Seasons

Seasons, a photo by harini_sanjeev on Flickr.

This December will mark my one year anniversary of completely moving to Seattle. I’ve been living here, on and off, since May 2010 and have grown to love the city (but not the rain).

Over these last few months, I have been lucky to experience the city’s splendor in all it’s seasons. I agree it’s mostly rainy in Seattle, but it’s summer is brilliant, with clear blue skies and bright green trees. I also feel lucky that Seattle actually gets to see some Fall colors. I say this because when I first came to the US, I lived in Arizona for 2 years. Technically, Arizona doesn’t have a fall season, so this is my first time seeing these gorgeous yellows, oranges and bright reds. All I can say is wow. Nature does know how to surprise us.

As December gets nearer, I hope we have a white Christmas and I’ll get to update this picture and post

Recounting 2011 – The Resolutions

Edit – This is part one of my two part series on recounting 2011. I started writing about everything at one go and realized that it’s too difficult to pack one whole year into one post.

Around this time, last year, I wrote a post about my resolutions for 2011. Nothing grand, just a tiny list of 4 important things to achieve in 2011. I wanted to revisit that list and maybe a few parts of this year so that I can get them all out of the way before the brand new 2012, <begin sarcasm> as I wait with bated breath for all the awesomeness it might have in store for me </end sarcasm>

The Resolutions

• Pick up that dusty DSLR from the corner and start clicking awesome pictures – if there is one thing I can confidently strike off from my list, it is this. Ok, I agree, I would be lying if I say that I took a lot of pictures with the DSLR, but I did take a lot of pictures (mostly on my phone) and some of them were pretty awesome. You can find all of my most favorite pictures of the year here. I’ve just posted some here to make up for the resolution debacle that is to follow.

Fall colors in Seattle

The Thinker

• Take my cocktail mixology abilities to a new level – This resolution was a tiny #fail. I mean, I got my shit together and started mixing drinks, but somewhere along the line, I stopped drinking. I just didn’t want to have anything to do with alcohol anymore, which is actually a very good thing for my health + general mental and physical well-being. With no inspiration and no guinea pig (read, myself) this resolution fizzled faster than Kim Kardashian’s marriage.

• Find the dream job – Biggest resolution fail of this year. Period. Also cause for severe emotional trauma. Gah, not really. I’m unemployed right now, but I’m having fun doing nothing. I’m in that transitional state where I’m unsure of where life will take me, now that I don’t have a standard 9 – 5 job. When you think about it, It’s not really that bad. I get to sleep-in on those dull, dreary, foggy & cold Seattle mornings. Heck, I get to sleep-in every morning. I move through the day at my own pace. I read about a lot of things. I have the time to watch re-runs of all the old TV series I loved. I have the time to connect with interesting people on Twitter and Facebook. (I’m not yet so intrepidus to venture into the real world and do the same, I’m inherently an introvert). I sometimes ruminate on all the old ideas I’ve had for a very long time. Some of those ideas have already become products/services offered by other companies, that’s always a good sign. So, my idea generator is not faulty. But my executor needs a lot of work. (Maybe we’ll make that one of my newer resolutions?). More importantly, I have more time to understand myself and explore the true me. And in that exploration of my self, I have realized that there is something magical about getting your alone time.

• Be happy, always – This is the resolution I struggled with the most this year. Yes, I’m happy, in bursts. But not always. And I have come to accept that it’s the way of life. There are ups and downs. There is joy and heartbreak. There is love. But there is also the need to be alone. This year was one of the hardest for me emotionally. Everything I did, went wrong, at some level (more on this, later). But I have no regrets. Well, I have a few, but not enough to tilt my balance.

Part 2, “Recounting 2011 - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly”, will be posted soon

Heartbreak

This gallery contains 3 photos.

It is 12 in the noon as I start writing this post. At this time, everyday, I put my little fellow into his crate and move to the kitchen to prepare his food. He is a fussy eater, so I have to measure proper proportions and mix his dry food with some wet can food. …

Be the Match. Or atleast try.

I have had an innate fear of needles, hospitals and everything related to them for as long as I can remember. Over the last couple of years, whenever I have had to give blood (for general tests or as a donor), I have either been hysterical or faint-headed. Frankly, I don’t know why this happens. I’m very strong willed and don’t let anything faze me ever. I’m extremely composed when I am in charge of taking care of someone else in a hospital, but when the spotlight is on me, I become a baby (the annoying, crying, bawling kind).

Why am I talking about all this? Because I recently signed up to be a bone marrow donor. Me. The one who is afraid of needles. The one who will probably faint half-way through. But why have I signed up for this if I’m so afraid? The reasons are too many, while my fears are few and unfounded. Based on my research and understanding on being a bone marrow donor, I thought I would put together a little FAQ style post to spread awareness + help others like me reach the decision to play a part in the process of saving someone else’s life. It’s such a simple, humbling experience, yet not enough people do it.

So heres hoping this will help someone.

What got me to sign up as a donor?

I recently came across a social media campaign to find a bone marrow donor for Amit Gupta. Amit, who was recently diagnosed with acute leukemia, is well loved in the NYC start-up and tech scene, which is evident from the outpouring of support and love from everyone related to technology. Startups like Postagram and highly influential pundits like Seth Godin are doing their part in helping Amit find a donor.

There are 10 million donors registered with the National Bone Marrow registry, but only 1% of those are South Asians, so there is a 1 in 20,000 chance of Amit finding a donor. The odds are really stacked up high against South Asians. Amit is probably luckier than most other people in his situation, he is well know in the tech community and has the kind of support that few (south asian) people with acute leukemia can hope for. As an example, Sameer Reddy, an 8 year old, who has battled acute leukemia for about 5 years and has just relapsed & needs a donor - read his story here.

I want to, in my little way, better the chances that someone as brilliant as Amit & someone as young as Sameer will live longer. So I signed up and am currently waiting for my swab kit to arrive (more on the kit later).

How do I sign up?

It is super simple. Go to the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry website and sign up. Signing up is a quick process, about 5 – 10 minutes. You will be asked various questions about your general health and prior health problems. Everything is super simple. Once you sign up, you will be sent a swab kit, which will arrive at the address provided by you during signup within 1 – 2 weeks. Alternatively, you can do all this at a bone marrow donor drive, this will cut down on the waiting time for receiving your swab kit. You can also fill out the donor form offline and mail it to the registry. The form will look like this.

What do I do once I receive the Swab Kit?

Just follow the instructions on the kit. There will be four tagged swabs, which you need to brush against your inner cheek (top right, top left, bottom right, bottom left). That’s all. Once you are done, mail the kit back to the address provided. If you are match, you will be contacted and taken through the process of donation (but only after you consent to donate).

Isn’t bone marrow donation a very very painful process?

That’s a very valid question. In fact, that was what I had thought too. I was under the impression that if I was a match I would have to go through painful surgery which would keep me out of normal functioning for a few weeks. Boy, was I wrong. It is a super simple process -

1) In most cases, bone marrow donation is similar to blood donation. Blood is drawn from one arm and sent through a machine which separates the blood cells required for transplant and the remaining blood is returned through the other arm. This process is called Peripheral blood cell (PBSC) donation.

2) In some cases, a surgical process might be needed in which liquid marrow is withdrawn from the back of the donor’s pelvic bones using special, hollow needles. General or regional anesthesia is always used for this procedure, so donors feel no needle injections and no pain during marrow donation. Most donors feel some pain in their lower back for a few days afterwards, but can get back to regular work within a day or two. [this option scares me a bit, it's ok to be scared. But remember, you are saving someone else's life, by bearing some slight discomfort for a couple of days, we can do that much, right?]

And finally,

I am lucky for who I am, for what I have and for my good health. And I will be lucky if I am a match and will have a little part in the process of helping someone live a life they thought they had almost lost.

Answers to a lot more questions can be found here.

Being at the right place, at the right time :)

Being at the right place, at the right time , a photo by harini_sanjeev on Flickr.

The weather in Seattle has been pretty “blah” lately. The last few days have been filled with incessant rains, with the sun peaking out for a few minutes followed by more rain and dark grey skies. While I’m already used to this kind of weather, it still totally dampens my mood =|

Yesterday was no different, till about 5 in the evening, when the rain continued, but the sun pitied Seattle’s state and came out for a quick visit. And lots of rainbows followed. Apparently there was even a double rainbow over the 520 bridge, which I wish I had captured.

Anyways, I managed to capture a part of the rainbow through the window of our car. A flight made a guest appearance as well. I didn’t intend for it to be in the picture, but it adds well to it and it’s a happy coincidence

My word for this year = Hiatus.

Rainy Seattle, you sort of suck, but I'll try not to complain.

A lot has happened over the last couple of months since I last posted. To cut a long story short, I went back to India to look for work, was offered multiple roles, rejected all of them and came back to Seattle for personal reasons. While I’ve been able to summarize all of it in a simple sentence, the emotional and physical strain of the last few months has really taken a toll on me. [Seattle, thank you for not helping me much, with your dull grey skies and incessant rain. Blah!]

Just as an update (more to tell myself where I’m heading) – I’m taking a hiatus from finding work for now, for various reasons. I’m a soon-to-be Boxer puppy mommy. And possibly a small biz owner, if I can get over my mental blocks and move on to executing some of the business ideas I have.

I also hope that this little hiatus will give me some much needed clarity as far as my life and it’s purpose is concerned. Wish me luck.

Meet Prof. Moriarty

Meet Prof. Moriarty, a photo by harini_sanjeev on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
This cute little Boxer face was just 6 weeks old when this picture was taken. We get to bring him home on October 22nd and I can’t wait for that day to come quickly.

I have always loved dogs, but have had a hard time convincing, first my parents and later my husband. This year, after many months of cajoling and puppy eyes (on my part), the hubby agreed to go and meet a few puppies. We met this little fellow and fell instantly in love.

I mean, come on, look at that face, how can you not fall in love with that?

Interesting reads for the week – 04/25/11 to 05/03/2011

From this week, I will post a few of my favorite articles from the week. Yes, I’m signing up to be your personal aggregator of fun stuff to read. Articles will be random. As random as most of my blog posts. It will be stuff that made me laugh, made me think, made me want to run around the house with my hands up, whatever. Hope you enjoy

I know my first installment of links is a bit late, but hey, I’m lazy sometimes. Here goes -

• It’s a mistake to hire a Gen Y – This article by @Thinkspace talks about the characteristics of Gen ‘Y’ers and refutes some points of view about why Gen Y should not be hired. I thought it was an interesting read because it talked about both sides of the story and made a valid argument for the Gen Y case. I think I agree with most of what is said in the article, except for the point that Gen Y’ers are not loyal. I think while we would be much more ambitious, it doesn’t suggest that we will be so at the expense of a company that treats us well. Treat us well and we will stay loyal

• This post would not be complete without an article about the death of Osama Bin Laden - while the article is not particularly content rich, I love stories that unfold on social media. And this was, is and will be the biggest story of the year for the US, which is why, someone unwittingly live tweeting it makes it even more fascinating!

• I have always been inspired by Seth Godin’s articles. Most of the stuff he writes serves as a reminder to me at different points of my life. So, this list needs to have atleast one link from him – Moving beyond teachers and bosses – it talks about how we have learned to set a low bar for ourselves in our personal and professional lives so as to minimize risk and disappointment for ourselves and how that might be something you have to let go of!

• Why keeping up with old friends matters – And last but not the least, this article is a little more personal, it has nothing to do with technology or business or world news, but has a very simple story and premise. It talks about why it is important to stay connected to people who matter, no matter how far away they are and emphasizes why “out of sight, out of mind” is not the right rule to follow! I really loved reading through this post and hope to incorporate the lesson learned in my day-to-day life = email, call the people who I miss, but havn’t spoken to in a long while!

My tech find for the week was www.myhabit.com – Amazon’s foray into limited time flash/private sales. This was one idea I was toying with while preparing for a possible Amazon interview. The idea that Amazon already has the infrastructure in place to do a lot better than any of the present crop of sale sites, then why are they taking so long to implement? Guess my question got answered sufficiently

Touristy Weekend :)

Space Needle

Last weekend in Seattle was super sunny, warm and clear, with awesome blue skies! I’m beginning to enjoy the slow advent of summer here; while the weather has been moody in general, the past few weekends have been gorgeous beyond belief! So we made the most of it, just like we usually do and did a ton of touristy stuff. A year ago, when we first moved to the city, we made it a point to explore everything that it had to offer. This weekend, we decided to revisit all these places and restrengthen our love for the place

In short, we wouldn’t have chosen a better day to walk around town. We started off with the Space Needle as usual. On a good day, the area around the space needle, is filled with people – musicians, families walking around, children playing in the grass – its such an amazing place for people watching! There is also a big line of people waiting to get to the space needle’s observation deck as it is otherwise really freezing on non-sunny days! We got some amazing pictures of the puget sound, here is one of my favorites -

Puget Sound view from the Space Needle observation deck

While it was warmer than most days, it was still sort of cold, so after freezing our butts off for a while, clicking some awesome pictures and people watching, we jumped on the elevator down and decided to take a walk to the musical fountain. The fountain is the centerpiece of the vibrant area surrounding the space needle. The lawns around the fountain are always full of musicians, singing, playing their guitars and generally having a great time. The kids love to run into the fountain and sometimes the adults join in. There is caramelized popcorn and cotton candy for sale. All the place needs is a carousel and it would be like a dream come true for me  [that and some awesome twinkly lights, so that I can get some good bokeh with my camera ]

Children playing in the Dancing Fountain

After spending a lot of time here, listening to music and eating cotton candy, we decided to walk across to the EMP, but it looked super crowded, so we just made our way to Zeeks Pizza – which is AWESOME! Atleast, I think it was coz I was super super hungry! It was not as great as our regular Pagliacci or as gourmet as Serious Pie, but it was a comfortable in-between and perfect to finish the long day. Too bad we were too hungry to click any pictures

I have a bunch of pictures from our walk through Pike Place and Downtown, which I’ll save for a different day and post

P.S – All pictures in this post were shot with my iPhone4 and processed with Camera+

Job Search Tip #2 = Don’t give up!

I graduated in December 2010 and have been looking for a job, on and off, since then. I know people who have been looking for a job even longer. These are tough times, but they have taught me a lot of lessons. And one of the most important ones is “don’t give up“.

I come from a great background. I am smart, hard working, have studied at the best schools and colleges, worked at a great company. I have never been unemployed. In fact, I have never been free for more than a week at any given time. In that way, these last few months have been a revelation. They have given me a different perspective to life in general and also given me the time to ponder about a lot of stuff – things I could not have been able to do if I was working right now. Wait, who am I kidding. I want a job. I love being stressed out, I love working towards deadlines, I love the thrill of new challenges, I love everything about being at work. But anyways, that will have to wait for a bit. For now, I get to concentrate on the “other” things I love.

Now, back to the post and why I am writing it. As someone who has been incessantly trying to score an internship/part-time/full-time job over the last few months, I have been through several ups and downs. On some days, I’ve been extremely upbeat about the whole situation. On others,  I’ve looked to find something to keep me motivated and inspire me. Sometimes I’ve just curled up in bed and fallen asleep. Other times, I have put everything behind me, to go out and have fun. Ups and downs. I told you. Through all of it, this is what I have learnt -

• The first few times are always tough. I remember way back in the summer of 2009 when I was applying for internships. Things were tougher then. The first time I applied to a company, I spent so much time on my resume + cover letter + researching the company + doing everything I could to get that internship. I got rejected. I spent the next few days wallowing in self pity. The same thing happened with the second company. And the third. Around the 6th time, I decided, this is it. I’m not going through the same loop again – I learned an important lesson then – “learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them“.

• There are several reasons for you to get rejected by a company. If you are lucky and the company actually sends you a rejection letter with a reason, you will know what the reason was. Most times, that is not going to happen. So you need to find out the “why” on your own. More lessons learned – “Port mortem” (despite how grim that might sound) of your application. Look through your application, try to pinpoint where you might have gone wrong (you might not have gone wrong, but this is a good way of getting over the rejection – just like how, after a breakup, you go through all your old stuff to discard things you want to have nothing to do with anymore). You might not be able to figure it out exactly, but in the process, you will run through your application throughly, making changes as you go, turning it stronger with every passthrough.

• You will obviously have some free time on your hands between applications. Make the most of your free time. Write, read, stay up-to-date with your industry of interest. Work on your ideas. Think. Introspect. Bake. Whatever keeps you happy

• And lastly, even if this is your 100th application, “don’t give up“. There is something out there that is perfect for you [Just like the perfect man, the perfect job will also come your way ]

Funemployment