Free !! Now, tell me what to do...

I had dreamt about this moment for a long time. After my final day in IBM, I had imagined life to be much more exciting. I had hoped that I would have complete claim over those crucial 8 waking hours each day. Well, yesterday was my last working day before I join ISB and, to tell you the truth, it was a bit of a disappointment.

Trouble was brewing on the project front with the last release having a host of critical issues. As the team sought to fight the fire, there was very little time to say proper good byes. Besides, I had already talked to the people that mattered. Anyways, as per tradition, the team gathered around, wished me luck, appreciated my work and gave me a parting gift.

It seemed a little weird to leave. IBM was my first job and I was sorry to be leaving. But other horizons now beckon.

Sometimes I marvel at the human tendency to always glorify the grass on the other side of the fence. When I was working, I longed to be "free". Now that I was free, I longed to get involved in one final problem on the project. For almost a month, I had been like a dead man walking, cut out from all decisions and consigned to weird looks and glances. I hoped to be a Deus ex Machina, emerging one final time to save the project from embarrassment. Alas, it was not to be.

Ultimately, it seems, we are all lemmings, happy only until someone tells us what to do and absolves us of all responsibility and accountability. As long as someone dictates to us, we have a target to rile against and criticize. Left to our own devices, we seldom put our time and effort to good use.

As a management student, I hope that I am able to change that. I would not want to look back and say "My technical job was better", just because it was simpler. That would be a huge let-down. Perhaps I'll be motivated enough to assume more responsibility in whatever I do and wherever I end up. The one thing that I have learnt is that no work is completely bad or completely good. It's all a question of perspective and expectations.

Well, of all my posts, this one seems to ramble the most, perhaps because I have time to kill and no set plan. That reminds me of a great Chinese proverb to conclude this post - "A good traveler is not intent upon arriving"... 

In vino veritas...

I skipped the usual weekend post this time I had to travel to Nashik. The journey itself was quite tiring, mainly because the roads aren't all that great. However, Nashik is a quaint little place.

The first thing I thought was "This is was Mumbai must've looked like in the 70s". Hardly any traffic on the roads, acres and acres of fields, just beyond the city limit, nice dry weather. Since it's winter, the evenings get cool, a little like Pune. Beautiful time to visit.

Since my stay was quit short, I could only visit a few places. One place I insisted on visiting was the Sula Vineyard. Nashik represents the Indian wine industry and I was keen to get a first-hand view of this fascinating subject. Coincidentally, our tour guide told us that the owner was a Stanford graduate and had brought a scientific attitude to the cultivation.

Most of the product is consumed locally. Some of it is exported as an economy wine to Europe, although they also produce a limited quantity of high-quality aged wine. Still, we have a long way to go before we can put India on the international wine map.

The tour was quite insightful. Sauvignon was the primary grape variety grown there. Almost 27 acres of vineyards dedicated to wine making. Awesome !! I shall be going back in March to witness the harvesting of both, the table and the wine grapes. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to indulge in some wine-tasting the next time around.

We also visited Trimbakeshwar. Like all other holy places, this one reeked of crowds, ceremonies and cowdung. I guess that's the price you pay for admission to heaven !! Still, it was better than some of the other places I've been to.

Overall a very satisfying trip. On an unrelated note, I officially submitted my resignation today. It feels a little weird to know that I won't have a job for the next 14 months. IBM has been a roller-coaster of a job and I'm glad I'll be leaving on a high.

I desperately wanted the sabbatical to fall into place as a backup for the placement season. However, the policy diktats don't measure up to my expectations. Perhaps, I'll be able to rejoin at a later date, I'm keeping the option open.

For the next few weeks, I'll be busy saying goodbyes at work...