Day 15-2011 : 'Food' for Thought!

Food has never been a big deal for me.  People who know me well would know that I am probably a good example of someone who eats to live rather than the other way around.  In fact, I think I am a very poor eater, very conservative and most of times quite frugal.  In fact for a long long time, I survived on only one meal a day.

And that is exactly why I am writing this post.  I have recently started have the traditional three meals a day.  This is a result of a new year resolution! (what else could it have been!?)  The interesting part though, is that this resolution is not mine, but my better half's!  She has vowed that starting this year she is going to ensure that I have breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday.  Hence I can now be seen lugging a lunch box to office everyday.  I certainly do not want to risk the consequences of being the reason of my wife breaking her resolution!  The same experiment, by the way, has failed a couple times before, in the last few years. 

Not my lunch box!

Having said that, it has definitely been an interesting experience.  And has succeeded so far.  The trick has been the smaller servings. I have been advised (very strictly) that instead of just one meal a day, I should be having many meals (at least 3) with smaller servings. 

The lunch box certainly brings in strange challenges.  The most important one is to be able to remember that I have to eat lunch and produce the empty lunch box at home.  Hence I have now tied up with a couple of colleagues who have kindly agreed to remind me of of the lunch box!

By the way, according to Hindu mythology, the whole issue of 3 meals a day is a result of a goof up caused by Narada Muni.  It is believed that when Brahma made the universe, he asked Narada to go to Earth and convey a very important message to humans: 'Teen baar nahana aur 1 baar khana' (3 showers and 1 meal a day)!  The bumbling Narada got confused while he was on his way to Earth.  He finally conveyed the opposite message: 'Teen baar khana aur 1 baar nahana' (3 meals and 1 shower a day)!  And that is what is being followed till date by us humans living on this planet.  I am not sure if this is all true but am happy that at least someone else, apart from me, also thought that one meal a day was a good idea!

However, right now, it is three meals a day for me.  So everyone who thinks that I have put on some weight in the last few years, please be prepared to see me put on some more this year, notwithstanding my exertions at the gym every morning!

Take care!

Day 1-2011 : I Resolve To...

As indicated in my last post, my intention was to do one last post in 2010, which would sum up my performance on the resolutions that I made in the beginning of the year and my goals for the year 2011.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find access to the Internet very easily in the last one week and was in fact tied up in meeting and spending time with family and friends and hence this post on the first day of 2011!

If I had to sum up my performance on my personal goals and resolutions last year into a report card, it would be a short one.  I would rate myself as 'Partially Effective'.  Overall, I made a lot of progress on all the items but I feel there is still work to do on each one of them.  Except for keeping the promise to myself of posting to this blog every week, I cannot say that I fully completed any of the others.  Mind you, I did put in a lot of efforts in ensuring that I stick to my resolutions, but I did find myself hard pressed on two fronts:  lack of time and an inconsistent willpower!

Some of the wins for me as I look back on my personal goals for 2010 were:

1) I think I am now a more tolerant person than ever before.  There is still some way to go, but it is really amazing how much your children can change in you!

2) Most parts of the year I did look at situations from a win-win perspective.  And, it surely paid dividends.

3) 'Kick The Butt' was a moderate success.  Something that could be built on this year.

4) I did reach out and connect to more people than ever. Obviously, I discovered social networking and leveraged the Internet big time this year.

5) I did spend more quality time with the family this year.  However according to the better half, not enough yet!
6) I executed most of my investment goals for the year.

Some of the areas where I did not measure up at all were:

1) My reading habit was a big loser.  I did start reading many books but could follow through and complete only a couple of them.

2) My exercise routine was better than some of the previous years, but still not up to the mark.

3) Last but not the least, my better half insists that I include her expectation of better treatment to her in this list as well.  So be it!

 So, on the first day of this new year, what could be my resolutions or goals for the coming year?  Though the temptation is to go for a 'new' and 'different' resolution every year and be as flashy as one can be about it, I think the best thing to do for me this year would be to continue with the same resolutions of last year.  All the more so, because I had some significant successes with my resolutions last year. 

Some of the key ones this year would be:

1) Read more this year.  I almost felt like an illiterate due to the fact that I wasn't reading enough! 

2) A drastic one is to quit alcohol, though I am only a social drinker and restrict myself to beer and the occasional glass of wine. 

Rome was not built in a day.  Making lifestyle changes is a similar story.  I hope I will be in a position next year to report good progress on all of these.  I also hope, that as my well-wishers, you would keep checking on me on some of these goals throughout the year!

Wish you and your loved ones a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2011!

Take care!

The Wonder Years!

Another year has gone by. And with it, the first decade of the the 21st century has gone by!

2009 has been an eventful year, to say the least. And this decade has probably been the most important ten years of my life. I call them the 'The Wonder Years!' because a lot of important and wonderful events in my personal as well as professional life have happened in this decade. Some of them are:

1) A fast paced 10 years at work working in diverse organisations with a diverse set of people. Huge amounts of learning with great fun! Some 20 hour days actually felt like 20 minutes.

2) I travelled abroad for the first time in my life during the past decade. It is another matter that I hate it a lot now! Especially the longer duration ones.

3) Got married to my childhood sweetheart / crush!

4) Became a father; not once, but twice! Two brats at home; tough to manage, but worth it all! In any case, managing them is a breeze compared to managing my lovely wife...;-p! (I hope this tongue in cheek comment doesn't land me in (or my cheek!) in trouble.)

5) Have been fortunate to have lived in a diverse set of cities; Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

6) Bought my first house in Chennai!

7) Bought my first (and now second as well) car!

8) Have worked with some very inspiring colleagues and seniors; who have played a key role in shaping my attitudes and behaviours. (Yes, it is not my fault. It is all their fault!;-p)

Thinking about the decade not only gives me a great sense of satisfaction but also spurs me on to challenge myself to make the most of the next 10 years!

Coming back to the year gone by: An eventful year. A year which began in uncertain times due to the financial crisis around the world. A year when I was awarded a deferred bonus; still not sure why, though! A year in which I decided to move back to Mumbai, closer to my parents and my in-laws. A year when I uprooted myself and my family from our cozy existence in Chennai to put up anchor in the hustle and bustle of the city of Mumbai. Painful, but worth it.

So, what is in store for the new year, 2010!? Who knows? The motto is to give everything my best shot and go with the flow. Because the golden rule applies: One can control only one's own thought and actions! I did promise though, in my last blog, that I would be thinking about my resolutions. After scratching my brains to come up with challenging and achievable resolutions, I could come up with only the below:

1) Spend more time with the family. More quality time.

2) Lifestyle changes to become more disciplined about my health. Weed out some of the undesirable habits in make room for some healthier ones!

I am determined to take care of myself and my family. Please take care of yourself.