from home and guarantees to pay me as much as I earn today :-)
2. Job that gives me the authority to clean up and establish simple yet effective administartive and human resources processes in India
3. Teach in a management school (though I am underqualified for it)
3 things I like to do
1. Just laze around on a sofa and do nothing
2. Play with my kids (I can do this max for 30 minutes - not a good parent, i know)
3. Read
3 of my favourite foods
There are again many however these are the ones which I can eat even when I am totally full
1. Idli-Sambhar (yes that "h" in there is intentional)- I love idlis so much that I once thought of marrying a madrassi
2. Home cooked rice and dal (it is actually the very traditional maharashtrian "amti" that I love) with ghee on it
3. Boiled egg
3 places I'd like to be right now
1. In 1997 when I was just out of college and in my first job
2. At some coffee shop chatting with friends
3. At one of those "resorts that promise to rejuvenate you"
3 things that make me cry
1. I always cry when a fight with my husband and PMS coincide
2. Betrayal
3. Movies on differently abled kids
3 smells I love
1. Smell of new born babies - its a great combination of milk, soap, oil etc
2. Smell of a new book
3. Smell of jasmine
3 smells I hate
1. Dried fish
2. Smell at the hosiptals
3. Those room freshners which are worse than the smelling rooms
3 job's I have had in my life
I have changed 3 companies in my career as a software engineer however here are the weird jobs (weird in the sense,normally no software engineer would have done them) that I have done
1. Soon after my college I took up a job as a secretary in a company that made water purifiers. All that I did for 2 months was wait for my boss to come back from the long vacation that he had taken. Finally I quit before meeting him.
2. Took up a teaching job at a software institute. Here I realized that I can be a good teacher. I got a 10/10 in the feedback from students. No teacher in the institute had ever got this before.
3 movies I could watch over and over again
1. Godfather I
2. Munnabhai MBBS
3. Dil Chahta hai
3 fond memories
Actually there are many-many of them. Just listing those that come to my mind immediately
1. The day my father bought a bicycle for me
2. All hostel memories
3. The day my husband flew in from Bangalore to Mumbai for my birthday
3 jobs I would love to have
1. Any job that I can do from home and guarantees to pay me as much as I earn today :-)
2. Job that gives me the authority to clean up and establish simple yet effective administartive and human resources processes in India
3. Teach in a management school (though I am underqualified for it)
3 things I like to do
1. Just laze around on a sofa and do nothing
2. Play with my kids (I can do this max for 30 minutes - not a good parent, i know)
3. Read
3 of my favourite foods
There are again many however these are the ones which I can eat even when I am totally full
1. Idli-Sambhar (yes that "h" in there is intentional)- I love idlis so much that I once thought of marrying a madrassi
2. Home cooked rice and dal (it is actually the very traditional maharashtrian "amti" that I love) with ghee on it
3. Boiled egg
3 places I'd like to be right now
1. In 1997 when I was just out of college and in my first job
2. At some coffee shop chatting with friends
3. At one of those "resorts that promise to rejuvenate you"
3 things that make me cry
1. I always cry when a fight with my husband and PMS coincide
2. Betrayal
3. Movies on differently abled kids
Monday, 23 July 2007
HP Mania
What is this whole craze about harry potter 7? or is it 6? I am not sure. I can Google and check, but who's interested in whether it is 6 or 7 ! Some HP mania cases I have heard/seen ...
1) My niece and nephew saw the latest released HP movie on the first day, first show. They got the latest book as soon as it was released and since they share the book they have reading slots defined for themselves, 2 hours each. While one person reads for 2 hours the other keeps looking at the clock. The book cost them Rs700 something, and the shop was selling the book as a package with some Rs200 voucher and something else, and they had to buy that if they wanted the book !
2) My son's friend, all of 8 years saw the movie with his 3 year old sister as soon as it got released. What he understood from the movie? some magical words that HP says.Now both he and my son keep repeating those words with a stick in their hand.
3) My husband's friend's son - all of 9 years.Finished reading 80 pages of the book on the day the book was released!
4) Saw some crazy fans on the television, dressed up like HP book's characters waiting for the book's release
Now I am wondering whether I am abnormal not to have read a single HP book. I have not seen any of the movies either, not even the one they keep showing on television.
1) My niece and nephew saw the latest released HP movie on the first day, first show. They got the latest book as soon as it was released and since they share the book they have reading slots defined for themselves, 2 hours each. While one person reads for 2 hours the other keeps looking at the clock. The book cost them Rs700 something, and the shop was selling the book as a package with some Rs200 voucher and something else, and they had to buy that if they wanted the book !
2) My son's friend, all of 8 years saw the movie with his 3 year old sister as soon as it got released. What he understood from the movie? some magical words that HP says.Now both he and my son keep repeating those words with a stick in their hand.
3) My husband's friend's son - all of 9 years.Finished reading 80 pages of the book on the day the book was released!
4) Saw some crazy fans on the television, dressed up like HP book's characters waiting for the book's release
Now I am wondering whether I am abnormal not to have read a single HP book. I have not seen any of the movies either, not even the one they keep showing on television.
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