Alright - that's a wrap...

One day I get the thought that I must be eminently 'searchable' on the net. To make that possible, I create my blog. Then I do nothing for 9 months & still hope that my blog counter shows an awesome number. This is not cockiness, this is downright stupidity.... Anyways I was reading Peggy Noonan the other day. She was Ronald Reagan's speechwriter & her writings are just awesome. On Gerald Ford, the former US President who passed away this week, she said 'He just did his best and kept walking. What a grown-up thing to do. Former, current and future presidents would do well to ponder this approach. History would treat them more kindly. The legacy of a man who spends his time worrying about his legacy is always: He worried about his legacy'. I am gonna do the same. I will not worry about the visits that I will likely generate or the kind of reviews my blogs get. I'll just write whatever & whenever - and as about legacy, well I know I'll make it (See - I cannot be 'un-cocky' for long).

2006 has been a revelation. I thought that you put your profile online only to impress a co-ed. Apparently there is more to it than just dating. Time and again, I am asked whether I have my profile on Orkut. One day I could take it no longer & created one. That was the easy part. The difficult part came when I saw the question 'Write about yourself'. Aaaaarghhhhh!!!! What can a human being can possibly write about himself/herself in 500 words that must also be humorous, eye catching, unique & stylish? I mean, it is difficult enough when strangers ask 'Tell me about yourself' in a casual social setting. Do I have to have the ignominy of also writing something about it? I eventually decided NOT to do a write-up on myself for 500 words on Orkut that must also be humorous, eye catching, unique & stylish. (Side Note: Lest you think I am a chicken, I want you to know that 8 years ago, I posted a great write-up on me online. I expected lasses the world over to coo at me. Not one wrote back. Maybe it was coz. it was titled 'Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn').

In the beginning of 2006, I had no idea that MySpace, Orkut & Flickr even existed. Now everyone talks about them. I accidentally bumped into Metacafe one day. Subsequently I learnt that YouTube was better. Before I could comprehend all this, Google swallowed YouTube. I got hooked on to Wikipedia. And apparently there is even a world's funniest joke. Well - it sure takes an effort to keep up with the changing times & I hope I learn a lot more in 2007.

I hope I also write a lot more in 2007. I once read that a picture is worth a 1000 words. Maybe 2007 will be the year of pictures. We'll see.....

Until then - to all of you out there that are kind enough to read my blog - Have a Wonderful 2007.

Hi There

The name is Arun & it's a pleasure to walk into the blogosphere. It was just the other day I googled my name in the valiant hope that some tidbit about me would pop out & make my day. The only thing I came out with was that there are so so so so so so many Arun Kumars in Cyberspace & I am still not one of them. Much humbled & thoroughly wizened, I figured that the only way I can 'pop' up in anybody's random search was to drop my calling card - my own blog.

Do I know what I want my blog to be? No. (Arun's Mantra No. 87: When you want to make a confession, get it out and get it fast). But like all things in life, you and I will figure this out (Arun's Mantra No. 56: When in doubt, share responsibility with someone else. You'll be blamed less).

I like to think that I have a very clear idea of who I am. And that is that I am the best. (Arun's Mantra No. 36: Vanity is a great thing). Sure, life has its own way of putting me in my place & actually showing how 'best' I truly am. But right now, I am not going into a confessional - so let's just proceed by accepting that I am the best.

I am 32 years old & live in Bangalore, India with my pretty wife Priya. The only common purpose that binds our holy matrimony is our un-abiding quest to pester & trouble each other (Arun's Mantra No. 12: When 2 people share the same purpose, they go a long way). So far, we have done a pretty good job at it. Case in Point: My rapidly receding hairline & her often gnashing teeth. Considering the fact that we got married 3 years ago, you can imagine how troublesome we could have been to each other....

I like to write (ramble is a better word), but I am not a great writer. I interlace my words with occasional wisps of humor & (if possible) try to put some sense & thought into my penmanship. The result is a mock tail. If you still to read such stuff, you might find this blog mildly bearable.

My hobbies? Reading, traveling & tracking politics. I read on the net. I read magazines. I read comics. I read assorted stuff (Arun's Mantra No. 59: Don't read technical books). I love Peanuts, Asterix & Dennis, The Menace (yup - in the same order). Charlie Brown is my hero. When he says 'Good Grief', it encapsulates everything. Snoopy is another character that I adore (‘Joe Cool’ in my URL is a reference to Snoopy). Asterix comics are a class of their own & I won't even try to explain them. There are hundreds of dedicated websites that do a great job of showcasing them & echoing my thoughts.

I dig politics. I have been through long cycles of thought on who am I politically. Am I a socialist? Or a card carrying free market capitalist? Or do I want a mix of both? Will I vote left or will I vote right? I am pretty sure that I have figured this out - but we'll talk about that some other day along with my travel travails. (I have to make you come back to my site, don't I?).

What? Am I supposed to tell you what I do for a living? Oh OK. Simply put, I have fun. I work in a supply chain company called Manhattan Associates (lest you think I am another techie geek, let me assure you that I am anything but). I have been with them for a year & I would like to think that we get along quite well. They let me dabble with alphabets & numbers (apparently they are called software programs), blue & black screens, status graphs & line reports (or is it line graphs & status reports?) along with a bunch of very mild mannered people at whom I often throw a bright red ball. I told you - I have fun.

From 2000 until early 2005, I lived in the US for 5 years working on some Baan ERP stuff. I won't bore you with the arcane details. Priya & I figured that 5 years was a decent duration of stay away from home & headed back last year. The US was an amazing experience & taught me some great lessons:
- Take your work seriously, but not yourself.
- Laugh (even at you)
- Don’t hesitate to say 'No'. Nobody is going to eat you.
- Don't ask. Just do it.
- Once you say you'll do it, do it. And on time.
- If you have some bad news, get it out & get it fast (OK, my Mantra No. 87 was not an original)
- Don't micro-manage. Every individual is brilliant. Just unlock his/her potential & they'll do it even better than what you hoped for.
- Fight for what you believe in - even if you are going to be alone.
- Understand. Listen. Be patient. Collect facts. And then - ACT.

We'll talk more about these & a lot more as time goes by. Until then, take care.


Cheers
Arun 'Joe Cool' Kumar