In November 2009 I started my full time job and in 2010 I settled in it comfortably. I made new friends at work, and grew stronger bonds with the existing ones. The highlight was getting my work visa approved a key to my survival in USA. We welcomed a new baby girl – my 2nd niece into this world amidst my entire family- a rarity for any immigrant in this county is to have parents around to witness birth of their grand child. Then came the most awaited trip back home. In November, I packed my bags and set off for a three week long vacation to India. There I attended a week long wedding of two of my closest friends. From learning to dance for the wedding, to shopping for the right outfit, to hogging on delicious Indian food, the seven days made me feel I was part of some Bollywood movie. It didn’t stop there and I am still living those days in photos and videos. I was finally able to visit a dear friend in Delhi and see the most beautiful monument in the world, the symbol of love- Taj Mahal. Words fail to describe its beauty and it is etched as one of the best trip I have ever.

I returned to NY sad to leave home but excited to see my loved ones here. It was December and holiday mood had officially settled in every corner of NY. Stores were playing the classic Christmas carols and window displays and lights added to the cheer. The tree stood high and the light show was brand new. Friends gathered, endlessly partying and we welcomed 2011.

New resolutions, new experiences, some ups and some down- 2011 is already altering my life. How will it be? Time will tell.. till then I am taking each day as it goes.
HAppy New Year!

I love this article. The first time I read it, it silenced the crazy voices in my head. It said to me – You are not alone. I am not being a crazy 20 something year old, still trying to find my footing in this world.

For past few years, we have been slowly progressing towards “adulthood.” Slowly might be an understatement. If there was a time machine, by now it might have been put to good use. We lack the maturity our parents expect us to show. “In our times” is how most of conversations begin when sermons in life are delivered. And in such and similar situations, I have always wondered – am I really not ready to grow up? When 20s approached, it was exciting time. It meant coming of age, legal age for certain actions. It meant being responsible and no longer to be looked at childish. Yet when I stand in my prime 20s, I feel exactly opposite. Although started my professional life, I can not call myself 100% mature.

And I am not alone. All around I see my friends, fellow 20 something year olds, trying to find answers in their lives.

“We’re in the thick of what one sociologist calls “the changing timetable for adulthood.” Sociologists traditionally define the “transition to adulthood” as marked by five milestones: completing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, marrying and having a child.

If these are the milestones, I have achieved only one – completing school. I am slowly progressing towards third- becoming financially independent (having just starting to work), having completely skipped leaving home. That seems a distant possibility. The only way I see myself leaving home is when I will reach the fourth milestone – marrying. And that is one milestone I have more than mixed feeling. I believe the milestones still stay same more or less. The important factor is that we are getting to them later and later. But just because we are getting there late, doesn’t mean it is wrong or we are irresponsible. Some of us might be taking more time than others to figure things out, but eventually we all reach our destination. Hasn’t some one said- it’s not about where you go but how you get there that matters.

The article summarizes the 20s perfectly.THE 20S ARE LIKE the stem cell of human development, the pluripotent moment when any of several outcomes is possible. Decisions and actions during this time have lasting ramifications. The 20s are when most people accumulate almost all of their formal education; when most people meet their future spouses and the friends they will keep; when most people start on the careers that they will stay with for many years. This is when adventures, experiments, travels, relationships are embarked on with an abandon that probably will not happen again.

Indeed, 20s have a lasting impression on our lives. This is the decade that will most likely make or break us and you get to live your life only once. So why not take the time to figure out what’s right for oneself. Make mistakes, take risks, learn something new, unlearn it and learn some thing new again, fall in love more than once, have childish crushes and wilder dreams, stumble, get hurt, celebrate life, travel… because this is the only time!!! After all there is no ‘control Z’ or ‘rewind’ in life!

If I have to sum up Nadal’s match against Mikhail Youzhny, whom I would have supported had he been playing opposite any other player, it would be; he came, he played, he conquered. Although we all would have loved to see some drama, nerve wrecking tough sets, his straight set win to reach his first US Open final was a reward in itself. And whatever was missed in Nadal-Youzhny was compensated by Djokovic-Federer showdown. It had everything that the previous match didn’t. There was drama, competition, passion, determination and luck. Towards the end of it, Djokovic deserved to win.

Rafael Nadal and MIkhail Youhzny get ready

Watching a live sport event is a different thrill in itself and today I know how it feels. One of my dreams has come true because I live in New York and so close to the venue. Next stop, Wimbledon, may be some day for sure.. As of now I am in cloud 9!!

Past decade has seen a big boom in Indian television industry and international broadcaster are now turning attention to the vast Indian market. Rupert Murdoch was first to tap the potential when, his company News Corporation launched Star TV in 1991. Star TV quickly become no.1 Hindi television channel. Today, the competition is getting tough with more and more companies venturing in to media.

CBS is set to launch three English channels by fourth quarter of 2010.

From one such site I visit, here are movie posters by graphic artist Pedro Vidotto. The artist has recreated some of the popular movie posters in the most simplistic design.

Later in my masters I learnt several new things. I learnt Photoshop, Illustrator and after effects. I worked on Final Cut and dabbled in second life. There are so many things out there to explore, that perhaps one lifetime is not enough. So I believe it’s important to explore as much as you can and not let go of any moment.

Right now, I am in process of compiling my to-do list. Hopefully, I will be striking out some soon!!

I was glad to have my friends and my beloved cousin sister around me. We had planned to reach the airport well ahead of time, so I could check in and then spend time with them. Plans never materialize. After dropping a friend at domestic airport, we rushed to check in at the international airport. The check in staff told me I was just in time and would not be allowed to go out as they would start boarding in half hour. I looked at my watch puzzled wondering exactly how we managed to get late. After last moment shuffling of goods to balance the weights of my luggage (I had to open two bags to redistribute the luggage because one had 1 kg more and other 1 kg less), I persuaded the staff to let me see my friends one last time. Might be the sad face I made, but they asked me to rush out and say my goodbyes.

I called a friend, told her about the situation and asked them all to gather at the gate. In spite of mentally preparing myself not to cry at the airport and embarrassing myself; as I hugged each person who had come to say goodbye, I couldn’t stop the burst of sudden emotion. The familiar lump in the throat only grew bigger every second and I was hit by the realization that I was leaving my life behind. Tears started following endlessly and my friends rushed to console me. Some cried with me, some managed to hide them well as they all tried to calm my nerves.

Teary eyed, but now composed I waved my last good bye and rushed to board my flight. From then on – it was one stop to JFK.
Now when I sit back and recollect those two hours at Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, I thank god for giving me an opportunity to hug it out with my friends. And also a big thank you to the policemen who let me step out of the security line for those 2 minutes, which I will remember for rest of my life.

After graduating in May 2009, I was left with $300 in my bank account and uneasiness of landing a job in this not-at-all perfect economy. My only respite was the fact that I had a roof on my head which didn’t involve paying rent. (Yes, it’s an advantage living with family in a foreign country)

Having an EAD, also meant that under the new OPT rules, I could work part-time, volunteer, freelance, intern, basically exercise freedom of choice when it came to work. The flip side was, I had 90 days approx three months to get myself any of these jobs. The biggest challenge, without doubt was to find a full time employer who would sponsor my work visa. This was not going to be easy. Neither my field of study nor I was in “raining jobs” scenario, yet I kept my spirits high. For some it was shocking that I was an Indian but not a computer science engineer. They saw it has huge disadvantage. If I was a doctor or engineer it would have been somewhat easy, they said. I choose to ignore.

Media career in spite of being lucrative doesn’t not exactly scream H1B. This is one area, outsourcing is not required. But I am not the kind to give up so easily. Before quitting my spring internship, I had already spoken with my internship company of the possibility of returning in summer. They were more than happy. After I graduated and took few weeks of to unwind, I reported back to Time Out New York as an intern in their digital media department. My earlier internship with them involved SEO and SEM stuff. In summer, I worked on html and getting articles ready for their site. This proved to be of a great advantage in my full time job search.

In the meantime, I kept on applying for jobs and passing resumes in my network. No one was responding. I got few calls from staffing agencies for SEO stuff but they didn’t work out. I was starting to get a bit anxious. Then, a family friend passed my resume to an advertising agency with whom she had worked earlier. I met the head of the agency and we discussed the possibility of joining his agency. The biggest problem was that they didn’t do H1B visas and I had no ad agency experience. The offer didn’t materialize and I was back to square one. It was October and my job search was reaching stagnation. Then, one morning, the ad agency head asked me to resend my resume. He knew a company which was looking for someone to manage their South Asian IPTV platform. I sent him my newly polished resume, which I had worked on with my devoted brother-in-law. Devoted I say, because he has been one of the biggest pillars of support through my master’s years. The company called me for a preliminary interview and then within a week I got called for follow up with the then head of NeuLion’s International Business.

The interview was successful and I found myself to be appointed as the Project Manager for TV Desi, NeuLion’s South Asian IPTV platform. After the interview I realized the contribution of my masters’ internships, masters’ degree and work experience in India had in getting me this job.

Today, I am luckily to say I have a job and work visa. What is even more satisfying is that I didn’t have to change my field of interest and that I could do people around me proud!