’round about this time last year, I was some place where I’d rather never again be. It was tricky… it was tough. As a person, it has taken a lot of rebuilding over the last 14 months; it’s a matter of confidence I guess, more than anything else.

3-4 months ago, I began questioning my work, where I was going in life, how was career and life going to match up; it was just a whole bunch of confusion without any sense of direction. Perhaps those moments were a blip, a distraction of some sorts. I keep looking back and thinking, why did I seem to lose myself so easily?

On Friday, I kicked back a little over the last 10 minutes or so of the work day, just reviewing the happenings of the last 2 weeks – it has never been so intense. The last week in particular has also been a frustrating one with a certain colleague picking on a couple of us (a couple of others and myself) like a hungry bird pecking the ground for worms (I had no other analogy); it is the last thing which I (or anyone of us needed). It was unfortunate that our bosses have been away, and she (an experienced 50something I must add) is taking the opportunity to be “boss”.

My thought process was interrupted by another colleague with whom I have been working closely over these few days; this person was seen me grow up within the organisation and knows my pedigree from all angles. Just a simple sentence from her made my day and week… “It’s good to have you back”. We shared a smile, and I got going for the weekend, knowing well what she meant.

Confidence is such a crucial factor in the making of a person. It is amazing that when one is low on it, you try so hard and your best effort is often worth nada. Confidence is not something which appears overnight, you may get that impression at times but it really may just be the flick of the switch. Just like the day begins with the sun rising slowly, confidence builds up over a period of time. The crucial thing, if you do recognize it, is to ensure that it doesn’t spill over, and for you to build it up to it’s peak.

As we step into Ramadan this year, there are a number of incidents and events building up around me. Certain things have a sense of deja vu, others feel like amazing co-incidences. All in all, I know that this month brings along with it the spirit required to nurture thoughts, dreams and ambitions; the spiritual side constantly reminds us to stay focused and on the ground, yet it also invites us to grow and better ourself in every area of life.

I feel a second wave coming….

Ramadan Mubarak everyone!

This is a very interesting and unique point every year, when two major powers celebrate their independence day within a day of each other. Both these countries (and Bangladesh) existed as one nation under British rule, however they ended up being partitioned in 1947, initially as two and then a third state. [read more here]

Independence is achieved thanks to the visionaries, and the freedom fighters and strugglers who help establish, and govern and stabilise a nation which is going through drastic change. Once independent, there are three groups who help remain a nation maintain its independence.

First, there are the leaders; the folk who make the laws, and make sure the nation is moving forward as smooth as possible. They run the show, and call the shots.

The second group of people, are well, the people who elect the leaders generally elect the leaders into power. Their presence is immense in determining the rise and fall of the nation as a whole.

The third group of people, are the forgotten ones; they are those for whom we see unmarked graves around the world, they give their lives at every point in a nation’s history to make sure it maintains it’s sovereignty.

Very few remember OUR soldiers when independence is celebrated – let’s take this moment to change that.

Our soldiers are the pride and joy of our nation. Their numbers are not important, their bravery IS. At this point let me clarify ‘our nation’. My family hail from India; however, my heritage extends across borders through to Afghanistan. As for me – I am British.

So, my interest in ‘our nation’ extends to all three nations (Britain, India and Pakistan), and a lot of you readers know the role which our soldiers play to maintain the well being of our nations. Our soldiers are not only helping to protect our borders, but are pushing boundaries to help protect the independence of other nations too. Their role is not to fight wars, but help spread peace in volatile regions, build infrastructures, and help the ‘locals’ develop, to govern themselves.

But it all comes at a cost. A colossal cost.

How many soldiers do we sacrifice, to give peace a chance?
How many soldiers have to return in boxes, to justify a worthy cause?
They battle, they lead, they protect us though land, air and sea;
Their loved ones, with concerns in their hearts,
in every moment that they breathe

How many nations do we help build, before we look at our own?
How many soldiers have to come back and live,with prosthetics to move them on?
Our soldiers, our pride, our nation's joy,
let us decorate their achievements for each man;
Let's raise them high, for what they do, they protect us in this land;

How many of you will celebrate the independence, during these two days?
How many of you will think about even one soldier,
and their contribution to your nation while you celebrate?
The families of those who have given their lives,
will celebrate these days with their grief;
Knowing well, their children have done them proud,
the soldiers of our nations working to protect our peace.

This post is a dedication to the Mother, Father, Wife, Husband, Daughter, Son, and family members of our soldiers who are out there protecting our sovereignty and maintaining our independence. My thoughts and prayers are with you always.

I also want to dedicate this post to a special tweeter who brightens my day, everyday – her name is Callie, and is the mother to boys who are soldiers in the making. Her efforts in tweeting the support for our soldiers has definitely raised my awareness to what they do for this nation of ours.

According to the Free Dictionary, the definition is as follows:

hon·es·ty (n-st)n. pl. hon·es·ties

Honesty can be defined or viewed from a multitude of angles; not one of them will be 100% accurate (it’s a harsh truth). It’s very narcissistic (I think) to have an honest opinion of yourself; everyone likes to believe they are x, y or z, but the truth can only come from the mouths of those who observe you…. yet theirs is just an opinion too…

A fair few bloggers have posted 10 honest things about themselves; I have tagged myself via Americanising Desi. Have you watched the movie Reservoir Dogs (one of the best movies EVER btw!)? My 10 answers are the strangers which gang up to commit the perfect crime that is Me. Here goes:

1) Mr Reliable – This is a nickname which I picked up at uni, and also at the cricket club where I played for 3 years. Reliability is a tricky thing – there is no scale to measure it; how do you trust someone with a task, and know that it is in capable hands? How do you know that past experiences are a benchmark for future forays?

My reliability comes from 2 facts – When I say that I will take care of it…. it gets taken care of, as expected. Always. I also keep things simple and clear so that everyone can see and knows what is what. My past results and failings prove that in every instance I have been the best choice. My reliability is my greatest asset, and hence comes out at the top of the list.

2) Mr Take it Easy - Patience is something which has taken years to develop, yet even now, it is lacking in me. I am an observer. I look around me, I look at people, I look at events, I look at happenings. I watch events unfold, and I react accordingly. The art of patience is something which one learns and develops as they mature. My parents, and my mentors demonstrate their knowledge upon me, and I am quick to absorb what they spill around me. My belief is that patience is the greatest gift given to a humankind; use it and enjoy it wisely.

3) Mr A Lotta Words - Communication is one of my strengths. I can listen, and then respond to anyone on anything. I love being involved with intimidating and stubborn people because the challenge to drive home a point is even greater; the manipulation of words to the desired effect is a tool in the skill set of a good communicator. I like to keep things simple; I break things down for you, I will draw pictures for you, use my hands a lot (A LOT) to signify my point. The most important point of communication is listening – if you don’t listen, you cannot sensibly respond. I listen well, and respect someone else’s opinion. Without listening to a point of view, one cannot cover all bases – which ofcourse is violation of all sensible thinking.

4) Mr Respect – Respect for any person or anything is something which has been instilled in me as a child. I am lucky enough to have had good parents, family, friends and teachers around me to make sure that my feet stay on the ground. Experiences have taught me that no matter how annoyed or angry you may be at a grown up, you should always respect the fact that they are an adult; you can restrict your talk to just a greeting, but greet them with the respect that you would command for yourself.

I have realised that little people deserve a lot of respect too! Those younger than us look towards us as role models, and our behavior towards them will dictate (to a certain extent) their behavior when they are in our shoes. Each person is unique, and each person deserves their own respect… but the respect must be at par or greater than the minimum that you would expect for yourself.

5) Mr Connoisseur – Over the last 27 years, I have learned to appreciate the finer things in life. There are 4 distinct individuals with whom I can be open with on almost everything. They probably don’t know this themselves, but their value and existence in my life means a great deal to me. I call these 4 people my friends; I know two of them will be reading this. I appreciate the roof above my head and the food on my plate; I have spent time where these basic necessities are a luxury for people – I am thankful for these blessings.

I am a great believer in “I came here with no possessions, and I will depart in the same way” – hence I live a minimalist lifestyle, owning only the essentials. However, I take care to enjoy and own the essentials in the right way too. Enjoying the finer points in life is largely down to fully enjoying what you already have as opposed to what you COULD have.

6) Mr Competitive aka Gen. Stubborn – My competitiveness, drive to win, wanting to never give up – my stubbornness in both a  positive and negative form comes from my mom’s side of the family. I grew up in an environment of excellence in education and sport; in both areas, it was the fittest who survived and the weak dissolved into the background. Right through the ages I have been driven to achieve, with varying results I must admit, but I have pushed hard nonetheless. Sometimes, in the heat of competition, I forget that there is an edge to the cliff, and I go falling down like Wile E. Coyote.

In competition, you will face defeat, and acceptance of defeat with grace is a requirement for a true competitor… although it is probably a violation at many levels of the code of conduct of stubbornness. Defeat intensifies the hunger to win, and ofcourse – in the words of the king – Eric Cantona – “You play to fight the idea of losing!”

7) Mr Smile’n a Laugh – I was given the most amazing and surprising compliment last week while on a lunchtime walk with a colleague; we were talking about how each one of us deals with difficulties at work, and I supposedly deal with everything with a smile and a laugh. I never thought others would notice, but it actually is pretty damn true!

Life has dealt me with a lot of lemons; I stopped counting the number of times that I have dusted myself while standing up again after a fall – at the end of it all, one could either sulk and mope at the misfortunes, or pick out the lessons to be learnt, smile at the past and move on. Laughter is a permanent fixture with me, and I try and surround myself with the people who smile, grin and laugh with me, and people on whose faces I can bring a smile to.

Life is a dark alleyway; show it your smile, and its warmth and brightness will show you the way.

8 ) Mr Perfection - It would be dishonest of me to highlight qualities that only show the positive side to me. Here’s a newsflash – I AM Arrogant. Period. I am very subtle about how I portray my arrogance, and I mix this trait like carbon monoxide in the open air. My arrogance is driven by my pride in who I am, what I do and the ideals that I represent. This playground called life is a tough place, and moving ahead requires looking  after number one. Too humble, and you will get sucked into a black hole, never to return.

9) Mr Non Conforming Non-Conformist – Everyone is a non-conformist – how? Well, everyone is unique; but my style and ways are above the rest. I always stand out on my own but not on purpose; you can be my mentor, but I will lead from the front – follow me if you like. Maybe I don’t meet the expectations of those around me, my mannerisms don’t match my personality; my decisions are always made by me, based on my thoughts. I am who I am and I do what I do; does that make me a non-conformist….. or does that make me… me?

10) Mr Smooth Criminal – I live life with a passion which I love to share. I am a people person, and connect with almost anyone; I am easy to trust. If a friend sits in front of me, and talks, bitches and moans to me all day – I will sit and listen, and give my opinion – I have plenty of it, and I am always fair. The respect which I gain from anyone is in proportion to what I give them, and I am always grateful of that; these are all small things, but the little specs of paint make a bigger picture. I will fight for you, and I will fight alongside you, I will share this life with you with a hundred smiles and a thousand laughs. I strive for an imperfect perfection in the place where nobody goes hunting; this is a testament to who I am. But there is just one thing more.

I am a heart breaker. I will make you spill those tears…. but of the good kind. Gals, beware… guys, i’ll get you too! I can’t help it if I love you all so much… but love you all, I do.

I love life bloggers – people who take life into perspective, look at areas of improvements within themself, bring about those changes, and then spread the word to others so that they can benefit from their wisdom too. One such blogger is JamieVaron from Intersected, and this blog post of hers is just too brilliant to let pass.

Do check it out, and comment on the original post [found here].

This are how Jamie said it…

1. Age is absolutely the worst predictor of someone’s maturity, intelligence, or general ability to operate with any sort of common sense. Related: At any given moment, most men are 20, 30, 45, 68 going on 13.

2. Love doesn’t happen when you’re not looking for it. This is a made up, fairy tale, bullshit, passive-aggressive way to view love. When love happens when you’re not looking for it or ready for it, it’s called divorce down the road, so yeah, watch out for that.

3. When you’re happy, people want you to be unhappy. When you’re unhappy, people want to cheer you up (but are probably secretly happy they are happier than you). The only way to actually be happy is to stop using anything external to determine your well-being.

4. Any time you get really nervous about doing something and want to crawl in a hole to hide, then that’s, 9 times out of 10, the thing you need to do (the scary thing, not crawl into a hole and hide). Unless you’re nervous about jumping off a cliff, then, dude, use your discretion.

5. Whatever you believe you are, you are.

6. Whatever you think you deserve, you’ll get.

7. If you learn something necessary. If you grow in the process. If you go on to make something better, more efficient, or useful. Then, you did not fail.

8. Most of the stuff you think you’ll use or want later will either end up in the trash or hauled around through every move. Your physical and mental being will thank you for letting go of all the baggage. Plus, moving sucks, why carry around all that crap?

9. As a general rule, people who do not completely lose themselves in music are not to be trusted.

10. Most of the things people say that are general rules are actually wrong. We’ve just never taken the time to challenge them.

11. The quicker all the “shoulds” get out of your head, the better off you’ll be. Related: The reason most people are unhappy? Terrible expectation management. Actively pursue the meaning of your expectations, question their legitimacy, wonder why you have them, throw them out if superfluous, and move on. Quickly.

12. If humor is not the number one thing you look for in the opposite sex, then reevaluate. The only thing that will keep a relationship together (and healthy) is being able to laugh at yourself and each other. It’s not always going to be lollipops, all day sex romps, and unicorns.

13. There’s really never a reason to lie. If your thoughts, motives, and actions are pure, then you’ll never have a reason for dishonesty. Ever.

14. Transparency on the internet isn’t about using a tactic, it’s about forcing yourself to live a life with nothing to hide (and to have a company without so many skeletons in your closet, you’ll go under if you get exposed).

15. Loving yourself is, hands down, the only way to universal compassion. When you love yourself, you can’t help but be loving towards others. If you are critical of yourself, you will be critical of others. This is a simple equation.

I picked up this brilliant post on Wired, and wanted to see what level of geekdom my readers can achieve!

For the record – I can relate to 30 /100 (I am still a nerd…. I am NOT a geek!)….although check out #95 in the original post (#27  on my list)… and then check out the pic…

1. Properly secure a wireless router.
2. Leech Wifi from your neighbor.
3. Work from home or a coffee shop as effectively as you do at the office.
4. Understand what “There’s no Place Like 127.0.0.1” means.
5. Identify all computer components on sight.
6. Troubleshoot any computer/gadget problem, over the phone.
7. Install a Linux distribution. (Hint: Ubuntu 9.04 is easier than installing Windows)
8. Remove a virus from a computer.
9. Dual (or more) boot a computer.
10. Boot a computer off a thumb drive.
11. Boot a computer off a network drive.
12. Protect your privacy when using a public computer.
13. Buy a domain, configure bind, apache, MySQL, php, and WordPress without Googling a how-to.
14. Basic *nix command shell knowledge with the ability to edit and save a file with vi.
15. Google obscure facts in under 3 searches. Bonus point if you can use I Feel Lucky.
16. Build amazing structures with LEGO and invent a compelling back story for the creation.
17. Understand that it is LEGO, not Lego, Legos, or Lego’s.
18. Build a two story house out of LEGO, in monochrome, with a balcony.
19. Fix anything with duct tape, chewing gum and wire.
20. Know the difference between skills and traits.
21. Be able to calculate tip and split the check, all in your head.
22. Explain that the colours in a rainbow are roygbiv.
23. Understand the electromagnetic spectrum – xray, uv, visible, infrared, microwave, radio.
24. The meaning of technical acronyms.
25. Understand the difference between a comic book and a graphic novel.
26. Know where your towel is and why it is important.
27. Sleep with a Cricket bat next to your bed.
28. Identify evil alternate universe versions of friends, family, co-workers or self.
29. Be able to convince TSA that the electronic parts you are carrying are really not a threat to passengers.
30. Talk about things that aren’t tech related.

In the corner of the room, next to my bed, sit my 2 cricket bats… they’re always there, and are my sporting pride and joy. Yes… no trophies for me because I have never been part of a tournament winning team – rather, the tools that win trophies.

How much of a geek are you?

Following my post on Aiysha [what? you havent read it? Please do!], a couple of my tweeties asked me to do similar posts on other twitter folk. I’m a bit 50-50 on that… but if you think I can guage you well as a person, then leave me a comment, and I will surprise you with my thoughts!

In the meantime, can I introduce you to an excellent excellent person who I have come across on twitter; I intro’d her on the Aiysha post, but a more formal hello to Humera.

I connected with Humera when she was out in KSA* (now back in the States). One thing which strikes me over the span of 140 characters is the composure and sensibility which she seems to have – it is a very impressive quality! I do really hope that the 140character persona spills into reality as well!

Humera is participating in NaBloPoMo this month [check out her blog], with an aim to get back to regular blogging. Her views, opinions and advice over 140 characters is always fantastic, and as a premise to this propostion is that a bunch of us tweeties will participate in our own NaCoPoMo [i.e. we will comment on posts everyday!].

I love the big sister figure which Humera seems to be (can we call you Baji? ), and it would be awesome if you guys would join in and participate in reading and commenting on her words.

* Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

One benefit of having curiosity of OCD proportions is that you get to meet and communicate with loads of people (those questions have to be asked, no?). Some people – you meet ‘em talk to them, move on. Others, well, you keep coming back for more.

When Falakk-ji (-ji is a suffix added for additional respect) out a call out for guest bloggers, one couldn’t refuse making an appearance on her awesome blog – Starry Eyed Book Lovers. Why is this blog awesome? Simple – Falakk-ji is one amazingly hilarious little lady; it’s laughs galore without her even trying to be funny!

This August, she has lined up an array of guest bloggers to be part of her space. Do flick over to her blog, and contribute to the party that we will be having in the August Blog meet-up!

To kick it all off – she pulled my name out of the hat… check out what I had to say!

I picked this up from Seth Godin’s blog; they say that one should practice what they preach…. I’m glad that this is something which I definitely do… do you?

[source]

I have a weak spot for gals with a little bit of grey matter.

For a change I have more words to put down, and fewer ideas to play with; so when I sent out a call to my Twitter folk to throw me a line, and give me a subject to blog about, an interesting character popped up and said “ME!”.

No really – she said “write about me!“…

Since I don’t know how to say no, I ofcourse said – “It’s on!”

Aiysha and I connected on Twitter a few months ago via two awesome Middle East tweeties (Humera and Dotty); infact, our subject of connection was mainly long distance running. Aiysha is a resident of… umm…. well, with the amount of traveling she does, a global resident really, but originally from The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. While she hung out in Kuwait city, I was influenced by her tweets on her daily 15k run in the crazy heat and dusty surroundings; as a result, I began my attempts at running 5k (for a start) – and boy was it a great idea!

Now, hailing from a conservative country, Aiysha seems to be very liberal and outspoken. I have never met her personally, however browsing through the love child which she has produced with AgentWhiskers , they have some interesting views of society in KSA. Ofcourse, their views are their own, and not of a grander society. Or are they?

One of the most interesting things about Aiysha is that she is a technology freak! Some would go to the extent of calling her as a geek. The woman is also a compulsive online shopper…. she buys EVERYTHING online – like EVERYTHING! Dude – even I go to the shops to buy stuff! She is married to her iPhone… infact, the iPhone survived a drowning in the pool, and also goes with her during her 15k wanders – now that’s what you call love! This is what she caught a few days ago while out on a run.

Ofcourse Aiysha, Geeks are so 2008, and Nerds are the way to go as we move into the new decade. Seriously, switch over to a crackberry already!

You cannot talk about Aiysha, and not mention deserts… or food for that instance. Since I promised you cake in the post… I shall deliver you cake! I get my desert ideas from ADigitalNomad, and she baked this a couple of days ago – it looks OZUM!

You have to admire anyone who believes in keeping healthy, and working out so that they can enjoy every type of food; although I haven’t baked it (as yet)… this one goes out to you!

As little as I know about you, you seem to have the right sort of energy to live life in the best way possible! I’ll leave you with this track from Outlandish – it’s a song which I very much like, and has your name written all over it…. enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8krO7Q3vSys