Drifter Ahoy! - (2)

Life is so darn cyclic! I have this habit of dipping into the blog and looking for past posts relevant to current situations, and as I was doing so today, I found a few - An Idle-ic Weekend and Drifter Ahoy! and On Turning Three.

I stand at an inflexion point once again. So let's improve upon/ add to the history listed in the second of those three posts shall we? Ahem! Here goes...

April '96 - Done with high school. Down because 'the gal' ditched me (been six months now). Joined Dad's junior college - will be weird to have a Vice Principal Dad. So what do we do next? Friends are all doing it (Nirat included), so... attempt the JEE!

April '98 - Done with junior college (wasn't too weird). Clinically depressed, neurotic girlfriend ditched (by me, for a change). Never gave the JEE (or any other competitive exam - notably the Roorkee entrance). So what's next? Liked electronics (kinda on a whim), so join Engineering.

August '02 - Done with Engineering... Recovering from (umpteenth) twisted romantic intrigue. Managed distinction in final year on a lark - after two years in the 58% range, finally cracked the mythic 66% barrier (dibs to excessive scoring on 'term-work'). BUT HANG THE HECK ON - no jobs available, CAT very intimidating, and giving the GATE is too pyrrhic/ hilarious a move to contemplate. So what's next? Well... Shishir's keeping company... go to Pune for a whale of a time and yeah, before you forget, give the GRE too.

April '03 - Finished GRE with a decent score (1480/1600). Shishir and a couple of other 'peers' flying real soon. No scholarships in sight for me, nor any 'meaningful' admits (snicker). Discovered that I am still ailing from those twisted romantic intrigues I thought I'd recovered from. And the question returns - what's next? Friend who works game to refer for an interview in Pune. Give interview (30 April)!

6 May '03 - Forget the GRE, move to Pune (in a major shock-and-awe operation on parents who are in the US on vacation). Join HSBC! No real ambition in the workplace... serendipitous meeting with Boss means I can just try to be an effective executive in an ill defined function called Project Office. Start a blog to keep sane.

Feb '04 - Boss says move to testing. Sure thing, boss... he he, exactly what I wanted.

May '04 - Boss says join Process Group and get us to CMMi Level 5. Sure thing, boss... he he. (Toiling night and day) Is this what I wanted?

Jan '05 - Hurrah! CMMi Level 5! Boss says now move 'back' to testing and go abroad. Sure thing, boss... er... ah, never mind!

April '05 - Excitement comes with a change of scene - new country et al. But of course, had to pick a city that is a pimple on the butt-end of nowhere (Murphy's law). Goodness gracious I'll have been working almost two years next week! Gone are any hopes for intrigues - romantic, philosophical, alimentary, or otherwise! What about that writing thing? Do I want an MBA? Help, I've turned into a yuppie! How did I get here? (General panic ensues)

Feb '07 - (General panic is now a permanent undercurrent) Done some major drifting without changes in location for quite some time, m'boy! Calling oneself Business Analyst and giving the junta fundas on Anti Money-Laundering (aunty whobee-whating?) these days I hear? Boss long gone, replaced with ever changing collage of faces.

Standing at yet another inflexion point. Will turn four soon - reading On Turning Three convinces afresh that the only tangible learning since birth has been the potty training, and since that becomes questionable after 80, hope to learn something new between now and then. And the immortal query -

So what's next?

Short Term Answer - Make three week trip home, whilst entertaining the comforting but false notion that this will allow some time for deep thought, penetrating insight and direction/ purpose. Meet the people that need meeting, meet some others that are wholly un-needed but mandated. Attempt to keep your head above the water and at least pretend that you have a clue. (Best of luck with that!)

Long Term Answer - Write Drifter Ahoy! - (3) in, say, a couple of years...

Peace... Out!

PS - Dear readership, see y'all soon (some of you at least)!