Date:- 22nd March'09
Time:- 16.00 hrs
Place:- CCD at Carter Road,Bandra
Occassion:- First meet up with my AIM batchmates.
Finally, after a 6 month wait, I came to know in the 3rd week of March about my future classmates who were going to accompany and become my friends in AIM,Manilla.
A few of us met up to get to know each other on 22nd March'09, on a glorious sunday afternoon.
The five of us i.e Harsh,Avinash,Gouri,Agin and your truly met for a chat...
It was a fascinating meet and the diversity within the five of us has just whetted my appetite to know the rest of my batch asap.
A small profile of the guys I met,
Harsh- The entrepreneur
Gouri- The judo master & fitness instructor
Avinash- The gold banker
Agin- The software and finance expert.
With such a diverse group of people I can imagine that my time in AIM is going to be an interesting one with different viewpoints on different issues from various quarters.
A welcome change from my time as a S.E. where everyone had the same opinion about things (Life sucks unless onsite comes calling...).
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Squash...A new favourite !!
It's been 3 months now,since I left Infosys and Pune. It's also the same time period for which I haven't touched a football.Going by my time in Infosys where we used to play every alternate day and at least on every weekend, the present scenario seems to be unthinkable.
However to keep myself busy and more importantly fit, I have taken squash in a big way since coming back to Mumbai. Not that I didn't play squash in Infosys, but then I used just play the game not knowing anything about technique, strategy or game sense.I just played the game hitting the ball well and trying to return everything which came my way.
However,from the time I have started training with my marker(coach is known as marker)since the start of February, I have found a new zeal as well as enthusiasm for the game.Not that I was bad at the game, but I could never give a good account of myself due to the inconsistencies and the wrong technique I had inherited in my time playing the sport at Infosys.
Back to the present & now I am more confident about my own game,more aware about my opponent's skills and my position around the court.Though I need to learn a lot more to become a really good player,still I am happy with the progress I have made in the last few months and the way I have taken a liking for the game.
Finally,I have a sport which I can look forward to play for the rest of my adult life,given that continuing to play football regularly is going to be very difficult task.
However to keep myself busy and more importantly fit, I have taken squash in a big way since coming back to Mumbai. Not that I didn't play squash in Infosys, but then I used just play the game not knowing anything about technique, strategy or game sense.I just played the game hitting the ball well and trying to return everything which came my way.
However,from the time I have started training with my marker(coach is known as marker)since the start of February, I have found a new zeal as well as enthusiasm for the game.Not that I was bad at the game, but I could never give a good account of myself due to the inconsistencies and the wrong technique I had inherited in my time playing the sport at Infosys.
Back to the present & now I am more confident about my own game,more aware about my opponent's skills and my position around the court.Though I need to learn a lot more to become a really good player,still I am happy with the progress I have made in the last few months and the way I have taken a liking for the game.
Finally,I have a sport which I can look forward to play for the rest of my adult life,given that continuing to play football regularly is going to be very difficult task.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Retrospect of the second half of 2008.
The second half of 2008 brought with it new challenges and loads of great news…
June: - As I had stated in the previous blog (retrospect of 1st half of 2008) about my football with team Infosys; June started off with the first 11 a side tourney of the year in the form of the Deccan Gymkhana Football tournament. After having practised for close to 4 months on the lush green ground of Infosys Pune; the team was confident about a good showing in the new season and I donned a new role as the first choice keeper of the team. June went by and we qualified for the final of the tournament.
July: - July was one of the most happening months for me in 2008. First there was a small case of playing against Kanbay in the final of the Deccan IT tournament which took place on the 5th of that month. We won the tournament beating them by a score line of 1-0. The game was more significant for me since it was supposed to be my last game for Infosys Pune, since I had got transferred to Mysore for the next 6 months. My team-mates gave me a guard of honour and I also came up with a MOM kind of performance during the game. We had a blast the same night partying our heart out at Veer Da Dhaba (not the highway one) till the wee hours of the night.
The next agenda on the list for July was to travel to Mysore, since my project had got transferred to the city of Tipu Sultan. I left on 10th of July and set foot in the Infosys Mysore campus on the 11th. The period in Mysore with the ABN AMRO team was one of my best times professionally as a software engineer. I lead a team of 7 to gather KT on the entire debitcards application and won myself an award for the same.
On the AIM front, I got the news that Aug08 batch was not happening for me and that I might be considered for the May09 intake. The decision would be known by September end.
July and August was spent working in the beautiful Mysore campus. I was joined by Gagan and Shruti at the Infosys hostel and the 2 weeks I spent with them were awesome fun. We worked hard during the day and went partying every night to the different restaurants and pubs in Mysore.
Along the way I also made a trip to Bangalore along with Shruti and we partied at the Hard Rock Café, Bengaluru (my first experience of the renowned HRC franchise).
It was an amazing experience and the night was unbelievable.
I also caught the Indian women team in action at the Mysore campus where they were having their annual training camp. It was exciting to catch glimpse of the eves of Indian cricket and the sights of Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, Julan Goswami got the adrenaline pumping.
During this period I also bought my own Dell laptop which was my second significant purchase during my Infosys tenure after the Bajaj Pulsar 180 which I had got in Nov’06.
The second half of August, I shifted out from the campus hostel and moved in with Gaurav, Siddharth and Arun. This was an altogether different experience since I was staying outside the campus now and got more opportunities to roam around the city with these guys. On the work front I was relishing the responsibility of leading a team and was enjoying the experience thoroughly. I even got a chance to represent the Infosys Mysore Football team and won a trophy with them too.
I also made one more trip to Bangalore to meet up with Divya and Abhinav (school friends).
September: - I finished off my project during this month and took a much deserved vacation with my family. Mom n dad travelled to Mysore and we embarked on having a family vacation after a gap of 7 years. First stop was Mysore. After a few days we went off to Bangalore to spend the second leg of our vacation. The city of Bangalore didn’t really appeal to me since it was too crowded and there was lot of traffic on the roads. The city itself was very vibrant seeming to be a modern and sophisticated version of Mumbai.
One of the important things to have happened in the end of September was, first the bursting of bubble of Lehmann Brothers which ushered in the era of economic downturn which subsequently meant the end of my dreams of travelling onsite to Amsterdam since the project was cancelled. However with this sad news came another piece of news which made my entire year memorable. AIM got back to me, offering me an admit in their May’09 session.
Finally after 3.5 years my dream of securing an admission to a good MBA college saw the light of the day. Also during this period I was fighting with the management to send me back to Pune since they didn’t have any work for me in Mysore
October started off with me travelling back to Pune after a 3 month stint in Mysore. Since the project was cancelled, there was nothing for me in Mysore and I came back to Pune and back to my old life.
Partying with roomies became a ritual of sorts and we had a blast for the rest of the year.
November was made special by my girlfriend (Divya), friends and family who made my Bday a memorable one.
In Dec, I won two major tournaments with Infosys, while captaining the side.
The most tragic incident of the year also happened in Dec. Arvind & Ankit (my roomies) met with a bike accident and Ankit was seriously injured. He was hospitalised for 3 weeks or so and had to undergo 3 operations.
The year which had promised so much and which had been great otherwise ended on a sombre note.
The mood towards the last week of 2008 was one of despair and tension as we all were really worried about Ankit’s well being.
However all’s well that end’s well and as I finish the summary of my year I am pleased to inform that Ankit is back in Pune after a nice rest of 3 months in his hometown of Meerut.
June: - As I had stated in the previous blog (retrospect of 1st half of 2008) about my football with team Infosys; June started off with the first 11 a side tourney of the year in the form of the Deccan Gymkhana Football tournament. After having practised for close to 4 months on the lush green ground of Infosys Pune; the team was confident about a good showing in the new season and I donned a new role as the first choice keeper of the team. June went by and we qualified for the final of the tournament.
July: - July was one of the most happening months for me in 2008. First there was a small case of playing against Kanbay in the final of the Deccan IT tournament which took place on the 5th of that month. We won the tournament beating them by a score line of 1-0. The game was more significant for me since it was supposed to be my last game for Infosys Pune, since I had got transferred to Mysore for the next 6 months. My team-mates gave me a guard of honour and I also came up with a MOM kind of performance during the game. We had a blast the same night partying our heart out at Veer Da Dhaba (not the highway one) till the wee hours of the night.
The next agenda on the list for July was to travel to Mysore, since my project had got transferred to the city of Tipu Sultan. I left on 10th of July and set foot in the Infosys Mysore campus on the 11th. The period in Mysore with the ABN AMRO team was one of my best times professionally as a software engineer. I lead a team of 7 to gather KT on the entire debitcards application and won myself an award for the same.
On the AIM front, I got the news that Aug08 batch was not happening for me and that I might be considered for the May09 intake. The decision would be known by September end.
July and August was spent working in the beautiful Mysore campus. I was joined by Gagan and Shruti at the Infosys hostel and the 2 weeks I spent with them were awesome fun. We worked hard during the day and went partying every night to the different restaurants and pubs in Mysore.
Along the way I also made a trip to Bangalore along with Shruti and we partied at the Hard Rock Café, Bengaluru (my first experience of the renowned HRC franchise).
It was an amazing experience and the night was unbelievable.
I also caught the Indian women team in action at the Mysore campus where they were having their annual training camp. It was exciting to catch glimpse of the eves of Indian cricket and the sights of Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, Julan Goswami got the adrenaline pumping.
During this period I also bought my own Dell laptop which was my second significant purchase during my Infosys tenure after the Bajaj Pulsar 180 which I had got in Nov’06.
The second half of August, I shifted out from the campus hostel and moved in with Gaurav, Siddharth and Arun. This was an altogether different experience since I was staying outside the campus now and got more opportunities to roam around the city with these guys. On the work front I was relishing the responsibility of leading a team and was enjoying the experience thoroughly. I even got a chance to represent the Infosys Mysore Football team and won a trophy with them too.
I also made one more trip to Bangalore to meet up with Divya and Abhinav (school friends).
September: - I finished off my project during this month and took a much deserved vacation with my family. Mom n dad travelled to Mysore and we embarked on having a family vacation after a gap of 7 years. First stop was Mysore. After a few days we went off to Bangalore to spend the second leg of our vacation. The city of Bangalore didn’t really appeal to me since it was too crowded and there was lot of traffic on the roads. The city itself was very vibrant seeming to be a modern and sophisticated version of Mumbai.
One of the important things to have happened in the end of September was, first the bursting of bubble of Lehmann Brothers which ushered in the era of economic downturn which subsequently meant the end of my dreams of travelling onsite to Amsterdam since the project was cancelled. However with this sad news came another piece of news which made my entire year memorable. AIM got back to me, offering me an admit in their May’09 session.
Finally after 3.5 years my dream of securing an admission to a good MBA college saw the light of the day. Also during this period I was fighting with the management to send me back to Pune since they didn’t have any work for me in Mysore
October started off with me travelling back to Pune after a 3 month stint in Mysore. Since the project was cancelled, there was nothing for me in Mysore and I came back to Pune and back to my old life.
Partying with roomies became a ritual of sorts and we had a blast for the rest of the year.
November was made special by my girlfriend (Divya), friends and family who made my Bday a memorable one.
In Dec, I won two major tournaments with Infosys, while captaining the side.
The most tragic incident of the year also happened in Dec. Arvind & Ankit (my roomies) met with a bike accident and Ankit was seriously injured. He was hospitalised for 3 weeks or so and had to undergo 3 operations.
The year which had promised so much and which had been great otherwise ended on a sombre note.
The mood towards the last week of 2008 was one of despair and tension as we all were really worried about Ankit’s well being.
However all’s well that end’s well and as I finish the summary of my year I am pleased to inform that Ankit is back in Pune after a nice rest of 3 months in his hometown of Meerut.
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