I’ve had my first taste of a long distance relationship now – me and the net. Oh all right! Before I sound any more geeky, I’ll just start off by apologizing for what’s been my longest break from blogging after starting sometime a year back. Funny! I started blogging since I was frustrated with my first corporate exposure and now I’ve almost stopped again because of my job. I used to have a theory why people change jobs in their first 2 years. We always have unrealistic and fantastic expectations of their first step into career. And when the reality of the working environment hits us, we get pissed off and it often takes a while and umpteen jumps here and there before we come back to ground. But for me, my first job has given me more than I’ve dreamed of. Well maybe I’m just a weird guy who just doesn’t expect anything for himself or maybe I’m just always happy with what I get. Well, just a lot of maybes here. But anyway, I’ve loved the ride till here. And the ticket I’ve got promises a lot more fun ahead. Well yeah, I’m boasting. And more boasting to follow.

Ok. I’ll spare the business talk for those who want to hear it. I don’t want to talk about what I’m gonna do in my job. I’m still in training and my role promises to be a mixture of local as well as global operations & communication. At least, I get to see the strategic vision of my company’s growth. Suffice to say that it sounds really juicy. Enough of talking shop. I’ve had a splendid time in Mumbai. I’m staying in a great apartment, on the 23rd floor, in a great locality, seeing the sea on one side and skyscrapers the other side, with a guy to cook and do laundry. I get to stay here for a year. Everyone’s dream in Mumbai right ?? (Hmm..just needs a hot girl to set the picture right). Well anyway, that’s just where my dream run starts!! We started day 1 by going to Sinhgad fort near Pune. Me and the 11 other management trainees (MTs..aka purple stars in the company lingo) had a team building session there and amazingly, it really worked. So, after a great start, we were back to presentations and knowledge sharing from people from the top management of the company. And to our delight, they were very down-to-earth people. Maybe a bit flashy at times, but still great company to have around.

We did a lot of stuff during our brief induction, which seemed like forever then and too short now. We had a welcome party at a jazzy disc (polyester for anyone familiar with mumbai night life) with a really corny skit, drinks and dance. Dancing with the MD and the real top guys is the best way a company can welcome you. We had a trip to Kochi to visit the cocoa plantations – something which my company is quite proud of. We stayed in a very nice place and had a real blast. And add to that, a very enlightening Market visit in Mira Road and a CSR visit (aka. excruciatingly long trek up the hills) across tribal villages outside Mumbai (yea..tribals outside Mumbai, you heard me right). Also add a dash of Mumbai night life – pubs, movies, plays, restaurants. To top that off, a bike trip to Alibaug followed next week by a 3 day rocking conference in Goa- viola! you got a recipe for a time you’d cherish for your life. Or at least till the next year !

PS: Still no net for me in Mumbai. Am on a ultra-short vacation back home. So, I can’t guarantee when my next post will be.