We are in the second quarter of 2022, and things seem very different from 2020 and 2021. The past two years were spent in the shadows of Covid and general economic slow down. However, the world is vibrant once more and lot of economic activities are happening. Of course, because of the ongoing war, oil prices are at an all time high.
Today I calculated my car’s mileage and I realized it’s giving me 6.77Kms per litre of ‘Special’ grade petrol. I can’t help compare it with my second car (the first one I bought with my own money) – the Maruti Suzuki Zen. It gave me 21kms per litre. Of course it must have been 80Hp 1000cc specs. The one I am driving now is 450HP, so no comparison. However, it’s a german car and I am a bit skeptical about the resale value. Its now in its fifth year, but it has covered only 50K kms. So I don’t even feel like selling it.
However, Porsche cars are expensive to maintain, and as the cars become older, the chances of a major overhaul also becomes higher. So it’s a tight balance. Let’s see. On the other hand, my wife drives a VW Polo, and I don’t even recall when I last filled fuel in it. It’s surprisingly sporty as well.
Another element which has gone up in prices, is gold!. In Kerala esp, we have this craving for the yellow metal, and social status is often measured in weddings, by how much gold the bride wears. The truth is, gold prices will always go up just because of the demand. Nowadays, people are more pragmatic, and I think the newer generation prefers a more active wedding ceremony, with less money spent on ornaments, and more on events. Weddings span across multiple days and each day the theme is different. There are carefully rehearsed dances with the bride and bridegroom also participating. These are all new additions to the traditional wedding function, but the entire population seems to have taken it up warmly. I am truly happy I got married before these entrees came in, and my role was limited to shaking hands and standing for photos. In my opinion, be it gold or events, it’s still waste of good money, and if this money was given for a good cause, the spiritual blessings just from that act would make the function happy and memorable.
As we grow older, our perspective and priorities change. I am now less interested in food, and more interested in trying to be healthy. I took up intermittent fasting, I am now into the fourth month, and I have lost close to 10 kgs. I do some brisk walking as well on most days, so it might be the combined effect of both the activities, that has made this weight loss possible. It’s a great feeling to be able to get into old trousers which were very tight and now feel like they are loose around your waist. Of course, it’s tough to maintain, and that’s the difficult part. But, I am sure if we put in the right effort and focus, results will be there. I drink more black tea now than before, and it keeps the hunger away. There’s a good place in Mirdiff mall called So Tea, where I like the Darjeeling tea and can spend one hour or more sipping away in a quiet corner.
During weekends, I spend a lot of time sitting down in these kind of places. One thing I wanted to try out, was to note down some thoughts there, and upload them to the site. However, I am still not sure if editing using a mobile phone is easy, or it is cumbersome. I hope to try it out next week. Something I have seen some of my colleagues use to good effect, is an e-ink reader cum note taker device. It is small, around 8 to 10 inches in screen size, and mono-chrome. In office, I use an ipad mini, with a rough textured screen protector, which allows me to write like into a notebook. However, the effect is not 100% there yet. It still slides a bit, and feels like glass. This is where these e-ink devices come in. The ones I have reviewed are remarkable-2 and Onyx boox. They all have their pros and cons, and they are all expensive. The thought of spending 1000 USD purely for taking notes while sipping tea, is not palatable to me, so I am holding myself back. I wish there were simpler options, I will continue my research. It should be easy to note down details, convert them to text and then upload them to the site as a new post.
Workwise, one big change that has happened is that I am looking now into Infrastructure Technology as well. My colleague resigned, and I am acting as interim head of his area too. It’s an interesting area, and I am confident I can deliver lot of value there, while learning lots too. It’s a world of switches and routers and ISPs and ILLs and dark holes and DDoS attacks and SOC and whatnot. However, I like getting into the details, without making myself a pest for others, and it’s a good path towards widening my horizons as well.
Also workwise, this is going to be a season of transition and change. I will come to the details probably in my next post. Like someone said once, “The only constant thing in life is change”. So, we should be open to change, and believe it’s all for good. That’s the only way to look at and face situations that keep evolving. As a result of change, we can either progress, or regress. I feel it how we accept the change will determine which direction we take in life.
My daughter has two more exams to go, Indian CBSE 12th grade exams are just dragging on. Just imagine, six weeks for five exams. And they already had one public exam in December. When I was a student, I recall having exams in morning and afternoon, and on alternate days. Exams would be over in a weeks’ time or maximum two weeks. The timing of the results also will determine the college plans for the kids, since most universities start classes in September. So for those students planning to study abroad, acceptance of university, application for visa et al depends on the results. I hope they come soon, and I hope my daughter scores good marks. Finally, it’s with her. After CBSE, she has to write JEEE and KEEM. So many exams.
My weekends are spent on walks, window shopping and sitting at Costa or So Tea watching the world go by. My cousin in UK shares photo of playing cricket and drinking beer. Just to make me jealous. But here in summer, these sports are not possible, though there is indoor cricket. However, it’s not the real thing. I recall we guys used to be into sports so much before the lockdown. To the extent I remember at least three of my colleagues spraining/tearing their tendons and needing surgery. The games were that intense. But now I have been so distant from active sports, the only activity is walks/jogs.
I was thinking recently, that this blog is more about I, me, myself. Anyone reading this will think of me as an egomaniac, just running away with my self and its importance. The reality is, I don’t want to put other stuff here online, because then we get into people and perceptions and copy right issues and stuff. My college days and some of my trips etc were so interesting that novels could be written and movies could be made. I would love to write about them too. But the characters of those stories might not like it, and I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone. Similarly, getting too much into office stuff is also not good because again, opinions vary. So, I keep it simple, and I continue this blog just to make sure I write something. Maybe, one day, after I re-wire (not retire, just re-wire), I will write something. There are topics I would love to write about, and in the right environment, I am sure the words will tumble out.
Some happy news is that a very dear friend who was working in Emirates moved back to flydubai. Similarly, a very close friend with whom I had a small tiff came back again, and things are back to normal. Normal is the way to be. Too much expectations are difficult to meet, every day is a learning. However, at this age, it has become clear to me that the friendships that started long back, should be savored and even if it needs effort to maintain it, it’s worth it. Good friends are valuable, because you get criticism for free. The difficulty is to accept that openly, and correct yourself, overtaking your ego. I am getting there. Good friends always want good for you, and they cover your back as well.
This year there are a couple of industry conferences happening, and I am planning to attend them. One is the T2RL conference in UK, and the other is the World Aviation Festival in Amsterdam. I need to get a Schengen Visa, and restart meeting people, and learning new things happening in this world around us. Without learning, what a dull world it is. Without networking, what a dull world it is.
The IPL is going on, and every year it gets more and more exciting. I am a staunch supporter of Rajasthan Royals and Sanju Samson, and I hope they take home the cup this year. It will be a great tribute to Shane Warne as well, who passed away earlier this year. Fingers crossed. Sanju’s story is like the neighborhood boy strikes rich. He’s from my place, and I know his coach also well. In fact, I used to see these boys practicing in the mornings at Medical College ground, when I would go there to huff and puff as part of my run. I recall, there was a young boy who joined our club and started as a wicketkeeper. After sometime, we dropped him because he was too good, and asked him to find a better club. He played well for an A-grade club, and even starred in a couple of local movies about cricket, and also in the Kerala Cricket League.
Last December, I had given up forex trading and I am all the more blessed for it. Just imagine how much I would have lost, if I had continued. I am always optimistic, and would put money into Buy trades only. Would have lost everything. Was reading about crypto and luna losing its value to zero. Just imagine, an asset without value!. I don’t know if it will come back again, to be honest. I was always wary about investing in crypto, but it’s very volatile and fortunes can be made or lost. Of course margin trading is all about the big players and individuals are like grains of sand on a beach. The big banks and traders control the whole market, and we just play along. My experience in trading was kind of balancing out towards the end. I would make money, I would lose money, then make some, then lose some. So I didn’t find it very interesting.
Recently I was reading about a Boeing spaceship docking with the ISS. I was thinking, privatization has worked wonders for Space travel and Space tourism. Just think of the progress. Virgin Galactic, Space X, Blue Origin. Even NASA started outsourcing its rockets. Just imagine, rockets are reusable now, where as earlier they would just burn away millions of dollars. I wish transportation in India would also be privatized, because it just is not upto the mark, when compared to other countries.
Time is flying. How do I measure it? I measure it in terms of memories. Memories of my father and mother when I was young, and they were young too. Memories of me getting my first job. Memories of my wedding. Memories of our own developed PSS system going live. Memories of my fatherhood. Memories of my niece getting a job. Memories of my daughter becoming a teenager officially. Memories of my brother in law retiring. Memories of some of my friends passing away. Memories of Covid and memories of the world slowly getting back.
The more memories fill me, the more nostalgic I become, and the more I realize that I am growing older. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, because there are many milestones I have achieved now, and many more that I hope to achieve, which would seem improbable when I was younger. Working and living in the middle of a younger world keeps my heart younger, my mind wiser and my brains sharper.