The blessing of the curse

I know it sounds controversial and even downright dismissing.

So, please know that is NOT my intent with this article. I feel terrible for everyone who has had their life turned upside down by the COVID-19. We are currently in the midst of something that many of us have not experienced ever in our lives. We are “shelter-in-place” / “lock-down” mode as we all try to “flatten the curve” so that we can all move on.

I can’t fully understand the pain and the losses that people have been subjected to as we have been fortunate not to be affected by it (in terms of our health). Having said that, I am not dismissing the presence of pain for others. I do wish that this really hadn’t have happened. But it has, and now, we must face it and that reminds me of this quote

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

The quote is so apt for me, personally, because we just happened to do an experiment last week. Last week was supposed to the kids’ spring break. We were supposed to be in Tokyo for their spring break. But instead, they were about to have a break from their “online learning” and we had no idea what to do with all that time they were going to have on their hands. So, we decided to have a week of experiment. An experiment to live without something that we THINK WE NEED all the time. WiFi.

This was going to be a week of “No Internet”

No internet, whatsoever. Shut down that Orbi, shut down the mobile data on our phones and just spend time together as a family. Turned out pretty good week for us, all in all.

And as I said in the topic, there is a blessing for us here if we choose to see it. Here are some of the blessings we had last week:

• We slept in
• We slept longer
• We made meals together
• We cleaned dishes together (oh yes, we even stopped using the dishwasher)
• We watched movies (including The Lord of the Rings)
• We played video games, we played board games

I understand, this is made possible for us because we have a fortunate life. But, it seems like so many people are waiting so badly for them to get past working from home. So many keep saying “when is this lock-down going to end?”. So many “can’t seem to take it anymore of their children fighting an.

But, if we just look at this an opportunity to do something new, do something different, get better, we can all come out of this pandemic a better human race

I will leave you with some of the pictures from journals of my daughters as they were writing everything we are doing at home these days (for a school project).

Home made Chocolate Milk

How we wash our hands and our morning schedule

We make a schedule everyday

The birthday cake the girls made for their Mama

Just one of those things that we now have more time to do

Yes, they most certainly are getting independent making meals now

Staying honest, this one was made by Mama 😉

Things we do

Learning to count in different languages

Staying healthy by working out at home

Some changes in our habits

Things we do online (except for last week when we went off-the-grid)

Home made quesadillas

home made veggie patties

Chia seed pudding with fruits (girls’ creation)

Hope you are all safe and healthy and hope you get to experience some form of “blessing” as well.

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Its the time to learn from your children

At this time of the year, many of the conversations with my colleagues and friends revolves around change; changes to your accounts, change to your management, change to your role, there is no dearth of change at this time of the year

Which brings me to how I think we should process the amount of change.

If you got kids (own or in family), remind yourself of the amount of change they go through every single year; New classroom, new teachers, new subjects, new schedule, and sometimes even a new home

They start almost every single year with a blank slate, carrying their learning from previous year and ready for more. And, they deal with it with resilience and vigor. And they trust the process, that they will come out of it wiser and better

And, that’s my advise to you. Time to learn from your children. Embrace the change as an opportunity to learn more. Learn new things, make new friends, and you shall be wiser and better at this time next year

Here’s what you need to survive the brutal tech industry in Silicon Valley

Are you in the tech industry, over 40 and worried about hot having the skills to be the tech industry 10 years from now?

Well, that was a topic of discussion that I was in with one of my friends recently. He and I are both in tech industry and live in the area and are both 40. So, maybe this discussion was a result of us living a mid-life crisis. 😉

Regardless, we were discussing what skills do we need to acquire now to be marketable a few years from now. Would we lose our marketability in the workplace, given the ever evolving nature of the tech industry?

I called 911 and here’s what happened

So, a couple of weeks back I was driving over to one of my clients’s office across the bridge.

I crossed over the 84 and I see a household ladder right in the middle of the two lanes. I was easily able to avoid hitting the ladder but thought of calling the 911 and alerting them of the potential hazard.

So, I dialed 911 and here’s how the conversation went

A couple of rings and then,

911: “911, what are you reporting”

Me: Hi, I am driving and I see a ladder….

(interrupting me right away, 911): “Hi, yes, on highway 84?”

Me: “uh, yes”

911: “yes, we are aware of it and are taking care of it as we speak”

Me: “oh, great, then”

911 hangs up.

I think she might have said “Have a good day” or something. But, as soon as she hung up, I was in awe of small little things like GPS that we take for granted that make our lives so much better.

My call including the couple of rings, lasted all of 19 seconds with 911. And that’s what I want from technology, no?

Quick easy transactions for situations where every second matters. right?

Just amazing…

I was thinking about writing about this but never got to it and then I saw this article from our friendly neighbourhood police department

Using a cell phone to dial 911? Here is what happens.

and finally decided to ink this article in.

*Hope you never have to call 911, but if you do, I hope your conversations with them leave you with a same feeling that I had, the one of efficiency”

Do you have your Dorothy Boyd?

You have definitely watched this, right?

Have you ever wondered? or asked yourself “Who is my Dorothy Boyd?”

“What if I want to embark on another journey, who would support me? Someone who would believe in my so strongly, they would put their own job at risk? Because I think if Jerry didn’t have Dorothy, he might not be able to do what he did, right?

It’s great to believe in yourself, you can’t get started without it, but sometimes you need others to remind you of what you can do.

Who will stand up and say “I will go with you“

Its the Dorothy Boyd’s that you need around you for you to fulfill your purpose, your mission, whatever that might be