Does Your Life Leave You Enough Time to Relax?

Well not so much at the moment. Weekends yes, plenty of it but they are also doing some heinous things at work. Due to the fact that they can’t arrange things properly so that we can work with the new hired folks in a 9 hour shift and instead it is an 8 hour shift, we have to work 2 Saturdays extra in a month. And not only that we also put in a couple of hours extra almost every day.

That leaves very little time to relax during the week. On weeks that we work on the Saturday, it leaves only Sunday in which to relax and sleep in and watch a movie or something. If we get the two full day weekend then there is more time to relax. And I should say, recover. At the moment, I can’t say that live or should I say work is giving me enough time to relax.

Then you make due with what you get. And wait for it to blow over.

Prompt from Over 1,000 Writing Prompts for Students at The New York Times Learning Network

I am so tired. The last week has been tiring and so has this week. It’s just a lot of stress at work and me moving about quite a lot. It doesn’t help that the section that I am now sitting in with a set of 48 frontliners on this massive floor is a lot warmer given that the air-conditioning seems to be very low here. It is terrible to sit there at times when they switch it off. Also checking and fixing things which is par for the course means I am on my feet and running around.

Monday I left the office on time since I had told a friend that I would meet her for coffee. Yesterday I stayed back for a while and reached home after 8 pm and I was dead tired on my feet. I started to feel aches all over. I just wanted to lie down immediately but I had to wait till after dinner. I ordered some channa masala for my folks and I which we ate with chapathi made at home. After dinner I was online for a while before I ate my usual apple and an orange before taking my medicines.

By 10:30 pm or so I would be ready for bed – not sleep but lying down in my bed. I would shut off the latop, switch the tv on to watch whatever it is that I am trying to watch. This time it is Ms. Marvel but I am struggling to stay awake. I switch the ac on for an hour and lie in bed to cool off as it is still very warm. I soon fall drowsy and then get up and switch the tv off and then the ac and the lights and go to sleep.

No one. Well, I can amend that to almost no one. Let’s add even pincodes of credit & debit bank cards as well to it. Share it with no one.  Your exceptions would ofcourse be your spouse and perhaps close family members. I wouldn’t share my passwords and pins with anyone else.

My pincode to my cards are shared with my mother and my sister for emergencies and when I have wanted my mother to buy something using my account. And a couple of times when I was in the hospital, I gave my cards to my sister and shared the pincode for my treatment etc. That’s why I share mine. And I have also shared my Amazon Prime password with her so she and her daughter and occasionally my bro-in-law can watch movies. And I in return have their Netflix password so I can watch what’s on that streaming app.

Otherwise, do not share your passwords to anyone. Not to my computer or anything else. It’s just safer that way.

Prompt from Over 1,000 Writing Prompts for Students at The New York Times Learning Network

What did you want to be when you were a kid? And what do you do now?
I can’t remember what I want to seriously be when I was younger than 14. Pilot, astronaut, tennis professional, rock star – champion air guitarist here – actor! All the kind of stuff that a young kid thinks about and is silly and ridiculous but those are real dreams.

I think I was about 14 or so when I thought that the only thing I wanted to be when I grew up was a computer programmer. Or in Networking. It didn’t matter, I wanted to work in computers and something around it. It never happened. I took some programming courses for over 3 years but in then end I discovered that I did not have the knack for it and that I would never have a career in programming. Or pure IT.

What do I do now? Well ever since 2004 I have been in customer care either on phones, email or chat. I have handled calls, drafted emails and chat support for a few big companies and some much smaller ones. I have been training batches of new hired people into the processes since 2006 and continue to do that. I create content and I audit contacts. I also maintain the client’s major tool ids for our office.

Prompt from 130 Blog Post Ideas (and a Process to Find More Topics) at WordPress.com

One more week goes on by. What I thought would be did not happen – that is me starting a new training batch of newly hired employees at the office did not materialize as the set of 20 that was supposed to be aligned to me was not approved and it looks like that could be pushed back a few weeks. So instead I thought that I would have a few days of light work, finish my reports and work on some minor content etc. That lasted 1 day.

It ended up being a tough week and the last couple of days in particular have been a bit hectic. I couldn’t get all this things that I wanted to do done but the major stuff is all done. Dumb reports and online stuff is all over for the while and it’s now onto new stuff. We also had a farewell for one of the members of the team.

Now to relax for two days.

If you had unlimited resources to solve a given problem, what would you do?

My problem – I wouldn’t say that it is a big problem actually – is that I would like to move apartments. Sell my current apartment and move to a new one. It doesn’t have to be actually a new one, as in a newly built building, but an older one that has more amenities and options for us and most importantly more space.

Our apartment is a very old one and it’s smaller than most 3 bedroom apartments. It’s downright drab next to better looking apartments. We only have 1 elevator and if it is down, it’s a 7 stairs cases climb for us. Which we avoid. That and some other issues. It would be good to move out and sell this one. I hope we can do that someday.

But if I had the resources and not have to worry, I would buy the new one, move my parents and myself in and then sell this one. Without having to take a loan or anything!

What are some lessons you learned from your first job that are still relevant now?

My first – I actually can’t say it was a real job as it was freelance sales and I only stayed with it for a few weeks. Someone informed my sister that this business that dealt with computer accessories and, at then new to us, dial-up modems for connecting to the internet. This was way back in 1997 and I was all of just turning 21.

So I took a small training from them – this place was also where I first went online – and then got some cards from them and some brochures and went to some businesses in the main part of the city and pitched the idea for them to buy our modems. Most of these businesses didn’t have an internet connection and at that time they did not use the internet. I found myself getting roadblocked at most places, mainly because I was green and didn’t have a modem with me to give them a demo. However I did get myself being welcomes nicely at this one place where a friend of mine had a relative working.

So I got a go ahead that they would take one provided they get a demo. This was good, so I called the business and arranged for a demo to be done. A couple of days later, when I went to their office, the lady who ran the business said “Oh we had already met them earlier and so this one doesn’t count as one of your sales”. Because otherwise, she would need to pay me Rs. 1000. I was disappointed, and I was about to tell her about the relative of my friend who invited me to go there, but I avoid confrontation, especially at that age, and bit my tongue. I never went back to them again.

The lesson I learned is that people are willing to do and say anything to screw you over. And that is very true at every level and in every business and it holds true today.

Prompt from 130 Blog Post Ideas (and a Process to Find More Topics) at WordPress.com

Challenge yourself to do something for a set period of time (ex: avoid TV, cut out soda), then write about your experience.

When it comes to soda – 7up, Coke, Pepsi & Sprite and maybe the occasional Mountain Dew if there is nothing else – I love them all. I used to drink a lot of them – when I went outside, if I was thirsty I would pick a Pepsi or a 7up. When I went out for lunch or dinner, me and even people I was with at the time would pick a Pepsi or Coke or something to drink while we ate.

Pepsi / Coke especially go well with most fast food. Burgers, hot dogs, pizza or fried chicken just are aching for them drinks to wash down the food in your throat and also quench your thirst at well. Anytime I was thirsty, I wished I had one of these at home. So as I grew older, I did order some to keep in the fridge. Like the 1 or 2 litres Coke or Pepsi or 7up bottles. I even went to Sugarless Coke for a while. But I have been staying away from them for quite a while.

Since October of 2021 I have only had a handful of “sodas”. I gave them up for the most part but will indulge once in a while. I prefer to drink juices instead. A couple of times at the office during lunch I have picked a 600ml bottle of 7up or Pepsi since I couldn’t find any juice that I liked. Or if I was in a hurry. I don’t miss them that much at all. And if I do then I will get 1 but it will rare that I do.

Prompt from 130 Blog Post Ideas (and a Process to Find More Topics) at WordPress.com

So this is about my desk at home, my little crowded desk that needs to be replaced soon. I have ofcourse my laptop, now mounted on a a stand so it is elevated. I have a USB mouse on the right side along with 3 earpods in their cases, 2 USB charger cable and my Amazon Echo. Lying next to it is a USB dongle with some movies on it.

Now, let’s get to the left side. I always keep a coaster next to my laptop, for my water glass or tea or coffee. Behind that I have another USB dongle, a Bluetooth speaker that is connected to my laptop. Behind that I have my glass case and a Vicks inhaler as well a small tripod.

That’s about it! I wish I had a bigger desk but this is all I can keep in my smallish room. If I had a bigger room, I would get a bigger desk and have a few more items – I would even get a large monitor and keep it on the desk. I would also get a big keyboard as well and a couple of other items.

Prompt from 31 MAY BLOG POST IDEAS at Blogging Her Way

What is your biggest regret?
My biggest regret is the fact that I am alone and a single guy at the age of 46. I never ever expected that to happen when I was younger. Never in a million years. I have had my crushes and a couple of relationships but I have been mostly single since the age of 22. When I was a teenager I used to think that I would meet an awesome girl my age and we’d fall in love and begin our relationship and date and eventually get married by the time I was 27-28 and move in together. And that it would be me, my woman and my dog Shawny living in a nice small house and we’d have such a loving relationship. I have always dreamed about it.

Even after I my long time relationship for over 6 years broke, I still had some hope in me. For the next 3 years I didn’t think it would happen, even though I met a few girls I liked, but by the age of 26 I as very hopeful. I kept wishing that I would find a wonderful young lady, who would ease the pain and heartbreak I had suffered from my very first long term relationship and make me forget the negative side and let me fall in love again. Once again, I did have a couple of crushes but nothing ever materialized from any of it – and all of a sudden I hit 30! Oh no, I as supposed to haven been married by now.

I remember just after I turned 30, we were having lunch one day and my parents asked me if they should look for a match for me. Like an arranged marriage. And I said no, if I find someone I would tell them. And that’s because arranged marriage is not the way for me. I don’t hate it but its’ not something that I would want to do. And then years passed on by. At 31 I fell in love but no luck. At 33 I found out that a woman actually had feelings for me. Again no luck. I began to think that nothing as gonna happen. The ages of 35 to 38 the thought of finding a woman was further from my mind as I was struggling financially and job wise.

And then I was happier but I thought ok, I am 39 now, time is running out soon. Still no luck. I have had a couple of crushes but nothing serious. And then Covid hit and since late 2021 I have been in bad health. I can’t imagine finding a woman now as it’s easier to be in a relationship and then have these issues. I am now 46 and will turn 47 in August. The big 50 is just a little over 3 years away. The dream is fading away to just wisps of smoke and then into nothingness. I guess I will end up alone. No…..I know I will end up alone.

Prompt from 30 BLOG POST IDEAS FOR APRIL at A Grande Life

I can’t stand cigarettes anymore. The smell of it is so off-putting that I will gag and also get a breathing issue (due to my asthma). But I did smoke a long time ago. When I was a teenager a couple of my older cousins smoked and also at the age of 16 to 18 some of my friends also smoked. Hence I picked it up though I rarely did smoke; it as mostly something I did when hanging with smokers. I in particularly liked to smoke at night with the lights all off and lying on my bed.

The one year I lived in Bangalore, at the age of 19, I did smoke a lot more but that was mainly due to the colder weather. However I quit smoking by the age of 23 and I have never been tempted to smoke again. I can’t stand it or smokers and can’t stand near the stench for more than a few seconds. But I do miss cigars! Yeah, you heard me. I didn’t smoke it much. To be honest I can only remember buying cigars twice in my life. Once when I was 21 or 22 and some of my cousins and I were roaming the shops in Fort Cochin. I saw a sign on one store that state they had some cigars so I went and bought a few and smoke them for the next few nights. They were the thinner kind but I did like the flavour.

My first time though was back in Bangalore when I was 19. Funny enough how I smoked a cigar and marijuana both for the first time at the age of 19. One afternoon a couple of my friends decided that they wanted to drink wine and I joined them. We got 3 big bottles of delicious local wine and some food and spent a nice evening drinking the wine, chatting and then eating the food we bought. Towards the end one of the other guys brought out these big cigars as a surprise and offered 1 to each of us. I took it and it as so awesome to smell it and smoke it. I had to smoke it over 2 days as it as so big. But I do miss them.