Category: Notes

Steve Jobs did it. Mark Zuckerberg did it. So did I.

This is a typical dialogue that you might hear these days from the wannabe-entrepreneurs and 90% of them would say it with pride. Sometimes this often goes to a ‘call-for-action’ mode that you need to drop-out of school/college to succeed in life. But their denial of the role that proper education plays in forming a good career is misleading and misinformed.

First of all, not everyone is lucky or lucky accidents and the favors of randomness do not happen in everybody’s life. So there is no guarantee to your success even when you have a terrific idea to sell or have the right resources. So before you jump in to entrepreneurship, you need to make sure that you have the right tools to survive when you fail to make your venture a success. This is where education plays a big role. So you need to get the basic education right, do specialization and you could alternatively try selling your ideas.

I have seen many of these new age entrepreneurs risking their parents’ money to bet on their future through entrepreneurship. If you go that way, I would suggest that you alternatively study to get a Masters or something that you could use to build up your career in case if you fail in your venture. I have seen friends who use their parents’ money to start new ventures, one after another, and terribly fails, then justify their actions by stating that they have ‘learned something in the process’ (oh yeah, I know :-P). I would say it is better to complete your education and go for a job. If you still have the spirit and dedication, you will be able to fund yourself and build your dream part-time. That way, you won’t be a burden on anyone, even on yourself.

I am a college drop-out too. I dropped out in the second year of pre-degree. Not that I dropped out to do something of my own at the time though (I thought that a basic college degree alone wasn’t going to help me find a job). I used to be proud of getting a good job for myself or about being a freelancer for a long time. Based on my personal experience, I thought that when you have complete confidence of your ability, the academic qualification really does not matter. But I begin to realize that I am a fool to have thought in those lines. First of all, not all employers would be wise enough to think that it is what you can do that matters and not your qualification. Secondly, education would help improve your thought process even when you are unaware of it. Third, if you want to grow up in your career, nothing should put a limit on you, including the academic qualification.

I do not regret for not completing my basic studies because it has not made any effect in my career path but I will certainly not advice the youngsters to leave their class rooms to do something of their own. I mean, do something of your own, for sure, but also make sure you have all other tools to help you survive if your dreams do not work out. Also I am planning to take an open university bachelors degree. It’s never too late, you know. 🙂

For me and Sony, today marks the first anniversary of a journey together. There has been a lot of learning in the past year. I learned that my wife is not the “perfect wife” I had imagined to be. I also learned that I am not the “perfect husband” that my wife had imagined her husband to be. And together we have learned that it is those imperfect notes which would progress to a soulful, melodious, harmonious symphony that is called life.

I had an idea of a ‘dream girl’ in my teenage, but my adult life had turned that upside down. I realized that it is not about two people loving the same genre of music or movies, same idea of politics or social life, sharing the same talent or interest in any form of art or sport, same age or education level or anything of that sort. What really binds two people is the love and understanding between them. The strength to be open to one another (and to conceal a few things for the common good ;-)). The strength to apologize when needed. These things could make them go many miles ahead. I realize that now.

So here’s to an year of two imperfect people being together which has become all the more exciting with the arrival of our son.

(The caricature was a wedding gift from Vikram)

Before you begin reading this, I do this post every year to assess my life each year (last year’s post is here). Because without writing this or taking an account of what happened in the passing year, I wouldn’t be able to count the blessings I have or the lessons learned. This is purely of personal nature and might not interest you. Now that I warned you, you may stay or leave. 🙂

Like 2009, it was a very happening year in 2010 as well. There were many pleasant and unpleasant moments. And I have learned a bit to let go the unpleasant ones (though it is not easy). But I would remember this year the most because it gave me the happiest moment of my life to date – when my son was born.

Alright, good things first. I got engaged on January 16th and got married on 31st. I became a father on 22nd of November, the same date I met my wife for the first time in 2009. 🙂 My son’s birth is the happiest event in my life so far. In February, my first music video was released on Internet. Iniyethra Naal was a song I composed. Another song, Manju Pole Oru Swapnam, that I composed and sung, is all set to broadcast on TV channels and the news got published in Kerala Kaumudi. Blogswara kept on going and the 6th album was released on March 1st. In June, I was interviewed by The Hindu Metro Plus, Kochi, about Blogswara. My cover of Picha Vacha Naal Muthal has crossed 10,000 online plays (it now stays at 12,000 and 3877 mp3 downloads in total).

Blogging has diminished but not dead yet. 🙂 I still feel this is one amazing medium that I can always use to express myself. And it is a pleasure when I meet people and they say “I have read Jocalling” or “I know you through your blog“. Expressing thoughts with an individual signature of the personal space cannot be this easy with any other tools available in Internet – be it Facebook, Twitter or any other social media.

In the new year, I am going to spend some of the free time for myself and my music. I have not sung much this year as the personal and family responsibilities mounted up. I think it would only increase this year but I will prioritize better. Though I have not posted many karaoke songs in the blog, my mobile is full of rough tunes that I recorded each time I get a new tune. 🙂 Sometime in the near future, and God knows when, it will hopefully turn out to be an individual music album which is my biggest musical dream.

One good thing happened last year is that I have restarted the old habit of reading during the train journeys from Trivandrum to Thrissur. You’re Hired (Nasha Fitter), Known Turf (Annie Zaidi), Super Freakonomics (Steven D Levitt, Stephen J Dubner), Dork (Sidin Vadukut), Roadrunner (Dilip D’Souza), My Friend Sancho (Amit Varma), Checklist Manifesto (Atul Gawande), Padachonte Thirakkadhakal (Sreenivasan), Nine Lives (William Dalrymple), Kerala history and it’s makers (A Sreedhara Menon), Keralavum Swaathanthrya Samaravum (A Sreedhara Menon) are the books I read this year.

Oh, and one thing I missed to mention! It is something I thought would never happen in my life. I got a four wheeler driving license. 🙂 May not seem a big deal to you guys, but for me as a person who doesn’t know how to ride even a bicycle, this is something real big. 🙂

We have lost 4 amazing people last year. Music director M G Radhakrishnan, lyricist Gireesh Puthenchery, singer Swarnalatha and Malayalam poet A Ayyappan. They will be missed…

The new year resolution – something which I wrote last year under the heading “Things which I learned this year” but never really learned – You don’t have to be nice to everyone.

I hope to learn why and how not to be nice to everyone around me. And to stop blindly believing in people. I am beginning to learn how to throw back the thorns which have been thrown at me for no good reason. There are people who backstabbed me and worse, they said it to my face, “hey, I just stabbed you because I had to”. And they get away with it. Not anymore. If it’s a war you want, it’s a war you get! 🙂 We have a strange world around us who think being nice is a sign of weakness and being arrogant is a sign of leadership. And I cannot afford to step aside.

I hope 2011 will make me a more confident man who believes in himself.

Wish you all a happy and prosperous new year. May this new year help you become better people, have lots of fun and cheers. Happy New Year!

On the way to Velankanni this month, my brother-in-law met a young man in the bus. They spoke to each other and my BIL asked him what he does. He said he works in the software field and my BIL told him that I work in the same sector. He asked my name and place. Then he told my BIL that he knew me. He said in fact a major shift in his life happened because of me. This guy was working in the city market for daily wages, roaming around doing several jobs. Then one day, he saw an article in Mathrubhumi daily, Thrissur edition, and the story moved him. The story that was published back in 2006 featured me on the second page detailing about how I was transformed to be a web designer from being a goldsmith. He told my BIL that he went to learn computers after he read the article and now he has an IT job that helps him earn a good living.

It was Umechi who thought that M-Pod (the Malayalam podcast) needed more attention for the effort I was taking and print media would be helpful. She brought me along to Surendran sir who was the chief editor of Thrissur edition of Mathrubhumi. When he heard about M-Pod, he sent me to a reporter to talk about. While taking notes, the reporter asked me what I do and how I came to learn computers. After I told him the story, he told me that he would like to change the nature of the article. He asked me if I have any problem in mentioning that I was a goldsmith. I said I don’t have any problem with mentioning the past but I didn’t want it to look like a personal promotion and would rather be happy if more people came to hear about M-Pod instead. He said the story could be inspiring to many people and M-Pod will definitely be the focus. I think that reporter’s name is Retheesh M B. I should thank Umechi, Surendran sir and Retheesh for this article.

It makes me so happy to know that there is this one person who was inspired by my life and it got his life changed. 🙂 Here is the article that was published in Mathrubhumi daily in 2006. The title reads something like, “Joseph’s world of computers glitters more than gold“.

I realize that ever since this blog came into existence, I have never been this far away from it. 🙂 And there is a good reason. I and my wife have been blessed with a baby boy on 22nd of November at 7:44 PM. I have become a father! Yes!!

It is the most amazing feeling I have ever had. I have never been happier in my life than the moment I held my child in my arms for the first time. I couldn’t stop smiling when I watched that most beautiful, precious baby as he made some movements. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I softly touched his head, his hands, his fingers and I was being extra cautious when someone else took him in their hands.

Many people had told me that life would change after marriage. But I haven’t felt much of change except for the first couple of weeks. But this… this has made me feel very different. It reminds me of the bigger responsibilities I have from now on, being a parent.

Some people said this moment on you would begin to respect your parents more. I don’t know how true that would be to me, because I always understood that it was not an easy task to bring up a family of 8 children and I have been trying to give my best to them ever since I have begun to take care of them. But there is one big difference of parenting in those days compared to our time. In those days, they were most worried about one thing – primarily about giving food (not even “enough” or “best” are the words to be appended to it) to their children and give them basic medication available when they were sick. In my time, I think there are a number of things to worry about – to provide them with the best possible options for every important step in their life.

And then there are even more thoughts. Will I be able to pass on the values that my mother taught me to my son? Will I be able to pass on the good things I learned from my life to my son? Will he become caring enough about the world he lives in? Will he care for the family? Will I be able to continue to provide the financial support that my family expects from me? The thoughts are terrifying at times, so I am going to give it a rest. 🙂 For the moment, I am happy and working hard to contribute my best to the family.

And here is a pic of my son, taken when the nurses brought him outside the labor room.

I saw an email (content pasted below) when I came back home from Trivandrum on Friday night. It was from an online friend who is also a blogger. The email came from his personal email ID (we have corresponded earlier) and it also had his signature at the end of the email. The subject line said “My Predicament!!!“. The content was this:

I’m writing this with tears in my eyes,my family  and I came down here
to London,England for a short vacation unfortunately we were mugged at
the park of the hotel where we stayed,all cash,credit card and cell
were stolen off us but luckily for us we still have our passports with
us.

We’ve been to the embassy and the Police here but they’re not helping
issues at all and our flight leaves in less than 3hrs from now but
we’re having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager
won’t let us leave until we settle the bills.

Am freaked out at the moment.

I believed it to be genuine, because it did not mention anything about transferring money to so-and-so account. It had a genuine email signature and the by the nature of the email content, the intent seemed to be like just letting me know about the plight. I got panicked and immediately wrote to my other good friends in London. Then the sender himself wrote back saying that his email ID was hacked and somebody else sent this email. Then two of the friends I emailed wrote back saying that this email is a fake email and it had been in circulation for a long time! One of those friends already had written a blog post about it. Looks I am the last one to know about it. So the first thing I want to tell you all is to be beware of this email if it comes to you!

But there was a good side to this whole story. Within 39 minutes of my email to the friends requesting to help the blogger friend, a friend from London wrote back leaving two contact phone numbers of his. He also checked to see if they had any guests in the hotel in that name. I mean if the incidents in the email were true, the help could have been readily availed. This reinstates my belief that at times of need, there are good friends on whom you can trust upon. That’s what this fake email taught me with this incident. 🙂