Author: biju.abraham

It’s been a while since I penned something. The main reason is that I didn’t find that mental space to relax a bit and note down my thoughts. Too many things were happening, or else I was always restless, or else I was searching for something..

Now realized that the SSL expired for the site, and being a very neat person, I couldn’t face the site showing up with errors and warnings. Hence generated the new SSL and binded it to the web server. Now till Sep site should be secure.

What happened since the last post? The most important one is that I moved to Netherlands. I was working out of Dubai for a couple of months after I joined my new organization. But the work is Dubai was as a contractor, since my company didn’t have an office there. So we were all outsourced to a remote payroll firm. I didn’t like that arrangement much, and requested my organization to move me to one of their offices. This was the closest and here I am. I am also closer to my daughter.

My current role is owning the delivery of the world’s first Offer and Order management system, for a truly digital airline that’s starting up. I would never say no to such an opportunity, always liked challenges. And my focus has shifted tremendously from money minded decisions to career focused decisions. So, while I might be paying 45% taxes, I get the opportunity to work in a great program, which few other aviation professionals in the world might have access to. The organization I work for, is relatively new and full of individuals whose passion for changing the aviation industry is paramount. As a result, the organization is always in the limelight, and we are constantly attending workshops and conferences and aviation festivals.

I settled in nicely into the role and enjoy my work. I get the opportunity to deal with great industry leaders including CEOs, business leaders and industry architects who shape the aviation industry. Of course, it’s not an airline, but I think that part of my life is probably over. The knowledge I gained there is best used in building platforms and systems for aviation industry.

During Christmas, I visited my daughter for a week at London. After a long time, I had a peaceful Christmas. Christmas Markets, midnight mass, mulled wine, Plum cake, my daughter’s willingness to suffer me full time for five days and nights, all made it a wonderful, memorable Xmas time.

I travel a lot now as part of my work, and like this phase of my career. My earlier job was very stationary, and there was little chance of travelling outside. Here it’s all about customers and client visits and meetings and workshops. When I started my career at IBS, this was my role. Now, it seems to be coming back as a full circle.

In Netherlands, I stay at a province called Utrecht. It’s almost 30 minutes from Amsterdam by train. I moved here for two reasons, first being the proximity of my friends, and second being cost motivated. It’s a quiet place and though I spend almost one hour and a bit daily commuting to office, I am ok with it. I like the time in the morning when I can work quietly on the train preparing presentations or planning for the day. Evenings when i get out of office, it’s dark being winter, and though I reach home around 7, I can’t do much activity outside. I can only wait for spring to come and day light to increase, and then hopefully get more active. In Dubai, I used to walk 6K daily. But here, maybe 2K. However, food habits here are more healthier, so weight wise I am able to control.

I visit Dubai maybe once a month, en route to my customer site. I try to work my Friday out of Dubai, since my customer working week is Sun-Thu. So rather than travelling on Friday and lose one working day (some people might be ok with it, I am not), I work out of Dubai on Friday. Then Saturday I take a day off at my expense and Sunday I return. I think my Dubai friends have started getting irritated at the frequency I call them to meet.

My daughter is now into her third year. One more year, and her classes will be over. Then the kids will start rushing around to get jobs. I hope she gets somewhere good, and develops a good work culture with quality more than quantity. She did her second year internship at AWS, and this year also has some offers at hand. However, internship is different from a permanent job, and that’s what would be the defining moment of her life.

I had invested in the Indian share market. After four months of investing, I ran up a 60% profit. However, now it’s been another 8 months, and it’s still the same. In fact, the market indices have really crashed, for an economy that’s supposed to grow at 7% or so. I get the feeling there’s lot of hype and play going on, and unless we invest in reliable stock, it’s going to be a volatile ride. Companies with less profit are showing very high ratios, maybe because of foreign investment (or shady book keeping practices). Now with the US presidential elections done, and Mr. Trump bringing it all back to USA, companies have started divesting their Indian market share. The reason I said this – its good to have a diverse portfolio. We should be able to spread our wealth amongst real estate, shares, rich metals like gold, bonds, life insurance policies etc. Once you invest, you can sit back and watch it grow. I would think that in ten years time, overall we would get at least 100% growth.

Netherlands is the country of canals, with the land mass below sea level. The way the country escapes flooding, is through a vast network of canals which keep the water moving. A visit to Amsterdam is not complete without a canal ride in one of the many boats. The whole place is very well maintained and though the taxes are high, I believe it’s going to good services. Including old age pension. Just imagine, for those like us in private sector who never had the option of pension, the government will take care of us. Even if we get sick or injured, the kind of support from the government and even the organization we work for, is immense.

While I was in Netherlands, in this short time, I managed to lose my wallet. It contained all my residence permits, National Identification cards, licenses, credit cards, debit cards everything. It was a big irritant, making me feel empty without all those paper security tokens. I had to file a police complaint so I could apply for Dutch residence permit replacement. It took almost two months to get a replacement card. I also had to visit Dubai to apply and get all my UAE documents. It was a good learning, and now I keep all the important cards separate. Wouldn’t want to be caught up in that situation again. Luckily, there was not much cash.

Overall, in Netherlands, there’s robbery at a higher scale than Dubai. Of course we are used to the security in Dubai and so anything abnormal is a shock to us. In reality, these things exist all over the world, from India to America. Where there’s money, there are people who try to get it the easy way and the wrong way. And there’s a perception that Indians keep gold at their houses, and so it’s easy to break in, steal it and leave before the house owners/tenants come back.

I take lot of photos wherever I go, but post the good ones on my Instagram channel (ba.ab573).Earlier I used to post them here, but it’s too much of trouble uploading these photos, trimming them etc. So instagram is much easier that way.

All my furniture in Dubai is kept in storage, need to figure out what to do with it. It includes my liquor collection, so I really need to decide quickly. When I gave my apartment for rent, I thought of it as a supplementary income, what will help me offset the tax cuts here. Unfortunately my tenant decided not to pay the rent and has been staying there for two months now. I recently sent him a court notice and now after one month I need to file a court case to get the tenant evicted. So for all those people out there trying to make a quick buck (like me), keep in mind that things can always go wrong. But we should look at the positive side, I was able to understand the legal processes and policies involved in the rental side of things. I was able to see how a court notice looks like 😀

Will try to post one blog a week, so that I don’t lose touch with something I really like doing. I don’t think too many people read my blogs, I write mostly for myself. Just to feel for ten minutes that I am a great author, and if I wanted, I could create a novel etc. Of course we all know how far off from truth that thought is.

Back in Dubai after almost a year ! What a roller coaster ride it has been. Sometimes it feels like life is taking me to new places, with minimal warning or preparation. While the excitement of doing something new is always there, the trepidation of restless change also keeps me tense. So I put everything in Gods hands and do what I know most – work.

I came to Dubai almost two months ago. Found a hotel apartment and stayed there till today. Today I moved to my new apartment which is also in my old building itself. It’s actually old, and the rent is hefty. But I like familiar places and familiar people, and so decided to start my next innings here.

It felt wonderful seeing my old friends and colleagues. I had really missed them when I moved to Europe. It was almost like I found it very difficult to adjust away from Dubai. Some people want to be away from Dubai, some people like me want to get back to Dubai. That’s the mystery of life. We are in this constant search for happiness and gratification without realizing that what we want is all around us and near us. I was lucky enough to get a good job here when I wanted to get back. I count it as a blessing and know that it’s really some kind of divine intervention.

Somebody once said in order to move forward with single minded focus, we need to unburden ourselves of all that could hold us back. I need to learn that still, but I am sure one day I will get there. For now it’s a kaleidoscope of memories and vivid recollections and experiences and emotions that fill me and I am learning to navigate through it all. Its changing me and it’s not something I crave for. But I guess we all need to get tougher, because life is tough.

Dubai has been the place that gave me beautiful friendships, and it’s also the place that makes the driven succeed. On my return, things had changed a lot. People had changed, their perceptions and needs had changed. It was very easy to identify my true friends because they were few, and they were always there for me. Even when I found things tough and needed support, the boys were there for me. That meant a lot.

To start again from zero is a great experience. Apartment is done. Need a car, but the waiting period for the car I am looking for, is a long one. How long is long is the question. For me, I will wait for as long as it takes. Because I am determined not to settle for anything less than my choice.

I really missed church in Geneva. It felt so peaceful to visit the church on my arrival, and relieve myself of all those feelings of loneliness and lawlessness. As we get older, priorities change, and I look forward to peace in my life. My wife also wants peace in her life, so I think she’s mostly spending her time in India and with Jo in UK. Cant’ blame her 🙂 I think I am difficult to live with.

In my life so far, I have done my best to support my friends and colleagues. However, I am also human and I believe there are those I have hurt too. Not deliberately, but when the weight of expectations that are not met, push me down, sometimes I react and that can cause hurt. Again, that’s life. True friends understand it and work it out. I can only promise to get better.

My daughter is not coming to visit me this vacation and so it will be upto me to plan some trips to see her. I am finding it difficult to take time off from my hectic schedule but I miss seeing her and walking around London with my little girl. Soon she will become independent and have her own life. Though I wish it would be different, I know it’s only right that we let them fly when they get wings. Let them soar and explore and conquer. What I couldn’t do, I will wish for my child to achieve.

I believe my career still has some pleasant surprises in store, and I really look forward to it. After that long time of slow paced work, I am raring to go, and really enjoying the work. The more work there is, the better I seem to like it. I miss Engineering work, but maybe that will change in course of time.

My classmates and I are planning a trip to Thailand to celebrate our fifty years in this mischievous world. Sometime in September. I always used to hold myself back from such get togethers, but the world as I know it, has changed. So I guess it’s time to change myself as well.

In my plans are a garden, lot of weekend trips and responsible recklessness.

The summer is here and I wish all of my friends a pleasant and enriching holiday season. Now that schools will close and lot of people will go to their home countries for the two months of holidays, traffic will also be less. There’s always something good in every situation 🙂

Woke up early for a change and had planned to visit my cousin in London. My hotel was near the airport so I decided to take the airport bus to his place which is west Croydon. As usual I got onto the top deck of the double decker and had a birds eye view of the proceedings, making sure the driver was following the right route as per Google.
The roads seemed awfully narrow for a bus this size but I think that’s a visual trick. I could see vast parking spaces filled with hundreds of cars. Might be short term or long term parking or even rental cars.

I decided to restart my intermittent fasting from today and so didn’t have breakfast. At Paris I had that breakfast daily but it was also to fill me with some energy
The bus pulled into teddington station and I felt how it just feel to look down on people, since I could see them from the upper deck. More people are boarding here and so maybe someone will come to sit near me.
I had always seen videos of planes going low over houses on their approach to London. This bus you me through that area though I couldn’t click any pictures.
The upper deck was full of kalapila in malayalam by two young chaps. They seemed more innocent than I was at their age, judging by their talking style and topics.
My phone has limited charge and I took my charger cable as well so I can charge it in my cousins car.. I could see chargers on bus seats but they are older USB ports and mine is usb-c on both sides. This bus is full of malayalam and Hindi now. It’s difficult to understand if I am in uk or India.
Reached Worcester park which was his place. He came to receive me and took me home. Had breakfast from there. And also had a call which I had to take so it was good that I was able to take it from his home. Breakfast was puttu pazham , bullseye and black tea. I had restarted intermediate fasting so food felt very tasty.

After that we started to a place called seven sisters. It’s where there are these huge cliffs that fall off into the ocean..I had seen it in several movies and it was on my bucket list actually. It was quite a climb and I think we spent some couple of hours there. He kept telling me not to go near the edge as it’s very unstable. Anyway I get no plans to go that far. I took some nice photographs. Seems like there are seven outcrops of these cliffs into the sea and that’s why they were called seven sisters. It was also a very treacherous coast with water reaching to the bottom of the cliffs. People can actually go down to the bottom of the cliffs so I think they run the risk of getting stuck during high tide. There have been 25 ship wrecks there. There was also one light house, so I guess it’s not very effective. Both on the way out to this place as well as the trip back, the land scape around us was beautiful. It was a different view of Britain, not there mass of buildings that we see in London but pristine and calm country side with all possibilities of a lazy life. Lot of tourists were there, and I have to specifically mention the Chinese. Mostly young and couples intent of photographing the heck out of it.

We had some food also there, my cousin had a potato jacket with tuna and I had a fruit scone with butter. We also had ice creams from outside. I shared several photos with my wife showing her what she had missed. Her main feedback was not to waste data on the phone by sending pictures.
On the way back we stopped at Costco where my cousin had to do some shopping. After that we went to his tennis club where we had a refreshing beer. After this he dropped me at the bus station where the express loop trains run between airport and various places. I reached the hotel around 8 and realized that room service hadn’t taken my clothes for laundry. So I went down to the reception, complained but they said the services are not available over the weekend and since I was checking out on Sunday they weren’t sure if it could be given back on time. Sounded logical so I left it there.
Had dinner from a sports bar which was very sporty and after that retired to bed. However sleep was bad and I woke up around 3 with lot of noises including doors opening and closing nearby . After some time again dozed off

Day-6
Woke up early. Today’s my little girls birthday. Least birthday also I visited her and took her out. This time also it was a repeat. I took a combination of bus and underground and reached her rooms. We got out and she wanted to go to pfchangs. I had booked a table for two earlier and also told them it was her birthday and to have a small piece of pastry ready for her with a candle. Last year also we had gone to the same place. And even had the same menu I think. But no, I forgot one new addition, dynamite chicken instead of dynamite shrimp.

On the way, we stopped by St.Pauls cathedral and lit a candle.

After lunch we walked to Piccadilly circus where there’s always a huge crowd, a hundred sirens and lot of street performers. We had tea at a Costa, rather, I had black tea and she had a chocolate brownie. After that she wanted to go back and complete some stuff so I gave her a living hug and parted ways. On the way, I could see many police vehicles in a mad rush so I called her and told her to be careful and always be in a crowd. That’s all we can do on these difficult times, rest is in God’s hands.
I went for a stroll through Hyde park and then had an idea. There was a viewing stand from where one could see Heathrow departures. So I thought I will take a shot at it.

Day-7

Woke up lazily and had breakfast. My flight was at 11.50 so wanted to be out by 9. It was very windy and I even got an email from British airways that my flight could be delayed due to heavy winds. I was also reading about an Emirates flight to Glasgow that had to be diverted to Gatwick sand would depart only the next day, due to storms.

I checked out at 9 and saw that there’s an airport shuttle at 9.15. so rather than take the public transport, I thought I will take the shuttle to terminal 5. However, it was 9.25 and still there was no sign of the shuttle. Maybe the winds blew it away! I saw a British airways flight go around because it couldn’t land.
Finally I booked an Uber. Reached the terminal and checked in. I was traveling economy, anyway was a short flight. One of the perks I miss is discounted travel while working for an airline. But it’s what it is.

Finally at 11.20 they published the gate. The flight was delayed by 20 minutes. I reach the gate and realized that they are taking volunteers to check in hand baggage. I volunteered because I realized that passengers who are having their hand luggage checked in, are getting pre-boarding. To me that was more important.
After waiting for twenty five to thirty minutes, I boarded. I had selected a window seat. The pilot kept giving updates but the flight didn’t move. Finally at 1.14, it took off. A delay of more than 75 minutes. Amsterdam – here I come.

It was bumpy while reaching our cruising altitude, but after that it was smooth. I got a bottle of water and a small pack of chips. Had that and took lot of photos of the English channel. They had constructed wind mills in the weather. Of course it’s the Dutch. If they can’t do it, who can. To keep a nation that’s surrounded by water, and that too at a higher level than land, yet not get flooded, is something nearing a miracle. The place was full of canals. There was a river flowing through the airport and the plane was moving over a bridge over the river. Similarly there were roads and vehicles also which the plane taxied over. I had read that this was a small country maybe 200km by 200kms and so they would be smart about using spaces. I could already see vast fields of tulips and daffodils as we were landing. I hoped to visit one field later on, after checking in.

I was pleasantly surprised when a friend came with family to pick me up. They took me around in their car, and because of that I was able to visit the tulip fields. The tulips were just blooming.. The fragrance was different, and I believe it’s a very costly affair to both irrigate and grow tulips. However the profit they make from the two months of blooming and plucking is enough to carry them through the rest of the year. Only rich families own tulip fields.
It was 6 by the time I checked in. I had chicken wings, a burger and beer and went to bed early. It was a tiring day

The next day morning I woke up a bit late. My flight was at 5PM, and I had the whole day to myself. I also had to pick up a laptop to bring with me to Dubai. That completed, I started on a city tour, having checked out. It was not easy with a knapsack and a carry on suitcase, but I managed. I took a bus to the central station and from there took a ferry to the other side just to see. After that, I walked around a bit. Went to Dam square, went to some anonymous places near Dam square and wondered how this seemed to be a world different from what I had normally seen. Some people will understand what I mean.

From there I took a train to the airport. I thought security might take long, but in fifteen minutes I was at the lounge. Did some emails and whiled couple of hours away. KLM lounge was very impressive, and I got the feeling its a very professional airline. I was flying on a KLM City hopper aircraft which was an Embraer with a 2-2 configuration. They fed us nicely on the plane, and I later realized it might have been to make up for the horrible weather in Geneva. The descent was really like a fast moving object completely out of control and getting tossed about from one side to the other, completely at the mercy of the Gods. I was thinking, how miniscule even this big aircraft is, when it comes to the winds and sky and forces of nature. Finally we descended below the cloud ceiling and it was calmer. After an uneventful touchdown, I reached home. The next few days would be hectic, and I would be starting on a new phase in my career and life. Fingers crossed.

Hello friends,

I wanted to develop this as a travelogue for my visit to Paris, London and Amsterdam. I jotted down notes in my Google Pixel, and took photographs. Hopefully both will merge here in the post to give the complete picture.

Please note, the photographs are taken using the mobile and so might not be SLR quality. However I believe this is probably the best phone today for natural lighting and colors, let’s see how it turns out.

My wife left to spend some time in India, and so I had around ten days of me-time. I thought it’s wise to use it to travel around Europe. It’s my daughter’s birthday on April 6th and so I wanted to be in London for that. Along with that, thought I might as well visit Paris and from there to London, from there to Amsterdam and then to Geneva.

Day-1
Started from home at 9.18am. previous night had Sushi so sleep was not that great. Raw fish always does that to me. Cloudy day with slight drizzle hints of blue in the sky. Cold winds. I am dressed up with inner, t-shirt, sweater and a jacket.. Also have my touk. Need to get some water which is something I forgot.
This train takes me to Geneva from where I will board the tgv to Paris.

Long cold wait at cornavin for the train to come. It was seven degrees but with wind chill. Finally the train arrived. A sleek steam lined steel monster which was the fastest train in the world before the Chinese took over.

I had some trouble finding my seat. Because I had booked a window seat however the window seat shows two numbers, mine which is 123 and also 124. Will wait for the ticket examiner to come, so I can check. An announcement came that the bar counter and bistro is open. Maybe I will take a look later. Need a hot tea . The bar attendant came pushing the trolley and I eagerly ordered the beverage. He gave me a hot black coffee instead. So that I dont waste it, I finally had the acrid liquid instead of the pleasing flavor I am used to.

The train slowly eased out of the station. It felt as it it was being pulled smoothly rather than mechanical brute strength that we are used to. I settled in and stated eyeing the scenery through the window. Since Geneva is literally on the French border, after five minutes we were in France. I had to pass border control at Cornavin before I boarded the train. But it was just an empty lane and nods from the security guys.

First stop bellegarde. I think its in France. After that the topography changed and now it’s mostly hilly. In Switzerland it was snow capped mountains and beautiful meadows but here it’s wild trees and tall slopes . We went through a couple of tunnels and I think they cut through these mountains.

The landscape has changed now. Flat grasslands and lot of farms. Mountains have receded to the far horizon and the ground lays vast in front of me. Dotted with small huts whose architectural style itself is different from Swiss buildings. The view is one of green grass and trees and small villages that flash by as the train trundles along. Now it’s picking up some speed. However it still feels like it’s gliding along the tracks instead of huffing and puffing.

The trees themselves have changed. It seems a bit more Mediterranean now than European. We are arriving at the second station.

I got a neighbour, a young chap who was happy to let me take the window seat though it belonged to him. He goes occasionally for a smoke and I guess the aisle suits him.
We stop at bourg en bresse where there is sizeable crowd waiting to board. It’s almost 1.5hrs since we started our journey and I guess we are at the midpoint of our trip. It’s windy outside here as well, I can see the hairs of women blowing wildly as they hunch into their jackets to escape the cold. The view is more industrial now with factories and warehouses and oddly shaped buildings, I wonder what must be being produced inside. Today’s a holiday here in view of Easter yesterday. The ticket collectors came and checked my ticket.

I also saw several windmills. In the whole journey towards sustainable environment, I don’t see much focus on this energy producer, which is green and clean. Maybe it has its own limitations.

I opened a whatsapp conversation with my wife who’s traveling to India, about how she could have joined me in the trip. She said she’s happy without wandering around. I guess wanderlust is something that bites some people and never lets go.
I can see evidence of rain, with water logging the fields some of which are ploughed ready for seeding. I also saw the first view of cows in the grass fields, something which we expect in Swiss but surprisingly I didn’t see today till now.
I was clicking away with my Google pixel 8 but the wild trees growing on the sides of the track spoilt a lot of good photos. The houses all seem very basic must be farming families whose lives might be very close to mother nature.
I could see streams dirty with mud and swollen with rain water flowing through otherwise gentle lands. All villages here are characterised by a church steeple and a village square with the houses located around it. Especially when people rely on agriculture, it’s easy to understand why they wish to pray to God for good rains and abundance of crops every year. While Switzerland still has remnants of the winter, France so far looks different, with a tropical feel though more green.

We are picking up speed again and this train had the ability to tilt when it’s navigating tight bends. I can feel the shift as it turns a corner and then the correction by straightening itself as it comes out.

Ok, now we are officially racing. I feel it’s at least 300 kmph at which we are traveling. I can also see some wine yards beginning to appear in the sides of the slopes… The sights are moving by in a blur, and I think it won’t be easy to photograph at this speed. When a train passes by on the opposite track, there’s a sudden jolt and I can see if whiz past for maybe three seconds. That’s how much the steel monster is powering up. They are showing the speed in the display screens, and it’s 286 km/hr. However, it eased off now, and I am sure earlier it must have been more than 300 km/hr.

Now the land has lost a bit of greenery and looks brownish. Like India. It’s truly transformative how land changes so quickly in front of our eyes.
I need a beer. But the problem with traveling alone is that there’s nobody to look after the luggage. My passport as well. So will hold on for some more time and then decide.

I took my jacket and knapsack and went to the bar counter. Got a black tea and a kitkat. By the time I finished and relaxed a bit, I could see the industrial area beginning, indicating the nearness of a big city. We were reaching Paris.

I got down at gare de lyon which was also the final destination. The crowd in the station was amazing, it felt like half of Europe was already there waiting to go somewhere. I took a cab to the hotel which was eight km away. I booked it very near champs elysees without worrying too much about the cost. Better to be in a good location with easy access to places than spend lot of time and money reaching there from further away.
After checking in, I went out. Had a couple of welcome drinks from the bar, more a case of me welcoming myself. After that walked towards the fashion street where all leading brands had their outlets. At the end of it was the arc de triumph, I am a bit rusty on my french history.

Had Korean food for dinner with korean beer to wash it down. Lot of good restaurants in the area, hope to try them out in the four days I am here. After dinner reached my room and crashed onto the bed. I hoped the alcohol would help me sleep but I woke up at 3am. Then it was a difficult state trying to sleep by tossing left and right. Somehow slept on and off till 7am.

Day2
Woke up after a night of too much alcohol, with disturbed asleep and anticipation of a meaningful day ahead. First day to visit the historical landmarks. My initial feeling about Paris was a very old city with few modern design elements, enormous facades, some of them discoloured through centuries of exposure to the wind and rains. The city was giving an aura of a veteran having seen it all from despair to happiness, from rebellion to freedom. Though now it has been taken over by a different crowd. The number of tourists were mindboggling and it was really really crowded.
I had an average breakfast from the hotel, violating my intermittent fasting. Around noon, I started walking towards Eiffel tower. I cut across the champs elysees and moved on to George Street. From there walked one km and reached a junction where on the side of the siene river I could see this engineering marvel. At first looks, it seemed rusty because of its colour. However as I moved closer, I could see it was an intricate mechanism of trusses and beams and cantilever holding this together. It was gigantic, with its legs easily 100m apart if not more. People could go inside lifts and climb to the top of the structure. However there was such a long queue I didn’t feel like waiting. The weather was very wobbly, sometimes favouring sunlight, sometimes balancing it with shade and hint of rain.

After seeing the Eiffel, I saw an empty table at the cafe Gustav and secured it. The air felt a bit dry, and my lips were parched. It might have been the alcohol from the previous day as well. You see, when you are on lent for 50 days and after that get exposed to too much choices, these things happen. I ordered a hot dog, lemon water and black tea. After a heavy and unhealthy lunch I decided to continue my walk. Found a pathway along the river and followed it for some time. There are several bridges crossing the river and on each side there are landmarks. Without knowing too much as to which place to visit, I decided to follow my heart. I could see lot of river cruises taking tourists along for a ride, in all ways possible. What an experience it must be to sail through muddy water and see big buildings on either sides without being close to them. I could see that security was tight and very prominent. Lot of police vans in front of an imposing and elegant palace with a golden dome. Is it the Notre dame?

It was very windy. I had my set of t-shirts and sweater and jacket as well as a touk to help me. However the strong winds blowing across the flat terrain threatened to tear off my phone from my hand as I type this. The entire air seems impregnated with the possibility of rain and stormy weather. However by the time it took me to checked the building, the weather has changed again to mildly sunny.
Since I didn’t know the area much and didn’t do much home work, I decided to follow the crowd. I hope they are not french returning to their homes after a day out. Well maybe it’s not so bad either, when I think twice.

My gps directed me along many narrow alleys. It also took me through hotel marignou where security was unprecedented. I believe there’s some meeting or conference happening there at a senior government level. All the alleys and streets leading there were closed off my police in riot gear. I went past several shady alleys. I thought it might be my imagination but then I saw several doctors offices esp gynaecology so my intuition could be right after all. Best to set up shop near your customers.
Finally I reached a bridge which took me across the siene river.
One curious thing I noticed was a pulley in front of a small tower which was part of a house. I couldn’t help but think what it might have been used for.
Finally I see a sign to louvre. On the right path. Yay.
Louvre when I reached there was an anti climax. I assumed it would look very modern and futuristic but it was a very old c shaped complex. It had a sprawling courtyard and immense gardens which ended at the Concorde. It was a tall structure with heiroglyphics. I am k reasonably sure Egyptians didn’t reach France so I guess there’s some other story.
I walked for four hours or more and my legs are paining a lot. Stopped at a Paul’s to have a tea and a pain au Chocolat. Will need to push myself up and return to the hotel soon. Around six will go out and have dinner and maybe some wine. And wind up the day.

Day-3

Woke up around 7.15 or so and finished my quota of four news papers to keep myself up to speed. Had a lean breakfast from the hotel. It was average for 20 euros, and I was mostly into scrambled eggs. I never saw chicken wings for breakfast anywhere but in France.
After indicating that my room needs to be cleaned, I started for today’s exploration.
My objective was the cathedral of Notre Dame watch was around 3km from the hotel. I like walking so took my umbrella, layered myself and off I went.
The walk took me past the sights I had seen yesterday, but further beyond. I walked alongside the river and finally realised that the cathedral is in a small island connected to the main land on both sides by bridges.
Paris itself is divided into arrondissements which are like districts. Some are posh, some are poor, some are not safe. Lot of cases of pick pocketing and mobile phones being stolen, so I need to be careful.

I finally reached the cathedral. It was consumed by fire in 2019, and is supposed to be restored this year. So it was closed. I took some snaps and walked into a folksy place which had street markets and stuff. Had a tea from a nice cafe, cafes Richard underneath an umbrella since it was drizzling a bit. The place seemed to be called the hotel de ville, I could see a big hotel.

The tea I get in Paris is awesome and so nicely flavored.

After spending some time there, I started my one hour walk back to the hotel. I stopped on the way at a couple of places to take photographs, replenish my thirst etc. Near to the hotel I saw an Irish Pub and out of sheer nostalgia had mini-burgers, onion rings and two beers.

I reached the hotel back and checked with the concierge for a cab for tomorrows trip to the airport, and also a complimentary shaving set if possible. Someone brought two kits, I will try it out tomorrow.

The whole town is full of museums and art wxhibitions. Its truly a city for the art fanatics and fashion fanatics. All the women seemed well dressed even in the cold, with colorful winter costumes. I am sorry to say, but the Swiss ladies were very routine in their winter dressing with predictable styles almost every time. Here one could see an over flow of bright colors and overall a very stylish couture

I clicked some more photos while walking.

I have uploaded these to my instagram account as well (ba.ab573). Now its time to think about dinner and after that bedtime.

Had some Korean food and white wine for dinner. Watched some TV and slept off. I always think wine helps in sleep but I find that it never works for me. I wake up in the middle of the night with cold sweats and after a while go back to sleep.

Day4
Today I don’t have much time before my flight to London which is at 4pm. So I need to be at the airport by around 1.30, since I have heard it’s a very busy airport. The prediction is for heavy rains today so not sure if I can go out for a big bus experience in the morning. Was thinking about that or a river cruise.
In the cab now, going to the airport. One thing I realised I missed was the moulin rouge which is a world famous cabaret from some English movie. I also felt that though Paris is known as the city of love,I didn’t see much display of affection now many couples around. Everywhere I see singles even when middle aged.

Since the last time I posted, lot of changes happened in my life. I left my previous job because things were getting stagnant, and I wanted a challenge. I decided that the next job I accept would be at an organization that is truly world class, and where I can learn new things. I wouldn’t accept any offers purely based on remuneration, but would look at factors like job satisfaction, work-life balance and the value the job provides for aviation industry. So I applied only to select organizations, where I felt work would be challenging, I would be able to learn as well as contribute. I gave all the interviews my full focus and diligence, I can still remember the feeling of excitement and tension while attending them. The one that I selected would mean relocation from Middle East, where I had spent most of my career. However, life has this habit of jolting us awake when we are sound asleep, and I decided to follow my heart. Though I had got opportunities in the Middle East, and that would have been simpler to manage, I decided it was time for a change. It was a great feeling, having decided to move on to a different place and a different role, still linked to aviation.

I had to face stiff resistance from my family, who always thinks they know what’s best for me, and they know better than me. But this time, I was determined that I will look at the value in the job and where it can take my career to, and so selected the one where the possibilities were enormous.

If I look at my career profile, it is a mix. I started at an aviation technology ot ganization. Spent almost ten years there. Then moved to airlines and spent the next one and a half decade there. Now you understand I am an old man. So be it, however, I now got the opportunity to work for an organization that represents, leads and serves the global airline industry. I really felt that this would give me a 360 degree view of the aviation domain as a whole, from an IT perspective, from an operator perspective, and from a regulator perspective. I leave it to you all to guess where this might be.

Let me share a bit about my job hunt.

First, it was about getting myself prepared. I buckled up and started researching good certifications. Selected four. Got two, two are still in progress. More than the titles, they helped me understand concepts behind Agile product development, and Program management. I had delivered significant transformation programs like Big Data, Refunds Management and RPA, which impacted the whole organization and involved managing senior level stakeholders, their escalations, handling dependencies and various other nuances that are not part of normal project delivery. So I was confident that I had the skills, but needed the exams to attach the abbreviations after the name.

Once I got the certifications, next step was to prepare a good resume and start showing the world my skills. I started learning that its not easy to pen down all you know and all you learnt in 23 plus years, into couple of pages. Nowadays resumes go through automatic reviews by HR bots, and there are specific key words that makes your CV stand out. So I got a good CV created by an agency.

I started researching organizations that I wanted to work with. Since all my experience has been in Aviation Technology, I could only look at airlines and airline technology product companies. I applied to organizations in UK, so I could be near my daughter. I also applied to a couple of places in India since I heard IT is really booming there. If the role was good, location was not a great challenge for me. Since I had a golden visa and also a place of my own in Dubai, I knew I would need to come and go frequently. In this era of mobility and connectivity, it’s not a big deal to hop on to a plane and reach Dubai, from almost anywhere in the world. If the organization also allowed work from home, it would be great. With my daughter in UK and parents in Kerala, this would give me some flexibility to manage family aspects while still fully committed to work. I did apply to some airlines in the Middle East as well. I believe everyone expected me to continue in an airline, since that’s been my area of strength. However, I have never been tied down with constraints in my life, and I believe there’s no fun in thinking along a straight rigid line. I also applied at a dream organization where I have always wanted to work, ever since I started working in the aviation industry. More on that below.

I realized that after applying, there is nothing much I could do. Since I was in a senior role, and the places I applied to may not have such roles readily available, it was a waiting game.

One friend’s contact brought me into a good opportunity, heading country wide IT delivery for a shipping company. I was really keen on that, thought it was a new domain . However, it felt like something I could grow with, and contribute to, and I was really interested. While I was discussing the offer with them, some other offers came and hence this didn’t materialize. However I visited their offices in Chennai, and even came to know that some resources from my last organization were working there. Strange how transportation world is connected.

While applying for a job, especially at this stage in life, we need a strong forgiving and accepting heart. We need to be patient, we need to realize that there are so many applicants and I am one of many. We need to be stoic and heroic about rejections and not rejoice too much about progress as well. I was in touch with a consultant who told me that the next job I get would be through my contacts and not really through him, though he will try. So I reached out to some of my contacts on linked in, but not all. Like I said, I was clear what I wanted.

My friends were always close to me and kept supporting and encouraging me. I dont’ want to take names, they know who they are. They raised my self-belief and made me think that I don’t need to settle for anything equal or less, I can actually aim for something higher. I am forever indebted to them. When I grow in my career and life, it will be because of their unflinching support and I will be there for them always. I salute them.

In July beginning, I went to India. My daughter had finished her first year at college and was awaiting her results. She was trying for an internship at UK which hadn’t worked out so far. Hence, she wanted to intern at some organization in Trivandrum. I took her and my wife to Kerala and we spent some time there. One day, I got the offer from a great Middle East airline. I had given the interviews almost two months ago, and approvals took a long time.

The very next morning, the dream place I had applied at, contacted me and said I was selected! It came out of the blue, when I was least expecting it. Like Maradona’s Hand of God, this truly was my Hand of God. If the airline had got their approvals earlier, I would have joined at least two months earlier. However, due to some reason or the other, the approvals took time, and possibly during that time, God gave approval for my dream to morph into reality.

In this time, my daughter also received her first year results. She was really worried about failing in one subject and had done well in other subjects, but she got good marks in that. So a respectable first year for her. To top it off, she also landed up with a paid internship where she had to create a microservice, learn kotlin (which is similar to java she says). So she earned her salary the last two months, and it was twenty times the salary I got when I joined permanently. I was thinking about how strong the IT sector has grown, and the immense possibilities in the areas of AI and automation. She was working on an AI chat bot.

Of course, this involved moving from Dubai to the cooler and sunnier mountains and meadows of Switzerland. Though one really would need to struggle to find a huge difference between the heat in Dubai and Europe during the summer. The heat wave this time was really difficult. On top of it, there is no air conditioning here. So after I reached here, the nights were a bit difficult but overall I felt excited more than anything. Now weather has settled a bit and I have ventured out quite a bit, learning the community and the roads and facilities. I also took a monthly transport pass so that I can travel around and see places.

Switzerland is where I spent the first few years of my career. So, I am not a stranger though it’s been a while since I stayed here other than as a tourist. I used to visit here often with family, and the sights and even places are quite familiar. However, there is a big difference between being a tourist and working at a place.

The work environment is really pleasant, and the team bonds very well together. I can feel that the working culture is quite different from India and Middle East, with work life balance having a very strong consideration here. The organization also supports work from home, though I prefer working from office, at least till I understand the dynamics and work related nuances.

I rented an apartment and single-handedly moved all the stuff from my temporary accomodation to the new place. Every evening I would take a big suitcase and drag it to cover the fifteen minutes from between the two places. The place soon filled with five suitcases and lot of stuff. On top of it, all my furniture arrived from Dubai two days back. So last couple of days was spent assembling the furniture (the relocation staff did it), storing all the stuff in various places, and cleaning up the place. The rules here are strict when it comes to clearing garbage, and paper needs to go separate, kitchen waste needs to go separate, and bottles, plastic etc separate. I guess this is the level of maturity of a developed nation, when it comes to keeping the environment safe and focusing on the best way of getting rid of waste.

In my office, there is a colleague who is also into photography. Because of that, I revived my instagram page, and uploaded some pictures there for him to take a look at. My instagram id is ba.ab573. However I will upload pictures here as well.

There are a couple of Malayalee colleagues as well. I played badminton with one of them, and two French colleagues. Was nice to see this sport being favoured by Europeans as well. I was aware of Denmark doing well in badminton, wasn’t aware of French or Swiss.

After six weeks of work, I took advantage of a holiday here and made a short trip to Dubai. Since I got the offer and processed travel documents fast, I didn’t get the opportunity to say a proper good bye to my friends. So went there, took them all out and celebrated. They gave me a farewell gift which was awesome and out of this world. I treasure it a lot. I realised that I have made a lot of true friends there, and it’s not easy for me to go away fully away. So I guess I am going to visit Dubai every two months or so. Strong relationships last for a lifetime, and distance cannot break the bond. One of the good things is that some of my friends are now taking Schengen visas and will visit regularly now that they have a good base here. I welcome them with open hands and a happy heart. I am sure it’s good for Switzerland tourism as well 🙂

During the weekends, I walk a lot. There is an old town here, and it’s a blessing for someone like me who loves history. I walk through the old buildings and narrow alleys, thinking of the footsteps that would have passed through the same cobbled stones, and the people who would have lived and grown there. Life has a way of demonstrating to us that we are not really special in this world , and this is one great example. The architecture and strength of design even during the 1700s is astounding. In fact, we carry on from there.

I am able to regularly clock 10000 steps without much effort here. However, in Dubai for me to do that, I had to put in lot of extra effort. It shows how much more we are physically active here, compared to the Middle East. It could also be because I dont have a car yet. But it’s difficult to find parking in most places, so I think even with car, walking is going to be preferred.

There aren’t so many people from my part of the world here. I do miss the Dubai hands and hearts a lot. But life has taken me here, its closer to my daughter’s place, and I am determined to make the best out of it.

Dubai is always close to me, owing to the fact that my thirties and mid fourties were spent there. This is the time when we stabilize our lives, and the relationships we make then tend to last a life time. I have seen it all. Friends who are with me through thick and thin, people who are not sure what they want, people who have left me in times of need, people who have caused difficulties for me. But I have no complaints, and wish everyone a great future ahead. The world is big enough for everyone to live, and if it’s destined, our paths will cross in the future. Our confidence in ourselves is all we need in this life to succeed, though once in a while getting the support of those whom we hold dear is also good.

It’s been two months since I started work. I feel full of passion and energy and the desire to make a significant contribution to the airline industry through my role. God gave me a great opportunity and it’s upto me to make the best out of it. I am confident I will be able to perform at my best. Of course, your prayers are required.

I know my role is challenging, it is to transform the way airlines do financial business, but I equally believe I am now strong enough to face any challenge. I am very clear that God has given me this opportunity, which has allowed me to grow from my previous role whilst giving me an opportunity to lead one of the flagship aviation programs, with the added benefit of being at one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is also close to my daughters university, and having only one child, it’s been my top priority to be near her at least till she moves off with her life and job. At a minimum, it will be an eye-opener for me, working among some of the coolest minds in the airline world.

When my friends read this, I want them to realize that dreams can come true, and not just stay in the realm of fairy tales. I recruited several stars who have unfortunately become complacent and lazy and stopped aiming for the stars. Life is about learning and contributing and developing ourselves personally, professionally and socially. I want my colleagues to reach higher places than me and transform the aviation industry. I know that it took a huge leap of faith and courage for me to get out of my comfort zone and seek opportunities that will help me move forward.

I penned some of these thoughts 36001 feet above Europe, while I was flying to Switzerland. I was thinking about a new beginning, a new world and working with an organization that values my experience and wants to transform the aviation industry. Its an executive role and I am going to be meeting peers and seniors from so many nationalities, and really looking forward to growing within the organization.

Its not easy relocating to a new place and not seeing your friends daily. However, I believe in having a small group of mates who are bound closely by the ties of friendship and not impacted by distance. I might make new friends here, but not at the expense of my existing friends. And because of my close ties to Dubai, I plan to be there at least once every four to six weeks. With such good air connectivity, and places only a good night’s sleep away, life is all about discoveries.

I have also taken my camera and three lenses (one zoom, one macro and a standard one) along with me. I want to explore my new home, take as many pictures as I can, and share them through my blog. I am dreaming of walking daily and cutting down my weight to respectable levels. – wrote this in the plane, and it’s happening folks.

Let me put some pictures so you can enjoy what I enjoy as well.

A long wait for my daughter’s Grade-12 results – Check
A long wait for my wife’s passport which is stuck at UK Embassy for 6 weeks today- Check
A long wait for all of us to travel to India and visit parents and family and friends – half Check
A long wait to fill up critical slots in the team, since we are not getting good resumes – half Check
A long wait to get a Remarkable 2 note tablet – Check
A long wait for USD to become stronger (which actually is happening as we speak) – half Check
A long wait for the markets to become bullish – Flop
A long wait to upgrade my educational qualifications (planning in progress – but very expensive) – Half Check
A long wait to bring down my weight to 82kgs (work in progress) – Half Check
A long wait to get lucky on Big Ticket Draw – Flop

Been almost two months or more since I posted. What an eventful period this was! Let me go through the changes one by one

First, my daughter. She got admission to University College London, and her classes started. The past few months were all about waiting for her CBSE results. Thanks to God, she scored enough marks for UCL and Durham to accept her for Computer Science. She chose UCL, I personally felt it was a bit tough on her, since the standards are a bit higher. I for one feel college education should be about academics and fun both. Not just studying. Once she got the acceptance, next step was to apply for Visa. That was a chore, with my wife’s experience of ten weeks to get Visa fresh in my mind. This also took four weeks, but after that tense wait, she got it. There were some of her classmates as well who got through to UK, albeit for other streams of study.

Since she now had almost one month before classes started, my wife and daughter decided to go to India, and see our parents and get their blessings. This was for a week, and during that time I got a whiff of that bachelor life which sometimes I envy. They came back soon, and then it was all about shopping and packing four suitcases full of stuff. My policy was that we would get everything in UK, so, other than electronics and tablets, there is no need to take anything. But they both packed an entire house inside those suitcases. We three would be going to London, and I would return after a week, while my wife would stay on for one more week to help my daughter settle in. It’s an interesting point to note that as far as I can recall, my daughter has never slept alone in a room, let alone a house.

Come Sep 22, we were ready to travel. The flight was in the morning, and I had booked business class. Out of the kindness of my heart, I decided to donate my miles to my wife and daughter, and get them upgraded as well. After a 7 hr long flight on the A380, we reached London Heathrow. I was flabbergasted to see the crowd in the immigration hall. You won’t believe, we stood in the line for four hours before we could get out of the airport. A good thing to notice, was my daughter becoming more confident while talking to other people at airport including the Immigration officers. This was a completely new phase of life for her, and I am sure she would have thought and fretted a lot about it.

The Heathrow Express took us to Piccadilly and from there, we went to Tottenham Court Road, where our hotel was. We stayed at the Radisson, and thought I had friends and relatives there, didnt want to disturb them too much. Also, since the focus was on college admission and associated tasks, I wanted to be near the college as much as possible.

The day after we arrived, we walked to her University. It was a grand view, with a mix of classical Victorian architecture, and Nouveau facades. There was a structure called the Cruciform which must have been at least 100 yrs old. The college itself was very spacious, and various departments spread around. She collected her identity card, and we walked around the college. We saw lot of international students, including Asians. Talked with some of them, and explored the place.

The second day was for collecting the Residence Permit. It was a simple task, and after fifteen minute, she was the proud owner of a permit allowing her to learn and live in UK for the duration of her course. I could only muse about the challenges I faced while growing up, and how much things have changed for this generation. Education is the most important responsibility parents have towards their children, and I am determined to do the best I can for my daughter. After that it’s upto her to make the best out of the opportunities she gets.

We also applied for her Bank account at HSBC. There was a huge crowd and it was raining. The weather was very dramatic, with moments of glorious sunshine interspersed with gloomy and cloudy weather, and sheets of rain. I realized that I had made a huge blunder the first evening itself. I had taken a jacket along, unfortunately realised that it’s just an evening jacket, and was helpless before a determined UK chilly windy weather front. I was literally shivering when the cold winds buffetted me, but I braved it. Some helpful spirits also helped me suffer the cold stoically.

I found the best way for my daughter to walk from the college to the hostel where she was put up. It was a 25 minute walk, and I made my daughter do it herself after giving her company once. There was one route which she wasn’t liking much, because it passed through some shady areas. However, we soon found another way which was more hospitable and calming for the racing hearts. After a couple of days, we realized quickly that there was an efficient network of buses that would take her to university very quickly. So, especially during winter, she wouldn’t have to walk in the dark. From the bus stop it was only a less than five minute walk to her hostel.

The hostel itself was a very lively place, multi-storeyed and teaming with kids barely out of school. However, the vibe was very exciting and my daughter also soon caught on to it. I got the feeling that kids would adjust faster to changes in life, than older people. I also was certain that I would be missing her more, while she would be busy with her studies and assignments and friends.

She had opted for a studio, and it was essentially one small room around 7M by 4M, with a washroom also. Seven kids would share one kitchen. It was going to be a huge difference for my daughter who has been steadily dependent on her parents waking her up, giving her food, washing her clothes and dropping her wherever she wanted to go. I was very interested to see how my daughter would cope with the drastic change. It’s too early to say, but I am sure she will manage it. She’s like me, wont make too much of a fuss about anything even if we don’t like it. It’s what it is.

I gave her ten commandments, and I hope she will follow that. She may not like me posting it, so I am refraining from that. Basically, it’s just some principles I wanted to convey to her, that would allow her to face life confidently, and also to handle issues in her stride. At the end of the day, we are here for her, and whatever happens, she can count on us. London is only 7 hrs away, and working for an airline should have some benefits in travelling to and fro quite frequently.

At the end of the first week, I returned, there was too much workload and I wasn’t comfortable staying in London while my team was slogging it out. We were planning a Disaster Recovery drill, and it was very important. However, it was my first travel after Covid, for almost two years, and I found out how much I missed air travel. I am also sure that now the frequency will increase, and at any opportunity me and my wife would try to go to UK or bring our daughter back here.

We talk daily for at least thirty minutes, and while I am very shoddy in communication, I am determined to correct myself for my daughter.

Another big event in my life, was the handover of an apartment I had invested in. It is in a good location downtown, and I had to decide between moving there, or giving it out for rent. I finally decided to rent it out, because of several reasons. This apartment I am staying in is very spacious and the location is very good. Near the airport, near shopping malls, near Sharjah, almost thirty minutes to anywhere. I have handed it over to a property management firm, and now am waiting for a good tenant. The quality of the apartment construction is awesome, and I felt a pang of regret at not staying there. However, sometimes we need to take such decisions to better our future.

It’s my father’s 80th birthday this Oct 21, and I plan to travel to Kerala. I will be seeing my parents after a long time, and really looking forward to it. Family is important, and as we grow older, we realize the need to spend as much time as possible with parents.

In between I had at least two friends get togethers, one for Onam celebrations and one with classmates. After I came back from UK, I also took on the initiative of spring cleaning my apartment, and throwing out all old furniture, clothes, what not. It took almost four full days to get it in some shape, and a wallet full of money to get new furniture. However, it’s worth it and the apartment now looks clean and tidy. I need to do pest control as well, and then it will be all good.

Workwise, we saw several big projects going live, with several more in the pipeline. It keeps me busy, and I am sure that with my daughter gone, I will be spending more time in the office than before.

Forgot to put some events from the UK trip. Every evening, I met one friend each. Was happy to see that colleagues and friends and relatives are doing well, and that even in a foreign country, there are bonds that I can count on, and if my daughter needs anything, they will be ready to support. Also, we went to a vegetarian South Indian restaurant the first evening of college, since I wanted to both celebrate it as well as ease my daughter’s stress a bit. While waiting there, I looked out towards the road, and was surprised to see an old colleague saunter past, whom I hadnt seen for almost ten twelve years. I was not very sure if it was indeed him, but no pain no gain. So I walked up and checked closely and said Hello. He jumped literally out of his shoes, and it was a great moment that we sealed with a photo that we shared in our what’s app groups.

I took my camera and a gorgeous new lens to UK, and couldnt take much with it. Because most of the time I was walking to and from university, doing chores, cleaning my daughter’s room etc. After cleaning the room for like two hours, I sat on her bed at an angle, and then realized that I couldn’t get up. My back was not supporting, and I realized it could be a problem. Luckily, after some time it eased up, and I took it easy from then on. While we are young at heart, our spine doesn’t know it.

I will share some photos from the UK trip which I took with my phone.

Wait is nothing but the time it takes someone else to do their work…

Yours Truly, 14-Jul-2022

• A long wait for my daughter’s Grade-12 results
• A long wait for my wife’s passport which is stuck at UK Embassy for 6 weeks today
• A long wait for all of us to travel to India and visit parents and family and friends
• A long wait to fill up critical slots in the team, since we are not getting good resumes
• A long wait to get a Remarkable 2 note tablet
• A long wait for USD to become stronger (which actually is happening as we speak)
• A long wait for the markets to become bullish
• A long wait to upgrade my educational qualifications (planning in progress – but very expensive)
• A long wait to bring down my weight to 82kgs (work in progress)
• A long wait to get lucky on Big Ticket Draw

In the meantime, embrace the blessings God has given you, without complaints…

Somebody famous

• I am happy with my family
• I am happy with my work
• I am happy with my friends
• I am happy to help others
• I am happy waking up and facing the day with whatever it brings
• I am happy being me!..

If Summer of ’69 belonged to Brian Adams, Summer of ’22 belongs to flydubai. We carried record number of passengers this summer, especially with the Eid break giving extended holidays to UAE-folks. Everyone was harried, and putting in much more effort than normal. Hats off to the wonderful commitment shown by all.

We had to make sure systems were highly available 24*7 and performing solidly. It is a difficult time to navigate, however, it also is a testimony to the forethought and planning that has to go in, to ensure adequate capacity is procured in advance, and there are no system/connectivity hiccups. If there is a connectivity issue, it’s not just what’s app that won’t work. Reservations won’t get created, payments will fail, flight confirmations won’t be sent out to travel agents sitting in Far East, and there are so many implications.

We still have another two weeks, and then the last couple of weeks of August when people will start coming in after vacations. These are all busy times. Let’s hope we are raking in the moolah, and it transforms into a hefty bonus next year. If wishes were horses….But hey, no harm in keeping my fingers crossed. In reality, more than the revenue aspect, the feeling that we have contributed to our organization’s success, is really enriching and fulfilling. Anyone who has that feeling, however junior or senior, will be real assets to a company.

We are waiting for a long list of projects to be approved, so we can start our software programme for this year. Most of our projects from last year have completed, and the teams have done a great job in delivering the impossible. Now that I have to look after the infrastructure area as well, I am getting a full view of the IT factory, and I am sure it will only help me and the team become more dynamic and productive. There will not be any tendency to work in silos.

I am also looking forward to work with my new CIO who is very dynamic and has a wonderful personality. As always, the first few months of getting to know the professional selves will be difficult. However, I am confident in myself and the team, and in our ability to deliver. The results speak, and being a good leader, I am sure he will give his full support to us. Of course, being a slightly mobile phase, I know I need to be a bit more focused on the perceptions than on the actions. I will do my best, as I always do. I am backed by a super team, where there are no individual stars, but the team is the star.

At last, it happened! My daughter completed her Grade-12 and yesterday was her last examination. She was in Grade-12 for almost two years, I think. Not just her, but all her peers as well, because of the extended exams due to Covid. This has created lot of confusion for those students attempting higher studies abroad, like my daughter. Now, we need to wait for her results, before we decide what to do next. The results might take till July end to be declared, I read in the papers. So, waiting time. Not really. In the next 6 weeks, she has to take one vaccination for Meningitis, appear for two exams (JEEE for Indian Engineering colleges, and KEEM for Kerala Engineering colleges).

The exams for five subjects, took six weeks. Poor kids, from March onwards they have been waiting for the exams, since the school closed. Now it’s June. Normally exams are over in April and results come out by May. This is a two year delay. After the results, they need to confirm their university selection, and then start the VISA formalities. While the kid does this, I need to figure out how to get the money for the higher studies. UK is so expensive! But then, we cannot put value for good education, because I am confident it will repay itself in a very short span of time. As a father, I believe the best gift I can give her, is a good education. When I was a student, getting a degree abroad was something I couldn’t even dream about. So, in a way, she is getting opportunities I never got, and I hope and pray she makes good use of these opportunities. Having said that, college life is something to be enjoyed, and probably the best times of our lives. So, I would like her to enjoy the college life as well.

After her exam, she went to her school (her exams were at a different center), and proudly took some photos in front of the school, in various poses. She has recently been hinting to me, that her friend got offers from UK universities, and the family is relocating to UK. Like we can do that!. But one thing I did tell her, working for an airline, travel is much more easier compared to other parents, and I am sure I can be there to support her, quickly, if there’s a need. My cousins are also there, so it’s a relief.

Lot of changes happened in the office with my boss retiring, and my colleague who was in charge of Infrastructure also leaving. I was asked to take additional responsibility of Infrastructure and for the last two months I have been carrying that out. It’s a different area compared to software, but not completely new. I was involved in discussions and activities related to infrastructure architecture before as well, since the primary purpose of infrastructure is to host applications. In the modern age, the relevance of capex purchase of infrastructure is reducing daily, and moving workloads to cloud where Infrastructure is available as a service (iaas) is catching up steadily. This means that the effort and activities we normally used to do in on-prem data centers reduces a lot. Instead, infra architects are now focused on designing VPCs and logical segregation of systems, applying security controls and policies on servers, baselining server builds through Machine Images etc. There are several cloud providers, however all of them provide the same level of controls to create new infrastructure in the blink of an eye, apply the desired security protocols and access controls, and basically move systems to production faster.

Coming back to my new role, a lot of it is now strategizing how to move our systems to cloud, keeping costs low and ensuring high scalability. A lot of old systems are not cloud friendly, and so simply moving them to cloud doesnt’ achieve much. It can in fact, increase the cost. The cloud providers recommend a shift and then transform policy, in two stages. However, I am completely against that, simply because of the fact that they stand to gain, and we stand to lose, if the second step doesn’t happen. It’s my responsibility to ensure that we use cloud optimally, and so the application should be re-architected before we migrate to the cloud.

We have some of our critical systems running out of a datacenter in Dubai. It utilizes a very novel architecture, which unfortunately, very few know about. As a result, it is difficult to refine it, and our inhouse team is doing a great job keeping it going. However, I am pushing for moving all workloads to cloud, because, quite simply, that’s the future of application deployment. A lot of our efforts now go into simple health checks which take a long time, like patching. If we go to cloud, all these are automatically taken care of, or at least simplified to a great extent. We can save in many ways, if we put our hearts to it. We also need to know the cloud components in depth, to be able to get best use of it. It’s like going to a product site, and selecting the best products. If we know about the products, we can use them efficiently. If we don’t know, then we will end up paying more.

When we look at things in the right perspective, it’s always common sense that drives us forward. It’s the same in infrastructure as well. I had identified some connectivity models, which didn’t make any sense and asked the team to modify them to help in troubleshooting and better control. It was completed, and started giving benefits almost from day-1. It made me re-affirm my understanding that when we take off the layers and get to the bottom of things, everything is logical. And even if it doesn’t do anything else, an engineering course helps us think logically.

My new boss will take over IT in August. It will be a new experience working for him, and I am really looking forward to it. Every leader comes with their own vision, and I believe it’s my responsibility to help them carry out their strategy. I will also know, if the interim role I am playing in infrastructure space will be made permanent. I am proud of working for flydubai, and whatever the organization needs, I will gladly do my bit.

One curious thing we technocrats deal with on a regular basis, is generation and management of technical debt. We have a stable application, and all of a sudden, business will come with an urgent requirement. If we architect it the normal way, it will take time, and we will miss the opportunity. So, what will we do? We will take some shortcuts which allow the features to come out and bring in revenue, however, we will end up putting more effort in future when something needs to be changed. Maintainability could also become a problem. In no time, the ecosystem can be band aids around the core system. So, it’s important that we keep a close eye on this architectural debt, and have a regular program to remove it. At flydubai, we have an opex program which helps keep this at bay, and ensure that the product comes back to the original alignment. But, it needs discipline.

Recently, a team member of another department completed 10 yrs at flydubai. The organization gives a memento for this achievement and her manager was handing it over to her. Surprisingly, she requested me to do the honors, since I was the one who interviewed and recruited her. I was thinking, time flies. And, I am getting older – I must have interviewed and recruited at least fifty team members! One good thing I noticed in the team is that attrition rate is very less, touch wood!. It might be because it’s Dubai and it’s a good company to work for. It might also be that they like the department, and the working culture. I hope it’s a combination of all.

My intermittent fasting has helped me reduce almost 6 to 7 kgs now. But, I am still far away from my goal of 83kgs. Need to reduce another 3kgs. But I am approaching this steadily. There are good days, there are bad days. Some days are very tiring, because after working out, not having food till 2PM is difficult. But i do manage it. One weakness I have is for sweet things, and I daily have a piece of fruit cake. I know it’s bad, but I just can’t resist it. One day, will find the fortitude to stop that as well.

I am now 93% in wordle, and it’s a really nice game. I introduced it to many friends as well, and they regularly thank me for it. Last weekend, my friend and I went to a quiet café, and played rummy online using mobiles, for at least two hours. We had tall teas, and it was nice to sit and just exercise those brain cells. We played for fun, and not for money. Even when the malls are crowded, it’s a very quiet place, and I think of it as my hidey hole when I need to sit for a while and relax.

Now that my daughter’s exams are over, I am sure she’s going to cover all the series and movies Netflix and Amazon Prime has to offer. She’s already watching ‘The Neon Lawyer’ and I am sure Riverdale will follow. I am watching Riverdale now, and I am a bit fascinated by it. Of course, some episodes are silly, however, the way our favorite characters have been transformed into modern personas, is really cool. Everyone is human, meaning they have faults, and some good people in the cartoon are now not so good. I think it’s kind of reading between the pages, and coming up with a hypothesis for the end state. For example. Mr. Lodge is very rich in the cartoon. In the series, he’s rich and also not so good, which is kind of hinting that the only way to be rich, is by knowing to dance along the grey lines. There are some nice songs in the series, some of them I had never heard before. Try out ‘Mad World’ by Gary Jules.

I think a lot if I should buy Remarkable 2 for taking notes. However, I cringe at the price, and I keep rebuking myself that I already have an iPad mini which does the same. With the screen protector which is rough, it gives a pen like feeling when we write too. However, Remarkable 2 is really great in it’s experience. It does only writing, and nothing else that a normal iOS or Android tablet does. So, it might not be worth having different devices for different digital functions, especially when we are trying to make things less complicated. But, I would really recommend a note taking tablet and app, for everyone who attends management meetings and other regular meetings. I have so many pages and sections, and it just allows me to track all action points in a very structured manner. It really boosts productivity. I used to have notebooks, and even made my own notebooks out of throwaway paper with one side blank, but obviously I can’t carry them to serious meetings. This is really top notch. Any tablet which is small and easy to carry around, is good.

We have lot of recruitment happening now, and while most of it is Pilots and Cabin crew, there are office staff as well. I always look forward to meeting new people and getting myself exposed to new thoughts and cultures. In my team also, some roles are vacant and HR is actively recruiting.

A friend of mine wants to bring his Shih Tzu dog from India to Dubai. I am trying to get it done, it’s a laborious process. So many documents are required. There is even a microchip embedded inside the dog, which transmits information! Where technology is taking us. Since it’s a very excitable pet, it is not typically allowed in aircraft, and the airlines won’t take the risk of stressing out the animal and causing severe health issues. However, there are ways around this, and I am checking with our cargo team on how this can be done.

I sometimes wish there was an easier way of blogging from anyplace we want, whenever we want. Today, it’s a chore consisting of several steps. First into my Mac. Then, into parallels and from there into RDP. Of course, I can do it from Mac as well, but I anyway need Windows open so follow this path. RDP into aws server, and then open the browser to edit the site. I wish during weekends, when I am sitting in a quite corner at some mall, sipping my tea or having my brunch, I could easily access the site and note down my musings. I will try it from my mobile this weekend, and see how user friendly it is. I am used to a large screen, and typing on a small screen actually throws me off.

Some close friends from USA are coming down for vacation in July, and I really hope I can meet them in July, in Kerala. I am trying to go down there for two weeks, and spend some time with parents. I hope the covid situation both in India and UAE remain under control, and we wont have any flight restrictions like earlier. It’s really difficult to go back to that state, and I truly hope the boundaries are open, but people will be judicious and careful. In office also, the counts are increasing. In my team alone, recently at least ten staff were infected.

Another friend of mine was telling me today that one of his car tyres almost burst, and luckily he saw it on time and changed it. It’s going to be peak summer and everyone needs to make sure the tyres are checked and maintained. The heat is such that rubber also gets affected ! Next two months are going to be the most difficult. With increase in fuel prices, in my car, when I put on air conditioning, the mileage is pitiful. I do like rolling down the window and feeling the wind against my hair (what’s left of it), even if it’s a bit warm. However during peak summer, esp if I have walked or jogged in the morning, there’s just no way to keep the ac off. Which means, every second day I will need to fill up fuel. Luckily, we are having an increase in our transport allowance, thanks to our company’s staff friendly policies, and this should cover to an extent the impact.

I am watching the stock markets, and how the main indices have all gone bearish. I am sure it will come back. Today I was reading that even bitcoin has come down to 28K USD, I had predicted it will come down to 15K. And then we can invest 🙂 We always think we can buy during a slump, but a variety of factors keep driving the market down, down, down. So if we are not careful, we will lose substantially. So, I follow the advice that when the market is volatile, do NOT trade. Instead, watch cricket or football 🙂

By next week, I hope to have more news on things. Till then, let’s relax, not fret too much, not worry about things outside our control and do our best.

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.

Recently visited the Dubai Expo with wife and daughter. Was wonderstruck by the infrastructure developed including the roads, the parking lots, the accessibility to the venue from the parking area, the colossal size of the place and the mammoth crowds thronging the place even on week days. It was a great experience, however, we need to be an early bird, to visit the good pavilions.

We went on the Skygarden which took us some 90m into the sky and gave a helicopter view of the Expo city. The platform rotates so we can see all the countries and their buildings. The irony is that we spent a long time trying to find Hungary, and later on when I viewed the video from the sky garden, I saw Hungary was next door!. We also experienced the waterfall which was really nice and also refreshing. Of course I got my feet wet and it felt great when the moist droplets sprayed all over our skin and I remembered our monsoon rains. Of course that is a deluge, this is spray.

We also visited a couple of countries but nothing special. The queue to get into the popular countries was too much, and I didnt feel like waiting one hour in line to get in. So we mostly walked around and enjoyed the Al Wasl dome and its splendor, as well as some ethnic markets etc.

We spent half a day there and came back in good spirits but painful legs. The walking was too much esp with the temperature picking up. But kudos to the organizers for designing such a spectrum of countries and their culture and offerings. And I could see people of various nationalities among the crowd, which shows that Dubai EXPO is indeed a crowd puller. As part of our marketing strategy, we provide free passes to our passengers travelling into Dubai, and recently it became multiple entry passes.

This year started off on a positive note, with travel demand back to pre-covid levels. Dubai airport retained its title of the airport handling maximum number of passengers, even during these pandemic times. At flydubai, we managed to carry just under 9 million passengers this year, however the yields were high. We posted a good profit and obviously we are all very happy. The organisation took good care of us when things were difficult, and other companies were letting staff go. In return the staff gave their best to the company, and this really helped us come out of the difficult situation of 2020/2021 first half. Hats off to the vision and leadership of our CEO and the rest of the Chiefs.

The year has just begun. The Russia-Ukraine war came out of nowhere, and we have lots of ties to both the countries. We can only pray that the war ends soon. So many people have lost their lives, including children, we can only pray for peace for their departed souls. It has affected so many families and people, it is painful to see the visuals from the war zone. And war affects many more countries, not just the ones in conflict. Millions flee the country, and it brings the neighbouring countries under a lot of pressure to accept them and then rehabilitate them. Prices go up, and trade stops. Share markets tumble, and oil prices reach sky high. Things were just starting to look up, and then this happened. We can only hope the world leaders react in a mature way, and defuse the situation through talks and discussions. I believe that’s the only way to end this.

Personally, I am forced to take more care of my health, because my doctor seriously advised I am over weight, during my post-covid checkup. So I decided to do something about it, and paying heed to my doctors words of advice, started Intermittent Fasting. Also, I have a friend and classmate who is an avid marathon runner and fitness freak. She’s happy to give me all information about IF and encourages me a lot. Special thanks to her, I am slowly getting into the groove. I can see some results, whether it’s due to my morning walks and runs, or due to IF, I am not sure. But as long as its something I can sustain, I am happy. I don’t want to go into a hard diet and then lose weight for two months, then get back into the food world and pile up more weight than I lost. It has happened to me.

My daughter is fully into tuitions and exams, and it pains me seeing her having to study so much. I am also surprised how I never studied so much during my school days. Is it that I didn’t study much, or the portions have really increased? One thing I do know is that I cannot answer any of my daughter’s questions in Maths or Physics. Chemistry I was a flop anyways. It goes on to show that the real education is not in books, it’s through various experiences in life. In another two or three months, we need to find her a good university where she can continue her graduation. That’s the tension now and I hope she gets what she wants.

It’s been a long time since I visited my parents. Last time I planned to do it, I got infected and had to cancel. Hope to go near Easter and see them. There’s nothing like returning to the house you were born and you grew up, and seeing your parents and the love in their eyes. That feeling cannot be explained, and it’s worth cannot be determined as well.

Workwise it has been very challenging, with skilled resources proving very difficult to procure. Like I mentioned earlier in another post, resources will agree to join and then just before day of joining, inform us that they wont be available. This puts into disarray all our plans and there is lot of rework that goes in to get the delivery wheel turning again. However, the factory works tirelessly and somehow will manage to deliver on time. I have that confidence in my team. Running IT systems for an airline is not an easy job, and we all have to rise to the occasion and be innovative to get the results. When I step back and think about it, we have digital touchpoints for our customers and staff, like websites, mobile apps, kiosks, contactless checkin etc. We have back office systems like ERP, Revenue Accounting, Revenue Management. We have reporting systems and platforms like Big Data, BI data marts etc. We have telephony systems like IVR for our call centre. We have lot of Robotic Process Automation running and easing routine jobs. We have logically complex systems like Pricing engines and dynamic pricing strategies. So our technology spectrum consists of front ends, middle ware, apis, microservices, data management solutions, caching solutions, event management platforms, notification engines, queuing solutions and what not. Its a big complex world out there guys. For all the critical system, we have a DR option. We would have close to 100 systems running to keep the airline operating, across various tier levels.

Tomorrow we plan to go to EXPO from office, it will be a different experience than with family. Now wearing masks outdoors is optional, so it’s a bit of a relief to be able to remove it when too many people are not around us. I have all these N95 masks my sister sent across, and while it is of high quality, it’s also very tight and suffocating.

Recently I found the WORDLE game out there, and now play it daily. I like it refreshing and engaging. I expect you also to try it out, if you read this. After the EXPO visit, I hope to add on more to this page. Ciao.

Unfortunately, the visit from office to Expo didn’t materialize because of some work reasons. While many staff visited, I couldn’t. But it’s ok, since I had visited earlier. And work always comes first. Talking about work, I wanted to share a great view from my seat.

From our old office, I had a great view of flights coming in for landing and take off, and sometimes even parking very close to our office. This office, the view is slightly different, but nonetheless spectacular. Seeing this, you might think the office is near the desert or something like that. That’s not the case. There’s the 611 highway near our office, and this is a vast open area to the other side of the highway. Occasionally I can see cars and pickups race by, raising clouds and clouds of dust as they speed through the sandy road. This leads me to believe that maybe there’s a farm nearby and these animals might be from there.

Today had lunch with some colleagues and tried out the Mint Leaf restaurant. I have been there before but today was purely vegetarian. The food was nice, and lot more variety than I expected. It has nice views, esp at night of the bay and Burj Khalifa towering near by.

One of our critical systems has been having some trouble recently, with unplanned downtimes and impact on operations. We are trying to apply an Oracle patch that should hopefully solve the issue, but it’s taking a while. When I think about this, supporting systems in production is a job in itself. Every week there are patches on various software and OS, and if we don’t patch regularly, we fall behind. That’s not a good place to be, because the vendors can stop support, or stop providing new features on these obsolete versions. We take production support for granted, but it’s very serious business. I hope the production issues go away!

A trip to India is on the cards soon. There is a lot I want to take care of, during this trip. First, see my parents and close family. It’s been a while. Then, friends and finally a long overdue visit to a church in the next state. However, it’s been a religious passion to visit this church every three years and due to the pandemic it couldn’t happen. But now that things are opening up in India as well, it’s the right time. I also need to visit my daughter’s tuition teacher and gift him a nice pen, for teaching Joanna so well. I think because of that, while most students found Physics very difficult, she managed to perform well. Always, the fundamentals are important and a good teacher starts with that. Unfortunately, when I was growing up, i was tablet fed regularly academic medicine, without any idea how or where to use it. Listening to her teacher, he explains practical uses of various theorems and formula, and it sticks in their minds.

Then, there is a plot in Trivandrum that I have been trying to sell for some time now. This time I hope to advertise and finalise it when I am there.

Recently watched some of the newly released Malayalam movies. Most of them are average and I believe due to the lock down and general feeling of being constrained, people watch everything now in theatres and make it a hit! In normal times, most of these would have been average films. I haven’t seen a truly intense or strong movie in a long time now, in any language. I also don’t get much recommendations from friends on movies, since they are mostly fans of Mamootty or Mohan lal and blindly follow their movies irrespective of whether they are good or bad. I am all for good movies.

Today it was very cold in the morning and it felt nice going to mamzar beach and having a run. The track there is good compared to other places, thought it might need to be maintained soon. However, the view is spectacular and exercising there with the wind on my back and a good song in my ears and so many others running and walking and working out in some way, really invigorates me. I forget my tiredness and give it that extra effort which normally I find it difficult. My daily morning walks combined with the Intermittent Fasting is starting to have an impact. I am now at 87Kgs and my target is 80Kg which is a long way away. However, I have given time till June to achieve that, and take stock. Let’s see. It is finally going to be a long journey to sustain it, and I would rather lose it slowly and steadily and maintain it likewise, than lose rapidly and gain rapidly.

Another week is starting, and will bring with it its own lessons and learnings and experience. However, as I believe, whatever you feel, however you feel, get up in the morning and do your bit. If the day is bad, hang on there. If the day is good, enjoy it. One lesson I want to exercise more in daily life, is to ensure completion of activities. Often, what happens is that I point of some tasks or strategies to team mates, and then expect them to complete it. However, now a days I am seeing that it doesn’t work that way and it just remains incomplete. So, it’s my new mantra – “If you want it to be done, do it yourself”. I don’t mean all the regular paraphernalia which will get done routinely. I mean the special and important things which will count in the long term, and which gets overlooked due to daily operational things. And if I can complete even one such task in a week, it’s worth it.