thoughts

I've always wanted to write a piece with the title of "In Life as in Death". However, I never got beyond the title because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to write about. I finally got some inspiration yesterday from a dear friend who hypothetically "killed" me least 3 times in an hour. Ok, so she didn't kill me but suggested I might die very soon (she must have noticed the amount I ate). I mentioned to her that I have a blog in which I write once a year. To this she said I need to reach my full potential and write more as the next generation is waiting to be inspired by me. (You should be laughing hysterically by now as I was). God forbid the day when people are "inspired" by me to do something that's not illegal, immoral or plain evil. But then I thought, why the hell not. In case I do die very soon, I might as well write down some suggestions. I'm sure you've read these elsewhere and there's nothing new. H...

Almost the end of the year and I realized I haven't written a single entry in any of my blogs yet. So I just had to do one for 2012. Hmm...2012. What a year! It's been filled with ups and downs (like any good year should). I traveled to places I had never been to, met new people had amazing experiences and, most importantly, had some fantastic food.  I lost a close friend. Lost myself too. And found myself again (apologies to all who've told me to get lost) That's about all the reflection I want to do. Time to look forward to 2013! So what do I have planned for the year? Nothing. I think I'll just let 2013 decide what it wants to do with me. Bring it on!

I hit 30 a couple of weeks ago. I figure I'm a pretty cliched kind of guy so it was time to reflect on my life and see where I am with respect to where I wanted to be. Obviously turned out that i was no where close. Then feeling bad about it and sticking with the "cliche" theme, it was time to go out and do something stupid. So got me a leather jacket, a new pair of sunglasses and a brand new ferrari. Ok..so it was the Hotwheels kind..but hey..still blew my savings on it.It was worth it! But seriously I'm not sure how I feel about where my life is right now. I think I'm doing all right. The only expected thing that I don't have right now is being in a relationship. When I was younger, I really didn't think I'd be single at 30 . But now that I am, I don't know what to make of it. Should I be worried? As people get older, it seems harder to find someone. Add fatter, balder and the fact that I waddle around like a penguin cos i get aches in my joints...

3 months ago I moved to Singapore for three reasons in no particular order…1) to find work, 2) for an adventure and 3) to spend away my savings and claim UN funding for people below the poverty line. I succeeded in 2 ½ out of 3. Singapore is a lovely country. There’s nothing more I can add to the thousands of descriptions that you can find in travel guides about the country's multicultural heritage, awesome governance and perfect mix between east and west. It is all of that and more. You just have to experience it. For me of course the best part about Singapore was the food at the hawker centers. Apparently eating at a hawker center is on the list in a book called “1000 things to do before you die”. I don’t know if doing the same thing 1000 times counts…cos if it does…I guess I’m good to go. There’s no place I went to more than a hawker center (hmm…in speech I should be very careful when I say this.”Hawker” sounds very much like something else…and considering prostitution is le...

Another week gone and still no work. Guess it's time to write for the one die hard subscriber to my blog (loser!). Just kidding...don't mind. Hmm..Mind. The word reminds me of a scene from the movie "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise (Lt. Algren) is practicing fighting with the samurai and keeps getting beaten. Then one of them comes upto him and says "Algren San..please forgive...too many mind. Mind the sword, mind the people watch, mind the enemy, too many mind.....(pause) No Mind" So often in life I've seen things which are meant to be simple become very complicated. It troubles me sometimes when we allow too many things to affect something that should depend only on one or two. Though how to do that, I don't know. I mean it would have come in really usefull when I had all those assignments to do the day before their deadlines. Would have helped to not mind the deadline, mind the word count, mind the references, mind facebook, mind...

Finally! I'm back to writing after more than a year. Not that I ever was consistent.Though over the last year, I've authored many a song, a dream, a story; but never one with a pen (or keyboard if you want to get technical). Hmm... the last year. Almost seems like a dream in itself. I've always preferred thinking of the present as the best time of my life instead oflooking back when it's too late to decide if a period was good or not. But I have to admit, so far, the last year has been the best year of my life. My year at Warwickwas an experience I can never forget. And yet, I hope I do forget some of it. I'm too young (I think so anyway) to think it's all going to be downhill from here. Oh well..guess I'll find out one way or the other. Right now I'm among the statistics that make up the unemployed in the world. Wouldlove to blame the economic crisis, but the truth is that I just can't find a jobI'm competent for. Or rather a job the requires in...

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I just got back from Mangalore on sunday. My entire family went for the annual Kola organised by my father's family on their ancestral farm lands in Belle. People belonging to my father's household come from all parts of India. It's one big festival.I find it difficult to explain what a Kola is. It's sort of a dance/drama form in honour of the ghost gods or bhutas. But it's also mixedwith ancient traditions where people actually belive the dancer is possesed by the bhuta and worship him. There's a lot of dialogue between the dancer/actor and a representative of the household. My tulu is not good enough to understand most of what was said between them,but primarily it looked like the representative was asking the bhuta for the well being of the family. The bhuta spoke a lot, but I'm not sure of anything he said. Either way, it was an interesting experience. I've never seen a complete Kola before - it starts late at night and goes on till after sunrise.

I'm into my last 5 weeks at Honeywell. I don't think it has struck me yet that afterMay I will no longer be associated to this office. I can't believe I've been here for5 1/2 years. It feels strange. I've never been attached to one place for so long. All my life I've always moved on to something else every 3 to 4 years. Sometimes it wasfrom one city to another and other times from one school or college to the next. I'm completely surprised I lasted so long at Honeywell. I didn't even expect to get hired.I thought my incompetency would surface soon and I would be asked to leave. But I guessI was wrong. Either I'm a better employee than I think I am or Honeywell does not care aboutthe people it hires. I'm inclined to the former. Now that I'm leaving on my own accord, I wonder how I will feel on my last day. Being used to moving on, I guess it will be the usual mixed emotions. Both a bit of sadness about leaving a place that has become my second...

"HASH INCLUDE S-T-D-I-O-DOT-H," said Prof. Virupaksha. I remember thinking to myself, if on reaching home my mother asked me what I learnt in college, and if I had repeated "HASH INCLUDE S-T-D-I-O-DOT-H", she would have slapped me thinkingI was saying a bad word! (though sometimes when I'm angry, I do mutter it at people...." HASH INCLUDE S-T-D-I-O DOT H YOU!!!"). Thus started my introduction to software programming....and my life long aversion to it. By qualification I'm supposed to be an engineer who majored in computer science. By ability, I'm niether. I can't fix an engine and I'm not smarter than a 5th grader when it comes to computers. How I've survived 5 and 1/2 years as a so called "software engineer" amazes me. ....or rather scares me! The world looks at us for software and if engineers like me are providing their needs, god help us all. To give you an idea...I work on aerospace software ..and I refuse to fly.......

I wish I had spent more effort developing my writing skills after 10th grade. Unfortunately I always felt my language underwent gradual degredation since then. But I like writing. I'm not a very creative person but I'd like to be. I hope with time I'd be able to write something that is actually nice to read. My attempts at literary immortality are at http://chetanwritesstories.blogspot.com

For train travellers, the term side upper should ring a bell. It refers to what I consider the most uncomfortable berth in a second class sleeper compartment. And yet it is also the most profound. The discomfort of being stuck in a berth that's too small, too hot and too high does not allow you to do anything constructive other than philosophize life. Side Upper represents a lot of situations that life puts us in. My thoughts on some of them are at http://sideupper.blogspot.com/

It's almost 2:00am. I'm working the night shift at office. I've got about 6 more weeks of work left. In september of last year I started applying to colleges abroad for admission into their respective MBA programs. I had to tell my boss then since he had to write recommendations for me. That was my first step into the unknown. Once I dicussed my plans with my boss I knew there was no going back. I would have to leave. It was a scary feeling. What if I didn't get in anywhere? What would I do then? Would I be able to find another job if required? But somewhere deep inside I knew I had to take that step. Fortunately scores of essays, 2 rejects and 4 1/2 months later I finally got a mail from a university I had interviewed with....."Dear Chetan.....We believe that your background to date would make you an excellent member of the MBA class. We will therefore be offering you an unconditional place on the programme.......". It was the first time in months I felt ha...

Kevin Carter, a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer killed himself. The reason being a photograph that he had taken. After taking it, he went into a depression for over 3 months and then finally committed suicide. What was this photograph about? Many of you may have seen it as a forwarded mail. It shows this little boy dying of starvation crawling towards a UN Food Camp. Behind him, there’s a vulture standing, waiting for him to die. Ladies and Gentleman, hunger and starvation are real problems in this world. Just because you and I are lucky enough not to have to see it everyday, does not mean it does not happen or cannot happen to us. This year India imported 3.5 million tons of wheat which is the largest it has done in decades. Our population is rising. Our consumption per capita is rising. But worst of all, our food production is falling. If we continue to close our eyes to what is happening in certain parts of the world it will not be long before it happens to us also. There are se...

You’re never given a dream without the power to make it come true. So goes a quote from the book “The Alchemist”. This is an extremely powerful statement. All of us have dreams. I’m not talking about the dreams that you get when you sleep, but the ones you have when you’re wide awake and you let your mind flow into that perfect world in which you see yourself. In that world where everything is exactly the way you want it. These dreams maybe about little things that you’ve always wanted to do like spend time playing with your kids or maybe something big like following your ambition in life. It could be about taking a long vacation and just relaxing somewhere or something as critical as quitting your job and setting up your own company or moving to a different profession all together. But how many of us actually do something about those dreams? How many of us have grown up to do exactly what we wanted to do as children? I’m sure most of us have something deep in our hearts that we reall...

I’ve sort of made a commitment to myself to keep writing as often as I can. I don’t know why. Somewhere I believe there are thoughts in my head that are never going to be shared with the world, or never come out as they were intended to unless I write them down. Why, I feel that if my thoughts aren’t shared with the world it would be a great loss? I have no clue. By no means do I intend to write profound things about life that may help people live theirs better. I have enough trouble getting my own life in order without trying to help others. But I want to keep my life simple by making simple choices about things and sticking to those choices. And yet life doesn’t allow us to keep it that simple. Actually we do not allow ourselves to keep it that simple. Hmm….I think I’ve gotten myself into a bit of a contradictory stand. Most people would like to think that they’d be happy if their lives were not so complicated or if they could just lead a simple, stress free and problem free life. An...

I'm in office right now. I was waiting for some task to get completed and ran out of things to do to keep myself busy. So I thought I might as well create a blog for myself. I've always wanted to write my thougths down. Not that they are very profound or intellectual or anything. But I like writing. I haven't written something worth reading for a very long time. I'm hoping that the more I write eventually I might actually stumble on something nice. We'll see how it goes.