First Anniversary

Yeah, its the first anniversary of my blog and you bet I am all excited about it. The day also marks another turning point in my life to which I was largely oblivious. Thanks to my friend for pointing it out. Let me take one task at a time and deal with my blog anniversary first.

Well, I started blogging mainly to overcome my boredom and more importantly to document the interesting turn of events my life was going through at that moment. I was a fresh graduate who had just started his first real job and I experience first hand what this comic strip below illustrates in real life, the difference being I am not in India!

Anyway coming back to my blog, it has been a wonderful experience putting words to my thoughts here. A lot of friends complimented me for my flair in writing which I must confess I was totally unaware of. Over the last year or so my blog has visitors from over 50 countries covering almost all the habitable continents (unless you consider Antarctica as habitable!); a majority of my readers being from Singapore, India and US where the bulk of my friends are located. Thanks for your support guys, if not for your feedback and comments, it wouldn't have been possible for me to sail so far.

As much as I would have loved all my posts to be hits among my readers, a couple of my posts drive in the bulk of the traffic to my blog. The number 1 being my blog post covering our weekend getaway in Pulau Besar, Malaysia. It must be the photos and the popularity of this small island, which drives traffic from countries as far as Russia, Libya and Peru to my blog. Hard to fathom isn't it?Moving on, the second favorite among the netizens is my entry on Kannada fonts in Nokia's Ovi suite, the popularity of which continues to baffle me for I never thought people were that crazy about having Kannada fonts on their phones. Next on the list is my entry covering my Jan 2009 visit home, which is now included in one of the testimonials in the official BIAL website. I was actually surprised when I learned about this for the webmaster of BIAL never contacted me or asked my permission before adding my post in their testimonials. (Am not complaining but just highlighting the fact that we Indians never give importance to proper citation or plagiarism for that matter).

Now let me cover a few entries which are my personal favorites: my post on my mis-adventures with pressure cooker, which I should dedicate to my undergraduate education in Chemical Engineering (just to let you know, the cooker to this day is functioning on that paper plug!). Next on my list is my entry on Jan 1 of this year, where I poured my heart out, recollecting the highs and lows of the year that was. Another favorite post of mine is the post on the INR 100,000 (USD 2,000) car Nano, a post my Dad complimented me on. I should thank my Dad for he was the one who always guided me in drafting an essay or a speech; something I indulged in a lot during my school days.

If you have been following my blog, you would have realised that my blog has evolved over the last year, starting from a standard blogger template, I have now moved on to a third party template, which I have personally customised to my likings.

While there have been some welcome changes, I haven't lost some of my traits, the most prominent being my procrastination tendency. My very first blog entry was all about how my laziness and procrastination has helped me in making me whatever I am today. If you happen to read that entry you would remember how I reached the airport in the last minute in December 2007. Guess what, I have bettered my record this very day! For a 6 o'clock flight, I reached the airport at 5:50, beat that!

Well now let me break the bubble and tell you what else this day signifies for me. I landed in Singapore this very day in 2007 at around 7 am and headed straight to NTU for I had an orientation to attend at 8 am (Arriving at the nth minute is nothing new for me!). I somehow made it to the orientation and to my horror found that the classes were scheduled that very afternoon. I was jet lagged and sleep deprived but had no choice. To make matters worse, there was this orientation dinner where in all alumni of my program were invited. I don't know how I made through the day, the only part I remember being me slipping out of the dinner silently. and crashing in my bed sans the pillow (Obviously, the dorm doesn't provide pillows and quilts). That was my first day in Singapore.

Looking back, I find it hard to believe that its been 2 years in Singapore for me. My first year here was a slog marathon with homeworks, classes and projects to attend to which left me with little to no time to explore around the tiny island nation. Not that I was always busy with my acads, I had to keep up with my addiction to sitcoms and movies as well, which proved to be quiet a herculean task in itself! After graduating in 2008, I had one resolve in my heart: to explore the island and catch on things I had missed during my student days. What followed was another marathon, this time exploring around the island (and some neighbouring ones too) and merry making on every weekend. The Lion city may be a tiny speck on the world map but it does have its share of attractions and am not merely referring to the tourist attractions. The museums here have an amazing collection of artifacts and I would say a must visit for anyone who has more time at hand when in Singapore.

In my two years in Singapore, if I have learned anything its professionalism. Singaporeans are a professional bunch and as a fresh graduate on the brink of my professional career, I gotta learn a lot here. One thing thats unique to Singapore is its exposure to International arena, which is rather a necessity for this island nation owing to its extremely small geographic area. Almost every other company here is working on International projects and as a professional, you get good exposure here, the kind of which is hard to come by in other countries.

Another thing I admire about Singapore is the communal harmony here. The city is home to one of the most diverse population that one can dream of in a city spanning just under 700 sq km and yet there are no communal disturbances. The law and order enforcement is spot on and one can always spot "Low crime doesn't mean no crime" hoardings everywhere. This is one city where anyone (girls, guys, kids) can go for a walk or jog irrespective of what time of the day or night it is without bothering about being mugged or other crimes. Though there are stray incidents once in a while, the city as a whole can be considered safe, very safe.

Before I sign off, Happy Birthday "my blog"