My First Designation

I write this post after completing 13 months in BASF, my first job. It has really been a roller coaster ride so far, and I hope I am a better person than I was an year ago. Both professionally and personally.

Tonight, I returned home at 9:30 pm, due to some last minute extra work. But I am still feeling happy. Amidst the heavy pouring rain, life goes on as normal in Mumbai. I got two more books today, and as ever my list is increasing like never before. Though of course, I moved into a new place, so still taking time settling down. The experience in the Dahej plant was pretty good, but as of now, am really glad to be back in Mumbai, the city of dreams.

We had a mini celebration in office as well, and of course got the confirmation certificate post completion of my yearlong training. Now I am officially an Assistant Manager in Human Resources, at age 25(one of the youngest in the company), and definitely looking forward to my new role. Working in a team, and dealing with policies which impact the welfare of all employees, is something which really gives you a kick from inside. Recently a senior colleague who met me, told me that I should be in Marketing, considering I am from FMS (known as one of the best bschools to pursue a career in marketing). However, I am quite sure that HR is my calling. Even in my batch, people remember me as ‘THE’ HR guy. But, its only now that I feel I am making a very tiny dent in the big ocean which is HR. But definitely a good start. And I am thankful to BASF, and my remarkable colleagues for giving me this opportunity.

I just saw the latest episode of Naruto, and even though the story may be too stretched or illogical, it still inspires me to do my best. Especially considering the spirit of Itachi Uchiha is still remembered and elaborated. He will definitely be the most inspiring fictional character for me till the end.
But I seriously do need to take a vacation to a proper place. Plans still pending.

But I am happy that I face very few periods of depression/frustration nowadays.

2013 in Flashback

This may be my last post for the year. So how was 2013 in review, in retrospect? Was it better than 2012 or worse? Oh, well, like most other management grads, let me also put some bullet points:

Yin:
• Finally began my first job, at BASF. Been a good journey so far
• Made new friends, though all within BASF
• Met some old friends, had some good times
• Shifted to Mumbai for the time being, liking it better than Delhi
• Got a PS3, and some cool games to go along with it(including GTA-V)
• Mastered Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3
• Got some decent books as well
• Saw the first play of my life (The Vagina Monologues)
• Visited the Times Literary Carnival 2013 (with Amitabha and Girish), a great experience
• Completed my MBA (Don’t feel like mentioning that, but its kinda important nevertheless)-and passed all subjects
• Got my heart broken(by one of my past crushes)
• Started Breaking Bad
• Finished a few anime- Samurai Champloo, When they Cry Season 1, Mirrai Nikki, etc
• Tried out a few new restaurants, notably Delhi Durbar
• Had my first Starbucks Coffee (with Girish)
• Had a rural stint, in work
• Managed to get back in touch with a good friend
• Visited an Oktoberfest(German beer festival) and had just plain water
• Visited Elephanta Caves once more(had been there in 2012)
• Saw Gravity at Imax Wadala
• Went for shopping with female colleagues (re-learned the art of patience)
• Went for an Outbound training session at Kolad
• Saw how board meetings are like
• Stayed alone at hotels in rural areas
• Danced and performed in front of a crowd
• Travelled to Pune, and Met Amitabha

Yang:
• Gained Weight
• Had occasional bouts of depression
• Did few things which I should not have, and ended up hurting others in the process
• Felt the loss of my grandfather, who passed away this year
• Felt aimless and goalless at times
• Procrastinated
• Wasted 2 months at home, doing virtually nothing but facebook and whatsapp whole day
• Had tons of health problems, felt miserable
• Felt pessimistic

So in all, I guess 2013 was probably a better year than 2012 was. I wont say that I am at the best of my moods right now, but am definitely better off than I was in Delhi.

Lets see what 2014 has in store for me.

Special thanks to everyone who made this year special for me.

And a special mention to the Grow Batch(Trainees in BASF) 2013: Nikhil, Jerry, Swati, Anupama, Shapnaa, Prakash, Waseem, Ravi and Subodh. It was real fun hanging out with you guys.