The next one in nails!!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Managing
The daycare at work seems to be seeing the light of the day at last! But I am not hoping yet. These guys have gone and worked themselves up to make it one of the best (if not THE best) daycares in Bangalore and so in the process, will be importing teachers from Singapore for the initial few months, till they can hire local talent, and those few months, they will take in only 10 kids. 10 kids! I ask you, when there is 300 employee registrations. If I get the son in, I will be lucky I suppose.
So here is a post dedicated to the thought of having a daycare ;)
"How are you managing?"
This is usually the first (or one of the first few) questions I get asked when I meet people. They mean, baby, house-hold chores and a full time job.
Luckily things fell in place for me. I was in a comfortable position at work where I could work from home so long as I showed engagement and progress. I was not new to the platform I was working on, I hanged around long enough. Plus Cisco that way is a blessing. It has never demanded that I come to work so long as I delivered on what I signed up for :) Thanks to the culture, the management is understanding and doesn't push to see my face every day, every week :)
The son, he is a blessing too. He is usually well-behaved. I won't say any more for fear of getting jinxed.
So I had to get back from maternity leave in January. I was alone at home with the baby, and a full-time maid. The baby was not rolling over yet, he was still solely on mom's milk and things were a breeze (now it feels like breeze, then I used to be a nervous wreck ;) ). We managed well for a month. Then the full-time maid left to get married and somehow I found a steady maid, two to three maids later.
Then I had to get back to work. I was getting my reports back and I had to go to work at least to meet my team. So I used to go twice a week, Mondays and Fridays, 9AM to 12 PM, come back by 12.30 and the husband used to leave for work at 12.30. It was like a relay race with the baton passing over the gate at 12.30 in the afternoon, give or take an hour;)
Then the husband started to get busy. At work. Luckily in-laws arrived. Now I still follow the same routine, but the husband leaves as soon as he showers and readies the baby for his morning nap routine, doesn't have to wait for me to get back. I give the baby his breakfast and leave after cooking and packing boxes etc and Subhash takes care of the bath and sleep routine. And now that the little guy is all mobile, crawling all over the house (now he knows his way around the house, how to get to the living room, where is his bedroom, where is the TV and all that), I really think it would be a nightmare if I had to work from home with him alone without any kind of support, like I was doing earlier. Subhash's parents have been a blessing. They manage to keep him engaged and he plays with them, which gives me some much needed breaks during the day to get some serious work done.
So, that is that. So far, so good ;)
So here is a post dedicated to the thought of having a daycare ;)
"How are you managing?"
This is usually the first (or one of the first few) questions I get asked when I meet people. They mean, baby, house-hold chores and a full time job.
Luckily things fell in place for me. I was in a comfortable position at work where I could work from home so long as I showed engagement and progress. I was not new to the platform I was working on, I hanged around long enough. Plus Cisco that way is a blessing. It has never demanded that I come to work so long as I delivered on what I signed up for :) Thanks to the culture, the management is understanding and doesn't push to see my face every day, every week :)
The son, he is a blessing too. He is usually well-behaved. I won't say any more for fear of getting jinxed.
So I had to get back from maternity leave in January. I was alone at home with the baby, and a full-time maid. The baby was not rolling over yet, he was still solely on mom's milk and things were a breeze (now it feels like breeze, then I used to be a nervous wreck ;) ). We managed well for a month. Then the full-time maid left to get married and somehow I found a steady maid, two to three maids later.
Then I had to get back to work. I was getting my reports back and I had to go to work at least to meet my team. So I used to go twice a week, Mondays and Fridays, 9AM to 12 PM, come back by 12.30 and the husband used to leave for work at 12.30. It was like a relay race with the baton passing over the gate at 12.30 in the afternoon, give or take an hour;)
Then the husband started to get busy. At work. Luckily in-laws arrived. Now I still follow the same routine, but the husband leaves as soon as he showers and readies the baby for his morning nap routine, doesn't have to wait for me to get back. I give the baby his breakfast and leave after cooking and packing boxes etc and Subhash takes care of the bath and sleep routine. And now that the little guy is all mobile, crawling all over the house (now he knows his way around the house, how to get to the living room, where is his bedroom, where is the TV and all that), I really think it would be a nightmare if I had to work from home with him alone without any kind of support, like I was doing earlier. Subhash's parents have been a blessing. They manage to keep him engaged and he plays with them, which gives me some much needed breaks during the day to get some serious work done.
So, that is that. So far, so good ;)
Saturday, July 24, 2010
TGL!
So the health check results came out and I was surprised. My cholesterol levels were high. Especially the triglycerides, they were not even marginally high, they went beyond and were in the High range.
My overall cholesterol was within normal range (although it puzzles me how that can be).
Doc said, it is stress induced. I said it might be genetic, we have a family history of it. Or it might be diet? But she said no, this is stress induced, you have to have more rejuvenation. I have not the slightest idea how she was so sure, but there, that is that.
Now I need a break, officially! ;)
Other than this one thing, which she seemed to think is not going to be very serious till the next 20 years or so, that too if I continue with the same stress levels, everything else turned out to be OK.
I know a couple of my colleagues at least who also went in for this thing, came out saying TGL was high and doc sid they had to reduce stress. I know that after the results were out, they were actually stressed thinking why is it that they were stressed!
So I guess this is a common phenomenon that afflicts our generation, hmm...
My overall cholesterol was within normal range (although it puzzles me how that can be).
Doc said, it is stress induced. I said it might be genetic, we have a family history of it. Or it might be diet? But she said no, this is stress induced, you have to have more rejuvenation. I have not the slightest idea how she was so sure, but there, that is that.
Now I need a break, officially! ;)
Other than this one thing, which she seemed to think is not going to be very serious till the next 20 years or so, that too if I continue with the same stress levels, everything else turned out to be OK.
I know a couple of my colleagues at least who also went in for this thing, came out saying TGL was high and doc sid they had to reduce stress. I know that after the results were out, they were actually stressed thinking why is it that they were stressed!
So I guess this is a common phenomenon that afflicts our generation, hmm...
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Mac'ed
I just got home my shiny new Macbook Pro. Cisco had halted all orders to get in the new models with one of Intel's latest and greatest chips, i5.
I was working from home yesterday since the medical checkup thing brought me back to Airport road and when I came home and checked email, I figured that I had this waiting for me back at work. So today, we went to campus, after calling and confirming that the mail-room guys were around. And, home came the MAC. My tech geek is working in earnest now to set it up and I hope to have it seamlessly integrated into my work-life sooner than later ;)
I was working from home yesterday since the medical checkup thing brought me back to Airport road and when I came home and checked email, I figured that I had this waiting for me back at work. So today, we went to campus, after calling and confirming that the mail-room guys were around. And, home came the MAC. My tech geek is working in earnest now to set it up and I hope to have it seamlessly integrated into my work-life sooner than later ;)
Dr Kini - Sequel
I wrote this post on Dr. Prakash Kini a while ago.
So it was annual health check up time yesterday. I went through height, weight, ECG, etc in Campus and then they drove us to Diamond District for further tests in NM.
I was going through the Sonogram for all organs (liver, stomach, uterus etc) when the doc there asked me if I had a normal delivery. I said I had a C-Sec. She had a minor shock, took her eyes off the monitor and looked back at me, searching for the stitches. When she found them she was even more shocked. She said, this thing has healed so perfectly. I couldn't make out from your Ultrasound that you had sutures anywhere. And on the outside I am even more surprised. It is so perfectly healed, that I couldn't even find the stitches. Whoever did this C-Sec for you did a wonderful job. And then she proceeded for the next 5 minutes to wonder at this again and again, how perfectly it healed, how invisible it has all become and so on and so forth. So I told her this was Dr. Kini's job and she said I have heard of him, elderly doc, na? I said yes. She said she never met him though and asked where he worked. I told her she could find him at the Cradle. I then told her how he made me climb four flights of stairs, three hours after the operation and continued the regimen the rest of the time I was in there and she said that it is the right thing to do. (It sure felt like hell at that time, whether it was right or not!) Later, as if in after-thought, she said, of course a lot depends on you as well. I said, great, thank you! ;)
And I came out happy and feeling thankful to Sa/Sm, who referred me to this wonderful doc and the great hospital.
So it was annual health check up time yesterday. I went through height, weight, ECG, etc in Campus and then they drove us to Diamond District for further tests in NM.
I was going through the Sonogram for all organs (liver, stomach, uterus etc) when the doc there asked me if I had a normal delivery. I said I had a C-Sec. She had a minor shock, took her eyes off the monitor and looked back at me, searching for the stitches. When she found them she was even more shocked. She said, this thing has healed so perfectly. I couldn't make out from your Ultrasound that you had sutures anywhere. And on the outside I am even more surprised. It is so perfectly healed, that I couldn't even find the stitches. Whoever did this C-Sec for you did a wonderful job. And then she proceeded for the next 5 minutes to wonder at this again and again, how perfectly it healed, how invisible it has all become and so on and so forth. So I told her this was Dr. Kini's job and she said I have heard of him, elderly doc, na? I said yes. She said she never met him though and asked where he worked. I told her she could find him at the Cradle. I then told her how he made me climb four flights of stairs, three hours after the operation and continued the regimen the rest of the time I was in there and she said that it is the right thing to do. (It sure felt like hell at that time, whether it was right or not!) Later, as if in after-thought, she said, of course a lot depends on you as well. I said, great, thank you! ;)
And I came out happy and feeling thankful to Sa/Sm, who referred me to this wonderful doc and the great hospital.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Aaku Kaavala..
This is one of the songs my son watches regularly. Lyrics roughly translated.
Aaku kavala, poovu kavala (Do you want the leaf or the flower?)
Poovu kavali (I want the flower)
Poovu kavala, pandu kavala (Do you want the flower or the fruit?)
Pandu kavali (I want the fruit)
Pandu kavala, laddu kavala (Do you want the fruit or the laddu?)
Laddu kavali (I want the laddu)
Laddu kavala, amma kavala (Do you want the laddu or your mom?)
Amma kavali, naku amme kavali (I want my mom, I only want my mom)
You get the drift. Kid picks bigger and better things ;)
Now that is what my son listens to. But this is what he follows as a principle in practice:
Amma kavala, amma cheppu kavala (Do you want your mom or her slipper?)
Amma cheppu kavali (I want her slipper)
Amma cheppu kavala, amma phone kavala (Do you want her slipper or her phone?)
Amma phone kavali (I want her phone)
Amma phone kavala, amma laptop wire kavala (Do you want her phone or her laptop power cord?)
Amma laptop wire kavali (I want her laptop power cord)
Amma laptop wire kavala, amma laptop kavala (Do you want the power cord or the laptop?)
Amma laptop kavali, naku amma laptop ae kavali (I want my mom's laptop, I only want my mom's laptop)
You get the drift. It is a miracle my laptop has survived so far!
Often times, he is faced with a choice. He looks at me, looks at my slippers. And without a hint of hesitation, goes straight for the slippers. That is my son. Practical. He knows mom is anyways going to hang around. Why not chase other things, eh?
Aaku kavala, poovu kavala (Do you want the leaf or the flower?)
Poovu kavali (I want the flower)
Poovu kavala, pandu kavala (Do you want the flower or the fruit?)
Pandu kavali (I want the fruit)
Pandu kavala, laddu kavala (Do you want the fruit or the laddu?)
Laddu kavali (I want the laddu)
Laddu kavala, amma kavala (Do you want the laddu or your mom?)
Amma kavali, naku amme kavali (I want my mom, I only want my mom)
You get the drift. Kid picks bigger and better things ;)
Now that is what my son listens to. But this is what he follows as a principle in practice:
Amma kavala, amma cheppu kavala (Do you want your mom or her slipper?)
Amma cheppu kavali (I want her slipper)
Amma cheppu kavala, amma phone kavala (Do you want her slipper or her phone?)
Amma phone kavali (I want her phone)
Amma phone kavala, amma laptop wire kavala (Do you want her phone or her laptop power cord?)
Amma laptop wire kavali (I want her laptop power cord)
Amma laptop wire kavala, amma laptop kavala (Do you want the power cord or the laptop?)
Amma laptop kavali, naku amma laptop ae kavali (I want my mom's laptop, I only want my mom's laptop)
You get the drift. It is a miracle my laptop has survived so far!
Often times, he is faced with a choice. He looks at me, looks at my slippers. And without a hint of hesitation, goes straight for the slippers. That is my son. Practical. He knows mom is anyways going to hang around. Why not chase other things, eh?
Mistakes!
In more ways than one, this is my buzzword. Mistakes. We all make them. How we learn from them defines who we are. If you ask me, life is the story of what mistakes you make and how you grow out of it.
Now more than ever, I am always conscious of allowing people the leeway to make mistakes. If someone in the team makes one, I am always careful how I deal with it. I don't want to make the reaction so severe that the person becomes permanently afraid to make another mistake, in the process stubbing his/her learning process.
Just thought I'd overcome the blogebb by being a little philosophical here! ;)
Now more than ever, I am always conscious of allowing people the leeway to make mistakes. If someone in the team makes one, I am always careful how I deal with it. I don't want to make the reaction so severe that the person becomes permanently afraid to make another mistake, in the process stubbing his/her learning process.
Just thought I'd overcome the blogebb by being a little philosophical here! ;)
Friday, July 02, 2010
The road less taken
Today I took an auto @ Kadubeesanahalli junction to Murugeshpalya and showed him the route I take from behind the airport. He was super thrilled with it. No traffic, no pollution, he was simply shocked. He said "I have been driving an auto for 10 years and I have never come this way". I was feeling a bit flattered I must confess. But then I was just passing on what one auto guy taught me to another :)
When we reached Wind Tunnel Road, I told him this is Wind Tunnel Road He said yeah, I know! And he said, without even one signal I have come to Murugeshpalya, I cannot believe it! And I felt a little more happy seeing that I had given so much happiness to another human being ;)
When we reached Wind Tunnel Road, I told him this is Wind Tunnel Road He said yeah, I know! And he said, without even one signal I have come to Murugeshpalya, I cannot believe it! And I felt a little more happy seeing that I had given so much happiness to another human being ;)
VPN and Bharat Bandh
So Monday is off in the US. For July 4. Monday is also "off" in India. It is an All India (Bharat) Bandh, declared jointly by all opposition parties (boy, enemy's enemy is a friend, we all firmly follow this, and nothing unites the politicians better than when the running government is in a soft spot). So are we closing?
Of course not. We all get to Work From Home (WFH). We are part of the "never off" company that is Cisco. We had a notice today from WorkPlace Resources saying we are all encouraged to work from home and that the cafeteria etc will be suspended on Monday.
Technology does wonders. To productivity too. So, on Monday, work goes on. Bandh also goes on. Everyone is happy. Win-Win.
I love the way we seamlessly network in the virtual world. And I am proud to be part of one of the major players who makes it possible. We truly change the way we live, work, learn and play. (This, for the uninitiated, is Cisco's trump line :), sometimes it sounds jingoistic but sometimes you realize it is very true )
Of course not. We all get to Work From Home (WFH). We are part of the "never off" company that is Cisco. We had a notice today from WorkPlace Resources saying we are all encouraged to work from home and that the cafeteria etc will be suspended on Monday.
Technology does wonders. To productivity too. So, on Monday, work goes on. Bandh also goes on. Everyone is happy. Win-Win.
I love the way we seamlessly network in the virtual world. And I am proud to be part of one of the major players who makes it possible. We truly change the way we live, work, learn and play. (This, for the uninitiated, is Cisco's trump line :), sometimes it sounds jingoistic but sometimes you realize it is very true )
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Advice is free!
Unfortunately one of the only things in life that you get absolutely free.
Me: Jogging..
Fellow jogger (now walking): KFK#KWK#K@
Me: (Stop, remove headphones and ask): Sorry, what?
Fellow jogger: You should breathe through your nose. Not your mouth. I know that you should breathe through your nose.
Me: (Smile politely) : Ohh, ok.
(Turn and roll eyes)
If I was younger, I wouldn't have rolled my eyes. But you see. I am 30. And I am being attacked by the intolerance that comes with age (?!?! Really?!).
Why is it that this guy, whom I have started seeing in the colony just for the past couple days (and I have been working out on the colony streets for the past one year, ever since I gave the gym a pass in the 6th month of pregnancy), thinks he can give me advice? This guy was actually walking on the first day, in sandals, probably saw me running and started running yesterday (still in sandals). He wore shoes today finally and that suddenly made him feel like doling out advice on working out to perfect strangers.
Gosh! I think I have a face that attracts advice.
Me: Jogging..
Fellow jogger (now walking): KFK#KWK#K@
Me: (Stop, remove headphones and ask): Sorry, what?
Fellow jogger: You should breathe through your nose. Not your mouth. I know that you should breathe through your nose.
Me: (Smile politely) : Ohh, ok.
(Turn and roll eyes)
If I was younger, I wouldn't have rolled my eyes. But you see. I am 30. And I am being attacked by the intolerance that comes with age (?!?! Really?!).
Why is it that this guy, whom I have started seeing in the colony just for the past couple days (and I have been working out on the colony streets for the past one year, ever since I gave the gym a pass in the 6th month of pregnancy), thinks he can give me advice? This guy was actually walking on the first day, in sandals, probably saw me running and started running yesterday (still in sandals). He wore shoes today finally and that suddenly made him feel like doling out advice on working out to perfect strangers.
Gosh! I think I have a face that attracts advice.
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