Hindsight makes sages of us all, if only we had a working crystal ball. Tired and drained after a 60 hour week
Friday, April 4, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
An Evening at Wembley - Pics from the England-Denmark Friendly
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| With Dave Prescott,Wembley 2014 |
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Married for a decade
Today marks a very special day in our lives– Ranjini and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe that it has been a decade already! Feb 23rd also happens to be my parents wedding anniversary!
We have experienced the joy of being newlyweds, the excitement of our careers, and the sorrow of death in the loss of her grandparents and my uncles and aunts. We have dealt with fear of health issues, both our own, and our loved ones. We have experienced the joys of buying our first home, and raising two wonderful kids to fill ‘Advaita’ with noise and laughter. We have grown in our faith thanks to our belief in the almighty and a simple philosophy of respecting people around us for what they are. Over the years, we have made several wonderful friends who have been such a pleasure to hang around with, both at the workplace as well as on the social circuit. We have traveled several countries, been to places which we have dreamed together, experienced life and cultures in these countries. Our children are growing up learning and navigating through life's many challenges. God has always been kind to us as a family with his blessings.
As I sit and look back into the past 10 years, sitting in a remote town in south west England and in what way I could share what all was on my heart, I decided the best thing would be to share my thoughts for posterity through my blog.
Ranjini and I are now married for 10 years and since that day in February 2004 it's been a wonderful journey together. Today as we celebrate our Tin anniversary, I reflect back on these years together and can only reminscence on the times.The past ten years have seen us raise two wonderful children in Samiksha and Pradyumna, grow individually in our careers and hopefully somewhere fulfilled the expectations our families have on us.It is often said that a major part of success is filling your life with people who encourage your positive growth and your success.We have tried to impart skills and values which we have believed are right for our children to grow into well rounded personalities.
Every single success in my life over the past decade or so has been tightly influenced by efforts of Ranjini. There is no major success that I would have been able to achieve without her.Whenever there’s a decision to be made, Ranjini always has a valuable insight or two that I would have probably not considered. She does an amazing job of pulling our thoughts and aspirations together and developing ideas and plans for our future.
She’s always taking care of the little things that need doing, often without saying a word.This is very important for us as I have mostly been away for long months on work. Many little things will just be done, often without anyone immediately noticing. She just does them.
She constantly makes hard choices and small sacrifices for the people in her life, be it the children, her parents or my mother putting aside what she might want to be doing in any moment to take care of those around her.
She’s incredibly bright, assembling ideas and thoughts into sensible statements and arguments and plans at the blink of an eye. She completed her Ph.D in Neurophysiology soon after the birth of our daughter and again went back to a full time job after the birth of our son. A bright physician that she is, Ranjini is also an incredible mother and a diligent cook dishing out healthy meals for the family. She is a perfect blend of patience and understanding with the right touch of strictness to teach our children the things they need to know for a successful life. She’s there to wipe away their tears in a moment of anguish, to laugh and play with them when the mood is right, and to guide them down the path that they need to go on.I can almost make no claim on the accomplishments at school or at classical dance and singing if it wasn't for Ranjini's persistence and encouragement. I completely understand Samiksha's Valentine day card for her mother this year now!
We have experienced the joy of being newlyweds, the excitement of our careers, and the sorrow of death in the loss of her grandparents and my uncles and aunts. We have dealt with fear of health issues, both our own, and our loved ones. We have experienced the joys of buying our first home, and raising two wonderful kids to fill ‘Advaita’ with noise and laughter. We have grown in our faith thanks to our belief in the almighty and a simple philosophy of respecting people around us for what they are. Over the years, we have made several wonderful friends who have been such a pleasure to hang around with, both at the workplace as well as on the social circuit. We have traveled several countries, been to places which we have dreamed together, experienced life and cultures in these countries. Our children are growing up learning and navigating through life's many challenges. God has always been kind to us as a family with his blessings.
As I sit and look back into the past 10 years, sitting in a remote town in south west England and in what way I could share what all was on my heart, I decided the best thing would be to share my thoughts for posterity through my blog.
Ranjini and I are now married for 10 years and since that day in February 2004 it's been a wonderful journey together. Today as we celebrate our Tin anniversary, I reflect back on these years together and can only reminscence on the times.The past ten years have seen us raise two wonderful children in Samiksha and Pradyumna, grow individually in our careers and hopefully somewhere fulfilled the expectations our families have on us.It is often said that a major part of success is filling your life with people who encourage your positive growth and your success.We have tried to impart skills and values which we have believed are right for our children to grow into well rounded personalities.
Every single success in my life over the past decade or so has been tightly influenced by efforts of Ranjini. There is no major success that I would have been able to achieve without her.Whenever there’s a decision to be made, Ranjini always has a valuable insight or two that I would have probably not considered. She does an amazing job of pulling our thoughts and aspirations together and developing ideas and plans for our future.
She’s always taking care of the little things that need doing, often without saying a word.This is very important for us as I have mostly been away for long months on work. Many little things will just be done, often without anyone immediately noticing. She just does them.
She constantly makes hard choices and small sacrifices for the people in her life, be it the children, her parents or my mother putting aside what she might want to be doing in any moment to take care of those around her.
She’s incredibly bright, assembling ideas and thoughts into sensible statements and arguments and plans at the blink of an eye. She completed her Ph.D in Neurophysiology soon after the birth of our daughter and again went back to a full time job after the birth of our son. A bright physician that she is, Ranjini is also an incredible mother and a diligent cook dishing out healthy meals for the family. She is a perfect blend of patience and understanding with the right touch of strictness to teach our children the things they need to know for a successful life. She’s there to wipe away their tears in a moment of anguish, to laugh and play with them when the mood is right, and to guide them down the path that they need to go on.I can almost make no claim on the accomplishments at school or at classical dance and singing if it wasn't for Ranjini's persistence and encouragement. I completely understand Samiksha's Valentine day card for her mother this year now!
 |
| We- 10 years on! |
Most importantly, one trait that I have appreciated in her is that She has an incredible sense of the moment. She knows when things need done around our home and in our community, yet she also has a knack for knowing when to put those things aside and move on..
She completes me in a way that I would have never understood before she became a part of my life.
Ours being an 'arranged' marriage, I can only thank the Masters at Mantralaya and Sringeri, providence and our families for recognizing and bringing us together. We are fortunate to be surrounded by people who care for us and we are indebted to my mother Nanda Rau, my in-laws Nagamani and Dr Sitaram,my brother Sundeep,Sister-in-law Chetana, Ranjini's sister Tejaswini and her husband Mahesh. And all the boys and the big girl in the family - Samiksha,Pradyumna,Pratyush,Dhruva and Aniruddha for keeping our surroundings so chirpy.
She completes me in a way that I would have never understood before she became a part of my life.
Ours being an 'arranged' marriage, I can only thank the Masters at Mantralaya and Sringeri, providence and our families for recognizing and bringing us together. We are fortunate to be surrounded by people who care for us and we are indebted to my mother Nanda Rau, my in-laws Nagamani and Dr Sitaram,my brother Sundeep,Sister-in-law Chetana, Ranjini's sister Tejaswini and her husband Mahesh. And all the boys and the big girl in the family - Samiksha,Pradyumna,Pratyush,Dhruva and Aniruddha for keeping our surroundings so chirpy.
|| Hari Sarvothama! Vayu Jeevothama! Sri Gururajo vijayate||
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Wembley beckons
Wembley, yes! that's where we are headed in about 20 days to watch England play Denmark (Whew,almost typed Germany). The best tickets available are purchased and as we await them, a few small fan preps are in progress including sorting out the logistics, a three lion face tatoo and a England FA flag that I picked up at my local SportsDirect. Dave,myself,Mahesh and Vikrant are going together to watch a very hopeful English team in a friendly battle against the Danes ahead of the party in Brazil. I hope to see Steven Gerrard captain England this game, what a fantastic ambassador of the game he has been. Gerrard is also the most capped English players after Peter Shilton, David Beckham and Bobby Moore. Others that I would be straining my neck to watch would be the magical Rooney,Lampard, Ashley Cole and Theo Walcott. The English premier league surely churns out heroes almost every season and arguably amongst the best football leagues in the world. My other favorites being the Bundesliga (FC Bayern Munchen..heheehe!!) and the Spanish League (FC Barcelona..again heheehe!!).
What more can you ask for but the best of the lads drawn from LFC,Chelsea,Arsenal, MU, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur (Jermain Defoe, offcourse). The thought of the new Wembley and the roar of the crowds cheering the three lions is already echoing in my ears..
Let the Lions Roar while we chant the "Do Doo Daa.." (the great escape theme) . I remember fondly the Danish Dynamite in the late 80s and early 90s - yes, Michael and Brian Laudrup..They were something to watch
Let the game begin!
What more can you ask for but the best of the lads drawn from LFC,Chelsea,Arsenal, MU, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur (Jermain Defoe, offcourse). The thought of the new Wembley and the roar of the crowds cheering the three lions is already echoing in my ears..
Let the Lions Roar while we chant the "Do Doo Daa.." (the great escape theme) . I remember fondly the Danish Dynamite in the late 80s and early 90s - yes, Michael and Brian Laudrup..They were something to watchLet the game begin!
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Life tips and Investment planning
One of the compulsive habits I have developed over the last few years have been to read Trent Hamm almost everyday.Yes, I have subscribed to his daily dose of life wisdom that lands in my mailbox just as real time as an RSS feed.I must admit that Trent has made an impact on my thought not because he churns out charts and numbers but keeps the core financial wisdom message fairly simple and impactful. He doesn't in anyway asks frugality of you instead a crisp dose of wisdom that helps you recognize needs,wants and desires (Haven't we all read this somewhere?). You will agree with me on the importance of saving for a rainy day if you have invested or followed the economy and the inflation rates in the last 15 years.Never has there been a season of stability or certainty. Even the best of minds are struggling to run governments across the globe. Economists and their acquired skills are falling by the wayside on this path ridden with capitalist ideology,crass greed to acquire value at every possible opportunity. Individuals,households, corporates and governments are spending recklessly on items and services which neither improves growth in the human index nor invests on a long term need that could resolve a problem or a situation. Borrowing and spending has increased manifold in many societies and goods and services and essentials like food,healthcare and shelter needs just got so expensive that everyone irrespective of their earning power is struggling to meet ends and more importantly peg a value as to what would be required for the rest of their lives.
It’s not really that complicated as I discovered and practice to some extent what Trent has recommended. Some of them are my own realisations.
1. Spend less than you earn.
2. If you’re facing a pile of debts, make minimum payments on all of the debts but the one with the highest interest rate, then make the biggest payment you can each month on that high one.
3. Never expect that your “future self” or anyone else will bail you out of your dumb mistakes today and remember that only you can make better choices for yourself.
4. The quickest way to financial recovery is to get a grip on your spending impulses.
5. Life is going to hand you emergencies, so keep at least six months of your earnings in your savings account for those emergencies.
6. Be completely open with your spouse about every single rupee that comes in and every single rupee that you spend.
7. Buy items that will last for a very long time at the best possible price and you’ll rarely be unhappy with them.
8. If your employer offers matching on your pension fund, take as much of it as you can get.-Maybe contribute to a PPF or a VPF
9. When you’re deciding how to invest, remember that past performance does not indicate future returns and focus instead on the fees and expenses.
10. If you have dependents who rely on you, you ought to have life insurance, but ignore any salesperson who tries to sell you anything other than a term policy.
11. Save using a recurring deposit and SIPs - Time tested guaranteed peace of mind
12. Invest in getting life skills for the kids.
13. Contribute a small amount towards charity ( the quantum and choice be yours)
14. Volunteer if possible, community give back is invaluable and teaches many things besides being fun.
15. Travel and appreciate the world. Travel is not expensive when planned properly. Everyone does not stay in Hiltons and Mariotts..
A final “bonus” life and career tip: treat every single person in your life as you would like to be treated, regardless of whether you’re in the workplace or in everyday life.
My own experiences with using a credit card tells me that repay every rupee spent using the card the same evening (implies use the credit card instead of cash) and let the card earn you reward points and nothing else. You will not believe that a year's accumulation of credit card points can actually get you free shopping during the festival season.
If you can handle all of these things, you’re going to be just fine.
It’s not really that complicated as I discovered and practice to some extent what Trent has recommended. Some of them are my own realisations.
1. Spend less than you earn.
2. If you’re facing a pile of debts, make minimum payments on all of the debts but the one with the highest interest rate, then make the biggest payment you can each month on that high one.
3. Never expect that your “future self” or anyone else will bail you out of your dumb mistakes today and remember that only you can make better choices for yourself.
4. The quickest way to financial recovery is to get a grip on your spending impulses.
5. Life is going to hand you emergencies, so keep at least six months of your earnings in your savings account for those emergencies.
6. Be completely open with your spouse about every single rupee that comes in and every single rupee that you spend.
7. Buy items that will last for a very long time at the best possible price and you’ll rarely be unhappy with them.
8. If your employer offers matching on your pension fund, take as much of it as you can get.-Maybe contribute to a PPF or a VPF
9. When you’re deciding how to invest, remember that past performance does not indicate future returns and focus instead on the fees and expenses.
10. If you have dependents who rely on you, you ought to have life insurance, but ignore any salesperson who tries to sell you anything other than a term policy.
11. Save using a recurring deposit and SIPs - Time tested guaranteed peace of mind
12. Invest in getting life skills for the kids.
13. Contribute a small amount towards charity ( the quantum and choice be yours)
14. Volunteer if possible, community give back is invaluable and teaches many things besides being fun.
15. Travel and appreciate the world. Travel is not expensive when planned properly. Everyone does not stay in Hiltons and Mariotts..
A final “bonus” life and career tip: treat every single person in your life as you would like to be treated, regardless of whether you’re in the workplace or in everyday life.
My own experiences with using a credit card tells me that repay every rupee spent using the card the same evening (implies use the credit card instead of cash) and let the card earn you reward points and nothing else. You will not believe that a year's accumulation of credit card points can actually get you free shopping during the festival season.
If you can handle all of these things, you’re going to be just fine.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Mainframes, once again
These days, I work on testing a large and complex application suite hosted on an equally complex infrastructure that supports it. Most of the systems are small but potent applications home-built by my customer to suit their business needs and these mostly reside on large mainframe systems.While the technology itself is not very recent, it surely is amazing to see how long the mainframe systems have existed and are very relevant even in today's touch and cloud era. This is only my second exposure to a mainframe based solution/assignment in a career spanning 17 years now and both the times,have been awed by the stability and the reliability these systems have offered. Mainframes are no more defined by their single task computation speed for which they were anyway known for but more by their ever evolving internal engineering that makes them ever more reliable and secure not to mention backward compatibility and ability to support massive throughput.All, very good reasons for large secure enterprises to continue investing in them.
So, here I am, leading a large testing group mainly designing tests for applications for large infrastructure overhaul programs consisting of a galaxy of financial and banking applications that has to constantly be tested to assure high availability,work load sharing without which it would be catastrophic and hugely expensive for my customers' business. If one were to memory jog on the Reliability,Availability and Serviceability that we learnt many years ago and how these were the bare minimal needs of any computing systems. Mainframes just satisfies this even to this day alongwith newer enhancements that have seen manifold increase in the computational power of these machines. The integration with web based applications and cutting edge enterprise software like SAP and a host of other systems seems seamless. I am also fortunate to work with a bunch of folks who are main frame designers. The last I met someone was about a decade ago who did something close to what these folks do. Nowadays its mostly project managers and app developers or the smart technology geeks who i work with. No more beer bellied,handle bar mustached geeks in collarless tees who breathed bits and flops for a living.Did you also know that the National Institute of Standards and Technology vulnerabilities database, US-CERT, rates traditional mainframes such as IBM zSeries, Unisys Dorado and Unisys Libra as among the most secure with vulnerabilities in the low single digits as compared with thousands for Windows, Linux and Unix - I didn't
From an era when mainframes had no explicitly interactive interface, when they just accepted inputs of any form -punched cards,tapes to transfer data and programs. They mostly operated in batch mode to support back office functions and end-users. Today, the interactiveness is exponentially better and one can access a Web-style user interface, not to mention the ability of these systems to host different operating systems using virtual machines.
I spend the next couple of years in a small English town taking on these timeless machines hurtling myself almost a trip down memory lane planning and designing tests on these systems.My work takes me to server racks and data centers which is so nostalgic of the computer systems that one would so often see in the seventies and eighties. Relearning or unlearning - yet to decide, but, surely fun!
So, here I am, leading a large testing group mainly designing tests for applications for large infrastructure overhaul programs consisting of a galaxy of financial and banking applications that has to constantly be tested to assure high availability,work load sharing without which it would be catastrophic and hugely expensive for my customers' business. If one were to memory jog on the Reliability,Availability and Serviceability that we learnt many years ago and how these were the bare minimal needs of any computing systems. Mainframes just satisfies this even to this day alongwith newer enhancements that have seen manifold increase in the computational power of these machines. The integration with web based applications and cutting edge enterprise software like SAP and a host of other systems seems seamless. I am also fortunate to work with a bunch of folks who are main frame designers. The last I met someone was about a decade ago who did something close to what these folks do. Nowadays its mostly project managers and app developers or the smart technology geeks who i work with. No more beer bellied,handle bar mustached geeks in collarless tees who breathed bits and flops for a living.Did you also know that the National Institute of Standards and Technology vulnerabilities database, US-CERT, rates traditional mainframes such as IBM zSeries, Unisys Dorado and Unisys Libra as among the most secure with vulnerabilities in the low single digits as compared with thousands for Windows, Linux and Unix - I didn't
From an era when mainframes had no explicitly interactive interface, when they just accepted inputs of any form -punched cards,tapes to transfer data and programs. They mostly operated in batch mode to support back office functions and end-users. Today, the interactiveness is exponentially better and one can access a Web-style user interface, not to mention the ability of these systems to host different operating systems using virtual machines.
I spend the next couple of years in a small English town taking on these timeless machines hurtling myself almost a trip down memory lane planning and designing tests on these systems.My work takes me to server racks and data centers which is so nostalgic of the computer systems that one would so often see in the seventies and eighties. Relearning or unlearning - yet to decide, but, surely fun!
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