On The Edge!-Ramblings of an Inqusitive Indian!

Enjoying a rut.

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Saru

That time of life when you are disturbed, maybe things aren’t falling into place as often as you want them to, things are too volatile, you feel the urge to step on the throttle, yet nothing works because there isn’t a clear direction.
That’s when you do a lot of introspection, a bunch of soul searching and you also come up with ways to blame yourself for everything that is going on. You tend to be a bit harsher on yourself than needed, you find fault in all the missteps that led to this moment, and you want to blame it on someone, but eventually, it all just ends up on you.

To catch a break, you watch everyone succeed, aka wasting time on YT, Vimeo, Netflix, Facebook, Instagram etc. A good distraction is always welcome, but spending time mindlessly on these aren’t helping much, but only taking life away. Mind mysteriously called these your addiction to blame you further. But understanding that everyone is addicted to something helps a bit. May be addiction isn’t as damaging as portrayed. Addiction in itself isn’t a bad thing after all the outcomes define the negativity or the positivity.

While the rut isn’t the right place to be, it’s ok to be here for a while, as long as it takes. That’s where germination takes place; something new eventually comes out. You force yourself to rediscover yourself. While the end isn’t sight, getting to the bottom of the rut is the only way to get some clarity. Being grateful to what you have, helps with all this anxiety but may not offer a solution. It can make life a bit more pleasant than the grave picture mind paints. There is no fix, there is no quick exit, but patience and hope are the virtues that will make a difference.

5 Years

Posted on October 5, 2020October 5, 2020 by Saru

Five years back today, I started my day as a Happiness Engineer. I started my day with a bunch of hours on Live Chat support with customers of WordPress.com. It only fits that today happened to be a similar Monday with chat shifts to start my day. Call it life coming a full circle. It felt nostalgic to relive the very same excitement as I navigated chats today.

I am incredibly lucky for what I have for myself today. Thanks to Automattic for providing me with this and numerous other opportunities to grow and develop myself, not just as a better Happiness Engineer but as a better human being.

Everything I enjoy in my life today, everything I show off today and anything that I may take for granted (0 km commute for example) today comes from this incredible opportunity I got five years back.

Even to do this day, this work-life, feels like a dream. There is a teeny tiny bit of doubt that I may wake up from this dream; and everything would vanish. Even if it were a dream, it has been incredibly rewarding, and the experience has been nothing but a pleasure.

It would be amiss if I weren’t thankful for the team who make it what it is. Automattic then was a road not taken. Now, I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.

P.S – We are hiring.

Going Caseless!

Posted on July 22, 2020July 22, 2020 by Saru

I have never been a case-less person with my iPhone like ever. Since my first iPhone 4, i.e. mostly since Aug 2010, I remember having some or the other case on my iPhone. It never occurred to me that I should go caseless primarily because I was an outdoor person and I cycled a lot. Since I could afford only one phone and that was an expensive iPhone (imagine paying a months salary for a phone) when this all started. I have always had a case unknowingly. Now that I think of it, it is ironic that I always had a case but never had a screen guard, somehow I trusted the gorilla glass.

Coming back to cases, It started with cheap silicone cases and then over time as I started earning more slowly migrated towards the apple cases. Until the previous iPhone X, I became a leather case person. Only when the iPhone X screen started opening up from the shell and I upgraded to 11 Pro Max last November did I get to the apple silicone case back because leather ones weren’t available.

So why the case-less idea now, you may ask. It is very similar to my using cases in the first place, its the nature of the surroundings that are pushing me towards going case-less. I am running more than usual these days due to the pandemic, and I carry my phone a lot on the waist pouch in my running shorts and therein lies the problem. The extra padding that the case adds is slightly annoying now with putting the phone in and out. While I am happy that the 11 Pro Max fits the pouch at all, playing fiddle with the zip enclosures before and after the run is just an annoyance that I have recently avoided by going case-less. This definitely isn’t about status or fanboyism.

I have been so much happy that I’ve considered going case-less on and off. I think I can wing for the most part but my only concern is if and when I would crash on a bike ride and if that would damage the phone. That crash might run me a few 100k just for the phone besides damages to the broken bones, bike and other things. That’s where I feel the case might help me a lot.

That said, I have enjoyed the look and feel of the iPhone in my hands without a case and it feels just brilliant. I have started wondering how I have missed admiring the beauty of this by keeping it in the silicone case, despite the extra 50 grams of weight that it adds. If you haven’t tried using your phones, especially your iPhone without a case, do try it. Feel it. I am sure there definitely is a tiny bit appreciation for the amount of the attention and thought Apple has put into the phone to make it feel the way it is. To me, it feels solid, seamless yet well balanced and I enjoy it more when I hold it without the case. It does feel a bit slippery, but I don’t if the finish without a smooth finish will look pleasing or feel great.

So here on I think I will keep the iPhone in a pouch when I need some protection, a pouch that will let me put the phone and pull out and offer some protection on rides and will use it without any cases for the most part. Let’s see how long I can last with this case-less resolution. Regardless I plan to keep the phone for at least 2+ years which means, ideally until November 2021 worst case.