Saturday, December 10, 2016

Muscle memory

My friend and my office operations manager recently asked me for help in writing out my organization's name in the Kannada script. I assumed it'd be a cakewalk; but when I started putting pen onto paper, my mind froze.

While I've been reading the odd Kannada book; reading whatever is written on buses, posters and hell even the occasional Government Order (GO) that some colleagues bring over for translation; when it actually came to writing my organization's name I struggled a lot, especially when it came to representing parts of words that are a combination of 2 or more letters.

Lack of practice, nothing else.

What happened next was something I can only credit my school teachers for. The years of dictation exercises, essays and exams ensured that my muscle memory just brushed aside the cobwebs in my mind. The words just appeared on paper and surprise, surprise they seemed correct.

I then discovered this transliteration tool http://kannada.changathi.com/ and verified that what I wrote was correct. Relief abounds :)

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

The rapid half life of the dream to live & work abroad

I'll be honest. Ever since I got married, the Mrs and I've always wanted to live and work abroad, for say 3-5 years before settling finally in India. And I applied like crazy to every damn opening that I found on LinkedIn, websites of companies/organizations that I dreamed of joining and seeking friends' help wherever possible.

Repeated failure and 2 near successful attempts later, nowadays I do not feel like making the attempt to apply. Tough visa regimes and possession of a skill-set that is not so easily transferred across borders are definitely a factor when I decide, but I feel there are the following points that sub-consciously play in my mind

1. Large number of important relationships - parents, friends, colleagues, relatives

2. Comfort in familiar settings

3. An improving lifestyle

4. Opportunity to directly contribute to the country's growth

Last but not the least - Seeing my little one bond so much with her grandparents; I just don't have the heart to take her 1000s of kilometers away to only meet her favourite people only once a year.

But, as the adage goes, if I'm contacted for a super stunning opportunity, I might consider it - why not? But have a 3 year return plan ready.