Beating the 'Depression'

Well, the hot topic these days is 'Depression' - whether we talk about people being stressed-out because of examinations or job losses or the general state of the global economy.

One of the best ways to avoid this depression is to pursue a hobby or do something which we always wanted to do but kept postponing for some future date when we might get time. This really helps a lot in beating the blues.

I can't say that I am really depressed, but most symptoms seem to point in that direction. During the last few months in my job I started feeling angry, losing my patience, staying aloof and getting irritated at every other thing. I tried socializing a little so that I don't get affected by any of the above negatives.

After heading back to Pune and having taken enough rest, for a start, I decided to join a nearby gym for at least 3-months. I want to really achieve one of my primary goals of getting my weight back to the early 70s. Secondly, I have started testing my skills at playing TT and badminton, for now. Another good idea which I have already started implementing is to catch up with old friends from school and college, who happen to still live in the same city and might be in touch through social networking sites, but who we haven't actually met for years.

Something New for Me!

Well, just to introduce myself, I am one of the many "former" Investment Bankers in this world, directly or indirectly responsible to get the financial world to where it is today.

Today is my Blogging Debut! This is something I have always wanted to do and this self-imposed sabbatical has given me all the time that I want. I have never even tried maintaining a diary at any stage in my life. For someone who always keeps getting random thoughts, I believe this would be the perfect platform to ink them down. Now is the perfect time for things that I always wanted to do but kept procrastinating.

Things I want to achieve in the near term:

1) Join a gym and get my weight back to the early 70s

2) Give a shot at the GMAT, something I wanted to do since the last 12 months

3) Improve my sporting skills: at least in TT and badminton

4) Of course, look for a decent job in the interim

Suddenly, in the last 3 weeks, there seem to be a lot of things which can be done in 24 hours. Just till last month, when I was in the thick of action in Wall Street, I was a typical Analyst in a large investment bank, mostly working 16-18 hour days, then cribbing at the end of the day about the quality of work and life. A 'Wall Street Banker' hitherto a dream career for many had turned into a routine of nightmares for me. I was one of the first takers of the TARP (Troubled Analyst Relief Program), which my firm very reluctantly chalked out on Feb. 4th this year.

It was fairy-tale land in Manhattan and now I have come back home to Pune, India. Lets see whats in store in the next few days/months! I have decided that I would do nothing this month and get into a well-set routine by April. The best thing, I believe, that one can do after 4 years of slogging (with many 18-20 hour days in the last 2 years) is to just stay idle at home sweet home, for a month!

I was always a foodie, but never really did justice to that title, until I stepped into the shores of New York. I tried a variety of cusines out there, all authentic: Italian, Mexican, Lebanese, Iranian, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai in addition to the ubiquitous desi khana! Call it withdrawal symptoms, but I have been on the constant look-out for all this variety in Aamchi Punyanagari now! I have been succcessful in locating Lebanese (Flags near Inox theatre) and authentic Oriental (Malaka Spice and Silk Route, Koregaon Park) food places.

In this world of material possessions, the latest one I can boast of is a newly booked Hyundai i20 car. It has a long waiting period though, before arriving by the end of April. It was tough to choose between this car and a Maruti Swift which all and sundry suggested that I should buy.

Today, of course, is the launching day for Tata's much-talked-about and eagerly awaited people's car, the Rupees One Lakh Nano. Now, I guess the 'famed' Indian roads will look even more densely populated. I am sure, recession or not, we are going to see another surge in per-capita car ownership: of cars in India, just like we have been witnessing the exponential growth in the number of mobile phones since 2003.

Cheers!

Sirish