I am sooo bored right now. One more hour to get out of the office and to freedom. I think worse than having too much to do, is having too little to do or having something to do and not feeling like doing it!
A general update on life for the sake of posterity:
- Last 5 months or so in London have been quite nice. Work was not torturous, hours were kind, made new friends and drank some wine. Traveled around Europe, went to Stuttgart, took a train down to Paris and looked at some art.
- Last trip was to Interlaken for the Easter weekend. Graduated from the baby slopes to some long blues and reds. No Blacks anytime now though! Maybe in a year or two! The apartment was awesome. Great views of the triumphant trio - Eiger, Munch and Jungfrau, which mean Ogre, Monk and Virgin. Company was good fun too. We got stuck in a snowstorm on Friday evening (trip was from Thursday March 20th to Monday March 24th), and the car refused to move up a hill. I insisted on trying, even though we might be dying, making frequent references to the video game Need For Speed 3, and driving everyone else up a tree. I thus earned for myself the moniker "NFS".
- Going to Chicago next week for an extended weekend. Haven't been there in almost 6 months now. Meet up with the Chicago and UIUC crowd.
- I will be knowing about my permanent placement quite soon. I need to do 3 6 month rotations before they put me in a permanent role. I am about to finish with my 3rd in a few weeks, so the day of reckoning has arrived. It is somewhat likely I will stay in London but things tend to change quite frequently around here, and its very dangerous to jump to conclusions in my particular line of work! :)
- More generally things have been quite volatile on the market front. Most banks are cleaning headcount and that does tend to make things tighter for everyone. A lot of people are out there looking for a job, which means, if you lose yours, its quite unlikely you will find a good position. Unlike in my previous group, this time around I have been quite insulated from the big market moves. When the whole credit saga started in July/August, I literally had to at times work 24/7, through the weekend and everything! Thank god for small mercies.
- I have taken up running with some enthusiasm over the last few months. I run about 12 miles on the weekend, and 6 miles during the week. I have found it quite addictive, if I might use that word. It is some kind of natural feel good drug, you feel completely refreshed, clear and peaceful after a good run!
- As for reading, I completely recommend that you read "The English Teacher" by R.K.Narayan. It is one of the most unpretentious, genuine and touching books I have read in a long time. One doesn't have to show off with fancy word play or complex story constructs to captivate the reader!
Ok. Thats it for now. I shall promise to blog more often.
PS: Which brings up the question - will I?
I have made this promise many a time,
But have failed almost to a crime
It is not that I cannot,
But I just will not.
Stupid rhyme you have read through,
Don't you have anything else to do?
Go read "The Golden Gate"
By our good friend Vikram Seth.
3 comments:
So I guess you are in Chicago this weekend or were in Chicago, considering this is the end of the weekend ..
Good to read your comment....I was guessing that you would be working somewhere near Chase Plaza ... I go there very often ... and if you have not stepped into the City Hall or the Thompson Center ... make a point to do so ... Those are two of the most remarkable interiors I've seen ... Well after Europe trip they might seem a bit washed out! Your Europe stint sounds adventurous ...
It's good to know that you make time to jog ... I was thinking about participating in the Chicago marathon this year. Last year was a major disaster ... maybe they would organize it better this year.
I dont get time to blog [or photoblog] these days ... I do take lots of pictures, but no time to process them ... and I really want to get more free time in hand with summer around, it's such a short season here.... and before one can soak up enough sun and air it will be cold again. I have to say that after braving -30 degrees, when it was -1 degree people were out on the streets as if summer is here!
Ah, you've been traveling in Europe. Good, I remember you saying you've been wanting to do that for a long time. Enjoy.
[intern] oh so you are also the marathoning type...
i do have some thoughts of running the London Marathon, which is on the 3rd week of april...
yeah..the chicago winter is especially bad...after 4ish years in urbana/chicago i have almost accepted a dull a dreary 5 months as un-escapable...london is so much better that way..
[prashanth] little bit yes...yeah..i did earlier as well when i was in lyon..
and yes traveling is fun..in Europe good..but I want to do Eastern Europe now and maybe some more exotic places..
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