Good to be back
I am back after nearly a decade. Phew!
It is cliched to see that a lot of water has flown down the river in the last decade. But isn't life a cliche. I have been married and have a daughter. I was never a banker as I claimed in the last post 9 years ago. It turned out to be a mirage. I am a ..... hotelier! for 9 freaking years.
To start from where I left
The last post was on March 9th, 2009. I was frantically job hunting. Crossing out one option after another. Then one fine day after many a cold calls, I got a glimmer of hope. I was told that there is some hotel which is looking for an accountant, An asst. finance controller. Marriott did not ring a bell at that time. I didnt care either. I was clutching at the straws and faked an accountant-ish experience at the interview. Lo and behold, they thought I was a perfect fit!!
I joined the company on 26th March, 2009. I told myself that this is just a transient arrangement and I would get back to big things in life. Hated the first day at the office. There was papers all over the place. A mini govt. office at best. I couldn't get a morsel of inspiration. The stigma and the stain of a jobless graduate had to be washed away before I attend to my personal ego and fantasy.
The work hours were crazy and work was regimental. I had a uniform for god's sake!
But the learning was fabulous. I felt like I was playing to my strength. The job required me to write long financial summaries and justify business costs. I seemed to revel in that. The nuts and bolts of accounting came later. I sat through financial accounts closing meeting with statutory auditors without getting the grind of the discussion. But I guess I kept my ignorance to myself and was intent on learning.
I got married to Mekhala on 25th October, 2009 after a lovely courtship of four months. Then there was a job to manage, had to get to know a stranger at home and learn to have fun. We had some fabulous memories moving into our first home in Chennai and being newly married. Many more of these home moves were to come.
I was still nurturing the " Back to being a banker" notion. After a rigorous two years, I got a promotion as Director of Finance in Pune. The title was fancy, the money was good and the egg was cooking sunny side up. Had a terrific two years with a lot of recognition. I built mentor relationships.
Moved to JW Bangalore as a DOF. Lovely pep up in the career professionally and personally. Little Mishika was to come on 3rd June 2014. She changed my life in a big way. Way too complicated to write. I had to learn to be a father. It didn't come naturally to me. I still have not learnt. Caring for a new one that has come to your life and being responsible for the little being is an incredibly responsible job. My wife was good at that. I wasn't. Cause for big fissures at home.
We moved to Kochi in 2014. It was in my destiny to deal with these frequent migrations. With a very heavy heart, I packed my bags and left. My family had to endure yet another home.move. Kochi turned out to be a fulfilling experience. Had the longest tenure of 3 years in Kochi.
I was then shunted(that's the right word!) to Hyderabad to deal with another assignment in 2017. I am still rotting there and biding for that one elusive break. I am still chasing some unfulfilled career dreams and figuring out the purpose of life! Zindagi nikal jayegi and I still would not know.
I remember Raman Uppal - Professor at LBS saying " We all do MBA at LBS and work abnormally long hours to lead normal, mundane and boring lives. People who make a difference don't do this." Touche!
Two years after my last blog I felt my career was soaring and was ahead of the curve. Youngest DOF etc etc. Seven years later I wonder if I counted my chickens before they hatch. Professionally I was just running on a thread mill, without moving much ahead. Well life is a bitch! Never gives you a sense of fulfillment.
In the last one year, I have this strange sense of age catching up and being tired all the time. Concentration has hit the pits. I have been snoring through an epidemic of obstructive sleep apnea that sapped my physically being. I was oblivious to this for a decade now. Talk about inertia!
Its time for me to take charge and do what I need to do.
Now that's my life story in the last 9 years. Things to do in the next 9 years!
1. Be present in the moment. Be Present. Be Present. Be Present.
2. Write an article on hotel finance.
3. Write a book. A story of a lucky loser perhaps.
4. Learn S.U.P.W (Socially Useful Productive Work - Knitting, sewing etc etc)
5. Fix sleep apnea. Work on inner body engineering!
6. Go to Bhutan on a bike trail with Mekhala.
7. Engage with my parents and be a companion in there old age.
8. Watch Mishika grow and create fond memories for her!
9. Last but not the least be grateful for buffet of myriad experiences that life has offered.
Period.
Lots of love
Arun
It is cliched to see that a lot of water has flown down the river in the last decade. But isn't life a cliche. I have been married and have a daughter. I was never a banker as I claimed in the last post 9 years ago. It turned out to be a mirage. I am a ..... hotelier! for 9 freaking years.
To start from where I left
The last post was on March 9th, 2009. I was frantically job hunting. Crossing out one option after another. Then one fine day after many a cold calls, I got a glimmer of hope. I was told that there is some hotel which is looking for an accountant, An asst. finance controller. Marriott did not ring a bell at that time. I didnt care either. I was clutching at the straws and faked an accountant-ish experience at the interview. Lo and behold, they thought I was a perfect fit!!
I joined the company on 26th March, 2009. I told myself that this is just a transient arrangement and I would get back to big things in life. Hated the first day at the office. There was papers all over the place. A mini govt. office at best. I couldn't get a morsel of inspiration. The stigma and the stain of a jobless graduate had to be washed away before I attend to my personal ego and fantasy.
The work hours were crazy and work was regimental. I had a uniform for god's sake!
But the learning was fabulous. I felt like I was playing to my strength. The job required me to write long financial summaries and justify business costs. I seemed to revel in that. The nuts and bolts of accounting came later. I sat through financial accounts closing meeting with statutory auditors without getting the grind of the discussion. But I guess I kept my ignorance to myself and was intent on learning.
I got married to Mekhala on 25th October, 2009 after a lovely courtship of four months. Then there was a job to manage, had to get to know a stranger at home and learn to have fun. We had some fabulous memories moving into our first home in Chennai and being newly married. Many more of these home moves were to come.
I was still nurturing the " Back to being a banker" notion. After a rigorous two years, I got a promotion as Director of Finance in Pune. The title was fancy, the money was good and the egg was cooking sunny side up. Had a terrific two years with a lot of recognition. I built mentor relationships.
Moved to JW Bangalore as a DOF. Lovely pep up in the career professionally and personally. Little Mishika was to come on 3rd June 2014. She changed my life in a big way. Way too complicated to write. I had to learn to be a father. It didn't come naturally to me. I still have not learnt. Caring for a new one that has come to your life and being responsible for the little being is an incredibly responsible job. My wife was good at that. I wasn't. Cause for big fissures at home.
We moved to Kochi in 2014. It was in my destiny to deal with these frequent migrations. With a very heavy heart, I packed my bags and left. My family had to endure yet another home.move. Kochi turned out to be a fulfilling experience. Had the longest tenure of 3 years in Kochi.
I was then shunted(that's the right word!) to Hyderabad to deal with another assignment in 2017. I am still rotting there and biding for that one elusive break. I am still chasing some unfulfilled career dreams and figuring out the purpose of life! Zindagi nikal jayegi and I still would not know.
I remember Raman Uppal - Professor at LBS saying " We all do MBA at LBS and work abnormally long hours to lead normal, mundane and boring lives. People who make a difference don't do this." Touche!
Two years after my last blog I felt my career was soaring and was ahead of the curve. Youngest DOF etc etc. Seven years later I wonder if I counted my chickens before they hatch. Professionally I was just running on a thread mill, without moving much ahead. Well life is a bitch! Never gives you a sense of fulfillment.
In the last one year, I have this strange sense of age catching up and being tired all the time. Concentration has hit the pits. I have been snoring through an epidemic of obstructive sleep apnea that sapped my physically being. I was oblivious to this for a decade now. Talk about inertia!
Its time for me to take charge and do what I need to do.
Now that's my life story in the last 9 years. Things to do in the next 9 years!
1. Be present in the moment. Be Present. Be Present. Be Present.
2. Write an article on hotel finance.
3. Write a book. A story of a lucky loser perhaps.
4. Learn S.U.P.W (Socially Useful Productive Work - Knitting, sewing etc etc)
5. Fix sleep apnea. Work on inner body engineering!
6. Go to Bhutan on a bike trail with Mekhala.
7. Engage with my parents and be a companion in there old age.
8. Watch Mishika grow and create fond memories for her!
9. Last but not the least be grateful for buffet of myriad experiences that life has offered.
Period.
Lots of love
Arun
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